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Little Known Tips for a Disney Vacation in Orlando
Anyone who is visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the first time can benefit from tips from people who are very familiar with the parks and how they are run. There are so many things to do and out of the way places to experience at each of the four Disney parks that it is impossible to do them all in an average one week vacation. Knowing some of these tips beforehand can help you to narrow down the best of the best and eliminate some of the hassle.
Let's start with some general tips when visiting one or all of the Disney parks. If summer vacation or winter or spring breaks are the only time you can visit because of the children's school schedules, be prepared. These are the busiest times at all of the parks and resorts. But, if you are able to be flexible, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the least crowded and yet the most festive at all of the parks. The last three weeks in January and most of October are also times when the attendance is a bit lower.
Always buy your ticket packages either before you leave home or at least a day before you plan on going to the first park. There are many packages and the line to enter the park will be long, but if you also have to stand in line first to buy tickets your wait will be twice as long. Any Disney stores in any mall around the country sells ticket packages to the parks, as does any AAA office. Multi day tickets do not last forever as they used to. Once a ticket is used at the first park it will expire in 14 days. It is cheaper to package many days together now in order to save some of them for your next trip to Orlando. That can still be done. Your ticket can be made to have no expiration date for a small additional fee.
Once you are in the park, utilize Disney's FastPass option. There are very popular rides at every park and standing in line for them can waste an hour each that you could spend seeing other sights. Immediately go to the FastPass Kiosk near the line for the ride you wish and enter your ticket. It will spit out a receipt that will give you an hour-long reservation window for sometime later in the day to return to that ride and go right to the beginning of the line with hardly a wait. This conserves your time and allows you to experience more at each park than the majority of the other visitors.
If you have to rent a stroller or wheelchair for the day, return them before the final fireworks show at the end of the night, if possible. This can save you a lot of time in line, allowing you to get back to your hotel almost an hour earlier. Shop in the gift shops earlier in the afternoon as well. The shops are very crowded right before the park closes and the lines to pay for your merchandise become very long. If there are two afternoon parades being offered, always go to the second one. It will be much less crowded.
Look into attending one of the Character Breakfasts, Lunches, or Dinners. They are a wonderful experience for everyone in your party and allow you perks that you may not have considered. For instance, buying tickets to the Character Breakfast at Animal Kingdom allows you to enter the park an hour and a half before the park opens. You will have a wonderful behind the scenes breakfast adventure and when the park does open, you are already at the head of the line.
Not many know that there is a working barbershop on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom called Harmony Barbershop. One thing that this barbershop specializes in is first haircuts. So, if you have a little one who will be about that age for a haircut, wait until you arrive. The experience is magical and the little tot is given a pair of Mickey Ears to wear that says, "First Haircut" on the back. Truly a wonderful keepsake.
There are so many tips that they could fill an encyclopedia. Hopefully, these few will give you some insight into Disney's parks and increase your enjoyment a bit.
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