Here at DFB, we frequently give you lots of tips and tricks of what you should do to make your Disney trip as fun and memorable as possible! 

Now, if you’ve been following along with us you’re probably pretty familiar with some of the things we recommend. While it can be really helpful to know all the spots you should visit and everything you should do to enjoy your vacation, you should also know the things you shouldn’t do. These are 22 of the things that a true Disney pro would NEVER do!

Packing

There are even a few faux-pas you can make before arriving at Disney World!

Packing For Style, Not Comfort

We know you were hoping to break out that new outfit you’ve been saving for your trip to snap that Insta-worthy shot you’ve been thinking about since you booked your vacation, but we say…skip it! When going to Disney World, it can be really easy to underestimate the amount of walking you’ll be doing and you want to make sure you’ll be COMFORTABLE while doing it!

Pack clothes you’re confident will be comfortable for a long day in the rain, the heat, and anything in between. This goes for shoes, especially. It can be really easy to rack up your mileage on a park day! You’ll probably be hitting your step-goal and THEN some! Avoid packing shoes that you haven’t broken in yet, AND bring a backup pair in case the first pair gets wet.

Skip the Sunscreen

That Florida sun can sometimes be unforgiving, it’s the “Sunshine State,” for crying out loud! Maybe you think since you’ll be in and out of rides and shops all day, that you can skip the sunscreen. Nope. Nah. Just don’t Risk it.

Disney Pros know that sunburns can and will happen, even in Disney World, so make sure to pack some sunscreen and some aloe or lotion, too, just in case. This still stands in the winter months, too!

Check out the gear we recommend for your Disney trip!

Planning

Wait to Book FastPass+ and Dining Reservations

Although FastPass+ is currently unavailable, you should know that when you book them is really important for when it DOES return! Saving things like FastPass bookings and dining reservations until the very last minute can be, well, a major bummer. If you’re hoping to snag a FastPass for Flight of Passage or get dinner at Le Cellier the week before your trip, you’ll probably find yourself out of luck!

Always keep an eye on when your booking windows open up! Most Disney World restaurants accept dining reservations 60 days in advance. If/when they return, you could book FastPasses 60 days before your visit if you’re staying at a Disney Resort or Good Neighbor Hotel, and 30 days in advance if staying anywhere else.

When could FastPass return? Click here.

Forget to Check Park Hours and New Restaurant Updates

It’s not news that this year has seen A LOT of changes in the parks. With Disney’s new Park Pass Reservation System, you have to make a reservation for which park you’re planning to visit on a certain day. When planning out which days you’re going to visit which parks, make sure to check the parks’ hours for each day.

Park hours are frequently changing, so consistently check on them and we’ll make sure to provide updates, too! Additionally, certain restaurants may be offering limited hours AND limited menus! You’ll want to check this out before getting your hopes up just to get there and find out your fave item is no longer on the menu.

Overbook Their Schedule

We know, there’s so much to do and see during your Disney World vacation and you don’t want to miss a thing! That being said, Disney Pros know to leave a little wiggle room in their schedules. This can be super helpful in case there’s inclement weather, any mishaps, or things you want to do again!

This can be especially helpful if you’re traveling with little ones, who may need an extra couple hours of hotel time than you originally planned or some breaks throughout the day! Try your best to be flexible so you can enjoy your trip while doing the things that are most important to everyone in your group!

Sleep In…Without Planning For It

Sometimes sleeping in is well-needed after a really long day or a late night taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours (once they return). But, mornings are the time when you can hit some of the most popular attractions while they have the lowest wait times of the day or grab a fun breakfast with characters! We don’t entirely recommend sleeping in unless you’ve strategically planned it into your schedule.

If you need time to catch some extra zzz’s in the morning, we suggest planning to try and make the most of the day with a late breakfast or brunch dining reservation! Plus, schedule your late snooze after your longest day or latest night in the parks to make the most of it.

Skip Disney Springs

Disney Springs has really evolved into a fun spot for shopping and dining. It offers a wide range of stores for Disney lovers and non-Disney lovers alike. There are great options for dining, including some of our faves, Wine Bar George and Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin‘.

Even if it’s just for a couple hours, take a stroll around Disney Springs and check out all the goodies it offers! Pro tip: Plan for the weather, because there’s not much shelter here in the case of a rainstorm!

Parks and Attractions

Forget to Set a Reminder For Rise of the Resistance Boarding Groups

Disney Pros ALWAYS remember to set an alarm so they’re ready right at 7AM to snag the highly-coveted boarding group for Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Boarding groups also become available later in the day at 1PM, so if you miss that first call you’ve still got a chance to make it later in the day once inside the park! Make sure your Hollywood Studios day isn’t the day you plan to sleep in 😉.

