Tips, pointers and advise for my holiday!

[LindsayinNJ]

I planned for a 6 full day visit for every day, but half way through, we just took a day off and visited MK briefly when we felt like it, then went to Epcot. Best advice is to plan but not overplan as that can ruin the magic of Disney

! I make a "loose itinerary" and name is that way so I don't get caught up in it. We ended up taking more breaks, and didn't see everything on the list but keeping in mind what I knew from previous visits and my friend's opinions, we had the best time seeing the real 'important' stuff to us! It was fabulous! One day we were going to go to Universal, but ended up sleeping in and going to DTD and it was a fantastic impromptu day! This trip in July, we're staying out of the Parks for the 4th of July, hanging by the pool for most of the day, going to DTD and then fireworks on the Polynesian Beach and Ohana's for dinner -- it's the day I'm looking most forward to!

[crazybones27]

I know Lindsay mentioned the Dining plan and the refill mugs, but since you won't be staying on a Disney property hotel then you won't be eligible for either of these. You can only get the dining plan or mug if you are staying in a Disney hotel.

Also I agree with Crglrsn you may want to do Universal first and maybe do a relaxing day in between before heading over for your Disney days. I'm a fan of both, but to me Disney is just better.

Definitely utilize the fast passes when you're in the park. Like Lindsay said on your Hollwood Studios day arrive when they OPEN do not walk casually to the fast pass for Toy Story Mania, walk very very briskly!!! These fast passes go QUICK for a desirable time. If you don't plan on spending your whole day in the park it's very easy to get a 4:00pm fast pass at 9am because you walked to slow. Yes I know this sounds extreme, but it can and has happened.

If you don't want to carry money or credit cards on you, I suggest buying gift cards. You can use a Disney gift card for anything from food to merchandise to anything in Disney. It also prevents getting a ton of change back in your pockets. I may have told a Cast Member on our trip a few weeks ago they should have coin machines where I could exchange my change for cash dollars while I was there . OOOOOR on the change note maybe you like change there are plenty of penny presses all over Disney .

In regards to making dining reservations definitely go online to WDW site and view the menus. You cannot book any of your dining reservations until your 180 days prior to your arrival. Disney does not open the booking windows until that time. Do I think you always need to book dining, no, BUT there are some places if you want to eat there you really need to book a reservation for. Definitely take a look at the restaurants and give us a shout at what you like and we can give you an idea at how you'll do the day of if you decided to walk up instead of booking ahead of time .

Definitely take the breaks you need in the middle of the day. When In Disney a lot of people have a tendency to over push. Take your time and enjoy. If you start to feel the heat becoming to much slow down and find a shop for some air conditioning. The breaks in Disney really are needed!!

Take the train . We don't take it enough in MK. We always have a stroller and when we take it, it's always such a wonderful little ride.

Do go to Downtown Disney and plan to spend an evening or an afternoon there or both. Personally I say do both times if you can. We love walking around DTD. In the afternoon everyone is usually at a park and it's a relaxing afternoon of shopping. At night I enjoy the entertainment.

Hmmm... What else...

[LindsayinNJ]

Like Lindsay said on your Hollwood Studios day arrive when they OPEN do not walk casually to the fast pass for Toy Story Mania, walk very very briskly!!! These fast passes go QUICK for a desirable time. If you don't plan on spending your whole day in the park it's very easy to get a 4:00pm fast pass at 9am because you walked to slow. Yes I know this sounds extreme, but it can and has happened.

Yeessss. Last time I walked BRISKLY -- many people were jogging, and I got one for 2:30pm WHEN THE PARK OPENED. People send one person and get over 10 for their group, (this happened twice in front of me) and it's ridiculous. RIDICULOUS! But worth it, c'mon.

If you don't want to carry money or credit cards on you, I suggest buying gift cards. You can use a Disney gift card for anything from food to merchandise to anything in Disney. It also prevents getting a ton of change back in your pockets.

What a great idea! Where do you buy them? I love my little one from Food & Wine. I wonder if I can still refill it?

