Nothing’s perfect, not even a trip to Disney World.
For the last 50+ years, the “Most Magical Place on Earth” has been a definitive vacation destination for millions of visitors. However, planning a trip to Disney World can get pretty overwhelming, and if you don’t plan it right, you might even have some regrets from your stay. Speaking of that, I’ve made a few mistakes along the way, so let’s talk about some of the Disney World regrets I have, so that you can avoid them on your next trip!
As we were saying, I’ve got a couple of Disney World regrets that I want to go over in the hopes that you can avoid them on your next trip!
Going to Animal Kingdom on a Rainy Day
Okay, here’s my first regret: Going to Animal Kingdom on a rainy day. That’s a rookie mistake, right? But seriously, I thought, “How bad can it be?” Well, turns out, pretty bad.
Animal Kingdom is such an outdoor-focused park (think Pandora, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, etc.), so when it’s raining, a lot of the magic is lost.
You’re either drenched or constantly dodging puddles. Also, the animals on the safari don’t seem too thrilled about the rain either.
If the forecast looks grim, I’d recommend hitting up a park with more indoor attractions like Magic Kingdom or EPCOT instead.
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Planning Way Too Much in One Day
Here’s another classic Disney World mistake I made — overplanning. I thought I was a pro, but no, I really overdid it. One day, I had two dining reservations, plus Lightning Lanes for several rides, and then I booked a dessert party for fireworks (I’m tired just trying to say it all!).
By mid-afternoon, I was straight-up exhausted, running from one thing to the next without even stopping to enjoy the little moments.
Honestly, less is more when it comes to Disney World. Give yourself time to soak it all in, people-watch, or even just take a breather without feeling like you’re in The Amazing Race: Disney Edition.
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Sit-Down Meals…Day After Day After Day
Now, I love Disney food as much as the next person, but by day three, I was so over sit-down meals. They take a lot of time, and when you’re doing it multiple times a day, you start to feel like all you’re doing is eating!
So, if you don’t want to make my mistake, I highly recommend mixing it up with some quick-service meals or even bringing some snacks with you to munch on throughout the day.
Some quick-service eateries we’d recommend include Columbia Harbour House at the Magic Kingdom, Regal Eagle Smokehouse at EPCOT, Woody’s Lunch Box at Hollywood Studios, and Satu’li Canteen at Animal Kingdom.
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Making Dining Reservations at EPCOT During a Festival
Now, this one really hurt. If you’re going to EPCOT during a festival, whether it’s Food & Wine, Flower & Garden, Festival of the Arts, or Festival of the Holidays, make sure you don’t make sit-down dining reservations!
I made the mistake of booking a fancy meal, but with all the amazing food booths, I wasn’t even hungry when it came time for dinner. The festival food is so much fun because you can try a little of everything. So my recommendation is to skip the reservations and indulge in all those festival eats instead!
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Not Booking a Preferred Room at a Value Resort
Last, but not least, my regret was not booking a preferred room at a value resort. I stayed at one of the budget resorts, and while it was great, I was in the furthest building from the main lobby, food court, and transportation.
After walking like 30,000 steps that day in the parks, the last thing I wanted to do was walk another 15 minutes just to get to my room.
If you can swing it, definitely book a preferred room. It’ll save your feet and your sanity!
Those are just a few of the Disney World regrets I have, but you live and you learn — am I right?!
Now we’d love to hear from you down in the comments! Until then, keep it right here at AllEars for all the latest Disney news.
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What Disney World regrets do you have? Share your thoughts with us down in the comments!
The one thing I would say is this: if you are planning to go to one of the Festivals (Flower and Garden or Food and Wine), and you know it will be crowded, don’t get the idea you can easily sample food at the kiosks instead of coming with a reservation for a sit down restaurant. We thought that, but the lines at the kiosks were so long, we only waited in one as that line was 30 minutes long. And wound up eating at Connections Cafe, a far less interesting and appealing place than the kiosks or sit down places. So dining that way would mean a longer wait than most rides.
Right, Saturday evening in nice weather is not the night to decide “hey, think I’ll eat at the Food & Wine kiosks for dinner tonight.”