9 Things No One Tells You About Walt Disney World Vacations

9. You might get run into by a stroller

It is one of those things that is just hard to escape. People can get distracted staring at this incredible place, focusing on that huge castle, not looking at the space between the stroller and you, or a “big” brother pushing a stroller might give you a flat tire.  (Counter point, don’t step in front of, or stop suddenly in front of a stroller…)

8. They are expensive

Come with a budget based on facts, such as your food items. Look at the menu prices online, at disneydining.com so you know what to expect. You can save by bringing your own snacks and maybe breakfast items you can enjoy in your resort before starting out for the day. Drink lots of water rather than sodas or alcohol. You can even get a glass of free water at the counter-service restaurants. With a little research you can predict the costs of your vacation and then you will know how much to save each week to get your dream vacation. Leave some spending for souvenirs. You can manage expenses that you know about ahead of time.

7. They aren’t perfect

It is warm, sometimes hot, and people get tired and lose their tempers late in the day. Guests who aren’t prepared and expect something different from what they experienced are unhappy and take it out on others around them. Mostly guests are kind and well-behaved, but it only takes one person being rude that can result in disappointing behavior. There are thousands of people, so expect some moments that may not be ideal.

6. There will be lines

Depending on what attractions you want to experience, you will most likely encounter a line at some point. Fortunately most of the queues at Walt Disney World are shaded and some have interactive games to play along the way. I don’t mind the lines because it gives me a chance to really connect with family members. We enjoy using FastPass+ but since we want to ride almost everything we know there will be some lines involved. Bring some snacks to enjoy while in line, and a water bottle to stay hydrated, and enjoy having conversations with your family or friends. I have a book worm who always seems to have a book handy for longer queues. Try not to use your phone, as much as possible, and pay attention to each other. This is a great time for building family relationships.

5. You will want to come back

Many times. It is hard to imagine just how vast Walt Disney World is until you have been here at least one time. Unless you are going to be here for a few weeks, you will soon realize you won’t be able to see everything you want to in this first trip. My advice: turn your ticket in for an Annual Pass and plan your next trip. That relieves you of some pressure that you HAVE to see it all right now. It is possible you could see everything, but not really experience everything on a short visit. Annual Passholders receive substantial savings on Disney resorts so that helps cut the costs on return visits.

4. How diverse Cast Members are

There are Cast Members from all over the globe working at Walt Disney World.  It is fun to look at their name tags that tell where they are from. You will hear many different accents and sometimes some halting English as they are new and still learning the English language. (This mostly happens with international students working at World Showcase.) It is just like the makeup of the guests who come in every day, very diverse.  I find it a wonderful element making up this World.

3. You probably won’t lose weight

I know, you would think with all this walking we are doing we would see some substantial weight loss, right? Wrong. Even on an extended stay here of two weeks, not a pound. We covered every attraction in every corner of every park, but, we also ate every day. Disney food is so good, and I hate to think how much I would have weighed had I not done all that walking! Just know, the food and the walking seem to balance each other out. So you can’t justify a Disney vacation as part of your weight loss program, unless you make much better choices for your meals than we did.

2. Where their favorite place to watch the parade or fireworks is

Let’s face it, there are some things you keep to yourself. Consider getting a FastPass+ for the parade or fireworks. It could be the best choice you ever make. (Wow, I can’t keep anything to myself!)

1. About their favorite attraction

I know for a fact that the line at my favorite attraction has gotten worse, seriously at least doubled, after I started telling others about it. I still tell people, because I love it and I know so many people never realize it is there. I have gotten to know some of the people associated with it and they are wonderful Cast Members who work hard to create a great experience for every guest they see. I have friends who will not tell others about this attraction, because they don’t like how the line has grown and don’t want it to get worse. They like to experience this over and over through the day and when they used to be able to leave the attraction and get right back into it for the next go, they have to wait and can only get in after another group has experienced it. This leaves me with the conundrum of telling you, which means suffering even longer lines, or not telling you and having you miss it because I would not share it with you….so, and I decided if I keep telling others and the line was just crazy long, maybe they would open up a second one, like they did for Dumbo? Can you guess what it is? (Living with the Land)