[Ale8414]

u can recharge them ( my bf and i use them regularly on each trip )! but, u need to check which stores are able to charge up your card in each park, generally speaking only 1 or 2 per park have that ability

[crazybones27]

Yeessss. Last time I walked BRISKLY -- many people were jogging, and I got one for 2:30pm WHEN THE PARK OPENED. People send one person and get over 10 for their group, (this happened twice in front of me) and it's ridiculous. RIDICULOUS! But worth it, c'mon.


What a great idea! Where do you buy them? I love my little one from Food & Wine. I wonder if I can still refill it?

I know there's some place in WDW that might do the little wrist ones, but I didn't see them on our trip. I usually just get a couple at home and use them . My FIL has a tendency to give me a Simon Mall Giftcard and I turm them in to Disney Giftcards I've also used them to pay for our hotel bill if I charge to our room.

[elemenopy]

If you don't want to carry money or credit cards on you, I suggest buying gift cards. You can use a Disney gift card for anything from food to merchandise to anything in Disney.

I really love this idea! I know how overboard I tend to go with my vinyl spending, so this might be an easy way to budget... at least I'd have to think a bit more before whipping out my credit card! Do you know if they print the balance on the receipt after each purchase? That's one of my hangups with prepaid Visa cards - you have to remember the exact balance (or call in for it) if the card won't cover the entire transaction.

[Ale8414]

my experience is that the cast members tend to ask if you want to know your remaining balance and either tell you verbally or they print it out on the receipt. I am sure that on busier times they probably just give u the remaining balance receipt to save time

[crazybones27]

I really love this idea! I know how overboard I tend to go with my vinyl spending, so this might be an easy way to budget... at least I'd have to think a bit more before whipping out my credit card! Do you know if they print the balance on the receipt after each purchase? That's one of my hangups with prepaid Visa cards - you have to remember the exact balance (or call in for it) if the card won't cover the entire transaction.

You usually wind up with two receipts I think it was. The balance is always on the bottom of the receipt. If I can't find it I ask the CM. the second receipt might print out when you use up the whole balance on the card. I can't remember for some reason lol. I was planning to load seperate cards for food and merch in September I'll just get different designs so I know which is which.

[Phylers]

Wow, lots of good tips so far. Kudos!

As for an airboat ride, don't bother driving from Orlando to Miami - there are airboats and swamps right here in Central Florida that will save you the drive. Heck, if you just want to see alligators in a swamp setting, just hit up Gatorland. Closest to Disney, I think they even have airboat tours on Boggy Creek.

Since you've got a year, I recommend training for a half marathon, 10k at the least. Any kind of cardio training will leave you in a better position to deal with any potential heat.

[Ill_jc]

wow overwhelming amount of advice =]

I'm the same, I like to have a tier of main things that I have to do, and then other things that I would like to do but could miss if I had too.

Fast passes seem the way to go then, especially for toy story mania.
do they offer something like priority queuing or fastpass for everything at a cost, or am I just being overhopeful? (not a word?)

is there any kind of identification or contingency with disney giftcards in the event of loss or theft? they sound better than taking cash or my card but i'd worry that if i lose it i'm screwed! I suppose to be safe I just put enough for each day on it each morning, if I have to ring up for a balance i'd probably have to get a mobile over there to avoid mega roaming costs.

alligators and airboat are an essential on my list of things to do and if I can do them near-by that's even better, less travelling more time to do things, thanks for that info, just saved me some serious time wasted on travel =]

Even though i'm from the Uk i'm a super heat fan so I should be alright, but I think my other half should probably get some cardio workouts, if it's too cold - she slows down, if it's too hot - she slows down haha, now to think of a nice way to tell her she needs to... =p

[crazybones27]

With fast passes at Disney the service is free so you can only get one for a ride in an hour of each other. When you get your fast pass ticket for a ride at the bottom of the ticket it will say the earliest you can print another fast pass for another ride. I believe it's usually an hour later from when you printed that one.

At Universal I believe you can pay for head of the line access. Again I haven't been in many year, but I believe this option is still available.

