11 Rookie Mistakes To Avoid At Disney World

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World and looking for all the secret tips and tricks? Check out these 11 rookie mistakes to avoid to at Disney World!

Buying Water

I don’t think there will ever be a time where this isn’t my go-to advice for Disney. Disney, in general, has a reputation for being expensive and overpriced. This is absolutely true in a lot of ways. However, they do offer cost-saving options that can help alleviate some of the expenses. 

If you go to any quick-service restaurant you can ask for cups of ice water and you will get them for free. Also, the Starbucks locations throughout the park typically have ice water on their counters that you can grab a cup of water at as well. I have also asked Starbucks for a venti size cup of ice or ice water as well. 

We always bring a 24-hour cold water bottle in our parks bag and refill it. This way, you can remain hydrated even if you are waiting in line for a ride. Simply ask for one or two cups of ice water and dump them in your water bottle and you are good to go! 

Florida is extremely hot for the majority of the year, which means you need to remain hydrated. When you are in line at a quick service restaurant, simply speak to a cast member where you would typically order food, and they’ll direct you to a window to ask for a cup of water.

Don’t waste $3+ a bottle every time you need water. There are water fountains throughout the park, but they are not always cold, so taking the extra few minutes to ask for a refill of water, is definitely worth it. 

Not Making a Park Reservation

Disney implemented a theme park reservation system after Covid. If you want to visit a Disney Park, you will need to first purchase a Disney ticket, apply it to your My Disney Experience, and then book a park reservation for the day and park of your choice. 

If you have purchased park hopper tickets, you can still park hop, but not until 2pm. You will also have to have visited the original park you reserved. Let’s say you wanted to go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and Epcot at night, you can. You will first have to go to Magic Kingdom to scan into the park. Beginning at 2pm, as long as there is availability at Epcot (or any park you’d like to visit) you can scan in!   

You can review what the availability is for any park through Disney’s website. It’ll let you know what parks are already full for which days. If you know you are visiting during popular times, such as Christmas or 4th of July, I highly recommend reserving your theme park in advance. 

Availability is sorted by regular theme park tickets, guests staying at a Disney Resort, and annual passholders. Disney gives priority to those who stay on property so there is usually more availability for those guests. 

If your plans do change and you want to adjust your reservations you can! As long as there is availability at the park you’d like to visit, you can change your reservation up until you scan in.

Not Using FastPass+ Correctly (Or At All)

Most theme parks have some type of FastPass+ system that allows you to skip lines and get on the rides quicker. However, Disney World’s system is completely free. While other theme parks charge you a fee for this privilege, Disney lets guest make advanced reservations and day of reservations from their phone, at no additional cost to the guest. 

If you are staying on property, you will be allowed to make your fastpass selections 60 days in advance of your stay. If you are not staying on property, you can make the reservations 30 days in advance. 

A lot of guests are surprised to find out that this system is free, so they don’t bother to look into it. 

The other issue that is common is they use their first three and then stop after that. Once your first three fastpasses are used for the day, you can continue to reserve fastpasses at any park, assuming you have a park hopper. You can continue to reserve rides anywhere as long as there are fastpasses available. 

Sadly, FastPass+ has been replaced by Lightning Lane and Genie+. The system is similar except for two large differences. The first change is you do not (and cannot) book these in advance. The second difference is that it is not free. Genie+ can be purchased starting at midnight on the day of your park visit. You can begin selecting Lightning Lane options at 7am on the day of your visit. 

Thinking You Can See Everything

The first thing you need to do when planning a Disney vacation is accepting that you cannot possibly fit everything into one vacation. Unless you are planning to move to Orlando permanently, you will not see everything on one trip. 

Disney World is made up of four theme parks, Disney Springs, two water parks, 20+ resorts, and more. The number of restaurants alone should tell you how many times you’d have to visit to get to all of them. There are tours, shows, parades, rides, and more every single day. 

The great thing about Disney World is that every trip you take will be different because there is so much to do each time. The time of year you go changes what is available. The resort you stay at changes how you see the parks. How long you stay will adjust how much time you spend doing different activities. 

 

The sooner you accept that you will not see everything the more enjoyable your vacation will be. Don’t stress your family or yourself out during your vacation by sprinting around the parks. This will lead to Disney burnout and could ruin Disney trips for a while. 

Make a list of what is most important to each member of your family and go from there. It is less daunting when your list is only a few items vs the entire Disney attractions section. 

Overplanning

We already established you cannot see everything. Even though some people accept this fact, they still try to fit more things in than they reasonably should. The biggest difference between Disney World vacations and Disneyland vacations is the planning. 

Disney World vacations have you scheduling 60 days out of dining reservations. Not to mention deciding what theme parks, water parks, park hopping, and options you will be doing. 

With all of the research and planning you do for a trip, it is easy to get overwhelmed and try to plan everything. While you absolutely should make your theme park and dining reservations, that doesn’t mean you need to plan everything down to the second. In fact, I insist you do not.

Look at your advanced Disney planning as more a structure to your trip, than an actual guideline. 

If you can hop on a ride earlier and swap a Lightning Lane, go for it. Are you more exhausted than you thought you would be? Take a midday nap. Did you get through a theme park quicker than you planned? Enjoy some time at Disney Springs. 

