1st Time Trip Report Tips

Walt Disney World
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Thanks to all the Liners who helped me plan the trip. What I learned on my first trip with DW, DS7, DD5 for 6 nights (3 GF, 3 AKL) and 6 days in the parks (in no particular order):

  1. Bringing breakfast cereal from home and buying milk in the gift shop helped us save time for RD & EMH mornings

  2. Snack packs and granola bars helped us aim for meals during less crowded times

  3. Water from staples (free delivery with rewards) saved us a ton

  4. JTA @ DHS was the highlight though DD5 was scared by darth vader. Total mad rush to sign up at RD before everyone squeeze into line.

  5. Star Tours was the most underrated ride that we enjoyed the most

  6. CS restaurants are not all equal: Mara @ AKL was much better than Gasparilla @ GF

  7. New monorail hours significantly reduced benefit of staying at the GF

  8. Had to wait 20 mins every time for buses. Highly frustrating to see multiple buses for other destinations roll past. Next time rental car!?!

  9. Nap breaks highly recommended but we waited too late some days which meant a return to the parks in the evening was tougher.

  10. Scheduling all the shows in DHS definitely require some personalized TP jujitsu.

  11. Next time will hit our favorite rides multiple times at RD and FPP other headliners.

  12. Important to slow down and take in the magic which we didnt do till the last day. Future trips (?) will (hopefully) allow more of this.

  13. FFP kiosk “helpers” at MK slow everything down!

  14. PL was a cost effective substitute for BBB

  15. CRT was great, food ok. We weren’t rushed but maybe because it was a late lunch. Lots of decent (not necessarily fabulous) food – we could not eat it all.

  16. Facebook MM share worked well. Next time more magic shots but waits for photographers at iconic locations eat into touring time.

  17. Chick-fil-a is ALWAYS on the way from Delta to MDE and back!

  18. Great advice in the UG book about skipping sides but make sure that CM cashier pays attention and does not charge you for them! Don’t need fries with all 4 meals.

  19. Chase visa referral got us $200 x 2 GCs. Wonder how often they allow you to do it?

  20. And last not least, Spenco Polysorb sneaker inserts were the best $15 I ever spent on Amazon.com (thanks @pod4christ!)

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Totally agree with #10 - that park confuses the life out of me. We’ve been there twice and missed a lot - I always feel so unorganized in that park.

Great tips!

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Thanks!

I find TPs hardest with shows because its never clear how early to arrive or how long it is going to take to exit one to go to the next. Would be great if TPs could add an option for “extra wait buffer” for popular shows.

But I guess its really a first timer issue since I am sure repeat visitors can prune their TPs to see fewer shows!

This time we got lucky hopping from a (bad) view of royal arrival at 11 to 11.15 mermaid to 11.45 B&B to 12.30 indy to 1.20 JTA prep for 1.50 JTA

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Try and add a 15 minute break on the front and back of a show. If the time is not needed, optimizing when the show is done should theoretically take care of it.

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The breaks and the shows move around independently when optimizing unf

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My pleasure!

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When you have move things around or add something, use evaluate, not optimize.

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