If you’re an avid Disney fan like me, I’m sure that you have read lots of articles about how to get the most out of your trip. There is so much info on what to do and see, the best food, and where to stay. I definitely think that lots of research and planning is the backbone for any successful Disney trip, but I am here to talk to you about how to make your disney trip- you guessed it- EPIC! If I could give you an ‘Epic Disney’ manual, this would be it. Are you ready to make awesome memories? Let’s go!
1. Cast Member Recognition- This is such a simple one, but I’m listing it first because it’s such an important one. The Cast Members at Disney have a HARD job! Many of them are yelled at all day by angry tourists for things that are out of their control, like long wait times or ride closures. A friendly smile or actually taking the time to acknowledge them really goes a long way! (‘Hey, how’s your day going?’ You know, common courtesy).
But why not take that one step further? Keli and I ALWAYS take the time to make sure a great Cast Member gets the recognition that they deserve. It honestly only take a few minutes out of our day, but it is well worth the effort. On our first Epic Disney Getaway, some of the Tower of Terror Cast Members saw our excitement for the ride, and kept taking us up a back elevator directly onto another elevator. They gave us special attention, really playing-up their parts when we were around. We took the time to compliment them at Guest Relations at the front of the park. Another simple way to recognize a cast member is to @WDWToday with the hashtag #CastCompliment. They will go find the Cast Member and give them a compliment certificate, and retweet a photo of the cast member with the certificate! Regardless of HOW you choose to recognize a Cast Member, always make sure to make note of their name and hometown (from their nametag), and where the magic happened (ride, shop, etc). The first time we did a Cast Member compliment, we got some extra Fast Passes to the Tower of Terror. I can’t guarantee any extra pixie dust, but I think making Disney the happiest place on earth for the people who make it magical is well worth my time!
2. Celebration Buttons- I think that the very first thing that anyone should do when they step into a Disney park is grab a celebration button. These say ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘I’m Celebrating’, ‘1st Visit’, and ‘Happily Ever After’. It may not always be your birthday or your first visit, but i’m sure everyone has something to celebrate! How about ‘I’m Celebrating Being at Disney!’. Ask a Cast Member for a sharpie, and you can write a name, age, how many years you’ve been married, what you’re celebrating, whatever! I recently took my son to Magic Kingdom for his birthday. I got him a button, and within the first five minutes of being in the park, the Dapper Dans pulled him aside and sang him Happy Birthday! Then for the rest of the day, he felt so special because so many people were wishing him a happy birthday. Celebration buttons are a great way to get some extra pixie dust, and they are free! Many times Cast Members pass them out, but the easiest way to get one is to ask for one at Guest Relations in any of the four parks.
3. Disneybounding- I had never even heard of disneybounding until a couple of years ago, but it has honestly changed my (Disney) life! Disneybounding is when you wear clothing that ‘exudes’ a certain Disney character without actually wearing a costume. Adults actually aren’t allowed to wear costumes in the Disney parks. So what’s a girl to do?!?! Let’s say I want to dress as Snow White. I could wear a yellow pair of shorts or skirt, a blue shirt, and a red hair accessory. BOOM- Snow White. If you’re in a group, why not Disneybound a theme? One of my favorite Disneybounds we’ve ever done was a Peter Pan theme. Keli was Peter Pan, I was Wendy, and we had another woman dressed as Tinkerbell with us. I would say that Disneybounding has by FAR been the reason behind 80% of our extra ‘pixie dust’ on all of our trips. If you want to be Disneybound-adjacent, why not dress up or wear some custom shirts? Keli and I now have a tradition of wearing fancy red dresses to Hollywood Studios on each of our trips. Outfits that stand out are a great way for Cast Members to remember you, and are great conversation starters with other guests. Plus, it’s really fun to dress up! We also have custom shirts that have our logo on the front and our hashtag on the back. The moral of the story is- get creative with your outfits and some magic will come your way!
4. Facebook Groups- Join some Disney Facebook Groups! One of THE BEST planning tools is picking the brains of other Disney-goers. You’ll also learn so many things that you would never have thought to ask in the first place. Many of the hidden gems that Keli and I have discovered were mentioned in one of the Disney Facebook groups that we are in. Do you have a super random question? Someone in the group probably knows. They’re also a great place to geek out about all things Disney when you know your regular friends think you’re crazy! We have met some great friends through some of these groups. We really love our Facebook group, but we may be biased. Check it out here, or find another one that you love!
5. Challenges- We LOOOVVEEE Disney Challenges! We can get a little extreme about it (trying to ride all 47 rides between the four parks in one day, or riding the Tower of Terror 13 times in a row), but there are actually so many ways to take Disney to the next level. A popular challenge is to do all four parks in one day, doing three things in each park (something to eat, a ride, a photo). Some challenges include doing everything at one park in one day. If extreme challenges are not your thing, you could try doing a Disney scavenger hunt, or search for some hidden Mickeys. I GUARANTEE that you will learn something new or do something that you have never done if you take on a Disney challenge. Our absolute favorite and most epic days have been challenge days. Next month, our group meet up is going to be one huge Magic Kingdom scavenger hunt. If you want to try a Disney challenge for your next trip, a quick Google search will give you lots of options, or go ahead and ask us and we can help you find one that is right for your group!
