First Time Visit Quick Tips
It is your first time going to Walt Disney World – maybe even your only time – so you would like to know what to do and what not to. If you are reading this it is a good start as an hour of research can save your family ten hours at Disney. However, if you have just a few minutes these quick tips can go a long way in helping your family out.
- First and foremost, understand that there is a lot to do at Disney. There is more than you can do in one trip, unless you’re staying for a few weeks. The easiest way to ruin a Disney vacation is to try to do too much, to push you and your group too hard, and to turn magic into misery. Disney is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on a few must do’s rather than trying to check off every ride or experience available.
- The traditional first time trip is five or six days, with four days at the parks (one at each) and one to two rest days. When deciding the order to go to the parks consider looking at crowd calendars, but also think about how much each park can take out of you:
- Magic Kingdom (MK) has the most to do and can keep you busy from open to close with still more to do on another visit. It makes for a long day so it’s good to visit right before a rest day. MK is also the park most people like to start with, which means you can avoid a few crowds if you don’t make it your first stop.
- Epcot (EP) is the largest park. It has few rides, but lots to see and do. You’ll walk a lot and kids may find parts of it boring. There also isn’t much shade or wind breaks, so on both hot and cold days it will wear you out quicker.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios (HS) is a smaller park, but it is also popular enough to be the most crowded. You will spend most of the day in lines rather than walking. That can still be tiring, but for many it’s more manageable.
- Animal Kingdom (AK) is reasonably a half day park. If you are doing a five day trip, use the evening of the day you go to AK as a second rest day. Alternatively, you can head to Magic Kingdom when you wrap up AK to knock out whatever you couldn’t do on the MK day .
- I’d suggest something like:
- Epcot
- Animal Kingdom
- Magic Kingdom
- Rest
- Hollywood Studios
- The parks are big. You will walk thousands of steps in a day on hard concrete. When you aren’t walking, you will be standing in line.
- You need good comfortable shoes that you’ve worn enough that they are fully broken in. If possible, prepare by taking walks in the days leading up to your vacation – especially in the shoes you plan to wear in the parks.
- Bring a stroller for kids as old as 8 who may be fine walking on their own in normal circumstances, but can’t keep it up for the hours Disney requires.
- If you get tired during the first days of your trip, stop and rest. If you push yourself too hard early on you will regret it later in your trip.
- Taking a rest midday can be a great way to keep going. From noon to 4 p.m. is the busiest and hottest time at the parks. You’ll miss the least if you take a break during this time. Leaving the parks for a few hours to recharge can go a long way.
- Florida has rain almost every day, and when it rains it pours. It’s important to have a plan for rainy weather because you can get soaked very quickly. It’s especially important for your feet – lots of walking on wet feet creates big problems. If you have little ones be sure to keep them dry as wet kids are sick kids.
- Disney can be expensive. There are lots of ways to save money, but one of the easiest is to bring your own snacks, use refillable water bottles, and eat some or all of your meals outside the parks. A fifty dollar grocery delivery can save you several hundreds of dollars worth of park meals. Even if you aren’t staying somewhere with a kitchen, things like PopTarts and granola bars can make a big difference in your Disney budget.
Lastly and most importantly, Disney is a fun destination but often is not a relaxing vacation. Recognize that you will get stressed out and whoever you’re with may be just as stressed as you, including the kids. Relax when you can and be supportive. Manage your expectations and don’t try so hard to have a great trip that you don’t even have a good trip. Even if it’s the only time you ever come to Disney, it’s better to find a lot of magic in a few things, than to burn out and lose the magic entirely.
— Dave