A Painfully Accurate Look at What Happens When a Disney EXPERT Travels With a Group of First-Timers

Everyone has to have their first time at Disney World sometime, it’s just a fact (because…that’s how time works and stuff).

However, over the years we’ve learned there are varying degrees of preparedness people have when they visit Disney for the first time. Many members of our team have been on trips with first timers and WOW do we have lots to share about the experience. If you’re willing to relive the trauma of going to Disney World with a group of first-timers, or you’re ready to AVOID being this group of first-timers, here we go.

You Have To Stop Yourself From Explaining Every Detail

Listen, we know you know a LOT about Disney World. We know it feels great to share some fun facts about the parks, attractions, or shows with your travel party. However…don’t.

It’s not that they don’t want to hear them! Disney World is incredibly overwhelming on all sensory fronts, especially for first timers. They’re seeing Haunted Mansion for the first time and taking it all in. If you’re in their ear telling them about the Chicken Exit, how the room looks like it’s stretching, etc., it’s flying right over their heads and you’re just overwhelming them more. 

They Have Zero Clue What Genie+ Is

Excuse us while we scream into a pillow real fast.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Thank you. Moving on. If your travel party of first timers has no idea what Genie+ is, you’re in for a rough trip.

The sad truth is, in order to complete everything you want to in Disney World in a short amount of time, you need Genie+. This is especially true if it’s a busy day, that way you’re not spending time in line for half the day. Many first timers have no idea what Genie+ is, and therefore won’t get it. Then, they’ll arrive at the parks, be GOBSMACKED at how long all the lines are, and get frustrated. Then it’s up to you to explain the whole system — actually, let us do it for you in this video you can watch right here.

There you go — problem solved!

They Get Genie+ And Have No Idea How To Use It

On the opposite side of the equation, maybe your group bought Genie+ because they heard about it, but they don’t have the faintest clue how to use it.

Did the room just shake? Sorry, we all just collectively screamed again. To be honest, Genie+ is confusing, and it’s changing all the time. So trying to make sense of it after your vacation has already begun is NOT the move. But if you find yourself stuck in this situation, you have 2 options:

1. Take over and be the Genie+ master (you will impress everyone but probably be very tired)
2. Have them read the post below

Hello family member/friend, please read this post to learn about how to use Genie+!

Remembering to Explain Park Terms

Have you ever gone to DAK, MK, and DHS all in one day? Did you go to the TTC to take the Monorail, use the Skyliner, or both? Did any Cast Members make a magical moment for you? Yeah, all of those sentences just made no sense to a first timer.

When you’re traveling with newbies, they have no idea what the acronyms are for/in each park (sometimes they may not even know what the park IS called), so remind yourself to slow down and explain what each one means. Or, if you’ve run out of patience, just avoid using them at all.

Watching Them Learn The Hard Way To Stay Hydrated

Yeah, this one’s hard, and also pretty dangerous. You can tell your group that they need to stay hydrated 14 bajillion times, but many of them still won’t believe just how serious you are until it’s too late.

Heat exhaustion/stroke is the worst, but all you can do is warn your party about it and keep a close eye on them. Sometimes they’ll listen, sometimes they won’t, but hey, you know where to find a Cast Member and get help if needed. And once it happens once, NO ONE is ever forgetting that lesson. 

Here are our tips for surviving Florida’s summer!

The Inevitable Argument

It’s hot, everyone is sleep deprived, confused, and frustrated. You can feel it coming, and then it happens — THE BIG ARGUMENT.

Depending on your group, you may have more than one, but every group of first timers will have a fairly large argument at some point during their vacation, usually because they did one of the following:

• Underestimated how busy the parks are
• Didn’t pack snacks so someone is hangry
• It’s SCORCHING and they haven’t taken a break in the AC
• Someone is confused with how the park works, doesn’t want to admit it, so they lash out at other people

So what do you do in this situation? Well, try to keep yourself level-headed, try to get everyone into a cool spot to have this discussion, and make sure everyone is drinking some water/having a snack during it. This will hopefully curb some of those base needs and you can get to the root of the actual issue faster.

Getting to Witness Magical First Times Firsthand

Lastly, we want to end on a high note, because when you go to Disney with a lot of first timers, you’ll also get to see all those magical moments happen for the first time with your own eyes.

Seeing Cinderella Castle for the first time. Getting pixie dusted. Meeting Mickey and Minnie. Riding a new favorite ride. Watching (and probably crying at) Happily Ever After. All of these moments can be core memories for this first trip, and you’re getting to see them all as they happen.

Ultimately, going to Disney World with first timers can be difficult, but it’s really rewarding! If you’re heading to Disney World for the first time, we suggest you make a list of everything you’d like to experience in the parks, research all the different offerings and when they happen, and be as prepared as you can. That’s why we say stay tuned to AllEars — we’ll make sure you’re always caught up with what’s going on in the parks!

Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know to have a great first Disney World trip!

What would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!

Post a Comment