subject: Walt Disney World Orlando Survival Kit [print this page] Planning a family vacation at Walt Disney World Orlando is a large task, but it can be relatively simple if done correctly. First, have everyone familiarize themselves with the park maps and choose their top three attractions to visit. Then create a flexible schedule for seeing and doing as much as possible within reason. Attractions that are very popular should be seen first thing in the morning to avoid line-ups, and plan to have meals outside of traditional meal times. Line-ups are always shorter during lunch, dinner and parades. When everyone needs a break from the crowds and lines seem to be getting longer by the second, take some time to relax at the pool.
Think about the destination. Expect it to be busy, loud, humid, hot and sunny. Consider what everyone plans to be doing: eating, drinking playing, horsing around, roaming a 47 square mile theme park, and touching a lot of things that thousands of other people have touched. Consider any potential problems in advance, and have contingency plans should things go awry. With that list, make a survival kit for each member of the family. It shouldn't be a backpack's worth of goodies, but it should be comprehensive enough to be useful.
Begin with up to date maps of the park. Be organized by having an itinerary and by keeping lists of phone numbers for the local taxi companies, hotel, emergency numbers, and other members of the traveling party. Check that each member of your party has an accurate, functioning watch, with them. Use a large freezer-strength Ziploc bag to keep all items of the survival kit organized. Then the kit will be easily identifiable, waterproof, and items inside are visible.
Important things to toss in each survival kit include: travel pack of bandages, travel pack of tissues, detergent 'pen', package of hard candies (for those low blood-sugar moments), travel size sunscreen, travel size hand sanitizer, travel size headache medicines, motion sickness or nausea medicine for adults and children, travel size wet wipes, dollar store rain poncho, and lip balm with sunscreen. Water is probably the prime item to make sure to include in your survival kit. Having a reusable water bottle is highly recommended for everyone - preferably the collapsible kind. Aside from the importance of staying hydrated in hot weather, using a refillable bottle will save lots of money! A collapsible bottle is even better for travelling! Some families may also wish to include a small note pad and pencil for recording events, things to look up later, reminders and so on. Taking an autograph book can be a fun idea for the little ones, so that they can collect the signatures of their favorite characters!
