Posted: 28th October 2015
Travel Counsellor Kay Halton shares her tips for a Stress Free Florida Holiday to please everybody!
A family holiday to the sunshine state and specifically Walt Disneyworld is probably one of the most memorable times you will have together. If you are hoping to hit the parks and see as much as possible, you do need a plan. If you think you can just turn up and wander along to the rides you need to think again…. I don’t mean to make your holiday sound military but ‘planning’ is the key word here! So, arm yourself with as much information as possible, use the internet – a great site for UK travellers is www.thedibb.co.uk which has information from ‘what to wear in the parks’ to ‘how hot will it be in August’ and everything in between. Here, I have compiled my top 20 tips for having a stress-free holiday in Disney!!
1. Once your holiday is booked, sign onto ‘My Disney Experience’disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience where you can pre-book your Fastpass+ tickets, Character Meet & Greet, Photopass, Magic Bands and book your Advance Dining Reservations with Disney online before you go.
2. Buy your Theme Park Tickets in advance – WDW Ultimate 14 for 7 and Orlando Flex Ticket are the most popular allowing you unlimited access to all the parks for the duration of your holiday. I can book all these tickets and many more on your behalf!
3. Book as far in advance as you can in order to qualify for the ‘free dining plan’ offer which normally runs from August – November.
4. If you decide not to take the dining plan option, pre-order your essentials from www.gardengrocer.com to be delivered to your hotel upon arrival (ensure you have fridge in your room!)
5. Make use of the free Disney transportation if you are staying on resort.
6. Pre-order your personalised Disney Magic Bands if staying on resort. They are loaded with your park tickets, you can buy presents and have them delivered to your hotel, use them for fastpass and photopass and ADR’s – order from your ‘My Disney Experience’ page.
7. Make your way around each park anti-clockwise.
8. If you don’t mind riding alone, make use of the single rider queues – can save hours of waiting in line.
9. Fastpass! It’s a free service and you can reserve your space on the most popular rides.
10. Go to the main office at Magic Kingdom for your child’s 1st visit badge – they wear them with pride and get special attention from the Cast Members.
11. Make use of the free Theme Park Wi-Fi – don’t forget to turn your Data Roaming OFF!
12. Make use of the early and late Disney Magic Hours.
13. Go to Downtown Disney – great shops & restaurants. Use it as a hub – catch a bus to Universal from there. Also that’s where Cirque du Soleil is – amazing show!
14. Don’t visit Magic Kingdom on a Monday…!!
15. Take several Plug Adaptors – or a plugboard converter is really handy.
16. Remember to complete your online ESTA – otherwise you won’t be let into the country!
17. Visit Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival in October/November – eat your way around the world!
18. Ensure you wear sensible shoes – take a backpack with a change of clothing for the days with water rides involved!!
19. If you’ve never visited Walt Disney World, you should go in with at least a rough plan of attack. Failing that, prioritise the following as the first attractions to do each morning when you arrive: Toy Story Mania, Rock n Roller Coaster and Terror Tower at Hollywood Studios, Test Track & Soarin’ at Epcot, Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom, Harry Potter at Universal and Hulk at Islands of Adventure.
20. Finally, please don’t forget to use your super knowledgeable Personal Travel Agent (me!) whom you can contact with all your questions at any time of day!
