A couple months ago, Doctor Disney brought you five obvious things that everyone needs to realize at Walt Disney World. All five of them are incredibly important to remember and always keep close in your mind while being in the parks or even at your resort, but they aren’t the only things you need to realize.
Now, here are five more obvious things that everyone needs to realize while at Walt Disney World. No, they aren’t obvious to be mean or anything like that, but they can be quite helpful pieces of advice.
Some of these things you may already realize and know, but not everyone does. All of the things you’ll read are questions that have come my way or I’ve simply heard them before and know they are real situations.
Believe it or not, remembering this type of information could not only make your Disney vacation that much better, but they could also keep your stress level to an all-time minimum.
1.) A ticket is not needed for Disney Springs
No, you really don’t. Sure, there are some things at DTD and Disney West Side that require a ticket such as a concert at House of Blues of La Nouba or DisneyQuest, but not everything. You are more than welcome to go to restaurants, walk through all the shops, enjoy people-watching, and a whole host of other things.
Get this, you don’t even need to pay for parking if you don’t want valet. That’s right, Downtown Disney can be a complete and totally free experience to enjoy unless you’re buying stuff or enjoying some great food.
It’s a fantastic location to spend the evening or the whole day for little cost.
2.) It REALLY is recommended to get your Disney Dining reservations at 180 days out
On numerous occasions, I’ve gotten emails asking me, “I booked my Disney Vacation just now, and it’s just three months away, do you think I’ll be able to get a reservation for Be Our Guest?”
No, probably not, but you can keep trying and you may get lucky.
The complaining and the whining and the “That’s not fair” comments…there is a reason that Disney gives you that 180-day mark to start making your reservations and highly recommends that you do just that. Know what, you should.
Let it be known that at the 180-day mark, guests can make reservations for up to 10 days of their vacation past that point. So, it’s almost like a 180-190 day mark and that can limit dining reservations even more.
If you book your vacation within 180 days, it’s highly probable that a lot of what you want, dining wise, will be gone. Yes, you can still get what you want at times…but it will never truly be 100% easy. Make it as easy as you can on yourself though…and do it at 180 days out on the dot.
3.) Cast Members are not your babysitters unless it’s their job and you pay them for it
Having worked at both Walt Disney World and The Disney Store…I was often thought of as a babysitter, but only took that position for one night back in the summer of 2000 for overtime. Don’t leave your kids somewhere for a Cast Member to watch them or “keep an eye on them” while you head off and have a meal or go on an attraction that your little ones may be too small to get on.
On numerous occasions, I’ve seen kids left by their parents in the general vicinity of Cast Members. I’ve heard children be told by parents to sit in one spot, don’t go anywhere, and if you need anything, ask a “Disney person.”
Yes, that really happens – Expect a “Tales of a Former Cast Member” soon.
For one, Cast Members are not your babysitters unless it’s their scheduled job and you’re paying them for their services. Second of all, you are really confident enough to leave your child somewhere and think no-one will take them or they can’t get hurt?
Parents of the century, right there.
4.) No, you really can’t share a buffet or plate of food at a table service restaurant on the dining plan
You know that Disney is a business, right?
No matter if you think Disney is expensive or costs too much or “has enough money,” they still are a business. So no, you can’t split a buffet between two people or order one meal and split it between two people when you’re on the Disney Dining Plan.
Now, if you’re not on a dining plan of any kind and want to order one meal off the menu to split, then feel free. But if you are using dining credits, order one meal, and both people are eating it? Then, you’re going to get charged two dining credits.
As for the buffets or family style restaurants like Chef Mickey’s, ‘Ohana, and Liberty Tree Tavern…if you eat, you pay…dining plan or not. You’re not allowed to order one buffet, grab one plate, and bring enough to the table for your significant other or family.
Don’t try to get something by people. If you can’t afford those meals, that’s ok. There are plenty of other options.
Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, this has changed as much as I believe it shouldn’t have. No, you can’t share buffets, but Disney does now allow the sharing of credits.
5.) The in-ground water fountains/displays are not water parks
You’ve surely seen them by now at Epcot and Downtown Disney, most noticeably. Kids are going to run through them, get soaking wet, and have a grand old time for a few minutes. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever. That’s why they aren’t fountains surrounded by walls and are accessible by all.
Now, don’t strip down your children to their diapers, underwear, or even naked…and let them play in the fountain. If you want to throw a bathing suit on them, then that still isn’t truly acceptable, but it is ok.
Anything other or less than a bathing suit, and it’s just not right. I’ve actually heard parents tell their children that these fountains are “water parks.”
No…no, they’re not.
They are very temporary cool-down areas for kids to get wet and laugh and smile. They aren’t a place for your child to stay in for hours while they run around in just underwear.
About the 180 day out ADR’s. I would much rather see Disney revert back to the old system of booking your dining reservations one day at a time and I will tell you why. The current system is completely flawed. First, say my 180+10 ADR window began this morning June 30th. I go and get online promptly at 6am. I attempt to make a reservation at oh let’s say Be Our Guest and of course it is gone. I try and get any day of my trip at Be Our Guest, and to my luck, I cannot get a reservation. The reason…anyone who has a booking window a day or more prior to mine and our trips overlap, which they all do, has been making reservations before my booking window opened up, taking all of the reservations before I had a chance to make mine. Conversely, I begin making my reservations ahead of someone whose booking window does not open until tomorrow July 1, getting my reservations in before they even have a chance to make theirs. Now, with the old system everybody had the same fighting chance of getting a reservation because you could only book 1 day of your trip at a time from the first day of your 180 days out. This eliminated the chance of overlapping vacations, which they all are, from taking reservations before someone whose booking window would be one day after theirs. All I am saying is there has to be a fairer way of doing this because the current system does not work if you cannot get a reservation when you are on the phone or online promptly when your booking window opens up.
Understand your point entirely, but you do realize the incredible amounts of extra work that the old system put on Cast Members correct? Not to mention having someone have to call on the phone every single day for the duration of their trip. I understand your point of “fighting chances,” and all that…but it’s truly impractical. It was then and still is now.
I understand, but there has to be a better way. IF they can spend 2+Billion on My Magic Plus, then there has to be a way for someone to get a reservation at 6am eastern on the the morning of their booking window for a restaurant at some point in there trip window. I can understand maybe not the first day of the trip because of overlap, but this happened on a 10 day trip.
I cannot believe parents would just leave their children like in #3. That’s appalling!