Preparing for your Disney World trip can be overwhelming. This list will help you with a few things you may not have thought about. There is never a shortage of things to prepare for before you leave for a vacation. Let me know what you do to prepare!
Walk -Yes, if you don’t do a lot of walking in your everyday life. Make a point to start a walking plan a far out as you can, you will be grateful when your body is prepared for walking. Plan to walk several miles and do a lot of standing, the more you can help your body prepare the better.
Break in those shoes. Do not try to wear those brand new cute shoes too Disney. Comfort is key, and making sure you like the shoes. Shoes are a personal things, I prefer my Brooks tennis shoes but there are so many great brands out there.
Buy Gift Cards – I talk about this all the time, but I use all kinds of websites and apps to save money on groceries and everyday things to earn points, money back whatever I can. I save up points and cash back for vacations. I will buy gift cards to places that I know we will eat or get universal visa or mastercard gift cards to use on our trips. Buy Disney cards when you can, and if you are planning a trip for kids birthdays or Christmas, ask for Disney gift cards for kids to save up for souvenirs.
Plan park days (loose) – If this is your first trip, get a layout of the parks and understand what your family wants to ride. No matter how many times you have been it is good to have a loose plan of what rides or attractions your family wants to do. Dont miss out on something just because you didn’t realize the last show was at 4 not 6 or that character is only out until 2. Set your expectations, for what you will be able to do during your park days. If you have younger kids be sure to look at the heights for rides as well.
Prep your phone – Taking pictures and using the MyDisneyExperiance App drains my battery. So make sure you are prepared with a rechargeable device that you can pack in your bag. I love my magnetic one, but don’t forget a cord if you need it! Don’t forget to charge it nightly so it will be ready for your next day!
Reservations – Dinning reservations are important. Booking 60 days out is a long time, be sure to review and cancel any unwanted reservations so you don’t get charged for them. Check out some of the other reservations that can be make other than Dinning, Disney has some really cool experiences that you can experience. Most of these come with an uncharge and some can be expensive but it might interest you to check them out.
Packing/plan for space for souvenirs – When packing make sure you plan extra space for the trip home for your souvenirs. If you are driving this might not be as big of a deal. If flying this could mean extra weight charges or extra bag fees. You never know what pretty shinny new thing will catch your eye!
Meeting characters – Planning to meet some characters? Keep in mind there are certain characters are at certain parks. Check out the MyDisneyExperiance App and you can filter to characters to see where they will be. Do you want them to sign something? There are some really cool ideas of things you can get signed, but make sure you have space to bring it to the park and it is not to heavy. I recommend a retractable sharpie, just in case! Times will vary for certain characters, be sure you know when and where your favourites are so that you don’t miss out!
A week out check weather -About a week out I start watching the weather and make sure I pack anything appropriate. This may include hats, sunscreen, poncho, cooling towels, fans. If you are going in summer I would always have on sunscreen and make sure you have a hat or sunglasses for everyone in your party. The cooling towels are a life saver in the hot weather, I have friends that swear by the neck fans. We have one but don’t use it as often as the cooling towels, there is normally some type of breeze so I don’t find the fan as useful and it takes up more space. Is it going to rain a lot on your trip? You may want to bring your rain coats or invest in a good poncho. Better to be over prepared than to have to pay Disney prices for any of those items.
Water bottle – bring a good water bottle with you. We normally have one or two with us. We generally share and I make sure to wash them each night. For us we have one backpack and space is key. Around the park you will find water refill stations by several restrooms.
Pets/house -Did you arrange for someone to check on your house while you are gone? If you have pets do they need to be boarded? Do they need to be checked on multiple times a day.
First aid kit -I always carry some quick essentials with me in my bag. Bandaids are a must, I carry a variety of sizes with me. A few wipes in case something needs to be wiped off. Then I carry some Benadryl my sons have food sensitivities so I always have some. We also carry an epic pen. Tylenol when the kids were younger I would make sure I had chewable and adult strength. My youngest son gets migraines so I also keep a dose of his medications with me. I also have some allergy meds and tums, just in case.
Park bag – This is the bag you will take with you to the park and you should restock each night. I have a couple of back packs that I have that I generally use. This is all very personal to what you like. I have tried a few different types and always go back to the backpack. If you are flying and are not using this bag as your personal item don’t forget to save room in your suitcase for it.
Ziplocks -having a few extras on hand in your hotel room or at the park is useful in case someone doesn’t finish a snack. I also organise snacks in them. There are a lot of useful things you can do with them.
Power strip – staying in a hotel there is nothing worse than not having enough outlets. I always bring either a power strip or a brick that has multiple USB stations so that we can charge everything that needs to be charged.
Chaffing cream -yes this is a thing and if you are going during summer or don’t normally walk several miles a day. This is a product that is so useful to have!
Laundry Detergent -This may sound crazy but I always bring a couple of laundry tabs with us on vacation. We like to pack light and sometimes may need to do a load of laundry. A lot of hotels offer a laundry area and can be use full if you are trying to pack light and need to do a few quick essentials.
With all of these tips I hope you can be stress free while preparing for your vacation and enjoy your time in the parks. While life may throw you some curve balls, rest assured you are prepared with these tip!
