Today we're back to give you five more tips for a magical family theme park vacation. If you haven't already read our first five tips, be sure to check those out too. Whether you're headed to Disney World, Disneyland, Universal, or another theme park, these tips will help keep things running smoothly and the magic flowing. Let's get to it.
#5 - UTILIZE RIDER SWITCH or CHILD SWAP
This is a simple one. Most theme parks have a rider switch or child swap feature which allows all adults the ability to experience an attraction even when someone needs to remain with a child who will not or cannot ride.
Here's how it works at Disney:
First check with a Cast member to see if Rider Switch is offered at the attraction in question.
Once at the attraction, approach the greeting Cast Member with your entire party. At least one adult member of your party and the Guests who are not riding will be issued a Ride Switch entitlement by the Cast Member and asked to wait in a designated area (usually outside of the attraction). This group is “Party 2.”
The other party members (“Party 1”) ride the attraction.
After riding the attraction, Party 1 locates Party 2. Then, Party 1 takes over supervision of the non-riding children or Guests.
Party 2 enters and boards the attraction without having to wait in the regular queue a second time. The Rider Switch entitlement must be validated by a Cast Member at this time.
At Universal, the process is a little different as they often have waiting rooms for the non-riders near the loading area.
The entire family enjoys the highly themed queue.
When the group reaches the front of the line, one person in the party inquires about the child swap option.
The cast member will give you a swap pass.
One parent sits out with the little one while everyone else rides.
After the ride, the parent who waited can now ride the ride without waiting in the line. Best of all, they can bring three guests with them.
Everyone can ride.
Simple. Easy. Awesome.
#4 - ASK YOUR DISERELLA TA ABOUT SPECIAL (FREE) TOURS
You have not, because you ask not. That’s written in a pretty famous book. There are many opportunities to go behind the scenes, especially at Universal. This is where your friendly neighborhood Diserella Travel Advisor comes in. I have led many groups into areas where the crowds around us glared, jealously, not knowing that they, too, could experience what we were experiencing. The difference is knowledge. I knew what they didn’t. And guess what, we can help you, as well. Let us help you discover the little hidden secrets that make your vacation special and your family feel like VIPs.
#3 - RESERVE YOUR RESTAURANTS AND PLAN YOUR MEALS
One of the biggest mistakes Disney and Universal newbies make is failing to plan their meals. We get it. It's hard to believe that you actually need to decide when and where you'll be eating 60 or more days before your trip, but you most certainly do.
Failure to make your advance dining reservations means your chances of getting highly coveted character meals and the most popular restaurants is slim. Sure, you may hear from your neighbor that they were able to walk up and get right into a Disney or Universal restaurant, but that is like winning the lottery.
The good news is that your Diserella Travel Advisor will help guide you in selecting the best restaurants and will be the one to make your reservations at 6:00 AM EST as soon as your booking window opens.
#2 - BUY THE PHOTO PACKAGE
The best part of a vacation is the memories you make, and there's no better way to preserve those memories than with photos. Theme park photo packages are designed to make sure everyone, including mom, gets into the shot. But more than that, in recent years, the magic shots and overlays take your photos to the next level. If you take advantage of the many photo opportunities, you'll have hundreds of magical photos by the end of your trip, making the photo package a no brainer!
#1 - BOOK WITH A DISERELLA TRAVEL ADVISOR
With a trained and knowledgable expert on your side, planning and preparing for a magical theme park vacation does not have to be such a daunting task. From the time you contact us until the time you return home, we'll guide you on all the decisions that have to be made, handle all of the time consuming tasks, educate you on all the important information (like Genie+) in a way that is easy to understand, and give you all of our tips and tricks to make your trip successful. You'll have one dedicated advisor to handle all of your trip details and answer all of your questions with your specific needs and wants in mind.
And let me tell you a secret. All of our services are complimentary when you book a qualifying vacation package or cruise. That's because most Disney and Universal vacation packages have a travel advisor's commission included in the total price. You can either book directly with Disney or with an online site like Expedia or Booking.com and handle all of the planning on your own or pay the same price and receive all of our help.
Diserella Travel Company is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and U-Preferred Agency which means that our agents complete specific traning, meet customer serivce metrics, and obtain high sales goals every year. You can rest assured that your Diserella Travel Advisor is someone who KNOWS Disney and Universal intimately and has the professional connections to make your travel dreams come true.
About the Author:
Derin Dopps is a travel advisor and minister in Denver, Colorado. Derin has been visiting the Disney parks since 1988 and has traveled extensively through out the world, spending time in 47 States, Japan, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines and sailing on many cruises.