Tips
for Disney World First Timers
By guest writer Cara Goldsbury
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The character
breakfasts can be very popular and are booked out almost as
soon as they are available to be booked.
Read below for the
information you need that will maximize your chances of
getting a table at one of these breakfasts.
Many more invaluable
tips can be found in Cara Goldsbury's book,
The Luxury
Guide to Walt Disney World.
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So you've finally decided to
head to Walt Disney World. Most people find that a Disney
experience can be overwhelming - there is so much to see and do.
You don't want to get stuck in lines, you don't want to miss out
on 'must sees', and you do want to enjoy yourselves.
Here are a hopefully lucky
thirteen tips to make your trip one that will be remembered for
a lifetime.
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Plan
ahead. Decide ahead of time what your priorities
are and make a plan of action.
-
Get to the parks
early! It's amazing,
particularly in busy season, how many of the popular rides
you can knock off before half the "World" gets out of bed.
-
Take the time to
rest in the middle of the day.
Stay at one of the Magic Kingdom or Epcot resorts, allowing
a return in the middle of the day for a nap or dip in the
pool.
-
Call
exactly 90 days prior at 7 AM Orlando time for
priority seating if breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table in
the Magic Kingdom is tops on your child's list. The only way
you might get away with sleeping in and booking a bit later
for this highly coveted character breakfast is if you are
traveling in extremely slow season.
-
Come prepared for an
afternoon shower during
the rainy summer months even if the sky looks perfectly
clear in the morning. Rent a locker to store your raingear
and circle back if skies start to look threatening. However,
if you're caught unprepared, just about every store in the
parks sells inexpensive rain ponchos.
-
Use
Fastpass, Disney's free, nifty timesaving device.
It's offered at all four theme parks and is a great way to
save hours of waiting in line. Just insert your park pass in
one of the machines located at each individual Fastpass
attraction and receive a ticket printed with a designated
one-hour window in which you may return and enter a special
line with little or no waiting.
-
Pre-arrange priority seating, Disney's answer to
dining reservations, by calling 407-WDW-DINE. On arrival
you'll receive the next table available for your party size,
thus saving hours of frustration and waiting.
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Allow plenty of time to reach the theme parks each morning.
It's easy to miss your breakfast priority seating if you
don't allocate enough time.
-
Be
spontaneous. If something catches your eye, even
if it's not on your daily list of things to do, stop and
explore. If not, you could miss something wonderful.
-
Realize the
limitations of your children.
If they're tired, take a break. If their feet hurt, get them
a stroller (forget that they outgrew one years ago). If a
ride scares them don't force the issue. Such precautions
will make your day and the day of other park visitors a lot
less stressful.
-
Bring
pagers, 2-way radios, or cell phones. If your
party plans on splitting up, they are a perfect way to keep
in touch (see the Travel Insider article that
reviews two-way radios and their
practical range).
-
Wear broken-in,
comfortable footwear.
Better yet, bring two pairs and rotate them. Nothing is
worse than blisters on your first day and then nursing them
for the remainder of your vacation.
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Most importantly,
slow down and enjoy the magic.
Resist the urge to see everything at breakneck speed. You
can't possibly cover it all, so think of this as your first
trip to Disney, not your last. There will be time to pick up
all the things you missed on the next go-round.
Cara Goldsbury is the
author of
The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney
World: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer,
available at 800-247-6553,
www.luxurydisneyguide.com,
Amazon.com, or your local bookstore. For more
information visit her online at
www.luxurydisneyguide.com.
Related Articles, etc
Originally published
1 Feb 2004
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to
Cara Goldsbury as original writer.
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