4. Visit Disney first aid for everything (especially blisters!)

Image: Brandon Serna, Flickr (license)

You wouldn’t expect Walt Disney World First Aid locations to be particularly magical. Many guests might assume that unless you’re bleeding profusely from a really bad park-map paper cut, there’s no reason to darken the doors of Disney First Aid. You’re missing out!

We can’t go on enough about how much we love Walt Disney World First Aid. The nurses at Walt Disney World First Aid are always available to help with any number of guest needs, from helping guests recover from dehydration to storing medication. We’ve mentioned before how they keep a full supply of free sundries and OTC medications for guests feeling less-than-magical, and they even have a room where guests can recover from exhaustion (or as we’ve explored before, panic attacks).

Our favorite perk we learned at Walt Disney World First Aid is their blister treatment. If your feet have turned ragged from a long day of park explorations, don’t just power through it. Stop by any of Walt Disney World’s First Aid locations for a quick blister care session. Their secret weapon is a soothing spray of Bactine to numb the offending blister before wrapping it.

5. Identify the heavy-handed ice cream cashier

Image: Disney

This tip has been passed around a few places, starting at the above-mentioned discussion board, but it’s positively brilliant. If you’re planning on picking up a Dole Whip, Citrus Swirl, or other ice cream, stand back for a bit and watch the ice cream cashiers to see who makes the biggest scoops or swirls. If one seems to be more heavy-handed with the ice cream distribution, get into that line. Yay, Dole Whip floats!

6. Find the pin-trading motherlode (and keep those pins from falling off!)

We love Walt Disney World pin trading here at Theme Park Tourist. For those unfamiliar, pin trading is an optional activity available to all Disney guests. You can purchase Disney-themed pins either from park locations or before your trip, then trade them with Cast Members wearing trading lanyards in the parks.

Cast Members have given us two great tips for pin trading. If you’re a pin-trading veteran, you might be familiar with looking for huge pin trading bulletin boards at retail stops, on the sides of janitor carts, or at restaurant check-ins. Cast Members suggest to always check Guest Relations at each of the parks as some Guest Relations locations keep a photo album full of pins for guests to trade. Plus, if you follow our #10 tip, you’ll be visiting there anyways!

The second pin trading tip has to do with keeping your pins from getting lost. The rubber pin backings Disney gives with their official pins are terrible, and many an unhappy pin trader has lost pins because of them. Disney sells pin backings that lock using a tiny allen wrench, but if you want to make life easier, hop online before your vacation and order a package of metal pin backings with automatic locks. No more digging around for that pesky allen wrench every time you want to trade!