First Visit to Disney World!

[coasternate]

My family and I are huge Disney fans, and we've been to the Disneyland in California quite a few times. We know Disneyland very well. This June, we're taking our first trip to Disney World. We're taking a Disney cruise and then we have a 5 day park hopper. As we haven't been to the Florida parks yet, does anyone have any tips or recommendations for a first time visitor, such as what parks we need to visit within Disney World, which rides we should make sure we should ride/should ride first, or anything we should make sure not to miss? We are very excited, but we would like some insider information on the best way to tackle the parks in a span of a few days.

 

Thanks!

[Nrthwnd]

^ Up at 0500. Get some food into your system. Arrive Early. Any park.

 

Best I can tell you, from personal experience.

[Canobie Coaster]

I know some people drain themselves if they go both early and late, but definitely make sure you either get there at opening or stay until closing if you want to maximize rides. At the end of the day, Disney will lie about the wait time on major attractions to keep it died down. For example, Seven Dwarfs said an 80 minute wait at 11:50 pm but we were on within 5 minutes. Some park specific tips:

 

Magic Kingdom- Seven Dwarfs will have the longest wait in the park. If you can Fastpass it, I highly recommend it. Or go at the very end of the day. Most people go to this ride first, so lines may not be shory in the morning. I'd recommend going to either Tomorrowland or Fantasyland first to ride the mountains. In the first hour or two, lines should be below 20 minutes. By midday, these will swell to 60-90 minutes.

 

Epcot- With Fastpass plus, you can only reserve either Soarin' or Test Track (not both). Soarin' is identical to California's, but if you want to ride it, I recommend fastpassing it since it usually has a worst wait than Test Track. If you're in a group, do Test Track first. If you want to save time, the single rider line is usually 15-20 minutes at most. You don't get to design your own car though, which I don't mind since it doesn't really impact the ride. After that, I would recommend doing the Sum of All Thrills ride in Innovations. It's a cool roller coaster simulator but it has a very low throughput. You should make sure you eat at the pizza place in Italy. Make sure you see Illumination.

 

Studios- Toy Story here has a 90-120 minute wait. It's a great ride, but if you have already been on it, I would recommend reserving Rock n Roller Coaster since that will be new for you (can only get 1 or the other). If you do want to ride Toy Story, fastpass it and either do Rock n Roller Coaster during extra magic hours or use the single rider line. Make sure you ride Tower of Terror multiple times since it's lightyears better than California's. For shows, I recommend the Indiana Jones stunt show and Fantasmic.

 

Animal Kingdom- This park may have the fewest attractions, but it is the biggest so be prepared to do a lot of walking. The park also feels very hot since shade is lacking in some lands. Everest, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, and Killimanjaro Safaris are the big 4 rides. Of those 4, I'd fastpass them all but Dinosaur. You can usually get on Dinosaur in 30 minutes at worst. I recommend doing the safaris first thing since it's cooler and the animals are more active.

[KBrylczyk]

Magic Kingdom - Go straight to the Tiki Room. This one is completely different than California's and way, way better with a ton of impressive effects.

 

Hollywood Studios - People will tell you Toy Story, Tower Of Terror, or Rock N Rollercoaster are the things to do first. Don't listen to them, they're liars. The real must-do attraction here is Disney Junior Live On Stage. The first show is usually before 10am, so get in the park and jump in line immediately. You want a good seat for this.

 

Epcot - Run to Ellen's Energy Adventure. The technology at work in this attraction is simply astounding. You can always get a fastpass for Test Track and Mission Space. This is the bee's knees, here, though. Extremely clever humor throughout, as well. The finale will make your jaw drop.

 

Animal Kingdom - Song Of The Rainforest. Now this one is a little hard to find. You're gonna have to get on the train to Conservation Station. Once there just keep an eye out for the signage pointing you in the right direction, or just ask a CM. They'll tell you where to go. This is a fully immersive 360-degree 3D audio attraction that is simply unmatched anywhere else in the world.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Impressive. I actually shuddered, when I was reading some of this.

[Jew]

It really depends on what you are looking for. There is SO much to do at WDW. Are you a foodie? Just there for the rides? A fan of shows?

 

5 days is plenty of time to hit just the rides and the key shows if that is all you care about. But there are so many good restaurants, the water parks, golf if that's your thing, behind the scenes tours, etc. etc. too.

[DirkFunk]

My family and I are huge Disney fans, and we've been to the Disneyland in California quite a few times. We know Disneyland very well. This June, we're taking our first trip to Disney World. We're taking a Disney cruise and then we have a 5 day park hopper. As we haven't been to the Florida parks yet, does anyone have any tips or recommendations for a first time visitor, such as what parks we need to visit within Disney World, which rides we should make sure we should ride/should ride first, or anything we should make sure not to miss? We are very excited, but we would like some insider information on the best way to tackle the parks in a span of a few days.

 

Thanks!

 

I'd look at a website like EasyWDW that can offer in depth touring plans and things of that nature. I would suggest that you look into making dining reservations pretty soon if you see something that looks particularly good. Same with rides - that may have opened upwards of a month ago for you.

[Nrthwnd]

Your I-Phone is your best friend right now.

 

Reserve! Reserve!

[MrSum1_55]

If it is your first time visiting, I would recommend four days, maybe five if you feel a need to look at everything and see every show. On repeat visits, I have comfortably been able to fit in everything I wanted to see within three days, but that is with seeing only a few shows, and skipping rides like Toy Story (which always has a long wait, and I can already ride it in California).

 

I should say, it IS possible to ride every E-ticket attraction in a single day. I do not recommend doing this, as there is more to see at WDW, but I just did this as a personal challenge.

[Six Flags Haiti]

F&B wise I am always partial to a PB&J milkshake that can be found at 50's Prime Time (or the bar right next to it).

 

There are plenty of treats throughout the parks and if you enjoy food and have the budget would try and schedule 1 table service a day. Then again if you are coming of a cruise you may be ready to go on a juice cleanse.

 

Star Tours 2 has lost some of its re-ride ability with the scene from Force Awakens being shown on every sim. Not sure if that will still be going on later.

 

Give yourself an extra 15-30 to get into the park with the new security measures. I met a friend during Easter week and it took them 35 min to get thru bag check.

 

If you want a cheap (read free) souvenir grab a pack of Sorcery of Magic Kingdom cards. This is an interactive card game, and can be a real time waster, so I wouldn't recommend playing on first visit. Again the cards are free so...grab a pack.