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Whether you love theme parks or hate them if you have children you will find yourself in one at some point on your parenting journey. After almost 200 visits to the Walt Disney World Resort alone, I have come to realize some truths about theme park travel. I want to share with you my very honest approach to theme park travel as an experienced guest and as a travel advisor. I hope this two part series helps to prepare you for a vacation that you will truly enjoy and your family remembers for years to come.
Use a Travel Agent
Work with a travel agent. I hope that after this piece you will be clamoring for one but, I want to put this point in here first and plan to circle back to it again later on. Earmarked travel agencies have an official partnership with the Walt Disney World Travel company. This means we are required to go through training so that we have the most up to date knowledge of the destination you want to visit. Here’s the truth: if something goes south in your planning process you want an Earmarked agent in your corner.
My Disney Experience
My Disney Experience is the account you will utilize on your Walt Disney World vacation and it is crucial. I would even argue that before you do any other planning you should create an account and download the app. Once you reserve your vacation, MDE is where all your plans will live. This is where you can reserve dining, make park pass reservations, and other special experiences. When you are in the parks you will utilize the app to keep track of any reservations you have or want to make. If you are using Genie+ you will also make selections through the app. Now that you know the purpose, here’s the truth: MDE does not function well all of the time and can be a source of confusion and frustration. Once you have spent a little time using MDE you will inevitably find it less complicated but, you need to practice with it first.
Plan early
After we have all been cooped up for the past 2 years, Walt Disney World is very busy because it is often the first vacation many families have taken in years. Meanwhile the Walt Disney World operations are still recovering. We do not have all of our favorite experiences back although that is gradually changing as well. We do not have all of our cast members back. With the re-opening of the parks came a new Park Pass Reservation system. This requires you to plan in advance and select which park you want to visit each day. The reservations can and do fill up on any given day depending on the season or event taking place that day. There is no leniency with this system. If you show up to the park without a park pass, you may very well be denied admission to the park even with a valid ticket. The truth is that because Walt Disney World is a popular destination you might not get exactly what you want if you don’t plan early. Planning early gives you the best advantage to knowing what you want to experience and making those plans come to life. I am a travel agent not a magician. Travel agents cannot “pull strings” to help you get any type of reservation when there are none available. We can however be ready and waiting to get those reservations when they open up in advance.
So now let’s say you did a great job, you took my advice and you planned early but the parks are still very busy. How do you navigate that? My best piece of advice is to get to the parks early each day. By “get there early” I mean arrive at the gate prior to the posted opening time. Park opening is one of the best opportunities to get on the most desired attractions. If you want to ride on Slinky Dog Dash go there first! If Flight of Passage is that attraction you have been waiting years to ride, get in line before the park opens.
Expect that some moments will not be magical
I know, you are in the most magical place on earth. What could go wrong? Once you pass through the resort entrance gates of Walt Disney World you feel like you enter this “bubble” and in many ways you have. Disney really does strive for each guest to have a magical vacation. Many of the cast members actively look for opportunities to create magical moments for guests. The truth is that while some moments are magical and memorable others end up a little disappointing. Not every cast member is a 10/10 every time you interact with them. Sometimes, it’s the other park guests who could use a little pixie dust in their coffee. I don’t think we should approach our visit assuming magic will happen. I think that kind of mindset can set us up for failure. My advice is to be respectful, have patience, and give grace. Having the right attitude will go a long way to set your expectations of others properly. Expect to wait a little longer than the posted wait time. Expect that a cast member might not be able to answer all of your questions (another reason to have a really good travel agent). A few months ago in December 2021, there was a small fire inside Cinderella Castle. Every guest inside the restaurant had to be evacuated and any future reservations for the evening were canceled. Thankfully, no one was hurt and magically the park remained open. Friends, that is remarkable. I know there were disappointed guests who did not get their opportunity to dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table but, I’m more astounded that park operations continued. When I think about the production it takes to make Walt Disney World operate every day, I’m honestly amazed at how well they do.
Stay tuned for my follow up to this conversion. But, right now I bet you have some Disney planning to go and do.
