Vacation Rage – Nine ways to reduce theme park stress

Vacations are a time for traveling, relaxing, and enjoying sites and amusements.  Sounds blissful, right?  Well, it is, however vacations can often be very stressful too.  Think of all the planning, scheduling, flying, driving, walking, and all the money spent.  I’m stressed just thinking about it!  I thought about this topic on a recent trip to Disney World.  We are lucky enough to live in Central Florida and have annual passes to the Disney parks.  We often see families consumed by anger and rage during various parts of the day.  The most recent occurred at lunch time at the Crystal Palace, a buffet style restaurant at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  The mom yelled to her daughter “I didn’t pay twelve dollars so you could eat grapes!”  A definite case of money related vacation stress.  I’ve seen parents full on yelling and spanking/slapping/beating their kids.  In an effort to “save the children” and make things easier on the entire family, I’m offering these tips that I have practiced when frequenting the theme parks.   While these tips are specifically geared around theme park vacations, most also apply to vacations to any destination.

Plan

My number one recommendation is to have a good plan.  Make out a schedule of what you’d like to accomplish and include times and locations.  Write it down and communicate this plan with the family so that everyone buys in to the plan.  When planning account for travel time and realize that some events require you to arrive early.  This is especially true for shows and parades at the theme parks.  Figure out ahead of time which rides/shows you or the kids are most interested in, and hit those first.  Also, plan to stand in lines… many, many lines.

Be Flexible

Understand that the perfect plan you just made may not work out.  There are so many variables when visiting theme parks it’s practically impossible to account for everything.  You may be amazed at how long it takes to just enter the park.  Then once you’re in, you have to walk great distances to arrive at your intended ride/show/destination within the park.  Also realize that you won’t likely complete everything you intended to.  Make sure you hit your favorite rides/shows first, so that you don’t end up disappointed if you run out of time later in the day.

Proper footwear and clothing

This is a personal pet peeve of mine.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen someone in high heels, unsupportive flip flops, long sleeves, or all black.  You’re at a theme park; much of your time will be spent outside in the heat, and you will walk a lot.  Dress for the weather.  Cold or hot, dress appropriately.  Wear good supportive shoes.  I read somewhere that an average theme park visitor will walk ten miles a day.  Try ten miles in high heels, and tell me how your feet feel.

Budget

This is a tough one for most of us.  Vacations are expensive and put a strain on the budget; especially theme park vacations.  Decide how much you are willing to spend, both in total, and daily.  Budget all your meals, and plan for some snacks and drinks throughout the day.  Everything at theme parks is expensive; from the hotels to entry tickets to food.  Plan for these expenses ahead of time so that you are comfortable with the costs and you don’t have to worry about the money.

Eat

This may sound obvious, but try to eat meals at your normal intervals.  Don’t put off eating to squeeze in another ride.  I know nothing makes me more irritable than to be operating on an empty stomach.  Some theme parks offer meal plans.  This may be a good option to help with the budget and meal planning.

Bring Drinks and Snacks

Most theme parks will allow you to bring in your own snacks and drinks.  Take advantage of this and bring some snacks for the family.  It’s also a very good idea to bring bottled water, especially in the warmer climates.  It’s pretty easy to get dehydrated walking around all day in the hot sun.  By bringing in your own water can save some money and save the hassle of waiting in lines for drinks.  Even if you don’t bring your own, it’s still a good idea to take a break and have a snack, which brings me to the next item.

Take a break

Walking all day will wear you out.  Throw in the heat, long lines, and crowds, and you’ll needs some down time.  Most theme parks have a kid’s area or a play area of some sort.  These are great spots for the parents to sit down for a few minutes, while the kids stay entertained.  As you are walking through the park, make note of the quiet shady areas.  I’ve found several nice spots at Magic Kingdom and Epcot that are relatively crowd free and shaded.  These spots are golden in my book, as they are great places to sit down and relax for a few minutes.

Take a nap

If you are staying at a nearby hotel, you may consider heading back to the room for a nap.  Early afternoon after lunch would be a good time.   This is the hottest and busiest time of the day.  During the summer months, most parks are open late, so you’ll have plenty of time to get back to the fun.

Remember you’re on vacation!

My final recommendation is to remember that this is a vacation!  You are here to enjoy yourself and have a good time with your family.  If you feel the stress level rising, take a deep breath and remember why you are here!

Do you have a vacation stress story you’d like to share?  Or perhaps you have more recommendations on stress free vacationing.  I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

Photo by Robert D Bruce.
Reiki Music

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tagged as: Family, finance, Happiness, Vacation