Research park crowd predictions, pick your dates

Let’s start with the biggest factor, the timing of your vacation.

Shop around for housing options

A lot of folks just default to staying inside the Disney bubble, which, I’ll grant you, has a lot of advantages.

Double check park restrictions for bags, read up on lightning lane options

From our outside perspective, the theme parks in Orlando are all “theme parks in Orlando”.

Figure out your food - pack ahead, or book restaurants in advance

I may have been accused of being cheap, and I’ll take that in stride - I won’t deny my upbringing or what’s been working for me all these years, just for the pleasure of eating subpar food in a rush at an extortionary price.

Prep for the heat or the rain - both are significant in Florida!

We don’t live in Florida, but we do often head to some tropical locations, so I have a variety of cooling fans and instruments, as well as things to keep dry in monsoon weather.

Get a pic of your favorite character actor in action!

There is absolutely no shortage of characters wandering around Orlando, and they’ve begun to get really organized about housing lines and having bigger scale meet-and-greets in dedicated air conditioned buildings.

Snag a spot to watch parade or fireworks

Just, be careful you’re not accidentally in a parade.

Get a pic of yourself with the sign for your favorite ride

Disclaimer: it wasn't his actual favorite ride, just a funny photo.

Embody a character in a pic as convincingly as possible

As long as a casual viewer can guess what character you are from a single glace, I’ll count this one as a go.

Get the classic park pic - in front of the castle, with the globe, etc.

In front of the globe or the entry sign is always good, but have you considered sitting with Walt, pictured here relaxing on his bench in Epcot?

Got caught in one those classic Florida rain storms

When I’m not rushing around trying to find the start of lines for rides and shows, maybe I’d be more appreciative of how impressive nature is, when those temperamental Florida rainstorms pass through.

A ride/ experience is unexpectedly closed

If you did your pre-trip research, like me, you will have heard about abrupt ride closures all but ruining someone’s day.

Reached the upper limit of walking and standing, had to sit down on something unconventional

Disney has, in my opinion, gotten a lot better about putting benches and free seating around the park, and I certainly appreciate that.

No choice but to wait in a monstrous line

I enjoy the process of planning ahead, and I also love it when a plan comes together.

Got lost, got turned around, lost somebody in the shuffle

I have to mention the true nightmare scenario for parents here, and it’s no small inconvenience for non-parents, too.

Planning ahead = money and time saved

This is an easy concept to give yourself kudos for, in Orlando.

Hit over 20k steps, or nearly 10 miles of walking

I don’t know about you, but my typical work day would involve somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 steps a day.

There’s a lot of opportunities at theme parks to feel like the Chosen One.

Randomly came across a performance or character you weren’t expecting

This one is slightly different to the later one about being pleasantly surprised by a ride you hadn’t planned on taking.

Resisted the siren call of consumer debt

There’s pretty much no way to have gotten to this point without having spent a bucketful of cold, hard cash, and I’m not here to splurge-shame, but I will give brownie points for good behavior when it happens.

Boat adventure of some variety: Everglades, Disney Springs, Port Canaveral

This one may be a little more of a stretch than the others, but depending on where you’re coming from, Florida can have a significantly stronger boat and water culture than your home area.

Non-main parks: Legoland, Discovery Cove, Gatorland

There’s more that’s unique about Orlando than just the main parks.

Be pleasantly surprised by a ride that you didn’t plan on taking

This one is both easy and holds a surprising amount of promise!

Education and enrichment: Aquarium, Science Center, Kennedy Space Center

I wanted to just put the Kennedy Space Center, because I personally find it extremely interesting.

Eat something new and unique

You know where this is easily achieved?

Orlando requires so much pre-planning that I’m allowing for pre-trip rewards.

Treat yourself to one of the many extremely unique restaurant experiences around Orlando.

There’s a ton of options for sweets in Orlando that are fairly unique.

If you’ve been pushing hard, from park open to close, you (and family) could probably use a day off in between.

Spend some time selecting the best, most representative souvenir of your trip

One interesting thing that’s been brewing at Disney and Universal over the years are immersive worlds that come with a ton of interesting and unique merchandise options.

Theme Park Indulgences

Yep, you know they’re available for purchase, and maybe you already even budgeted to get some (or not).

Orlando Bingo Board

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