Ok so everybody that knows me knows that I tend to over-analyze things.
I think way to much about stuff that just doesn't matter.
But it's me. Just keep reading ok.
As I know you all are tired of me talking about going to Disney you're just gonna have to get over that. All I have to do is get through today and tomorrow. ACK! I am so excited. We all are SOOOOOO EXCITED!
Now on to my questions. urgh Ponderings. yes! Ponderings.
What do I do with my camera and stuff while we ride rides? Do I just hold it and pray that it doesn't go flying away while I am on a ride going 60 miles an hour. Cause if it does I don't think yelling at the operator to STOP the ride is gonna do me much good.
Does anybody know if there is a site that gives you a listing of what is the best days to go to which park? It may be in the big book of Disney. But to just be honest here I haven't had a chance to read it much. Seems like Kat may have told me about this. Kat???? My Disney guru?
Will the Disney trolly/bus thing takes us to Universal too? Or do we have to drive there?
Does anybody know how long the battery life on a scooter is? Maybe I need to call the scooter folks.But thought I would ask you guys.
What about if it rains? There is rain on the forecast for next Wednesday & Thursday. UGH! If it rains can we use the scooter in the rain?
Snacks? Any suggestions on what is the best snacks to take? I was thinking fruit and trail mix. Ya know not a lot of sweets. Sugar overload can weigh ya down.
Do the Disney helper staff people keep an eye on your stuff while you are riding rides? Cause ya know it would not be pretty if I was to realize someone took off with the scooter and our snacks.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Geez somebody turn my brain off. I know we are going to have a wonderful time. I just need to learn how to relax.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
6 months ago
28 comments:
When I did Disney World many years ago, I carried my camera in a fanny pack. The pack is small enough to wear while on rides. And large enough to keep my camera and money and keys safely zipped while riding said rides.
I don't know anything regarding the scooter issues...except that you get to skip the lines!! yeah...anyways, I would suggest you get one of those pouch like purses that go over one shoulder and neck. That way it isn't a backpack and you don't have to hang on to it. I just zipped my id, sunglasses, money and camera in it and it wouldn't fly off or anything. They have them all over, even Target and Walmart, and not that expensive.
We saw a lot of scooters at Disneyland..and no one touched them, even the strollers for the babies with diaper bags seemed to be fine.
Have a great time!
I haven't been to Disney since high school. I have absolutely nooo suggestions.
But, good luck and I hope you have a blast.
Ditto what Krystyn said, but I'm so excited for you!! And you cannot lose that new camera because we need pictures!
I haven't been in ages, but those over the shoulder bag or fanny pack would work great...and I'm UBER jealous that you get to see Hinder AND Nickelback. Have a great time! I can't wait to hear all about it!
Get some information at the gate or call Disney. Always go to the source.
Lisa
We just went a month ago. I read some people put their backpacks on backwards. Some of the rides have baskets or holders to set your stuff, I pretty much kept by bag on except for Mission to Mars and Soarin at Epcot and they had nice racks under/in front of the seat to hold my bag.
I carried a messenger bag with me -- considered using a backpack, but had one with several pockets.
Kept my pocket book, handiwipes and purell, a pen, my son's cf meds and camera in it. Also some snacks, water bottle and some individual propel/gatorade packets for DS.
They DO check your bags every time you enter the park. Nothing major, but they check to make sure you're not dangerous. They don't care about food items.
Also, you may want to have something like a lanyard to hold your key's to the world. Your room key at disney resorts can be used to charge items at the park, as well as having your park hopper tickets on them. That's right park tickets are now little credit card things.
When it rains, things go on as usual, so you may want to pick up some cheap rain ponchos at the dollar store or walmart.
As for transportation, we just hopped to disney events. Your hotel could probably suggest a car service or shuttle to go to other venues.
Liza mom with a cfer
Hey!
Ok so heres what I know.
The scooter will be fine when you leave it. No clue about rain or battery life.
Michael & I both picked up a waterproof little bag/purse thing from target ( it was like 7 bucks )and we kept the camera, ids and snacks in it. If the ride did not allow us to keep the bag with us there were lockers to put it in.
For snacks we took beef jerky for M ( for the salt intake..thanks CF ) I took gluclose tablets for a sugar low, a sack of trail mix and oatmeal cream pies.. if the sugar caused a crash we didnt notice! to much to do to think about being tired lol!
As far as the Trolly..ours for Disney only took us to disney parks. Ours for universal took us to IOA, US, Bush Gardens, Sea World and some little water park.
