Trifter

Going to Walt Disney World for your first time can be exciting and intimidating all at once.  After researching, reading and surfing the Internet when we first went, my advice: go and have fun!

If you want a little bit of advice, keep reading. We will try not to overwhelm you.  This advice comes from our visit to WDW plus other fantastic websites. It doesn’t hurt to research.  Just remember to keep the fun in your trip!

We will give you overall advice first than break it down for it park:

Get to the gates early!  It’s worth getting in as soon as the gates open.  We took granola and cereal bars to eat while we waited for the park to open.

Get a stroller if you have a young child, rent a stroller or bring your own.

Eat lunch and dinner before everyone else. You probably will start your day before 8 AM so you will be hungry by 11 AM.  Good time to eat! Most park goers will eat about 12 PM.  Eat dinner before 6 PM. Eat snacks if you get hungry later.

Take a fanny pack and load it with snacks.

Most restaurants have decent prices.  You can find pizza, burgers and hot dogs just about anywhere as well as sit down restaurants.

It doesn’t hurt to go back to your hotel for a swim and/or nap.  You can save money and eat an early dinner in your room before you go back to the parks.

Get a photo pass.  It’s a card you can hand to Disney photographer’s and all your photos will be recorded on it. You can go online after you trip and look at your pictures.  Disney will send you a CD with all the photos.  We got quite a few pictures with the whole family in it! When does that happen?

Parades and Fireworks: Our kids opted out of these two. I was surprised too. There is a parade (or two) and fireworks in every park.  You can find all sorts of dates and times on the WDW website.

Magic kingdom

We had one day in Magic Kingdom.  We could easily spend 2-3 days here!  We missed a lot of the shows but we hit all the big rides! How you tour the parks will depend on you and your family.  We decided as a family which rides we really wanted to go on and we hit those first. Then other rides and shows came next.

Space Mountain is very popular. Try and get to it first. Get a fast pass so you can come back later and ride again without a long wait. Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain are also very popular. Get a fast pass for these rides also.

The next popular rides are The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean but both ride lines move fairly quickly.

For the younger kids, get to Dumbo first! It is a long wait.  Winnie the Pooh and Tea Cups are near by so hit those after Dumbo.

Don’t forget It’s A Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight and Cinderella’s Carousel.

Do you have a child who has never been on a roller coaster? Try the Barnstormer first!

Want character photos and autographs? Do the rides first than character lines. Unless, of course, you have a very short wait for a character.

Taking the WDW Train is a nice way to sit and relax.

Shows worth your time if you’ve got the time: Mickey’s PhilharMagic and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.

Animal Kingdom

This park we could see in a day. We spent 1/2 day here.

Expedtion Everest is the popular ride in Animal Kingdom! Get a fastpass and then ride the ride!

Get a fastpass for Kilimanjaro Safari ASAP as they will be gone by lunch time.

Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl are the next popular rides. 

If you have a zoo near by at home or don’t care about zoos, skip the zoo-like walks and hikes.

Take time to see the Tree of Life.

Shows worth your time if you’ve got the time:  Festival of the Lion King and Pocahontas & Friends.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

We took two 1/2 days for this park.  We went in the evening one day and the morning the next.  You could spend 2 days here to catch all the shows.

Get to the Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster.  Get a fastpass for one and ride the other and visa versa.

Star Tours is another popular ride with a fast pass.

A great time to go on rides is during the fireworks show. The show is inside a amphitheater.

This park has a lot of shows! It’s just a matter of choosing the ones you really want to see! Do you like Indiana Jones? Cars? Playhouse Disney? Game shows?  There is a show for everyone in this park!

EPCOT

We spent one whole day here and ran out of time. This park is so big and there is so much to see and do! We could spend 2-3 days here!

The World Show Case doesn’t open until late morning so get a few rides and shows under your belts first.

Most popular: Soarin’, Test Track and Mission:SPACE.  All three rides have fastpasses and you should use them.

There is a game room at Mission:SPACE when you get off the ride.  There is a indoor play area and an arcade. Plan to spend a little time here!

Want to talk to Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo? Get to his area early.  The room is small and the wait can get long. Enjoy exploring the Living Seas area afterwards.

In the World Show Case your kids can make a mask and collect different trinkets from each country.

Skip the movies in the different countries. You don’t have to stay for them.

Ride the ride at Norway as soon as possible, as it is very popular.  There is a little ride in Mexico also.

There are usually street performers for each country.  A time is posted or you might get lucky and stumble upon one.

Shows worth your time if you have time: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, China’s 360 movie, Canadas 360 movie and Innovations East and West.

I hope this has helped in a small way!

Research! Find out which parks open early or stay open later. Read about the photo pass and places to eat.  It’s worth your time to do a little research on your own.

The Five Coolest Rides in Magic Kingdom

Five Awesome Attractions At EPCOT

Five Rocking Attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Five Wild Attractions at Animal Kingdom