How to take over the World in 10 Steps:
Step 1: Make a loose plan.
When planning to go to Walt Disney World, I had checked out an amazing book (The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World) from the local library that was filled with all things WDW and I had been reading all the WDW blogs I could find (these ones are great: https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/ and http://wdwprepschool.com/) as well as scoured Pinterest trying to figure out what to do and how to do. The book gave me insight on which parks to do on which days based upon their studies (here's their company website: https://touringplans.com/unofficial-guide) as well as in what order to do the rides to maximize your time on rides instead of waiting in lines. I brought all the amazing information to my husband excited about what I had learned and ready to show him my plan. He kindly said, "That's nice. We will see what happens when we get there." So, that's what we did!
If you are a planner, write down the info you want to remember and have it handy but don't expect to have a perfect plan as plans can change quickly when in the parks. If you aren't a planner, at least take the time to learn the important information so that you aren't wasting time in the parks and end up out of time with still so much to see and do.
Step 2: Choose which park days.
Everyone you talk to will tell you which park is their favorite. Many people told me that Epcot was the best or that Magic Kingdom took the cake. As I stated in step one, the book even told me when to do what. I was a little overwhelmed but I created a plan based on the number of days we had, the recommendation of others and the book. My husband decided that the first day (a Sunday on a holiday weekend) had to be Magic Kingdom because it's the heart of Disney. With that in mind, I created our plan: Day 1- Magic Kingdom, Day 2- Hollywood Studios, Day 3- Animal Kingdom, Day 4- Epcot, Day 5- Animal Kingdom, Day 6- Hollywood Studios, Day 7- Magic Kingdom.
Now is the part where I tell you, DO NOT do Magic Kingdom on the weekends if you have a choice! We went in off season, during a "slow time" and it was PACKED! The first day, we were clueless about the FastPass+ system so we did a lot of unnecessary walking because the lines for everything were long. The final day, was a Saturday and again the lines were long but we had mastered the FastPass+ system so it was much better but we will be doing Magic Kingdom in the middle of the week next time. (Interestingly enough, we enjoy Disneyland more than we did Magic Kingdom so it's not a priority park for us in the future.) We didn't really enjoy Epcot though it was educational and neat it didn't have the Disney feel so we will only go there again if we are going for 7 days, if not we will skip it. Hollywood Studios was a hit! That is another one that gets pretty busy so it's good to do it during the week as well. Surprisingly, Animal Kingdom was by far our favorite! (And the best park for pin trading! If you partake in pin trading keep an eye out for the Trash Man trader, the Big Book trader and the Beehive trader.) It wasn't very crowded on the days we went and generally the crowds aren't bad on the weekends so we've decided to do that one the first day and the last day next time. You may have different favorites and that ok. Create your park days around what you love! The biggest reason to pick your days ahead of time is so that you can take advantage of the FastPass+ system... if you don't you can be hard pressed to get in any of the "good rides" without a long wait in line.
Our recommended park days per our likes (based on a Sunday start day):
3 Days- AK, HS, MK. 5 Days- AK, HS, MK, HS, AK. 7 Days- AK, HS, MK, E, MK, HS, AK.
Step 3: Wake up early and arrive early.
Let me start by saying we are NOT a family of early risers. We like to stay up late and sleep in! This is not a good plan for Disney World as we soon found out. The first day we had literally got of the plane at 6am from an overnight flight, got our rental car, checked into our home for the week, and then hit the park (MK). We were so excited because we were there 30 minutes before the park opened. We parked our rental car in the lot ($20 a day parking was cheaper than shuttling the 4 of us and gave us freedom to come and go as we pleased) and walked through the "front gates" only to find that we were still a (very packed) ferry ride away (the monorail wasn't running.) After about 10 minutes (I think) we landed and then we saw it... the MASSIVE crowd that had actually showed up early. We realized then that we needed to be at least a hour early to get in to Magic Kingdom when it opens. By the time we got into the park it was already 10:30ish and the lines had already formed and all the "good" Fast Passes had been taken. The line for the new 7 Dwarfs Ride was already at a 90 minute wait! The second time around we got there actually early and we were able to ride the Dwarfs ride first thing in the morning, waiting maybe 20 minutes in a fast moving line (Just an fyi, it seems like EVERYONE runs to that ride first thing... For us, it wasn't a ride worth any wait longer than 30 minutes though.)
For the other 3 parks (AK,E, HS), we recommend being 30-45 minutes early depending on the day of the week. Animal Kingdom had the lease amount of people waiting to get into the park and they were mainly families with small children. Epcot had a lot of large groups (20+ people mainly high school/college aged) all vying to get in, while Hollywood Studios was mainly adults/families with older kids.
We got up with enough time to eat breakfast, pack lunches/snacks, and get to the parks early. Even though we were up early it was worth it!
Step 4: Choose your path.
