Before going to WDW, I wish I would have

I did this too! And very specific members of our party refused to fill them out, saying they were “fine with whatever.” Well that’s good, but everyone has preferences, right? So we got there, I had given copies of the plan to everyone, trying to make my best guess for those who were “fine with whatever” and surprise surprise, they were NOT “fine with whatever.” I felt resented almost the whole trip, and tensions culminated in an all out yelling match in Tomorrowland in front of the Speedway. To this day, I have no idea why they were so passionate about that particular thing, and I feel like it has affected my relationship with them. And also, that memory overshadows all of the great things that happened that day. My kids luckily do not remember. They remember riding the speedway with Mommy and Daddy and having a blast, and that’s it.

So yes, I would also say that I wish I knew everyone’s true feelings about park activities, or my plans, before going.

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Thanks for sharing your story, it always helps to know we’re not alone :wink: Unfortunately I have one SiL that is hasn’t recovered; it’s very sad cuz it was unnecessary.

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Wow, I’ve always seen these large family groups and have been a bit jealous. My usual group is just me, my wife, and daughter, so much easier to keep everyone happy.

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We used to vacation a lot with my brother and SIL. Then my brother and I got into a huge fight in front of a sandwich stand on the Big Island of Hawaii. That was three years ago. We speak, but barely. It’s very sad. I do maintain a good relationship with my SIL, thankfully. And maybe someday we’ll have a breakthrough.

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I like Badger et al. but it definitely doesn’t last all day for us. Maybe we’re just unusually sweaty :woman_shrugging:

To answer the OP, I wish I hadn’t done any research or planning. That way we wouldn’t know what we were missing when we inevitably can’t fit it all in.

But that is spectacularly and laughably unrealistic :grin:

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I would say:

*Go in with a plan but be flexible. It could rain, a ride could be down, it could just be so hot…don’t worry about it and just go with the flow.

*Take a rest day - I never do, I try to go, go, go and then I’m exhausted. The next time I go, I’m taking a rest day or at least do a rest half day.

*The fewer people, the better. You’re never going to make everyone happy. My husband hates going on vacation with other people so at Disney I try to stick with just my family. If you go in a big group, just meet up for dinners or special events because trying to get everyone on the same stuff is exhausting.

*Use your fast passes and then use the Ap to get your next one. I think I have more fun trying to score additional fast passes.

  • Get a Photo Pass if you’re like me and the only one who takes pictures in your family. It’s really nice to actually have some pictures where I’m in them. Usually we go on vacation and I’m not in any!
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The forums have been a big help to me. I have used the search feature a lot. The acronyms can be a little much though. C

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Also Strollers are especially hard to find after the sun has set. Not really sure if this will be a concern with parks closing earlier than normal…but I have seen people with battery operated lights that make their stroller stand out after dark.

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I have learned that free isn’t necessarily free. Free dining usually means you are giving up a room discount which may or may not be bigger than the value of free dining. Or it would take away the option of staying at a bigger, better, and cheaper place.

DDP is such a personal decision. While I longingly looked at the DDP for both of our WDW trip, we passed. Like @vcka said, getting hemmed in by ADRs doesn’t work for us. It takes time to get to ADRs. DH is there for the rides and entertainment. He doesn’t like to sit down everyday for 60-90 minutes for a meal and “waste” that time. We don’t drink; we don’t like all-you-can eat meals; and we can’t eat all the food that is included with the DDP. Right off the bat, those take away the value of the DDP for us. Then, if we had to pay cash, we wouldn’t order all that food. We saved money at the end and still ate everywhere and anything we wanted. Not having DDP gave us the option to say, “I’m not hungry.” For others, they don’t care about the value. They enjoy the inclusive feeling.

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Shoes. I joke that I could put my clothes in a back pack but the shoes are gonna need a large checked bag. On a full service year I could almost wear 3 pair a day. Covid - I’d still bring 2 pair a day, and both an extra day’s worth, so 4 pair.

Eat lunch by 11:30. Or, order lunch by 11:15, maybe, nowadays. What a difference a half hour makes.

Shoes.

