1) Rolling your ankle in the trolley tracks on Main Street, U.S.A.
A lot of families go to the Magic Kingdom on their first day. Like the new Disney’s Magical Express video emphasizes, you don’t want to start your vacation with an injury! Please, watch where you’re going; I know it’s really hard to focus on where your feet are all of the time, especially when there are plenty of things to see on Main Street.
Just look at those death traps on the ground!
I was really lucky when I rolled my ankle; I caught it in time and hopped on my other leg before putting any weight on the other one. It was a close call. I hear a lot of parents telling their children to look at this or that, but just remember, all it takes is a single distraction before a fall – then out come the tears! Be extra cautious after the fireworks when it’s dark. I’m sure the curbs are just as bad.
2) Getting your cell phone wet and not being able to access apps
My old phone got wet one day at work and the buttons (yeah, that old, that long ago) quit responding. Error messages started popping up, but luckily I was due for an upgrade (until then, I put it in a bowl of rice which worked a little bit). Since there are a lot of water rides in the parks and Central Florida is known for its classic, afternoon downpour, a sandwich bag can be a lifesaver.
Afternoon shower in Adventureland.
This tip is really important now more so than ever with the newer phones being the one-stop-shop for your camera, video, and apps to help you in the parks, so it’s essential to take precautions. Waterproof cases for certain video cameras are also a neat tool to have, but please keep in mind it does alter the audio.
3) Don’t fly standby
This seems like a no-brainer, but I understand that sometimes you have to cut corners to save money wherever possible when budgeting for your trip. So, to save some money, we flew standby one year. We had done it before with just a small layover in Chicago and Birmingham and were fine with the result. This particular time, however, due to storms in the Orlando area and low fuel on our plane (MCO is a busy airport-our plane got in line but wouldn’t have made it, so we had to backtrack to Charleston for fuel), our entire flight lasted the same amount of time as it would have if we drove (13.5 hours).
We’re almost there!
The flight crew was really nice, but even after landing, it took us 40 minutes to taxi into our gate (then, another 40 minutes on the Magical Express). Everyone has a flight horror story, but this particular one could have easily been avoided if we had just not gone the cheap route. Imagine if we had a park planned for the first day! I just looked at the first picture from that trip and the time stamp was 2:44AM, yikes!
4) Counting on a top tier attraction being available for your extra FP+ selection
Ever since this policy, I have never seen Soarin’, Test Track, Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train come up, even as early as noon. Until the other parks have more attractions, just assume they’re operating under the old rules of the paper fast pass days, they’re going to “sell out” by 10AM.
Try the single rider line!
“We’ll ride it later” should not be in your vocabulary if you’re banking on this. A lot of times, the standby lines are quicker for the rides available. There’s an emotion I can’t describe that happens when you see a party enter the standby queue and beat you to a ride vehicle.
5) Thinking you can just walk on to your ride from the FP+ line
Take into consideration that each ride is different. There are preshows with Soarin’, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Haunted Mansion, Test Track, Dinosaur, etc. and are going to take an extra five minutes or more before you actually board a ride vehicle. I’ve done the math and it tells us to pay attention to the standby line and its estimated wait length.
Soarin’. Concourse 1 and Concourse 2… Soon to be Concourse 3!
A rule of thumb would be to divide it by 3 and that’s how much time you’ll spend before boarding a vehicle if the standby and fast pass lines co-mingle; the exclusion being Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight-fast pass guests take ultimate priority. You’re going to miss that advanced dining reservation or fireworks show if you think you have time!
6) Not measuring your children
Please, see how tall your children are and which attractions they can experience. There’s nothing more heart-breaking than witnessing a child’s excitement leading up to their first ride on Space Mountain, just to be let down by not being tall enough. Believe me, I’ve seen cast members do everything they can and look from every angle – just short of trying to make that child grow in front of their eyes to get them on, but it’s just not happening.
Space Mountain with the lights on (taken from the People Mover).
What does the adult do after that? Ride anyway? Yeah, I’m sure that’ll make for some great conversation back at the resort, if not therapy sessions later on in that child’s life. Oh, and if one sibling gets on and the other one doesn’t… sparks will fly!
7) Planning on an attraction that’s under refurbishment (or gone)
There’s nothing you can really do about this sort of thing, except know that it’s happening and then notifying your favorite Pirates of the Caribbean fan in the group that it’s not going to be operating during your trip. A lot of families have a member with fond memories of old attractions who haven’t been to Walt Disney World in 5-10 years (maybe even longer).
Even though you may have told them that the Timekeeper was replaced by Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, it may not register until they’re actually in the park. Or even worse, they may not discover how much of an emotional attachment they had to a ride (or show) that is no longer there until they’re actually in the park.
Can you think of other obscure things that could ruin a vacation? Unknown food allergies, pet emergencies, stolen wallet, lost luggage?
