Giving a Disney DIY presentation....what would you mention?

[LibrarianBecky]

Hi all!

I'm a public librarian and Disney-lover, and I"m going to be having a program for adults on DIY Disney World planning. I have my presentation basically put together (need to add some more photos!), but thought it would be worthwhile to see if anyone here had tips for other things I should mention. The program is geared toward Disney newbies.

My program outline is:
When to go (crowd calendars, weather, busiest times of year)
How to go (flying vs. driving)
Where to stay (onsite vs. off site)
Transportation (rental car, bus system)
Tickets (Base, park hopper, water parks and more, price breaks on 4+ days)
Overview of MK, EP, HS, AK (including iconic rides, popular restaurants, and my fav snack)
Touring tips (Rope Drop, fast pass, parades/fireworks)
Saving money (bring in water/snacks, water at CS, splitting meals, autograph books, inexpensive souvenirs, bringing glow sticks for nighttime entertainment, grocery delivery)
Resources: favorite websites and books (including DIS!) for planning


What would you add to the list? I don't really need more to talk about, because I think what I have will probably fill an hour easily....but I don't want to miss out on some favorite tips or tricks.

Thanks!

Becky

 

[sharonabe]

Somewhere in the beginning or end, I would emphasize that going to WDW is unlike any other vacation destination, and their trip will be much better if they put some time into the research and planning process. Since they are attending a program about it, let's hope they are at least somewhat receptive to the idea of pre-planning.

You may want to add something about dining and the need to make ADRs way in advance.

 

[LibrarianBecky]

Yes, definitely! I have a Food category, and have some notes on ADRS and CS, TS, and Character Meals in there. Thank you!

 

[mrzrich]

You only have an hour? To get all that in? I could see this as a several week series with an hour on each topic!

 

[loves to dive]

I would stress that they don't try to overplan. This is vacation and it should be fun not running around trying to get everything in. Stress it's a big place and people who have been going for years still have not seen and done it all (I've been going at least every other year for over 30 years and haven't). They should have a rough plan, their three FPs and maybe a few ADRs and then go from there. You set yourself up for disappointment if you plan every minute and then a ride breaks down, thus throwing everything off whack. Make sure they understand the place itself is magic and they spend some time actually just relaxing and stopping and looking at it instead of running from ride to ride. Also stress, if they don't get FPs for that ride or that ADR, it's not the end of the world and won't ruin their vacation. Encourage them to understand that planning is important but relaxing and going with it is also. Last minute FPs and ADRs are always opening up.

 

[tobikaye]

I agree with loves to dive to stress not to over plan. My boss went to the parks for the first time with his family last year. I remember talking a little about the trip about a month before he left. I made sure to mention not to over plan the day. He did not think they had planned too much at that point. When he came back, he told me he did think they might have over planned a few meals.

 

[china mom]

I would mention Travel Agents and the pros and cons of using one. Most people do not realize that the services of TA is absolutely free (they are paid a commission by Disney and if someone plans their own trip, Disney just pockets the commission amount). A good agent can really help the newbie a lot.