What's your best kept Disney secrets?

[KnittingMom]

for families with little ones, the "beach" at the fort is an excellent place to play and then watch the light parade on the lake and fireworks. Last visit, DD8 and I ate Trail Side and she happily played in the sand while I drank a cup of coffee for more than an hour, we watched the parade then took the boat back to the Contemporary and monorail to TC for our bus. Also got to ride a boat, a bus and a train all in 1 night! She loved it and besides dinner, it was free!

The beach at the Poly is also a great place to watch the fireworks -- just stay our of the water!

 

[KnittingMom]

Thanks!!!! I've always wanted to go on but I think my motion sickness will act up....darn I'd love to be the rebel spy

I get terrible motion sickness, but this ride lets me ride. The key is to shut your eyes if you feel the least bit motion sick. Once the "signal" from your eyes of great speed is cut off, you'll feel much better -- motion sickness in a three D film can also be cured by shutting your eyes. Open them as soon as your tummy is under control, and do not ride on an empty tummy -- eat some carbs first. Chewing ginger flavored gum -- motion sickness gum -- helps some folks, as do the accu-pressure bands available at your pharmacist. It's a shame to miss a fun ride if you do not have to.

 

[KnittingMom]

You may like EMH, but truth be told , you can get more done by avoiding the EMH parks even if your a resort guest. The resort guest "flood" the parks for those extra hour or two but it creates over crowding since WDW has only added more and more resorts which equals more people. We stay onsite but avoid the EMHs and we get to walk on rides and love the less crowded feel.
My tip if your a resort guest avoid EMH.

This is more true for morning EMH's than for evening or late night EMH's.

 

[KnittingMom]

This is not a secret at all but anytime I've gone, I never saw anyone there so it might be something that gets overlooked.. There is a first aid station at every park that will provide OTC meds for headache/pain relief etc & bandaids at no charge if need be. It can be a lifesaver.

I'm going to echo this -- and add that the resorts have an EMT on call as well. My ds7 threw us into a panic at AKL with a bad tummy ache we feared was appendicitis (my relatives all seem to have bad appendixes), and they arrived in minutes with an RN and a medical kit -- no fever, or they would have called an ambulance. The diagnosis -- too much fun and too much sun, and let's take it easy tomorrow.

 

[peg110]

This is more true for morning EMH's than for evening or late night EMH's.

I agree. But going to the resort that had EMH the DAY before holds true regardless if they are Early or late. Why? Because most people don't tend to go to the same park 2 days in a row (they like to mix it up) so the crowd that was at the park YESTERDAY will tend to go to a different park TODAY. So avoid the park with EMH today (particularly Mornring EMH), and go to the park today that had EMH hours YESTERDAY (Early or Late).

And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, have an awesome time. (Don't let the little stuff get you down!)

 

[KnittingMom]

I agree. But going to the resort that had EMH the DAY before holds true regardless if they are Early or late. Why? Because most people don't tend to go to the same park 2 days in a row (they like to mix it up) so the crowd that was at the park YESTERDAY will tend to go to a different park TODAY. So avoid the park with EMH today (particularly Mornring EMH), and go to the park today that had EMH hours YESTERDAY (Early or Late).

And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, have an awesome time. (Don't let the little stuff get you down!)

Oh! Really good idea

 

[Rmurphy005]

I agree. But going to the resort that had EMH the DAY before holds true regardless if they are Early or late. Why? Because most people don't tend to go to the same park 2 days in a row (they like to mix it up) so the crowd that was at the park YESTERDAY will tend to go to a different park TODAY. So avoid the park with EMH today (particularly Mornring EMH), and go to the park today that had EMH hours YESTERDAY (Early or Late).

And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, have an awesome time. (Don't let the little stuff get you down!)

That is a great idea!

 

[Jbreedlove]

Great tips! Thanks a bunch!

 

[noahdove]

I was thinking about my August trip and the last time I was there, I had problems
getting the ice water from the counter service, into the bottle I was using with
Crystal Light, well, I have a tiny funnel that I will carry with me in my park bag...
So much easier and not messy at all...

 

[TheLittles]

I am sure that to most people this is Common knowledge but DO NOT take a normal Dramamine for motion sickness. Last trip I learned this lesson the hard way haha. It was our first day, The first thing we rode was Space Mountain. I was in the SM gift shop feeling a little sick and I asked them if they had anything for that. Having never taken anything like that I had no idea what to expect. They gave me a pack of two regular (not Non Drowsy...which I didn't know there was such a thing) Dramamines and i took them BOTH!!!!! About 20 minutes later I was fantasizing about falling asleep on the concrete while waiting in line for It's A Small World. I was so tired that when the time came to go on Splash Mountain I told my family to go without me and that I would stay with my 2 yr old daughter who was in her stroller. They came out and My daughter was just sitting in her stroller and I was passed out asleep on a rock outside of Splash Mountain.Needless to say they all laughed at me. I will NEVER take that again!

