The Turk Top Ten Tips of Walt Disney World
Doug and I took Ollie to Walt Disney World a couple of weeks ago. It was Doug's first time - he'd only been to Disneyland in California, and Ollie's first as well. It apparently was kind of my first time, too, because when my family traveled down to Florida when I was about 8 or 9, I got so sick that I only made it to the Magic Kingdom sign before Dad had to turn around and trudge us back to our trailer at Fort Wilderness. However, one picture does exist of our time at the happiest place on earth:
Apparently it was taken just before I puked in the sand.
Luckily, the Turks had a much more magical trip than the Cooks likely did in the '80s. Here are the tips that we learned when we made it out to Orlando. Please feel free to use these little tokens of wisdom or lose them - much like the snack credits on a Disney dining plan.
1. Research.
I did so much research before we went that I truly felt like I had already been there when we finally started packing. I'm so incredibly glad I did though, because not only did we get perfect FastPasses (reservations for quicker access to rides) and character dinners, but I also could share historical nuggets, hidden Mickeys and Disney secrets with the boys - which they LOVED. Is that written in sarcastic font? It was meant to be. But I didn't care, because I was proud of my knowledge! (It was fun to have a little scavenger hunt to look for all the secrets and little known pieces in the parks.)Looking at all the websites and maps, it's normal to be overwhelmed. Disney folks set you up with their dining plans, reservations and FastPasses so that when you get there, all the hard work is already completed and you can enjoy yourselves. It's actually kind of genius.
Why do we need to sign up for Jedi training? my husband asked.
Finding a hidden key under a mat inside Muppets 3D.
This was a breakdown INSIDE the restaurant after we had to wait 15 minutes for our reservation.
Just imagine!
3. Lower the expectation bar - like to the sub-basement.
There should be no expectations at Disney. None. In fact, before every shuttle ride from the hotel to the parks, my little family of 3 would gather around, put our hands in and yell "LOW EXPECTATIONS!" The only expectations you should have is that the weather is going to be hot, every one of you will have at least one breakdown, and you'll have long lines. That way everything else will be money. In fact, because of our lack of expectations we just enjoyed ourselves.
4. Sandals aren't allowed in the parks.
Okay, so you can wear whatever you want on your feet. But really, you only want to wear comfy tennies and socks because you're going to be standing and walking all the livelong day. We walked an average of 9 miles each day and our DAWGS WERE BORKING when we got back to the hotel. Maybe you're the type of person to fill your suitcases with Epsom salts and tiny foot massagers, and if so, fly that flag queen and wear those smart little flippy floppies, but that wasn't me. So I approved comfort over style.
5. Cool it on the packing.
You will each buy a tee shirt there. Let's be honest. So that's one extra shirt down. Each of you will buy at least one souvenir. And for some reason, everyone is all about the trillions of types of headwear there - ears and Goofy teeth and Donald Duck bills and sequins and wizard hats...so you'll need room to carry that mania back home.
6. Unless you're Minnie Mouse, the hype only matters there.
It's so easy to get caught up in the hype - all the sequined ears, pins, matching Disney shirts, autograph books, bubble wands, neon glow fans, etc. If you're a pure Disney magic kind of fan- do it up, do it all the way up! But if you're not, really think about coming back home with all the surplus park gear. Will your child want to wear his ears through the house for years to come? When he tires of them, will you preserve them in a memory box until he gets old and takes his own child to Disney World and then you'll surprise him and you'll both cry over how you've held on to them through the moves, garage cave-ins and sump pump floods because of all the memories you made there together? Or can you already envision what those ears will look like at the top of next year's Marie Kondo Goodwill box?
I wasn't sure if Ollie would want to get character's autographs, so we found a tiny little notepad in our miscellaneous drawer and brought it out with us to Florida. We forgot to put it in our backpack on the first day and he never asked for it, so that's a $25 autograph book that I didn't regret. However, I did purchase a giant plastic Aliens popcorn bucket, for which I'm still kicking myself. The boys (husband and son) both swore they'd use it again and again. That night we threw out the contents, its head was busted en route home and guess what? We haven't reused it yet.
7. Use the Disney Play! app.
This app has a lot of great features to it, like games to play while waiting in line for rides, music for walking, etc. We didn't use any of it because it used so much battery life, but we did use the SUPER AWESOME feature that showed rides' current wait times. Fantastic! If you're staying on Disney property, each person gets 3 FastPasses, which are basically tickets to bypass one ride's line so you can get seated quicker. Disney really thought this through; people can't complain about the long lines if they haven't purchased a FastPass. Once you've used up your FastPasses, you have to wait in line like everyone else and that's where this app comes in! Done with one but have an hour until your lunch rezzie? Check out a ride that only has a 20 minute wait!
