What absolutly must be done in each park?

[Dafid Duck]

My daughter is going to Disney with her high school band and chorus tomorrow. There will be rehersals before marching down Main Street and singing in Downtown Disney. Needless to say, it will be a busy week in the world. They will have time to go to the parks everyday, but it will be limited. What are the best ways for her to use her time? Is there anything specific to this week that she simply must do?

 

[Chef Mickey]

Practically everything at WDW is a must do for me especially in MK.

 

[Dafid Duck]

Practically everything at WDW is a must do for me especially in MK.

I agree!
They have one day in each park and some of her friends have never been before. She has only been to Disney in the winter. What is different in the spring? What goes on in EPCOT for The Flower and Garden Festival?

 

[Dafid Duck]

How are the crowds right now / this week?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Go with the attitude that NOTHING is a must do. Putting pressure on yourself to do certain things sets you up for disappointment if something goes wrong, and something always does.

Crowds right now are very medium-ish.

 

[SAV]

My Must-Do's are:

DHS: Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock N' Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Tower of Terror
EPCOT: Soarin', Test Track, Spaceship Earth
AK: Killimanjaro Safari's, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo the Musical.
MK: The 3 Mountains, Mickey's Philhar Magic,

 

[KCheatle]

I went on almost the same exact trip as your daughter when I was in high school, except I was just in the chorus, and we sang with the Candlelight processional over Christmas time. Ahh...memories!!

At that age, my must-dos would have been:

MK: Splash, BTMR, Space Mntn, tea cups, 7DMT (maybe people mover, HM and POTC??)
Epcot: Soaring, TT, SSE
DHS: ToT, RockNRoller Coaster
AK: EE, Safari

 

[FrostyNaples]

I would go a step further and start planning the next trip

 

[AndyS2992]

My personal must dos are:
MK: Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World.
Epcot: Test Track, Spaceship Earth
DHS: Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Rock n Rollercoaster, Toy Story Mania
AK: Everest, Kali, Safari and Dinosaur

And to make the most of your time is use FP+, Arrive early as possible and also use historical data which shows which parks are the least crowded on each day

 

[BJones82]

Go with the attitude that NOTHING is a must do. Putting pressure on yourself to do certain things sets you up for disappointment if something goes wrong, and something always does.

This times 1000... The first time I went with my Fiancée back in 2011 was amazing largely because we didn't have expectations other than it being Disney World and she is a Pediatrician so we thought it would be fun(we picked it over a week in New York), we also only had 1 day in each park and had a blast. Likewise this last time we went we only had 3 days in the parks (about 2 weeks ago now) and because we knew we wouldn't do everything we just went and did what we could and it was our best trip yet despite all the planning I normally do for our trips there.

Basically I agree with @CaptainAmerica just tell her to spend a day at each park and have fun, that is still the best way to visit the parks and it doesn't set her up for disappointment when a ride is closed or a wait is over 2 hours long...

 

[Doodlyday]

To narrow it down to one each day:

MK: Splash
Epcot: Test Track
DHS: Tower of Terror or Star Tours, depending on preference
AK: Kilimanjaro Safaris

 

[Dafid Duck]

I went on almost the same exact trip as your daughter when I was in high school, except I was just in the chorus, and we sang with the Candlelight processional over Christmas time. Ahh...memories!!

At that age, my must-dos would have been:

MK: Splash, BTMR, Space Mntn, tea cups, 7DMT (maybe people mover, HM and POTC??)
Epcot: Soaring, TT, SSE
DHS: ToT, RockNRoller Coaster
AK: EE, Safari

I just hope she makes great memories this week!

 

[Dwarful]

Tell her to go, have fun and take lots of photos. We did the band trip with our daughter in Feb.. and had a blast. Some of the things the kids loved in addition to the obvious big rides:
Mickey's Philharmagic at MK,
Taking lots of photos in Epcot with Flower and Garden Festival and Club Cool - trying Beverly, etc,
Animation Academy (??? name ) in Hollywood Studios.
Nemo and Lion King musicals in Animal Kingdom.

 

[Matt_Black]

In addition to whatever rides and shows she decides, I'd say try to get at least one picture with a character.

 

[216bruce]

Our must do's used to be....everything we can possibly fit in, every day, all day. We ended up tired, crabby but fulfilled that the shopping list was complete. Recently we shifted over to a small handful of "should do's" and just focused on enjoyment, doing what we felt like- as much or as little. At the end of the day we left happy, not exhausted (usually) and enjoyed ourselves more. One bit of advice- take turns choosing what attractions to go on so everyone gets to feel a part of things.
You're going to end up doing a lot anyway, just by being there. Focus on fun, 'moments' and enjoying yourself. If you find someone getting tired or crabby- just sit, grab a snack, go back to the hotel or take in a show. So many folks on these boards focus on negative things...avoid that type of thinking. Sometimes the little stuff in "the World" ends up meaning more and being more memorable than "I went on all the mountains in two hours" and trying to cram 10 pounds of activity into a five pound day.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Here's my list:
MK: All Three Mountains, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, Carousel of Progress, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Little Mermaid, Pirates Of The Caribbean, It's A Small World, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Jungle Cruise.
Epcot: Ellen's Energy Adventure, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Spaceship Earth.
AK: Safari, Kali River Rapids.
DHS: Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, Muppet Vision 3D, Voyage Of The Little Mermaid.

 

[Courtney6682]

My personal opinion would be that the WS is a must do in Epcot..but I realize that might not be the case for someone younger lol

 

[Red Sox]

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