 

[DisMom829]

That we leave in 28 days and DD has NO CLUE we are going on a Mommy/daughter only trip

 

[BippidiBoppidi]

Some of you with little ones may already know about this one, but we stumbled upon it accidentally on our last trip.
We had dressed up for a nice dinner at CRT. We arrived at the park a little early and took some photos in front of the castle and "checked in" for our reservation. They were running behind (well actually, my husband had requested a window-view table for two for our proposal so we had a longer wait than normal...but I didn't know that at the time)! So, we walked around the nearby area and stopped in Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. They have a whole photo-shoot area that I am guessing kids can have a fun photo shoot after getting "princess-ified". Since it was close to firework time, there was no one in the shop except us, so the photo pass photographer offered to take some "couple photos" for us. She spent probably 15 minutes with us doing different poses, with the pro backdrop and around the shop with different decorations and props. We ended up with about 20 photos that looked like we went to have professionally done as engagement portraits (with a Disney twist)! It's worth a stop if you happen to be in the area when it's not too crowded...they may even snap a few if you ask. But you do not have to be a customer of the makeover section to use the photo shoot place. We had already purchased the Memory Maker package, so the time she spent with us was no charge and we ended up with some great keepsake photos from just an hour before we were engaged!

Also...if you have dinner reservations close to firework time in MK, you are able to go past the rope barrier once they start blocking the paths. We were let through about an hour before our reservation time and rode the carousel with not too many people. That side of the castle is almost empty because everyone is trying to get a place for the show. Or time it so that you finish dinner at CRT right when the show is starting. They can't allow you to go back, so you get a really spectacular, unique view of the show from the tunnel inside the castle. Totally memorable moment!

 

[Kiersten]

Great tips! This is my first time going to WDW since I was a little kid but I'm excited and will be sharing some of these tips with the people I am traveling with.

 

[mummybigib34]

One of the biggest "secrets" I know is to not buy bottle water. Most of the quick service locations have filtered water. Ask for a cup of ice water instead of spending $3 every time you are thirsty.

When trying to enter/exit Magic Kingdom, instead of walking through crowded Main St and dodging everyone stopping to take a picture of the castle, walk throught the gift shops. It can be troublesome if you have a stroller, but other than that it's usually a lot faster, not to mentioned it's air conditioned.

When buying snacks (this mostly works for families of 4 or more), it's better to buy one cupcake and cut it in 4 pieces. No one really needs to eat an entire giant cupcake on their own, and it's easier on the wallet.

Character Palooza is an amazing way to meet upwards of 8 characters in an incredibly short amount of time. Character Palooza happens at the exit of Tower of Terror (Kenny the Pirate has a schedule for specific times on specific dates). My girlfriend and I did Character Palooza three times when we went this past Feb. We met some pretty rare characters; Genie, Robin Hood, Evil Queen, and Pinocchio to name a few! If there is more than one Character Palooza a day, the characters usually don't change. With that being said, typically there are new characters every day! There were a couple characters that were there every time we went though (Tiana, Stitch, Jasmin, Aladdin).

PM me if you want any park specific secrets though!

EDIT: Seems like about a week after my original post, Disney World decided to "do away" with Character Palooza. Instead it will be a much more random event. See the below link for more details:

http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/05/13/what-is-going-on-with-character-palooza/

hi it would be great if you could share more secrets pls.

 

[mikepizzo]

hi it would be great if you could share more secrets pls.

I haven't read through this whole thread, so I apologize if there are any duplicate tips.

• When you buy a caramel apple, you can ask the CM to cut it for you. It makes it way easier to eat and share.
• If you want to be the first to exit the stretching room, take a look at the blueprint below. Depending on what Stretching Room you enter, the portrait you must stand under to be the first to exit changes. If I remember correctly, if you are entering the top Stretching Room (to the right of the Fireplace) you must stand under the Portrait of the lady with the Parasol. You can figure out which part of the wall will open because there will be a little red light on the wall (which is actually the door frame).
• If you are eating Table Service, and are drinking a refillable beverage (such as a soda), ask for a refill to go when you are ready to leave.
• Don't underestimate the view of the Fireworks and Parades from the Main Street Train Station. We usually get there early enough where the chairs are empty, and send one person from our party to get ice cream/popcorn/snacks. We sit, relax, and eat before the shows start. By the time we are done munching, the shows are about to start. A lot easier than fighting for an uncomfortable seat on the curb.

 

[JFox]

My fav is for the Astro Orbiter. When the guests are queued up in the holding bin position yourselves away from the exit that leads to the elevator. When the CM opens the door to the elevator and allows guests to enter, filling in all available space, enter the elevator last. After boarding turn around and then you will be right at the elevator door, the first off the elevator and the first at the loading zone. You will have your pick of rockets.

 

[Mage of Disney]

For some rides (Rock'n'Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Space Mountian), there are 'chicken' exits. Basically, if you get past the queue and up to the ride, you can 'chicken out', and take the exit without riding the ride. I'm well acquainted, since my older sister takes them often.
Also, for older kids, skip Dumbo and go to Astro Orbiter. It's much faster and higher than Dumbo.

 

[peg110]

It's much faster and higher than Dumbo.

I actually rode this for the first time on our last trip (Nov 2014). It is higher because it STARTS higher. (Have to take an elevator up to get on to it.) It is a pretty neat ride though. I rode it at Night. The fireworks weren't going when I rode, but that would have been cool too.

 

[gdrj]

Visit the lounge at hotel restaurants and enjoy appetizers and drinks, you get to experience some of the better restaurants without having a full meal. You can order full menu at bar in some restaurants. This is great when you don't have dining reservations or you don't want another QS meal.

 

[bonefish]

Let's put it this way....On my most recent 4 day trip, we rode every ride we wanted to (some multiple times), saw every show we wanted to, and the longest wait we had was about 30 minutes (and that was for Small World.....Don't ask me why we waited that long, but it's the traditional ride). And no, we didn't only ride at opening/closing. We were for full days Fri-Mon. I'm not a cast member but I can't share my secret because I'll be using my method in the future to avoid waiting.