Picture this — you’ve just arrived in Orlando and you are ready to kick off your long-awaited Disney World vacation!
You’ve done the research, you’ve packed your outfits, tickets and hotel are booked, and it’s time to celebrate big for the first day of your trip! To make sure you have the smoothest trip possible, we’re talking about some of the most common mistakes we see people make on their first day in Disney World. Let’s get into it!
1. Not Thinking About Transportation to Disney World
Many people who travel to Disney World fly in through Orlando Airport. The mistake here is thinking that booking the flight is the end of your transportation planning.
Before your trip, look into transportation options from the Orlando Airport to Disney World! Although Disney’s free Magical Express option is no longer available, you can book with Mears Connect Driven by Sunshine — another bus that will take you to your Disney World hotel.
Another option is taking a rideshare. We recommend downloading both Uber and Lyft so that you can choose the service with the cheaper prices. It’s also a good idea to check the rideshare prices ahead of time. Take a look at the apps a few days before you leave and check the prices around the time that you’ll land. This will give you an idea of how much to budget if you plan to take a rideshare!
There are many different ways to get to Disney World from the airport, so it’s important to have a plan in place before you get there!
2. Not using your travel agent if you run into any problems
Let’s face it…no matter how much you plan, something is bound to go awry. Flights get delayed or canceled and weather can impact the parks, but you’ll have some backup support in these situations if you book with a travel agent.
There are many perks to using a travel agent, including the fact that their services are free and they can take care of the stressful planning part of the trip. But they will also be able to assist you if any problems arise!Â
We highly recommend reaching out to our friends over at Mouse Fan Travel! They have years of experience and will make your next Disney vacation a breeze. What are you waiting for? Get a free quote from them now!
3. Not trying to check in to your hotel early
Although hotels typically have a set check-in and check-out time, there’s no harm in seeing if you can check into your room early! The check-in time is 3PM for Disney World hotels and 4PM for Disney Deluxe Villas.
If you are staying at a Disney World hotel, you can check in through the My Disney Experience app. It also may be helpful to go to the front desk and politely ask if any rooms are available.
There is no guarantee that rooms will be ready early, especially during the notoriously busy seasons, but it’s worth checking. Who knows? You might get into your room and get a nap in — score!
4. Not dropping your luggage at the hotel
If you don’t want to check in early or there are no rooms available, don’t forget that you can leave your bags at the hotel! You do not have to sit around the hotel lobby and wait for the room to be ready.
Each Disney hotel has a luggage drop area where you can hand off your bags to a Cast Member for the day. When you’re ready, you just bring the tag they gave you back to the luggage desk to pick up your bags. It’s really that easy! This allows you to get out and explore as soon as possible.
5. Not using your hotel’s perks
Disney World hotels offer their own set of perks and you can start using those on the first (and last) day of your hotel reservation. Yes, even if you haven’t received a room yet!
Early Theme Park Entry is one of these perks and allows Disney World hotel guests to enter any of the four theme parks 30 minutes before they officially open. If you are at Disney World early enough, you can take advantage of Early Entry even though your hotel room will likely not be available yet.
For anyone staying at a deluxe Disney World hotel, you have access to Extended Evening Hours on certain nights. If the schedule aligns with your first or last night of your hotel reservation, you can attend!
You’re paying a lot of money to be at Disney World, so use those perks as much as you can!
6. Not maximizing your park tickets
It can be hard not to immediately want to run to one of the Disney World theme parks, but it may not make sense depending on the tickets you have and when you arrive in Orlando.
If you have regular park tickets and you arrived in Orlando in the evening, it may be tempting to use a ticket to get into the parks for a few hours. But instead of spending the money on a ticket that only gets you a few hours of park time, we recommend saving that money and taking that evening to explore Disney Springs or your hotel!
You do you, of course — however, this probably isn’t the best way to maximize the cash you spent on those tickets.
7. Trying to cram too much into the first day
We get it — the excitement builds up before you get to Disney World and you may want to do everything in one day. No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible, and that’s okay!
You know your capacity best, so listen to that and adjust accordingly. Just breathe, pace yourself, and know that you can spread out everything on your must-do list.
At the start of your next trip to Disney World, consider using some of these tips so that you can have the best vacation EVER — because you deserve it! Keep following AllEars for more Disney World tips.
Don’t Make These Mistakes on Your Last Day at Disney World
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Just got back from two glorious weeks. Totally agree with all of this. Would add that your first day is kinda dependent on how many days you get to be there. If you’re only there 4 or 5 nights, you just aren’t going to see everything unless you’re super energetic, get up early and stay late. You’ll probably want to use your first day getting something done in a park. But if you have more time, or are ok with not getting “everything in” on your trip, spending your first day unpacking and relaxing at your resort, possibly with a dinner and shopping in the evening at Disney Springs, can be the perfect way to welcome yourself. Besides if you’re paying well over 300 bucks a night for a “moderate” resort, or far more than that at a deluxe, or even “just” 250 per night at a (dare I say it) “economy” resort, why not enjoy some of what you’re paying for? No matter which Disney resort you’re staying at, you can be sure they have a LOT to see, and every pool is pretty darn awesome. I’ve been going to Disney world since 1972, including my honeymoon in 1986. It took me decades to realize that Disney will absolutely drain your wallet, your energy, and your sanity if you let it. On the other hand, if you can forget trying to see it all, and forget absolutely maximizing every possible second, and instead make a leisurely plan and let yourself truly relax, you might actually come back from your Disney trip refreshed, and already planning your next trip! It took me over 30 years to really figure that out. Watch Allears videos, they are great and entertaining, and can really give you a good perspective on planning your trip. DFB is also an excellent resource. Just don’t go, like so many people we saw, completely uninformed and clueless. Don’t wait until you get there to understand how this mammoth, marvelous, magical place works. Your trip will be a hundred times better if you do a little (fun) research ahead of time!!