10 Tips for Disney World Florida Vacation

 10 Tips for Disney World Florida Vacation!

Disney World is the most amazing vacation! Are you planning a trip to Disney World in Florida? We loved our Disney World vacation in 2013, so it's been a while. My kids were 11, 9 and 5 years old. They were amazing travelers. We stayed offsite and drove to each park each day. Even though we haven't been to Disney World for 6 years, I've got 10 tips for your trip to Disney that are as timeless as Star Wars.

Tip #1 for Disney World: 

At least get a 4-day Park Hopper pass, more if you want. Don't hop around from park to park in the same day, it will waste too much time. Instead, attend each of the parks, 1 per day. We hit it hard and went 4 days in a row. We woke up early so we could get to the gates 30 minutes before opening and we stayed as late as possible and left with the crowd when it closed for the night.

I heard that Magic Kingdom is typically busiest, so not to go there on a Monday. Instead we started off our Monday at Hollywood Studios.

Tip #2 for Disney World: 

Head the the "BEST" ride at the park first! As soon as you get in the park, bee-line it to the main attraction ride that you are excited about. We always hit the biggest ride that all my kids could go on. I made my little buddy, age 5, go on every ride he was tall enough for. That meant Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios.

Everyone is thrilled and excited, so they are braver and ready for anything at the start of the day. Hit the big ride. As soon as you get through the ride, decide if you would want to do it again and snag the FastPass while you are there.

After riding the Tower of Terror, my 5 year old cried. Understandable. He told the cute cashier at the gift shop that he did not like the ride and he cried. She was so understanding and told him that she's seen grown men crying after riding and that he should still feel brave. That made him feel much better. The employees are so nice!

Now that he's older, he still remembers the ride...so that was a good way to create lasting memories.

Tip #3 for Disney World: 

Use the Fast Pass and Rider Switch Programs. Download the App so you can keep track of line wait times and if any of the rides shut down. We got super good at using the fast pass system, but didn't use the rider switch much, because Grandma and Grandpa were with us and would wait with the youngest, but they didn't want to go on the intense rides either. Make sure you always have a Fast Pass ride in the works.

(Tip #3.5: Always bring Grandparents with you to Disney World 😉)
We left dad home working in the Army and traveled with his family. We got military discounted 4-day hopper tickets through the Army base. These 3 kids were the best travelers for this old mama.

Tip #4 for Disney World: 

Bring a Filtered Water Bottle. Florida is a swamp. The water all over Florida tastes like a swamp. You will be so glad you have a filtered water bottle that you can fill at drinking fountains that removes the swamp flavor. Trust me on this.

This is critical for staying hydrated, the water must taste good. We had a couple to share with our family, but you can decide how much you want to pack into the park.

Enjoy the shows and street performers. Hollywood Studios is the perfect theme park for lots of shows. My kids still talk about the fun shows they got to participate in while at the park.

Tip #5 for Disney World: 

Enjoying the shows are a great time to sit and relax for a few minutes before walking and waiting in lines again. 

Sometimes holding still is just what a little one needs to sneak in a little nap. After the show, he was awoken and ready to get back in lines for rides and excitement. Each park has amazing shows and they are well worth attending. Plan them out as you begin your day...that's why getting to the park before it opens is helpful.

Tip #6 for Disney World: 

Photo opportunities are all over each of the parks. There are so many fun places to take pictures. Take a lot of pictures, they are the best souvenirs. Decide how important seeing characters is to you. For us, we aren't huge on it.

Because of the temperatures in Florida and the heat generated in those giant costumes, they filter through the characters every 30 minutes. So, waiting in line for Minnie Mouse might have you shaking hands or crying when you have to meet Stitch instead.

We just stood in front of the crowds and snapped a picture with the character in the background. The random character sightings around the park are sporadic at best...so if meeting characters is your goal, find a breakfast or event that hosts them.

Tip #7 for Disney World:

Shoes. Shoes are the make-it or break-it of an all day walking around a theme park event. I brought different shoes for my kids for each day. However, when those little hot spots start, it can ruin the day if it is painful to walk around. Bring some moleskin and address the issues immediately. I just had some pre-cut pieces of moleskin in my bag that I could cover blisters before they started. We just sat on the curb and addressed the issues.

Such a life saver, my kids easily walked 5 miles a day in their little shoes and were amazing troopers. We did not use a stroller or wagon, I don't like extra bulk. My kids were not carried around. They were incredible travelers and always have been. Maybe it's because our vacations are few and far between...either way, they made it a dream vacation. They didn't whine or ask for a thing!

