Best Tip or advice

[LMO429]

Plan ahead, book everything you can at 60 days out dining reservations cabanas extras etc . It takes a longtime to get around Disney property so keep in mind travel times. Two sit down meals is enough each day either breakfast dinner or lunch dinner 3 sit downs a day too many. Since it’s your first time if you can wait to go save your money and do all the add ons (firework reserved brewing parties, tours) etc when things are back to normal. I would never suggest a first timer go now and we love it there go 2 to 3 times a year/ I would wait and save or go somewhere where you would be getting your monies worth and depending on your comfortably with covid masks are not as strict somewhere else. Even little things like no house keeping right now will maybe Matter to you as far as getting your monies worth.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Thank you for you comment and your service! Im a Marine mama! We are staying at the Swan, ill have to look at their restaurants! I will have to get up at 3 am when my ADRs open up. Hubby doesn't want to pick places to eat two months out but I explained to him that he will be happy I did when were there in the moment. It will be our first time going without kids.

That's funny. I think she meant Disney "veteran" and "commando" style park touring.

 

[LovesTimone]

What time of year are you coming to visit?

Is it just the 2 of you?

When you travel to other destinations, how do you like to approach it? like are you "All In" meaning up early and out of the room and going at it all day and night - some folks call it commando style, or are you more get up and get going whenever kinda folk... or some where in the middle....

Are you staying on site?

I'm a local so asking these question will help me give you some suggestions to what you want to accomplish..

 

[_19disnA]

Realize that Disney involves a LOT of walking. Some people seem to think they will be able to walk 6+ miles/day every day they are there and that is not reality for most people. If you go in June/July/August it will be HOT no matter how much water you drink. Best to avoid those months, if possible. Excessive planning won't make the crowds any lower.

Going to Disney is a vacation and doesn't need to turn into a full-time job of advance planning.

 

[Monki]

When you are at Disney, everything takes much longer than you think it should. Plan for 60-90 mins transportation anywhere. Also, plan for some down time or breaks - you will need them! Wearing a mask in the heat is much harder than I thought it would be. If you can, plan for cooler weather. If you must go in the heat, plan on taking a break in a "rest area" or indoors every hour. I don't agree with waiting to take your trip. Disney (and Universal for that matter) - have been some of the places I felt safest in the era of Covid. Everyone follows the rules, or they must leave. Tomorrow isn't promised - enjoy yourself safely!

 

[Katie Dawn]

Getting blisters on your feet will ruin the magic in a heartbeat, so it's worth extra effort to avoid this problem.

As others have mentioned, bring 2 (or more!) pair of tennis shoes. You may be able to get away with other types of shoes, but if you don't regularly walk 10+ miles a day in those Chacos/Tevas/whatever then I would definitely bring 2 pair of tennis shoes in case the sandals start giving you trouble.

Also, even if your feet are used to walking 10+ miles per day in those sandals, but you do it in an air conditioned building, know that the heat will add additional opportunities for problems if you're traveling to WDW April-October.

Switch back and forth between the two (or more) pairs of shoes each day. Our shoes put pressure/rub on spots on our feet in their own unique way, so if you give those spots a "rest day" in between your reduce the chances of developing hot spots and blisters.

If you don't walk a lot already, try to up your daily walking (in the shoes you will bring) for a few weeks before to build up some resistance.

And have a great time!

 

[TeKa21]

Sleep in and stay late (except for your early morning ROTR BG attempt). The parks don’t begin to come alive until evening. Get in line for a headliner just before closing and you will emerge from the ride into a quiet and beautifully lit wonderland. Then you can slowly meander out of the park getting some great pics.

 

[Daisy7425]

When you are at Disney, everything takes much longer than you think it should. Plan for 60-90 mins transportation anywhere.

Definitely the above!

Also, I read all replies but haven't seen a big piece of advice: buy the photo package! We loved having all 4 of us in the photos. Usually we settle for a selfie or just end up having one or two full family photos at a vacation. The ride photos are hilarious and so fun and are such awesome moments.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Take one moment and stop in the park. Look around. Look at the green spaces. Look at the details on the building. Look at the CMs uniforms. Just allow yourself a moment and look for the small details and beauty that you miss by walking to an attraction or restaurant or show. It is easy to walk thru a park or a resort with blinders.

