Let's face it, not everyone loves the Disney parks as much as we do! The lines, rising ticket prices, crowds, and long days on your feet can make a trip to Disney very frustrating for some guests. Although many find joy and magic at the parks, others prefer to avoid the crowds and have a more relaxing vacation at the beach or elsewhere. Luckily for some of us, these non-Disney loving folks may still come along with us on Disney vacations, even if it's not their first choice of a vacation destination.
Whether you are visiting Walt Disney World or the Disneyland Resort, there are many ways to help your non-Disney loving travel companions have a fun trip! Although you may have to modify some your normal activities to accommodate others, it can be worth it for everyone in your group to have a great vacation!
Below we discuss our top 10 tips for planning an enjoyable Disney trip, even if some of your travel companions don't particularly enjoy going to the Disney parks!
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1. Plan Your Disney Trip Together
For Disney vacations, the fun starts the minute you start planning your vacation. Sit down with your non-Disney-loving pal and see what interests them. Are they are interested in high-thrill rides at Disney World? Classic rides? Disneyland restaurants? Both Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort each has something for everyone and knowing ahead of time what your non-Disney-loving pal is interested in will help you better plan your trip together.
If they aren't necessarily interested in activities inside the parks, maybe let them choose which resort they would prefer to stay during your trip. Feel free to use our guides on the best Disney World resorts as well as our favorite Disneyland area hotels to help you decide! We've also compiled a list of fun things to do outside the Disney World theme parks which you can share with your anti-Disney travel partner to hopefully find a different activity you can enjoy at the resort!
Planning the trip with your anti-Disney travel companion can help get them just as excited about the Disney vacation as you are! Hopefully by letting them provide their own opinions on activities, they can look forward to what you have planned for the trip.
It's no surprise that everything Disney is expensive, so factor your non-Disney-loving pal's budget in when planning your vacation. Not everyone is willing to spend a lot of money on hotels, park tickets, or dining reservations, so it's important to prioritize what everyone wants to do, especially the non-Disney fans.
While you plan your Disney vacation, discuss what accommodations are important to them. Take into consideration their wants and needs. Of course, I absolutely love to stay on Disneyland or Disney World property to take advantage of the conveniences. However, there are some great cheap Disneyland Hotels off property that will help lower the cost of your Disneyland trip. Disney World also has many great value resorts which are cheaper than the other onsite Disney World hotels!
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3. Avoid Crowded Times of the Year
For those who are not a fan of Disney to begin with, the Disney parks won't be fun if you pick a time of year that tends to be more crowded. Do your non-Disney loving friends and family a favor and choose a time of the year to visit that is more mellow and less packed with people.
You can probably guess that the times of the year where kids are not in school are the most crowded. In particular, the major holiday breaks including Christmas and Thanksgiving, as well as Spring Break, are by far the most packed at both Disneyland and Disney World. Summers are also generally pretty busy, however it's nothing compared to holiday and spring breaks.
In order to prepare for the crowd levels, be sure to check out our crowd calendars for both Disneyland and Disney World!
READ MORE – 15 Inside Tips to Save Money at Universal Studios Hollywood
4. Take Advantage of Lightning Lane Reservations
There is nothing worse than having your non-Disney-loving pal remind you that the long, never-ending lines you wait in are the reason they are not that into Disney. Therefore, it might be worth it to splurge on Lightning Lane reservations during your trip to avoid long lines for popular attractions. We've compiled a list of the best way to use Lightning Lane at Disney World and Disneyland to make it easy to plan. It should also be important to factor this into your budget to make sure the non-Disney folks aren't surprised by the cost.
I personally took a friend to Disney World for her first time, and she was pleasantly surprised on how little we waited in line, even for the most popular attractions. She didn't expect to enjoy the parks as much as she did, and I think a huge reason was because I took advantage of the Lightning Lane passes.
Another way to avoid long times is to strategize your mornings at each of the Disney parks. Be sure to check out our morning strategies for Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom while planning your next trip! Avoiding long lines is a great way to plan a fun Disney trip, even with non-Disney loving travel companions.
5. Festivals Can Be a Great Distraction
Choose your vacation dates strategically when visiting the Disneyland Resort or Disney World with those non-Disney fans by visiting during festivals to keep everyone happy. Especially for foodies, there are some great festivals particularly at Disney California Adventure, and EPCOT. These festivals include:
- Disney California Adventure's Food and Wine Festival: This delicious event takes place at the end of February and lasts through mid-April and can fill hours upon hours with wine-sipping, food-cooking demonstrations, and live entertainment.
- Disney California Adventure's Disney Festival of Holidays: This cultural festival takes place between mid-November and early January and includes booths offering unique cuisine from around the world. Although there are typically larger crowds during this holiday, the delicious food can be a great distraction for anti-Disney travel companions.
- EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival: A very popular EPCOT festival is the Food and Wine Festival which takes place between late August and late November. Discover an array of festival-exclusive kiosks offering delectable dishes and specialty drinks, as well as the Eat to the Beat concert series included with the cost of park admission!
- EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays: Celebrate the holidays around the world with EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays, which takes place between late November and late December. This festival includes holiday-inspired food booths as well as the Candlelight Processional, led by some of your favorite celebrities.
- EPCOT's Festival of the Arts: Discover your creative side with the Festival of the Arts, which takes place between mid-January and late February. This event offers unique food and drink booths as well as art displays and marketplaces, and a Broadway concert series!
- EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival: Last but not least is the Flower and Garden Festival, typically taking place between late February and late May. Disney themed garden topiaries, food marketplace booths, garden tours, and live music are all included with the price of park admission when you visit EPCOT during this event!
