An August Adventure

[IcicleM]

Hey there everyone. ^_^ I'll be heading BACK for Disney on the 4th of august for about 10 days, and I'm quite excited. (It's like my second home, there)

My friend Stephen (who's 23!) has NEVER been to Disney World before and he's so so so excited to go, and I had a few questions:

I was wondering if anyone knew of the Extra Magic Hours that are happening in the parks from August 4th to August 13th?

Also, is there something special that Cast Members do for a person who's NEVER been to Disney World before?

We're going to be in the Magic Kingdom this Sunday, I was wondering if there's kind of a "game plan" that guests should have when they get there (it would probably be around mid afternoon time)

I've been to the parks many many many times, and always screw things up when it comes to going to the "first ride" But HIS first ride has to be special. He asked me "Yeah yeah yeah, but what are we going to do FIRST?!" and I... had no idea. Haha, what do you all recommend? I was too young to remember my FIRST Disney ride.

 

[ReallyBigKid]

I'd start off with Mickey's Philharmagic, to get things off to a good start. Be aware arricing in the afternoon means pretty much everyhting is going to have long lines. May want to grab a fastpass first thing.

As far as a game plan to the parks, there are so many different ones. I'd recommend buying the unofficial guidebook to WDW or a similar guide of your choosing.

Here is a link to the hours
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/calendar/extraMagicHour?id=CalendarExtraMagicHoursPage

here they are
August 2006
Morning Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom® Park - August 1, 3, 8, 10, 17, 24, 31
Epcot® - August 6, 15, 22, 29
Disney-MGM Studios - August 4, 11, 19, 26
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park - August 2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 21, 28
Disney's Blizzard Beach® Water Park - August 1-31
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon® Water Park - August 1-31
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom® Park - August 4, 6, 11, 13, 20, 27
Epcot® - August 1, 3, 8, 10, 18, 25
Disney-MGM Studios - August 2, 9, 14, 21, 28
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park - August 7, 16, 23, 30
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon® Water Park - August 5, 12

Here are the attractions open during Extra Magic Hours:
Magic Kingdom® Park
Mornings:
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, "it's a small world", The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain®, Stitch's Great Escape!, Tomorrowland® Indy Speedway
Evenings:
Includes attractions listed above and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain®
Epcot®
Mornings:
Living with the Land, Mission: SPACE®, Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Test Track
Evenings:
Includes attractions listed above and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Mexico-El Río del Tiempo, Norway-Maelstrom, The American Adventure
Disney-MGM Studios
Mornings:
Muppet Vision 3-D, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith, Star Tours, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
Evenings:
Includes attractions listed above and The Great Movie Ride, Voyage of The Little Mermaid
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
Mornings:
DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, It's Tough to be a Bug!®, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail®
Evenings:
The Boneyard®, DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to be a Bug!®, Kali River Rapids, Primeval Whirl®, TriceraTop Spin
Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park
Mornings:
All attractions will be operational.
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
Mornings:
All attractions will be operational.

 

[IcicleM]

Thanks SO much. Now that I think about it, Mickey's Philharmagic is definetely a very good start. He's a big actor, loves Disney Musicals, and would really enjoy the experience. The extra magic hours are PERFECT. I just added them to my calendar, and he'll be excited to know we'll have extra time in the parks. I think we might grab a fast pass for Space Mountain since those go kinda quick.

Thanks again. ^_^ He'll definetely appreciate your help as much as I have!

 

[Lucky]

You make it sound like his first....never mind. I went to Epcot in the early 90s and have no idea what we did first. Maybe the golf ball, since it's closest to the entrance?

I never went to MK until a few years ago, when we brought our young kids. We did Dumbo first, but I only know that because I made a list each evening of what we did, so I'll have a record of how much is realistic to do in one day.