WDW Tips

coasterdude28 · #1 03-19-2007, 05:38 PM

I am leaving for Disney this Thursday for my senior class trip. It will be my first time at disney in about 10 years. I will be spending 5 days there. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I will have to option of going to any of the four Disney parks with a hopper ticket. Monday we are going to Blizzard Beach.

If you could please answer some of these questions, I would appreciate it.

-What order should I do the parks?
-Should we do more than one park a day? If so, which ones?
-What are the best places to eat? Cheapest?
-What are the best times to rides different rides/attractions?
-Any other general park tips?

Thank you in advance for the help.

Sir Willow · #2 03-20-2007, 01:16 AM

-What order should I do the parks?

Honestly, it doesn't really matter much. Avoid any of the parks that have extra magic hours in the morning or evening (unless you can attend the extra morning hours). Those are the days that particular park will be busiest. The only other advice would be to skip Magic Kingdom on Saturday, just because it's the busiest park. Most people start at Magic Kingdom, but it really doesn't make much of a difference overall.

-Should we do more than one park a day? If so, which ones?

If you're here for 4 days, and planning to visit all four parks, then just plan on one day at each park. Don't try the hopping, you'll waste time on the bus/ monorail. And if you really feel like you're done with the park early, use the time to take a break and get some rest. Trust me, with all you'll be doing you'll want a little recoup time or you'll be toast by the last day.

-What are the best places to eat? Cheapest?

Cheapest, at Disney? LOL! No, really the cheapest are going to be the buffeterias or quick service places, but none of them are cheap. Plan on at least $10-12/ meal, buffets will run you $20 or more, and sit downs can be even more than that.

-What are the best times to rides different rides/attractions?

Popular rides early (first couple hours the park is open), late (last couple of hours) or with fastpass. Otherwise I do a ride 'em as I see 'em approach much of the time.

-Any other general park tips?

If you want some good advice (and lots of reading) pick up a copy of the Unofficial guide to Walt Disney World. Great book and lots of advice on all that you asked, plus a good bit more. Well worth the money paid, and if you're really worried about time it's touring plans are great.

**Phil** · #3 03-20-2007, 03:14 PM

Are you going to be on your own or with a larger group the whole time. The number of things you are able to do depends a lot on that.

I'd also second the suggestion for the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. There is no source of information quite as good as that for a trip to WDW. Just go to your local library and check out the most recent copy they have.

coasterdude28 · #4 03-20-2007, 04:04 PM

I will most likely be with a small group of kids. My friend and I are both coaster/park nuts, so we want to do the parks "commando" style. At the same time, we want to be with friends because it is our senior trip. I guess we will try to mix the two. I don't plan on going around with a really big group though.

Thanks for the help. Any other comments would be appreciated.

airtime_n_loops · #5 03-21-2007, 12:21 PM

Plan on 1 day @ EPCOT and MGM Studios, 1/2 day @ Animal Kingdom, and 1 1/12 days @ Magic Kingdom. I would start with Magic Kingdom the first day and do everything I can then. I would go to EPCOT on day 2, Get on Soarin', Test Track, and Mission: Space early. There are some great places to eat @ EPCOT. I would do MGM on day 3, Do Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster as early as I could. You may be able to do the whole park in less than a full day. That would be the best day to go back to EPCOT if you have time. There is a boat that goes straight to EPCOT from MGM. Day 4 I would do Animal Kingdom, do the safari tour first, the animals are more active in the morning. The second thing I would do is Everest. The only other must do at Animal Kingdom is the Lion King show. If you get there at 10am, you should be done by 1pm maybe 2 pm. Go back to Magic Kingdom or another park if you want. Here is a great site for planning a Disneyworld trip http://wdwinfo.com/ Here is another site that has plenty of maps, I think they are somewhat up to date. http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/maps.html I hope this is helpful.

**Leo C** · #6 08-31-2008, 09:37 PM

Gang, I'm going to Gainesville Columbus Day weekend to see my brother(yeah right) who just started going there. I plan to go to Valdosta, GA to Wild Adventures the Sunday night, fly back Tuesday morning. On Columbus Day could I pull off the missing coaster credits of WDW and Oldtown? I've done the Railroad coaster, did the Test Track attraction before. Never been to Disney's Hollywood studios. Been to Epcot, Magic Kingdom, AK in 1995 and 1999. I've been last to Animal Kingdom before the Whirl coasters and the Dinosaur conversion. I just remembered I have all of Cypress Gardens except Starliner. I should have entered in that Screamscape Cypress Gardens ticket contest.

PANTSFREE · #7 09-01-2008, 02:31 PM

I would avoid MK on Saturday and Sunday as it will be crazy crowded.

The express passes are crucial. You have to get the timing down so you can use them on Space Mountain, Big Thunder, and Splash Mountain. Maybe Jungle Cruise.

**Leo C** · #8 09-01-2008, 02:37 PM

I will avoid Disney Sunday in October because Wild Adventures is open Sunday, not the Columbus Day. I already have Big Thunder so I will avoid that as well as Jungle Cruise. I think if Disneyland had the cruise I did that in 2005. The Big Thunder at DL is still fresh in my head so I will avoid that. My missing credits at MK is the Space Mountain and Barnstormer. I've never been on either SM version and I should do it before they do a Vekoma transformation if they will ever do that. Whirl is a disappointment to me now that I realize it's a generic spinning coaster model. They're two of them so I have to do them. I think my biggest gem out of a one day visit to the whole complex is Rock n Rollercoaster. I haven't been to that park at all so that would be my main focus of the day. Animal Kingdom looks like it'll only be for Expedition Everest. Kali and the Safari are done but I might do the Safari again because it's been 8 years for me.

**Phil** · #9 09-01-2008, 02:43 PM

Well, Rock 'n' Rollercoaster and Expedition Everest both have single riders lines so you should be able to get on both of those in a reasonable amount of time even if the parks are packed. The rest of them you're either going to need to be at the park for opening or utilize FastPass to avoid waiting in a long line.

**Leo C** · #10 09-01-2008, 03:06 PM

The single riders line info is very key information. I appreciate that insight cause I know that'll save me bundles of time. I hate it when I realize it was there late in my wait so I'll have to look for the sign at the entrance or actively find and ask a staff member for that location.

Whirl might be the most painful wait all day then. I bet a kiddie line for Barnstormer would be kinder.

I realized Cypress Gardens doesn't have a calendar after September so I will not worry about that. I don't have to run a James-like excursion all over Orlando that day. Disney and Oldtown is the focus. BGA/Seaworld/Universal/Cypress minus Starliner was done in 2006 for me.

PANTSFREE · #11 09-08-2008, 09:40 AM

Hopefully windstorm will be open for you on your first try. It took me 3 visits to Oldtown before I finally got on it.

**Leo C** · #12 09-08-2008, 10:53 AM

This would be the second try for Windstorm. In March 2006 it was not open the first visit of the week I had in Kissimmee. I may have attempted a stop by a second night.

**Leo C** · #13 09-18-2008, 10:54 PM

Primeval Whirl looks like it's closed for a rehab. I wonder if it'll be back by Columbus Day when I plan to be there even though I don't like that model.