A WOMAN whose job is to plan Disney holidays for people has revealed some of the most common mistakes when visiting the parks.
Popular blunders include visiting at the wrong time of year, buying the wrong ticket and wasting time at mealtimes.
Kari Becker is a travel planner at Marvelous Mouse Travels and she has been to the Disney theme parks more than 40 times.
She told Insider how to avoid the most obvious pitfalls of booking a Disney vacation.
Avoid spring break, the winter break and American holiday weekends
Disney's parks are busy all year round these days (apart from during Covid), but there are specific times of the year that you really want to avoid.
According to Becker, if you can it's best to stay away during school holidays.
She said: "If you have any flexibility, don't schedule your vacation during school breaks – holiday weekends, spring break, and winter break will always bring the biggest crowds to the theme parks."
Think carefully about what type of ticket you'll need
Disney offer a range of tickets and the park hopper ones that allow you to move between parks on a single day can seem like great value.
But according to Becker, they won't get much use if you have young children.
She said:"Unless you're staying for only a very short time, there are few reasons to park hop with small kids – it's just an unnecessary added expense that you probably won't make the best use of if you're pausing for afternoon naps or breaks."
Disney sit-down restaurants are great, but they take up a lot of time
Disney has some incredible sit-down restaurants, with character meet-and-greets, big buffets, fancy food and magical decor.
But according to Becker, you want to limit your time at restaurants.
She said: "Many table-service experiences can take 90 minutes to two hours from start to finish, so you wouldn't be left with much time to experience the rest of the parks.
"One table-service reservation a day is usually a perfect respite from the hustle and bustle without overcrowding your schedule."
There are plenty of other tips and tricks to use when visiting Disney theme parks, especially when it comes to making your money go further.
As Sun Online Travel previously reported, guests can make the most of their trip with a number of secret freebies.
Tourists visiting Disney World on their birthday can collect a celebration badge from their hotel or guest relations desk, which will unlock the hidden extras.
According to Theme Park Tourist, Disney Characters around the park can easily identify guests who are wearing the badge and will offer extra interaction.
This can even include signed cards or happy birthday messages from some of the cast.
Free food can also be enjoyed through the park thanks to the birthday badge.
Club Cool, found in Future World at Disney's Epcot, offer a free slush drink drink in any flavour for the birthday guest.
While normal guests can have free Coca Cola samples, including weird flavours such as apricot and passion-fruit and kiwi and mango, one guest said on a forum that they were given two free slushies for being part of the "birthday squad".
Most restaurants will also give free desserts to those with the birthday badge, such as slices of cake or free cupcakes.
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