STOP! You NEED To Know This BEFORE Your Disney Trip

We had a magical time in Walt Disney World the second week in March; however, there are some key things I feel Guests should know BEFORE heading down to the Walt Disney World Resort for their upcoming Disney vacations.

Knowing these things BEFORE going down, I think, will make for a better, more magical trip overall.  I hope sharing them with you will make it easier for you as you plan.

Flights Are Tough

If you are planning on flying to Walt Disney World, be aware that flights are difficult right now.  Not only are they more expensive than what you might normally pay, but we are seeing more distractions to flights than ever before.

Some of these delays and cancellations are due to weather which can be helped; however, we still are seeing some issues being caused due to other issues such as pilot shortage.

Because of these issues, make sure you are prepared for some delays on your travel days.  We highly recommend not planning anything super important on your arrival days as you never know how delayed your flight might be.

Also, consider packing outfits and items such as swimsuits in your carry ons so you are prepared if you have to stay overnight somewhere or if your luggage doesn’t make it on the flight with you.

Even though it isn’t fun to think about worst case scenarios, it is important to be prepared for them in the long run.

Rooms Aren’t Ready Early

As so many Guests are traveling to Walt Disney World right now, this means that your Disney Resort room won’t probably be ready early.  Check in time isn’t until 4:00pm so if you are arriving ahead of this time, make sure you have a plan for the day.

You can always drop your luggage with bell service and head out to a Theme Park or Disney Springs or even the Disney Resort pool.  Just make sure you know that you won’t probably have a home base yet.

By packing swimsuits or your Disney park bag in your carry-on you can easily access what you need to start your Disney vacation even if your room isn’t ready.

Remember you can do online check in and Disney will text you updates about your room throughout the day.  This can be helpful when you are wanting to head out and enjoy the magic.

Delivery Service is Helpful

This year we used Walmart to deliver some items to our Disney Resort and it worked so well.  We had pop, water, and snacks as well as breakfast items delivered directly to our Disney Resort on the day we arrived.

This was a fantastic way to have these items without having to worry about packing them or stopping and getting them on our own.

If you have little ones that need specific items, look into one of the many delivery options such as Walmart, Amazon or Garden Grocer. Each of these will be delivered directly to your Disney Resort.  Once it is delivered, Disney will hold it for you normally at Bell Service.  They can even refrigerate items as well.  Make sure you tip those that are helping you with your items.

It Is Busy

This might seem silly, but as a Walt Disney World veteran, I was still surprised by how busy the Disney Parks felt.  Be aware that crowds are back in Walt Disney World.  If you haven’t been in large crowds in the last few years, this might be slightly overwhelming for you and your family.

Because of the crowds, you will likely need to wait for rides, shows, buses and bathrooms.  This isn’t a problem unless you go in without a plan.  Take some time to do some research so you can be ahead of the crowd and have an overall plan on how you will approach the day.

By knowing that it is going to be busy, you can set your expectations accordingly and still have a magical trip.

Lines Are Deceiving

Something we found interesting is that a lot of time the lines looked a lot longer than they actually were.  For example, the line for Space Mountain once stretched from Space Mountain back towards Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor.  Even with this long line, the wait was under an hour because the indoor queue wasn’t being used.

We also saw this with Big Thunder Mountain over in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom.  The line was all the way to the main walkway in Frontierland giving the impression that it was a super long wait; however, once again none of the indoor queue was being used so it was a faster line than it appeared.

With this in mind, wait times did increase throughout the day; however, those morning lines were a lot shorter than they appeared.

My Disney Experience is Key

We have talked about the My Disney Experience app before, but we want to make sure you are well aware of how important this app is to your Disney vacation.  It is through the app that you have access to so much of the magic.

The app is how you can get into the parks, your resort room and lighting lanes if you choose.  It is where you can see wait times, book Genie+, mobile order and so much more.

We used the app constantly throughout the trip and it was a lifeline to what was going on in the Parks and at our Resort.

Because it is so important, we highly recommend looking at it before you head to Walt Disney World.  By doing so you will be more familiar with the app itself and more prepared to use it during your vacation.

These are things we feel like Guests traveling to Walt Disney World need to know before they head down to the magic.  By being aware of these things, Guests will be more prepared and able to enjoy their Disney vacation more overall.