Attractions: What To See And Do; and What to Pass On
There is a lot of information on the Disney World home page about what you can see and do at the Walt Disney World Theme Parks, so I won't replicate it all here. In this section I'll highlight some of the attractions I feel you won't want to miss and some that you may care to pass on.
The Magic Kingdom
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The Magic Kingdom is the most well-known of the Disney World theme parks. The iconic "Cinderella's Castle" stretches into the clouded sky at the end of Main Street. This parks contains some of the most classic rides and attractions like the 'Alice in Wonderland Tea Cup ride', Dumbo (now there are two Dumbo rides), 'Peter Pan's Flight', and 'It's a Small World' ride just to name a few.
But, recently the park opened FantasyLand, a fantastic addition with new attractions of your classic Disney favorites like the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and soon to come Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
If you have young kids, the Magic Kingdom is a must! Personally, our family prefers to set aside at least two days to visit the Magic Kingdom each trip. This allows you enough time to ride all the attractions you want and perhaps ride your favorites a second or third time. In addition, you should have plenty of time to see your favorite characters, many which are available for autographs in the Magic Kingdom. For a full list of attractions at the Magic Kingdom, click here.
But, recently the park opened FantasyLand, a fantastic addition with new attractions of your classic Disney favorites like the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and soon to come Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
If you have young kids, the Magic Kingdom is a must! Personally, our family prefers to set aside at least two days to visit the Magic Kingdom each trip. This allows you enough time to ride all the attractions you want and perhaps ride your favorites a second or third time. In addition, you should have plenty of time to see your favorite characters, many which are available for autographs in the Magic Kingdom. For a full list of attractions at the Magic Kingdom, click here.
When it comes to what to pass on in the Magic Kingdom, it really comes down to preference. Go to the attractions that sound the most interesting to you. But, the newer rides are pretty amazing and in high demand. So, I recommend giving them a try.
There are plenty of places to eat within the Magic Kingdom and you can take full advantage of your Disney dining plan there. We highly recommend trying out a quick meal at the "Be Our Guest" restaurant, designed to look like the Beast's Castle. It is a great experience. Also, if you can afford it we highly recommend eating at Cinderella's Royal Table once during your visit. Read more about our recommendations on dining in our article CHOW TIME: Dining at Disney.
There are plenty of places to eat within the Magic Kingdom and you can take full advantage of your Disney dining plan there. We highly recommend trying out a quick meal at the "Be Our Guest" restaurant, designed to look like the Beast's Castle. It is a great experience. Also, if you can afford it we highly recommend eating at Cinderella's Royal Table once during your visit. Read more about our recommendations on dining in our article CHOW TIME: Dining at Disney.
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TIME SAVING TIPS!!!
Get to The Park Before It Opens
Now, I know how this sounds. Sure, get to the park early and stand in line outside the park! Why not just wait and spend that time in line instead? Here's why...YOU SAVE A TON OF TIME IN THE PARK. Period. Plus, Disney puts on quite an opening ceremony at the Magic Kingdom so it's worth getting up a little early for that too.
While I knew this on our last visit, I was shocked to realize how much we were able to do in the Magic Kingdom in the first few hours we were there. When the park opened I headed back to get a FastPass for the new ride Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid and my family jumped in line at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
We were able to move through these rides very quickly and catch five or six other rides before lunch at the Beast's Castle.
FastPass
There are two very important ways to save time while in all of the Disney parks. First, use the FastPass system found throughout the Disney parks. FastPass takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it will save you loads of time.
Some rides allow guests to obtain a ticket that provides what we can loosely describe as a 'reservation' window. During that window of time, visitors can return and enter the attraction in the FastPass line which is much, much shorter than the regular line.
Personally, we preferred grabbing fast passes to the rides that are often the most popular. Those often have the longest regular lines. You'll likely have to wait in line at Disney, but if you play the system right you can minimize that time tremendously with FastPass.
The only downside is that FastPass is limited. It's important to get FastPass early as they do run out. When the fast passes are gone for the day, they're gone. So, get there early. Now, Disney World is offering some guests FastPass+. This allows guests the chance to pick up some fast passes before they even get to the park. While there may be some bugs to work out, this could reduce your need to rush the gates to get a fast pass early in the morning. So, in our opinion if you get the chance to test out the new system, give it a try. Also, send us a quick note through our contact page and let us know what you think of the new system so we can share your experience with others!
