tips for the parks 2

Looking for tips and strategies to make your trip smoother? Here are some ideas to help you out!

· If you are traveling with a child with severe allergies to the environment, peanuts, etc and you are worried about leaving your stroller in the stroller parking, here are some tips:

*Bring a plastic cover for your stroller
*Be aware that the managers do move the strollers around for organization purposes and for the safety of other guests. So many people push their stroller into the parking area and take off running before the stroller lands in its space. Therefore strollers are everywhere.
*Ask the stroller parking manager for a safe place to put your stroller – explain that your child has a severe allergy and you need to keep the stroller from being contaminated by others.
*Do not bring a bike lock or any type of lock to secure your stroller. The cast members will see this as a security issue and will cut your lock with bolt cutters.

· Look for this sign when it’s time to drop your stroller off in the parking area outside of an attraction. Please keep in mind that your stroller will probably get moved. The managers do move the strollers around for organization purposes and for the safety of other guests. So many people push their stroller into the parking area and take off running before the stroller lands in its space. Therefore strollers are everywhere. This is why it is helpful to try something brightly colored to the handles.

stroller parking sign

stroller parking lot

· Every Disney owned resort at Walt Disney World offers a small refrigerator in each room. The refrigerators may vary in size, but each room will have one. Not all will offer a small freezer compartment at the very top. So if you need to freeze a small ice pack for your day at the parks, you can leave it in the freeze at bell hop. It will be easy to stop by there in the morning to grab it before you go to the parks.

contemp frig

FQ frig

pop frig

· Deposits, regular payments and final payments can be made with credit card, gift card, or Disney rewards points from the Disney VISA Chase credit card. Yes – gift cards are an acceptable form of payment towards resort packages. I have had many clients pay for $2000+ of their vacation in gift cards. I myself will pick up 1 or 2 gift cards at every grocery trip in the efforts of having them for our next trp. I use the gift cards for payments towards my trips, dining around the parks and resorts, and souvenirs.

gift cards

· When you are planning to visit Walt Disney World (Florida), don’t forget to start a My Disney Experience account. From there, your resort reservations need to be linked into your account. If you are traveling with another party, all reservations can be linked under 1 account for the ease of booking dining reservations and FP+ reservations. Or you can invite “friends and family” to your account if they already have their own account so that you all can share experiences together. All dining reservations, FP+ reservations, and MagicBand customizing can be done from this account. You can also download the app for this site onto your Smartphone so that you can access everything while you are at the parks. There are other Disney apps out there but they are not affiliated with your resort reservations and they cannot get you FP+ times.

· Feel like swimming this holiday season? Did you know that the Disney resort pools are heated during the cooler months at 82 degrees? All of the heaters are programmed to automatically turn on when the outside temp reaches a certain degree. This way your family can still enjoy the pools during the cooler months.

contemp pool

· Bedrails can be requested at any of the Disney resorts free of charge. Add this request to your reservation and Mousekeeping will install them for you when you check in.

· Don’t forget to take time to visit the Downtown Disney area. You don’t need a ticket to visit this area of Disney and there is so much to do here! Your family can go shopping, bowling at Splitsville, movies at the dine in theater, hot air balloon ride, play video games in a 5 story arcade known as DisneyQuest, eat dinner, and so much more!

· Noise cancelling headphones can help children with ASD or other sensory processing disorders cope with all the auditory stimuli at the parks. You can also use squishy ear plugs for children that may be more sensitive or embarrassed and don’t want to stand out too much.

· The Disney parks offer several companion restrooms. You can easily locate these facilities on the park maps. If you do need to tend to the needs of a larger child or young adult, you are welcome to use the Baby Care Center or First Aid center at any of the parks. The First Aid center offers rooms with beds for changing for additional privacy.

companion sign

companion restroom

If you have any questions and would like to use a planner for free – contact me at Robyn@travelwiththemagic.com or call me directly at 1-800-670-4312 ext 125. I have an unexplained passion for Disney and making sure that everyone is getting the most that they can out of every visit!