8. Come up with line-waiting games and bring an extra phone battery.
Maybe you're running out of battery on your phone, or maybe Junior isn't even allowed screen time. Each ride at Disney has a bunch of things related to it to look at (it's fascinating), but at some point even that may get old. You need to come up with something to do while waiting. We played the Slap game a disgusting amount of times. We saw people playing Ellen's HeadsUp! game, trivia questions, 20 questions, I Spy, and even a couple playing the travel magnetic game of Checkers.
Which reminds me: you're going to be on your phone a lot - taking pictures, videos, updating your social media profile, checking in on My Disney app, playing games, etc. Bring the battery - the one that you charge overnight and bring along with you - not the one you plug in. You already know which one I'm talking about, don't you? Tech words inserted here.
9. See the Magic Kingdom Fireworks, but know you won't be able to do everything. And that's OKAY.
The one thing my husband wanted to do was see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Because we had FastPass reservations in the morning, it meant staying at the park for about 12 hours. We figured that we may have to leave in the middle of the day to catch a snoozer at the hotel, but we actually made it through the entire day. The fireworks were worth every step!
Each day, we had spaced out our reservations and had them finished by 5:00pm. With our package, we also received VIP seating tickets to the fireworks/light shows at both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Both of those parks have a little less to see than at Magic Kingdom and we were exhausted, so both of those days we gave our tickets to an unsuspecting family and headed back to the hotelmotelholidayinn. Our resort showed a movie outside each night, which was just ADORABLE, and we swam. Well, the boys swam. I sat in my hoodie and socks and had some mai tai me-time.
10. Enjoy and watch your kid(s) faces LIGHT UP.
I've told everyone that this was the most ENJOYABLE vacation. Disney means a lot of different things to different people and I figured I would just be over the moon. I loved it, but surprisingly, the person in my family that really caught the Disney fever was my husband! He went into every souvenir shop, bought about $100 worth of socks, and made sure everyone was well equipped with Goofy snacks and Mickey memorabilia. He's already planning for what we'll do when we "go next time," and is still talking about his favorite rides.
My two favorite moments of the whole vacation I think, were these:
Ollie and I were on the tram in Orlando traveling from the concourse to baggage and I pointed out a palm tree. Ollie goes, "Eee! It's my first palm tree sighting!" (He only says "Eeee!" when he's really, really excited)!
We went to Hollywood & Vine for lunch at Hollywood Studios, which is a buffet where the characters come around and meet you at your table. Goofy came around, then Donald Duck and Minnie. Each were hugged and thanked and loved up on. Then Mickey came around. Ollie just HUGGED him for the longest time. Mickey held him and caressed his back. Of course, I got teary watching. Those characters know how much they mean to our kids and it was the single sweetest moment I've had in a very long time. Then Mickey held up his finger to us to wait a moment, went to his helper and retrieved a marker and a piece of paper and wrote out a special autograph to Ollie.
We posed together and then I hugged Mickey and whispered, "Thank you for keeping up the magic." I mean, that's what it's all about, folks. Right there.
I hope these tips have given any first-timers a little help for your journey out to Walt Disney World. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help. We had a magical time and I hope you do, too.
Luckily, the Turks had a much more magical trip than the Cooks likely did in the '80s. Here are the tips that we learned when we made it out to Orlando. Please feel free to use these little tokens of wisdom or lose them - much like the snack credits on a Disney dining plan.
1. Research.
I did so much research before we went that I truly felt like I had already been there when we finally started packing. I'm so incredibly glad I did though, because not only did we get perfect FastPasses (reservations for quicker access to rides) and character dinners, but I also could share historical nuggets, hidden Mickeys and Disney secrets with the boys - which they LOVED. Is that written in sarcastic font? It was meant to be. But I didn't care, because I was proud of my knowledge! (It was fun to have a little scavenger hunt to look for all the secrets and little known pieces in the parks.)Looking at all the websites and maps, it's normal to be overwhelmed. Disney folks set you up with their dining plans, reservations and FastPasses so that when you get there, all the hard work is already completed and you can enjoy yourselves. It's actually kind of genius.
Why do we need to sign up for Jedi training? my husband asked.
Little hidden secret in Hollywood Studios
Found the giant from Mickey and the Beanstalk peeking into a store behind the castle!
"Don't pull the rope!" shouts a sign near Indiana Jones Spectacular. Do it!
Finding a hidden key under a mat inside Muppets 3D.
2. Make the reservations.
If you are new to the world of Disney tourism, like we were, you may not even know where to start. What helped me was a Facebook page called "Smart Moms Planning Disney," googling Disney World itineraries and parks, and my dearest cousin, who was a Golden Ears travel agent - Beth Yates. (let me know if you want her information). In-park restaurants, character meet & greet dining options and FastPass ride reservations all book up so quickly that it's insane. Don't panic - you'll all eat - but make the reservations. Otherwise, be aware that you may have to settle for dinner at 4:00pm, or lunch at 2:30pm, or a long wait outside a restaurant with leagues of screaming and hungry children and parents.
