Let’s be honest, Disney is confusing. There’s an entire vocabulary (and let’s not even go into abbreviations) that can leave the average first-time visitor with their head spinning. On our first visit with our children, we made a pretty serious rookie mistake… and we didn’t even realize we made it until it was too late!

On our first visit to Epcot, I made a pre-park opening reservation at Akershus. I had it perfectly planned out to a T… we’d have breakfast, then dash over to meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus. You see, we had a FastPass for Frozen Ever After for later that morning, so even though it was directly next door, my initial goal was to meet the two princesses who occupied my daughter’s favorite frozen village of Arendelle.

Well. Here’s where things went off the rails. As we were leaving breakfast, my daughter had to use the bathroom. The park was literally opening, and I didn’t want to lose this opportunity to get in line, so I said to my husband, “Go to the line to meet Anna and Elsa, and we will catch up.”

Well. I am the Disney planner. My husband exited the restaurant, saw a sign for Frozen Ever After, and assumed that’s what I meant. I had told him the general area, but he assumed I was off, and it was just closer than expected. So, he went to Frozen Ever After and hopped on line. While this was happening, my daughter and I exited the restroom and headed to Royal Sommerhus. As we approached the line forming there, my husband called and said, “I’m literally next in line! I told them you’re coming! Hurry to the front.”

So, I ran up to the nearest cast member and said, “My husband and son are next in line! They said they’re next, can we go meet them?” The cast members graciously escorted us to the front of the line, and as soon as I saw Anna and Elsa up ahead, I noticed I did NOT see my husband or son. A quick phone call full of “Where are you? I’m at the front… No, I am!” quickly made us realize we were both indeed at the front… of opposite lines. Well… my 2-year-old had locked eyes with a princess, and there was no turning back. We quickly got our photos taken, had them sign her book, and then rushed out to go find the rest of our party.

I still feel slightly guilty about this, but luckily at this point, the line was short since the park had just opened. However, as an extreme rule follower, this is one of those situations I think of at 3 am and think, “Did I SERIOUSLY do that?! Did I seriously cut the line?!” Well, I accidentally did… and I have the photos to prove it… What can I say? It was an innocent rookie mistake!

What Disney World rookie mistakes have you made? Let us know in the comments section below.