First Time Visitor- What Order?

razza1987

razza1987

Active Member
This will be my first ever visit to any Disney place. I am beyond excited at the thought of being there. Our dates are arriving to Pop Century late Feb 23 and leaving March 1. I will be 26 and my brother will be 21. What are your suggestions for the order we should do the theme parks with it being our first time. We have a five day park hopper and are open to suggestions :)
 
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Mukta

Mukta

Well-Known Member
I usually plan my trips around touringplans.com suggestions for best day. After reading their book 'Unoffical Guide to WDW', I trust them.
That being said, since it is your first trip, I think you should see the MK first.
After that, I would do Epcot.
It is a toss up between AK and DHS after that.
 
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D

DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
Firstly, welcome :) If this is your first time to Disney World, I would imagine, Magic Kingdom would be your first stop (depending on what time you arrive at your resort) What we normally do, is plan our days based on our Reservations for our meals (known on the boards as ADRs ( Advanced Dinner Reservations ), which are normally made 180 days prior to your arrival day There isn't any particular order, except what you and your brother are most interested in seeing. I would peruse this site (the best site there is) and check out what is offered at each park, and go from there. If any of us can be of any help, we sure will do our best!! Happy Planning!!!!
 
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Powerline

Powerline

Active Member
It's tricky for you since you've never been to the parks, you may not know what you'll enjoy in each park. If you have time and the dedication to hit each park then I'd say go for it. I'd also start off with Magic Kingdom since that's where the most magic is concentrated.
 
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ShookieJones

ShookieJones

We need time for things to happen.
Welcome!

Your first stop is the MK.
Good! I'm glad that's settled.

Next? Well that's totally up to you and your likes and dislikes.

For me? This is the way the how and why play out:

MK - Nostalgia, the Castle and all around ride awesomeness.
EP - I love Food and I love drinking with a splash of culture..there are some cool rides too.;)
DHS - 3 awesome E tickets and that "Hollywood" vibe.
AK - 1 awesome ride with a broken yeti, a very cool immersive 3-D show, Dinosaur and Jalpeno Cheese stuffed Pretzels.

Touring Plans is awesome and defintely worth the minimal membership fee, but your best touring plan to get ride maximization and avoid crowds?
Get to whatever park you want to visit at rope drop.

So AFTER YOU VISIT THE MK (AT ROPE DROP) FIRST the rest is up to you based on your likes and dislikes.....
1 other thing I can guarantee (besides you visiting MK first;) ) is

YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE AN AWESOME TIME!

Enjoy!
 
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JillC LI

JillC LI

Well-Known Member
ShookieJones said:
Welcome!

You're first stop is the MK.
Good! I'm glad that's settled.

Next? Well that's totally up to you and your likes and dislikes.

For me? This how the how and why play out:

MK - Nostalgia, the Castle and all around ride awesomeness.
EP - I love Food and I love drinking with a splash of culture..there are some cool rides too.;)
DHS - 3 awesome E tickets and that "Hollywood" vibe.
AK - 1 awesome ride with a broken yeti, a very cool immersive 3-D show, Dinosaur and Jalpeno Cheese stuffed Pretzels.

Touring Plans is awesome and defintely worth the minimal membership fee, but your best touring plan to get ride maximization and avoid crowds?
Get to whatever park you want to visit at rope drop.

So AFTER YOU VISIT THE MK (AT ROPE DROP) FIRST the rest is up to you based on your likes and dislikes.....
1 other thing I can guarantee (besides you visiting MK first;) ) is

YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE AN AWESOME TIME!

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

This is a perfect answer. I second the arrival at rope drop suggestion - it makes all the difference in the world. The only other thing I would add to this is to make good use of Extra Magic Hours if you are staying on property. We often select the park that has early EMH so we can get not only that first hour of low crowds but an extra early hour of REALLY low crowds.
 
