If Disney has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes, you have to think outside of the box. No one initially thought building theme parks in a tiny California town and a city-wide swath of Florida swamp was a good idea, but we can see how it worked out for the Walt Disney Company. Like brave Mulan figuring out she could climb the training post with weights holding everyone else back, sometimes we can find the most creative solutions to our problems if we just consider unusual options.
We love vacation hacks here at Theme Park Tourist, from finding ways to upgrade your next Walt Disney World vacation for free to exploring creative methods to calm down on a stressful trip. We also love exploring some of the stranger and more unusual ways people experience theme parks, and our lifehack pieces have definitely reflected a common trend—some of the best on-the-fly trip hacks sound really weird at first.
We gathered 6 of our favorite unusual trip hacks to try on your next theme park vacation—while a few of these are Disney-specific, most can actually be used at any theme park!
1. Defeat blistering feet (with lip balm?)
Theme parks can do a nasty number of your feet, but it’s safe to say that few are as brutal as Walt Disney World. The average Disney guests walks around 10 miles a day! Choosing the wrong shoes for a Disney day can be a painful mistake, but many guests find that even their favorite tennis shoes or sandals may still produce searing blisters after that much walking.
I’ve had my share of nasty experiences with blisters at Disney, but I ran into a real pickle on a recent vacation where I forgot to bring backup shoes. We recently took up the hobby of Batuu-bounding during our visits to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (that is, the Disney-approved practice of letting guests dress up as “Batuu locals” for your visit). I found a great pair of Star Wars-y boots at Shoe Carnival for like $15 that didn’t feel like they would kill my feet—these became my go to wear for most Disney visits, but I realized quickly that despite how walking-friendly the boots were, after a few hours wandering Batuu, my feet started to ache where blisters were forming.
On one occasion where we weren’t anywhere near First Aid (which has a great blister remedy), we discovered a clever trick for stopping blisters before they spiral out of control. Lots of people swear by chafing balms to prevent blistering. We didn’t have this, but I did have some extra gooey lip balm (petroleum based). Desperate for a solution, I scooped out a little bit of the lip balm (I didn’t want my nasty feet touching the remaining balm) and smeared it on the blistering parts of my feet.
It worked like a dream. I assume a professional foot balm would work better, but it did the trick and saved my feet for the rest of the day! Visiting First Aid is the best solution to foot issues, but this definitely worked in a pinch. You can also try changing your socks—that alone can fee like putting on a new pair of feet!
2. Create mega-dishes
Disney superfans get quite excited about “secret menu” dishes—it’s sounds so mysterious. While some locations at Disney parks do have legit secret menus (Disney’s All Star Movies Resort is a great example, as is Starbucks), often secret menu items are simply a matter of Frankenstein-ing together two or three dishes into one.
An example of this can be found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Everyone has an opinion about which is better—blue or green milk (I personally favor green while my husband likes blue). However, most guests don’t realize that if you buy both flavors, you can request an extra cup to mix them into a blue-green mega milk. The flavors mix together quite nicely, and it’s fun to experience if you’re a repeat SW:GE visitor.
Probably our favorite secret menu item we’ve seen can only be found at Disneyland in California. Guests can upgrade a Dole Whip by picking up a packet of Tajin seasoning for free from Tropical Imports, then adding the seasoning to a Dole Whip from the Tiki Juice Bar. Fans can’t rave enough about the popular mix of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. You can even upgrade your Dole Whip further at Tropical Hideaway with the “Loaded Dole Whip” secret menu option, adding jicama, cucumber, chamoy, and pineapple. Wish we had this one on the east coast!
Probably one of the most insane Franken-food hacks we’ve seen will give you a sugar rush to send you straight to the moon (or into a long nap at your resort). The next time you pick up an ice cream sundae at Disney parks, pick up a churro first from a snack cart. Add it to your sundae for a tasty treat! This secret menu trick is so popular, Disney actually added it as a real item to some of their park menus.
The sky is the limit for secret menu items—just do a little research online to find what other guests have come up with so far. If you enjoy your food on the creative side, don’t be afraid to combine Disney dishes to make your own Franken-food masterpiece.
3. Cool down faster (with science)
Both California and Florida can get pretty hot from late spring to mid-fall. Sometimes water just isn’t enough, particularly when dealing with Florida’s brutal humidity. We did an entire piece on unusual ways to cool down in the heat, but here are two of the more unorthodox highlights.
Many people are familiar with the concept of using a neck towel or bandana soaked in ice water to cool down. In some parts of the world, people will add a squirt of Sea Breeze astringent to the ice water used to soak a neck towel. The minty astringent amplifies the cooling effect on the towel and can make it feel like it lasts longer. If you expect to find yourself suffering under the oppressive Florida or California heat, bring a travel sized bottle (or contact lens case) of Sea Breeze and a bandana with you. When things get hot, request a cup of ice water from any vendor who serves fountain drinks. Drink the majority of the cup to rehydrate, then add a little bit of Sea Breeze and soak your neck towel in it. Sweet relief! (Don’t drink the Sea Breeze, lol).
