Going to Disney World? Here's some advice... Part 1

I am not a travel blogger but I feel like I have some expertise in this area. I have spent most of my working life in hospitality and tourism – several years working on the entertainment staff at various theme parks, 10 years on cruise ships (Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Olympic and Dolphin Cruise Lines), spent a summer season at a Catskills resort (The Pines) and a year at the Bretton Woods resort area of New Hampshire (mostly behind the front desk of the magnificent Mount Washington Hotel). I have visited 48 countries on 4 continents and have traveled to every state in the U.S. Besides that, my mother and I have taken a “girls only” vacation every summer for many years, this summer marked our 13^th trip to Kissimmee, FL to visit the “Happiest Place on Earth” - Disney World – and Universal Studios.

Whenever someone finds out that I've been to Disney World so many times, they inevitably ask for some advice: what are the “must-do” attractions, is there a secret to navigating the parks, etc. So, here I am offering my valuable advice on how to make your trip to Florida's Disney (and Universal) Parks a bit easier.

Now, that being said, I have only traveled to the parks as an adult. If you are going with small children (basically anyone under the age of 12 or 13) these tips will be of little use to you. My mother and I do not spend time getting dolled up like princesses (even though it looks super cool and you SHOULD do that if you have little girls), nor do we chase down Mickey or Pocahontas or Buzz Lightyear to get our autograph books signed.

But here's my two-cents to those who do have small children *Please note - I did say MY two-cents – I'm sure others have their own opinions on this*

If your child is too small to navigate the park on their own two feet – please wait until they are older. Most very small children we see in the parks are either too young or too short to ride most of the rides, they spend all day in a hot stroller (don't EVEN get me started on strollers!!!) looking at people's knees and either screaming, whining or sleeping. Their parents look tired and frustrated. Possibly it's the thought of having spent roughly $90 per person (before the cost of food) so they could ride “It's A Small World” and say “hi” to Mickey Mouse. Sounds like fun, right?? Wrong!!! The parks at Disney World are not kiddie parks... period... If your kid isn't tall enough or old enough, wait until they are. I think somewhere around 8 to 10 years is the perfect age for a first trip to Disney provided they are at least 44” tall.

OK...moving on...

Now, if you have never traveled to Disney World before, you might want to get a feel for the parks by visiting the Walt Disney World website. You can get park maps, check out ride descriptions, and even take a look at eating places inside the parks (with menus!!). In these posts I am not going to cover how to get there or where to stay – you're on your own with that one, folks!

So, here we go...

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS
Buy them at the park on your first day or purchase advance tickets online from the Walt Disney World website. Do NOT stop at any kiosk or shabby storefront do-hicky that says they have cheap Disney tickets – it's a crock or a scam or both. If you are planning on spending at least 3 days at Disney – pop the extra cash for the park-hopper option – you'll be glad you did but I'll cover the reason in a later post.


WHAT TO WEAR
My first rule: no bags!! Every theme park in Kissimmee does a bag search at the gate. Every person with a bag of any sort has to get their bag searched whether it's a fanny pack or a duffel bag. This is before you get to get into the line to enter the park. So, by bringing a bag you have to stand in one line in order to stand in another line. Avoid the fiasco of having to wait behind the people with the double stroller and the already screaming children to unpack the diaper bag, the cooler and the other 15 parcels of crap they couldn't leave home without. Travel light and smart and you can skip the bag search lines and get right into the park. An added note: it's required at some Universal Studios attractions that you stow bags and other loose articles in a locker before riding – what a pain... Final word – Don't bring a bag, purse, camera bag, backpack or fanny pack!! Also, don't bring a stroller or a diaper bag (please see highlighted paragraph above!) - just kidding... sort of...

My way to travel bag-less? Trusty cargo shorts with big pockets and, my favorite, a fishing vest with several pockets, inside and out. I wear one or the other when I visit the parks. They do not search pockets no matter how much stuff you might have crammed in them and will never make you take off your shorts to ride Space Mountain!

Wear comfy clothes and sensible shoes (NO Flip-flops!!). My typical costume for a day at the theme park is a light colored camp shirt or polo, cargo shorts, a light-colored baseball cap and Teva sandals (like these - not like these). My face is bare except for sunscreen and my hair is pulled back so it comfortably fits under my baseball cap. Bear in mind that by the end of the day you will have walked several miles. You are going to get hot and sweaty – and probably wet, if you ride a water ride – your hair is going to frizz or go limp or whatever – and your make-up is going to look like crap (avoid this by not wearing any). Trust me when I say that no one is looking at you but you - unless you are the silly girl hobbling around in her high heels at the end of the day looking like she'd rather die than take another step and the car is still a ½ mile away (yes, I have witnessed this!). Then people will look and think how silly it was for you to dress like you're going to a garden party instead of a theme park.


WHAT TO BRING TO THE PARKS
Back to the cargo shorts and/or fishing vest...in those pockets be sure to have the following:

Plastic zip-lock baggies for stowing tickets, money, credit cards, camera, phone – anything you don't want to have get wet on the water rides.

Band-aids for the blisters on your feet. I am always amazed that my most comfortable shoes, shoes I practically live in otherwise, will cause blisters at Disney.

A small zip-lock baggie with a few aspirin, just in case you get a headache. Aspirin is not cheap in the theme park gift shops!

A cap/hat of some sort that can be quickly folded up and stowed in one of your pockets. You'll want the shade – trust me on this – please take a cap! But you will need to take it off to ride most attractions so make sure it's small enough to stick in a pocket.

A small tube or refillable bottle of sunscreen. Like aspirin, a teeny, tiny bottle of sunscreen costs a pretty penny inside the parks so apply it liberally before you leave in the morning and bring a little with you for re-applying during the day as needed. I am addicted to lip balm and have some with SPF 30 – not only does it work on lips but also noses, chins, the tops of your ears and that pesky part in your hair (again, bring a cap!)

Sunglasses – a really cheap-y pair - small enough to stow in one of your pockets - that you won't miss if they get lost or broken.

If the weather calls for rain, stop at a Walgreens or other such place and buy the cheapest rain poncho you can find. Again, you want it to fit inside your pockets somewhere when not in use. When we went this year, Tropical Storm Beryl was dumping a bit of rain on Kissimmee so we went to Walgreens and bought rain ponchos for $1.99 each and they rocked!! Of course, they do have fancy schmancy rain ponchos available in the parks – they cost around $15 and are heavy and bulky and you end up carrying them once the rain stops – bummer...  Are the parks worth going to if it's raining? Absolutely! The weeney people leave because their hair might get ruined which means way shorter lines and, with the whiners gone, you'll have a much better time! :)

Stop by tomorrow for more tips! I'll talk about how we organize our days at Disney, the joy of park-hopping, Disney's Fast-Pass system and how to use it, and where we love to eat in the Disney parks.