What First Time Tip Did You Listen to and You're Glad you Did?

I think the one that helped us the most was to schedule nap time, even if you're all adults!
On our honeymoon, we went back to our resort every afternoon and took a shower (it was August, so we needed it!) and just vegged out or napped for an hour or two before making our evening ADRs. We felt so great and were never dragging by the end of the night for the fireworks or late-night touring.
Our second trip, we thought we could get away with out it - it was June, so less hot, and we didn't feel so bad after lunch so we would push it. And man, was that a mistake - especially waiting for the buses at night after Wishes...

Also, the whole comfy shoes thing - I had brought a pair of sport sandals that I wore every day, all day and were fine at home - I guess the miles and miles on concrete were different, and my feet were killing me. My poor feet got so swollen, I had to buy a pair of flip flops because the straps on the other shoes wouldn't fit any more.... Ugh!

Believe it or not, I had never heard of the Dole Whip before I logged into the forum...Now its a must have on every trip!

Not trying to do everything your first trip. Knowing that let us have a relaxed and wonderful vacation and seeing stuff we didn't get to experience made my husband say he wanted to go again. Of course there is still stuff we have not seen or done yet so he continues to want to go back 77 days to go!

The one thing I was told (even though I didnt want to believe it to be true) is you cant do everything! It is impossible to do everything that Disney has to offer... Im sure people who work there havent done everything!

It leaves you wanting to come back more and more though

You don't have to watch the parades standing on Main Street. There's usually more room and better viewing in Liberty Square to the end of the route.

ride the rides during the fireworks!!! We did and no lines.

Watch the second parade during MVMCP. I was able to see some of the shows and ride some rides during the first parade with not a lot of crowds.

Mine was GET THE PARK HOPPER PASSES!

I don't like being committed to one thing (excepting Joe ) and I was so glad to have that flexibility. I would not have thought about it the first time I went.

One of the coolest treats!

Mine came from one of those books. They always said if there are two paths... go to the left. When in a park... go left. On a ride and splits... go left. Why? Because I guess most people in the world are right handed, and because of that, so is their mentality. So without knowing... everyone goes right out of instinct (Thats why if you notice when you visit the Magic Kingdom.... the bridge to enter Tomorrow Land is twice as big as the Adventure Land). Try it next time.... seriously... its the one little tip I STILL use today if its available.

I was about to say the exact same thing! It wasn't a tip we picked up until 2 or 3 trips ago but it's been invaluable ever since! So obvious too once you know it!

Probably one of the first tips we ever picked up and and stuck with to this day was to take our own water bottles (like the ones you'd use for the gym/running etc) and fill from the fountains during the day. It's saved us a fortune over the years!

Mine wasn't exactly on my first trip..but Dave and I went on a trip and the second we got home I joined a forum a learned a lot! The net time we went I learned about the magic of Disney Table Service. I did even know you could eat at sit down restaurants. I had no idea they exsisted! The next trip I had 3 reservations and I was ready to go...it was the bet trip ever!

this is what I was going to share! We now go left at every park we visit except Magic Kingdom. Since we have a toddler and want to get to Fantasyland right away, we head straight as fast as we can!!

this is a good one i have so many suggestions for different things depending on who is going, where they are staying, what the budget is, wow there are so many things i have learned the hard way as i am sure so many of you have. i would be happy to share any of them if anybody has any specific details there is just too much to think of off the top of my head

Which side do you start at? Small World or closer to the bumper cars? If you say Small World... your still going to the left... he he he

If at all possible, wear cargo shorts/pants (or anything with lots of pockets). Take a small folding backpack (folded, of course) in one of the pockets. I put my tickets, ID, credit cards in one pocket, my phone in another, and take only the electronic key to my car. That way I can go thru the guest w/o bags line. Once I'm inside, I can take the backpack out and put everything in it. A collapsible water bottle would be nice, but for now I make do with water fountains (and Dole Whip.)

Haha, we always go to Dumbo right away!

lol

Fastpasses, fastpasses, fastpasses. Use them! They really do save a lot of time. When we go into a park we have specific rides we head right to to grab one and go ahead and ride if the line is reasonable that early. These are the fastpasses we grab in the parks each morning.

MK = Space Mountain (go ahead and ride or head to Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mt) Epcot = Soaring (go ahead and ride) AK = Expedition Everest (go ahead and ride or head to Safari, Dinosaur) HS = Toy Story Mania (head to Rockin' Roller coaster, Tower of Terror)

COMFORTABLE SHOES ARE A MUST
Arrive early
Have a plan
Rest when tired
Park hopper passes

RIMouse nailed it. The only thing I would add, especially when travelling with children, "A chain is only as good as its weakest link". In other words travels at your childrens pace. Schedule rest time/ nap time everyday. If the kids are young, don't stay at the parks too late. When our kids were young we would always arrive early (30 minutes before the park opens. We would always have a plan. The plan would usually consist of maybe 6 or seven things to accomplish that day. Head back to our hotel around 1:00 for lunch/ naps/ swimming. 3 o'clock or so head back to the parks to about 6 PM and call it a day. Everyone stayed rested and happy. Nothing is worse than screaming kids because they are tired and mom and dad just keep dragging them along. If we missed something the answer was "there will always be another trip and we now have a reason to come back."