Tips for a Successful Disney Trip

We have returned from our first family Disney World Adventure. I hope over the next few weeks to share with you our trip and some of the tips and ideas that I learned firsthand this time. I will have a post on each park we visited as well as other items were included on our trip. However, to kick off my Walt Disney World Adventure, I am starting off with some tips that we learned! Hopefully they will be helpful to you if you are planning a trip in the near future. If you missed my Disney on a Budget series, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3!

 My 10 Tips for a Successful Disney Trip

1. If you are not bringing a stroller, consider renting one from an outside company. We rented this City Mini Double Stroller from No Hassle Vacations. They delivered and picked it up directly from our condo’s club house. It was the ABSOLUTE best stroller ever. Plus we had it all week to use even to go to the pool. It is a lot easier to pull the stroller out of the car and be ready to hit the parks instead of renting a stroller in each Disney Park! 

2. Do a Character Dining Experience. This was the BEST way to meet characters in my opinion. I will share more about our experience at Chef Mickey’s in a future post.

3. Make all dining reservations 180 days in advance through the Disney website. As soon as the 180^th day hits, get on the site and start making reservations! No deposit is necessary!

4. If you plan on staying all day at a park, make a dinner reservation inside the park. I did not know about this, so we ended up eating hot dogs in Tomorrowland at 7 pm at Magic Kingdom because all restaurants were reservations only! Believe me; you will want a cool, relaxing place to eat dinner before the parade!

5. Fast Pass, Fast Pass, Fast Pass – Learn how to use this, it works! You need this for Toy Story Mania! in Disney’s Hollywood Studios – go there first and get the Fast Passes, they do run out quickly!

6.    The 2^nd best way to meet characters in my opinion is the Camp Minnie-Mickey Greeting Trails at the Animal Kingdom.

7. Get a Photo Pass from the first photographer you are at and keep using that card your whole trip. You can then go on the website and see all of your photos! Always ask the Photo Pass or attendant standing with the characters to take a picture with your camera, they will do it! I got a lot of the same shots the photographers got which I will also be sharing!

8. When looking for places to eat in the park and your kids on are the verge of breaking down, ask a Disney employee! They are virtually everywhere and are the most helpful! Even if you ask, “where can I buy milk?”

9. Pack water bottles, juice boxes, and snacks for the park each day. You will need them when waiting in line for rides.

10. Buy rain ponchos ahead of time at a dollar store. I found 2 packs for $1. Luckily we never had to use ours! I also bought the kids glow necklaces and glow sticks at a dollar store and pulled them out at night!