Two adults going to Disney world for first time-any tips?

[dennis thompson]

We are two adults going to Disney World in Florida for the first time in March.:)
Anyone have any tips/suggestions/comments?
Thanks

[Wade Lippman]

It makes a world of difference how old you are, what you like to do, etc. etc.

[Bruce Page]

Comfortable shoes - there's a lot of walking.
Have fun!

[Jerome Stanek]

Try to get a fast pass to the rides and attractions you really want to go. My kids will do this and it really makes a difference not standing in line for an hour or more.

[Chris Padilla]

When are you going? If in the summer, the heat and humidity are killers...especially for this "I've lived in dry climates most of my life" fella! I see you are in New Jersey so you may be somewhat more acclimated but my family didn't last much past 2 PM after arriving first thing in the morning. Guzzle water like it is going out of style. We got one of those water bottles with the misting fan on top: Life saver!! :)

[Prashun Patel]

Go to the Mexican restaurant at Epcot if you are planning on going to epcot. It books out in advance. Was very good.

[Greg Portland]

Get a recent "unofficial guidebook", it will greatly assist in planning your day. When we went to FL we followed the guide and I think our longest wait was ~10 minutes.

[Pat Barry]

Plan that you will be spending all day in the park. They don't make it easy to get in and out. Once you are there the drinks cost a fortune. Oh yeah, then there are the lines, for everything. Go off-peak for sure. Last thing you want is to be there on spring break

[Phil Thien]

Observe and respect all posted "no swimming" signs, they're apparently quite touchy about it.

[Phil Thien]

Plan that you will be spending all day in the park. They don't make it easy to get in and out. Once you are there the drinks cost a fortune. Oh yeah, then there are the lines, for everything. Go off-peak for sure. Last thing you want is to be there on spring break

Yeah, if you aren't in a hotel on the park grounds and served by either the monorail or a boat, getting to/from the hotel is a chore.

[Phil Thien]

Go to the Mexican restaurant at Epcot if you are planning on going to epcot. It books out in advance. Was very good.

Depending on the time of year, the Epcot places can fill their books quite a ways in advance.

[Phil Thien]

Oh, and if you're going to be in FL for more than a few days, consider branching-out and visiting SeaWorld. We really liked SeaWorld.

[Garth Almgren]

Get the My Disney Experience app for your smartphone, helps you to keep track of stuff like wait times and FastPass tickets.
Some rides have a separate line for solo riders so you'll get to ride much quicker, if you don't mind getting split up from your companion for a while.
Tell them it's your birthday and you'll get a button to wear and some special attention throughout the parks. No comment on whether it's actually your birthday or not. :)
Wear very comfortable walking shoes, and bring a water bottle.

[Steve Peterson]

I've never been to Disney World, just Disneyland on the left coast. We had a great time the when we went before the kids were in school. We went mid-week in Sept or Oct, so most other kids were in school. Lines were short all day.

The next time we went was when our kids were in school, so we went in June. There must have been 10X as many people there. All we seemed to do was stand in lines. Disney is great at hiding people. You stand in what looks like a short line outside a ride or an exhibit. As soon as you get inside the building, there are a dozen or more switchbacks and another 30 minutes of waiting. I refuse to go during the summer break anymore.

Another bit of advice: Show up early and get near the front of the line at the entry gate. This will let you do 3-4 things before it gets really crowded. Lines keep getting progressively longer as more people make it through the front gate.

I have heard that you can spend a full week at Disney World.

Steve

[Lee Reep]

My wife and I took the kids several times to both Disneyland and DisneyWorld. The latter is bigger/better, and more to do in Florida. My wife and I were at a trade show in Anaheim about 10 years ago, and Disneyland had been considerably upgraded since we took the kids back in the 80s and 90s. We went at 6PM (I don't recall if this was a special event due to the trade show, but crowds were not bad, we had a great time. It was odd going without any kids.

We went to DisneyWorld once in July -- big mistake, from the standpoint of heat and humidity. But crowds were less -- maybe the locals knew better than to go that time of year!