Another unusual hack to cool down has roots in South Asia. Science has found that on non-humid days, drinking a hot drink can actually cool the body down by encouraging sweat and signaling the brain to regulate the body’s temperature. While this trick requires breathable clothing and doesn’t work well in heavy humidity (Florida guests will have to save this one for dryer days), it’s a great trick if you need a coffee or tea fix but are worried about the heat. Enjoy that hot drink and the cooling benefits that come after it!
4. Dull the sting of long waits (with a 14 hour book)
Waiting in line is seriously the worst part of any theme park visit. While Disney has done a great job making queues more guest-friendly with interactive games and exciting visuals, long waits can still feel like an absolute slog. Some parents have taken to downloading videos for kids to watch, but the issue with these is you can get distracted watching your screen, and they can prove brutal to your phone battery if you’re streaming using Disney’s battery-hungry Wi-Fi.
While we don’t have to use this solution too often (we do our best to avoid long waits, if possible), one favorite option we found for passing the time in line is using audiobooks. Many people don’t realize how long unabridged audiobooks are these days—an average science fiction book clocks in at around 10-14 hours (we have a Brandon Sanderson novel that clock in at 55 hours!). A multi-way splitter can allow several family members to enjoy the book (or sharing a pair of Bluetooth earbuds if they can be separated), and the time really does fly. Audiobooks on Audible can be downloaded ahead of time, which eliminates the need to stream—you can just turn the Wi-Fi off.
Even better, Disney fans can enjoy audiobooks pertinent to their visit. A good example is the excellent Star Wars audiobooks available on Audible. Both the book Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson and Thrawn: Alliances take place on Batuu (the first Thrawn book is excellent as well). Star Wars fans can learn the history of Batuu while you explore the parks.
5. Defeat nausea (with candy)
Thrill rides are great, but motion sickness is just the worst sometimes. I like to think I have a pretty stalwart stomach, but some rides like Star Tours can still leave me queasy (weirdly, Mission: SPACE Orange Team usually doesn’t). For some friends we’ve brought to the parks, even basic ride movements can send their equilibrium reeling.
There are some commonsense tricks you can try when you feel nausea—drinking some water or Gatorade is a great start (Powerade is pretty easy to find in Disney parks). Dramamine isn’t a very good option because it makes you sleepy, but eating some light, healthy food like breadstuffs or vegetables can help.
Our favorite go-to nausea reliever is, ironically, a form of candy.
Ginger has a longtime history of being used to combat nausea. You can find it in many forms, but one of the easiest to carry is ginger candies. Our favorite variety we found are Gin-Gins, available at most health grocery stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods, or Earth Fare. An alternative we particularly like is Trader Joe’s Uncrystallized Candied Ginger. When we feel nausea coming on, we munch on some ginger and usually that’s enough to curb the symptoms so we can keep enjoying our day.
Another unusual method for overcoming nausea utilizes peppermint essential oil—the scent of pure peppermint has a soothing effect (some varieties can be ingested but check your brand before doing so). You can also use acupressure to apply pressure to a specific pressure point on the wrist to calm nausea—some sailors swear by the trick.
6. Hack your kids to sleep
A Disney vacation is a pretty exciting experience for a kid—just getting them to sleep in the first place can be a challenge, particularly if you’re trying to encourage sleep on a plane trip, drive, or during an afternoon rest time. Sometimes, parents and guardians have to get a little creative to help kids to settle down and nap.
I wrangle teenagers for my day job, and there are some youth trips where we just want the kids to sleep—they’re all tired and cranky from a crazy week, and they all need a nap. In these cases, my go-to weapon is the “Sleep” playlists on Spotify, particularly the “Peaceful Guitar” playlist. Sometimes, we’ll even turn on the Relax Melodies app and play some soothing ocean sounds. Almost without fail, this is enough to knock an entire car of teenagers into a long nap. You can use similar tactics for small kids on a trip or at your resort—put on some soothing sounds via a noise generator on your phone, then some peaceful lullaby-style music. There are even soothing renditions of Disney songs! The scent of lavender essential oil can also encourage sleep.
A more unusual method involves a little parental oversight and knowing your kid pretty well— go ahead and sugar your kid up, then let them crash. I’m dead serious.
If you’re pretty comfortable with knowing how your kid does on sugar and how long their usual “sugar rush” lasts, you can allow a tasty treat or dessert about 45 minutes to an hour before they need to settle down. Let them run off their energy in a hands-on play area (or at the pool), then let them settle into the sugar sleepies. This is definitely not hard science, but it can’t hurt to try if you can’t get your little one on a sleep schedule. Again, this is up to individual parents and will depend on the kid.
Have you discovered any weird or unusual hacks for visits to Disney parks?
