Yay! You are finally about to go to the parks, and all of the stress of Fastpasses, Dining reservations, traveling, and more has all led up to this moment. Let's make sure that you are hitting parks the right way, and you are able to do everything.
Booking a Backstage Tour
This must be done before your vacation, but I just wanted to include it! Backstage tours are different at each park, but you will be able to see some cool things! At Magic Kingdom, there is a tour that can take you to the Cinderella Suite in the Cinderella Castle, and you can also see the Utilidors, which are the underground tunnels under the park. At Epcot, there are some cool tours that take you to the gardens where they grow a good amount of the park’s food. There are so many things that you can see and do, so maybe look at booking one of these!
Prioritizing Your Rides
Disney World’s parks have so many rides that you are going to want to try. Here is a very good guide to hitting all of the Magic Kingdom rides. First, you want to hit the rides with the longest wait. The best time to get is right when the park opens, and as the park is closing. These would include Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Peter Pan’s Flight (You’d be surprised). Then, as the day goes on, try to get on rides like Small World, Dumbo, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, and more. These rides will have peak wait time near the middle of the day, but you can take a quick break to get some lunch or try some of the new snacks. Epcot doesn’t have very many rides, so you could probably make it through all of them in one day. My friend Elise recently just went to Disney World, and was able to ride all of the Hollywood Studios rides before 11 am. She said that wait times aren’t as long as you think, so you are probably ok.
Meeting the Characters/Seeing Cavalcades
Disney’s cavalcades are all not scheduled, because they don’t want large crowds gathering in one spot, which will lead to people not distancing themselves. But, you came to Disney World, you want to be able to see your favorite characters! If you are interested in in seeing one of the cavalcades, be sure to ask a Cast Member of they could tell you around which time the characters come around. They may not tell you, because they don’t want a buildup of crouwds, but it never hurts to ask!
Getting the Best Seats for Parades/Night Shows
Obviously, Disney isn’t doing any of these shows right now, but when they come back, you need to be prepared! You want to pick your spot for these at least 20 minutes before they happen, especially if you are trying to get a spot for the evening show. At Magic Kingdom, the Hub is going to be the most crowded for the parades, so maybe go down Main Street or in Adventureland, where the parade starts. The night shows always bring large crowds, so you should either get a Fastpass for the show, or arrange to get a spot pretty early. Maybe, if you have the money, try to get one of the dessert parties, so you have awesome food to eat while you watch the show!
Taking a Break From the Heat and/or Your Mask
Disney is located in Florida, and so you are going to get a bit hot. And if you are planning on going to Disney anytime soon, you are going to have to wear a sticky mask all day. Make sure to pick up a map and ask Cast Members if they can direct you to the nearest mask break center. Or, if you need a break from the heat, maybe make sure you drink a lot of water, and maybe go get a snack at one of the counter service restaurants. That way, you get a break from eating your mask and get to eat some of Disney’s specialty food! And waiting in line will help you get out of the sun.
Taking Time for SHOOOPIIINGGG
The best part of Disney World has to be that there are so many shops to look through, and so much merchandise to buy! The best places to shop are mostly in Disney Springs, but the parks have great places to look though. At Magic Kingdom, check out the Emporium and other shops on Main Street. In Epcot, find Mouse Gear (or it’s temporary location). And there are a ton of shops in each of the World Showcase pavilions, so also look to find some authentic merchandise from the countries. In Animal Kingdom, there isn’t exactly one main shop, so look though Yak and Yeti to get some good Everest merchandise. And Hollywood Studios’ shops all down Hollywood Boulevard are amazing to look through. Plus, going to these shops will help you get out of the heat and get some awesome souvenirs!
Getting to Fastpass/Dining Reservations
Getting to Fastpasses and Dining Reservations are super important, so make sure that you are going to be able to make it to the pass/reservation window. Your Fastpass reservation has an hour window, and a ten minute window when the hour is up to get to the Fastpass before it expires. Dining reservations require you to get to the restaurant as soon as possible, or you will have to pay a fee if you miss it. When scheduling your dining reservations and your Fastpasses, make sure that they don’t overlap too much, or you can get to the reservation easily.
Look at Which Rides are Under Refurbishment
This is also something that you are going to want to take care of looking at before you come, but Disney extends refurbs and closes things last minute all the time. But, if you have your heart set on riding PeopleMover, and you didn’t check that it was closed, you are going to spend your vacation disappointed. Disney will release when they will put rides under refurb a bit before it happens, so make sure you check for that.
Being at the parks is the best experience, and it is a vacation that you won’t forget. I loved being in the parks, and being able to ride amazing rides, and see the characters, and plus the amazing architecture is so cool to look at. We will be wrapping up the series next post with Unexpected Surprises.