🤦‍♀️ 10 park touring mistakes I've made

And how you can avoid them

I messed up so you don't have to

This week on our live Facebook chat , Joey & I talked about past mistakes we've made in the parks. Even for a couple of Disney pros, we have made a lot of blunders!

Knowing what NOT to do is sometimes even more powerful than any list of must-dos. And usually you only find this stuff out the hard way.

So today I'm sharing ten things I've done wrong, with the aim of sparing you the same fate. None of these is a fatal mistake, but things would've turned out a lot better if I'd just paid more attention or thought it through for a minute.

You can hear the stories behind these bloopers right here. (It's a video but you can totally take it with you & stream it like a podcast. You won't be missing anything if you just listen, really). And don't miss the comments, and feel free to add to them too - there are so many whoopsies to share.

My Theme Park FAIL Top Ten:

Showed up ten minutes too late
Sometimes just a few minutes is the difference between being the first person at the gate or the 1000th. As listener Ric pointed out, at the park if you're not first you're last.
Set your alarm ten minutes earlier than you think you need to.

Failed to consider the potential aftermath when we got on the ride
Watch out for that seemingly innocuous attraction that is actually a motion-sickness nightmare. You may have never had a problem with it, but what about cousin Jimmy who's already a little wobbly after the last ride?
Have everybody in the group take a look at the ride before you get on. If that's not possible, use rider swap to send someone in as a tester first.

Went to the wrong park for early admission
Yes, I have seriously done this at Universal Orlando! I swear the schedule before I left home said early admission was at Islands of Adventure, but it was not.
Check the Universal Orlando early admission calendar the night before you head out for rope drop. And if the person at the hotel says early admission is at Universal Studios, then that's where it is.

Didn't pack for the weather
On both coasts, this is most likely to happen to me during the winter months. But I now have an extensive collection of theme park scarves, hats, and gloves.
Keep track of the forecast to find out how cold it'll be early and late in the day, and bring a warm hat or scarf if necessary.

Underestimated the distances between parks and attractions
It's really easy to miss a dining or lightning lane reservation if you don't allow enough time to get there. Sometimes a parade can block your path, the transportation you were planning to use is not running, or you just miss the bus.
If it's a walk across the park, add a few extra minutes buffer, and have the map handy. If going across property at Disney World, allow at least an hour to get between parks, plus time to walk to your destination.

Left something behind
This is super easy to do. Last time around I left my Hamilton souvenir water bottle on the ledge where I'd stopped to eat my breakfast Shawarma. Luckily it was well-worn & I was OK with losing it, but then I had no water bottle.
Check the stash pocket on every ride before you get off, even if you don't remember putting anything in there. And when you get up from a break, look back at where you were so you'll spot that Hamilton water bottle before it's too late.

Got way too wet on a ride
If that attraction looks like it might get you wet, it probably will (especially at Universal). I swear the last time I was on UO's Jurassic River Adventure that thing went underwater. It was the end of our park day and we were heading to the airport from there. Definitely not the condition I enjoy boarding a plane in! (More of this story on Go Informed Podcast episode 31)
Don't be a hero! If you want to ride a dubiously wet ride, at least put on a poncho first. Even better, bring some flip-flops to the park so you can keep your walking shoes out of harm's way. 

Decided not to leave the bags at the bell desk on check-out morning
Sure, we were staying just a couple of minutes' walk from the parks, but why would we force ourselves to come back to our room just to take our bags to the bell staff later? This killed the middle of our last morning at Disneyland when we could've been getting that bonus ride on Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Just get up 15 minutes earlier on your last day so you'll have time to secure your bags with the front desk before you go to the gate. Now you can come back whenever it's really time to leave the park, and no sooner.

Strained the schedule by going on one last ride
I'm guilty of this every time. It's fine except when a ten-minute wait time turns into 30 because of some unforeseen ride breakdown.
Better to use that last half-hour shopping or getting pictures or a snack. Don't get stuck in a circumstance beyond your control.

Didn't bring a phone battery booster
Park apps, camera, mobile ordering - there's a lot of essential processing happening on your phone these days. I have definitely had to go to limp-home mode a few times when my battery got too low.
Set yourself up for the complete modern park experience, bring an external battery pack to give your phone all the juice it needs for the entire day.

Thank you to Joey McGirr, aka The Disney Hack, for helping me compile this list. You can find his Disney Hack Podcast here.

Catch the complete conversation, and the audience comments, on my Facebook page here.

Universal Orlando's Velocicoaster has opened an Express Pass lane!

This means you can skip the wait on one of the most popular attractions in Orlando - if you have a Universal Express Pass. 

Did you know that guests at the Hard Rock Hotel, Royal Pacific, and Portofino Bay all get free Unlimited Express Passes for every day they stay? Find out all about it, plus get details about all six of Universal's on-site resorts, right here in my complete Universal Orlando hotel guide.