If you’re heading to Disney World and have told the people in your life about it, you’ve likely gotten a LOT of mixed feedback.
Getting feedback from friends and family can be fantastic…however, a lot of people forget to keep in mind that THEIR family is entirely different than YOUR family/group of friends. What works for them may not work for you, and it can be super confusing to sort through all the tips being thrown at you. Listen to whomever you’d like, but if you hear THESE tips, just know that they’re terrible.
Do Everything As A Group
Pardon me while I scream to the sky that this is TERRIBLE ADVICE! Yes, you’ve taken this trip as a family/as a group of friends and you want to make memories together, but that does not mean you need to DO every single thing together.
Everyone in your group is going to have different interests, or there may be some rides that they can’t do due to motion sickness reasons or the ride vehicle may be uncomfortable for them. It’s not a good idea to force that person to ride, OR to make the rest of the group miss out on it.
I cannot share with you how important it is to split up at times if that’s what works best for your group! On my last trip, my companions wanted to ride Dumbo while I was really craving a snack. I’m not a huge Dumbo fan, so they went off to ride while I got my snack, and we met up right after!
Now, this gets a little trickier if you’ve got some young ones in the group, but this is where Rider Switch comes in. If mom and dad both want to ride, one parent can wait outside the line with children who don’t want to wait in line but can’t be left unaccompanied. Once Parent A has gotten to ride, the parents will switch, and the other parent can just head to the front of the line. Be sure to check with Cast Members and let them know you want to participate in rider switch.
Learn all about Rider Switch here!
Spend All Your Time in The Parks
*cue obnoxious buzzer sound* WRONG! Yes, the Disney World theme parks are the main draw for your vacation there, but it is just flat out NOT a good idea to spend every waking moment in the parks.
Trust me, I’ve tried to do it! My first trip as an adult, I had 4 full days in the park — one for each park. I planned to get up at rope drop each day and stay in the parks for as long as I could. Did I get to experience everything I wanted? Yes. Was I exhausted beyond belief? YES.
And that was just me traveling by myself! When you’re traveling with family or friends, everyone is going to have different needs and levels of what they can handle. Some people are going to need a break before others, and that’s totally okay. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, force yourselves to go, go, go with no breaks at all — you WILL burn out.
Instead, be sure to plan a resort day in your vacation itinerary, or at the very least a day where you sleep in and head into the parks later. Sometimes that short amount of time after fireworks before the park closes can be just as beneficial as rope drop when it comes to knocking out rides!
Yes, you paid a lot of money for this trip and you want to make the most out of it, but if you burn your family out, you’ve made some very negative memories associated with the Most Magical Place on Earth, which likely isn’t considered “worth your money.” TAKE! BREAKS!
You Have To Stay on Property
Staying on property at one of Disney World’s 20+ hotels is certainly a magical experience, but it’s also EXPENSIVE. Even Disney World’s Value hotels (the most affordable tier, followed by Moderate and Deluxe) can cost $100-$200+ a night.
Yes, you’re paying for that Disney magic, which is priceless to many, but that doesn’t mean staying on Disney World property is the ONLY way to go. Personally, I prefer to stay in a local Airbnb about 20 minutes from the park when I travel down to Disney World, and there are SO many to choose from that can be more affordable than Disney World hotels.
A lot of these Airbnb hosts have also decorated their rooms to be Disney-themed, so you are still getting some of that magic! Plus, using Airbnb or Vrbo can sometimes get you an entire HOUSE to stay in close to the parks for just as much as a few hotel rooms at one of Disney World’s hotels.
Disney also has lots of Good Neighbor Hotels that give you the same perks as staying at a Disney-owned hotel, plus free transportation to the parks, at a much cheaper price. Will you have the same Disney theming? Not necessarily, but you can save some serious cash that can be put towards another future trip!
Staying at a Disney World hotel is something I would recommend doing at least once if it’s at all possible, because it truthfully is very special, BUT if it’s going to put you in a bad financial position, DO NOT.
Check out our ranking of Disney World’s Good Neighbor hotels!
You Don’t Need Genie+
As much as we wish this one didn’t have to be on here, it really is terrible advice to be told you flat out don’t need Genie+. This is Disney’s pay-to-skip-the-line service that costs anywhere between $15-$39 per person PER DAY for the Disney World parks. There’s a multiple park option for those park hopping (the most expensive option each day), and individual options for those just visiting one park per day (Animal Kingdom is usually always the cheapest).
Being honest, we don’t recommend Genie+ for Animal Kingdom or EPCOT just due to the lack of multiple rides with consistently high wait times, but if you’re only spending 4 or fewer days in the park, we 100% recommend it for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom.
Hollywood Studios is home to MANY extremely popular rides that have high wait times often. Magic Kingdom, on the other hand, has many filler attractions, but there are over 20 to experience in that park ALONE! While these two are often the most expensive options each day, we really do think it’s worth budgeting to grab Genie+ on your park days here (key words here: BUDGET IT IN!)
However, if you’re taking a trip that’s over 4 full days where you’ll have time to return to these parks, Genie+ isn’t really necessary unless waiting in line makes you miserable (which, fair, totally get it). All in all, it’s up to you and your group if it’s something that will benefit you and make your trip more enjoyable.
If you do decide to budget for Genie+, be sure you learn the ins and outs of the system. I can’t tell you how many times the team has heard people wildly misinformed about Genie+ get frustrated in the parks with the system and feel they wasted their money, but they didn’t take any time to learn about it. Don’t be that person!
We here at AllEars are always here to help you plan your next Disney World trip and make the most of it, so stay tuned to our blog and YouTube Channel!
Check out our ENTIRE guide to planning your Disney World trip here!
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What’s the worst Disney World tip you’ve ever heard? Tell us in the comments!
Great advice, except at that last one. Buy Genie+ if you must and it will get you through the parks faster, but with research, you can get by without it, thus making it not good advice. Rope dropping and a good, research-based touring plan can get you through the parks and you can do and see the best each park has to offer.
I have yet to buy Genie+ or an individual lightning lane, and I don’t regret it. I can use the $100+ per day savings to add another day to my trip, buy a special souvenir, or a really good table service meal.