{"id":46886,"date":"2016-06-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=46886"},"modified":"2022-05-04T22:13:38","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T02:13:38","slug":"5-things-i-wish-i-had-known-as-a-wdw-first-timer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/5-things-i-wish-i-had-known-as-a-wdw-first-timer\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things I Wish I Had Known as a Walt Disney World First-Timer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our first trip to Disney World as a family was nothing short of magical.\u00a0 It was everything we wanted it to be and more.\u00a0 However, as a veteran Disney World vacationer, there are lots of things that I wish I had known before that first trip.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Travel Time and the After Effects<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We made a horrible error on our first trip.\u00a0 We took an early flight that required us to be up and out the door at 3:30 a.m.\u00a0 Our flight choice was intentional.\u00a0 We wanted to get every single second we could out of our week long vacation.\u00a0 We were exhausted.\u00a0 When we landed in Orlando, we had to navigate the airport, which was confusing.\u00a0 Then find our way to Magical Express, again confusing.\u00a0 I chalk most of that up to being tired and anxious to get where we were going.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t really accounted for the wait time at Magical Express or the travel time to our resort.\u00a0 By this time, we were starving.\u00a0 We got checked in and headed to Hollywood Studios, where we had dining reservations at 50s Prime Time Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 It became very clear that we had pushed it too far.\u00a0 Our 7 year old cried when the waitress playfully told him to \u201ceat his veggies\u201d.\u00a0 I was dying to ride Tower of Terror, so my husband stayed behind near the exit queue.\u00a0 When I came off the ride, our son was passed out cold.\u00a0 We had to wake him up, drag him to the front of the park, and get him on a bus back to the resort.\u00a0 It took us two full days to recover.<\/p>\n

    Lesson:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Either don\u2019t take an early morning flight or don\u2019t make big plans on your arrival day.<\/p>\n

    \"Early<\/p>\n

    Early morning flight – Yes, it’s still very dark out<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"Trying<\/p>\n

    Wishing we had time for a quick nap<\/em><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Joy of Disney Dining<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      We got lucky on our first trip and scored free dining.\u00a0 I am so grateful that we were given the opportunity to see all that Disney dining has to offer.\u00a0 We had no idea how important it would be to all of our future trips.\u00a0 We have paid for the dining plan on subsequent trips without hesitation for various reasons.\u00a0 Most importantly, it forces us to slow down, connect with each other, and recharge our internal batteries.\u00a0 I think the dining experience is grossly underrated until you see it first-hand.\u00a0 Quick service meals at Disney World are great and certainly get the job done.\u00a0 But there is something special about the Table Service experience.<\/p>\n

      Lesson:\u00a0 <\/strong>Whether you purchase a dining plan or not, be sure to schedule some Table Service meals throughout your vacation.\u00a0 It is money and time well spent.<\/p>\n

      \"Dinner<\/p>\n

      Dinner at Teppan Edo<\/em><\/p>\n

      \"Dinner<\/p>\n

      Enjoying Via Napoli<\/em><\/p>\n

      \"Liberty<\/p>\n

      Dessert at Liberty Tree Tavern<\/em><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Park Hopper is an Option, Not a Necessity<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        In our haste to try to \u201cdo it all\u201d, we purchased the Park Hopper option with our 7 day tickets.\u00a0 I was certain that we would move all around from park to park on a daily basis.\u00a0 We used it once.\u00a0 I think that the Park Hopper option is great for veteran Disney World vacationers who know exactly the things that they want to see each day or for families who are only able to be on site for 3 days or less.\u00a0 For first-timers, there are so many things to see and do in each park.\u00a0 Experience it all and take it all in.\u00a0 Transportation from park to park is not simple if you are relying on Disney transportation and can take a considerable amount of time.<\/p>\n

        Lesson:\u00a0 <\/strong>Save Park Hopping for future trips.<\/p>\n

        \"Enjoying<\/p>\n

        Kicking off the day at Epcot<\/em><\/p>\n

        \"Closing<\/p>\n

        Ending the day at Epcot<\/em><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Disney Transportation is Not Fast or Efficient<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          With the exception of the monorail, Disney World transportation can take a long time.\u00a0 Way longer that what you may budget for or anticipate.\u00a0 That being said, it is worth it to our family.\u00a0 I have no desire to rent a car or even drive my own car around Disney property.\u00a0 It seems like an added layer of stress.\u00a0 It can take a long time to get from place to place, especially from resort to resort as there are no direct routes.\u00a0 You do have other options like a taxi or an Uber, if you are short on time.<\/p>\n

          Lesson:\u00a0 <\/strong>Give yourself plenty of time when using Disney transportation.\u00a0 It is always better to be early than late.<\/p>\n

          \"Hop<\/p>\n

          Hop on the bus – Adventure is out there!<\/em><\/p>\n

          \"Waiting.<\/p>\n

          Waiting… Waiting… Waiting…<\/em><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. The Value of Slowing Down <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            I still struggle with this.\u00a0 Taking your family to Disney World is not cheap.\u00a0 I find myself pushing my family to get in as many things as we can in a day while we are vacationing.\u00a0 And then I remember, this isn\u2019t what vacationing is all about.\u00a0 Even when we have good intentions going into our vacation, we still find ourselves rushing around from here to there.\u00a0 We have made specific plans for our next vacation to actually schedule down time.\u00a0 Take time to explore your resort and other resorts.\u00a0 Play mini-golf.\u00a0 Give your family time at the resort pool.\u00a0 Some of our best Disney memories are random moments that we could not have possibly planned for.<\/p>\n

            Lesson:\u00a0 <\/strong>Don\u2019t overbook.\u00a0 Slow down and take it all in.<\/p>\n

            \"Enjoying<\/p>\n

            Enjoying some time at Art of Animation Resort<\/em><\/p>\n

            \"Taking<\/p>\n

            Taking time to notice the details at Haunted Mansion… You might even find your own name!<\/em><\/p>\n

            First-time trips to Disney World can be very stressful.\u00a0 However, with some research and planning, you can avoid some of the more obvious pitfalls that can occur.\u00a0 Do your homework and have a plan going in.\u00a0 Most importantly, have fun!\u00a0 You only get that first trip once.<\/p>\n

            What are your tips for first timers? Share in the comments!<\/em>
            \n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Our first trip to Disney World as a family was nothing short of magical.\u00a0 It was everything we wanted it to be and more.\u00a0 However, as a veteran Disney World vacationer, there are lots of things that I wish I had known before that first trip. Travel Time and the After Effects We made a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":46911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walt-disney-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46886"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47016,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46886\/revisions\/47016"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}