As for the giftcards unfortunately if you lose it, you lose it. I always keep my receipts so if I ever have a problem at checkout I can show the CM my receipt, but I've never needed them since my giftcards have always worked. I always have a small purse that straps aro d the front of my body that I keep all our important stuff in. While it doesn't fit sun tan lotion it fits our money and credit cards or giftcards. If your gf would like to carry a purse while there my suggestion is to have her start searching now for a small, easy to open, straps across the body purse. This will help get through security without having to go through the normal bag check lines unless you guys bring in a bigger bag like a backpack or something. Also if neither of you want to carry anything Disney sells lanyards that go around your neck and have a plastic sleeve at the bottom. Some have like a zipper pocket and people I've seen put their room keys, giftcards, park tickets, etc in them and only carry those with them. You could do this too.

[MsDisneyFan]

What a great idea! Where do you buy them? I love my little one from Food & Wine. I wonder if I can still refill it?

I think you should be able to refill any Disney gift card at your local Disney Store. I know a lot of CMs there are always telling me to keep my gift cards to refill (but I'm picky and only want to keep the really cute ones- not the generic Mickey one they sell in all Disney stores ) Also, DS.com has the cutest gift cards. I seriously love their choices!

---------- Post added at 07:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 AM ----------

If your gf would like to carry a purse while there my suggestion is to have her start searching now for a small, easy to open, straps across the body purse.

I think finding the perfect purse for Disney is such a challenge but a really important part! I always want a bag that is big enough to carry a camera, sun block, some vinyls/pins for trading and my money. I also highly suggest bringing little baggies to keep your cell phones/credit cards/money (basically, anything that can be ruined by water) in just in case it rains or you go on a ride where you get wet.

[Ill_jc]

ah ok, I suppose i'll be in so much awe that I won't mind killing time around the park rather than going from ride to ride in a rush!

the disneycard idea is probably be best, because it'll convince me to keep to a budget if I only have a certain amount on it each day.
zip wallet on a lanyard would be perfect, i'd rather carry stuff myself than her have to carry bag really, plus i'd have to be pretty oblivious to lose a card from right under my nose (literally)
I'll try and get a couple of tiny travel sun tan lotions that'll last about a day each just for easy carry.

---------- Post added at 12:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

Oh I didn't think about a camera, maybe she will have to take a bag, I'll probably try and do trades and large purchases on the last couple of days after I am satisfied with what i've done.

might be a stupid question, are the parks alcohol free or not? debating whether it is worth/neccesary to take I.D (english driving licence acceptable?)

[crazybones27]

You will find no Alcohol in Magic Kingdom, but the rest yes you will find plenty. In fact in Epcot plenty of people like to do drinking around the World . So I'd definitely have your ID on you. It's always advised to have your ID anyway just I case there is a problem.

[Ill_jc]

Drinking around the world does sound appealing, and I do love to mix things haha.

I didn't think about problems occuring, I will be taking my DL then because the only time my passport is leave the hotel is when I go home! i'd get it stitched to my arm if I could!

[crazybones27]

Drinking around the world does sound appealing, and I do love to mix things haha.

I didn't think about problems occuring, I will be taking my DL then because the only time my passport is leave the hotel is when I go home! i'd get it stitched to my arm if I could!

I'm sure your Drivers License will be fine and a CM may look at you funny if you pull out your real passport in Epcot. They sell those in Epcot to get stamped for around the World Showcase. You don't want any unnecessary stamping going on in the the real one .

Edit: here's a pic or two of the lanyard I was talking about if this helps . Universal sells pouches like this also that might even be better then these so if you go there first you might want to check with them first but this is an idea . Or not, I just looked at their online store and their pouches from long ago changed to the style you see below so it doesn't matter where you go it just depends on the style you want .

[Ill_jc]

haha i'm sure customs would love that!

that's perfect, i'll definitely be getting one of them, i'd rather have disney, but it depends on which I go to first. my park tickets are for 14 days which is one day shorter than the holiday, so wherever I go on the first day the ticket won't be valid on the last, and I really wanna blow the remaining money in disney on the last day if there is any, so I might have a universal one haha.

[crazybones27]

haha i'm sure customs would love that!

that's perfect, i'll definitely be getting one of them, i'd rather have disney, but it depends on which I go to first. my park tickets are for 14 days which is one day shorter than the holiday, so wherever I go on the first day the ticket won't be valid on the last, and I really wanna blow the remaining money in disney on the last day if there is any, so I might have a universal one haha.

