5 Mistakes People Make When Planning Walt Disney World Trips

A trip to Walt Disney World is something that everyone looks forward to. From the magic of wandering the parks to getting to experience attractions and unique dining locations, there is so much to see and do that guests can look forward to. With so many options available, guests can also easily get overwhelmed when booking and planning a trip. On the opposite side, guests might not realize some of the research that they should do when planning their vacation. Here are some common mistakes that guests make while planning their Walt Disney World trips and how to avoid them and ensure a magical time.

5. Not Researching Resorts –

With over twenty resort options to choose from, Walt Disney World offers up a resort for every guest’s personal taste and budget. If a guest books a resort at random, they might end up somewhere that does not really fit their travel style and end up being inconvenienced or unhappy. Thus, it is really important to spend some time researching resorts before booking a vacation. Guests should first consider their budget and decide whether to stay in a value, moderate, or deluxe resort. Guests should then take an in depth look at each resort in their chosen category and consider its size, location, available transportation, and amenities. For guests who absolutely want to stay near the Magic Kingdom, they should consider being on the monorail a priority and for guests who want a compact resort with amenities grouped together they should consider Port Orleans French Quarter. By knowing preferences and budget ahead of time, guests can be sure to choose the right resort for them and fully enjoy their stay in Walt Disney World.

4. Not Booking FastPasses –

All Walt Disney World guests are eligible to utilize the FastPass+ system which allows guests to make “reservations” for attractions ensuring little to no wait times. Guests who do not book FastPasses ahead of time find themselves waiting in lines for much longer and losing time that could be spent enjoying other things in the parks. Guests who are staying at a Disney Resort can book their FastPasses up to sixty days before arrival and guests staying off property can book up to thirty days in advance. Guests can book up to three FastPasses per day for one park ahead of time and can book a fourth if they use all three throughout their day. After the fourth, they can book a fifth and so on until the park closes. Guests should research which attractions they definitely want to experience that have the highest wait times and use FastPasses for those experiences. FastPasses should most definitely be used by every guest to ensure lower wait times and to save time in general on a Walt Disney World trip. My Disney Experience App is the best way to make these FastPass selections, instead of using a FastPass kiosk once in the park.

3. Not Booking Dining Reservations –

Some guests know that they would like to have full service sit down meals throughout their Walt Disney World vacation, but they do not make advanced dining reservations. These reservations can be made for any dining location throughout Disney World one hundred and eighty days in advance and are absolutely necessary for numerous popular restaurants which tend to be perpetually booked. By making dining reservations ahead of time, guests ensure that they have a seat at the restaurants of their choosing, save time waiting to be seated as a walk in, and also save time trying to figure out other dining options after realizing that a location is fully booked. Guests should be sure to take some time at home and research which restaurants they would like to dine in and make their reservations as far in advance as possible. No dining reservations? Check out the Mobile Food and Beverage Ordering Option available on the My Disney Expereience App for numerous quick service locations throughout Disney Property. Mobile Ordering allows guests to order and pay for their food in advance, arrive at the restaurant to let them know they’ve arrived, and easily pick up food from a separate Mobile Order window.

2. Not Researching the Parks –

Some guests arrive at Walt Disney World with little knowledge of the parks or what they have to offer. This ultimately ends up eating up a lot of vacation time when the guest then has to figure out which park they want to visit, what certain attractions are, where they are located, and where dining locations are. Guests who have small children might then also lose time trying to figure out which attractions their children are tall enough to ride and also old enough to enjoy. To avoid losing time while on vacation, guests should do some research ahead of time and know what each park has to offer and what things they might be interested in seeing.

1. Not Having a Tentative Plan –

Sometimes guests arrive to their Walt Disney World vacation with no tentative plan for their stay which can be fine if they are familiar with the parks. However, much like the previous mistake listed here, guests who are unfamiliar with the parks can end up losing a lot of time trying to figure out what to do each day. To avoid losing time like this, guests should take the research they conducted about the parks, attractions, and dining locations and make a rough schedule for each day of their vacation. This includes knowing which park to visit on a certain day, which attractions they definitely want to visit, and where things are located in each park. While this plan doesn’t have to be followed exclusively, it offers a little structure while exploring the parks that ends up saving lots of time.