Now here is just some advice.
We took the trolly for Universal for the first 3 days..I would NOT reccomend you do that. It was awful! 1. The ride to the park is not bad but on the way home they combined buses and it was so packed people were standing everywhere!! and the driver was crazy driving and little kids were falling ehh it was just bad.
2. We needed to leave before the bus was scheduled to come back and we didnt have our car so it was tough cookie. This may not be an issue for the typical, but as you and I both know sometimes things come up with CF ( we needed to leave due to GI accident )
4. Our bus had a scheduled time to be back at the park but they pretty much leave when every they want and if you get left its a nice taxi bill! no fun!
Parking hits your wallet more that riding the trolley but we went and explained our situation and why it was important for us to go and come when needed and we got a "park anywhere free" pass for 14 days.
SO now that I have written a book in your comment space Ill stop =)
Good Luck!!!
I strongly suggest bringing a hipster type bag. That Buxton organizer is reasonably cheap and will fit a lot of stuff, but won't weigh you down.
There are plenty of things you can do inside if it rains.
You are going to have soooooooo much fun. I still wish we were going to get to meet. Let me know if anything changes in your schedule.
Love you.
I'm not reading anyone else's comments until after I write mine... so perhaps some of this has already been said or conflict with other people's ideas...
Camera and stuff - there are lockers at the beginning of each park you can rent for the day. But that will defeat the purpose of having stuff with you, right. I either keep my 'stuff' to a minimum (meaning you carry it on with you) or stow it in the scooter basket. The cast member (operator/staff people) will not watch it for you.
The only thing that I think about for which day/which park... is if there's a chance of rain do NOT go to Animal Kingdom that day. You will be miserable. The scooter works in the rain... no problem. You all either get wet or have rain ponchos (they sell them for $$$$ - or get the disposable ones at walmart for $1 each). The rain in Florida is usually short lived... heavy quick downpours... so it will stop soon.
No idea about battery life on a scooter... I'm thinking at least a typical day of park usage.
People are pretty honest about things... so people leave things in the scooter, wheelchairs, baby strollers... all the time. BUT I would recommend any purchases you make try to make them toward the end of the stay in that park... as then you don't have to lug it around all day.
I'm not sure what you mean by the disney trolly/bus thing. Are you staying on property? Meaning... at a disney hotel? If so... their transportation system will NOT take you to Universal. If you are talking about the tram that takes you from the parking lot to the front of the park entrance...again, it won't take you to universal either. BUT... if you are staying at a non-disney hotel and they have a transporation system that takes you to the parks (Disney) they 'should' have one that takes you to the other Orlando parks... Seaworld and Universal included.
Snacks... well, this will be personal preference... but what I do (and I have 2 girls age 10 and 12)... is we pack non-perishable foods that are durable... (such as no bananas... as they bruise easily)... so what we pack is typically protein (nuts and sometimes stick cheese if I am willing to pack a small lunchbox/cooler thing with blueice) and durable fruit (grapes, apples, etc.) and crackers... such as cheese crackers or peanut butter crackers.
I laugh when I read 'somebody turn my brain off'... because I do the same type of thing.
You have more questions... you can zap me an email (grace.slick91@yahoo.com) ... remember I've said before I 'live' at Disney... we have annual passes... go all the time. I could talk about it for days... but if you have specific questions I can give you my 2 cents...
I am sooooo excited for you and your family. You WILL have a blast.
www.ridemax.com will tell you what to do on which day and in which order and to the minute with least amount of wait. I beieve we used a locker for snacks and a small backpack for a few snacks and then reloaded at lunch time from the locker.
What hotel are you staying at? If its a Disney hotel, I'm pretty sure they do not offer shuttles to Universal - only to their Disney parks/resorts/downtown Disney.
Most rides at the Disney parks you will be able to have your camera with you. I would use a small bag like everyone else suggested and wear it across your chest, etc.
The rides at Universal (mostly Islands of Adventure) are faster and they usually don't allow you to take anything loose on the ride with you. They usually have lockers at the entrance of the rides to use ($0.50 about).
Don't worry about the scooter. Everyone has strollers and such parked in front of the rides and I have never had anything happen to mine. I usually leave my back pack with the stroller (minus valuables of course) and its never been bothered. I'm sure the scooter will have a key for you guys to take with you while you're on the ride, etc.
