10 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid in Disney World

There are a ton of new ways to trip at Disney World that have become problems in the last six months, even if you think you're an expert, they're worth a look. Hey everyone, it's aj for the Disney food blog and It's time to try your next Disney vacation, spending way more than you need to, missing out on things you want to do, and spending too much time on your World Disney Day, which could easily have been

avoid

ed, are a regular occurrence for newbies at Disney World, but With so many changes to the most magical place on earth in recent months, it feels like we're all newbies again.

Now we've made all the

mistakes

, my friends, and we're ready to help you fool-proof your trip. We're talking about some of the biggest, newest, and most problematic topics in today's video, but if you want to make sure you don't run into problems on your next trip to Disney World, check out

disney

foodblog.com. More

rookie

mistakes

to get a pdf. Of the top 20

rookie

mistakes, they didn't make the cut for this video, but they're still great to protect yourself from. Ok, let's dive into the first one and that's not booking a hotel far enough in advance, but this time there's a twist.

There are many reasons to book your Disney World hotel early. Your preferred hotel may sell out, a certain discount you want or room type may sell out, and once you've set your hotel, you can start planning park days and transportation, etc., but we. We have another good reason to book those hotels early lately, Disney has been allowing hotel guests to book special events before everyone else. Hotel guests had the first chance to book Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party this year and it looks like Disney will likely continue to prioritize hotel guests when it comes to booking events. popular and you want to be a part of that

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, especially if you want to go to events that are likely to sell out like Mickey's, not so scary on Halloween.

Rookie mistake of buying Genie Plus too late or when you don't really need it, we have a lot of new additions to the rookie mistake party and this one is a big one. gd plus can be very scary if you haven't used it and don't know how to fix its quirks and problems and we have lots of videos to help you with that so go check them out here but I've personally had a few newbie mistakes the first few times I use it. genie plus and you should learn from My mistakes are like trying to buy Genie Plus first for a park that doesn't need it, so here are some circumstances where that can happen: Parks that don't have as many long lines in the first place, well, our research The best parks shown to buy Genie Plus are Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

They have the highest concentration of attractions overall and the most attractions that have long lines all day long, Epcot and Animal Kingdom, in contrast, don't have as many super popular attractions. and the rides they have in genius plus often have relatively short wait times, except for one or two, so if you can prioritize those popular rides first thing in the morning, you shouldn't have very long waits for the others along of the day, another thing to keep in mind. Be aware of seasonal crowds on days when the parks simply aren't as busy, you may be able to get away without purchasing Genie Plus, so understand how busy the parks are anticipated to be during your visit, FYI, how much The more you have to pay for your ticket or your hotel stay or how booked the park passes are are all good indicators and now you can make judgments accordingly.

The second Genie Plus mistake I've been making is purchasing Genie Plus too late in the day, so Genie Plus has two time elements. it involves how long you have to wait before booking another lightning lane and how quickly the lightning lanes sell out for the day if you buy genie plus later in the day you're in a creek no matter what time element you're worried about Now I've done this twice because apparently I like to just throw money into the ocean instead of using it for the things I need and you're subject to a couple of problems here: First, the most popular trips sell out during the day or are unavailable. until very late at night, potentially after you and your family want to stay in the parks, and secondly, not being able to reserve as many lightning lanes due to forced time requirements.

Let me explain that once you reserve a lightning genius lane, you will not be able to reserve another one. until one accesses the first lightning lane they booked or two hours pass, this is the infamous 120 minute rule, so if you purchase genie plus later in the day, these time elements mean you are limited in the amount of trips you can take. It is possible to ride a bike depending on when the parks close, so moral of the story buy the Genie Plus at midnight the night before you go to the park or buy it first thing in the morning if you know you want to use it.

Both of my errors occurred within days. I flew to Disney World and Disneyland and couldn't help myself when I finally got to the park in the afternoon, but on your first day in the park, if it's already late, skip it and buy it tomorrow morning, it's okay, next rookie mistake no I know. The important secrets now, this isn't really a bug, how do you even know? Obviously, there are tons of secrets to visiting Disney World successfully, which is why you watch this channel, but there are a couple that we rarely talk about that could make a big difference, especially if you're new or just returned to Disney World, right?

Did you know that there is a back entrance to Epcot called the International Gateway and it can make a big difference in how long you wait to enter Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and how to get there? For the Skyliner, the international gateway is between France, the UK and the global showcase, and if you enter through this back entrance you're basically just a few steps away from Remy's Ratatouille adventure, so it should be very easy to do queue for this main ride early tomorrow without walking through the entire park like you would have to if you use the main entrance now, how do you get to the back entrance?

