Disney World: Expectations vs. Reality
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Disney World is an amazing place. It is honestly my goal to get as many people to Disney World as possible. The magic there is overwhelmingly
While most people book vacations and can just sit back and let things go with the flow, Disney is not one of those vacations. I’m here to tell you about Disney World: Expectations vs. Reality.
I am going to give you tips and suggestions from my own experience to make your expectations of Disney match the reality. When you’re finished reading this article, you will be Disney smart and never make these mistakes again.
Expectation: Disney is just another vacation.
Reality: Disney is UNLIKE any other vacation.
If you think this about a Disney vacation you are very wrong. (Sorry that sounded so harsh!) But If you take that mentality on a Disney Vacation, you will have a miserable time.
Disney Vacations take a lot of planning! Things you need to plan and think ahead about:
- What time of year do you want to go based on crowds. Huge crowds can really affect how much you are able to see
- What parks do you want to go to on what days
- What time do you want to arrive at the parks
- What restaurants do you want to eat at
- What rides do you want to ride
Just about every aspect of your Disney Vacation needs to be planned out. If you don’t at least research a little bit ahead of time, you risk missing out, not being able to eat or ride certain rides, and that can all affect what kind of Vacation you will have.
Pro Tip: Disney takes A LOT of planning! Rely on and yes someone knowledgeable such as a Disney Travel Agent to keep you up to date on all the Disney ins and outs. It is a FREE service and they can help ensure you have the best vacation you can! If you’re interested in having an agent help you for FREE, just fill out this form HERE.
Expectation: You have older kids who are going to walk every day at the parks.
Reality: Your older children will get tired quickly.
This may sound weird, but you will thank me.
According to WDW Basics, the average person walks 18,456 steps in ONE PARK which equates to 8.2 miles a day!!! That’s a lot for an adult let alone a young child. Especially if you are going to more than one park on your trip.
Most strollers can hold from 50-70lb weight limit, and some even more. Your average 10-year-old weighs 70 lbs.
So next time you head to Disney and either you OR your child thinks they are too old for a stroller. You will be thankful you brought a stroller so they had a place to sit in between rides to rest. That way, they can save their energy for more fun things instead of walking all through the parks.
BONUS: A stroller is a great place to store all of your merchandise goodies and things that you need to bring to the park!
PRO TIP: Don’t bother trying to pack a stroller in your car for the drive to Disney World, or even trying to drag one through the airport and onto the plane. Rent one there! There are quite a few amazing companies who will drop off the stroller at your hotel when you arrive and pick it up from you before you leave! It’s an amazing service! Here is a great company for stroller and scooter rentals: Kingdom Stroller Rentals
Expectation: Disney is geared towards kids.
Reality: Disney is for the kid in all of us!
When you don’t know much about Disney World, you assume it’s very much geared towards children. Just because the movies are geared towards children, doesn’t mean Disney World is for kids.
That just means it’s Family Friendly. Disney World is a place where all ages can come together and have a magical vacation experience.
Disney has SOOO many things geared towards adults so that no matter your age you will enjoy yourself.
From Star Wars to Avatar, all the food and beverage locations, as well as thrill rides and roller coasters, there is something for everyone.
Disney is not just about the parks and rides.
There are:
- Gold courses
- Shopping
- Boating and Fishing
- Spas
- Camping
- Horseback Riding
And many more things for adults and kids alike to have an amazing vacation!
PRO TIP: Disney’s resorts have some amazing pools and amenities that will make everyone happy. Check with a Disney Travel agent about what hotels would work for you with other amenities that you can enjoy as an adult!
Expectation: You will get your dining reservation at the time you want it.
Reality: You might not get your dining reservation at all.
Ok, so any Disney goer might already know this, but it’s still on my list of expectations vs reality.
Disney Dining reservations are VERY popular. Especially some of those very special restaurants and experiences.
Guests staying on Disney property will have the opportunity to book dining reservations earlier than others. (Currently, it is 60 days in advance when this article is being written)
You want to book the MOMENT you are available to, to even get a chance at snagging the reservations you want for your trip.
Do your research in advance and make plans to figure out what restaurants you might like to snag.
PRO TIP: Use a Disney Travel agent for booking your dining. Dining reservations can be booked at 6 am, 60 days before your trip. Don’t wake up early when your agent will do that for you!
BONUS PRO TIP: Miss out on a dining reservation? Use Mouse Dining’s Notification service to be notified when someone drops a reservation. I recommend signing up for the premium service, as the free version is only an email. Every time I get notified by email and head in, I am always too late to snag the reservation. Trust me on this one…
Expectation: Plan to do it all! Because this is your one and done trip.
Reality: You got burnt out and you missed a bunch of stuff.
Don’t make this mistake. I’ve been there. Disney is not cheap. I’m not gonna lie to you. So you spend all your time planning to take your big Disney Trip so that you can see and do it all since you more than likely aren’t coming back.
Except you tried hard to do it all and make it perfect that you burn yourself out on Vacation. It’s also so big, you also may not have experienced everything you wanted to while you were there.
It happened to me and I guarantee it happens to 90% of first-time visitors. We want to see and do it all!
There is just not enough time and energy in the day to experience everything Disney has to offer.
Instead, make a list of must-do’s for your vacation and focus on these. You won’t get burnt out that way and then fill in where necessary. The new Disney Genie App will also help you get the most out of your days in the parks.
PRO TIP: Looking for a way to afford Disney more often? Check out this book, Disney Within Reach, which helps you set systems in place to be able to afford Disney World!
Before you go…Other Helpful Links
Plan your next Disney World Vacation with me by filling out this form HERE and we can get started planning!
- Mouse Dining Alerts – Get Dining Alerts for your favorite Disney Restaurants
- Disney Princess Dresses from Joy Costumes (Get 20% off with code mommysmoviemagic20)
- Order your shirts for the parks!- Castle Outfitter (Get 10% off with code bethany10)
- Kingdom Stroller Rentals (Get 10% off with code SMT10OFF)
- Disney World Within Reach System – Grab the book Now!
- Mommy’s Movie Magic – Instagram Page
- Mommy’s Movie Magic Pinterest Page.
- Mommy’s Movie Magic Tik Tok
- And check out my Youtube page for a ton of other videos to create more movie nights with your family!