Get to The Park Before It Opens
Now, I know how this sounds. Sure, get to the park early and stand in line outside the park! Why not just wait and spend that time in line instead? Here's why...YOU SAVE A TON OF TIME IN THE PARK. Period. Plus, Disney puts on quite an opening ceremony at the Magic Kingdom so it's worth getting up a little early for that too.
While I knew this on our last visit, I was shocked to realize how much we were able to do in the Magic Kingdom in the first few hours we were there. When the park opened I headed back to get a FastPass for the new ride Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid and my family jumped in line at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.
We were able to move through these rides very quickly and catch five or six other rides before lunch at the Beast's Castle.
FastPass
There are two very important ways to save time while in all of the Disney parks. First, use the FastPass system found throughout the Disney parks. FastPass takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it will save you loads of time.
Some rides allow guests to obtain a ticket that provides what we can loosely describe as a 'reservation' window. During that window of time, visitors can return and enter the attraction in the FastPass line which is much, much shorter than the regular line.
Personally, we preferred grabbing fast passes to the rides that are often the most popular. Those often have the longest regular lines. You'll likely have to wait in line at Disney, but if you play the system right you can minimize that time tremendously with FastPass.
The only downside is that FastPass is limited. It's important to get FastPass early as they do run out. When the fast passes are gone for the day, they're gone. So, get there early. Now, Disney World is offering some guests FastPass+. This allows guests the chance to pick up some fast passes before they even get to the park. While there may be some bugs to work out, this could reduce your need to rush the gates to get a fast pass early in the morning. So, in our opinion if you get the chance to test out the new system, give it a try. Also, send us a quick note through our contact page and let us know what you think of the new system so we can share your experience with others!
Hollywood Studios
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As a kid, I remember Hollywood Studios (MGM Studios at the time) as being a lot less interesting than the Magic Kingdom. It just seemed to be for older kids or adults more than for smaller kids. But, that has changed quite a bit especially with the addition of the Pixar franchise. Now, Hollywood Studios is teeming with Buzz Lightyear and Woody, Mr. Incredible, Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and many others. It still has the flare for older kids and adults with the fast and sometime scary rides like "Rock 'n' Rollercoaster" and the "Tower of Terror." But, shows like 'Disney Junior Live on Stage' and 'Voyage of the Little Mermaid' are a big hit with the young ones. Also you can meet Phineas and Ferb, Mater, and Lightening McQueen there. This is definitely a great place to bring kids of all ages. Also, Star Wars lovers will be drawn to the Star Tours ride and the Jedi Training show where kids can interact and fight against Darth Vader. Also, many people love the Fantasmic! show. Our recommendation: spend at least a day here!
Animal Kingdom
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Disney's Animal Kingdom is much like other Disney World parks in its grandeur and theme. There is much to see inside the Animal Kingdom. Take a ride in Africa to see elephants, lions, giraffe, and many, many other types of animals. There are fascinating street shows with dancing and music. A must see attraction is the Lion King live show. We were very impressed with the quality and appeal of this show. However, we still prefer the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios to this park. In part because depending on where you live, you may have the chance to see many of the same types of animals in local zoos that are found in the Animal Kingdom. So, if you have just a few days we suggest hitting the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios first. But, the Animal Kingdom is great for animal lovers and if you get to stay in Disney World for several days...it's well worth carving out a day to check out this theme park.
Epcot
Epcot houses one of the most iconic structures in Disney World called Spaceship Earth. Inside the Epcot Center, experience culture, learning, and food. Epcot is a good choice for older children who can read well and enjoy the 'substance' behind the attractions. Unlike familiar rides and shows at the Magic Kingdom, several of Epcot's attraction are less well known but that doesn't mean they are less exciting or engaging. So, our recommendation is to do plenty of research into Epcot to determine if it's a good choice for you. In general, we don't suggest taking younger kids to Epcot first. Again, if you are staying several days then sure, why not? But if you have only a day or two your best bet is the Magic Kingdom.