Mistakes to Avoid

This Article Was Contributed by Keith

Oh, boy. Is this a subject that is open-ended and could demand a whole website in of itself. Where to start?

The very first mistake to avoid is, and I regret this is the case, believing that the Walt Disney Corporation, through its Walt Disney Travel Company, has your best interests at heart when they are assisting you to book your trip.

They certainly will offer excellent service and courtesy but that will not extend to protecting the contents of your wallet. They are not instructed to gouge or lie to anyone, don't get me wrong, but they are not encouraged to offer money-saving advice to guests. If they do, that is the CRO Cast Member (CM) free-lancing and going above and beyond their training. Some of the more experienced CMs do fall into that group because they understand that happy guests make return guests.

What does the writer mean by that? Well, the CRO CM will literally listen to your requests and respond directly. Example: Guest says - "My family would like to stay at WDW for a week in August". CRO says - Great, I can get you in the Grand Floridian, with all passes and meals taken care of for $8,500 and I can reserve that for you now". Yowzah!!! And you just saw a commercial on TV that showed a family of four (just like you) saying "$1,600 for a week? We can do that." Right?

Golden Rule No. 1: Learn your subject. You wouldn't go into your local car dealer and say "I need a car" without knowing what the heck you wanted, would you? Learn about the hotel "classes", the "seasons", the pass types and the availability of meal packages and what is right for your family. All those subjects are covered on this site.

Your needs will vary from everyone else. Not everyone's dates are flexible (teachers are a perfect example - they are stuck with going at the same time when all the kids are off). Not everyone has the same priorities regarding hotels; to some folks a hotel is just a bed where they rest their weary head for 8 hours and it doesn't matter what it looks like. To others, the hotel is a large part of their vacation experience. Ticket types are many and varied. Many folks will stay in WDW for a couple of weeks and never know that an Annual Pass exists and would be cost-neutral after 7 days. Are you a picker at your food? Chances are you're not going to find the super-duper, all-singing, all-dancing meal plan of use to you.

As if that wasn't enough, there's more. One of the most important mistakes you can make is to kit everyone out with new shoes and not break them in before you go to WDW. Now, folks, you are going to be walking 4-5 miles a day - at least - and you're not going to break your shoes in? Can you say "BLISTERS!!!" Wear them for a couple of weeks to break them in and get the insoles to form to your foot shape. It's even a good idea to get a set of Scholls Gel insoles. Nobody is more miserable than the guest who can't walk when the whole resort is set up for walking.

Going on from that thought -- walking. You're going to do a lot of it and, assuming you're not an Olympian, you're probably not used to walking all day, every day and you need to pace yourself and your family. The second most miserable group in the parks, right behind the blistered masses, is the "cranky" group who have been up since 6:00 a.m., were at the bus stop at 7:00 a.m., hit the MK an hour before the rope drop and have been walking non-stop or standing in lines and it's now 11:00 a.m. DAD, GIVE THEM A BREAK!!! Take an hour to sit in the shade; go back to your hotel and soak your feet in the pool; go to one of the big hotels and sit in their lobby for an hour; go to your room and take a nap. The writer has seen too many cases of cranky families pounding around the parks "getting their money's worth" and nobody is having any fun. The kids are crying; they're tired and it's not going to get any better. Take a break; it's the best investment you'll make this trip.

In a similar vein, it's really important not to try to do too much. Have a plan but make it a reasonable plan. Consider getting a touring plan which tells you what you can reasonably expect to accomplish in a certain day at a specific time of the year. Nothing worse than budgeting a day in the MK in July and realizing that you got on 5 rides before your day or stamina expired, whichever comes first.

Budget is another occasional issue. You know the cost of your hotel, flights, rental car, tickets etc. but what have you budgeted for meals and souvenirs? Probably not enough. The costs of food and souvenirs in Disney is somewhat at the "yeow!" end of the spectrum. Make sure you have enough cash or the ability to charge. Nothing puts a damper on a trip like not having enough money to get back to the airport through the tollbooths.

Looking back to your hotel. Are you perhaps staying somewhere that you really don't need? Are you paying $400 a night when you would be quite happy staying in a $150 a night hotel? Disney has beautiful hotels. Is it worth paying an extra $250 a night for a "nicer hotel?" They're all nice.

Watch the sun and the heat. Most of us don't spend our days outside in 95 degree heat and it will do a number on your skin if you are not careful. Wear a big, floppy hat if you are fair-skinned. You also need to get plenty of fluids inside you - and no, we don't mean sodas (pop). Sodas will increase the dehydration process.

This list could be a never-ending story and will evolve as it progresses. Educate yourself. Read lots of articles. Take advantage of other people's experiences to make you a smarter traveler.

Last Updated: May 9, 2009