When I bumped into past Benny Bride Morgan (who had this incredible wedding at Meadowood Napa Valley) today, I gave her a few Disney Vacation Tips. I don’t typically just spout out vacation tips for Disneyworld. However, I just got back from Orlando, and she leaves to go with her husband, 1-year-old, and 4-year-old on Friday. While I’m no expert, I happen to be married to one. And I picked up a few tips over the past week.

Disney Vacation Tips that aren’t in all the guidebooks

My #1 Disney Vacation Tip is for those who like rides that have long waits. Hit up the single rider line! Ellie and I did this after we used our lightning passes (fka: FastPass). We discovered that it was an even shorter wait time than the lightning pass. In one instance (because I timed it every time), we were through the line and off the ride in under six minutes. Not bad for an attraction that has a 90-minute wait. Because of that, we could ride more rides and see more of the park. The downside of being a single rider is that you won’t get to choose who you ride with. And odds are it won’t be your loved one. However, twice as single riders Ellie and I rode together. Give it a try!

Tips on Taking Care of Yourself During Your Vacation

My next Disney Vacation Tip is to bring multiple pairs of shoes. Even if you have the most comfortable shoes in the world, your feet will end up hurting. Each day we walked at least 20k steps, and on one of the days it was more than 28k steps! Your feet will be tired. Your feet will rejoice the next day when you put on the 2nd pair of shoes. I just alternated back and forth each day.

Another one of my favorite Disney Vacation Tips is to take a break mid-day. Florida is hot. The sun is brutal. And there are 10s of 1000s of humans in the same place you are. My advice is to get there as soon as the park opens and hit up your #1 ride or attraction. Something you KNOW will have a wait in an hour or two.

Then, use a lightning pass after. Shop a little. Eat or drink a little. Meet a princess or catch the early parade. Then go take a break. It’s generally hottest around noon-3, and the lighting for photos is the worst at this time as well.

If you have the park hopper, go back to your hotel and cool off, take a nap, or a shower. So few people take showers, as you’ll smell on your journey. Save your energy for the evening when it gets cool. That’s when the lines thin out a little, and you can enjoy the evening ambiance.

Finally, Buy the Photo Pass

No, they’re not the best quality. And the composition and lighting typically suck. But buy the photo pass. You don’t want to lug your camera around all day, and YOU should be in the photos too. So, pose for all the photographers. Make friends with them and they might even put in a little more effort. This photographer and I hit it off and had a nice conversation. Then he surprised me with photos of Scout and me he took from behind during a parade. When it’s all said and done, most of the photos will be from your iPhone. (or android). But you won’t be in them. You were there, too, and your kids will want to look back and see you in the photos. You’ll be glad you paid for the photos in 10 years. Oh, but make sure you download them!

Those are my top 4 Disney Vacation Tips that you don’t usually find in the guide books and blogs. They helped me have just about the best vacation I can remember. And that’s saying a lot! Kudos to Tyler, who took care of all the planning and arranging for an incredible trip.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

P.S. Tomorrow I’ll be blogging a post that is semi-NSFW (not safe for work), so if you’re back in the office, don’t open and scroll until you get home. 🙂 Just lookin’ out for ya!