Prepping for a family vacation to Walt Disney World involves a lot of organizing and planning, and there’s so much to do that it’s easy to forget things that might be really important to ensuring you have the best time possible. If nothing else, you should make sure you take care of These Top 5 Pre-WDW Trip Must-Do’s:
Scrimp And Save: Disney vacations are not exactly cheap, so make sure you’re saving up wherever you can! Once you book your trip, gather up the kids and make a cute DIY Vacation Fund jar, and make sure you stop by it when you empty the change out of your wallet/pocket/bottom of your purse – over time this will add up, and you can use it to help pay for the trip, or for souvenirs, or whatever you want!
Do Your Research: There are tons of good guidebooks out there, so pick one up and do some reading before your trip. Or, you can use the internet for some research too – but don’t make the mistake of getting caught up in people’s personal experiences and comments – keep it basic and read about where you’re staying, and get an overview of the rides/attractions, and food options available to you (especially important if you have allergies/special dietary concerns!). Do enough research to have a clue, but not so much as to overwhelm yourself
Make Your ADR’s: If you’ve never been to Disney, then you are in for a real culinary awakening (which may seem like a weird thing to say about Theme Park Food, but trust me – its true) – they serve up some of the best food I have ever had. And people are really starting to take notice – which means that every sit down restaurant at WDW is busy pretty much all the time. Luckily, you have the option of making Advance Dining Reservations (or ADR’s) as early as 180 days before your trip, and trust me, you’ll want to make ADR’s for all your sit down meals (especially if you’re looking to do some character meals). So read up on the Disney restaurants and make sure you are making ADR’s for them so you can ensure you’re getting to dine at all the places you want to try on your trip
Pack Smart: Make a list a few weeks before your trip of things to pack so you make sure you have enough time to get the things you may need in advance. On that list, you’ll want to include the following items: broken in sneakers & socks, sunscreen, Ziploc baggies, ponchos, comfortable loose clothing, snacks & a water bottle, and chargers/extra batteries for your various devices – which brings me to my next “must-do”…
Charge It Up: Make sure you not only pack chargers/car chargers/extra batteries for all your various phones/ipods/ipads/laptops/cameras etc, but that you charge all those devices before your trip too. Plane rides/car rides/layovers can all feel even longer if you don’t have anything to keep the kids (and yourself!) occupied. So don’t just bring that spare camera battery – but charge it the night before you leave. Follow this rule with all your various electronics – you’ll be glad you did (trust me!)
I have traveled to WDW many times – which means I have prepared/organized/packed for Disney many times too – take it from me, a little pre-trip planning goes a long way, and if nothing else, make sure you follow these “must-do” pre-trip tips to help ensure your vacation goes smoothly.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comment box below!
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