Walt Disney World can be both exciting and overwhelming for a first time visitor. It isn’t just a theme park… it’s FOUR theme parks, TWO water parks, dozens of hotel resorts, a shopping district, and more. No wonder some people feel a sense of anxiety when planning their WDW vacation. There are just so many decisions to make!
When do I go?
How long do I go for?
Where do I stay?
What parks/rides/attractions do I need to experience?
Where am I going to eat?
Where do I even start?!
To help those people get situated, we’ve put together a list of FIVE tips for first time visitors.
Note: After you have read this, you might want to check out some of our DISNEY 101 articles, which do a deeper dive into specific planning topics.
Remember that these tips are mainly focused on helping out first time visitors. Specifically, these are for people who have never been to WDW and want to maximize the experience for themselves. They might not apply to Disney veterans who have been there and done that. In addition, these tips represent OUR opinions. You might disagree with them. That’s okay. If you want to point out where we went wrong, or you have your own tips, feel free to leave us a comment and let us know!
So without any further delay, let’s get into the tips!
TIP #1: The Best Time To Visit Is the Beginning of December
The two biggest factors in determining when you should visit are crowd level and weather. Ideally, you will want to visit when crowds are lower (although keep in mind that WDW will always be busy to a certain extent). Lower crowds mean shorter lines, more dining availability, and generally a more pleasant experience. While weather is harder to predict, WDW is generally more pleasant during months when the temperatures are more likely to be on the moderate side.
The beginning of December usually fits both of these criteria. You are in the shoulder season between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks so parks aren’t quite as packed. Plus, by the time you get to December, you aren’t going to feel like you are inside an oven!
As a bonus, December is Christmas season at Walt Disney World! You can take advantage of seeing the decorations, experiencing special seasonal events, etc. That will make your first trip even more special!
Also Great…
If you cannot make it down during the first part of December, another great time to visit is the beginning of March before Spring Break season starts. While you won’t have any Christmas events, you can still take advantage of lower crowds and good weather
If you have children in school and you want to go when they are on break, neither of these times may work. If that’s the case, check out either the beginning of June or the end of August. While you would be going during the heat of the summer, crowds are still somewhat moderate because schools may still be in session in parts of the country. This is when we usually go. While it is hot, no doubt, the heat is manageable with ample cooling, hydration, and breaks!
TIP #2: Stay On Property
What do we mean by “stay on property”? We mean stay at a Disney owned resort. If you stay at a Disney Resort, you not only get free and efficient transportation to the parks, but you also get certain perks: early entry to the parks, earlier booking of Individual Lightning Lanes, earlier booking of dining reservations, and more. Plus, you are immersed in what some call the “Disney bubble” where everything feels connected and seamless between the parks and the resorts.
While Disney hotels generally are more expensive than an equivalent non-Disney hotel, for the first time traveller it is worth it for the perks alone. You won’t have to worry about how to get to the parks. You will be able to enter the parks early, allowing you to get on the rides quicker and with shorter lines. You’ll truly feel like you are isolated from the outside world. And isn’t that what vacations are all about?
But Which Resort…
With over 20 on property resorts, you might be overwhelmed by all of the choices. Here are two options that we recommend for first time visitors
If You Can Afford It, Stay At the Polynesian
The Polynesian (aka the “Poly”) is one of our all time favorite resorts. It is themed to the South Seas islands, which gives it a relaxing, vacation vibe. It has amazing on-site dining with something for everyone. And most importantly, it is perfectly located which makes it a great logistical choice.
From the Poly, you are a single monorail or boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom. In addition, you can walk to the Transportation and Ticket Center (aka the Magic Kingdom parking lot) and catch a direct monorail to EPCOT as well. It is the ONLY resort which offers direct monorail access to both of these parks without transfers.
Finally, being a “deluxe” resort, you also get extended evening hours at certain parks on certain evenings. The days and parks vary, so check the WDW website for more info on this perk.
Otherwise, Stay At Pop Century
We get that the Poly may not be within everyone’s budget. So if you want to stay on property for less, consider Disney’s Pop Century Resort. As a value resort, you don’t get all of the amenities that you get at the Poly. But you do get clean, comfortable motel-style rooms. You get a wonderful food court for meals. You get pools spread out throughout the resort. And you get fun theming around different decades of pop culture. The theming is over the top, but in a fun way.
The reason why we recommend Pop Century over the other value resorts is the transportation. Pop Century has access to the Skyliner. This system of gondolas quickly and efficiently transports you from the resort to both Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. While you do have to transfer once at the Caribbean Beach station, you can usually get from the resort to these parks in 30 minutes or less (depending on the time of day).
TIP #3: Plan On SIX Park Days
Six park days will give you an opportunity to spend one full day in each of the four WDW theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios) with two additional “flex” days to visit two of the parks twice if you miss an attraction or you want to re-ride a particular favorite.
Usually we would recommend planning on going to the Magic Kingdom twice, as this park has the most to see and do. We also recommend using your additional second day at either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios, depending upon which one interests you the most. While we love Animal Kingdom, usually one day is enough to experience everything for most.
Six days is also a good number because it aligns with most people’s travel plans. If you are traveling from, say, Saturday until Sunday of the following week, six park days fits perfectly into that pattern. Not counting travel days, that gives you seven days in Central Florida. This allows you to have six park days plus one rest day which is a pretty perfect plan for most.
