First Time Going To Disney World: Need The Pros To Help Me Out

[Parplarp]

I've been looking for some Disney World threads throughout the internet and stumbled with this one.

I will be going to Disney World this summer for the first time, I need help planning:

I will be staying at the Disney Swan and Dolphin resort for 8 nights, I also recently had purchased a vacation package for a 5 day park hopper ticket to Walt Disney World.

How should I plan out my vacation? What parks would I need to invest more time into?

I have been thinking about doing:

1. 2 Days at the Magic Kingdom
2. 1 Day at Animal Kingdom
3. 1 Day at Epcot
4. 1 Day at Hollywood Studios

Thanks for all your help!

Edit 1: Below is more information about my trip:

1. Group:
   1. 3 Adults and 1 Child (45,44,19,6) (19 year old on this account)
2. Arrival-Departure:
   1. Mid July - Late July
3. Interests:
   1. 2 people in the group want more moderate rides while the other 2 wants something more thrilling. I am trying to figure out a plan to make it work out for everyone, I do already have a plan to make that happen, but I am just asking here so I can get some feed back on some other ideas.
4. Food:
   1. I have no knowledge of food in the Walt Disney Theme Parks. while I know what options there are to pick from my hotel, I don't know what places are better than others in the parks.
5. Shows:
   1. I go to Disneyland here in California a lot. What are some shows in Walt Disney World worth checking out that are different from Disneyland? I've read multiple comments on shows such as Rivers of Light being either boring, or exciting.
   2. My priority is seeing the staple shows of each park. What shows could be skipped out on and what shows are a must see.
6. FastPass+
   1. When is the best time to get a FastPass+ ticket? Afternoon? Morning? Or at night? Since I am visiting July, when is the best time? I am thinking of getting afternoon FastPasses since I do not want to be in the hot sun waiting in line all day long.
7. Weather
   1. I've read on multiple forums that the weather in July is a bit strange, at least coming from the perspective of a California resident. It seems to be very hot, but it rains during the afternoon for about 30 minutes - 2 hours. Does it really rain that bad? Will the skies be cloudy for the whole day or just the afternoon?
8. Park Hopper
   1. How can I use my park hopper to my advantage? How long are the lines for transportation? How long does it take to get from one park to the other? Will I be able to go to any park coming from one park (Animal Kingdom to all 3 of the other parks)?

Edit 2: General plan of my trip:

I should have posted this earlier, sorry!

Since the EMH times have not been posted on the Disney World website yet for the time I am writing this, my plan does not include any EMH yet.

Day 1: Animal Kingdom
- PLAN: We will be going to Disney's Animal Kingdom. I am hoping I could get there before rope drop. First things first is to go straight to the World of Avatar. I presume that we will already have a FastPass reserved for the Flight of Passage. After Flight of Passage, off to Na'vi River Journey. From there, we will be heading to Kilimanjaro's Safari then Mount Everest with a FastPass. Finally, we will go to DinoLand U.S.A. to ride TriceraTop Spin, Primeval Whirl, and DINOSAUR with a FastPass. At last, we watch the Rivers of Light (if it is worth it to see).
- FASTPASS FOR; Flight of Passage, Mount Everest, DINOSAUR
- FOOD: Thinking about just eating places with counter service, like Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery. Have any suggestions?
Day 2: Epcot
- PLAN: For our next trip, off to Epcot. Again, hoping to get there before rope drop. First thing is to go to Test Track with a FastPass. Then off to Soarin with a FastPass, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Journey Into Imagination with Figment. After that, we will go to the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros and finally, Frozen Ever After with a FastPass. Im not sure by what time we will be done, but I'm sure that we will be able to do all the other small experiences in and around Epcot, like The American Adventure and 360 degree films. At last, we watch IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
- FASTPASS FOR; Test Track, Soarin, Frozen Ever After
- FOOD: For lunch, just counter service, probably somewhere close to Soarin. For Dinner, what would be a great restaurant that is worth the price? Places like Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria and Katsura Grill look like great places. Were open to any type of food.
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
- PLAN:(note, I have no idea how to plan this due to the probable opening of Toy Story Land) First off is to star tours with a FastPass, after this, off to Muppet*Vision 3D. Then off to Rock N Roll Coaster with a FastPass and Tower of Terror with a FastPass. I am probably skipping Toy Story Mania since we have one here in California. We will also skip Fantasmic since we have that too in California. I didn't really plan for shows like Voyage of the Little Mermaid since I have no interest in that, but I'm sure that my little sister and my mother would like that, any suggestions on where they should go?
- FASTPASS FOR; Star Tours, Rock N' Roll Coaster, Tower of Terror (rip Disneyland version)
- FOOD: I think I could just find some counter service places along the way. But suggestions are always welcome.
Day 4: Magic Kingdom
- PLAN: Im just thinking about going on a counter clockwise tour of the Magic Kingdom, starting from Mainstreet USA, Adventureland, Fronteirland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and back to mainstreet.
- FASTPASS FOR; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain
- FOOD: Honestly, no clue whatsoever.
Day 5: Unplanned
- I guess my and my family will just do what ever we liked the best out of all the parks.

