Disney Travel Tips from Someone Who Hates Going Anywhere

A dear friend of mine just endured a grueling 30-hour airport adventure in the wake of the CrowdStrike debacle.

While his family thankfully maintained high spirits while enduring the misadventure, just hearing about it triggered my inner introvert.

Many of us don’t like to travel, but we love going to Disney.

So, we grit our teeth and suffer through various indignities to get there.

I’ve learned some tricks over the years to make the experience slightly less infuriating.

Here are a few Disney travel tips from someone who hates going anywhere.

Pack a Go Bag

As an FYI, this won’t be your typical packing guide. You’ll find several of those on MickeyBlog if you’re interested.

Today, I’m discussing something else, which is reducing stress as much as possible while traveling to and from Disney theme parks.

One of the best ways to do that is to prepare a go bag.

I’m not talking about one that will help you escape from the law or anything.

Instead, I’m saying that weeks before your travel, you should consider the necessities that will make you feel safe.

You don’t want to be fumbling around looking for something in an emergency. So, please prioritize your travel essentials.

I’m talking about things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, and hairbrushes. You need access to these in case of emergency.

Airports are still experiencing ripple effects from the CrowdStrike fiasco, with cancellations and delays at record-high levels.

Your go bag will safeguard you from such highly frustrating scenarios because you’ll know you have everything you need.

My suggestion is that you familiarize yourself with packing cubes if you don’t already know about them.

Put a small go bag, preferably a clear one, in your carry-on. Should something go awry, you’ll quickly be able to find it.

Small preventive measures like these can save you a ton of future aggravation in worst-case scenarios.

Car Rentals

I’ve largely stayed away from this topic since 2020, as the pandemic altered the demand and pricing structure of rental cars.

Still, let’s say that you want to sidestep airports altogether. Given recent events, that’s a perfectly reasonable decision.

While you can drive to Disney in your own vehicle, I’d offer a different suggestion.

We recently rented a car for a time due to a minor fender bender.

In talking with the people at the rental agency, we learned that the brief rental market hysteria has mostly ended.

So, car rentals are once again readily available and affordable. As such, you should consider renting a larger family vehicle.

By adopting this approach, you can add some recreational amenities like digital displays that your own car may lack.

Plus, once you arrive at Disney, you won’t need to rely on Disney transportation as much.

Obviously, this suggestion depends on how long the drive to Disney is and how patient and comfortable you are in a car.

Some of us simply aren’t built for long drives.

Airport Pre-Check

Ten years ago, I wrote these articles and received the inevitable reply, “I didn’t know you could do that.”

Nowadays, most tourists are at least generally familiar with the concepts of TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and Clear.

Just in case you’re not, these three offerings all allow you to skip the longer lines at airport security.

So, you can think of them as Lightning Lane for airports. You’ll enter a shorter line rather than the grueling security checkpoints.

How much would you pay for that privilege? Well, TSA PreCheck enrollment costs $77.95 for five years of use.

Personally, I think that’s worth it even if you’ll even fly once in a calendar year.

Then again, my opinion is clouded by a 2022 incident wherein my wife’s protein powder incurred the wrath of airport security.

That was a panicky few minutes wherein other guests angrily stared at us as they evaluated whether we were terrorists.

Since then, we’ve happily preferred the service that allows us to keep our shoes on and electronic devices packed.

Clear is the deluxe version of TSA PreCheck. Your fingerprints and eyeball tests prove your identity. So, you can skip everything else.

The service costs $199 per person, although additional family members are only $119.

I only recommend Clear for frequent travelers, but it’s a luxury airport amenity for sure.

If you have the money and travel a lot, buy Clear!

Finally, Global Entry is basically TSA PreCheck+. It comes with TSA PreCheck but also allows for expedited entry when traveling internationally.

Since Global Entry costs $100, you’re only paying $22 more than for TSA PreCheck.

So, you should go ahead and buy Global Entry if you think you might travel abroad over the next few years.

 

When the time comes for your trip, you’ll be glad that you did.

Airport Layover Intel

Do you know why I like Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta? Sure, it’s in the conversation for the worst airport in America.

Yes, the congestion is terrible, and the Delta hub often collapses under the pressure of servicing that many travelers.

But there’s a Nathan’s Famous right there at Concourse B. So, no matter how bad things get, I know I’ll get a hot dog.

You might think that’s ridiculous, but here’s the thing. During a rough travel day, we need our wins where we can get them.

That’s why I strongly encourage you to perform a bit of airport intel before you travel.

Identify a few places where you can grab a bite to eat or drink at a lounge, presuming you don’t have club access with some airline.

Similarly, you should find a few stores you might like.

For example, at Orlando International Airport, the Disney Store and Universal Studios Store stock a ton of merchandise.

Obviously, you don’t want to blow your spending budget before you even get to Disney.

Still, a few splurges might cheer you up during a long layover.

Tips for Flying

I’m someone who has written more than 1,000 movie reviews in my life. So, I’m clearly a cinema buff.

Despite this fact, my confession is that I don’t really enjoy watching movies on the plane.

For whatever reason, they make time seem to drag more slowly, at least for me.

Instead, I’ve found a few other things that work. Serial television programming proves effective since you want to binge it.

So, you’ll grow more immersed than during a 100-minute movie.

Similarly, books work well, although not everyone loves reading on their phone.

As such, I’d suggest grabbing an inexpensive Amazon Kindle for such situations.

You can find a surprising number of Kindles for $20 on eBay, and a local used media store likely sells them for cheap, too.

Lately, the big things in my family are the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck.

My wife has had her Switch since launch day, and it’s always in her hands during a flight.

She’ll start gaming before the plane lifts off, and I won’t see her eyes until it’s time to exit.

As a fan of classic video games, I’m having good luck with the Steam Deck. I can play new games like Madden 25 on it.

Also, Steam is integrated into the portable device, providing me with access to video games of every generation.

I can go from Zork to Destiny 2 while flying, which allows me to forget I’m flying for a while.

Oh, and if you sometimes suffer from nausea during a flight, I strongly suggest Dramamine. It’s worked wonders for my wife.

Miscellany

Finally, I just have a few incidental pro tips based on many years of my mistakes as a traveler.

One is that you should perform a bit of charger planning. Somehow, some airplanes still lack USB ports.

I have no idea how that’s possible in this day and age, but it does still happen. Thankfully, it’s rare these days.

However, you don’t want to get caught off-guard. As such, I’d recommend packing a backup battery.

Conveniently, TSA rules require flyers to pack Lithium Ion batteries in their carry-ons.

So, simply stick your battery in your clear packing cube as one of your essentials.

Also, you should add a couple of USB cables, ones that will fit your phones, tablets, and video games.

I’d strongly suggest verifying these before you leave.

There’s no worse feeling than sitting on the plane and realizing you packed the wrong cable.

As for luggage, my advice is that you should always pack an extra bag when possible.

Yes, you may pay an extra baggage fee, but you’ll have more room for your new Disney merch on the way home!

Don’t forget why you’re there. We’re all in it for the Disney goodies!

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Feature Photo: Disney