Hiya, Peter! Welcome to planDisney!
Planning your first visit to
The Most Magical Place on Earth is so exciting! But of course, it can seem overwhelming at times, because there’s just so much to see and do! Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. My fellow panelists and I know a thing or two about planning trips to Walt Disney World Resort. Let’s dive right in, Peter.
Since you’ll be at the resort for a long period of time, this gives you so much flexibility in your plans. I highly recommend starting your visit at Magic Kingdom Park. Each of the theme parks is phenomenal, but there’s something extra special about starting your vacation at Magic Kingdom Park. Rounding the corner at Town Square and catching your first glimpse of Cinderella Castle is an unmatched experience, in my opinion.
Personally, I find that Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT have a more relaxed atmosphere than Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which tend to be more high-energy. I always recommend leapfrogging the parks in this fashion. So, if your first day is at Magic Kingdom, your second day could be at Animal Kingdom, then Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, and so forth. My family and I always work in rest days as well, where we don’t go into the parks at all. On these days, we’ll spend time swimming at our
Disney Resorts Collection hotel pool or go have dinner and do some shopping at
Disney Springs.
Once you’ve had the chance to visit each park individually, you’ll then have a better idea of which park you’d like to prioritize as you get deeper in your visit. You may find yourself wanting to ride
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind several more times, and I wouldn’t blame you! It's currently my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World Resort. Once you’ve visited each park, you can also be more intentional about which attractions and experiences you visit in each park. For example, if you missed
Festival of the Lion King on your first visit at Animal Kingdom, you could catch it during your second visit.
You can also visit some of the Quick Service or Table Service restaurants in the parks. Some of my favorites are Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater at Hollywood Studios, La Hacienda de San Angel at EPCOT, Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen at Magic Kingdom, and Nomad Lounge at Animal Kingdom, to name a few!
There’s really no right or wrong order to visit the parks, Peter. I’m confident that once you’re at the resort and you’ve had a chance to familiarize yourself with the attractions and experiences on offer in each park, you’ll get a clear idea of where you and your family would most like to spend more time. I hope you’ve found this helpful, Peter! If you have any other questions as you continue to plan your magical visit, please don’t hesitate to come back and see us here at
planDisney. We’re always happy to help!
See you real soon!
Olivier