 

[Adventureland]

I'm going to really emphasize the shoe advice here-keep the weather in mind, break your shoes in, know your limits. Blisters are the absolute worst and drenched sneakers suck.
I would bring a reusable bottle for water-remember you should be able to get free ice water at most counter service areas, but it's a bit different since COVID protocol hit, check what the situation is with that just before you go. Don't buy the bottled water, or use a grocery service and bring your own bottles.
Do you think you'll come back, or is this a once in a lifetime thing? If you're returning, I would definitely echo to take it slow and soak things in. There's a lot of care put into every nook and cranny, it's fun to sit down and just look around.
I like watching DisneyFoodBlog's videos for general quickfire tips, too.
The Swan is in a lovely area! I hope you have a fun time. If you're going when the Food & Wine festival is, you're in an excellent spot for getting in there quick.

 

[auntlynne]

That's funny. I think she meant Disney "veteran" and "commando" style park touring.

Too funny! You made me curious. A quick forum search - found where 2vets had stated they were not military veterans.

It is nice of @mickey+minnie91 to give a thank you shoutout, though. Such a better view of military expressed than was during my childhood toward Vietnam-era military (most of whom were drafted and didn’t have a choice).

 

[mickey+minnie91]

Too funny! You made me curious. A quick forum search - found where 2vets had stated they were not military veterans.

It is nice of @mickey+minnie91 to give a thank you shoutout, though. Such a better view of military expressed than was during my childhood toward Vietnam-era military (most of whom were drafted and didn’t have a choice).

Thank you, I guess I just took it as Military cuz its on my mind. My son is deployed. Better to say thank you when I thought that was the case vs not saying anything. All is good!

 

[kathy884]

I love the content and touring plans on the website, touringplans.com. It's $18 to subscribe (gives you access to the touring plans for a year, but well worth it IMHO. When you are paying so much for tickets, something like this that helps you make the most of your day I think is great. I love it that they track ride closures, fast pass policies, opening times of parks, etc. (great place to go for the latest information). I usually start with one of their plans for my park day and then add or subtract things based on interests, how long I will be in the park, and what it looks like I can fit in based on crowds. I make sure to have some slack time in there at the end of the day to maybe do something a second time or get to something I really wanted to do that I didn't get in, or to just sit down people watch or stop in Disney gift shops, whatever. The description of attractions, etc. helps me decide what to do and what to skip. The line estimations do that too.

Having a detailed plan makes things pretty mindless and easy when I get to the parks and we can just enjoy ourselves with decisions of what to try next, do next already made. Also, I don't hesitate to deviate from the plan or spend a little more time and smell the flowers. I can always skip something on there that I don't care about as much. But for me, I love having the plan as a roadmap. It's nice to hear their opinions of the best things to do, given that you only have so much time, etc.

If it were a non-Covid year, I'd recommend the book, "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" by the same team, but with so much in flux and changing all the time, I think during these COVID-19 times, I'd just do the website subscription.

 

[samara]

For those who have been this year, what is your number one tip for visiting WDW under current conditions?

 

[jordan13402]

Get vaccinated

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

It'll be hot. It'll be crowded. You will wait for transportation. You won't get everything done. Despite all of it, you can still have an excellent time. Set your expectations accordingly and I promise you'll have a better time than if you expect everything to go seamlessly!

 

[Miffy]

OP: You have never been before? Then my advice is: Wait until everything is back to normal. Do NOT go right now.

 

[diznymom]

We always plan on having a "no park" day in the middle of our vacation, which is usually 7 nights. On our "no park" day, we go and visit other WDW resorts, maybe ride a monorail or 2 just for the experience, chill out by the pool.

I don't know if you still can, but we would get free ice water from the quick service places....anywhere that has a soda machine. Stay hydrated.

 

[Twitterpaited]

Right now, make park reservations. Some guests come and have no clue. “The moose outside should have told you.”

 

[wings91]

Wear a mask!!