If you can’t swing a trip of that length, then at least plan for four park days… one day per park. That will at least give you a taste of each park.
What About a Park Hopper Ticket?
A normal WDW ticket allows you to visit only a single park on a given day (although you can re-enter that one park multiple times). However, a Park Hopper ticket allows you to visit multiple parks in a single day. Of course, these tickets cost more than a normal “one park per day” ticket.
We definitely recommend AGAINST getting a Park Hopper ticket if you are a first time visitor. As a first timer, you will want to maximize your time IN the park. Traveling from park to park takes time away from that. I know I don’t want to be spending my vacation waiting for the next bus, or monorail, or boat, if I can help it.
Besides, in practice, we find that, even as frequent travelers, we don’t take a lot of advantage of park hopping anyway. Yes, it gives you additional flexibility in theory. But in practice, you might find that you want to just keep exploring the park you are in! Save the money or put it towards something else.
TIP #4: Pick 3-5 “Must Do” Items Per Day and Plan Your Day Around Them
WDW is just too big to experience everything in one trip. If you even attempt to do it all, you are destined to fail. Besides, any detailed plan is likely to go off course after the first rainstorm, or the first ride breakdown, or any of a myriad of unexpected things that you are going to experience.
Therefore, we recommend that you settle on three to five “must-do’s” and plan your day around accomplishing them. This will give you a goal to shoot for while allowing plenty of time for spontaneous exploring.
How do you choose your “must do’s” if you have never been there? The best way is to read websites (like this one), read dining reviews, watch YouTube videos… in other words, do your research! Be sure to involve everyone in the family, so you all can get excited as a team.
This may sound a little like homework, but it is “fun” homework. I mean, I wish I had a class in “watching ride POV videos”. I would have aced that one!
Once you have selected the rides/attractions/experiences that you have to do, come up with a plan for how you will experience them. Are you going to need to buy Genie+ and reserve a Lightning Lane? Do you need to reserve a Virtual Queue? Are you going to experience it when the park opens and crowds are low? Do you need to make an advanced dining reservation when the window opens at 60 days? Once you have that framework, you are a good to go!
Obviously, you will be able to do more than three to five things in one park day. Therefore be prepared to be spontaneous. Have some time to kill? Let’s stop and grab a Mickey Pretzel and people watch. Let’s get our picture taken in front of the castle. Oh look… Micky is doing a meet and greet over there. Why don’t we check it out?
TIP #5: Pace Yourself
Probably the biggest mistake that we see is people who try to see everything by running from attraction to attraction. While that pace might be sustainable for a few hours, in the end, you are just going to make yourself and your party miserable. This is especially true if you have young kids. There is no bigger vacation killer than when your children have a meltdown because they are too hot, too hungry, or too tired to go on.
Periodically take the “temperature” of the group. Do you need a drink or a snack? Do you need to sit in the shade for a few minutes? Should we go back to your resort for a swim or even a nap? You might think that these breaks are going to ruin your vacation because now you aren’t going to get EVERYTHING done. But that thinking is wrong.
First, at the risk of being repetitive, you are not going to see everything. Period. Get that thought out of your head immediately.
Second, you will actually end up having a better time when everyone has a smile on their face, even if you didn’t see every last attraction. Focus on what you are doing, versus what you could have done.
Rest Day
The other part of our “pace yourself” advice is to take a rest day. This is a day where you… wait for it… rest! This can mean sleeping in, relaxing by the pool, maybe take advantage of any resort games/activities. Another great rest day activity is to leisurely stroll around Disney Springs, checking out the various entertaining and shops there. Basically, it is whatever you think the group need to recharge their batteries.
If you are planning six park days, taking a rest day after the third park day is a perfect way to break things up. After your rest day, you will be ready get back at it for your last three days!
BONUS TIP: Vacations Are About Making Memories
A successful vacation to WDW (or anywhere really) it isn’t about riding all the rides. It isn’t about eating all the foods. It isn’t about buying all of the souvenirs. It’s about making memories with your family.
Some of the best WDW memories that we have center around those little moments that we shared together as a family. That time when Banshee and Little Buster rode Everest together in the pouring rain. That time when Little Banshee took a nap in the middle of the Biergarten because her belly was stuffed with potatoes. That time when perpetual chicken Buster reluctantly agreed to ride Space Mountain with thrill-seeking Little Buster.
You might think that standing in line is a necessary evil, but use that time to put down the phones and actually talk to your loved ones. How do you think the day is going? What has been your favorite ride so far? What do you think we should do next? Some of the best conversations you will ever have are when you are in the standby line!
Life is what you make of it. If you are going to focus on all the things that you missed, then you are going to have a miserable trip. However, if you stay in the moment… if you just enjoy being together as a family at the most magical place on Earth… then you are guaranteed to have the best vacation ever!
So what do you think of our tips? Agree with them? Disagree? Do you have your own tips for first time visitors? Feel free to leave us a comment and let is know what you think!
AD: We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are coming to Central Florida and need a place to stay, please consider the Encore Magic Villa. It sleeps up to 12 and features a game room, theater room, themed bedrooms, and private pool… located within a short drive of the Magic!
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