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6. A different approach to bringing babies

Baby elephant and Mama elephant
Image: Disney

Early in my time as a writer for Theme Park Tourist, I recall stirring up quite a controversy regarding the subject of bringing babies to The Most Magical Place on Earth—it was one of the times our readers actually changed my perspective! You see, I was firmly in the “don’t-bring-babies-to-Walt-Disney-World” category—I’d known so many families who had challenges and busted trips bringing babies to the parks, and much of the expert advice I’d read over the years echoed the sentiment that babies might have mixed reactions to the parks.

However, I realized I was coming from the perspective of someone who lived on the other side of the US, where families in my community had to save up for years to afford a Disney trip—a trip that may only happen once in a decade, if that. In these cases, it made sense to wait until about the four year old mark—I wasn’t aware, however, how different the experience was for Florida locals other frequent Disney visitors.

For locals (and frequent visitors), bringing a baby isn’t that big of a deal—if something goes wrong, there are lots of options to course correct. Home isn’t that far away in some cases. In others, there’s less pressure for everything about the trip to be perfect. You don’t have to worry about packing as much, and there’s a freedom and flexibility that reduces some of the challenges of having a baby at the park, and many moms and dad have a great experience. Once again, Hakuna Matata!

What Can a Non-Local Learn?

Babies tend to have their own plans, and they may not like the things you expect them to—heck, many guests report the resort pool was baby’s favorite experience. If you are planning a once-in-a-lifetime Disney trip from abroad, there is a good argument to be made for waiting until your little one is above about age four. They’ll remember more and be able to engage with more throughout Walt Disney World.

However, if you choose to bring your tiniest little one to Walt Disney World, you can still have a great time by embracing flexibility—you may have to change plans here and there. Have a good resort to retreat to or research the best rest areas in each park (such as the Baby Care Centers). Lift some of the expectations, and you’ll have lots of breathing room to enjoy things as you go with your little bundle of joy.

7. You get really good at cost-shaving

Green milk held up in front of Millennium Falcon
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

I used to heavily pad our budgets for Walt Disney World visits so we’d have lots of wiggle room for impulse purchases—while I still do that for extended trips, I’ve found that after becoming a Florida local, I have learned all sorts of crazy ways to shave costs at Walt Disney World.

On most Disney visits, we bring our own snacks and water. We drain cash gift cards everywhere we go (even if they have tiny amounts on them!). We take advantage of Passholder discounts and often make full meals out of sampling items throughout Epcot’s festivals. We take advantage of freebies like birthday rewards whenever possible. If we’re staying multiple days, we’ll make our own breakfast. When we do splurge on a meal, we’re really able to enjoy it because we didn’t throw away a bunch of money on quick meals we didn’t really want. We do what we can to make every purchase count.

What Can a Non-Local Learn?

Cost-shaving isn’t just beneficial to locals--any money you save on useless areas of your Disney trip can be spent towards something you really value. Find areas where you can cut fat from your vacation budget—buy tickets from a vendor offering discounts instead of Disney directly. Arrange to purchase some groceries to have on hand for your trip so you can eat breakfast in your room and enjoy some snacks that will ward off impulse buys—instead of blowing your budget on popcorn and candy bars, you can hold out for something you can only get at Disney.

8. You notice much quicker when things are off

Cinderella Castle with 50th Decorations from tilted angle
Image: Disney

This was a surprising one for me—I’ve been a lifelong Disney fan, and I’ll admit, I had a bit of an idealized view of Walt Disney World before I moved here. There were times that it felt like Disney could do no wrong—almost every experience I remembered was perfect and magical.

While some of this can be attributed to the passage of time, I noticed after I moved to Florida, I became much more keenly aware of changes at Disney parks—particularly negative shifts like food quality problems or the addition of upcharges. Because I was able to observe these changes in real time, some of the curtain was pulled back, and the mechanics behind the magic became visible.

Local Passholders make up one of Walt Disney World’s most loyal fan bases, and they feel shifts at the Most Magical Place on Earth very acutely. I found that I became a little bolder to say something if I noticed negative changes at Disney parks—sometimes through my writing and sometimes through polite communication with Guest Services (who have always been so wonderful). I noticed I would feel a bit more rankled when I felt like the business-minds at Disney were fiddling with the magic, and I found myself less-willing to pour money into elements of the parks that felt like a money-grab instead of the quality I’d come to expect from Disney for years.

At the same time, locals are also an incredibly loyal group when Disney gets things right—nowhere have I seen this expressed more impressively than in the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Whereas Galaxy’s Edge ran into a number of troubles opening at Disneyland, the Florida fan-based came out in such dramatic support of the new land that Disney actually had to change their park opening protocols multiple times because so many people were arriving before dawn. This got even more intense with the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Heck, the longest line Epcot has seen in ages was fans arriving in droves to purchase Figment popcorn buckets!

In short, Florida locals can be a passionate fanbase due to their love for the Most Magical Place on Earth.

What Can a Non-Local Learn?

Disney is amazing, but they aren’t perfect—it’s okay to politely say something when things go wrong on your vacation.

To clarify, I am certainly not advocating for the belligerent lambasting and abuse of cast members we’ve seen throughout the pandemic—rather, what I mean is that it’s okay to remember that Disney is a business, and that business cannot grow and improve if guests do not find ways to politely communicate when there are issues. You’re not a monster for gently talking to a manager or Guest Services if the need arises. I do think Disney cast members need some extra grace right now, but there are a number of decisions being made by the overseers of Disney parks that fans aren’t happy about.

On your vacation, it’s good to have high hopes but realistic expectations, and you don’t have to feel like your trip is ruined if something goes wrong. Take a breath, ride out the wave of emotions, and see what can be done to move forward. If the error is something on Disney’s part, they will often go above and beyond to address it if you approach someone with authority constructively. The Walt Disney World experience is changing, but the true source of joy in our vacations is the time we are able to spend with loved ones. Put that front and center, and you’ll be able to ride out the swells if they come.

Are you a local? What other tips do you have for visiting Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!

 
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