Disneyland is The Happiest Place on Earth. Walt Disney World is The Vacation Kingdom. Both have been making dreams come true for literally decades! So what could possibly ruin your Disney Experience?
Well, here are my TOP FIVE ways to throw a wet blanket on the fun:
Number Five: Rain
OK, this isn’t something you could do to yourself, unless you’ve perfected a rain dance. But attending a Park only to have the heavens open up in an attempt to drown you doesn’t usually make for an ideal day!
But this is only at number five because there are lots of things to do during a cloud burst. Take in one of the longer inside shows. Shop. Eat. Or just take a break back at the Resort. The one good thing about Florida is that if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change! And California is usually pretty sunny, so rain should be the least of your worries.
Number Four: Rushing
If you want to ruin your day at a Park in record time just put on your running shoes and try to break the land speed records to each ride. While you’re at it, you may as well trample some little children and knock over an older person, just to round out the experience.
Sarcasm? Yup. SLOW DOWN! Space Mountain has been blasting visitors into the darkness for decades and it will still be doing so when you arrive. Whether your arrival time is now, later, or tomorrow!
Number Three: Planning
Over or under, either one can ruin your Park experience. Too much planning takes all of the spontaneity out of your day, and too little can find you standing in the Hub wondering which way to go and what to do next!
So plan enough to know where things are, when special events and shows start, and what the average wait times are for the attractions you just have to visit. But think carefully before you FastPass yourself into a straightjacket and book every meal months in advance! Things have a way of popping up and sometimes you just don’t want to eat that burger at exactly 11:34 am.
Leave yourself some wiggle room!
Number Two: Crowds
Sardines. Buffalo herds. Lemmings. What do they all have in common? They travel together. Way too close together, while smelling less than pleasant!
Visiting a Disney Park at peak times is a great way to see the back of thousands of heads as you are pressed between a wave of humanity while simultaneously learning if the woman to your left really has an all-day antiperspirant. She doesn’t. And yes, that is the wheel of a stroller being jammed into your ankle.
Do yourself a favor and NEVER visit a Disney Park at peak times!
Number One: Attitude
By now you’ve probably figured out that I have one. But I’m pretty sure if you visited a Park in peak season, with no plan in place, and started to rush to your favorite attraction, only to have the skies open up and soak you before you got ten steps forward… you’d have an attitude too!
And just like the character Anger in Pixar’s new movie Inside Out, it can be fun to have a bad attitude sometimes! But not at a Disney Park.
No matter what happens, try to keep a positive attitude. How you ask? Remember that being at a Disney Park is better than being almost anywhere else! Think about it: You could be visiting the Dentist. Or at work. Sweating in a gym. Standing in line at the supermarket in the 5-items-or-less line with 10 people ahead of you with 50 items each.
Need I go on? Attitude people. Get yourself a good one!
So there you have it. My picks for the top 5 ways to throw a wet blanket on your Disney Experience. But seriously, don’t use them.
Although I agree with 4 of your ‘wet blankets’, I have a little problem with number 2. Crowds can dampen your vacation, and avoiding them is a good strategy, but sometimes you are not able to choose one of the very few non-peak times of the year to visit Walt Disney World. As a teacher, just about every window of opportunity I have to travel to WDW is crowded. When I’m in the parks with a herd of people I just focus on my surroundings, and take a leisurely approach to touring. Let the lemmings rush, run, dash, and hyperventilate, I’ll just breathe deep and meander around the hoards.
I’ve had to visit at peak times too and found it necessary to take more breaks to avoid a meltdown. Sounds like your positive attitude is working to keep your blanket dry… so to speak!
Thanks for commenting!