[Beau Cassidy]

I will be there beginning March 9. Staying at that African Safari place. Not sure of the name as my wife is handling the arrangements. Perhaps we will pass each other.

[Keith Westfall]

We took the whole family last year (DWorld) between Christmas and over New years! Lots of people, but you have to expect that. Buy fast passes (Universal for sure) - it's well worth the extra expense. Its a long way to go to stand in lines for hours :(

We rented a house for the 16 of us, about 15 - 20 minutes from the park. Wasn't too bad getting in and out.

Go to have fun and don't let any of the negatives take that away from you. We were there a week - lots we didn't see... It a BIG place!!!

I would go again.

[Tom Stenzel]

My last trip to Disney World was in 2010, my Wife and daughter just came back from there last week. I got to stay home, shovel the snow.;)

You’ve gotten some good advice so far. Greg’s advice to get a guidebook isn’t just a good idea, it absolutely essential. You can burn up a lot of time and energy with aimless wandering only to find that you’ve missed something you could have seen or did. Having a plan when you get to the park is a big plus.

When I was there we used the fast pass system at each ride; my wife says it’s now different. It’s now run from one central location in each park. Not clear how it works now. Again I’m not familiar with it but SWMBO says if you have a smartphone the My Disney app (Garth’s advice) is a good idea.

Try to EAT at off times if at all possible to keep from chewing up lots of time.

SHMBO says where you are staying you can look out the windows and see giraffes, it’s really cool.

Her recommendations: The Fantasia show at Hollywood Studios was really good and not to be missed. The Lion King show (big hint that she likes the shows, rides not so much) at Animal Kingdom ran in second. Plus try to catch a parade and fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

And, don’t panic that you might miss something. The place is so big you’re not going to see everything. That’s why going in with an idea of what you want to do is so important.

From what I remember the best way to figure out the best use of a DisneyWorld trip is to go there once ahead of time.:p

-Tom

[Jim Matthews]

The indoor roller coaster at Tomorrowland was a surprise blast.
It is VERY convincing. Each pod has a well worn panic button.

http://www.myrollercoaster.com/thrillride/index.php/91/roller-coasters/disney-world-roller-coaster/

The pool at Wilderness lodge is excellent. You need not spend every day in the park.

If you do go to the park, go early - return to your room around 11am and nap.
Everyone else will be cramming the lunch lines - quiet is a pleasant respite from crowds.

Did I mention the nice pools?

I had an excellent meal at the Wilderness lodge restaurant, I can't speak to the others.

If you want to watch the fireworks, head over to the Tiki Beach at the Polynesian hotel.
You'll get a spectacular view of the park and won't be caught in the crowd at closing time.

Bring your own umbrella and always carry it with you.

[Art Mulder]

If either of you has even the slightest tendency to motion sickness I would strongly suggest that you give "Space Mountain" a miss.
Drove me nuts not being able to anticipate the movement... not an enjoyable time. Loved all the other rides.

[Tom M King]

Carry more cash.

[Shawn Pixley]

Valium??????

[Jerome Stanek]

you may need sun screen also

[William Payer]

Stay off any amusement rides playing "It's a small world after all.....". We went years ago with our kids and were on such a ride. The individual cars were on a track in water. Something happened and the ride was stopped while we were stuck unable to get out, but the music played (blared) on . After 45 minutes they got it operational and we could get off the ride. To this day, whenever I hear that song I fight inner "Hulk-like" rage!!:)

[Jerome Stanek]

Haunted Mansion is a must

[Doug W Swanson]

Use the fast pass when possible. Also take advantage of the singles line on those rides that have one. Basically the lines moves fast because they use you to fill cars as a single rider. Even if my whole family went on a ride, sometimes we would go as singles just to speed things up.
Be sure to use the 'extra hours' when they are offered. This is especially true for the morning at Animal Kingdom. We got there when they opened and went straight to the Safari ride. We ended up seeing all of the animals which have a tendency to hide or lay low during the day.

