Hello and welcome to
planDisney, Natalie. Thanks for dropping by to chit-chat about your upcoming
Walt Disney World vacation. I see that you are visiting in just a few short days, I bet you are getting so excited.
Natalie, I also like to drive myself to the
Walt Disney World Theme Parks. I love the flexibility or having my own transportation. The parking lots typically open about 45 minutes prior to the park's scheduled opening time. So if Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park opens at 7:30 a.m. you should expect to be parking around 6:45 a.m. Of course, this varies a little bit day by day depending on who is working and what's going on but that's the typical rule of thumb. I actually try to be at the parking lot entrance around 1 hour prior to the scheduled opening time because I like to be one of the first in line. Once the parking lot opens up you'll stop at the attendant booths and pay or scan your MagicBand/key to the world card if you are an on-property Guest.
Once you've parked, do take note of the row and lot that you are in. I like to either take a quick picture or text the information to someone else in my party. After a long day at the theme parks, it can be hard to remember exactly where your car is. I also like to tuck a few bottles of water to leave in a cooler in my car. It's nice to have a refreshing beverage after such a long day.
I hope this helps you plan out your itinerary a little bit better, Natalie. If you have any other questions before your trip, please feel free to
reach back out to me. I'm happy to help.
Have fun!
Jackie H.