I recently went to Disney World with my mom and best friend, Emily, and I wanted to share some of my tips for having an amazing Disney vacation.
Tip #0: This post is a thinly disguised way of me to show off my vacation photos and tell you how much I enjoyed/ am missing Disney World. These tips are pretty non-earth-shattering.
Tip #1: Be a kid. I thought lollipops were only for little kids but no, they can be for anyone and they are always wonderful. I recommend splurging on a Disney lollipop and enjoying the Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride. It slowly takes you around Tomorrowland and allows you to enjoy you lolly.
Tip #2: Meet the characters. You’re never too old to take the time and meet the Disney characters. And I found myself talking more about my interactions with the characters than the rides, when people asked me how my trip was. In the Magic Kingdom, they now have a talking Mickey. Yup, the Mickey that we met “talked” to us and it was a pretty neat use of some fancy technology.
Also, when we met Anna and Elsa from Frozen, they were incredibly friendly and Anna would call little boys “little snowmen.” How adorable!
Tip #3: Go swimming. We took advantage of the nice weather and the fact that we weren’t in snowy Ohio by going to our hotel’s pool. Most Disney resort hotel pools are so incredible and even if you’re only at the pool for an hour or so, it’s a great thing to include in your vacation.
Tip #4: Make unique photos. Be more creative than everyone else by thinking of neat photo ideas. So like we spelled Ohio with the Epcot ball as our last O. And we also mimicked Anna and Elsa when they were displayed as flowers in Epcot. Have fun in your photos.
Tip #5: Make weird faces in your ride photos. Emily and I are experts at this. Whether it’s on Buzz Lightyear or Spaceship Earth, know where the camera is and make the strangest face you can think of. Emily and I laughed so hard when we saw the face that the other one had made.
Tip #6: Treat yo self. I’ve been trying very hard to spend less money recently but I did treat myself to things like a t-shirt, a photo frame and a mocha from the Epcot Starbucks. I was very excited to experience Starbucks at Disney World. Pretty much the only difference is the cup.
Tip #7: Enjoy the gift shops. They sell some incredible stuff at Disney. I’m not saying you need to buy any of it, but you should at least look at it. I mean, how amazing are those wine glasses and that beer stein?
Tip #8: Stay on Disney property. It’s not cheap but the perks make it worth it. You get free transportation by bus, free parking at the theme parks, extra magic hour perks, and really nice accommodations. We stayed at a DVC room at Old Key West and it was a gigantic hotel room with a lovely porch that overlooked “Turtle Pond.” It also had a full kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms and a washer/ dryer which we used.
Debbie Gillum Wakefield 