6. Pin trading- Something that I don’t think is as well known as it should be is pin trading. Disney sells small pins that have characters and other Disney pictures on them. Many people keep these pins on a lanyard for easy access and to show them off. What most people don’t even notice (until they start pin trading) is that MANY Cast Members will have these pins on a lanyard or on their belt. Once you have some pins of your own, you can go up to any Cast Member that has the pins and trade one of your pins for one of their pins. Pin trading is actually so much fun! I love being on the hunt for pins of a certain theme. It’s like a mini scavenger hunt, and it can last your entire trip. Be on the hunt for hidden pin boards, where pins might be displayed in a creative way. Once I saw a pin board shaped like steering wheel outside of the Tomorrowland Speedway.
7. All The Small Details- Look around! Disney has carefully planned out every tiny detail of their parks. Most of the time, people just walk by and don’t realize that they’re missing out on a lot of what Disney has to offer. Head into Epcot’s Club Cool and try out some sodas from around the world (for free!). Try to spot DiVine, a costumed character at Animal Kingdom that blends in with her surroundings so well that you can be looking right at her and not realize she is there. At Magic Kingdom, I once saw a cast member making beautiful character drawings on the pavement with only water and a broom! At Hollywood Studios, when you enter MuppetVision 3D, directly on your right there is a sign that says ‘back in 5 minutes, key is under the mat’. If you lift up the mat, there is an actual key! These are just a few of the thousands of tiny details that make Disney so unique compared to other theme parks. So next time you go to Disney, take a look around and see if you can spot something you’ve never noticed before.
8. Interact- Keli and I have had some pretty EPIC Disney moments when we took the time to actually interact with whatever was going on at the time. On one of our Tower of Terror ‘red dress’ days, there was a red carpet and some cast members putting on a show outside Hollywood Studios. We strut our stuff down the red carpet, and then we were asked to participate in a live trivia show. It was Tower of Terror themed of course, and we won a free photopass print! Another time we were walking in Fantasyland, and we saw a camera crew, so we decided to strike up a conversation with them. We ended up being interviewed for a promotional video for some company, and let me just say that we rocked it! When we were in Tomorrowland once, there was a talking robot, so of course we got in on the action. He asked if we have been to outer space, and then he took us to Space Mountain and put us in the Fastpass line! Don’t be afraid to interact and participate in what’s going on around you.
9. History- Another great way to really appreciate the parks is to spend some time learning about the history behind Disney, and the history behind each attraction. To be honest, I never really had any interest in Walt or how the Disney parks were imagined, but Keli really loves Disney history. I have learned SO much from her, and I continue to learn so much with each trip. Just recently I learned that when you leave the Bride scene on Haunted Mansion and go into the graveyard scene, that is actually supposed to be you falling out of the attic window and dying (!!). I also learned just yesterday that all of the songs from the Country Bear Jamboree are actual songs! Go look up ‘Mama Don’t Whip Little Buford’….. My mind is seriously blown! I also love the history behind The Carousel of Progress. Knowing some of the back story behind attractions and rides can really give you a greater appreciation for them, but many times also brings a huge level of amusement and intrigue.
10. Plan- Many posts about ‘making your Disney trip awesome’ solely revolve around planning, so I didn’t want to make this another one of those blog posts. BUT, it definitely has a place in the conversation for making an EPIC Disney trip! Unfortunately, the days are gone where you can just show up at Disney World without any forethought and expect to have an amazing time. I don’t think that you need to plan out every tiny detail to have a great time, though (although Keli and I have a spreadsheet where we DO plan out every single thing, but that’s just our personalities). To take your trip from great to Epic, you should focus on- crowd levels, perfecting the Fastpass system, and having a trip bucket list.
Crowd levels are THE BIGGEST factor in how well you perceive your trip went. I do think that you can still have a great time with high crowds if you you are able to lower expectations and can roll with the punches, but if you have some flexibility with when you go to Disney, definitely aim for as low of crowds as possible! There are many crowd calendars for Disney. Epic Disney Escape uses Kenny The Pirate’s crowd calendar, which shows not only how crowded the parks will be overall on a certain day, but it also shows which park will be the least crowded on a particular day. When we went to Disney in September, there was less than a 5 minute wait for nearly all of the rides. We even did an unplanned park hop over to Animal Kingdom one night, and walked right on Avatar Flight of Passage, which usually has over a 3-hour wait! If you really want to get the most out of your trip, go when crowds are low!
I won’t give a lecture on how to use the Fastpass system, because you can find lots of resources on that online. I will say that most people don’t maximize their Fastpass use, and some people don’t even know it exists! For example, did you know that after you use your three pre-booked Fastpasses, you can continue to book one Fastpass at a time. I personally refuse to wait in line for over 20 minutes. SOMETIMES I will get in line, and the ride will be having issues, so it takes longer than 20 minutes, but in general you shouldn’t have to wait hours for ANY ride if you use Fastpass properly. So all I will say is this- go do your Fastpass research! You will thank me for it, and you will get to experience SO much more!
Finally, make a Disney trip bucket list! If you hear about something you want to do, write it down and make it happen! We keep an ongoing bucket list for things that we can’t get in until another trip. If someone in your party REALLY wants to see the fireworks while eating a Mickey waffle, then make that happen. When we heard about a challenge to ride all the rides in all four parks in one day, we made it happen! Decide what you truly want to see or do during your trip, and make sure you get to them. Everyone has a different ‘Disney style’, so there is no one size fits all list. This is where those Disney Facebook groups come in handy, though. There is nothing better than crowdsourcing to get epic ideas!
And there you have it! Try some of these things the next time you go to Disney and I guarantee you will have an awesome time! Keep following the adventures of Epic Disney Escape as we continue to find new ways to make Disney EPIC!
Epic Disney Escape 