We go to Disney World like it’s our job (because it is), and even we make BIG mistakes sometimes!
We’ve been to Disney World countless times. But even as seasoned Disney-goers, we still make some painful mistakes sometimes. From packing errors to just letting our excitement get the best of us, here are five Disney World mistakes that still haunt us to this day!
Making a Table Service Reservation During an EPCOT Festival
EPCOT is home to four major festivals throughout the year. The EPCOT Festival of the Arts typically runs through part of January and February, followed by the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival in late winter and spring, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival in the fall, and the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays at the end of the year.
The seasonal festivals include lots of unique offerings, like special entertainment and themed merchandise. But a central part of each festival are the food booths located throughout the park that feature literally hundreds of festival-specific food and drinks.
With so many festival-exclusive treats to try, snacking our way around the festivals is always a highlight for us. But we have to admit, in the past we’ve definitely overcommitted and made an EPCOT table service reservation while there was already a festival happening in the park.
Having a big table service meal during our day then put us in the tough spot of deciding whether to skip out on a lot of the festival eats we had our eye on, or risk overeating and making ourselves feel sick. If only we had held off on snagging that tempting reservation!
Granted, EPCOT festivals do happen throughout much of the year, so if you have a particular restaurant on your bucket list, you might have to try to snag that reservation even if there is a festival during your vacation. But if you love to explore the food booths like us, learn from our mistake and try to keep your dining options open if your trip falls during an EPCOT festival!
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Poor Rain Preparation
When it comes to Florida weather, we’ve learned that it’s best to be prepared for a pop-up storm at any time. That’s why we were so disappointed in ourselves when we arrived at our Disney World hotel for a trip and realized we forgot to pack our ponchos and umbrellas!
Disney World does sell rain gear around the resort of course, but it’s more expensive than you’d find from Amazon or Target. Plus, if you have a particular poncho brand or style that you find comfortable, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got what you need!
Another mistake we’ve made when it comes to poor rain preparation is getting on an outdoor attraction right before it started to rain — hard. On one visit, we hopped on Slinky Dog Dash right before a major downpour hit. The skies opened up while we were on the ride, and since we were stuck there until the ride ended, we ended up SOAKED by the time we made it back.
Luckily, we had a change of clothes with us at the time. But if we didn’t it could have meant being stuck with soggy clothes for hours. If you’re getting ready to ride an outdoor attraction like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest, or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, be sure to keep an eye on the weather throughout the day and plan accordingly!
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Going on Mission: SPACE Right After Eating
We’ve already touched on how much great food there is to eat around EPCOT, especially when there’s a festival happening. But if you want to ride Mission: SPACE during your park day, it’s important to strategize your meals accordingly!
For the uninitiated, Mission: SPACE is a simulated space adventure that’s commonly considered one of the most intense rides in all of Disney World. And even though you can choose between a more intense (Orange) or less intense (Green) mission, even the less intense option might still bother guests prone to motion sickness — or those who have just eaten their way around the Food & Wine Festival.
But what were we to do when we realized our day was nearing an end and we still wanted to ride Mission: SPACE despite the fact that we had just had an undisclosed number of snacks?? Spoiler alert: We ended up feeling majorly sick after trying to take on this attraction for a full stomach, and we wish we had just put it off until our next EPCOT visit!
If Mission: SPACE is on your must-do list, learn from our mistake and try to fit it into your day early, BEFORE you’ve had a big meal!
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Wearing the Wrong Outfit
It’s important to dress for comfort in Disney World, considering the amount of walking we typically do in the parks. We’ve made just about every mistake in the book when it comes to choosing the wrong outfit and we’re here to save you from the same fate!
The shoes you wear are a major part of the equation. We’ve learned from experience to avoid options like new styles we’ve never tried before, shoes with no support, sandals without straps, and non-broken-in sneakers for our Disney park days.
We’ve also had some struggles with wearing jeans in the parks. Even if it’s a normally cool month in other parts of the country, it can still get hot in Florida during months like October and March, so be careful about packing only jeans. Also, we’ve found that jean shorts can cause chafing, so make sure whatever pants or shorts you go with can stand up to LOTS of walking and still be comfortable!
Nothing can put a damper on our Disney day quite like discomfort — or even pain — from a poorly planned outfit choice. Make sure whatever outfit you wear to the parks is a tried-and-true comfortable choice that won’t take away from your fun!
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Going From Park Open to Park Close with No Breaks
As huge Disney fans, we like to fit as much into our park days as possible. But our excitement has definitely come back to bite us in the past!
Between the Florida heat and humidity, tons of walking, and the break in our normal routine, Disney World days take a lot out of us, despite how fun they are. That’s why we’ve learned the hard way that our bodies can’t handle a rope drop to park close day without some built-in breaks!
The exact “type” of break we need can vary from case to case, but if we’re planning a long park day, we try to fit some kind of rest break. It might be a trip back to our hotel for a nap, a table service meal for some extended time to sit and relax, or even just a stop by a longer, seated show like Festival of the Lion King or Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage.
On the occasions where we’ve tried to push ourselves without a rest break, we’ve ended up with disasters from dehydration to emotional meltdowns. Take it from us, sacrificing a little bit of time for a rest is well worth the alternative!
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If you go to Disney World often enough, you’re bound to make a few mistakes — just take it from us. Hopefully, the ghosts of our haunting mistakes can help you better plan your next trip to make sure it’s as magical as possible!
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What is your most haunting Disney World mistake? Share with us in the comments!
I have to disagree with the first one. After spending an entire afternoon trying to find a seat to enjoy our festival there’s nothing I want more at the end of my night than to sit down & let someone wait on me in the air conditioning. But we only do festival food for lunch. I thought this wouldn’t be such an issue with the opening of Communicore Hall but I was wrong.