Top 10 Ways to Be A Disney World Dad
Second Dad to the Right, unimpressed by Splash Mountain
So you’re going to Disney World, and you’re a dad. Maybe someone is making you go. Maybe you hate crowds, and humidity, and spending money. I know where you’re coming from. (That’s a lie. I want to be there right now. With my kids. With my wife. Without my kids. I’m writing a blog about Disney in my free time. Maybe there’s something wrong with me.)
Whatever the case is, the trip is booked. You can’t go back. Everyone is too excited. So here’s a few tips to keep from ruining the trip, messing up your marriage, and wasting thousands of dollars. You’ll be happier, even if you find yourself wearing insufferable matching t-shirts. Then, I’ll throw in some tips to make things easier for you and your wife, ending with my best kept dad secrets.
Feel free to click on any of the dad links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. And I will use that money for Disney. Here’s my list of awesome dad shirts on Amazon (well just awesome, not necessarily only for dads). Or if you’d rather click a button, click below.
1. Enter someone else’s world
The whole point of this ridiculously expensive vacation is to let the thrills, customer service, and theming pull your family into an imaginative world of joy. Figure out what your kids or wife are geeking out about and join in. If you can’t join in (I absolutely don’t care about collecting all the KidCot cards at each country in Epcot), make it your goal to point out the stuff they like. Get joy out of making core memories for others.
A dad dadding harder than any dad dadded before. Not me.
2. Watch your alcohol intake
Getting trashed will not help your wife or your kids have a good time. Then when you see the credit card bill for spending $100 a day on alcohol, you’re going to be mad at Disney. Then you won’t want to go back. Then it’ll be a whole thing when they want to go again.
But I’m not worried about you getting sloppy. You have self-control. What you might not be expecting though is how much alcohol will drain you and dehydrate you in the heat. It is hard to have fun, be a nice parent, and keep up with your kids when all you want to do is put your head down at Connections Café (say hey to my man Carlos at Starbucks) in the A/C and take a nap.
Don’t end up like this guy.
3. Save Money
You’re already going to spend a lot of money. A lot of money. I won’t sugarcoat it. But Disney doesn’t do anything as well as offering you the chance to spend even more. Here’s some tips to avoid spending as much money and being mad at your family.
- If you have little kids, buy souvenirs and themed clothes on Amazon, or Etsy, or the Dollar Store, or Five Below, or even a character outlet ahead of time. Give them to them at the Park so they don’t ask to go in the stores. Everything they buy will break regardless of where you buy it from, especially Japanese paper fans. Seriously, I don’t believe a paper fan has ever made it out of the park before breaking. Don’t. Buy. A. Paper. Fan. You will regret it. Don’t do it. You’ll be out $20 and your daughter will be crying and you’ll have to buy a bunch on Amazon anyways, which will also break. Sorry. I’m done.
Instead of buying a paper fan, here’s a product that you’re little girl can get tons of mileage out of (or break for cheaper than the ones in the park). I may get compensation and will definitely use it to go to Disney if you purchase.
- For older kids, give them a gift card as a spending allowance. Gift cards outside the park at Sam’s, Target, or Kroger will give you discounts or perks.
- Pack food for meals you’re not excited about. Order Instacart to you’re room so you don’t spend $4 on one serving of cereal.
- Don’t get desensitized to the price of things. They will wear you down.
4. Don’t make a scene
There’s going to be a lot of rules you don’t like at the Disney parks. They are trying to manage thousands of people a day, so some of rules will seem arbitrary. Then, someone is going to cut you in line or stand in front of you at the wrong time. That lady is definitely going to run over your foot with her scooter (it’s my mother-in-law). Be prepared. Don’t embarrass your family.
And do what you can to keep your family from losing it. Make them go to sleep on time. Make them get some protein, water, and vitamins, so they aren’t grumpy. I swear by melatonin gummies for everyone.
5. Find your own thing
If you go to Disney, and you’re family is having the time of their lives. Face it. They’re gonna want to go back. Do yourself a favor and find a thing you like. A restaurant. A bar. A character interaction. A rollercoaster. You can be selfish about it because they’ll be excited you’re into it. One of my things is clever or unique Disney shirts.
For most of the Gen X dads, that means Star Wars. For most of the Millennial dads, that means Marvel. For me, it’s Wreck-it Ralph (and Peter Pan, hence the website). I love video games more than Star Wars and comics.
Ralph was there for me when I went through a bushy beard phase.
Disney Shirts for Dads
Here’s a great example of a shirt you need. It’s a reference from Beauty and Beast that looks like a deer hunting shirt if you need me to spell it out for you. And here’s a list of a bunch of awesome dude/dad shirts I found on Amazon.
6. Bring the stroller
It doesn’t matter if your kid should be able to walk on their own. It doesn’t matter if your kid hates the stroller. You can easily rack up over 20,000 steps spending all day at Disney World. That’s roughly 10 miles of walking. You’re probably not prepared for that. You can be sure your kid isn’t either unless they are a really good soccer player. Even if your kid has outgrown the stroller, at some point they’re going to want to be in it. And even if I’m wrong, even if they resist, the stroller is AMAZING for storing stuff you bought and snacks and drinks you brought into the park. It also is useful for blocking off space in crowds for fireworks and then be used as something for your kids to stand on during the fireworks. Bring the stroller. Bring the double stroller. You can even use it as walker for your tired self.