We hit Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. We got there early and stayed late. Again, my kids are awesome troopers.

Little side tip:

The Magic Kingdom castle is super busy on the way in. Walk through it and then take pictures on the other side. Or head over to the bridge nearby to get a great shot with the castle in the background.

Tip #8 for Disney World:

Rain. In Florida, it rains practically every single day. The humidity is high enough that rain is just a thing to expect. It's nice though, because when the downpour starts, most of the Season Pass Holders head home. Everyone else panics and buys overpriced ponchos in the gift shops.

Plan on the rain and bring ponchos into the park with you, they are much cheaper at local stores. OR...do what we did: Wear clothes that are made for getting wet. We wore our swimsuits to Epcot and when it rained, it was already accounted for. Plus, then you don't have drippy ponchos to do something with when you decide to take them off.

Rashguards, spandex, or lightweight rain jackets are the way to go.

Tip #9 for Disney World:

Get a Fast Pass for the Princesses or classic characters! We still waited at least an hour to see the princesses, even with the Fast Pass...but it was worth it. It's indoors and air conditioned, so it was a popular destination, especially during rain or extreme heat.

At first, my boys were not excited to see the princesses. We saw Aurora, Cinderella and Rapunzel. My daughter went first and got some pictures with Aurora. When Aurora saw my boys, she squealed and said "you've got little Princes!" My boys were awestruck as the princesses expertly complimented them and posed with them for pictures. They are SO GOOD at their jobs.

On Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom. My 5 year old had never been to a zoo before so he was excited to see the animals. It turned out to be my favorite of the 4 parks. Don't skip a park, go to each one, they are all different and so worth it!

Little side tip: 

Go to the Safari ride first thing in the morning when Animal Kingdom opens. The animals come out in the morning, but sleep during the heat of the day, so it's the best time to see them. The animals range around so much acreage and can get very close to the ride jeeps. It feels like the best safari ride ever!

In my opinion, the animals are well taken care of. So many animals I'd never be able to see in real life except on this fun safari ride.

This tree of life is an awesome sculpture that you could look at and enjoy for hours. Get an ice cream cone and park it for a while, spotting different animals on the tree.

Animal Kingdom really was my favorite of the parks. It felt like an adventure hike more than a theme park, although the rides are amazing too. There are so many places for the perfect photos and amazing decorations all over the park. Even some historical items or replicas.

My favorite ride was Everest. We got a Fast Pass for it and then jumped in line. The line did not take long at all. In fact, I was disappointed because in the line they have little displays set up with BIG FOOT SIGHTINGS, photos, foot prints, etc. It was fascinating and I could have looked at it much longer. Nice that the line went fast though! As soon as we got off the ride, we got back on with our Fast Passes.

Our last day of the 4-Day Hopper Park pass at Disneyworld was Epcot Center. I did not know very much about Epcot and wondered if I would even like it. Spoiler: I did, I loved it!

Again, it's worth going to each of the 4 parks!

You'll notice we are all wearing swimwear...from tip #8 to combat the rain, come prepared. Wear your hair in a way that it will look just as great wet as dry.

This cutie wore his wet suit and was quite comfortable all day long, especially when it started to rain.

Tip #10 for Disney World:

Food. Food is such an important part of an all day trip. Disney World is awesome and allows you to carry in snacks and water. We packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each day for lunch and a protein filled snack. Pack in snacks, salty and sweet stuff, to keep everyone fueled and happy.

We also wanted to experience the parks and that included a restaurant per day. At the first the day we decided where we wanted to eat and immediately booked reservations. This way we had a great meal during the day. Epcot has amazing restaurants scattered through the park, we had Chinese food.

And of course, later in the day, we got some Fish and Chips in England. We loved traveling around the world at Epcot Center. It felt like the best homeschool day ever! We learned so much about each country and had a great time meeting people from the countries.

Did you know that you have to be from the country in order to work there? It makes the experience so authentic and wonderful! We asked everyone how to say "thank you" in their native language and would thank them as best as we could. My kids loved every minute of it!

Various countries have performers too...honestly, we did not have long enough in Epcot. We skipped the ride in the big ball thing so we could get moving onto the country tour. Epcot closed at 5PM the night we were there, so it felt short. It was a great end to an exhausting week of theme parks.

Those are my 10 tips!

What do you think? Have you been to Disney World? What tips do you have?...leave them in the comments please!

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