5 Mistakes We Made on our 2022 Disney World Vacation

Every single Disney World vacation is filled incredible moments. But, there are also misses that are bound to happen. Even season veterans, like ourselves, make mistakes each vacation. After every Disney World vacation we think over what aspects of the vacation could have gone better. With the goal of not repeating the same mistakes. Take a look at the other mistake posts from previous vacations here: 2019 and 2020. We’ve been back from Disney World for two days and I already know the parts of the vacation I would claim as mistakes.

Sneakers Instead of Crocs

We vacationed at Walt Disney World in August. At the End of August. This means each day had at least one big rain storm. Pouring rain. The kind of rain that soaks your feet. I’ve always believed in wearing supportive footwear for our Disney World vacations. Sneakers that keep our feet from getting tired after many miles. On this particular vacation, we should have all worn Crocs. Crocs can handle the wet weather. Crocs don’t need to be dried by a hair dryer in preparation for the next day’s adventure. The next time we take an August Disney World vacation we’ll all be wearing Crocs.

Dining Check In

There is a fantastic option on the MyDisneyExperience that allows guests to check in to their restaurant without actually being at the restaurant. I discovered this three days into our vacation. After we waited 15 minutes to be seating for our dinner at T-Rex restaurant in Disney Springs. Once you are close to the restaurant, the app will allow you to check in to your restaurant. When your table is ready, you’ll be notified by push notification or text message. We would check in and then wander the shops that were close by. It was fantastic!

Taking the Skyliner Instead of the Boat

During this Disney World vacation we stayed at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. From this resort you can walk, take the Skyliner or a boat to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. For our Hollywood Studios day, we decided to take the Skyliner. The station for the Skyliner was closer to our end of the resort than the boat launch. What we hadn’t expected was the delays that happen on the Skyliner. They slow when adding extra gondolas and there are times they stop altogether for necessary reasons. The boat would have definitely gotten us there 5 minutes earlier. In the early hours, 5 minutes makes a big difference.

Skipping the Shops at Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot

Our days at Magic Kingdom and Epcot were full. Our older kids are tall enough to ride all of the attractions. Which is fantastic! But the way we once visited the parks has now changed. We used to spend at least an hour wandering through the shops while our kids snoozed in the stroller. That didn’t happen this trip. They also weren’t keen to see what was in the stores. They wanted to get on as many rides as possible. So we didn’t check out any of the stores in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. Totally missing the Emporium on Main Street U.S.A. and Connections in Epcot. This probably saved us some money but we definitely missed out on some fantastic merchandise.

Snacks at Moonlight Magic

We were fortunate enough to experience at DVC Moonlight Magic event during this Disney Vacation. When we arrived at the event each of us received 2 snack coupons and 1 coupon to redeem a Moonlight Magic popcorn bucket/snack. There was 5 of us attending the Moonlight Magic event. This meant 15 snacks! Our priorities when we first arrived at the event was to experience the rides that were going to close before the event started. Our strategy should have been to plan out our snack usage. 3 snacks per person is a lot to consume in a short period of time. And the locations offering these snacks began to close as the night wore on. We ended up using our snacks for a lot of bottled beverages. Definitely not what we really wanted to use them for.

All in All, our trip was a major success. We only did 3 park days and filled the other days with pools, a DVC Party and delicious meals. We left feeling like we did all we wanted to do. We left feeling refreshed. We left knowing we had a fantastic trip. To make your trip a success, take time to plan out your meals, plan out your days, play around with the app. The more you do before hand the enjoyable your trip will be. Take a look at these previous posts to help you plan a memorable Disney World vacation:

How to Choose Your Disney World Resort

How to Choose Your Disney World Restaurants

How Much We Spent on Food During our Disney World Vacation

How to Create a Disney World Vacation Budget

How to Prepare Your Kids For Disney World