11 Kinda Embarrassing Mistakes You're Making in Disney World (Don't Worry, I'll Keep It Between Us)

You’re EMBARRASSING yourself in Disney World…but that’s okay, I’ve done it too!

We’ve all committed faux pas in the name of attempting to achieve the perfect Disney World vacation…but no longer! Today, I’m breaking down a list of common mistakes our team sees people making in Disney World to help you avoid getting embarrassed on your trip.

1. Asking Cast Members About Lightning Lanes in the Park

Disney World’s Lightning Lane skip-the-line service can be very helpful in trimming down your wait times for rides and attractions, but the kicker is that it’s most effective when you plan in advance. If you’re walking up to rides and asking Cast Members how to get in the Lightning Lane, you’re definitely making a mistake with your planning.

Lightning Lane bookings open 7 days before your check-in day if you’re staying on property, and they open 3 days before your park day if you’re staying off property. You’ll DEFINITELY want to book with those timelines in mind because popular attractions fill up quickly. There’s only a limited amount of availability each day.

2. Buying Park Tickets at the Entrance

Another embarrassing example of not planning in advance is buying your theme park tickets at the gate, especially later in the day. Ticket prices can often cost more when purchased at the gate instead of online in advance, and they could even be sold out before you arrive.

Ticket window at the Transportation and Ticket Center

We’ve even seen entire families purchasing park tickets for the day at 2PM, and we can’t help but feel bad for them, thinking that they’re not getting their money’s worth. These are often the same families that did very little research ahead of time and probably won’t get to accomplish as much with their park day.

3. Walking Around with Wet Pants

There are SO many ways your clothes can get wet in Disney World, but chief among those methods are water rides and bad weather. And when it comes to replacing messy clothes in the parks, pants are the most difficult clothing item to find.

So we highly recommend bringing backup clothes if you’re planning to go on boat rides or visit during the rainy season. It’s also a great idea to have a backup pair of bottoms just in case you spill ice cream on your lap…not that we’ve ever done that before. 🙃

4. Having to Buy Warmer Clothes in the Park

Also, in terms of dressing properly for the parks, make sure you’re checking the weather ahead of time! Many people assume that because it’s Florida, it never gets cold here. That’s simply not true! It’s a little embarrassing to find yourself purchasing a sweatshirt in the evening when you only packed shorts and t-shirts.

The key to surviving the winter here is to dress in layers! Remove the jackets midday when the sun is hot, but put them back on at nightfall for the fireworks.

5. Walking to Rides to Check Wait Times

If there’s ONE big tip I’d give anyone going to Disney World, it would be to download the My Disney Experience app and USE it during your visit. These days, it’s embarrassing to be the family that walks from ride to ride, checking wait times on the physical signs. Save yourself some steps and check in the app for free!

It’s just super awkward to walk all the way across the park from Frontierland to Tomorrowland only to find that Space Mountain is a 75-minute wait, and you don’t have the time to hop in line before your dinner reservation. Trust us, you’ll be grateful you checked digitally first.

6. Not Knowing (Or Obeying) Your Alcohol Threshold

We understand that EPCOT is known for its “drink around the world” challenge, but if you’re going to imbibe in the parks, we strongly recommend you know your limit and abide by it. If you can’t handle 11 drinks around the park in one day, then it’s 100% okay to STOP.

The same goes for the other parks as well. Keep in mind that these are family-friendly places, and Cast Members can cut you off if you’re going too far. If it truly gets out of hand, you could be asked to leave. Don’t ruin your vacation or anyone else’s!

7. Not Checking Park Hours Before You Go

One thing many people don’t realize is that Disney World park hours can fluctuate day to day. During the holiday season, parks can often close early for events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Jollywood Nights, but early park closures can technically happen any time of year.

For example, Magic Kingdom often closes early at 4:30PM at least once a year to host a celebration for Cast Members who’ve been working for Disney for several years. If you don’t check the hours before your visit, you’d be pretty embarrassed to find that you had a lot less park time than you thought you did.

8. Not Checking Attraction Hours

In a similar vein, some Disney World attractions close earlier than others. Many shows have shortened hours (and only specific showtimes), and several offerings in Animal Kingdom in particular close early, like the animal trails and Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Basically, if there’s a ride, show, character meet, or attraction that’s on your must-do list, you should definitely check its hours and showtimes at the beginning of the day.

9. Waiting in Line for the Bathroom When You Don’t Have to

This one is a little bit niche, and it’s not always applicable, but there have been a few times when I’ve found myself waiting in line for a bathroom when waiting wasn’t necessary. Some larger restrooms in Disney World actually have two aisles of stalls, and the people at the front of the line don’t always walk to the other end to see what’s available.

If you’re holding up the line for no reason, it can be pretty embarrassing. So if you’re next waiting for a stall, don’t forget to double-check!

10. Buying Bottled Water

If we told you to bring one item to Disney World (besides your phone), it would probably be a water bottle for each person in your party! Refillable bottles are pretty much necessary for a long park day because it’s so easy to get dehydrated in Disney World.

If you don’t bring your own water, you’ll find yourself spending way too much money to buy bottled water in the parks. You can also get free cups of water at quick service restaurants, but sometimes it can taste weird to people who aren’t used to “Florida water.”

11. Asking Around at the Restaurants About Availability

Finally, we’ve got to talk about dining! This is another thing that can be chalked up to a lack of planning — asking all the host’s stands at restaurants about last-minute dining availability. We highly recommend making sit-down reservations when they drop for your trip, 60 days in advance.

If you don’t make plans in advance, the next easiest way to check and see what’s available is through the My Disney Experience app. You can often find day-of reservations for less popular spots or join the Walk-Up Waitlist digitally if it’s not too crowded.

Even if you’ve made some of these mistakes, you can still have a good trip! But planning in advance can help you SIGNIFICANTLY in that endeavor.