Hi Elijah,
How exciting to be planning your first trip to Walt Disney World! I am happy to share with you some thoughts on how to have a wonderful vacation.
First, be sure that you are set up with a
My Disney Experience account and that you have the
My Disney Experience App on your phone. With a My Disney Experience account, you will be able to easily manage items such as your theme park tickets and dining reservations.
It sounds like you have already chosen the theme parks that you are going to visit. I assume this means that you have purchased
theme park tickets and made
theme park reservations. These are both step one in preparing to visit a Walt Disney World theme park!
I think that you have chosen two fantastic theme parks to visit.
EPCOT is a wonderful and expansive theme park full of things to explore, from thrill rides such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind to exploring the country pavilions in World Showcase. Because you are visiting so soon, you will be at EPCOT during the
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Be sure to save time to take in the lovely topiaries and sample some cuisine from the delicious outdoor kitchens during this festival.
Disney's Animal Kingdom is another excellent theme park that offers both thrills and relaxing experiences. Don't miss Kilimanjaro Safaris - a ride through a savanna with so many animals from giraffes to lions!
The next thing that I like to do is to make
dining reservations. My family likes to sit down for one meal per day when we are visiting Walt Disney World. We make a dining reservation at a table service restaurant and know that we will have an hour or two to relax, recharge, and refuel ourselves for the rest of the day. We like to make a late lunch reservation. That way we can have a long morning to experience attractions, a midday break to refuel, and then we are ready to go for the afternoon and evening.
Consider if you would like to take advantage of
Disney Genie+ Service. Using Disney Genie+ Service and purchasing separate Individual Lightening Lanes can help you to experience more attractions with lower wait times. The decision to use these services really comes down to what your goals are for your trip. If you want to experience as many attractions as possible in each theme park, I would suggest purchasing Disney Genie+ Service as it will help you to maximize your ability to do so. Especially since you are going next month, there will likely be larger crowds due to spring break, and Disney Genie+ Service can help you to experience more attractions per day in this case.
This brings me to my final first-time Disney tip: there is no way to experience all that Walt Disney World has to offer on your first trip. There is just too much! Build in some time to relax, sit on a bench, and take in the little details. By setting your expectation that you cannot experience it all, you can enjoy more what you do experience.
I would love to help you plan more Elijah; however, I am limited in how much space I have to answer. Please do feel free to ask if you have any further questions.
~ Mona Leigh