Congratulations! You’ve nailed down when you’re going, how you’re getting there, and where you’re staying; now it’s time to figure out how to spend your days in Walt Disney World.
With four theme parks, two water parks, two nighttime districts, and countless other diversions, the main obstacle is figuring out how to pack it all into the typical week-long vacation! The easy answer? Don’t! Instead, flag activities that will be most important to you and your companions and make those into your priorities.
Here are a few tips and resources to get you started with your daily Disney World Theme Park Planning. For more tips and resources for planning, visit www.wdwforgrownups.com.
Buy a great guidebook. We recommend a classic—
Bob Sehlinger’s Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. This book is the Bible of Disney park planning and will give you insight into how to cut down on wait times for rides and make the most of your vacation. If you do nothing else in preparation for your vacation, at least read this.
Arrive early and stay late. Getting to the parks when they first open is the best way to guarantee a ride on headline attractions with a minimal wait. Other good times to ride headliners are during each park’s major parade or fireworks show (most folks are lined up 10 deep to watch, leaving the busy attractions less busy), or late at night when other park-goers have called it a day. Remember, as long as you jump in line the minute the park closes, you can ride!
This doesn’t mean you have to stay all day, however! One of the best tips is to go to the parks during their least busy times—early morning and late evening—and use mid-day to catch up on sleep or take a swim.
Learn about and use Fastpass. This service is free to all park guests.
Take a look at some Touring Plans. Basically, these are daily schedules that help you determine when to visit rides and attractions so that you minimize your wait time. You can find sample touring plans on the web, in the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World or other guidebooks, or at
www.touringplans.com. (Note, you do have to subscribe to this website to see touring plans.)