Book a FastPass For an Attraction That Doesn’t Need One

FastPasses are a really great way to cut down on the time you spend in queues and maximize the number of attractions you ride! However, there a handful of attractions that you can consistently expect to have shorter wait times in each park. Some of these attractions include Muppet*Vision 3D in Hollywood Studios, Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Magic Kingdom, Journey Into Imagination With Figment in EPCOT, and It’s Tough to be a Bug in Animal Kingdom!

Most of these attractions are shows, so even with a FastPass, you’ll have to wait until the next showtime. When the service returns, don’t waste your precious FastPasses on these guys.

Stand in the Middle of the Room During Ride Preshows

Attractions like Haunted Mansion, Dinosaur, and Tower of Terror all utilize a little show before riders get loaded onto the ride. Once the show ends, a door will “magically” open, leading you to the rest of the queue, and ultimately, the ride vehicles. While it can be fun listening to the nightmarish tale shared by your Ghost Host, you’ll never catch a Disney Pro hanging out in the middle of these rooms.

Instead, grab a spot near the walls to maximize your chances of being near the one that opens up. This will give you a shorter wait time and get you on that attraction ever so slightly quicker!

Weave Through Main Street During Parades or Peak Times

Main Street can get really packed during the Festival of Fantasy daytime parade and especially during and after the Happily Ever After Nighttime Spectacular, prior to the temporary suspension of these shows. It can be nearly impossible to make your way through that sea of people. That’s why Disney experts know to use the shops on Main Street as a convenient corridor to make their way through the madness.

If you cut through the Emporium, you’ll find yourself making your way through an air-conditioned, less hectic atmosphere and eventually pop out at Casey’s Corner into the Castle Hub (or at the start of Main Street, U.S.A., if you’re headed the opposite direction)! This is also a great move when it’s raining, as it unsurprisingly does in Florida. Note we don’t recommend this like we did in the current state of the parks. With no real parades or spectaculars, that sea of people at peak times doesn’t tend to happen. PLUS, with entrances and exits limited at shopping locations and capacity in stores limited, we don’t recommend trying to use this shortcut for now.

Get Trapped in Liberty Square

Another spot that can become really congested during the parade is Liberty Square. Cast Members will rope off sections of the street so it can come through, and once that parade is moving and grooving, there’s no escaping.

If you’re not interested in watching the parade, plan ahead to make sure you don’t get trapped for its duration. If you do want to catch the parade, a good location to view it is in Frontierland! It’s normally not too crowded and, since the parade starts here, it will allow you to continue with your day sooner.

Start at the Front of the Park

When Magic Kingdom first opens, visitors will rush to the popular attractions to avoid the long wait times that they’ll have later in the day. While Peter Pan’s Flight may look pretty enticing, try to use your willpower to skip it (for now, at least)! Many guests will begin their day at the front of the park in the closer lands like Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. If you go towards to back of the park to hit the popular attractions like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain, you’ll be even more successful at beating the crowds.

The same holds true in other parks. Avoid Spaceship Earth at the entrance to EPCOT in the mornings for this very same reason — many guests will rush in line first thing in the morning. Plus, try to grab FastPasses (when they return) for some of the other popular park attractions that you won’t be able to hit early in the morning.

Check out which park you should start your day with when Park Hopping returns!

Dining

Buy Bottled Water

This has gotta be one of our most tried and true tips when it comes to saving money in Disney World. Although free water has become a little less accessible than it was prior to the parks’ closing, there are still many of counter-service locations that are giving out free water!

Staying hydrated in Disney is super important and it shouldn’t have to cost you! We recommend snagging free water so much, we even wrote a whole post about it!

Learn where you can get FREE water in Magic Kingdom!

Eat During Peak Times

Dining locations will get really crowded during peak meal times. For lunch, this is around 12-1:30PM, and for dinner, 6-7PM. Try to plan your meal for off-peak times to avoid larger crowds and maximize your chances of getting a reservation at the restaurant of your choice.

Consider grabbing a couple more snacks throughout the day to hold you over until those off-peak meal times! Note that this tip is true for both sit-down meals requiring a reservation or fast food meals. But you need to know one more tip about that kind of dining (which we’re covering next!).

Skip Mobile Order

What once was one of our most highly recommended tips to save time and make things more convenient in Disney World is now practically a law of the land! Since the parks reopened, Mobile Order is basically a requirement in order to avoid long and congested lines in quick-service dining locations!

