Future trip to Disneyworld...need ideas!

[LaTiNoObSeSeDSFGAm]

So me and my friend decided to go on a last minute trip to Florida next week and visit Disneyworld over there. Were only there for two days, and probably wont have enough time. The thing is I never been there before so I have no idea what to do. Were getting his military discount pass so we can go to any park for only $125. I need to know what are the best tips to enjoying all the parks in two days and what is worth seeing and not. Also, need to know the best time to go...Future tips is what I need to enjoy the park in full angles under 48 hours! Thanks!

[Danhockey04]

If you are on property or at a hotel that has Extra Magic Hours, utilize that. Bigger attractions, like Soarin' or Toy Story Mania will have fastpasses gone quicker than most rides, get there early for a decent time and maybe ride at opening. Can ride then get passes or vice versa, I prefer to get the pass then ride, earlier time frame and earlier for next available fastpass.

At EPCOT, do Test Track after Soarin as that will get a much longer line than Mission Space, though this is a moderate - high season right now, so might be longer than normal. Then Maelstrom can get long, but that opens with World Showcase at 11.

Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain is closed, TTA is closed, so Tomorrowland is almost lame, Buzz is ok, Monsters Laugh Floor is alright, Stitch is not that good. Fantasyland is a disaster, must get earlier to ride Peter Pan, otherwise fastpass it, very low throughput; the other rides get long lines too. But Magic Kingdom later in the day dies out due to SpectroMagic and Wishes, the ride lines are not too bad then. Splash line usually dies once the sun goes down around 8:30 and Big Thunder had fastpasses today still available at 7:45 for 8:25, so that was helpful so we got a ride on Pirates and Philharmagic before using those passes.

Animal Kingdom, this park will die out around 5. Everest has a singles line if the line is still long, and Dinosaur is never too bad later in the day, but can get excessively long during the day. The safari does close early, if you want to do that, try around parade time, 3:30, or go get a FP. This is definitely a park that can be done in under 3 hours.

Hollywood Studios can be crowded and has been due to Toy Story Mania, which will get up to 100 minutes or longer during this season, I saw it at 100 the other week. RnR can also get very long and they do have a singles line, which is normally about 30-40 minutes, usually is 20-30 shorter than standby though. Tower is the least popular of the three there, it will be long during the day, but shortens up later on.

Make sure to check park hours for best sorting through when to go. Magic Kingdom should be the latest open and EPCOT almost always closes at 9, DHS ranges from 7-9 closings and DAK ranges from 5-8 closings. DHS is usually an opening park, but do not go if they have morning magic hours, as it will already be crowded, unless you have access to magic hours, then do that, utilize all the magic hours you can. EPCOT or DAK can be an opening park, depends if you want to get on Soarin', I have been at EPCOT last week and Soarin had fastpasses at 4:00 for 8:20-9, but the other day, they were out at 1. It all depends on priority in what you want to ride, and build it around that.

Overall, shows at Disney are alright, I prefer to go to Sea World for shows, but if you want to know if I were to go only for two days, my musts to do list would include:
Soarin, Test Track, Mission SPACE, Spaceship Earth (lines dies later in the day), Figment (never has a line), Maelstrom; Toy Story Mania, RnR, Tower of Terror, Great Movie Ride; Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Philarmagic; Everest, Dinosaur and Safari.
I would get others in with time, and that list is very plausible in two days.

[monsterfan99]

Hope you have a good time, I leave for 2 and a half weeks in Orlando on August 3rd. This is what i can tell you from planning myself:

If you are staying off-site, avoid the parks that have extra magic hours that day. If possible, go to the park that had EMH the night before.

A good touring plan will get you a long way if you just plan to do one park each day. If nothing else, they can help you in the morning. You can find some sample ones at touringplans.com.

Also, get there well before opening, especially at the Magic Kingdom. With having to use the boat or monorail there, you are looking at 45 minutes from getting to parking lot to gate. Getting there before opening is key to any park really to getting most out of the day.

[Ilovthevu']

For the weekend days or a Friday, if let's say you are going a Thursday, and a Friday I say go to Animal Kingdom Friday because it's the least packed parks of the bunch.

Must hits in my opinion:

Epcot - Test Track (Single Rider line), Maelstrom (It's a good ride, plus Norwegian women! Wow.), Spaceship Earth, I would skip Universe of Energy even though it has dinosaurs, but it's a 45 minute ride almost.

Animal Kingdom - Dinosaur, Expedition Everest (Single Rider line), Rainforest Cafe if you want to eat

Magic Kindom - Space Mountain closed as someone said, and TTA closed, I would go on Snow White's Scary Adventure, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and Carousel of Progress if open.

Disney's Hollywood Studios - Toy Story Mania is basically playing your Wii system of the Zelda game, Go on Tower of Terror, Star Tours (should be a short line), see Little Mermaid show, and Beauty and the Beast show.

On the more crowded days (weekends or Friday), you are better off going to Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios (MGM).

[DaveStroem]

First off, go to http://www.ridemax.com/. This is software for planning your trip. Since you are going at high season and don't know how to tour Disney this will be the best $18.95 you will spend.