For snacks, I'd pack a separate backpack. You'll probably be able to attach it to the front of the scooter so you don't have to lug it around. Be careful of things that will melt. Granola bars, fruit snacks, raisins, maybe apples?, throw in a few water bottles and DO NOT FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN. I live in Florida and I see too many people ruin their vacations by not using it.
I'm sure the forecast will change before you get here (it always does) and that rain will be pushed out further into the week. I would pick up ponchos somewhere else, Disney will have them but they're probably $20 - lol!
One of my suggestions is that the parks clear out as the day goes on and you can always leave for a few hours in the afternoon and come back. It's always most crowded first thing in the morning. As far as when to go where, we are in prime season here and March is pretty busy but your book may know.
If you think of anything else, you can always e-mail me. I only live an hour from Disney and I'm almost a Disney pro :)
Well...I have showed up late to the party...and I think everyone has covered everything I had to say...so have fun!!!
Hey girl, About the rain and a scooter. Jim and I put a garbage bag over the controls and tied it up really good. The battery is inside something. I rented one from Birmingham and took it with us. For the camara. I have the same camara and I have a camara bag I can let you borrow if you like. It goes over your shoulder. I put my camara between my feet and I did not have a problem. We did not go to Universal so I so not know about the rides there. Also carrie some walmart bags with you in a backpack so your camara and other things will not get wet. You can carrie in water but you cannot carrie in soft drinks. We had are on backpacks so the kids had there food and water and we had are. We saved alot of money by doing this. I hope this helps. I am leaving in the morning for Texas so call me and I can bring the camara bag over tonight. I have two camara bags and I am not using this one on my trip. MY God Bless this trip for you and your family and have the time of your life. I am so ready to go back. Love YOu Guys.
Also, What the person said about the scooter being unattended. I had my key and left my backpack on there and no one missed with anything.Also turn off the scooter when waiting in line. I never had a problem with my scotter running out of juice. The rain gear is true buy some here.I hope this helps.
It's been over 10 years since I've been to Disney and we've not ever navigated with a scooter, so I can't answer your questions, BUT I hope y'all have such a fantastic time and that you don't get rained out.
Sounds like you're getting good advice. Mine is pretty much the same. We just went last month to Disneyland for our first time ever and I just wore a small backpack/purse thing. There was room on every ride to stuff it under me or I could just hang on to it. It wasn't an issue at all. I packed string cheeses, fruit snacks, jerky, and peanut M&M's. Oh and a couple of water bottles. Worked out great. You are going to have SO much fun!!! I can't wait for you!
I'm here. I'm here!
Okay...
1. You will need to drive to Universal. Disney is not going to do anything to help you get to the competition :-)
2. You battery will last all day. Probably the next day too. The people at Randy's (that's who you are using, right? My mom used them when we went before.) will show you how to charge the scooter in your room at night.
3. The scooters from Randy's are cloth and not exactly like the ones that Disney has...and no...they will not do well in the rain. Talk to Randy's about it. BUT...that does not mean you cannot go. Get some extra ponchos so that you can put it over the scooter so that it does not get wet while you are riding. You will have a key for your scooter, so no one will take it. You'll park it where everyone will be parking their strollers. As you go to get on a ride, you'll either see the "lot" or someone can direct you. Also...know that Disney likes to moves things around to make the lots more efficient...so your scooter may not be exactly where you left it :-)
Does that help???
Kori...
No advice but this....HAVE FUN!!!
I'm super excited that you and the family get to do this...you will have an absolute BLAST (even if it does rain...it's usually short and still stays warm!)
I'm sure it's already been answered ... but I put my wallet and camera in a fanny pack. Then I'd just slide it onto my hip during rides. It worked great. As for everything else we left it in the stroller and no one bothered anything. I would recommend tying a colorful ribbon on your scooter so you can find it easily amongst all the others.
Have you looked into getting a Disney escort to assist you in the park? I don't even know if such a thing exists, but I remember seeing a few people with a Disney employee taking them priority from ride to ride.
Snacks ... protein bars, dried fruit, juice boxes ... stuff that won't squish too much.
We spent a day at Disneyland in the rain and it was awesome. If you don't mind looking like a drowned rat. LOL The crowds dwindled and we could pretty much walk right onto anything.
hi there.. i've been following your blog for a little while now, but never commented. i just went to disney last week (and thought about your family while i was there), so i would figured i would answer your questions to the best of my ability (even though some have already been answered):
1. i took a purse and had my camera/everything i needed in it... however, i don't have kids so we didnt need snacks/backpack or anything, so thats all we had... if you have the scooter, i would recommend a backpack to keep everything in, since you will be leaving the scooter at each ride anyway, and you can leave the backpack there... otherwise... NONE of the rides at any of the disney patks are so crazy that you cant put something (like a camera) in your pocket, a small purse, etc and it go flying out of the ride.