Taking the hints from the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World book and based on our early morning Fast Pass selections we chose our path. For MK, go straight to 7 Dwarfs Mine or Space Mountain. At AK, go straight to Everest or the Safari ride. In HS, go straight to the Rockin' Roller Coaster or the Toy Story ride and at E, go straight to the Test Track or the Frozen ride. From there, check wait times and available FastPasses for where to go next. (Using your handy dandy free Disney World app on your smartphone you can check wait times and adjust/add fast passes.) Using FastPasses is essential for anyone who wants to do as much as possible in the parks or who hates waiting in long lines or for parents with kids who don't like waiting in line...etc. (I'll post more on FastPasses and how to use them in another post.)The biggest thing to remember about choosing your path is to be flexible, plans at WDW aren't set in stone.
Step 5: Throw out your plan and enjoy the journey.
Like I said before, BE FLEXIBLE! Even though you have picked a path or a FastPass, you do not have to follow the plan nor do you have to do the ride you selected for your FastPasses (just make sure you release the FastPass before your selected time comes up or you get penalized for not using it). In WDW, wait times shift often, people/kids get tired, or sick as well as get hungry or hangry (like me) or you might be on the "wrong side" of the park based on the path you took previously. With all that in mind, be willing to throw out your plan and enjoy the journey! We learned early on, plans change and the best way to have a good time is to adjust and keep moving forward.
Step 6: Adjust your Fast Passes.
Speaking of plans changing and adjusting, as stated previously, make sure you release/cancel any FastPasses you request that you do not plan on using. You do get penalized for letting FastPasses expire. If you have a change of plans or decide you don't want to use a FastPass just go on to your handy dandy WDW app (or to the FastPass Kiosk) and release the planned FastPass and pick something else up. It's really easy and it makes things go much smoother overall. You'd be surprised how often the available FastPasses change so make sure you have someone in charge of FastPass monitoring/ planning.
Once I figured out the FastPass system (by day 3), we rode almost everything we wanted with minimal wait and often multiple times. A few rides had all their FastPasses "gone" by mid-afternoon but most were available throughout the day. After we used our FastPass, I immediately started looking at what was available near us within the hour. Sometimes, nothing was available and we would go to rides based on wait times or we would use the time as an opportunity to eat or rest. Use the FastPasses, adjust your passes as needed but what ever you do, do not let them control you.
Step 7: Have Fun!
Walt Disney's dream was for the Kingdoms to be the Happiest Place on Earth. Remember, the goal is to HAVE FUN!! There will be times when you aren't having fun, and that's ok because we are human... but don't let something trivial (or something that you can't change) make your WDW memories bad ones. Find the flow that best fits your group and have fun making awesome memories that truly do last a lifetime! Take pictures with characters, be silly, throw fear into the wind and ride the "big" rides. Do whatever you can to overcome the "not fun" times so that the FUN TIMES overshadow them.
Step 8: Go "home" (early if you want).
We enjoyed every minute at WDW and wanted to stretch those minutes as much as we could but honestly, we were exhausted! After the parks we did not want to go anywhere except to relax in the hot tub. We did stop for dinner one night, it wasn't worth it. We were SO tired afterward it was not fun. Another night, we had to go get a few groceries that we forgot to get the first time (we stayed in a Timeshare so we had a full kitchen)... That wasn't fun either because we were all exhausted. Going out to eat or out in general can be tempting but it's probably not worth it unless you have to. We recommend going straight "home" after the park and if you or you crew are exhausted, don't be afraid to leave the parks early (especially if you have little ones). We left early a few of the nights and it was so worth it. We had rode all the rides we wanted to and saw the nighttime shows the first round in the parks so on the parks we did the second time, we skipped out early and rested. If your group needs the rest, leave early and get rested. (Leaving early is better than having a group of grumpies.)
Step 9: Enjoy your evening.
There is nothing better than getting "home" and relaxing after a long day of excitement and activity. Instead of jumping straight into action for all the nightly to do's take some time to stop, breath and enjoy the downtime. If you don't need to eat right away, go to the pool/hot tub or sitting down with the people in your group and just enjoy each others company. This is a great time to talk about what you have loved so far, or catch up with the others. You could even take the time to play a game or play cards. Do what ever it is that will make your night enjoyable and memorable rather than busy. Once you've relaxed, then you can get down to business (to defeat the huns...).
Step 10: Plan, prepare, and sleep.
After you've had time to relax and enjoy your evening is the time to prepare and make (loose) plans for the next day. You've already picked your park, so now all you have to do is double check your FastPasses for tomorrow and review the available FastPasses (just in case a better time or ride has come up). Once you have your plan, it's time to prepare for your next day at the park. Get your stuff together, "get rid of" anything you don't need, make any meals/pack any snacks you plan to take (so that you don't have to worry about them in the morning), and verify you have your park passes. Then go to sleep! Try to get as much sleep as you can. It's a busy, exciting, eventful adventure and rest is needed to make the journey enjoyable!
*Please note, these are steps of a family who's priority is time in the parks and enjoying our time together. We have been taking our son to Disney since he was 8 and he loves the causal but purposeful way we approach the parks. He is apart of our planning, but we do not plan our trip around him nor do we plan our trip around us which makes it enjoyable for everyone. "Doing Disney" will be different for everyone so please take the steps in stride with what works best for your group and enjoy the journey!
