Biggest Mistakes Parents Should Avoid at Disney – Plus, Our Best Tips for Navigating With Kids

Whether it's your first or your fiftieth visit, it's always exciting when there's a Disney trip on the horizon, especially for parents eager to experience the magic with their kids. There are so many attractions, foods, entertainment options, sights, smells, and sounds to look forward to, but a Disney vacation also presents a degree of pressure to make your time on property the best it can possibly be. Parents often feel that pressure acutely, and our efforts can sometimes inadvertently backfire on us.

Those of us who frequent Disney parks have all witnessed our share of queue line meltdowns and depleted parents struggling to get their money's worth at Disney World or Disneyland. Even most first-timers have heard the Disney tantrum horror stories, and no one wants their hard-earned Disney vacation to take this turn.

Our list of the biggest mistakes parents should avoid at Disney will help you escape this scenario, and our tips for navigating Disney with kids will help you optimize your time as a family on your trip.

Avoid These Mistakes to Make the Most of Your Time at Disney With Your Kids

To keep moods from deteriorating at Disney in the midst of all your well-laid plans, try to remember why you're there. Taking a Disney vacation should be about going on an adventure as a family and enjoying your time together. So while it's tempting to want to “win” Disney by checking off every experience on your bucket list, it's important to make sure you're not doing so at the expense of your collective good spirits.

Losing sight of the fun at Disney can happen to anyone, but by avoiding these mistakes, parents can hopefully free themselves from the burden of managing over-heated, over-tired, over-stimulated little ones instead of soaking up all the delights the Disney environment has to offer.

Not Prioritizing Breaks

The urgency is real sometimes when you're eager to conquer Fantasyland before the late-morning crowds descend, and it can be tempting to power through to hit just one more must-do attraction. But ignoring that one kid who is starting to get just the slightest bit punchy, or your own stomach as it protests another queue line wait, could cost you in fun later. Building breaks into your day is an essential strategy for keeping spirits high at Disney with kids.

This can mean finding a quiet bench or table off the beaten path where you can sit down, have a snack, drink some water, take a bathroom break, and regroup. It can also mean taking in a show or a calm, lengthy attraction like Living With the Land at Epcot or the PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom. Another great way to build breaks into your trip is to make a few table service reservations throughout your vacation. You'll be able to enjoy a meal while you relax in a climate-controlled (and often highly-themed) atmosphere. There are also some hidden gem counter service locations at the parks where you can get away from the crowds, like Columbia Harbor House's second-floor dining area at the Magic Kingdom.

If you're starting your day at rope drop, however, I highly recommend taking at least a 2-3 hour afternoon break from the parks when the heat and crowds are at their peak. If you're staying on property, go back to your resort, let the littles take a quality nap in a restful environment, relax at the swimming pool, and take advantage of the activities Disney offers its guests. Then, you can head back to the parks in the late afternoon feeling refreshed for more rides, fireworks, and nighttime entertainment.

Not Sharing Food at Disney Dining Locations

Food can be a steep expense at Disney, especially for families with multiple kids, and spending money on food that ends up going to waste is beyond frustrating. My family likes to split entrees at mealtimes, when it's possible, to avoid leftovers that can't be conveniently stored for later and prevent stomachaches due to overeating. From egg rolls and corn dogs to churros and Dole Whips, the Disney snacks abound on both coasts, and you don't want to miss out on the good eats because you overdid it at lunch. Sharing some of these iconic snacks can help supplement any rations you might bring into the parks with you and keep hunger at bay until your next meal break.

As a footnote, Disney World has reintroduced its popular Dining Plan for 2024, and you may be wondering how to factor food sharing into this vacation planning add-on. With both of the current Dining Plan options, each individual in your group will get two meals and one snack each day, as well as a refillable resort mug for unlimited (non-alcoholic) beverages. In my experience, this adds up to more food and beverages than my family of four would otherwise consume and more money than we would spend on food at Disney World without the Dining Plan, particularly since we primarily drink water with meals. However, only you can determine whether or not the cost of the plan is worth it for you and your family.

Leaving Your Daypack Behind

When it comes to packing a bag for a day at Disney with kids, minimalism is rarely the way to go. Neglecting to bring the essentials to the parks can result in whiny, uncomfortable littles and grumpy parents. Since you can take a bag with you on almost all Disney World and Disneyland attractions, I prefer to bring a full-size daypack that can easily fit all the items my family might need to stay at our best.

