How Bad Is It Really? Three Common Disney World Blunders Examined!

Have you ever wondered what the consequences are to some of the most common Disney World errors (either in judgment or in vacation planning!)? We’re talking everything from forgetting to make a reservation to not breaking in your park shoes — and letting you know how bad is it really.

Cinderella Castle at sunset!

Here we’ll examine a few simple mistakes and let you know on a scale of VERY BAD to NOT BAD AT ALL — just how bad is it, really?

Problem: You Didn’t Book an Advance Dining Reservation

Maybe your friends or family have told you horror stories about waking up in the middle of the night to make Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days out for their Disney trips only to find out that all of the table-service restaurants they wanted didn’t have any reservations left. Whether you were too discouraged to attempt making a dining reservation or you just didn’t want to bother with it, this is a common planning blunder.

Hollywood and Vine

How Bad Is It Really?: Not Too Bad!

People change their plans (and minds!) at Disney World all the time. Suddenly that highly-prized Be Our Guest Restaurant reservation that someone coveted three months ago doesn’t seem as important to them in the moment as another ride on Slinky Dog Dash. So yeah, if you’re persistent (and flexible with when you’re willing to eat!) you can sometimes grab a last-minute reservation.

Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom

This is not always the case with uber-popular Disney World hotspots such as Be Our Guest Restaurant, ‘Ohana, Victoria & Albert’s, or Akershus, but we’ve had our diligence pay off by checking, re-checking, and checking AGAIN for canceled reservations. It’s still a lot easier to just book your dining reservations in advance, but if you’re a person who enjoys spontaneity and can’t bring yourself to plan your whole trip 180 days in advance, you have to ask yourself, are you feelin’ lucky?

‘Ohana

Problem: You Bought New Clothes For Your Disney Trip and You’re Wearing Them For The First Time on Vacation

We’re all guilty of making that last-minute trip to the mall to grab a couple “new things” to wear on our trip to Disney so that we feel even cuter and happier on our vacations. But…

Main Street, U.S.A.

How Bad Is It Really?: VERY BAD!!!

Even a low-key trip to Disney World is a high-endurance, high-impact sport. You need to bring articles of clothing to wear that you KNOW and TRUST. Just like the performance gear you may wear when exercising or camping,  you need to know the limitations of your attire — and that’s pretty hard to do if you’ve never worn the stuff before!

Disney Merchandise at Blizzard Beach Water Park

You might not realize your new shorts are chaffing you or too tight around the waistband after all those Mickey pretzels and hot fudge sundaes! You should bring shoes that have already been broken in and you’ve worn to places like the mall or the zoo where you’ve walked and stood on your feet for SEVERAL hours comfortably. You should also bring a backup pair in case your first pair gets wet or if your feet get sore in the first.

Disney x Native Shoes

Shirts and pants should be loose-fitting, preferably light in color to reflect the sun’s rays, and breathable. Also, make sure you bring some pants and long sleeves along just in case the weather turns chilly or you get some unexpected sunburn you’ll need to protect! If all else fails, you can always buy a nice long sleeve at the gift shop!

Problem: You Lost Your MagicBand

You’re not sure whether it flew off on Space Mountain or slipped away during your ‘it’s a small world’ cruise. Either way, your MagicBand has gone MIA.

Magic Band Scan

How Bad Is It Really?: NOT BAD AT ALL

Believe it or not, this happens all the time at Disney World, and there’s a protocol for it! Should you realize you misplaced your MagicBand, don’t panic. No one can purchase anything with your MagicBand’s credit card feature without the secret four-digit passcode you’ve chosen. Also, no one can use your MagicBand to enter the Disney parks because of the two-step verification process which also requires your fingerprint.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Entrance

You’ll want to deactivate your MagicBand on the My Disney Experience app as soon as you feel certain that your MagicBand is missing and likely won’t be coming back. If you’re unsure or uncomfortable doing this yourself, you can visit Guest Relations at any of the parks or your resort. A Cast Member will be happy to help you remove the lost MagicBand from your account and get you set up with a new one. It’s super easy-peasy and typically won’t cost you a lot of time, thankfully!

©Disney

And, you can easily use your phone as a backup with Disney’s new MagicMobile feature in the My Disney Experience app. All you need to do is set up MagicMobile through the app and link your park passes to the account and bam — you’ve got a MagicBand on your phone! Plus, you can even link your PhotoPass+ images to your account through the feature too!

Turn your phone into your MagicBand! © Disney

So, if you find yourself in any of these situations, take a deep breath and move forward. You can fix most things that go wrong when you’re visiting Disney World and still enjoy the rest of your vacation!

What are some other Disney World mistakes that you’d like us to cover in future “How Bad Is It Really?” posts? Let us know in the comments section!

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4 Replies to “How Bad Is It Really? Three Common Disney World Blunders Examined!”

  1. A trip to WDW now requires planning and logistics akin to a military campaign. Who wants to spend their day at Disney World with their face in the app, frantically searching for an opening at a restaurant, or a last-second FastPass? It’s no longer fun, it’s just a giant game.

    1. I’m with you, but there are a boat load of people that seem to enjoy all of the planning more then they do the vacation itself. Crazy.

      1. You’re right. I read messages all the time from people who like everything planned out. I’m assuming most of them are newcomers and don’t realize what it was like before. I’m a planner, but I hate having to plan Disney World details 6 months out. Heck, I planned a two week trip to Hawaii last year and it was so much easier.

  2. I rarely do much advanced planning. I think we had one ADR for last trip (because we wanted to make sure to have those V&A’s v reservations) and just a couple fast passes (because we really wanted to not wait 3 hrs for FOP).. This was mid July and it really wasn’t that bad. A couple of long waits, but evening EMH helped as well..