Below I’ve linked my guide to the best strollers for Disney and the best double strollers for Disney.
My opinion, and the opinion of many others is that the BOB Revolution is the best stroller for Disney Dads. It’s heavy, but it holds the most and goes the fastest.
If you want to rent, check out Kingdom Strollers in the ad below (I’ll earn a small commission at no cost to you).
7. Get familiar with the My Disney Experience App
You’ll make your life easier if you get to know the app. You can check ride times, book lightning lanes (to not have to wait in line), make Disney dining reservations, find character interactions and shows your kids will like (bonus for you if there’s air conditioning), and mobile order food so it’s ready when you get off the ride. On the low, you can figure out where all the kiosks are that sell the stuff you like or drinks you want and casually guide your family past them. In Hollywood Studios especially, you can mobile order drinks quickly from several places like the Blue Milk kiosk or Andy’s Lunch Box. The My Disney Experience app will help you navigate the park, and the better you know it, the more fun your family can have. To get started, learn how to understand Genie Plus and Lightning Lanes.
8. Before the trip, use a Crowd Calendar
Want to be a hero for your family and make your own life less stressful? Plan out your trip using a crowd calendar. It will tell you relatively accurate information on which park to book for which day based on historical data and upcoming events. If your family has a lot of flexibility in when your trip is, book the whole trip during a low time like late January, early May, or early November. Here’s a couple I’ve used:
https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar
https://wdwprepschool.com/disney-world-crowd-calendar/
These last two tips are secrets just for you for making it to the end of the blog. This is how you can really maximize the fun for yourself.
9. Use that Rider Switch
If you have a child that is too young or short, or doesn’t want to ride on a ride, they have a thing called Rider Switch that allows whoever is watching the young, short, scared kid doesn’t have to wait in line. THEN, someone else gets to go on the ride twice.
It works like this. Say you want to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, usually the longest line at this park (except for Tron). You’re there with your three kids and beautiful wife, but one of those kids is a freeloading baby that has to be carried everywhere. You look like a super dad by offering to keep the baby while your wife gets to go on the ride with the two older kids. You go to the entrance to the ride and ask for a Rider Switch. They scan your card or magic band or phone or whatever you used as a ticket, and the ticket of whichever lucky older kid gets to go twice.
Then, they wait in the line and ride the ride. You, on the other hand, can wander around with the baby or take a nap in Pinocchio’s if you want. You could even take the baby on a shorter ride like Peoplemover. Then, when they get done, you and whichever child is your favorite get to ride the ride THROUGH THE LIGHTNING LANE. So you got to wander around and make core memories with a child and then avoid a line for an awesome ride.
Godmode: Want to do this even better? Bring another adult that doesn’t like rides: a grandmother or friend with chronic vertigo. Do the rider switch. Then leave all the kids with the dizzy friend and ride the ride with your wife THROUGH THE LIGHTNING LANE. Nothing more relaxing than shirking responsibility, avoiding lines, and riding an awesome ride with your favorite person.
Here’s more tips on having fun with a baby or toddler at Disney.
10. My Secret Bar at Disney
You’ve made it to the end of this article. You deserve something special. You’re trying to be an awesome dad, which, in my opinion, makes you an awesome dad. So I’ll let you in on my best dad secret. In Hollywood Studios, right in the main hub, there is a sit down restaurant called the Brown Derby. They have an outside bar to the left of the entrance to the restaurant that serves the eating customers sitting outside. HOWEVER, you can also just walk up to it and order a drink. There is never a line because it looks like it’s only for the restaurant. I can hit it in seconds on the way to Toy Story Land, and then I have an old fashioned.
Conclusion
So there you have it. You’re stuck. You’re going to Walt Disney World. Get your passive aggressive shirt if you need to. Most Expensive Day Ever. I’ll never financially recover from this. I’m just here to pay for everything.
But if you’re gonna spend that much money, make it special for your family even if you’re not excited about it. Then, after you make it special for them, make it special for you. This will, in turn, make you want to go again, which will make your wife and kids happy. Speaking of which, here’s an article about how we all fell in love with Figment.
My first trip, the only reason we went was so I could run a Spartan Race in Tampa. What was supposed to be a couples’ getaway turned into a weeklong trip with my kids, my mother-in-law, and my grandmother-in-law. I wasn’t excited, but now I’m hooked.
I hope you have more fun than you meant to at Disney World.
How I really feel about Splash Mountain. How my wife really feels about Splash Mountain, and how Paula Dean feels about Splash Mountain. (just kidding, that’s my wife’s grandmother)
Dad Training for Disney on a Treadmill
Now here’s a video of another awesome Disney Dad. And a link to the original creator https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnKDfVnhqry/