Any of these festivals are very non-Disney guest-friendly and does not feel overly saturated with Disney themes. Although some can get crowded, they can be a great way to enjoy your Disney trip, even with non-Disney loving family and friends!
6. Provide Non-Disney Loving Guests a Nice Quiet Place to Escape Inside the Park
Believe it or not, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park do have some quiet places where the non-Disney guest can hang while you get your Disney fix. There are also plenty of areas throughout Disney World where you can relax without a lot of the loud noises.
Here are some more of our favorite not-so-secret spots to chill:
Disneyland:
- The Golden Horseshoe Saloon
- Mark Twain Riverboat
- it’s a small world promenade
- The Disneyland Story Presenting Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln
- Main Street Cinema
- Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square
- Harbor Galley Seating
Disney California Adventure Park:
- Paradise Gardens
- Boardwalk
- Redwood Creek Challenge
- Flo's V8 Cafe
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- Animation Building
Magic Kingdom:
- Carousel of Progress
- Hub grass in front of Cinderella's Castle
- Tomorrowland Terrace
- People Mover
- The Hall of Presidents
EPCOT:
- Living With the Land
- Morocco Pavilion
- UK Gardens
- Spaceship Earth
- The Seas Aquarium
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
- American Adventure Pavilion
Hollywood Studios:
- Baseline Taphouse
- Star Wars Launch Bay
- Walt Disney Presents
- Pixar Place
- Muppets Courtyard
Animal Kingdom:
- Nomad Lounge
- Discovery Island trails
- Discovery River Amphitheater
- Flame Tree Barbecue
Even for guests that love Disney, sometimes the parks can be overstimulating and you need to take a break with little distractions. Therefore, we always keep in mind these quiet places to ensure everyone can avoid these stresses and enjoy their trip!
7. Downtown Disney and Disney Springs Offer Hours of Fun
Who says your non-Disney-loving friend has to spend the entire day at the parks? There is so much to do at Disneyland's Downtown Disney District and Disney World's Disney Springs! Both offer a variety of activities including shops (mostly non-Disney), restaurants (also not necessarily Disney-themed), bars, much more!
Both Downtown Disney and Disney Springs have a Splitsville location which is a fun mini-bowling alley including a restaurant and live music. Disney Springs even has an AMC movie theater! It is free to visit both Downtown Disney and Disney Springs, with the main difference of having to pay for parking at Downtown Disney.
These shopping districts are one of the best ways to entertain your anti-Disney travel companions! Although there are still fun Disney shops such as World of Disney at both locations, most are not Disney-focused and can be fun for anyone.
8. Book a Fine Dining Reservation or Fireworks Dining Package
Many guests don't realize that the days of eating junk theme park food are long gone! In fact, Disneyland and Disney World are both home to some of my favorite all time restaurants. Especially for trips with non-Disney loving guests, I recommend planning at least one signature or fine dining reservation. You can also book a dining package which gives you priority seating for the fireworks and nighttime spectacular shows! This can be a win-win situation, where your non-Disney loving guests can enjoy some great food and doesn't have to fight crowds or stand for the fireworks show, and you can still see your favorite shows!
Disneyland's World of Color is one of my favorite shows and offers a Dessert Party option with reserved seating and delicious snacks and drinks. You can also book a Fantasmic! dining package including a choice of meal at some of Disneyland's best restaurants as well as priority seating for Fantasmic!
Similarly, the fireworks and nighttime spectaculars offer a variety of dessert party and dining package options for their shows at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. Check out our full guide to Disney World fireworks dining packages here!
9. Take a Moment to Listen
On most trips, you can find my family speed walking to keep up with me as we engage in our strict Disney schedule to hit all our favorite attractions. My family lets me lead which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. One good thing having me lead is we are able to experience all of our favorite attractions (some even twice!).
On the downside, sometimes my family wants to stray from a strict schedule. And those times I find are some of our happiest and best times ever, even if it's not something I would've normally skipped! So, this tip is very important. Listen to your non-Disney-loving guest. Maybe having them pick what they want to do throughout the day may give them a change of heart about your beloved Disney parks. It also gives them more involvement and excitement during the trip!
10. Allow Your Anti-Disney Pal to Make Their Own Magic
Last but not least, sometimes the excitement of the Disney parks has its way of spellbounding us die-hard Disney fans. Just because you love to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean over and over doesn't mean your non-Disney-loving pal will. If your non-Disney-loving pal wants to spend a couple more hours sleeping in, then meet them inside when they are ready. Sometimes that's one of the top tips for Disney grumps! Not everyone wants to get up early on vacation and if they're fine with meeting you later, you can go enjoy riding Pirates again and again!
It's always nice to travel with others who don't mind doing their own thing for a while, such as going to the parks or hanging back at the resort instead. Although most of your time will be spent together, allowing for each member of the group to make their own decisions on what to do and when can significantly help make your next Disney trip fun for everyone!
READ MORE – 10 Things You'll Wish You Didn't Know About Disneyland
Despite Disneyland's seemingly perfect image of magic, fantasy, and amusement, there are several things about the resort that you may regret learning. Many guests often wonder about the unusual secrets or stories about Disneyland, however these secrets may take away some of the Disney magic that many people hold dear to their hearts. From rising ticket prices, graveyards, and synthetic smells, there are several facts about Disneyland that may surprise or even disappoint some Disneyland fans. Here are 10 unusual facts about Disneyland that may detract from guests' picture perfect image of the parks.
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