Well it's very close to the boardwalk at the yacht and beach club resorts and the swan and dolphin resorts so if you stay at any of those it's just a quick walk to the ig. If you're not staying at those hotels but are desperate to get in line for weightless remy, consider taking a minivan, rideshare, or taxi from your resort to one of the hotels we just mentioned and then get in depending on how big it is. your family, this could be even less expensive than buying genie plus for everyone and the ig is also where you will find the

disney

skyline or epcot terminal so if you are traveling to epcot via skyliner from hollywood studios or any of those Skyliner hotels and you'll end up at the international gateway.

Oh, and another quick transportation trick that not many people know about. There are two ways to get to the Magic Kingdom. monorail the express monorail and resort monorail the resort monorail stops at all hotels around seven seas lagoon as well as magic kingdom and the transportation and ticket center. You may have the shortest line from the TTC in the morning when everyone takes the express. monorail to the magic kingdom and at night when everyone returns to the ttc from the magic kingdom after the fireworks it's always good to check that a newbie's next mistake is riding a water attraction too early in the day or waiting to ride at an outdoor attraction.

Until it's too late for this to end in tears or at least soaking wet, be careful when planning to ride certain attractions because the effects can be significant when you plan ahead of your trip or choose your genius plus. morning rides, remember that riding a water ride like Splash Mountain or Collie River Rapids may mean a shorter line early in the morning, but it can also mean soaked clothes for a few hours during the rest of the park. The lions stretch out for these walks. early in the afternoon when the sun is offensively hot in Orlando, so traveling in the morning could mean a shorter wait, but be prepared with new socks for everyone and, if you choose Genie Plus Times, see if it makes sense to wait. these rides until early afternoon, now talking about the afternoon in Orlando, let's talk about those outdoor rides that can be completely closed if rain or lightning is forecast in the area, this is another one to be careful of when planning because if you have a kid who absolutely loves the test track and saves it for 4 p.m.

On your Epcot day in the summer, there's a good chance you won't be able to ride, so outdoor attractions think Thunder Mountain Splash Big Mountain Test Track to Maryland Speedway and any other outdoors. Attractions will likely close when the storms pass, so prepare yourselves and your family for the good news. If you have a Genie Plus Lightning lane scheduled while the attraction is closed, you will automatically get a Lightning lane in your account to use. on one of several attractions at that park, including the one you missed later that day, so plan to stay and ride it later.

Our next rookie mistake is not looking at park hours because they change and some parks stay open much later than others, so as a newbie, you might think that Disney World theme parks open and close at the same time every day, that would make sense, it's what other theme parks do, but no, you have to keep an eye on the park hours at Disney World as a Hawk Park opening and closing times vary even for the same parks. Magic Kingdom can open at 8 one day but at 9 the next day it can close at 11 one day but nine the next.

The variations happen so much that even I don't go to Disney World. I think I keep a constant check on what's going on with the park hours and I really check them every day, but where this is most important is when you're figuring out your park visit schedule if you're planning to start your day at a park that's open to 9 or 10 when others open at eight and then end your day at a park that closes at eight when others close at nine or ten or even midnight, you could be literally wasting hours of time in the park and if there is a special event in a park like mickey and the magical kingdom's not-so-scary halloween party the park that closed at 11 p.m. m. last night it closes at 6 p.m. m. tonight 5 hours lost if you didn't pay attention to the park hours, it's easy to find the park hours in the my disney experience app, so keep checking them out when you're planning, but also when you're at the Disney World park.

The schedule may change closer to the date. A good recommendation is usually to start the day at Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, which usually open early and close relatively early, esp. Animal Kingdom, then finish your day at Magic Kingdom or Epcot, which usually close a little later. Epcot regularly closes at 9pm, okay we talk about this a lot on the channel so I'll keep this rookie mistake short, taking bad advice can ruin your trip. Just because Aunt Susan says you have to stay in all the star sports or Jon from Accounting said Chef Mickey's was his business and everyone goes there, doesn't mean you have to listen to advice, use it as a resource to boost your research, but don't do it.

Pay attention to the perfect, thoughtless example. I am fully aware that Connections Cafe at Epcot is not the best restaurant in Epcot. I know there are dozens of places I'd rather go, including sunny spells at the Land Pavilion. I have eaten everywhere in Epcot many times. I'm very clear about the ratings, but when my son and I were at Epcot and we had a Lightning Lane reservation for Guardians of the Galaxy in 30 minutes and all he and I, let's be honest, wanted were chicken wings and fries, We went to Connections. cafe and it was lovely, it fit the structure, the cast members were wonderful, we had our chicken strips and a bright, bright, comfortable atmosphere and we went on the ride.

