Last week, I shared some of the things I learned from our recent trip to DisneyWorld. If you’re looking for a post about where to stay, how to get to and from the parks, how to dine, or how to figure out which rides to reserve Fastpasses for…basically, everything you need to know BEFORE you go to Disneyworld, check out that post.

This week, I want to share tips on how to enjoy DisneyWorld AFTER you arrive.

Top 10 DisneyWorld Tips (or…in other words, how to make sure you actually enjoy your Disney vacation):

1. Know your child. 

If you’re child usually takes a nap while you are at home (and doesn’t miss naps well), then plan to nap while on your trip. If you stay on property, this is no problem at all with the free transportation and easy re-entry into parks. (You don’t have  to buy Park Hopper Passes to re-enter the same park you went to earlier in the day. The only reason you’ll need a Park Hopper Pass is if you plan to visit more than one park per day.)

2. Plan to rest.

Like I said in last week’s post, if at all possible, build in a day or two of rest. If that’s not possible because of finances or vacation time, plan to rest on a couple of afternoons or to sleep in a day or two.

DisneyWorld is a lot of fun, but it’s also a very tiring place (even for adults or older children who no longer need to nap).

3. Don’t expect magical service all the time.

Because of the way I was treated on the phone prior to our trip, I expected all of our experiences at the parks to be magical. Unfortunately, out of 4 table service meals, there was only 1 in which I can honestly say that our server was friendly. The rest of them seemed annoyed by us.

My husband and I have cruised several times (with Royal Caribbean-a company I LOVE, by the way) and have always received amazing service. I expected a similar level of customer service from Disney and did not receive it most of the time.

Our waitresses and cashiers were either frustrated or tired, and it unfortunately showed.

4. Expect to miss some things.

Unless you are spending A LOT of time at DisneyWorld, you need to expect to miss some of the attractions, shows, and parades. There is no way you can possibly see and do everything in the parks and still have time to enjoy yourself.

My theory: it’s better to enjoy the few attractions you are able to see than to rush around and end up with an unhappy, tired child.

5. Bring or rent strollers.

You will walk A LOT in Disney. Your children (even those who don’t always need strollers anymore) would do well to have them. We had a stroller for both my five year old and my two year old. Both of them definitely needed the strollers.

We brought one from home and rented one from Magic Strollers.

I LOVED the stroller we rented. We chose this particular company because of its relationship with DisneyWorld. Other companies we looked at had great reviews but unfortunately had certain times to drop off and pick up  the strollers. These times didn’t work for us because we arrived at our resort after hours and left before they were able to pick them up. None of  the other companies we researched allowed us to leave the strollers at our resort…Only Magic Strollers.

With Magic Strollers, we were able to pick up our stroller from the bell service at our resort (after having received a text message from the company letting us know it was there). We were also able to leave our stroller with the bell service when we were finished with it. They sent us another text message letting us know they received the stroller back in good condition.

The stroller was clean, easy to push, lightweight, and came with a carry case and rain cover. The service from Magic Strollers was amazing too.

If you’re debating between renting from the parks and renting from an outside company, I HIGHLY recommend you rent from Magic Strollers. The strollers at the parks are plastic, uncomfortable, and can get VERY hot in the sun. The strollers from Magic Strollers, on the other hand, are padded, comfortable, and super-easy to push around…and the prices are comparable. Definitely go with Magic Strollers.

6. Wear good shoes (and bring an extra pair).

Like I said earlier, you walk a lot at Disney. Wear good shoes and bring an extra pair in case your feet get wet. Better yet, throw a pair of flip-flops into your stroller or bag and put them on before you ride water rides (but don’t wear them all day! Ouch!)

7. Wear sunscreen.

Nothing will ruin your trip quicker than sunburned children!

8. Stay hydrated.

Drink plenty of water in the parks. Disney allows you to bring in drinks, so bring in a few water bottles for each of your family members and make sure your kiddos drink water (not just pop!)

9. Use the My Disney Experience App.

While in the parks, use your My Disney Experience FREE app to change your Fastpass selections, view your reservations, view maps of the parks, check wait times for rides, etc. I arrived at one of my Fastpass attractions about 20 minutes early at The Magic Kingdom and was able to change my Fastpass time while standing at the end of the line. It  updated immediately, and we were able to use the Fastpass right away.

10. Plan your trip…but be flexible. 

I went into the parks with a plan of what we wanted to do when. We somewhat  followed my plan but I was thankfully prepared enough to remain flexible when things changed-which, I promise you-they will change!

Plan your trip well…but NO MATTER WHAT…be flexible and do what your family needs at the moment!

Below was my tentative plan for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Keep in mind that I have two boys, a five year old and a two year old. If your kids are older, or if you have girls, you will probably choose different rides.

This was also my original plan. We ended up riding WAY fewer rides than I planned. In fact, at Animal Kingdom, we only went on the Killimanjaro Safari and then spent the rest of our time at Dinoland. But that’s okay because my boys had fun! I put a star by the attractions we ended up riding. The rest of them we missed…but again, that’s okay because it’s better to have fun than to see everything but hate the trip!

What to Do In DisneyWorld with Young Boys:

At Magic Kingdom: 

At Animal Kingdom:

At Epcot: 

Let’s Talk: What other tips would you add to the list?