 

[Figgy1]

What age groups, what type of food do you like(sit down, counter service or a mix), exciting, slow or a mix of rides. Would you like to see the shows, fireworks? Some additional info would be helpful. One bit of advice run do not walk and get yourself a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Disney and READ it.

 

[Takeitforgranite]

If you want to eat any restaurant meals, make reservations ASAP.

We like to take a break in the middle of the day by going back to the resort after lunch for a couple hours, especially in the hot summer. It makes a big difference in the quality of our park time over the course of the trip.

 

[righttrack]

Summer time, consider a park hopper and doing 1/2 days in each park. You'll want a midday break from the heat. I am definitely an expert in summer at WDW because just about every time has been in that heat. Typical day schedule

6:30am - Wakeup, shower and Breakfast on the go (breakfast bar, nuts, apple)
8:30am - Arrive at desired park before rope drop, go on attractions in order of most desired/popularity WITHOUT Fastpass. This is the old-fashioned 1980s run through the park.
12:00pm - Lunch in the park typically, quick service
2:00pm - As prospects diminish for getting on or in anything leave the park
2:30-3:30pm - Rest at resort, maybe an adult beverage
4:00pm - Leave for second park of the day
4:30-6pm - Begin using fastpasses (made far in advance) This is the part if you're going with me, that you have to know a month in advance. Where will we go in the afternoon and where will we eat dinner? You can't really walk on anything in the late afternoon, this is the best time for fastpasses.
6pm - Go to dinner. Could be in the same park (ideal) could be at a nearby resort (better meal but a little more hassle)
7:30-8pm - Arrive at night park. Could be the same park, could be different park. Typically this is a watch parade/fireworks or try to go on more things during parade/fireworks. Sometimes the late magic hour park is the place to be.
10pm-1am - Leave Night park for resort

Going like this takes a lot out of you, but the key takeaways for me are:

• Starting early
• Taking a midday break at the peak of sunshine/heat
• Planning fastpasses in the PM hours rather than the AM hours. You can't do much in the afternoon without them
• After dinner going with the flow. Sometimes you want to take it easy, sometimes you want to go hard.
• Plan meals now. ASAP. Get ready to pair those with afternoon/evening fastpasses when the fastpass window approaches

YMMV but that's what has worked for us in recent years.

 

[Parplarp]

What age groups, what type of food do you like(sit down, counter service or a mix), exciting, slow or a mix of rides. Would you like to see the shows, fireworks? Some additional info would be helpful. One bit of advice run do not walk and get yourself a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Disney and READ it.

The age group is 3 adults and 1 child. All above 44 inches as of writing this post.

As long as I get food, I will be a happy camper lol. But I would like to know a very nice restaurant to eat at inside the Disney Theme Parks since it is my little sisters birthday at the time we visit.

I'm thinking about watching as much things as I can throughout my trip. I'm thinking about watching:

1. Rivers of Night (Animal Kingdom)
2. Indiana Jones Epic Stung Spectacular (Hollywood Studios)
3. IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (Epcot)
4. Happily Ever After (Magic Kingdom)

Do these seem like good shows to watch there? I am particularly curious about seeing Rivers of Night and IllumiNations, are they good shows to watch, and are worth saving a seat for? We don't have anything like those here in California. And I am also skipping Fantasmic since we have one here in California, but will definitely see Happily Ever After since the Cinderella Castle looks beautiful.

Also, The Unofficial Guide to Disney is a good recommendation, thank you for telling me about that!

 

[Parplarp]

If you want to eat any restaurant meals, make reservations ASAP.

We like to take a break in the middle of the day by going back to the resort after lunch for a couple hours, especially in the hot summer. It makes a big difference in the quality of our park time over the course of the trip.

Do restaurants really get filled up that quickly? Damn, I should get started lol. Have any recommendations, everything looks pretty good in Disney World honestly, I can't make up my mind. I am open to any type of food.

Is going back to the hotel worth it? I know someone like my parents would do that. Is the heat that unbearable? After reading much about Florida summer weather, it honestly terrifies me haha. Heat and thunderstorms, is that really true?

