So, Shawn and I went to Disney a few weeks ago. It was Shawn’s inaugural voyage to the Most Magical Place on Earth, and get this: we did the parks in ONE DAY. We did 3/4 of the Parks with our good friend Kat, and after getting back home (and helping Shawn ice his feet from the 13 mile day) we decided to offer our tips and tricks for the day on the podcast, but in case you missed it or just prefer to read the tips, I have them here for you. We visited Disney right after school started back for kiddos in January, 10/10 would recommend the timing. Here are the pics and the tips!
1. Make a Plan, But Not a Concrete One— I am a crazy planner lady, but I am here to tell you that Disney is an ever-changing place. Making a concrete plan for Disney is a one-way ticket to stress city. For our one day trip, we laid out a game plan for in which order we would visit the parks, with the key things we wanted to do. We rope dropped at Animal Kingdom and beelined for Flights of Passage. We knew, of course, that this ride would have the longest wait, so we wanted to get it out of the way before we got our momentum going. We missed out on Hollywood Studios, vowing to return when the waits for Galaxy’s Edge weren’t insane. We went around the world at EPCOT, had fast-passes for Magic Kingdom and knew we wouldn’t miss the fireworks. So, having a loose plan, but a flexible schedule to improvise is something I would recommend.
2. Dress Comfortably — If you’re maximizing your day at the park, dress comfortably. In January, I was so comfortable in leggings, a t-shirt, and a jacket. My One Day In Disney Trips are always the longest days of my life, so I put layers and comfort over everything. Lots of walking and standing. Lots.
3. Tennis Shoes — One thing that Shawn couldn’t get over was all of the insensible footwear we saw in the Parks. Wear running or walking shoes. Shawn chats about some specific sneaker brands on the podcast to look out for if you’re really looking to hit the Parks hard, whether for a day or a week.
4. Cameras— Okay, this is a mistake I think we made. Bring a tiny camera, or use your phone. I brought along my camera with the big lens, and I TOTALLY wish I would have just trusted my iPhone 11+ to take the photos. If you’ve got smaller, wide angle lenses, totally opt for that. If you’re there for longer than a few days with more than a small group, INVEST IN THE MEMORY MAKER. Those PhotoPass Photographers will hook you up with stellar photos. (They’ll also take photos with your camera of phone if you ask- even without the MM package).
5. Water Bottles— I brought my Hydroflask and a little bit of snack prep for us. There’s free ice water in the parks, and it’s always good to pack the munchies for when you catch the munchies in line. It also will save you about a million dollars.
Those are my Top 5 tips for doing Disney World in one day. We go into more detail on the podcast— sharing what we did through the whole day- but this is the TLDL (Too Long Didn’t Listen) Version. What can I say except You’re Welcome?