Tips on Passing the Time Before a Trip

When I hear about people traveling to Walt Disney World several times a year, I cringe and grimace in jealousy.  Its not that I have anything against these people personally, far from it, I’m envious simply because they are able to go to Walt Disney World at their leisure and not have to wait for months or years on end until their next trip.  Living some 6,000 miles from Orlando, Florida is tough, especially if you are a huge Disneyphile like me.  During those times when you are not occupied by work or school, the wait until your return to the World can seem a little daunting.  Even when you have a trip scheduled later in the year, it’s quite easy for you or your children to get antsy and restless in anticipation. 

Here are some of my tips to help make that wait until your next trip to Walt Disney World less formidable:

Start planning what days to devote to what parks/activities.  Once you know how many days and nights you will be staying, start drafting an itinerary for your stay.  No matter if you plan on touring the parks commando-style, or at a leisurely and care-free pace, there are advantages to mapping out your visit.  A great place to start is the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World’s crowd calendar.  Look at the dates you will be visiting and determine which parks are the best to visit, and which parks are the ones to avoid (it is also encouraged that you plan your trip so that your visit falls on the days when the World is the least crowded; however, if you are like me, this isn’t always possible). 

For extended trips, you can bypass the parks altogether to avoid the busiest days.  With such a wide variety of things to do, take the time to plan something everyone will appreciate.  For example, plan a shopping excursion in Downtown Disney, play a round of golf, relax at the spa, or simply sleep in and lounge around the pool.  Begin thinking about what you and your party would like to do to make your stay at Walt Disney World extra special.

Discuss dining arrangements and browse menus.  The advantage of planning where you will be on what day is the ability to make dining arrangements that cause the least amount of fuss and frustration once you get there.  For example, I know that on my next trip I will be at Epcot during the middle of my visit, so I was able to make advanced dining reservations at the Coral Reef for the same day.  If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, planning is especially important to make the $39.99 a night plan worthwhile. 

Character meals are also a consideration when making dining plans.  Certain characters will be present at different character meals.  For example, the Crystal Palace character breakfast primarily has Winnie the Pooh characters, the Liberty Tree Tavern character dinner includes colonially-dressed Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip & Dale, and the Hollywood & Vine character meal features characters from Playhouse Disney.  Planning the right character meal is a great way to get your children involved in making your next trip happen.

A great place to go is Deb Wills’ Dining at Walt Disney World site.  There you will be able to browse menus, figure out where the best character meals are, and get reviews and comments about everything from décor to desserts.  Finding the right meals at the right prices will help you pass the time away until your next trip.

Watching Disney cartoons and movies.  Exposing younger children to classic and contemporary Disney and Pixar cartoons and movies is a great way to introduce them to some of the characters and things they might see during their trip.  Even if your children have been there before, this is a great to get your kids (and maybe you) excited about going back again. 

Reminisce and learn from past mistakes.   An advantage of going to Walt Disney World multiple times is that you learn from past experiences how to tackle the parks.  For example, when Kali River Rapids first opened, I thought I could avoid getting completely drenched.  Yes, I saw that more than half of the people coming out of the exit were soaking, but I was naïve enough to believe that once I got to the raft I could sit on the least wet seat and avoid getting splashed altogether.  Well, I soon learned that is not how the ride works at all, because ALL the seats were equally wet.  I came out of that ride drenched and was forced to leave the park to change out of my sopping wet clothes (and to brood of course).  Before my next trip, I made it a quest of mine to buy ponchos, bring slippers, and basically prepare for the worst because I planned to be tackle that ride again.  I was able to enjoy the ride a lot more the next time because I knew I was adequately protected from the waves of water.

As a famous cartoon used to say, “Knowing is half the battle.”  Think about some of the experiences you have had at Walt Disney World, talk with others that have gone, and plan accordingly. 

Explore the Disney fan community for updates, news, trivia, and more.  If you are a regular to studioscentral.com, you are probably aware of this tip already.  One of the best things about being a fan of Walt Disney World is that there is a HUGE community out there made of fans just like you.  Podcasts, websites, newsletters, books, etc. are out there.  These will not only keep you up to date with happenings at Walt Disney World, but they also connect you with people who share your passion for Walt Disney World. 

Personally speaking, the way I cope with the long waits until my next trip back to the World is to download my favorite Disney podcasts every week, surf the studioscentral.com forums, and write this column.  Discovering what this great community has to offer is definitely one of the highlights of being a fan of Walt Disney World.

As you can see, there is fun to be had months before you ever set foot in a Disney theme park.  Before you know it you will be basking in the Orlando sun, waiting for the next showing of the Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. 

Agree with what I said? Disagree? Have a story to share sparked by this column? Share your own idea by posting a comment below.