Here are the things we always pack for a park day:

• hand sanitizer
• hats and/or sunglasses
• rain gear
• a small first aid kit
• water bottles
• snacks
• sunscreen
• tissues
• cooling towels for the hot season and jackets/sweaters for lower temps
• trading pins
• autograph books
• Wet Ones
• dry socks, for those not wearing waterproof shoes
• post-its, to cover the sensors on automatic toilets (if your kids are averse to loud noises)
• headphones to protect little ears during fireworks
• portable battery for charging cell phones (yes, there are stations in the parks, but we prefer not to have to go find one when the need arises)
• travel games/small diversions to make waiting in line more entertaining

Your essentials may vary according to your family's needs, but these are all things to consider. Here's what to pack for Disneyland and what to pack for Disney World.

Waiting Too Long for an Attraction

A lengthy wait for an attraction can be a real buzzkill at Disney, especially if the line isn't continuously moving. My family avoids this scenario simply by deciding in advance to skip excessively long queue lines, even if doing so might cause us to miss out on certain attractions. For us, no attraction is worth the trade-off for spent patience and aching Disney feet, which each have the potential to make the rest of the day much less enjoyable for everyone.

I recommend agreeing upon a wait time threshold before your visit and sticking to it. For my family, 25-30 minutes is typically our absolute limit for most attractions. Sometimes we're willing to stretch that to 45-60 minutes for one of our “must-dos” if the wait time stays consistently long throughout the day and there's no other option but to wait for it. However, this is an exception we'll only make once during a park day.

Rope-dropping (arriving at the parks early and being ready to head to our first attraction at park opening) is the most effective way we have found to experience attractions with low wait times. Virtual Queues and Lightning Lane Multi Pass can help with some rides as well, although my family rarely splurges on the latter. The My Disney Experience App and Disneyland App are great tools for checking on wait times throughout the day and gauging the best time of day to wait for a specific attraction.

Not Considering Your Kids' Interests and Aversions

Maybe you remember the thrill of riding Space Mountain when you were growing up, and you can't wait to share it with your kids. Trust me, I get it, but if your kid is afraid of the dark or unexpected drops, they are not going to have a good time on Space Mountain. Even worse, they could lose trust in your theme park guidance going forward and refuse to get on anything except spinners and Small World for the rest of your trip. As eager as you may be to share your favorites and fandoms with your best little buddies, nobody wants to deal with Disney-associated childhood trauma.

Debrief your kids at home before your Disney vacation. Read them the ride descriptions on Disney's website, and when in doubt, watch ride-through videos to get a sense of what each attraction is like. If watching on a screen freaks your kid out, chances are the actual ride is going to be worse for them. Remember, just because they're tall enough to ride something doesn't mean they're ready for that attraction.

After familiarizing your kids with the attractions at each park you'll be visiting, ask them which ones they want to ride the most. Let them have some input on your touring plan, and their excitement and enjoyment will contribute to your trip satisfaction as well.

Our Best Tips For Navigating Disney With Kids

Avoiding these potential pitfalls at Disney can help parents prevent exhaustion, sensory overload, and hangry attitudes. In addition to steering clear of these major mistakes, knowing the best tips for touring with kids can make your experience even more worthwhile. I've visited the parks regularly with my kids over the past 12 years, and the following list is based on my success with these strategies during that time.

Stay on Property

This next tip applies mostly to Walt Disney World rather than Disneyland.

Despite the plethora of other options, from Good Neighbor Hotels to highly themed rentals, nothing beats staying on Disney property for me and my family. The convenience of being able to quickly return to a Disney resort for an afternoon break from the parks allows guests to maximize rest time, making it possible for little ones to take a nap to recharge and others to enjoy the resort pools and other amenities.

Another indispensable benefit of staying at a Disney World resort is the ability to enter all four parks 30 minutes earlier than non-resort guests. This gives you access to attractions with minimal wait times before regular park hours begin. Disneyland also offers this perk to resort guests at one designated park each day. Disney World Resort guests staying at Deluxe resorts or Deluxe Villas also have access to extended evening hours on select nights at select theme parks. Additionally, all Disney Resort Hotels conveniently offer quick-service dining options, and many offer quality table-service dining locations as well.

Finally, it's worth staying at a Disney resort simply for the full-immersion factor. Each resort hotel is highly themed (some to near perfection) and has its own individual personality, but all of them surround you with Disney magic and atmosphere. I recommend planning at least one entire resort day during your Disney vacation to soak up the theming, eat at the restaurants, swim in the pool, explore the activities, and try different transportation options to visit Disney Springs or even other resort hotels.

