Arrive at the parks early. This is the single most important piece of advice we can offer.  Being at the park entrance when it opens gives you a huge advantage.  You may think that there are a lot of people waiting to enter, but when the crowds disperse throughout the park, you will realize that you have it practically to yourselves. 

While nearly every guest has a plan to get up early and start the day, the vast majority never follow it through.  It’s difficult to motivate yourself to jump out of bed early when you’re on vacation.  However, it will pay huge dividends.  You’ll be able to walk on many rides, and obtain FastPasses for the very popular ones before they run out.  You’ll experience many more attractions in much less time without the long waits that will face visitors arriving only a few hours later. You’ll feel much more relaxed about enjoying a leisurely lunch, stopping for character meet-and-greets, or browsing through the shops, knowing that you’ve crossed so many of your must-do’s off the list!

You’ll also be able to enjoy the park opening ceremonies; a great additional perk for your efforts.  So, jump up and get ready.

As Mickey would say, “Everybody neat and pretty?  Then on with the show!”

Have a plan. A lot of guests don’t like the idea of planning their visit.  They feel that they’re on vacation and want to enjoy things spontaneously.  The problem is that at Walt Disney World, no plan often translates into walking around in circles, and spending many hours waiting in line.

Now, we don’t mean that you have to schedule every moment from the time you wake up until you go to sleep, although some visitors enjoy this, but having some idea of which attractions and experiences are at the top of your list will help you maximize your park time.

Have each member of your party make a list of his or her two or three top picks in each park, then set up a general plan of action.  Take the time to familiarize yourself with the park maps and discuss your choices with your travel concierge who will have advice about which very popular venues should be visited first, before the crowds arrive (of course, you will have already taken tip #1 to heart and will have arrived early).  Every minute that you invest in planning your vacation will pay you back tenfold.  Plus, planning your Walt Disney World vacation is half the fun!  Time spent researching and discussing your plans stretches that vacation experience from a few days, to many months.

Consider having a “Planning Party.”  Set aside a time to get together with your family or group and talk about your upcoming trip, compare must-do lists, share trivia, eat popcorn, and watch the Disney Planning DVD.

Make dining reservations. There is no worse scenario:  You are at Epcot on a hot afternoon. You got up early intending to make the most of the day and have already walked several miles around Future World and the World Showcase, enjoying the sights.  Everyone is hungry, the kids are a little tired and cranky, the adults are quite a bit more tired and cranky, and you all just want to get off your feet, sit down in a cool place, and have something to eat.  Unfortunately, you’ve now walked an additional mile trying to find a place that has an available reservation, but so far, all the restaurants are fully-booked.

Yes, the idea of spur-of-the-moment sounds great, but the reality is that this is often not feasible at Walt Disney World, particularly during the busier seasons.  So, make some reservations.  With the rare exception of the few that require a credit card guarantee, your plans are not written in stone.  They are your insurance.  If you decide to change direction, a courtesy call to cancel the reservation and free it up for someone else is all that’s needed.  Decided to stay at Animal Kingdom and grab a pizza rather than run over to the Magic Kingdom for your lunch reservation at the Crystal Palace?  No problem.  Running over to the Magic Kingdom for a lunch at the Crystal Palace only to find that there are no reservations available for walk-ups?  Problem.  Your reservations can be as flexible as you need them to be; having a contingency plan for meals can make all the difference.

Take a break. It’s easy to allow yourself to become stressed by your Walt Disney World vacation.  You’ve spent a great deal of money, and it often represents the fulfillment of years of hopes and dreams.  You want it to be everything wonderful; to provide happy memories that will last a lifetime.  You want to see it all, do it all, look back without regrets.  Stop!

Walt Disney World is a huge, complex destination, with thousands of different options for spending your time and money.  You cannot do everything, but you certainly can make yourself absolutely miserable trying.  So, realize that you will only be able to enjoy a part of the magic this trip, and relax.  Almost every single person who visits Walt Disney World with the notion that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, ends up returning, often again and again.  Rather than worrying about all the things you don’t have the time to experience, take the time to experience fully the things that you do.

Be mindful of the fact that nothing is as much fun when you’re exhausted, and plan accordingly.  Naturally, you are already adhering religiously to tips 1, 2, and 3, so you arrived early with plans for touring and dining.  Now, after a wonderful morning it’s time to return to your resort.  Have a swim, take a nap.  Perhaps your dining reservation is for one of the many great restaurants at the hotels and you can relive your busy morning over a relaxed lunch.

Later, you can return to parks, refreshed and renewed and ready to do more.

Embrace the magic. If you spend a little time looking around any Disney Destination:  Disneyland® Resort, Walt Disney World® Resort,Disney Cruise Line; you may notice that, while everyone is enjoying themselves, the people having the best time are the ones who are most willing to be a part of the fun.

The Disney experience is all about fantasy, about stepping into another place and time, be it fairytale, frontier, or the future.  So, meet the characters and get their autographs, wear a silly hat, wave and sing along during the parades, allow yourself to get a little teary watching the fireworks.  Remember….Embrace the magic and it will hug you back ^sm.

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