The end of the story checked all the boxes. Your perfect day at Epcot can be different. from everyone else and that's fine by the way my son asked later in the trip if we could go back to his favorite restaurant with the chicken tenders and guess what we did that's fine I don't want to spend money you don't have to spend me me too. I'm still spending money, I don't have to spend, yeah, so now we've both stopped making this rookie mistake. When you make an advance dining reservation at Disney World for a restaurant, you agree to pay Disney 10 per person if you do not show up and cancel the reservation the day before, stop abruptly, so if there are four of you and you do not show up at Ohana, which is a crime in several states without canceling the dayabove, then you'll pay Disney 40 for the privilege of reserving your spot, so if you're thinking you're not going to make it like Dr.

Seeker says, log into your My Disney Experience account the day before and cancel or modify that reservation now , there's a fun tip to modify if you didn't cancel. your reservation and you are currently on the day of the adr and realizing that food will be banned, as I often did when my toddler chose chaos instead of wanting to go to dinner, it might still be early enough. To modify your reservation, this can be useful if you just need to delay it an hour or move it to tomorrow, it's always worth a try, but if things look like a sketch of a restaurant you made for tomorrow, consider canceling before it's too much late.

The next one has to do with going to Disney World with a large tour group and if you find yourself in this situation then we need to sit down and have a much longer conversation than this, but let me start with a quick rookie mistake that you shouldn't . Don't do it, don't even think about it, don't let Aunt Susan talk you out of this. Be open to splitting the group if necessary. It's that easy, but we all have family members who just don't agree, they think everyone should stay together. all the time, no matter what, here are some good suggestions that might change their minds.

Maybe the whole family can stay together in a vacation rental house where everyone has a pool, a games room, a barbecue area, all sorts of opportunities to be together in the evenings and on non-park days, but if you want, split up into individual nuclear families in the parks on a couple of the days that are great, maybe everyone can do their own thing on the parks, but getting together for meals like brunch one morning, dinner one night, etc., and there are many ways to make life easier if you are planning a group trip, you should consider them for everyone's sake, but if you are taking a group trip, you should definitely also check out our adorable family t-shirts that we just included in the DFB t-shirt. store, these are currently best sellers and are perfect for everyone in your family, okay, there's my cheeky plug for these super cute t-shirts.

Next up is another early planning rookie mistake that a lot of people are getting wrong since Disney World reopened and those are park passes. Okay, okay, now you know how to book a park pass, just buy your tickets and then reserve your passes for the days you are going to visit those parks after checking the park hours of course like we said before but There are a few more mistakes you should

avoid

. In this process, which you may know before purchasing your tickets, make sure there are passes for the park you would like to go to on the day you want to go.

Park passes can sell out quickly during holidays, attraction opening days, and special offers. days of celebration, did you know that October 1, 2022 is Epcot's 40th anniversary? Park passes sell out quickly on days like that and when tron ​​opens at Magic Kingdom, the date of which has yet to be announced, mk park passes will be impossible to get within 10 minutes of that announcement. Also look for Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in general, book your park passes in advance, they can usually be changed if needed and it doesn't cost anything to reserve them and without them there is no admission to the Disney World park for you, so overpacking is always necessary.

A problem when you go to Disney World and I know you're saying you talk about overpacking all the time, but there have been some changes lately that make it even easier to not make this rookie mistake, I don't know about you. but during the pandemic I got really good at Instacart and shipping and fresh deliveries from Amazon and you can take that new skill set all the way to Disney World with you. I remember carrying dozens of diapers, bottles of baby wipes galore when I went to Disney.

world

with my baby and my toddler. I've also been known to pack my own Diet Pepsi, as I know it doesn't exist anywhere on Disney World property, but it's a new day, my friends, and you no longer have to pack all of your week-long supplies. the way you used to use services like Shipt, you can do your target run right there at your Disney World hotel and honestly it's not that much more expensive, certainly not as expensive as having to pay overweight baggage fees at the airport, so when you place your order. of these delivery services, be sure to reset your address in the app if you already use it at home and reset the store you are shopping at and in the small specific notes delivery box, inform your delivery person to leave the items at The front. desk and send them a photo and the name of the person who accepted them that way, even if they get lost or someone new comes on shift, you can let them know which person took the delivery and they can ask that cast member where the items were placed.