Thank You!

 

[Parplarp]

Summer time, consider a park hopper and doing 1/2 days in each park. You'll want a midday break from the heat. I am definitely an expert in summer at WDW because just about every time has been in that heat. Typical day schedule

6:30am - Wakeup, shower and Breakfast on the go (breakfast bar, nuts, apple)
8:30am - Arrive at desired park before rope drop, go on attractions in order of most desired/popularity WITHOUT Fastpass. This is the old-fashioned 1980s run through the park.
12:00pm - Lunch in the park typically, quick service
2:00pm - As prospects diminish for getting on or in anything leave the park
2:30-3:30pm - Rest at resort, maybe an adult beverage
4:00pm - Leave for second park of the day
4:30-6pm - Begin using fastpasses (made far in advance) This is the part if you're going with me, that you have to know a month in advance. Where will we go in the afternoon and where will we eat dinner? You can't really walk on anything in the late afternoon, this is the best time for fastpasses.
6pm - Go to dinner. Could be in the same park (ideal) could be at a nearby resort (better meal but a little more hassle)
7:30-8pm - Arrive at night park. Could be the same park, could be different park. Typically this is a watch parade/fireworks or try to go on more things during parade/fireworks. Sometimes the late magic hour park is the place to be.
10pm-1am - Leave Night park for resort

Going like this takes a lot out of you, but the key takeaways for me are:

• Starting early
• Taking a midday break at the peak of sunshine/heat
• Planning fastpasses in the PM hours rather than the AM hours. You can't do much in the afternoon without them
• After dinner going with the flow. Sometimes you want to take it easy, sometimes you want to go hard.
• Plan meals now. ASAP. Get ready to pair those with afternoon/evening fastpasses when the fastpass window approaches

YMMV but that's what has worked for us in recent years.

Awesome! Thanks for the response.

The layout of your plan seems to look very good. But how badly is transportation going to slow us down if we decide to go to a second park? Here in California, we don't really have to worry about transportation since Disneyland is pretty small. Are there long lines for transportation throughout the parks? And is there transportation for any park from park to park.

For example: Could Animal Kingdom's transportation bring me to all of the 3 other parks?

Also, what do you mean by "you can't really walk on anything in the late afternoon"? Why is it the best time to use the fast pass? Is it the most optimal time to use it? Or is it because the lines get tremendously long during the afternoons?

Also, since you go to Disney a lot during the summer? How bad is the weather in terms of rain? I've heard that it rains during the afternoons in Florida during July. Will the sky be cloudy all day? Will it ruin family pictures from having a sunny blue sky? When is the best time for pictures to be taken?

 

[Bullseye1967]

Do restaurants really get filled up that quickly? Damn, I should get started lol. Have any recommendations, everything looks pretty good in Disney World honestly, I can't make up my mind. I am open to any type of food.

Is going back to the hotel worth it? I know someone like my parents would do that. Is the heat that unbearable? After reading much about Florida summer weather, it honestly terrifies me haha. Heat and thunderstorms, is that really true?

Thank You!

Once again, some of the original questions. What dates are you coming? Some parts of summer are far more crowded than others. How many in your party? Do you have kids? If so what ages? Are you staying on property? Will you have a vehicle? All these things will help us give you good advice. And yes, the restaurants do fill up fast.

 

[Rob562]

I highly recommend you find yourself a WDW Guide Book, either the Unofficial Guide or even Birnbaums official is still good for a first timer.

This may come across as harsh, but it's extremely difficult to be of any help without the requestor at least having a baseline understanding of the subject at hand (i.e. the various hotels, ticket options, the four parks and a general idea of the rides and restaurants in them)

Coming in with an extremely broad "Teach me everything, help me plan everything" like you did would be like saying "Paris. I think I want to go next month. What airlines fly there? They have a subway to get around, right? Oh, and museums. Tell me which pieces of art are at which ones, which order to visit them, how much admission is and the museum hours. Hey, then there's that Eiffel tower thing...."
You need to have a basic idea before asking strangers to plan out your entire trip.

-Rob

 

[Parplarp]

Once again, some of the original questions. What dates are you coming? Some parts of summer are far more crowded than others. How many in your party? Do you have kids? If so what ages? Are you staying on property? Will you have a vehicle? All these things will help us give you good advice. And yes, the restaurants do fill up fast.

1) Mid July for 4 nights.

2) 4 people in my group. 3 adults. 1 child.

3) Staying on Property, Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort.

4) No vehicle, we are thinking about using the transportation around Disney World (boat/bus).