This was a breakdown INSIDE the restaurant after we had to wait 15 minutes for our reservation.
Just imagine!
There should be no expectations at Disney. None. In fact, before every shuttle ride from the hotel to the parks, my little family of 3 would gather around, put our hands in and yell "LOW EXPECTATIONS!" The only expectations you should have is that the weather is going to be hot, every one of you will have at least one breakdown, and you'll have long lines. That way everything else will be money. In fact, because of our lack of expectations we just enjoyed ourselves.
Okay, so you can wear whatever you want on your feet. But really, you only want to wear comfy tennies and socks because you're going to be standing and walking all the livelong day. We walked an average of 9 miles each day and our DAWGS WERE BORKING when we got back to the hotel. Maybe you're the type of person to fill your suitcases with Epsom salts and tiny foot massagers, and if so, fly that flag queen and wear those smart little flippy floppies, but that wasn't me. So I approved comfort over style.
You will each buy a tee shirt there. Let's be honest. So that's one extra shirt down. Each of you will buy at least one souvenir. And for some reason, everyone is all about the trillions of types of headwear there - ears and Goofy teeth and Donald Duck bills and sequins and wizard hats...so you'll need room to carry that mania back home.
Picture care of The Disney Food Blog (thanks!)
6. Unless you're Minnie Mouse, the hype only matters there.
It's so easy to get caught up in the hype - all the sequined ears, pins, matching Disney shirts, autograph books, bubble wands, neon glow fans, etc. If you're a pure Disney magic kind of fan- do it up, do it all the way up! But if you're not, really think about coming back home with all the surplus park gear. Will your child want to wear his ears through the house for years to come? When he tires of them, will you preserve them in a memory box until he gets old and takes his own child to Disney World and then you'll surprise him and you'll both cry over how you've held on to them through the moves, garage cave-ins and sump pump floods because of all the memories you made there together? Or can you already envision what those ears will look like at the top of next year's Marie Kondo Goodwill box?
I wasn't sure if Ollie would want to get character's autographs, so we found a tiny little notepad in our miscellaneous drawer and brought it out with us to Florida. We forgot to put it in our backpack on the first day and he never asked for it, so that's a $25 autograph book that I didn't regret. However, I did purchase a giant plastic Aliens popcorn bucket, for which I'm still kicking myself. The boys (husband and son) both swore they'd use it again and again. That night we threw out the contents, its head was busted en route home and guess what? We haven't reused it yet.
This app has a lot of great features to it, like games to play while waiting in line for rides, music for walking, etc. We didn't use any of it because it used so much battery life, but we did use the SUPER AWESOME feature that showed rides' current wait times. Fantastic! If you're staying on Disney property, each person gets 3 FastPasses, which are basically tickets to bypass one ride's line so you can get seated quicker. Disney really thought this through; people can't complain about the long lines if they haven't purchased a FastPass. Once you've used up your FastPasses, you have to wait in line like everyone else and that's where this app comes in! Done with one but have an hour until your lunch rezzie? Check out a ride that only has a 20 minute wait!
8. Come up with line-waiting games and bring an extra phone battery.
Maybe you're running out of battery on your phone, or maybe Junior isn't even allowed screen time. Each ride at Disney has a bunch of things related to it to look at (it's fascinating), but at some point even that may get old. You need to come up with something to do while waiting. We played the Slap game a disgusting amount of times. We saw people playing Ellen's HeadsUp! game, trivia questions, 20 questions, I Spy, and even a couple playing the travel magnetic game of Checkers.
9. See the Magic Kingdom Fireworks, but know you won't be able to do everything. And that's OKAY.
The one thing my husband wanted to do was see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Because we had FastPass reservations in the morning, it meant staying at the park for about 12 hours. We figured that we may have to leave in the middle of the day to catch a snoozer at the hotel, but we actually made it through the entire day. The fireworks were worth every step!
I've told everyone that this was the most ENJOYABLE vacation. Disney means a lot of different things to different people and I figured I would just be over the moon. I loved it, but surprisingly, the person in my family that really caught the Disney fever was my husband! He went into every souvenir shop, bought about $100 worth of socks, and made sure everyone was well equipped with Goofy snacks and Mickey memorabilia. He's already planning for what we'll do when we "go next time," and is still talking about his favorite rides.
My two favorite moments of the whole vacation I think, were these:
Ollie and I were on the tram in Orlando traveling from the concourse to baggage and I pointed out a palm tree. Ollie goes, "Eee! It's my first palm tree sighting!" (He only says "Eeee!" when he's really, really excited)!
I hope these tips have given any first-timers a little help for your journey out to Walt Disney World. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help. We had a magical time and I hope you do, too.
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