This happened to me on my last trip to Disney and they couldn't find delivery. They said nothing had been delivered and I said yes, it was delivered. You know they delivered it to Joe and they said, "Oh, hey, Joe, where's this delivery?" Joe says, oh yeah, I put it back here and they found it, so it's really helpful to leave those little notes in the dual delivery box section and if you get a regular Amazon Prime delivery, they might bring it to you directly to your room. What is this paradise? Okay, you know that marathon runners go out every morning with their small water bottles on their hips and their weighted backpacks providing resistance. the first time your body is not used to it when i go to the gym after being away for a while i feel it the next day and sometimes it takes me a few days to recover and disney world is a workout it's been 15 mile days for me more than 30 thousand days of steps and the overwhelming heat of your body, anyone's body is simply not used to that, so don't assume that no matter how fit you are, it will be easy for you to start taking daily walks and get used to hydrating . regularly and put on those shoes make this an activity for your whole family, you can do it all together while training for your trip, training for the trip makes a difference next, here is another one that I am personally very grateful to have learned and so it is like Get around Disney World, especially when it comes to bathrooms, but let's leave that for a second, since you know, if you watch this channel, Disney World has over 40 square miles of glorious fun, it's huge, the size of two Manhattan islands , the parks are not next door.

It is not far from each other and your hotel can also be quite far away. Doing your research ahead of time on the quickest way to get from here to there will be priceless for you, especially knowing that time is money at Disney World and every minute you spend waiting for a bus or driving aimlessly around Orlando because you took a wrong turn. This, of course, I say from personal experience because I feel like I take a wrong turn every time I'm at Disney World. Those are minutes. You won't be taking advantage of your expensive park tickets, so find out ahead of time which transportation options will be quicker and less crowded for your trip depending on where you're going and when, and it will make a big difference for your butt. line but also your emotional bandwidth oh and like I said bathrooms study the maps on the my disney experience app and find those bathrooms ahead of time also check out our best disney world bathrooms and videos so you know our favorites.

This next rookie mistake is a bit of a guess, but I'm basing it on my own experience. Don't make the mistake of thinking that it will be a relaxing vacation unless you plan it that way, for example, if you work many days at the pool, sleep late and sleep long. relaxing dinners, but most of us don't plan a Disney World vacation that way, so keep in mind beforehand that there's a lot of walking in the brutally hot sun, unless you're lucky enough to go during those precious months in those that Orlando stays below 80 degrees. you stand in rows and sometimes surrounded too close for comfort by thousands of randos for days and then you get sunburned, it can be magical, there is no denying it, but give yourself the best possible chance to have that magical moment. work in at least one of those pool days or at least a pool afternoon, let everyone sleep in once or twice and schedule a lovely relaxing dinner with a bottle of wine, maybe everyone will feel better and enjoy themselves of your trip. so much more, okay, now we're back to not spending money, we don't need to spend much, Disney newbies don't know that they should never pay a flat rate for their hotel, they can get huge discounts on food and merchandise. if you know the right tips and you should always be aware of the deals that Disney makes available to you on your trip and I have two tips for you that will help you with that, plus the fact that we have given you all of these tips like 50 times in our channel, so it's definitely available to you first, our dfp guide to dining at Walt Disney World ebook.

If you haven't purchased it yet, now is the time when you have hundreds of pages of tips, food reviews, budget recommendations, and yes, all the discounts. We know you can pick it up at dfbstore.com. Don't forget to use the YouTube code to get a discount. Hey, look at that other discount and remember it's a money back guarantee. If you don't like it, we will refund you. Honestly, questions asked don't happen that often, so we don't really have many questions, and secondly, you can always use the services of an expert Disney travel agent. We work with Small World Vacations and those agents book Disney trips full time. 24/7 so they know all the tips and discounts and can rebook their holiday with a new discount if one comes up.

We have a link in the description for you if you want to get a quote from them and remember if you want 20 more rookie mistakes and how to avoid them. Head to our newsletter link in the description to sign up for our free newsletter and we'll send them straight to your inbox. Believe me, I make a lot of mistakes, right? Ready to go, of course. I still make mistakes at Disney World, so you don't have to, and I hope these tips are helpful. Thanks for listening and thanks for watching. If you have your own rookie mistake stories, share them in the comments.

We are all here to laugh and sometimes cry with you, not with you as usual. This is Aj's food blog for Disney and we'll see you soon.