Not Buying Tickets in Advance
While buying tickets in advance was always recommended when planning a trip to Walt Disney World- now it is even more crucial to buy park tickets in advance because of the Park Pass Reservation system. You cannot get into a theme park without a reservation, so if the park you would like to visit is unavailable for the day you won’t be able to visit it. Currently, if you have a Park Hopper ticket you could make a reservation for one park and then switch to your desired park after 2:00 pm but this limits the amount of time you have in your desired park. I recommend making your theme park reservations for your dates as soon as you buy your tickets because you can always modify them later if necessary.
Visiting During a Peak Time
Who doesn’t want to visit Walt Disney World over Christmas break? The kids are off of school, it’s magical, Florida weather is perfect, but it’s also VERY crowded! Did you know this is the most crowded time at Walt Disney World? If you wait a week or two you could have a completely different experience with very low crowds. There are historically more crowded times at the theme parks, most often centered around all U.S. holidays, but if your dates are flexible you can take advantage of much lower crowd levels.
Not making Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs)
You can’t expect to walk up to any restaurant and be seated within the hour. Dining reservations open months in advance and many restaurants are unavailable from that point forward. With the current limited dining options, ADRs are an important day of your theme park planning. However, if you don’t have ADRs you can keep checking for reservations to open up or you can always use counter service dining – just be sure to explore all of the wonderful culinary options that Walt Disney World has to offer and don’t order classic theme park food such as burgers, fries and hot dogs for every meal.
Trying to Do It All
There is so much to do at Walt Disney World that it’s easy to overextend your schedule. Be sure to schedule some downtime and even breaks during the day to make it an enjoyable vacation. I love spending time and exploring the resort and its activities. You WILL NOT do it all and I love that it gives me an excuse to have to go back to do something new. I try to do something new every time I visit.
Not Preparing for the Weather
Michele’s Bonus Tip
