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7 Rookie Mistakes People Make At Walt Disney World

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Credit: Disneytips

A Walt Disney World vacation is a magical thing that guests spend months looking forward to. With so much anticipation going into each trip, guests want to make the most of each minute and be able to see as much as possible. With four theme parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, and over twenty Disney Resorts, there is a lot to see on any Disney vacation so guests should spend some time planning ahead to avoid any rookie mistakes that could lose them time, money, and patience. By doing some simple planning, rookie mistakes can be avoided and guests can be sure to have an amazing vacation. Guests who don’t take the time to properly plan and research before leaving home can end up wasting lots of time in the parks and becoming easily frustrated. Here are seven rookie mistakes that guests make at Walt Disney World which can easily be avoided with a little planning.

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7. Not Choosing The Right Resort

A rookie mistake that many guests make when planning a Walt Disney World vacation is not taking the time to adequately research the many different resort options. Disney Resorts are broken down into three categories with Deluxe being the most expensive, Value having the best deals, and Moderate falling somewhere in between. Guests planning a Disney vacation should have an idea of their budget and price range and choose a Disney Resort category based upon those numbers. After choosing a category, guests can then decide between several different options ranging in themes, location, dining options, size, and amenities. Guests should put a lot of time and effort into choosing their Disney Resort to ensure that they are totally comfortable and feel at home once on their vacation.

6. Not Booking FastPasses

Guests who visit Walt Disney World are entitled to book FastPasses for attractions throughout the parks which allow them to return at a designated time and enjoy the experience with little to no wait time. Guests who stay on property at a Disney Resort can book their FastPasses up to sixty days in advance and guests who stay off property can book theirs thirty days ahead of time. Guests can book up to three FastPasses per day and are allowed to book a fourth once the initial three are used. A rookie mistake that many guests make is either not booking FastPasses at all or booking them for the wrong attractions. To be used in the most efficient way, FastPasses should be booked for attractions which tend to be the most popular and have the longest wait times, thus saving guests the most time possible. Some of the best attractions to use FastPasses for are Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Slinky Dog Dash, Avatar Flight of Passage, Frozen Ever After, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, Soarin’, and Test Track Presented by Chevrolet.

5. Not Booking Advanced Dining Reservations

Walt Disney World is full of amazing full service restaurants serving up everything from steakhouse classics to cuisine from around the world. With each location being so amazing, Disney restaurants tend to book quickly and a rookie mistake guests can encounter is not making dining reservations way ahead of time! Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) can be made up to one hundred and eighty days in advance and they are absolutely necessary for popular restaurants. Guests who do not book their dining reservations as far in advance as possible run the risk of being turned away from a fully booked restaurant or losing lots of time waiting to be seated as a walk up reservation. Some restaurants which definitely need reservations are Be Our Guest, Le Cellier Steakhouse, California Grill, and ‘Ohana.

4. Not Knowing Where Things Are

A huge rookie mistake that many guests make is not doing proper research before leaving home about where things are located in Walt Disney World. Guests should learn the general layout of their Disney Resorts in order to know where the pools, bus stops, front desk, concierge, and dining locations are located. In addition, guests should look at maps of each theme park and learn where certain attractions, entertainment, dining locations, and shopping locations are located. By having a general idea of where things are in Walt Disney World, guests can save tons of time that otherwise would have been spent wandering around or stopping to consult maps.

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3. Not Knowing What Things Are

In addition to knowing where things are located, guests should also know exactly what things are throughout Walt Disney World. No guest wants to wait in line for an attraction and board only to find out too late that it has several inversions when they don’t enjoy thrilling attractions! Similarly, guests might not want to end up experiencing anything that might be too intense for children without realizing. The best way to avoid these problems is to find out a little bit about what each experience in Disney entails in order to avoid any surprises along the way.

2. Not Stopping To Relax

One of the biggest mistakes that guests make while enjoying a vacation in Walt Disney World is not taking the time to stop and relax. The temperatures in Florida are hot, humidity can be high, and there is a lot of walking involved in exploring the parks. With all of those factors combined, guests can easily become exhausted. An important part of enjoying the vacation is to take time each day to simply stop and relax. Whether guests pause and enjoy a full service meal or return to the resort for a nap and dip in the pool, relaxing is necessary to keep guests from being overtired and cranky.

1. Trying To See It All

Walt Disney World is home to so many amazing experiences that it is simply impossible to see it all on one vacation. Guests need to accept that seeing everything isn’t realistic and instead hone in on the must do experiences for their trip. By knowing exactly what they must do, guests can avoid becoming overly stressed trying to see it all and genuinely enjoy their vacations.

About Caitlin Kane

Caitlin Kane first started visiting Walt Disney World when she was two years old, and despite spending most of that trip quarantined with the chicken pox she managed to fall in love with the place. Visiting WDW every year since, she especially loves learning all about the history and small details of the parks and eating/drinking her way through the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival each fall. When she's not in Disney, Caitlin lives in New York and spends her time counting down the days to her next trip.