Rookie Mistakes

If you’re here for the Disney content, welcome! If you’re not, hang in there. I’ll be posting other trips also. But I would be lying if I said that Disney wasn’t my favorite place to travel! We used a travel agent for our first trip (and several thereafter) which was a SMART move, in my opinion. There are a lot of details to comb through when planning a Disney vacation.. and they can walk you through those every step of the way. We used Stephanie with Traveling Ears vacations and I highly recommend her (you can contact her here- https://www.travelingears.com/).

That being said, even WITH a travel agent, we made a lot of mistakes. So here we go:

1. We stayed in a 1-bedroom Villa at the Kindani Villas, which is directly next to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Don’t get me wrong.. they are beautiful and spacious. But they are {so far} from everything. You have to take a bus to get anywhere. Even Animal Kingdom Theme Park, which is right next door! We had a Savannah View, which was an amazing sight from our balcony.. but we were never there long enough to enjoy it. Being fully transparent, it’s about $700(ish) a night (it is considered one of the “deluxe” hotels). So off the bat, we spent too much money.. at a place that we basically just came back to sleep.
2. We did not plan for an “off day”. We arrived at Disney on a Wednesday, did parks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and then drove the 10 hour drive home on Sunday. We did not dip our toes in the pool ONCE. We literally needed a vacation from our vacation.
3. We didn’t familiarize ourselves enough with the maps and food options. When we arrived late on Wednesday night, we had no idea what we were eating for dinner and how we were getting there. Turns out there is a quick service restaurant in the next building.. but we had my Mother in Law there using a motorized scooter. There are buses that go back and forth between the complex but they were not scooter friendly. So right away, we had to leave the scooter behind and have her travel on foot. Not optimal planning on my part.
4. We did not utilize “Rider Swap” as much as we could have. This a program where parents can take turns riding rides with an older child (if the younger is not old/tall enough and needs to stay behind). We knew a little about it.. and utilized it when we were using our Fast passes.. but not for ALL rides like we could have done. Our daughter was 11 months at the time so she was a stroller rider for most of the trip!
5. We had not familiarized ourselves with the DAS pass system. We likely would of been eligible for this with my Mother in Law being unable to stand for long periods of time. We are familiar with it now (for different reasons) but did not know this was an option at time.
6. We did not rent a stroller. We travelled with a gigantic double BOB. Some might not want to spend the money on a rental.. but if you’re driving, that trunk space is valuable!

Despite all this, we still had a magical trip! But if I could go back, would we have spent less money? ABSOLUTELY. Would we have chosen a resort that had other transportation options? YES. Would we have taken a rest day in between? HELL YES. Should I have familiarized myself with the restaurant options more? FOR SURE. But you live and learn! It takes going.. and realizing what you liked and didn’t like to make better decisions for your next trip.

So here’s my initial advice to you:

1. Look at the transportation options from your chosen resort to the parks. Does it have options (other than just the bus)- skyliner, boat, or walking)?
2. Reflect on how much you want to spend on the actual resort.. and how much time you’ll actually be spending there.
3. Familiarize yourself with restaurant options and how you’re going to get there.
4. Give yourself a mid week rest day. If you’re like us.. and you spend a FULL day at the parks, you’ll want a pool day in between to recover! The pools are ALL heated and can be utilized year round.

I hope someone may find this information helpful! Stay turned for a separate post outlining Disney Vacations and traveling with a child on the spectrum.. and what we’ve done for previous trips to prepare him!