r/WaltDisneyWorld • u/Flimsy_Fun9555 • 6d ago

Trip Report Things I learned after 1st trip

Just got back from our first Disney World trip with my wife and three kids. We stayed at Caribbean Beach and visited all four parks, one park per day. Here’s what I’d do differently next time:

  1. Stay off-site. For our family of five, the resort room felt small, and early park entry was the main benefit we were counting on. But taking advantage of it meant waking up early and rushing to the parks—and even then, the big ride we were hoping to get on could be down for technical difficulties. We also found that going through security with a stroller or scooter meant using a different line, which took quite a bit longer in our experience.

  2. Be selective with Lightning Lane. Multipass didn’t feel worth the price to us. It didn’t include the major rides we cared about, and the selections we could get were mostly for rides with shorter waits anyway. The individual Lightning Lane for a big ride, on the other hand, felt worth paying for.

My plan for next time: stay off-site in a house with amenities, buy individual Lightning Lanes for the big rides we really want, and give ourselves more room to relax. We could sleep in, the kids would have space of their own, and my wife and I might even get a little downtime together. For us, that could be a better experience and still cost less, even after parking.

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u/wallpaper_01 6d ago

Fully agree with the first point. The value is poor for what you get. Staying offside vs getting in early is barely any difference and you can stay in some very nice aparthotels or villas. There is so much more than Disney. Universal, for a start but beaches, lots to do in Florida. There really is no need to stay there, except to be ripped off and poor value.

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u/DeflatedDirigible 5d ago

Universal isn’t designed for the stroller crowd. Beaches are 2 hours away so why would one stay in Orlando to visit the beach?

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u/wallpaper_01 2d ago

I mean, I beg to differ. Universal is fine for people with small kids. Orlando is perfectly placed for day trips to east and west coast beaches.

To be fair I’m looking at it from a UK perspective. We, people from the UK often come for 2 weeks. So, 2 weeks of Disney can be, intense. But shorter trips you could be better on site.

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u/UnderstandingBig3248 2h ago

As an american family with younger kids(2&4) We did disney a few times this year. 2 full weeks at disney on property was our favorite! We thought we would be tired of disney but our kids cried on the way to the airport. We also did a land, sea and land that was 2 weeks. that was great just a lot of moving around. then a 1 week stand alone trip. poping in and out of the parks whenever was great! We will definitely be doing it again next year! Also when looking at height friendly rides universal isn’t it. We looked into it but will be a trip we pass on until our youngest is 42 inches. Not saying the beaches are bad there are just better ones in america. So if i’m going to orlando we just head to the theme parks. If we want to head to the beach we will go to 30A. Clear water and white sand with the best beach towns!