Useful Tips

[carribeanpirate250]

I will be leaving in 21 days!! I would like to know any useful tips that will help me on our trip. There will be 2 adults and a child(6yrs old.) What to do, what to take, little secrets that only people on this board know would be appreciated.

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[Timbo]

Welcome to Intercot, carribeanpirate250!

I'm sure you and your family will have a wonderfully magic time in the happiest place on earth.

As far as useful tips, here's mine:

Read the last 30 to 60 days of postings in the following forums: Theme Parks, Nightlife..., Disney & Orlando Dining, Vacation Planning and Trip Reports. This should prepare you well.

If you have a specific question, feel free to ask that, too.

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Last visit: May 25-28, 2001
Next visit: October 28-31, 2001

"A dream can be a dream come true, with just that spark in me and you..."

[beth]

Keep hydrated. Drink lots. Don't over do it. You're not going to be able to do it all, so don't force yourself to try.

Relax and enjoy the things around you.

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beth
[email protected]
Intercot Staff Member

"Love and Mercy that's what you need tonight. So Love and Mercy to you and your friends tonight."

For more fun on all things Disney, check out our sister site, www.webdisney.com

For fun and info on the land that started it all check out our sister site: www.intercotwest.com

[gregf71]

The best advice that I can give you is to take care of your feet. WDW puts a lot of pressure on them with all of the walking you will do. I advise wearing well broken in tennis shoes some days, with sandles or Birkenstocks other days. Trust me your feet and your toes will thank you. I have been to WDW four previous times and it was not until my last visit that I figured out how to protect by tootsies and man did it ever make my trip more pleasurable. For the first time, I was not walking gingerly around the parks with blisters on my toes after three or four days.

Have a great time!

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WDW - 1993 (Off site), 1996 (All-Star Sports), 1998 (Wilderness Lodge), and 2000 (Wilderness Lodge)

Next trip - Honeymoon, October 2001 (Beach Club and the Disney Wonder)

[hope2survive]

Incorporate down time and naps into your agenda. You may think your 6 year old can handle anything, but a full day from dawn to dusk at a WDW park can be overwhelming!

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Mike
1st trip 1978 - 10 years old
2nd trip July 7-14, 2000 @CBR 32 years old
3rd trip May 4-13, 2001 @DxL & AKL

[Toughbug]

Bring plenty of film and videotape from home to record your trip. Film and videotape are expensive when you buy them in the parks so visit your local Walmart to get enough. We always bring enough and love the memories that we get from repeatedly watching the video and lokking at the pictures.

And you can't emphasis enough - WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES !!! Dont buy a new pair and expect to break them in on the trip. It don't work that way. Make sure the shoes are the same type you wear consistently and are well broken in. My wife had a new pair of tennis shoes that she had worn and thought she broke in. She developed bad blisters on both little toes about the second day and spent the next four days limping around in pain. Whe would pop them and they would come back even with moleskin wrapped around them because of the shoes. Take care of your feet.

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[EtteDMS]

Your first trip. How special! Don't worry about trying to do everything or you'll drive yourself crazy. A lot of the fun is just taking in the surroundings. There's is treat for the eye no matter where you look. It won't take you long to discover what you like vs. what everyone else likes. I would make the Magic Kingdom my first visit. It's pure Disney and there's nothing that can compare with the first sight of the Castle and Main Street USA. You'll never forget it. Also, first ride? Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a favorite of all, and even in heavy crowds we've found it easy to board lately. Have fun and report back.

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Disney World makes you believe in Magic!

Trips:
1978 - Holiday Inn Main Gate (outside)
1985 - Holiday Inn Main Gate (outside)
1986 - Days Inn International Drive (outside)
1987 - Cocoa Beach/Pelican Landing (outside)
1988 - Cocoa Beach/Pelican Landing (outside)
1994 - Fort Wilderness Homes
1999 - Fort Wilderness Homes
2000 - Fort Wilderness Homes
Coming Soon:
2001 - Any of the following: Fort Wilderness Homes, Contemporary, DoubleTree Guest Suites

[Beast_fanatic]

I'd recommend sunscreen!

Be careful with your camera(s). Going from the air conditioned room to the heat and humidity can wreak havoc on a camera (I ruined one in Orlando several years ago). Keep the camera away from the air conditioner, and give it time to adjust to changes in temperature before trying to take pictures. Take along a disposable water-proof camera if you plan on going to a water park, or even if you just plan on playing in the pool!

And, my favorite tip is be sure to carry your patience and keep your best Disney attitude with you at all times!

Have fun!



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Rhonda

[Lil'Lady]

keeping the little one happy will keep you happy!!! that doesnt mean spoiling, just stopping when they need to stop, if their hot, go ahead and let them play in the fountains...they'll dry off. (take pictures of em) . My own tried and true was taking a box of 'wedding bubbles' and putting 1 or 2 in their own pouch or small backpack for use when lines are long. its amazing how they made time fly and the price was right too.

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"We are Siamese if you please. We are Siamese if you don't please. Now we looking over our new domicile. If we like, we stay for maybe quite a while."

[G]

Take a day off from the parks. Sleep in late and enjoy the pool after you wake up. This was one of our best days. We ate at our hotel that night and found what I believe is the best place to eat in WDW.

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I AM GOING BACK IN DEC AND I FINALLY GET TO STAY AT THE POLY!!

(Gail)

[mamcdo]

Allocate plenty of spending money. Most likely, you won't find anything like it at home.But-- There is a # you can call for any merchandise at WDW, once you get home. Don't know this # off the top of my head though.

