Common Mistakes

I would warn guests with small children NOT to overplan and itiner-ize everything. Kids will always through off their plans which just sets them up for a fight right there in the middle of the park. I cant tell you how many times a day I see either miserable kids or parents being dragged along because their plans changed!

Don't be so dedicated to a touring plan that you miss little things. My best times have always been the unplanned moments. Go with the flow!

Don't try to wedge in EVERYTHING each day. Take an afternoon nap. Sit in a lounge for a bit. Have a glass of wine in France!

Relax! You are not a commando going into battle; there is no reason to go to war with Disney World!

Plenty of research, and then do a bit more. It can help make sure you don't miss things and take some of the stress out of it all if you know where you are going.

I always warn against thinking that you can do it all in one trip. My advice to first timers especially is to relax and just roll with it. If you miss an attraction of show, it's just a reason to start planning your next Disney vacation.

I would tell someone that trying to accomplish an entire park in one day is nearly impossible. Plan on doing something but leave some thing up to chance, time and desire. Most importantly HAVE FUN it is vacation after all.

So many people forget this part!

1. Never ever calculate the cost per minute of your WDW vacation. Knowing what the cost of the 60 minute wait for 5 people to ride the lame 5 minute Kali-Rapids is very discouraging. Extra fun tip.... Don't forget to include the cost to replace the water soaked camera.

2. Don't ever be that WDW visitor armed with the Official Guide, the Unofficial Guide, the Passporter book, and the multiple WDW apps on their i-phone. Determined to do it all or die trying and kill anyone who gets in their way. Seriously, security should be on the look-out for these people.

3. It's one thing to go on July 4th when every American seems to be on vacation at WDW and it's quite another to go at Christmas when it seems the whole planet is there on vacation. IMHO Americans are not the rudest.

4. The worse way to start a day at WDW is playing the game of "what do you want to do". Always have a destination at the start of your WDW day even if you have to just decide unilaterally. We use the EMH schedule to help avoid this.

5. Try to avoid getting in HTT* queue populated with lots of middle school cheerleaders. They seem to want to do a cheer for a) getting in line together, b) getting into the lobby, c) getting into the library, d) getting assigned an elevator, e) getting seated on an elevator, and f) surviving the ride. * There are corollaries to this theorem for all the e-ticket rides.

Wearing bad shoes or squeaky, shiny new shoes!

Sounds to me like you have found the dreaded green and yellow shirted tour groups.

I completely agree. I always tell first-timers that they need to understand right from the start that they will not see everything in one visit. It's impossible. I've been going to WDW since I was a very little kid and I am 34 now and I am still seeing things for the first time or trying something new. I tell people to think of the things that they absolutely, positively must do, get those things done and then go with the flow after.

Most common mistake: not realizing that both sides of the food cashiers are open lines at counter services.

I lost count how many times I've seen a long line forming on one side of the cashier, and no one on the other side. I often walk right up to the cashier and promptly placed my order. Sometime I see people in the other line looking at me with a big puzzle on their faces, or in some cases, with disgust as if I cut in the line. It wasn't my fault that they didn't know that both lines are open, and if I was cutting in or doing something I shouldn't, the cast member would have said something.

So people, often time, do not be like lemmings. Pay a bit closer attention to your surroundings, and you may avoid unnecessary waiting.

Zz.

One of my old roommates worked at Pizzafari in AK and she would always yell "both sides of the register are open!" and no one would move. Then someone like you would walk up to the other side and she'd take their order and people would get mad at her. She would always say "well, I told you both sides were open!"

Don't let other peoples attitude effect your trip.

I've seen some of the rudest people in my life at Disney. A mother screaming at her kid in the restroom, a man cussing out a CM at a store in Epcot, grown woman pushing people out of the way to get three spots ahead in line. People who are going to act that way are insane. Don't let that spoil your trip by fighting with them.

I have to agree with the people who have stated DON'T OVERPLAN!! I have done this on my last two trips.. and one was solo for 9 days!

I used the Platinum Dining Plan, which is WELL worth the price IF you use it. So, I made sure to use it. The last trip I did 4 of the tours because they were on the plan (price included) and the Illuminations Fireworks cruise. Plus I did dining reservations for almost every meal (both trips). It's too much. I spent more time planning around the dining reservations that I drove myself insane. (I still had a lot of fun.. but...)

I am going for 5 days, for leap day, and this time I got the QS dining plan. I have two reservations - one for breakfast at Crystal Palace and one for dinner in the Italy section at Epcot. I am going to enjoy just being there and eat whenever I feel like it.

If you have a not-yet-walking baby, bring a carrier in addition to a stroller. Some lines do not allow strollers, and it'll be easier to have them on your chest or back and have your arms free.