Sorry I didn't put much in my original post, I was stressed out making this whole vacation happen since I had to do all the planning my self. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Parplarp]

I highly recommend you find yourself a WDW Guide Book, either the Unofficial Guide or even Birnbaums official is still good for a first timer.

This may come across as harsh, but it's extremely difficult to be of any help without the requestor at least having a baseline understanding of the subject at hand (i.e. the various hotels, ticket options, the four parks and a general idea of the rides and restaurants in them)

Coming in with an extremely broad "Teach me everything, help me plan everything" like you did would be like saying "Paris. I think I want to go next month. What airlines fly there? They have a subway to get around, right? Oh, and museums. Tell me which pieces of art are at which ones, which order to visit them, how much admission is and the museum hours. Hey, then there's that Eiffel tower thing...."
You need to have a basic idea before asking strangers to plan out your entire trip.

-Rob

No not harsh at all. Totally understandable lol. I've updated my list above. I have somewhat of a general idea of what I will be doing at Disney World. But I just would like to refine it by asking experienced folks on recommendations about what to go on first or last. I'm sure there is a lot wrong with my plan as of now lol. I hope to get it done before May.

Also, two of my replies are awaiting moderates approval.

Thank you!

 

[Figgy1]

For ROL book a meal package at Tusker House so you don't have to waste a fp on it, Birthday O'hanna, Askhuerhaus sp?(princess meal), Be Our guest is beautiful but do lunch, make ADRs as soon as your dates open up 180 days and you can book every day at that point. EPCOT snacking around the world so to speak is yummy, SSS is the best qs in FW, TT and FEA are both tier one so get one for FEA as that line gets longer. MK qs Pecos Bill's and Columbia Harbor House have the best food, but stop in at CR to grab a drink and Sunny's show. Heat and thunderstorms are both true. The good thing is most of the storms are of short duration. Happy planning

 

[nickys]

You say your plan is AK on Day 1. That makes it extremely unlikely you will get an FP for Flight of Passage. Day 3 or later gives the best chance of being able to get one.

Rides at AK, Epcot and DHS are tiered. So for your initial prebooked FPs you are restricted.

At AK you can chooses one from the Avatar rides (tier1) plus any 2 others. If you want to ride FoP without an FP, then people will arrive at the park an hour before it opens. By next summer the line for Navii may be down to around 30 minutes but we really don't know when the demand will start to tail off.

At Epcot, you can only chose 1 from TT, Soarin, FEA or Illuminations. You don't need one for Illuminations, you can watch from anywhere around the lake (there are of course better views from certain points). That will definitely impact on your Epcot plans. Soarin is possible to get as a 4th FP, TT has a single rider line if that helps. Most people would rope drop one of those and at least. If FEA is a must then either FP it or book a pre park breakfast at Akershus (Disney Princesses).

At DHS tier 1 includes ToT, TSMM, BatB show, Fantasmic. You need to chose 1 of these initially. We don't know yet about the new Toy Story land but it seems likely that the Slinky Dog coaster will be tier 1. If the child is 4 -12 and wants to do the Jedi Training you either need to be there ahead of rope drop or book a pre-park opening breakfast at Hollywood &Vine.

The Indy Stunt Show is great fun, still holds up well. No need for an FP but line up half an hour before the start. Other nighttime shows - yes definitely plan them all. If you're not doing Fantasmic then if any of you like Star Wars you could get a good view for the projection / fireworks show.

 

[yensid67]

Parplarp...WELCOME! THIS is the only place you need to come to for advice! There are very knowledgeable members on here that will direct you in the right direction. They will become friends, even though you may never meet them, as your posts increase! One word of advice, DO NOT STRESS OUT over the planning! Many of us will tell you, PLANNING IS THE BEST PART OF THE TRIP! My suggestion would be to look up touring plans for the parks and the crowd indicators. They will tell you the best days to visit what park with the smallest crowd as well as give you a plan to do the park! Touringplan.com is one site...if not correct someone will correct it! Hope you have a great time! P.S. If you want to get some brownie points with your parents, plan a nice sit down dinner just for them some night while you watch your sister! Grand Floridian is a nice place for them to have dinner, but Polynesian with LUAU Dinner show would be different too! Whatever you do, try to plan a dinner for them that they can't get in California or have never experienced. Most importantly get a family photo in front of the Castle, with favorite characters. A nice character meal would be nice for your sister so she can see her favorite characters in one place! Check out disneywolrd.disney.go.com site for more info! You might want to schedule a tour...Keys o the Kingdom is a great tour and has got rave reviews! They take you behind the scenes of Disney World, take you back sage to show you how some of the magic is created and you get to hear a lot of the info that you might not know! Please keep us unformed!

