Our final Disney blog post for now! We did a lot of research before going to figure out how to have the least stressful and most fun trip we could possibly have, but ended up learning a lot in the moment as well. Like every trip, there were a few hiccups (mainly us getting sick halfway through), but overall I think we had as close to a perfect trip as we could get and ask for.
Mary Ellen and I compiled a list of tips we felt like helped our trip and we want to share them with you!
- Bring a backpack – This was a lifesaver for us! I used this backpack from Amazon and it was perfect. It held everything we needed throughout the day: water bottle, sunscreen, portable charger. This backpack also had an extra strap that allowed it to function as a tote bag, which I used when getting on and off the ride with ease. It had pockets on both sides of the backpack which were perfect to put my sunglasses in while I was on rides.
- Buy the reusable cups at your Disney resort – Getting a chance to refill our drinks at the beginning and end of day made these cups so worth the price. You can also use it at other Disney World resorts if you happen to get a chance to explore them throughout your trip.
- DFW (Down For Whatever) – Our “down for whatever” mantra definitely set our tone for our trip. Don’t try so hard to stick to a rigid agenda on the trip. The unexpected and unplanned moments of our trip turned out to be our favorites. Also, don’t be afraid or ashamed to call it early some nights. There were days we were in bed asleep by 9 PM – honestly it was just what we needed to not get burned out or exhausted.
- Resort Hop! – I can’t recommend this enough. I loved getting to explore some of the other resort hotels and definitely want to see more the next time I’m on Disney property. A bonus for resort hopping is that you get access to some of the best food on property!
- Thigh deodorant and sunscreen – I feel like the sunscreen is a given, especially with the Florida sun, but the thigh deodorant was a life saver! Not only did it keep us from chaffing in our inner thighs, but it also helped cool my legs down. We reapplied both the thigh deodorant and sunscreen at least every other trip to the restroom. I used the Mega Babe Thigh Rescue and loved it.
- Reusable straws – These were the unsung heroes of our trip! I didn’t even think about bringing something like this, but so glad that Mary Ellen did. She actually brought them because she doesn’t like paper straws, which is what Disney has switched to using, but they also came in handy because a lot of the drinks didn’t come with straws at all. I will definitely be ordering my own set of straws before my next big trip.
- Talk to cast members – The memories that stick out the most to us besides our own inside jokes are the interactions we had with the Disney World cast members. There were a few that stood out more than others that I highlighted throughout each of the blog posts detailing our trip. We learned so many cool tips from them that we used during our trip and stored in our memories to use next time. You can also give a cast compliment in the Disney World app if you have a great interaction or experience because of a cast member. We gave quite a few out throughout our trip. Just make sure to remember to note their name and hometown listed on their name tag.
- Mobile Order – I read about this tip before the trip and it was a lifesaver when eating in the parks. All quick service restaurants utilize mobile ordering, so we didn’t miss out on any food options (even some table service restaurants utilize mobile ordering for to go food). We would order our next meal while we were in line for a ride and estimated how long it would be before getting off the ride. From there, if the timing was spot on, we would say we would click “I’m here, prepare my food” while walking to the location and only had to wait maybe five minutes once we got to the restaurant for our food to be ready. We saved so much time not having to wait in the long lines to order.
- Comfortable Shoes – This seems like a given, but is also very important. We both wore Chacos for two days of the trip – at Universal Studios and at Animal Kingdom. We’re not really sure what happened, but even though we were fine at Universal, we experienced so much pain and discomfort the second half of our day at Animal Kingdom. This definitely didn’t help our mood when having to stand in the long line for Kali River Rapids. I wore my white Adidas for most of the trip and never had a single problem. They had served me well when I was living in NYC and I’ve had them for a few years, so they were very broken in before the trip.
- Portable chargers – This was a much needed addition to my backpack. There are plugs available around the parks, but it’s so much easier to carry around a portable charger in your bag. Extra tip for security: hold your portable charger in your hand when you’re going through the security scanner at the entrance to the parks. Every time I went through the detector, my portable charger would set off the machine. I finally had a guard tell me to just hold it in my hand, and it never went off again for the rest of the trip.
- Use other forms of transportation – While the bus system is great and gets you where you need to go, if you get the chance to take another form of transportation, do it! We loved taking the Monorail around the resort loop to resort hop. We took the Skyliner from Hollywood Studios to Epcot and got to enjoy aerial views of Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and all of the resort hotels in between. We also had a blast taking the Friendship boats from Hollywood Studios to the Swan hotel and the Disney Springs water taxi.
- Walk-Up Waitlist – This is a tip that not many people know about. The Walk Up Waitlist feature of the Disney World app allows you to join the waitlist for a restaurant or lounge without actually physically being there to add your name. Of course, you need to be in the general vicinity (like being in Animal Kingdom to join the waitlist for Nomad Lounge). Once you’re on the virtual list, you can continue enjoying the park until you get a text saying to head over to claim your table. We used this feature for Nomad Lounge at Animal Kingdom and it worked out great!
I hope these tips are helpful for your next trip to Disney! Are there any tips you want to share that we missed? Leave them in the comments below!
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