Rigidness can make Disney trip unravel

Lanes.

“We weren’t going to pay extra to stand in a shorter line,” Baygie said. “Amusement parks are lines. That’s part of it. That’s expected.”

Her family also stuck to quick-service meals.

“My daughter said ‘I’d rather have more park time than spend time sitting and eating food,’ ” she recalled. “OK, your trip. That’s great. Knock that off the table. That’s not something we need to budget for.”

You can find plenty of popular treats at quick-service venues, like oversized cinnamon rolls at Gaston’s Tavern, cheeseburger bao buns at Satu’li Canteen and loaded potato barrels at Woody’s Lunchbox. You can also snack your way across EPCOT festival booths and other World Showcase eateries. However, if you arrive and regret not booking character dining or other tableservice meals, go ahead and check the app as fellow guests cancel last minute.

No reservations are needed for parades or nighttime spectacular shows. Just make sure to arrive early enough to get a good view.

What should you not forget?

Disney fans have all sorts of advice on what to skip and do at each park.

“There will be people with vastly different points of view,” Baygie said. “That doesn’t mean that just because that was their perfect trip that that is your perfect trip.”

“My biggest recommendation is decide what type of flow works for your family the best, and not just one person,” she added. “Because if you have everything set the way that one person wants it to be, is everybody else really going to be OK with that? How much stress is there going to be?”

She advises families not to get wrapped in the hype of trying everything.

“We don’t have regrets with how we did things,” she said.

If you go with the flow, you’ll be surprised by how much you can do too.