 

[monorail_mom]

It sounds like you have a great grasp on what you want for your vacation. Now if you'd like someone to go through this step by step with you and plan the perfect vacation for your family, please contact me. We will tackle it one component at a time. As a WDWMagic affiliated Disney Specialist, I'd be happy help you get this sorted out, (stress free!). Please email me anytime! I offer free, personalized planning advice and dining reservation booking. Summer@kingdomkonsutlant.com

Good luck!!

 

[Parplarp]

You say your plan is AK on Day 1. That makes it extremely unlikely you will get an FP for Flight of Passage. Day 3 or later gives the best chance of being able to get one.

Rides at AK, Epcot and DHS are tiered. So for your initial prebooked FPs you are restricted.

At AK you can chooses one from the Avatar rides (tier1) plus any 2 others. If you want to ride FoP without an FP, then people will arrive at the park an hour before it opens. By next summer the line for Navii may be down to around 30 minutes but we really don't know when the demand will start to tail off.

At Epcot, you can only chose 1 from TT, Soarin, FEA or Illuminations. You don't need one for Illuminations, you can watch from anywhere around the lake (there are of course better views from certain points). That will definitely impact on your Epcot plans. Soarin is possible to get as a 4th FP, TT has a single rider line if that helps. Most people would rope drop one of those and at least. If FEA is a must then either FP it or book a pre park breakfast at Akershus (Disney Princesses).

At DHS tier 1 includes ToT, TSMM, BatB show, Fantasmic. You need to chose 1 of these initially. We don't know yet about the new Toy Story land but it seems likely that the Slinky Dog coaster will be tier 1. If the child is 4 -12 and wants to do the Jedi Training you either need to be there ahead of rope drop or book a pre-park opening breakfast at Hollywood &Vine.

The Indy Stunt Show is great fun, still holds up well. No need for an FP but line up half an hour before the start. Other nighttime shows - yes definitely plan them all. If you're not doing Fantasmic then if any of you like Star Wars you could get a good view for the projection / fireworks show.

How early should I save a spot for Illuminations? In you're personal opinion, what would you rate it from 1 to 10?

With DHS, we most likely wont be watching/doing Jedi Training and Fantasmic.

How early should I line up for the Star Wars fireworks as well? Where is the best spot too?

Thank you!

 

[Parplarp]

For ROL book a meal package at Tusker House so you don't have to waste a fp on it, Birthday O'hanna, Askhuerhaus sp?(princess meal), Be Our guest is beautiful but do lunch, make ADRs as soon as your dates open up 180 days and you can book every day at that point. EPCOT snacking around the world so to speak is yummy, SSS is the best qs in FW, TT and FEA are both tier one so get one for FEA as that line gets longer. MK qs Pecos Bill's and Columbia Harbor House have the best food, but stop in at CR to grab a drink and Sunny's show. Heat and thunderstorms are both true. The good thing is most of the storms are of short duration. Happy planning

Thank you for all the recommendations! I really appreciate it!

 

[Parplarp]

It sounds like you have a great grasp on what you want for your vacation. Now if you'd like someone to go through this step by step with you and plan the perfect vacation for your family, please contact me. We will tackle it one component at a time. As a WDWMagic affiliated Disney Specialist, I'd be happy help you get this sorted out, (stress free!). Please email me anytime! I offer free, personalized planning advice and dining reservation booking. Summer@kingdomkonsutlant.com

Good luck!!

Hello! I tried to email you, but it says it is the wrong email? Is there any chance the email was miss-spelled?

Thank you for the reply!

 

[nickys]

How early should I save a spot for Illuminations? In you're personal opinion, what would you rate it from 1 to 10?

With DHS, we most likely wont be watching/doing Jedi Training and Fantasmic.

How early should I line up for the Star Wars fireworks as well? Where is the best spot too?

Thank you!

I love Illuminations and would rate it at least 9. It's such a unique show, and the important thing is to be able to see the globe. Also try not to stand down wind, to avoid the smoke blowing straight at you. Unless you're people who just must be at the front, you really don't need to stake out a spot for ages. Some will get there an hour early, I usually just roll up 20 minutes before - but then I don't have small children anymore. When they were little we would find somewhere about 30 minutes ahead of time. I find Canada to be a good vantage point, or join the throngs on the bridge by U.K. and France - it's raised so you can still see.

For Star Wars you need to be ideally in front of the big projection towers, but definitely able to see the wings of the theatre. When we went it was Christmas, and we stood right in front of one of the towers from about 30 minutes before. Everyone else was crowding forward, we just stood back. The projections are high up, no need to be able to see the stage. Again some will get there an hour before.