If anyone has any kind of arthritis - knees, hips, or it’s tough to walk fast, I’d bring a cane. I rarely use a cane outside WDW but at the World, what a game changer. Just that much easier. And thus, happier.

Shoes.

Also, with the heat, I’d bring the little Mio flavor thingies that say Sport. Electrolytes are so great.

Have I mentioned shoes . . . :thinking:

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Yes, all that. On a recent girls trip w/ daughters we did QS DDP and that was a blast… alcohol w/ every meal :wink: We also did a few ADRs out of pocket too. The hardest part is the snacks, we NEVER use them all.

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Your first trip in such a time as this! But you will have a great time. Enjoy the shorter lines, lack of crowds, and repeat rides. You’ll have time to soak in the ambience, creativity, and details. You won’t have to get up before dawn to rope drop and maximize your rides.

Anyhow,

Someone is on the Forum almost any hour of the day to answer questions. We are your personal travel agents!

While you can plan, you may not be able to do it all. The heat, humidity, and rain gets to you. We were sweating buckets in the summer during our first trip and that just zapped our energy. So, we were a bit disappointed at the end of our first trip.

And there is so much more delicious looking food than I can enjoy!

Enjoy!

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If I had AP or go to WDW more often, AND did a split stay, DDP might work better. And I may get it just once for the novelty and work my butt off to get value!

I’m with you. If I had to eat all that food at a meal, it would be hard to stomach all those snacks, too! And I love snacks!

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My advice is to relax and have fun. That’s actually the whole point in vacationing at WDW, but is often shoved aside under the pressure of “doing Disney right” Listen to the non-verbal cues of your people — rest and eat before you think it’s necessary.

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The are other threads that debate DDP extensively, some of which I used and added to when deciding to try it. Definitely has pros and cons, but we made such good mileage out of free dining with 5 “adults” in a CBR room, easily got more food value per day than we paid for the room and dining upgrade. And last fall when I ended up paying for DDP with my girls, we did LOTS of character/princess meals. It was definitely overkill, not as much savings, but fun, and I’m glad we did it now that none of the same meals were available this year. In future I will definitely be looking for free dining offers as long as I don’t have an AP. If you are in a value or moderate room filled to capacity, you can do very well.

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Understand the type of people in your traveling party, and try to do things accordingly. It’s ok to split up at times!! For instance, who are early risers and who are night owls, who functions at what energy levels (go-go-go vs a gentler pace, go all day vs take a midday break), what are your eating/snacking styles DH and I have learned we have very different styles so we adjust accordingly. I try to slow down my walking speed. He’ll sit and watch people or explore shops/exhibits while I rush to do wild rides, then we’ll meet up afterwards. We tease that I need to try not to break him! It makes for happier trips.

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I wish I would have researched dining options more. Our first trip we decided we would just eat wherever when we were hungry. Well, 5 people (incl 1 picky kid) we ended up doing 2 different places for 1 meal often. Time wasted.

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In no particular order:

  • Know that a lot of what you have read in various travel guides is currently obsolete.

  • On arrival day, have the bare essentials necessary to get you through the day, up until park close, in a carry on bag.

  • Liberally use packing cubes inside your luggage

  • Realize there is an inverse relationship between money and time … expend one to save the other

  • This is an enormously complex operation and things can change suddenly. If life hands you lemons …

  • If you get exhausted, stop. Pushing through only makes tomorrow worse.

  • Even if its is bright and sunny in the morning, still carry at least a cheap disposable rain poncho.

  • If you are a larger group, matching shirts (even if it is just the same color T-Shirt) works wonders in keeping the group together.

  • If you are big on souvenirs then take an extra bag to carry them home in (or get a gift shop to ship them home for you).

  • Find some good park maps online instead of using the distorted, cartoon-ish ones from Disney, and remember that navigating the parks in the dark is much different then during the daylight.

  • If you have the choice of going right or left … go left.

  • Always have a simple way to store your personal items before getting on an attraction

  • On your first trip, know what attractions interest you and leave the detailed planning for the next trip, having experienced what the variables are and what impact they have.for you.

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This is always TRUE!

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Why? :thinking:

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