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bethymouse

bethymouse

Well-Known Member
On Mondays, Magic Kingdom seems to be most crowded. The extra magic hours parks are also a bit more crowded. I would go to Magic Kingdom 1st, and then "hop away"!:D It's easy to hop in between Epcot and Magic Kingdom of course!:) I plan my parks around my dining reservations schedule usually! Happy planning!:D
 
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Todd L

Todd L

Well-Known Member
We usually Hit The Magic kingdom First...Its an amazing feeling to walk thru the gates, Hear the music, smell the food and lay eyes on the Castle !! I go up to the Hub and make a left turn into AdventureLand Right Onto Pirates and spend The rest of the Day going Clockwise. Be sure to Hit The Mountains, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Dumbo...Oh Lets face It...Theres No wrong way to do it!! Have A Great Time!!
 
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luv

luv

Well-Known Member
Ideally, I think you should do...

MK
AK
Epcot
DHS

...but it depends on EMHs and what time you will arrive the first day, etc. I also think you should go to Uni. :)
 
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HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
While there is a lot of logic in going with the recommended park(s) for each of your days...if it's your very 1st trip... I agree that starting in MK is a must. In fact, even after nearly 20 visits...i still prefer to start in MK. :D
 
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B

BlackCauldron

Well-Known Member
I'm going to offer the alternative and suggest that MK be your LAST park.

Everyone would pretty much agree that MK is by far the best of the 4. It is the flagship after all, and there really is nothing like walking down Main Street towards the castle. For many veterans, this is the park we immediately gravitate to because it says "welcome home," and so this is the park we tend to frequent most. It also has the best balance of rides and attractions.

However, for a first timer, I think that you want to try to approach everything with a fresh mind. If you visit MK first, it will become the benchmark upon which you will judge and compare the other parks. And lets face it - DHS doesn't really compare to MK.

My suggestions would be to visit in this order:

DHS
AK
Epcot
MK

DHS and AK are considered by many to be one day (sometimes even half day parks). I can usually do the attractions I like in both parks in one day (AK in morning, DHS in afternoon). It all depends on where your interests lie. If you just want to do rides, you can finish AK in a few hours. If you are interested in the walking trails, AK can be a full day park.

Since you have never been before, I think you should give each park a full day. Since AK closes early, this is also a great time to hit up DTD and do some shopping, or visit some other hotels, or have a nice dinner rezzie.

For a first timer, I would also suggest trying to devote 2 days to Epcot, especially if you are interested in culture, food, and shopping. Trying to do all of that in one day is much like boot camp. However, if that doesn't interest you at all, one day is more than sufficient to hit up all the rides and see the countries you like.

Like other posters have said, be sure to check out TouringPlans for the crowd levels on the days you are going, and check to see which parks have EMH. Being there at rope drop is also key to hit up as many rides as possible. But make sure you take some time to relax and take it all in - if you just jump from ride to ride you miss all those wonderful details that make Disney what it is.
 
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Tinkswishes28jen

Tinkswishes28jen

Member
I would start with Epcot/DHS first as the Magic Kingdom is hard to top. However if you were traveling with very young children i would go straight to the Magic kingdom first. Our daughter had a meltdown when we very first arrived, as she really wanted to meet Mickey. She wasnt being naughty or throwing a tantrum, she had just waited very patiently for 2 year s to "meet " him. So we very quickly joined the meet and greet queue, even though it was a 45 minute wait, it was improtant to her.
 
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razza1987

razza1987

Active Member
Original Poster
The first day we are there DHS is the park that is most recommended based on crowd levels but MK has EMH in the evening. Would you head back to MK in the evening even though during the day it has a 9 out of 10 rating?
 
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Briangwen7

Briangwen7

Active Member
I'm doing Animal Kingdom the 1st day because I arrive from Puerto Rico at 6am, and since the park closes at 6pm that day I have time to rest more time, rather then going to magic kingdom plus i'm going to MNSSHP the next day so I want to rest. :) If you have a early arrival flight do Animal Kingdom then if you have energy at night go to Downtown Disney!​
 
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