Might I also suggest stopping by the outlet malls since it seems you'll have a car or am I assuming incorrectly? You might be able to pick up a few Disney souvenirs a lot cheaper and easier this way before even heading in to a park. We found on our recent trip a bunch or shirts and stuff we bought a trip earlier for half the price at the outlets. This was our first trip to the outlets, but it will not be the last that's for sure! Since we had our kids I don't remember if there were lanyards and if there were if they were on sale, but even if they aren't this might help you get it before you hit Universal if you want a Disney one and plan to do Universal first .

[Ill_jc]

it's not set it stone at the moment, it's a matter of if we actually need to hire one or if we can get by without it, but I would like a disney lanyard! I might just take as little as possible to universal, to be fair i'm mostly going to spend my money on food and VM and maybe that green tshirt with the toy story alien on it =D

[MsDisneyFan]

it's not set it stone at the moment, it's a matter of if we actually need to hire one or if we can get by without it, but I would like a disney lanyard! I might just take as little as possible to universal, to be fair i'm mostly going to spend my money on food and VM and maybe that green tshirt with the toy story alien on it =D

I know that I always seem to buy way more than I'm planning I swore last year that I wasn't going to buy too many things maybe just a shirt and I came home with vinyls, pins, a lanyard, a t-shirt, stuffed animals, ornaments and a pen. Just keep an open mind

[crazybones27]

it's not set it stone at the moment, it's a matter of if we actually need to hire one or if we can get by without it, but I would like a disney lanyard! I might just take as little as possible to universal, to be fair i'm mostly going to spend my money on food and VM and maybe that green tshirt with the toy story alien on it =D

If you are not staying in a Disney hotel my I'd recommend renting a car unless you are staying at a hotel that offers a bus service to all the area parks. The last time I stayed off Disney property was in 1997 with my parents and we rented a car. I highly suggest making sure if you haven't rented a car checking to see if your hotel offers a shuttle service even for a fee to all the parks.

[elemenopy]

If you are not staying in a Disney hotel my I'd recommend renting a car unless you are staying at a hotel that offers a bus service to all the area parks. The last time I stayed off Disney property was in 1997 with my parents and we rented a car. I highly suggest making sure if you haven't rented a car checking to see if your hotel offers a shuttle service even for a fee to all the parks.

With that, make sure you're comfortable with US driving before renting a car. You guys drive on the funny side of the road ( just teasing!), and its taken most of my guys a few days (and near misses) to be comfortable on the right... You may also want to check with the car rental company - some may require an international drivers license before they'll rent to you.

If you're truly planning on spending most of your time at Disney, but only a day or two at Universal, I'd honestly consider switching to a Disney Hotel and getting a taxi to Universal on those days. It may end up significantly cheaper in the long run.

[Ill_jc]

haha, it's true, everyone seems to be on the right, i'm sure it would not go well for us!

the hotel does offer a shuttle service to the parks, free for universal and the travel agent assured us it was only a couple of dollars for the shuttle to disney, i'm thinking it'll just be easier to not hire a car and use the shuttles, then come for another holiday that is less park focused and drive then.

I do like the idea of a disney hotel in theory but I think sometimes it's nice to be able to arrive at the park in the mornings and reawaken that excitement, that and it's cheaper =p

[elemenopy]

haha, it's true, everyone seems to be on the right, i'm sure it would not go well for us!

the hotel does offer a shuttle service to the parks, free for universal and the travel agent assured us it was only a couple of dollars for the shuttle to disney, i'm thinking it'll just be easier to not hire a car and use the shuttles, then come for another holiday that is less park focused and drive then.

I do like the idea of a disney hotel in theory but I think sometimes it's nice to be able to arrive at the park in the mornings and reawaken that excitement, that and it's cheaper =p

I totally understand - I usually stay off property, too! If the shuttle is an option and low cost, rock on, that's the way to do it! Taxis can be quite expensive in the area, and it'll add up over the course of a 2 week vacation.

[LindsayinNJ]

I think you should be able to refill any Disney gift card at your local Disney Store. I know a lot of CMs there are always telling me to keep my gift cards to refill (but I'm picky and only want to keep the really cute ones- not the generic Mickey one they sell in all Disney stores ) Also, DS.com has the cutest gift cards.

You can only get Disney gift cards at DS or online? I want a cute one! Walgreens or Wegmans sell them?