Buy Souvenirs Before You Come or Use Disney Gift Cards

Shopping abounds everywhere you go at Disney, and your kids are probably going to want all the things. Rather than blow your budget or listen to incessant pleas for plushies and bubble wands, come prepared with some inexpensive Disney surprises as gifts for them throughout your trip. You can get officially licensed toys, costumes, stuffed Disney characters, and clothing for lower prices than you'll find on property at retail stores like Target, Walmart, and Kohl's.

There are a plethora of Etsy shops online that offer quality Mickey and Minnie ear hats and headbands with creative designs from various Disney films, and eBay is a great place to search for Disney trading pins in bulk at low prices. We also like to look for inexpensive glow sticks, necklaces, and bubble wands in the weeks leading up to our trip so we'll have those things on hand to pull out of the Disney bag during fireworks and nighttime spectaculars. Many families even make their own autograph books so they can get in on the fun of collecting character signatures without dropping $15 per child on one at the parks.

Despite the desire to save money on Disney souvenirs, and limit the amount of time we spend shopping on our trips, sometimes we find something unique and specific to Disney World or Disneyland that we simply must have! This is why we recommend putting Disney gift cards on your birthday and holiday wish lists. If you don't want to spend them on material goods, you can use them for food, entertainment, or other experiences.

Make Time for Play

As much as we want to experience as many Disney attractions as possible while we're in the parks, sometimes the youngest of Disney guests just need some time and space to run around and follow their whims. Give them a few minutes to run through the “leaky tikis” or Casey Jr. Splash and Soak at the Magic Kingdom.

Take 15-20 to allow some time to explore Goofy's House and How-to-Play Yard at Disneyland, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at California Adventure, or the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom. My family has always loved to escape from the theme park hustle on Tom Sawyer Island, where we can chase each other through caves and over rope bridges. Take advantage of the sandy beaches and playgrounds at many Disney World resorts for more opportunities for unstructured play.

Splurge on Character Dining

If your kids are into meeting Disney characters (and ours certainly are), your time spent standing in meet-and-greet queues can accumulate quickly. Unlike many of the remarkably detailed interactive queue areas on many Disney attractions, the lines for characters are often fairly dull, and waiting in just a handful of them can wear down kids and parents in a hurry. While it's an added expense, booking a character dining experience is a fun way to meet several characters at once, while enjoying a delicious table service meal at the same time. By choosing one that features many of your child's favorites, you can limit the amount of time you spend waiting in line at character meet-and-greet locations.

Many character dining locations inside the theme parks will allow advanced dining reservations before the gates open, giving those with early reservations the rare chance to enter the parks and revel in the people-free scenery while snapping some pictures without crowds of others swarming in the background. Other character dining restaurants are at Disney resorts, where you can save time in the parks by making reservations at these locations on a non-park day for you and your family.

Bring a Stroller

Before having kids, I swore I would never bring a stroller into a Disney theme park. They can certainly be a nuisance to others in a foot-traffic situation, and having to search for the designated stroller parking areas can be frustrating when you're in a rush to enter an attraction queue. Now that I'm a parent, however, I absolutely recommend bringing a stroller to Disney. On an average park day, most people walk 6-10 miles at Disneyland and 10-12 miles at Disney World. That might seem doable for a six-year-old if you're spending one day at the local zoo, but walking that far for several consecutive days at Disney can be brutal, even on kids who no longer use a stroller at home.

A stroller also provides extra storage for all the gear parents typically need when traveling with young children. Keep in mind that you'll have to find a place for this gear when folding your stroller to board Disney transportation. Still, it's nice to have everything easily accessible during your time in the parks. Another benefit of having a stroller at Disney is the convenient reclining seat for impromptu naps. Babies and toddlers might get tired before your afternoon break time, and older kids might nod off at the end of the night after the fireworks.

Strollers are free to bring on flights, so we really recommend bringing your own from home for the sake of comfort and to save money on a rental. One last pro tip: having kids walk (or carrying the non-walkers) from attraction to attraction can prevent some of the hassle of having to navigate crowded areas with a stroller or repeatedly park and unload between every ride. We primarily use our stroller to get from land to land within any given park and for the walk to and from the parking or transportation areas.

By avoiding the biggest mistakes parents make at Disney and following our best tips for touring with kids, we hope your Disney trip will be the best time ever!

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