As far as rides go, Expedition Everest, Rocking Rollercoaster, Space Mountain, Soaring, Test Track are all awesome!
And the stunt show at Hollywood Studios is pretty cool.

One thing we did was pack snacks and water, go to one park early, then relax for a bit back at the room and then go to a different park at night.

The light/laser/fireworks shows are fun!

[Tom Stenzel]

Stay off any amusement rides playing "It's a small world after all.....". We went years ago with our kids and were on such a ride. The individual cars were on a track in water. Something happened and the ride was stopped while we were stuck unable to get out, but the music played (blared) on . After 45 minutes they got it operational and we could get off the ride. To this day, whenever I hear that song I fight inner "Hulk-like" rage!!:)

William, my wife and I had the exact same thing happen to us when we were there! You didn't happen to have been there in April 1997 by any chance? I still get hives thinking about it.

If that ride does that frequently it should be shipped to Gitmo. Bleh.

-Tom

[Brian Elfert]

How does Disney limit Fast Passes so it doesn't end up that everyone has them? At some point if too many people get them there is no longer an advantage for Fast Pass holders.

Southwest Airlines offers early boarding for an extra fee. They admit there is no limit to how many early boarding passes they will sell. The entire plane could buy them and everyone will have spent extra for nothing.

[Brian Ashton]

If it's not been said yet, don't try to do the whole place in one day. If possible allow for at least 3 days to cover the good stuff and maybe go back and do a few things over. My wife and I have been a few times over the decades and we always find at least 3 days is the minimum or you come away feeling rushed and or not able to see all you want at a nice easy pace.

10 years ago was our last time and we took a backpack with drinks and food in. The prices then were a complete rip off, even rotten ronnies in the park had a different menu with ridiculous prices. YMMV

[Jim Matthews]

10 years ago was our last time and we took a backpack with drinks and food in. The prices then were a complete rip off, even rotten ronnies in the park had a different menu with ridiculous prices. YMMV

I'm not sure I agree with this. There's a price to be paid for convenience.
Why carry food when it's everywhere in the park?

I found their commissary food to be very good and no worse than most chain restaurants where my kids will eat.

There are water fountains everywhere, and good beer in key places.

You don't go to Disney to save money, it's why you've been saving all these years.

[William Payer]

William, my wife and I had the exact same thing happen to us when we were there! You didn't happen to have been there in April 1997 by any chance? I still get hives thinking about it.

If that ride does that frequently it should be shipped to Gitmo. Bleh.

-Tom

Tom, It was in 1999. I have heard stories from others recounting the same thing happening to them too! One of our kids teachers had it happen to him. I guess it speaks poorly for the ride manufacturers or the maintenance people at Disney......

[Tom M King]

Universal Studios is fun down there too.

[Doug W Swanson]

How does Disney limit Fast Passes so it doesn't end up that everyone has them? At some point if too many people get them there is no longer an advantage for Fast Pass holders.

Southwest Airlines offers early boarding for an extra fee. They admit there is no limit to how many early boarding passes they will sell. The entire plane could buy them and everyone will have spent extra for nothing.

There are a limited supply of Fast Passes given out. Basically you go to the ride and get a Fast Pass ticket. That ticket tells you what time to come back and take your ride. If you get your pass early in the day (say 10:00am) the Fast Pass may tell you to come back in an hour. If you get your Fast Pass at 1:00pm, you may have to come back at 6:00pm. They do limit the number of Fast Passes and many of those Passes will be gone by Noon.
Only the popular rides have Fast Passes and you can only have one at a time so it really makes sense to plan out your day some. If there's a 20 minute wait for Space Mountain and a 60 minute wait for Pirates of the Caribbean, you might want to grab a Fast Pass for that and then go ride Space Mountain. Then you can go back and use your Fast Pass at Pirates of the Caribbean.

[dennis thompson]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, we're going in two weeks and I'll let you know how it goes