At Believe Vacations, we pride ourselves with the self-titled label of “expert.” We like to think we know everything our clients would want us to know and more. But sometimes, the clients will return from a trip or make a statement in the booking process that we tip our hats and say “great point.” And that’s what brings us to today’s article:
Welcome to Believe Vacations’ Weekly Post where today, we let some of our clients share their thoughts as we post some of the best advice we’ve heard from them in recent months. For this article, we simply asked recent clients if they had any advice, tips, second-guesses they came up with on their recent trips and share that with us. We decided to publish the best ones and provide a little detail for each.
Crowds
“I’m so glad we went during a slow time of the year.” – Slow times (January, February, Early May, Late September, Early December) are cost-efficient and lighter in overall crowds but that may mean shorter park hours and more refurbishments.
“First-time families need a travel day and 1 more to get use to everything.” – It can be overwhelming and when you have the whole world at your fingertips, you want to soak it all in while at the same time, doing it all. Unfortunately, you can’t, but you can have arrival and departure days open and also take a day in between the parks to rest.
“I’m glad we kept the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointment at the Disney Springs location instead of the Magic Kingdom because there was no crowd!” – Plus you don’t need the park admission price neither!
Dining
“We will never book again without some type of meal plan.” – Meal plans may feel like Disney nickel-and-diming you, but if you’re on a plan, there is less stress and in some cases, it’ll be a huge savings. Plus the options are plentiful.
“Sit down meals are so much better than quick service.” – Sit down meals give you a chance to rest, be waited on, enjoy finer cuisines and possibly dine with a favorite character. Quick-service is great if you’re needing a brief bite before heading back to the attractions.
“Rainforest Cafe (even though less appealing at Disney) is still great.” – Themed restaurants outside of Disney (say, at the beach) are a ton of fun and very desirable, but at Disney, they get lost in the shuffle. Apparently though, if you’re a fan of one franchise, it will always be good regardless where it is in this world.
“Build up meal and snack credits and cash them in final day at the Food and Wine Festival.” – This annual Epcot event features incredible dishes and treats and beverages from all over the world. To try them all by paying out of pocket might result in a hefty tab. With a healthy amount of unused snack credits on any dining plan, you can cash them in at will.
Wait Times
“If your child is autistic, make sure you know about the special return time policy.” – Disney is always looking after those who need assistance and for these friends, you can receive a time to come back to the attraction so the autistic family member does not have to wait in the queue. Amazing service!
“Use the app for seeing wait times.” – With the My Disney Experience on your mobile device, you can look at menus, showtimes, character locations and more, but you’ll be draining your battery daily when you keep pulling up the wait times so you can maximize your riding time.
“Get into the parks early in the mornings because you can get more done.” – It feels counter-intuitive to arise early on vacation but Disney makes it worth it. Some days, due to the magic of Extra Magic Hours, your park of choice for the day will open early for you and fellow resort guests. If it’s normal open time, getting in first thing will allow you to knock out the more desired attractions before the late arrivals hit the turnstiles.
“Have breakfast at 8 at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios, finish early and jump in line for Jedi Training.” – This person should be an agent! This is a very good tip that allows you to book a character dining meal, get in the park early and hit up one of the biggest attractions in the parks with limited wait. Sounds like great advice to me!
Resorts
“Next time, we’re going to stay Deluxe.” – If you can afford it, Deluxe is an amazing resort category that has tremendous amenities, consistent transportation (possibly including the monorail), incredible pools with slides, quality dining and exquisite theming. You definitely get more with more!
“Next time, we will spend more to stay somewhere with more transportation options.” – Every resort has bus transportation but some have boat transportation, others have the monorail, and yet others are within walking distance. Choose wisely!
Who to bring
“In-laws and grandparents will pay some of your overall amount if you invite them!” – Yes, grandparents love spoiling their grandchildren and that includes trips to Disney. Even though you may have to put up with those pesky in-laws, it may be worth it to knock off a thousand dollars or two.
Location
“I’m disappointed I didn’t give Disneyland a chance sooner” – We definitely sell a lot more Walt Disney World packages but people love Disneyland too and it’s definitely something we’ve been wanting to push more to people. So give it a try. But who to book with?