Great places for Christmas gifts. Don't forget extra luggage space!

Have fun!

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Meg

Cont: Sept. 1990
Off-site: June 1996
AS music: June 1998
Off-site: Nov. 2001

3 more months!!
Yahoo Yippety!

[duggan]

lil'Lady -

I do the wedding bubbles thing too! Even when we are just doing little daytrips around the house.

They are inexpensive, small for carrying and the wands blow great bubbles!

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'72 - Polynesian Resort
'81 - Polynesian Resort
'84 - Contemporary Resort
'93 - Dixie Landings
'99 - Wilderness Lodge
'01 - Off Property

[ParisRain]

I'm going to give you some advice where the 6 yr old is concerned. Took one there last year myself.

You have to be a VERY patient person to follow your child around while he/she gets their passport filled out at Epcot. We went to World Showcase two different days, never did get all the signatures and ended up missing Future World altogether. The girls (6 & 8) didn't even really care about them that much and I wonder if they even know where they are today!

We also got them autograph books at our resort before we went to the parks. This was fine - a lot of searching for characters and waiting in lines though. Our 8 yr old cried because we never saw Princess Jasmine and that's the one sig she wanted! If you decide to go this route: When going to MK, head straight to Mickey's Toon Town and to the giant tent in the middle. There are plenty of characters in there and they change by the hour!

Also beware of showing your six year old the resort pool before heading off to Epcot! Our girls whined the whole night because we didn't go swimming right away.

Their favorite part of Disney World? The resort swimming pool.

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1977: Disneyland
1996: WDW ~ CBR
2000: WDW ~ PO
2002: WDW ~ WL or AKL??
& in Jan or March??

[Patti]

Ziploc bags are handy to have. I use them to pack premeasured laundry detergent, dryer sheets, toiletries, and small items.

Last year we took a backpack in the park and had packed juice boxes in ziplocs. This way, if a juice box leaks, sticky juice won't get all over the contents of the backpack. You can also throw a few ice cubes in the ziploc to keep the juice cold.

This year I'm taking a collapsible cooler and will fill ziplocs with ice to put in the cooler. Less mess!

Also, use a ziploc to pack wet bathing suits. These are just a few examples, but I'm sure you get the idea. Be sure to take along a few spare bags.

Have a great trip!

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[samanthastanky]

Hope this helps! I usually bring this list of essentials...

Extra camera battery (I always seem to run out of juice on my first day!), lots of band-aids, a few different pairs of shoes (your feet feel better when you change from comfy pair to comfy pair), aloe after-sun lotion, a small umbrella and a wrinkle-free raincoat, my address book for postcards, and a GIANT SMILE BECAUSE I AM GOING AWAY ON VACATION!!!

have fun!

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[wdwfan]

If your child wants to be part of the parade which starts on the left side of Splash Mtn. (facing it) and be there about 45 min. early There have cm's walking around looking for the excited kids. They put a sticker on them and when the last bus of characters comes through the children with stickers get to go inside the ropes and dance around with the characters. We had two 6 yr. old nieces with us and they loved it. They were actually in awe, because sometimes the parades are the only way you even see some characters. Have a great time.

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[scaredy cat]

We went to WDW in May and also have a six year old son. The very, very best thing we did was to arrive at MK before it opened on a day when Mickeys Toontown fair opened a bit later. We went straight to fantasy land to ride dumbo and loads of characters(including mickey) got on the ride with us! My son was ecstatic! They then stood in the middle of fantasyLand and we managed to get loads of autographs with virtually no queueing - and all within the first half hour of our Disney experience!!!

Another tip is to hire a stroller. We were so glad we did.

If you don't already have a guide book, the 'unofficial Guide' was my bible. We followed the tour plans and they mainly worked brilliantly.

A caution about the rides - be careful about what you let your son go on - mine wanted to go on everything at the start of the holiday and was frightened of the monorail by the end!! He loved Buzz Lightyear and Men in Black but was quite scared of the simulator rides.
Hope all this helps. Have a fab time. my son still talks about it all constantly.

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[MNNHFLTX]

Try to slow the pace down quite a bit. We've learned to do what people in other warm climates do--walk slower, take breaks, stay in the shade as much as possible. I get very concerned for the red-faced, perspiration-soaked people I see at WDW at this time of year, rushing from one attraction to another. Heat exhaustion is not a pretty thing!

Another little trick of mine is to forego (most) of the park/resort souvenirs. When we go with our 9-year-old, we look in all the gift shops as much as we want, but wait until the end of the day to go to the outlet store near the Disney Village area! They have a good mixture of toys, apparel and collectibles from the parks/resorts, and many times you can find the same or similar items as you would find in the parks/resorts for a much cheaper price. Of course, we live in the area so that makes it easier for us to go, but if you're staying at WDW on vacation, I would think one trip to the outlet store would satisfy most kids' desire for souvenirs.

Have fun on your trip!

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Beth--
"attitude is a little thing that means alot"

[tnemgif]

As long as you have a park hopper pass there is no need to do a marathon. You will see parents with tired kids by around 12 or 1pm...after lunch and they try to do the whole park instead of going home, napping by the pool,an then coming back. In the summer the parks are open late so take advantage. If you get up and go early you beat the crowds and then just when the park is getting really busy you can leave and go home before the kids have a meltdown. Then you can come back at night for more fun! My mom said that when I was little I had to be forced back to the room but once I got there I was out for at least an hour or two. The sun and the excitement really takes its toll.