2. i dont know that any park is busier any day of the week than the other.. except for weekends.. we were there mon-thurs and they were so varied... from park openeing through closing i found that the VERY beginning of the day, and VERY ending of the day seemed the busiest!
3. the disney bus will NOT take you to universal (and when i asked a disney store about universal tickets/info they seemed kinda offended as in "we are disney, not universal" haha)
4. don't know about battery life for scooters, but they were everywhere! some moving pretty fast too :)
5. rain.. not so sure.. depends on how hard core you are i guess, it didnt rain while we were there... i would assume some rides/events shut down, but for the most park things keep right along going you jsut get wet or wear a poncho!
6. people had snacks all over the place! and i recommend bringing them in line with you too if it's like an hour wait for a ride, parents had their backpack since the kids would be hungry (tempted me too b/c i wished i would have a snack during the hour wait in line too)! lots of snack mix stuff, yes.
7. there are not disney staff specifically keeping an eye on your stuff... but outside the rides that you are required t o leave your strollers/scooters, there are DESIGNATED parking areas, and there are about a million other strollers/scooters (all with you name on them) so i'm pretty sure there isnt any huge security issue.. it crossed my mind when i saw everyone just leaving their belongings and walking off to go on a ride,b ut hey, everyone else was doing it i guess, so noone goes rummaging through and stealing things... its DISNEY!
a few other things...
-i DEFINITELY recommend doing FAST PASS on all the rides you can... if you arent fmailiar with it, look into it...
-the only place there are lockers at the parks is at the VERY front of the park, so if u need to use one, do it right when u get there, b/c its a hike back!
-there are definitely disney people are can be designated to help people w/ scooters/specials needs/questions/etc, of course, so ask them naything~!
and have a wonderful time! i've been praying for your husband and your family too of course!!! you can email me erinsetzler@gmail.com if u have any other questions for me! i would be so glad to help!!! (sorry if i have a million typos!)
Erin
I'm a frequent Disneyland Visitor and a former Cast Member(Disney employee) and I've been to Disney world twice...One word...Backpack.
Take it with you on all rides. You can't leave it on the scooter and don't forget to enter through the exit (with the scooter). Those in wheelchairs/scooters who need extra assistance and their families are allwoed to cut through the line via the exit. like everyone else says...bring in your snacks, water but you will have your belongings checked.
Disney is such a magical place. i encourage you to visit Disneyland as well...the original, magical place where it all started
If you have any other questions whatsoever, DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK!ALL cast members are ready to help and I also recommend you visit GUEST SERVICES/GUEST RELATIONS OR CITY HALL located on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. If you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, family reunion, you can pick up cute buttons for everyone in your group to wear while you are there!
Have a Magical time!
Oh yeah! you can get a "Plaid" to guide you around the parks but I'm sure they are expensive since you will need one for each park. they only guide you around and do not really "help" too much.
Keep an eye out for the "Plaids". You can identify them by the plaid vest/skirts they wear. They are usually used by celebrities!
Wow, only two days left! YAY!
SO.
When you get to Disney, go to the Main Street town hall (white building on your left) where they will issue you a line skip pass for your party for the amount of time you're at Disney. This makes a HUGE difference.
And umm, I carried a little satchel with my camera and wallet and snacks in it. Granola bars, raisins, bottles of water, ponchos, etc. Buy ponchos ahead of time. It's Florida, it will rain for at least SOME of the time you're there.
But really? Have fun. And relax. And don't forget to take lots of pictures so you can tell us all about it!
Looks like you've recieved good advice here. Just want to tell you have a GREAT time!
I bet I'm going to have a million questions before we go in JUNE.
HAVE FUN!
I had the luxury of grandparents on our trip, so they held all of our crap most of the time while we rode things. But, I did take my camera on several things without issue. And that's while holding a preschooler also in many cases.
When you guys check in, they'll give you a listing of which parks are open early/late for resort guests. Take advantage of those days.
You guys will have to drive to Universal.
No ideas about the scooter.
I think you're right on with snack ideas.
You guys are going to have a great time!!
I haven't been to Disneyland since I was 17 and never been to Disney World. My advice, buy a fanny pack and look like you like in 1984 for a few days.
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