I encountered many stressful situations while working for Disney. I have some words of advice for any guest who is visiting a Disney Park.
1. Please be nice to the cast members. I know things aren't always going to go smoothly and yes, maybe the line for splash mountain was 3 hours long and your food service wasn't quick enough. But, please, don't take your anger out on other cast members. Its not our fault that the ride is down. Its not our fault that its raining. We deal with thousands upon thousands of guests each day and when they are nice to us it makes us happy and not so stressed out.
2. DON'T GO TO DISNEY DURING THE HOLIDAYS. I understand the kids are out of school for Thanksgiving and Christmas but trust me, you will be so stressed out and the park is very crowded every day of late November-December. We max the park out at 80,000 guests and the wait for rides and food are outrageous, which usually makes people grumpy and mad. Why pay $10,000 for a trip when you will wait in long lines and not enjoy your vacation? The BEST time to come to Disney is in September. No lines, the heat isn't unbearable and you will have a marvelous time.
3. Take naps. Kids get cranky and so do parents when you are walking all day and all your adrenaline is pumping from the excitement. My advice is to rise early, hit some parks, go back to resort for a nap, then head back for the night. This is wise because everyone is refreshed and less tears are shed.
4. Take advantage of the meal plan. There are different deals that will save you A LOT of money and time. The meal plans include one sit down meal, one quick service and one snack for each guest/each day. This is fabulous. Meals can be very pricey and the meal plan is a set price that will save an average family $1,000.
5. Stay at a Disney Resort! Don't stay at some cheap hotel off of Disney property because you lose out on so much. FREE shuttles run from the resorts to the parks, they are all nice (even the value resorts), they have pools, food courts, amazing customer service and so much more.
6. Watch Wishes in the Magic Kingdom. For the first 3 months of my internship the last thing I wanted to do on my day off was go visit the parks. I wish I would have taken advantage of everything that happened at night (fire work shows, dance parties, Halloween/Christmas parties) I watched the night time firework show for the first time when my mom came to visit in November.
7. Probably not a good idea to bring kids under the age of 7. I understand families plan their Disney experience years in advance and sometimes (whoops) moms pregnant so we are taking a new born to the park. But kids really aren't going to comprehend everything and enjoy the experience as much until they are in 1st or 2nd grade. Wouldn't you want a more enjoyable experience with a child who is older than younger and fussy?
