If you ever been to Disney World I’m sure you’ve seen the meltdown. You know the one I am talking about. Kid screaming or parents losing their minds among all the “happiness”. But Just how can you avoid it. Is the Disney Meltdown even avoidable?
You would think being at the Happiest place on earth, you’d be incredibly happy. Well think again. Planning a Disney Trip is stressful. From reserving dinner reservation 180 days out. To planning your FastPass+ 30 or 60 days out depending on where you are staying. One would think that once that stress is out of the way, you’ll have no more problems.
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Think again. Next time you are at a Disney theme park take a good look around. You will see both kids and adults having a good meltdown. But is it avoidable?
The good news is that it is. I will be giving you tips on how to avoid a meltdown while on your Disney vacation.
TAKE BREAKS
Walt Disney World Resort is a huge place. The area it covers is it’s own city. So you have to keep that in mind. Knowing that WDW is massive. You need to understand that you will not see and do everything.
Not on your first couple of trips to be honest. So don’t try to see everything in the 4, 5 or even 10 days you will be staying here. Also don’t try to stay at Magic Kingdom from rope drop to the kiss goodnight.
It doesn’t matter if you are a group of 24 year olds or a mom and dad with 2 kids. Doing 12 plus hours in any theme park will cause someone in your group to get a little agitated. Disney World has some of the nicest hotels in the US.
Go back and take a nap. Cool off in the AC. Take a dip in the pool back at the hotel. Just don’t try to spend sun up to sun down in the theme park.
You can expect 90 degree days from May till September. Tack on the high humidity and that can make anyone a little cranky.
WATER
Like I was saying about the high humidity and the high temperatures you need to be drinking water to avoid dehydration. Irritability is a sign of dehydration along with other symptoms.
Irritable people tend to have meltdowns. To avoid these meltdowns make sure everyone in the group is drinking plenty of water. DISNEY OFFERS FREE ICE WATER at most quick service locations. Take advantage of this. Not only will it help you stay hydrated, it will help you from having a meltdown.
SNACKS
Walking around on an empty stomach is no fun. Make sure you have snacks readily available for when the hunger bug strikes. Just think of all the snicker commercials. There’s a reason those commercials were successful. Just maybe leave the snickers back at the hotel room since it they will become a melted mess in the Florida sun.
Make sure to have something small that you can easily carry in your bag. Be sure it’s not messy too. Nothing is worse than standing in line waiting for a ride and putting your hand in what you can only hope was icing to a cupcake.
LINE ACTIVITIES
This tip is very helpful for families with young kids. You need to have something for them to do while standing in the long lines at Disney. Disney is very good however, with making their line queue very interesting. Most of the newer rides have interactive queue to make the long waits a little more bearable.
The ride queue are also very well themed at Walt Disney World. Frozen Ever After queue is made to look like Arendella. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has some interactive games to play while waiting in the 60 plus minute long lines. You can even try to spot the hidden Mickeys in the line queue.
Sometimes, just sometimes the stand by lines are better than the FastPass+ lines. Only because of the interaction the stand by lines offer. If a line only has a 20 minute or less wait and has an interesting queue it may be worth it to go in the stand by side. Of course when you ride it go back through using your FastPass+ to be able to ride it twice.
SLEEP
You may be able to go with as little as 4 hours of sleep a night without being cranky. But can your kids or the rest of your family? I know if my daughter gets anything less than 10 hours she is not a happy princess. You need to get a couple of nights of some good rest.
Waking up at 6 getting a shower and breakfast to catch the bus by 7 to not be back till after the last firework has gone off will get to anyone, after a few days. Slow down and get a good night’s rest at least a few nights during your trip. Everybody in your group will be thankful.
SLOW DOWN
Like I said before you will not see everything on this trip. There is no point in running from Big Thunder Mountain over to Space Mountain back over to Splash Mountain. It will end up wearing you out and the rest of your group. I can assure you that the rides will still be there when you finally arrive to them. Also remember you have about a 5-10 minute grace period for after your FastPass time is up (IE FastPass time from 205-305. You can usually still end the FastPass line up to 315).
If you are trying to beat out a storm. Don’t bother. If the storm is bad enough Disney will shut down the ride until it is safe to open it back up again.
Plus if you are racing through the park going from ride to ride you will miss all the little details that make Walt Disney World a special place. Slow down and take a look at where you are walking. If in Toy Story Land you may even see Andy’s footprint in the ground.
TOSS THE PLAN
Toss your plan of attack if need be. We have all been there before. You spent weeks or months planing every second of your trip and you do NOT want to change any aspect of it. Well I am telling you to be prepared to change things up.
Maybe you figured you can just spend the day in the park from 8 till 4. But around noon someone just isn’t feeling it that day. Who cares if you have a FastPass+ for 230. Go back to the hotel for that pool break or afternoon nap a little early.
Do you really want to be walking through the parks with a screaming kid who only wants to sit down by the pool. I’m thinking not. Besides plans are meant to be broken. You are here to have a great time. Not cram every second with a solid plan.
If you follow these tips it should help everyone in your party avoid a meltdown in Disney. Just remember to always drink water. Take a break in the day and cool off by the pool (Splash Mountain does not count). Be prepared to change your plans if needed and always get a good night of rest.
If you think your kid may be starting a little meltdown grab a Mickey Ice Cream Bar. It is sure to put a smile on there face as the chocolate is melting all over their face. Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest at KozmoPhotos. It will help you stay up to date with all the latest post and photos.
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