Using Mobile Order to order your meal is a straightforward process and all you need to do it is a smartphone and the My Disney Experience app! Check it out before your trip to familiarize yourself with it and plan to order meals in the morning, if possible, and schedule them to be ready when you’re looking to eat.

Check out our list of spots that offer Mobile Order AND how to do it!

Not Take Full Advantage of Their Dining Plan

Although Disney isn’t offering any Dining Plan options at the moment, it’ll be important to really weigh the pros and cons when they do return to determine what’s best for your family. The Dining Plan may seem convenient, but to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck, it’s important to be strategic about it.

That often means eating at the most expensive spots, ordering the priciest items, and using your credits wisely! Luckily, we’ve put together information about…pretty much EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about the Disney Dining Plan!

Learn ALL about the Dining Plan HERE!

Forget to Use Snack Credits

Also under the Dining Plan umbrella are snack credits! It can be easy to overestimate the amount of snacking you’ll do while in Disney. Undoubtedly, the parks have LOTS of snacks to offer that we’re constantly reviewing and telling you about. But, sometimes, you just don’t have time (or room in your stomach) for them all! This can sometimes leave you with too many snack credits left from your Dining Plan at the end of your trip. Leftover credits=wasted money!

Don’t worry, these credits won’t go to waste. But, you may find yourself returning home with LOTS of packaged Mickey Krispie Treats! Unless that was your plan all along, then we support you. 😉 Just be sure to check if you have any leftover credits before you leave and use them in gift shops for drinks and snacks for the trip home.

Only Visit the Super Popular Restaurants

Ultimately, this is up to your family’s interests and what they want to experience and eat. However, there are so many GREAT dining spots in Disney World that are lesser frequented and can often be overshadowed by their more popular counterparts. Chef Mickey’s and Be Our Guest are really fun and immersive spots that can really make your Disney trip feel more, well, Disney. But remember to consider less popular spots that are still really great like Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom and Spice Road Table in EPCOT.

Do your research and see which Disney World restaurants best fit your family’s needs! If you’re totally overwhelmed by the choices, don’t sweat! We made our DFB Guide that covers EVERY SINGLE dining spot in Disney World and what to expect.  Luckily, the resort offers hundreds of restaurants so you’ll be sure to find something excellent.

Check out our 2021 DFB Guide HERE!

Resorts

Make a Resort Reservation Without a Discount

It’s known by Disney Pros that it’s pretty rare for Disney not to offer some sort of resort discount or package at any given time. Always make sure to check for any special promotions when planning your trip. Plus, even if you book your trip at the normal rate and then notice a special going on, you can reach out to Disney and see what your options are to apply that special rate to your trip!

We know how important it is to get the best value for your money during a Disney World trip, so make sure to keep an eye out for any special deals when booking your resort!

Click here to see some deals you can score RIGHT NOW!

Forget to Budget Time to Hang by the Pool

Disney Resorts often have some really impressive pools. With fun themes, waterslides, and poolside snacks, they’re a really great spot to relax while taking some time off from the hustle and bustle of the parks. Plus, if you’re shelling out lots of money for your resort, make sure to take advantage of that by experiencing the amenities it offers!

We recommend designating a few hours specifically to hang by the pool for some rest and relaxation! If you’re bringing kiddos along with you, the pool will possibly be their favorite place in all of Disney World!

Check out what we consider to be the 10 BEST Disney pools! 

Pay For Unnecessary Room Upgrades

This is another factor that ultimately comes down to the needs of your family, but there are a few ways to save money when it comes to choosing which hotel room is best for you! Resorts offer standard rooms, but you can also often get upgraded rooms they may have better views or closer proximity to amenities like pools, transportation, and dining.

If it’s a must for you to be close to the hub of your resort to avoid extra time walking to and from your room, then choose that upgraded room! But, if you don’t think you’ll be spending much time in the room besides to conk out, then maybe you can pass on that room with a view.

This same idea applies to the level of hotel you choose to stay at. Deluxe resorts are fantastic, but they also cost WAY more than Disney’s Moderate or Value accommodations. Deluxe resorts offer more dining, often closer proximity to the parks, nicer rooms, and more amenities. BUT if a room is just a place to sleep until you can wake up and hit the parks each day, consider paying less for a room at a lower level resort. You’ll save a bundle and get roughly the same experience. Once again, going over your family’s priorities can help determine what’s most important to you and each person in your crew.

Check out 8 gadgets you need for your Disney Resort stay!

And those are 22 things that Disney Pros NEVER do! Are you guilty of doing any of them? We’re always coming up with new tips (and improving old ones) to make sure you have a great trip to Disney World! Follow along with us for more tips, tricks, news, and reviews!

 

What’s your favorite tried and true Disney tip? Tell us in the comments!