The best part of Disney magic is that it is everywhere, and it often pops up during unplanned times. Don’t get so invested in sticking to your schedule that you forget to let go and have some fun!

Rope Drop to Fireworks

We have all seen the shirts claiming “rope drop to fireworks kind of day.” While this is a fun idea, it is an exhausting one. Depending on the time of year you are going, that could mean close to 14 hours in a park with no break.

That number alone should make you want to reconsider this plan. Not to mention that the majority of the year the heat, sun, and humidity will make it harder to stay outdoors without a break. 

I’m all for seeing rope drop and watching the fireworks, but they don’t have to be within the same day. Trying to squeeze everything in at once causes more frustration and exhaustion for later in your trip. 

 

If you are absolutely set on doing park open to close, take a break in between. The midday break is one of the greatest things for a Disney vacation. You get recharged for the evening, you miss the heat in the middle of the day, and you bypass the time when the parks are the most crowded. 

Head back to your hotel and lay by the pool. Enjoy some air conditioning in your room. Just take yourself out of the parks for an hour or two to build your energy back up to enjoy your trip.

Deciding Quick Service is Cafeteria Food

Quick-service or counter-service restaurants can get a bad rep around the Disney parks. It is easy to assume that they are all just mass-produced cafeteria food items and are not worth the money. This is not true at all. 

While there are some restaurants that are quick-service are better than even some table service restaurants. Do your research before you go and decide while quick-service restaurants might be right for you. 

You can save time and money opting for a few quick-service meals over table service. Don’t forget to look at the portion size for some of the offerings as well! You can easily split a few meals and save some money! 

Not Bringing In Outside Snacks

Once again, Disney, in general, is known for being expensive. It is a surprise for a lot of first-time visitors, that you can bring outside food and drink into the parks. 

You can bring in food that doesn’t require heating. You cannot bring in alcoholic beverages or any glass containers. The only glass that is an exception is small glass baby food containers. 

The cooler cannot have wheels and cannot be larger than 24″L x 15″W x 18″H. Be sure to check Disney’s official park rules guide for full details. 

Guests can bring an entire picnic lunch or just snacks to eat throughout the day. Either way, it is a great way to do Disney on a budget! 

Not Preparing for Rain

It rains a lot in Florida. While this can be annoying for a trip, it is important to know it doesn’t ruin your vacation. You should always have rain gear in your Disney bag. Grab a small umbrella, some ponchos, spare socks, and you are good to go! 

Florida storms typically are over as quickly as they begin. While this can affect some of the rides, there are a lot of rides and attractions you can duck into during a storm to wait it out. You can also use that time to grab a bite to eat or shop for souvenirs. As long as you don’t let the rain ruin your trip, you will be ready for anything! 

Not Using My Disney Experience

The minute you decide you are taking a Disney World vacation, you should download My Disney Experience. Start familiarizing yourself with the layout of the parks and the app itself! 

This app will contain your Lightning Lane reservations, your dining reservations, photos if you are using PhotoPass (or Memory Maker), your hotel information if you are on property, and more! It is free to use and very user-friendly. 

If I know I am heading to Disney World, I will randomly open the app before our trip to get an idea of what rides currently have the longest wait time. This helps me decide what Lightning Lane to get, but also what rides to try to hit first to avoid lines later! 

Packing Your Disney Parks Bag Incorrectly

Not everyone brings in a bag to the Disney Parks. However, I think at least one member of your party should. Disney rides allow for bags to be brought on! I tend to wrap the strap of mine around my leg to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere, but it is super convenient. 

I have an entirely separate post about what to put in your Disney bag, however, the essentials are some of what we already covered. Bring a water bottle so you avoid getting dehydrated. Pack rain gear so you are not caught off guard during a storm.

If you plan on getting character autographs, always overpack sharpies. Don’t forget a portable charger to keep your smartphone charged! Besides not being able to use the My Disney Experience app, you’ll want to have access to your camera on your phone! 

TIP: If you are going on Kali River Rapids and don’t want your bag to be soaked, take it to a free locker outside the ride. It is timed, so you can’t leave it in there all day, but it will make sure all of your stuff stays dry and out of the way! 

Not Making Dining Reservations In Advance

Dining at Disney World is half the reason I go to Disney. I want to eat at every restaurant eventually! Some places make that easier than others. There are a lot of hard-to-get advanced dining reservations, or ADRs as they are known by Disney planners. These are the ones you have to get 60 days before your trip, and even then there is no guarantee. 

While there are other options if you don’t get one of these ADRs, you should never give up trying. Every day until your trip, keep checking for an opening. 

Disney isn’t a normal theme park when it comes to food. It has everything from walk-up restaurants, to snack carts, to fine dining establishments. If you want a specific restaurant, be sure to wake up early 60 days before your trip!

TIP: Be flexible with your date and time if a restaurant is really important to you. If you are willing to eat earlier or later than a normal meal would be, such as 5pm for dinner vs 7:30pm, you will have much better luck. Also, if you know a reservation will be hard to get, try to plan it for a day towards the end of your trip. There will be fewer reservations will be made for those days at the 60-day mark! 

Other helpful Disney planning posts:

• 9 Things To Do Right Before Your Disney Trip
• The Best Disney Planning Advice I Have Ever Gotten
• Everything You Need To Know About Extra Magic Hours

Are you ready to keep planning? Check out everything you need to know before you go when planning for Disney.