Taking a Disney World vacation with your family can be TOUGH.
Cinderella Castle
It’s hot, the days are long, and nobody’s really at their most chipper when running on minimal sleep. But those challenging vacations can be the trips that teach us the best lessons. So we reached out to our readers for advice!
We posted a discussion question on our Facebook page, asking, “Tell us a harsh truth you wish you knew about going to Disney World with your family BEFORE your trip,” and our readers DELIVERED. They had lots of tips to share! Let’s dive into what they had to say.
It’s Not Relaxing
Probably one of the most common observations from our readers is that a Disney World vacation with your family is NOT relaxing! With all the walking, waking up early, rushing across the parks for Lightning Lanes, and other shenanigans, many people felt like they needed multiple days to recover from the trip once they got home.
Magic Kingdom
It probably doesn’t help that most people’s sleep schedules get out of whack in Disney World, so be prepared for everything to be thrown off a bit. And if you can afford the extra time, plan a rest day during your trip AND a rest day when you get home.
Everything Takes 3x Longer Than What You’d Expect
Multiple people shared their exasperation that when traveling with a group, everything takes longer than you’d expect! It already takes at least an hour to do any Park Hopping or traveling across Disney World, but when you add in the strollers, multiple family members, bathroom stops, etc., the process of getting from one place to another becomes even more complicated.
Hollywood Studios
If you’re visiting the parks with multiple people, you have to budget a lot of wiggle room in the schedule, because you’ll have to include rest time, snack breaks, bathroom trips, and more. If you don’t, you’ll be dealing with some cranky friends and family!
The Weather Is a BEAR
It’s no secret that Disney World gets HOT and very very humid, especially in the summer. And the weather can have a big effect on your group trip! Just carrying the survival supplies for an entire family alone can be burdensome, with everything from ponchos to hand fans to sunscreen.
Tower of Terror
And if the weather is unbearable outside, you’ll need to plan your day around that. Taking indoor breaks, eating at indoor restaurants, and making sure you get the chance to sit down and rest requires a lot of planning.
You Don’t Have to Do Everything
When you’re traveling to Disney World with just adults or with a small group (like 2-3 people), it’s a lot easier to accomplish everything on your to-do list. But if you’ve got small children, older family members, or just a lot of people, you definitely won’t be able to get EVERYTHING done.
Mickey and Minnie
For this reason, we (and several of our readers) recommend making a to-do list of the most important attractions, snacks, entertainment offerings, and characters before your trip. It’ll help keep your priorities straight, and everyone can contribute something!
The Walking Is Super Intense
Several of our readers expressed that they severely underestimated the amount of walking they would do during their trip. Most of the time when we visit the parks for a full day, we’re clocking upwards of 20,000 steps, and that’s just walking around without zig-zagging for Lightning Lanes or virtual queues or dining reservations.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
If you have to carry tired kiddos or push a stroller around, all that walking can be even more intense. We definitely recommend training ahead of your trip by breaking in your shoes and building up a walking tolerance, if you can!
You’ll Want to Keep Going Back!
But on the positive side, SO many of our followers said that they wish they’d known they would get bitten by the Disney bug! Many of them had such a great time with their families that they want to come back again and again to relive those happy memories and make new ones.
Kilimanjaro Safaris
It’s easy to get hooked on Disney when you have a great time, so just remember to relax and enjoy the quality time with your family while you’re on vacation!
Stay tuned to DFB for more news and updates from Disney World, plus all the tips you need to know for your trip.
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My family and I made the mistake of planning our first Disney trip with two other families! And you’re right, we got so caught up in doing the things everyone else wanted to do, and making sure everyone got to their destinations, that everything we wanted fell by the wayside! And, we were seriously speed walking from spot to spot to try to fit in everyone’s wants! Needless to say, there were some mental, physical, and emotional breakdowns for sure! Our new recommendations! Plan with family if you like, but be DETERMINED to tell each family to do their own thing at their own timeframe once they reach the park! Let each family stick with their immediate members. Plan to meet up maybe for a meal reservation, but otherwise, don’t be dogmatic about everyone being in the same place at the same time throughout the day. Like others have said, you will have precious park hours wasted by doing this! Also, break days make all the difference in making the most of park days!