Prepping for a Disney World Trip is always so exciting! In fact, there’s a case to be made that the anticipation of a trip to Disney World is almost as much fun as the trip itself.
If you’re in this fun stage of Disney World planning, you likely know that there’s a lot to consider.
Here are ten things to prep for Disney World that you might not think about.
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Walk more
It’s more obvious to think about what you have to order, pack, and plan when you’re prepping for a Disney World Vacation.
One thing that gets overlooked is prepping your body. Disney World is a lot of walking and a lot of standing. You might not be able to work up to walking for an entire day before your trip. But if you can add some regular walks you’ll be doing yourself a favor.
If you’re already someone who walks regularly, consider increasing the length of your walks as you get closer to your trip.
Break in your shoes (and maybe more than one pair)
It might not be a bad idea to get new shoes for your Disney World trip–especially if yours are on the older side. After all, with all the walking you’re going to do, it’s a good idea to have shoes that can hold up.
But it’s equally important that you know your shoes are comfortable to wear and walk in all day long.
So, make sure your shoes are broken in and supportive well before you leave for your trip. If you do add walks to your prep, wearing your Disney shoes on those walks is a great way to test them out.
It’s also not a bad idea to have more than one pair of shoes. The Orlando area is known to have rain and soaked shoes can be pretty uncomfortable.
It’s also possible with all that walking, your shoes may break down. If this happens, you’ll likely be able to grab a new pair, but again, breaking them in on your trip is less than ideal. This is another reason why packing a second pair can’t hurt.
After all, with all the walking you’re doing, the last thing you need is blisters.
Buy Disney gift cards
Disney gift cards are a great way to set a Disney World budget. This can be a souvenir budget for kids (and adults!), food budget, or simply a way to keep track of any additional spending money.
Disney gift cards are accepted across Disney Property. If you have a Target Red card, you can get your gift cards at Target and get 5% back.
Plan rest time
In my experience, the best Disney Trips take a fair amount of planning and scheduling. You have to plan what time to get up, how you’re getting to the parks, when your FastPass and Dining reservations are (if they’re available), etc.
It’s easy to get caught up in fitting everything in.
However, I’ve also found an incredibly important element to prep for Disney World is rest time. No one is going to have a good time if they’re too hot, cranky, and tired.
If you can build a whole rest day into your trip, that may not be the worst idea.
However, if that’s not an option for you, consider breaking up your park day with an hour or so of rest. You can also make it a point to plan more table service meals, or simply plan longer meal breaks, so you and your group can rest and recharge a little.
Have a plan for your phone
If you have a smart phone, you’ll likely use it a lot for your trip.
The My Disney Experience App lets you plan your dining reservations, park passes/Fastpass, and lets you keep track of your hotel reservation, among other things.
Therefore, if your phone dies in the parks, it would be a little inconvenient.
So, be sure to consider a plan for your phone!
This could mean bringing your charger to the parks and being diligent about finding someplace to plug in during meals.
Or it could mean buying a portable charger ahead of time so you know you’re covered if your battery dies.
Print copies of your reservations
Related to the point above, it’s also not a bad idea to consider printing all your reservation details ahead of time.
This can include your room reservation, any FastPass/Park Pass reservations, Dining reservations, and (for the rest of 2021) Magical Express reservations.
This is helpful just in case your phone does die, or if you experience any other kind of technical glitch.
Plan for souvenirs
If you know you’re going to bring how souveniers, make sure you plan for them when you’re packing.
You always have the option to ship souvenirs home. But in my personal experience, I’ve found it’s usually cheaper (or at least comparable) to plan to bring an extra bag to check on the flight home.
You can do this by either bringing an extra suitcase and packing two of your suitcases a little lighter for the flight down so you’ll have more room on the ride home.
Or you can pack a duffle bag (or something similar) in your suitcase on the flight down and plan to fill it with souvenirs and check it for the flight home.
Prep for character meet and greets
At the time of writing this, character meet and greets are still suspended. But when they come back, this will be a good thing to prep for.
While fully costumed characters can’t talk, face characters can! If you plan to meet with them, it might be a good idea to have some questions ready. The face characters are well versed in their character’s story and will answer anything you ask in character.
Actually check the weather
A lot of people think because they’re going to Florida it’s going to be hot and sunny the whole trip. This is not always true!
It can actually get quite chilly in the late fall and winter months. You may also see a fair amount of temperature fluctuations in the fall through the spring.
Florida is also known for a decent amount of rain and pop up showers. This is most common in the spring through fall, but they can happen at any point.
So, check the weather and pack accordingly!
Consider a filtered water bottle
This is a tip that you might have considered if you’re a regular reader. It’s a favorite tip of mine that I stumbled upon years ago when I was in my own prep for Disney World phase.
With all the walking and heat of Florida, it’s important to make sure you stay hydrated. You can get free tap water at any counter service location. You can also fill up a water bottle for free at a water fountain or bottle filling station.
But sometimes the tap water in Florida has a little bit of a weird taste. One solution is to look into a filtered water bottle.
I use a Brita water bottle daily in my everyday life, and I’ve found that their sport bottles are perfect for Disney World.
This way, you can fill up anywhere and have fresh tasting water!
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: How do you prep for Disney World? Tell us about it in the comments!