Second, Disney is not for sleeping in. Get to the resort bus stop 1 hour before park opening and use the ERT if you can, then hop (you will need to add park hopping to your tickets) to another park in the mid afternoon.

You also need to call now to try to book you dining if you want to eat at a sit down restaurant. At this late date, you selections are kind of limited. I would suggest Biergarten at Epcot for that days dinner. You can often get in here with a late reservation.

I would hit Hollywood Studios as a morning park and go straight to Toy Story Mania and get Fast Passes first then ride. Follow this with Rockin' Roller Coaster & Tower of Terror. Then back to Toy Story to use your Fast Passes. Ride what ever else or see a show. I recommend Beauty & the Beast. Do not eat at Hollywood Studios. Around 1:00 PM take the boat to Epcot and try to get a Soarin' Fast pass then have lunch at Sunshine Seasons which is in the same building as Soarin'. When you ride Soarin' ask for B1 which is the best seats for this ride. Next head over to Mission: Space (orange side if you can handle spins, green if not) and ride as you probably can't get another Fast Pass yet. After riding Mission: Space go to Test Track and get a FP. You can also use the single rider line here to get a second ride. Next hit up the World Showcase. This is our favorite part of Disney. Allow 3-4 hour for this part of the park. Things that you can skip here include the mexico boat ride and the one in Norway. Try to see the Candy Lady in the Japan area. After your done with World Showcase you should be able to use your Soarin' & Test Track Fast Passes. Remember that you can not use your fast passes before the time listed, but you can use them anytime that day after the time listed. Once you have those rides in do Spaceship earth and try to see Illuminations.


Day 2 Go to Animal Kingdom. Make a bee line to Expedition Everest and get FP then book it on over to Kilimanjaro Safari. Since you are on a limited time frame, skip the jungle trails. Next I would see the Finding Nemo show or ride Everest if your FP are ready then see the show. Now head over to Dinosaur and get a FP there. By this time you will be ready for lunch go to the hub and eat at Flame Tree BBQ. After lunch see its tough to be a bug. Then try to see The Festival of the Lion King. Followed up by using your Dinosaur Fast Pass.

Next head to Magic Kingdom. As it will be late in the afternoon, many fast passes may be gone. Try to get a FP for either Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain RR then stand in the line for the other. After this head to Pirates of the Carabeen & Jungle Cruise. if you can get a FP for Jungle cruise do so. Next up will be Haunted Mansion and then to Fantasyland. I would skip Tomorrowland all together since Space Mountain is down. If you find yourself with extra time head there and ride Buzz, but skip Stitch.

I hope this helps, Have a good time.

[DaveStroem]

Here is a top 10 list that I made up for friends that are going to Disney. Some of this will not apply to you since you don't have a lot of time to plan and are not staying at one of the Disney owned resorts.

1: Research – You will likely be spending thousands of dollars on your Disney Vacation. Spend some time researching your trip. Get maps so you will know your way around. Pick up a touring guide like the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. Check out bulletin boards like DISBoards.com, they can be invaluable and have lots of Disney experts that are happy to help you have a Magical trip. On these boards you can find out everything from menus to information about hidden Mickeys.


2: Have a Plan – Choose your dates trying to avoid holidays. Once you have your dates, chose which park you want to go to each day. Consult the calendar on the Disney.com website for current hours. Disney hours are not the same everyday and can change often. Disney also offers Extra Magic Hours for Disney resort guests. These times allow resort guests only in the park before and after the non resort guests may enter. These can make the parks extra busy on the day that a park has an EMH. Decide before getting in the park which rides you want to do first, second and third and know where these rides are at. This will save a considerable amount of time trying to figure out where to go. There are also pay sites like touringplan.com, tourguidemike.com and ridemax.com. Considering how much a trip cost, spending an extra $20 for some great advise is cheap.


3: ADR – Advance Dining Reservation. If you want to eat at a sit down restaurant while at Disney World you should have reservations. ADRs can be made 90 days in advance by calling 407-WDW-DINE. Most of the better restaurants will fill up quickly and not take any walk up requests for dining. There are also many Counter Service restaurants that don't take reservations. Eating early will lesson the crowds, as there is a huge difference in the lines from 11:30 to 12:00.


4: Park Hopping – If you want to go to more than one park on the same day you need a Park Hopper ticket. You cannot just use an extra day from your Magic Your Way ticket to hit 2 parks in the same day. If you are unsure that you will use park hopping, don’t get it but put the money aside (currently the hopper option is $50 per ticket for your entire stay whether it is one day or 10) and then if you need to add the hopper option you can upgrade at any ticket booth or even at your Disney resort. If you don’t end up hopping you just saved a considerable amount of money that you can spend on that stuffed Mickey you have been eyeing.


5: Transportation – Getting around the parks is easy, but can take a while. Buses, monorails and boats go between resorts and theme parks and from theme parks to theme parks but not from resorts to resorts. Allow for 30-60 minutes to get from a resort to a theme park and a bit longer to get from one resort to another. Disney Magic Express provides free airport transportation to and from Disney resorts. (advanced booking for DME is required)


6: Rope Drop – Disney gets crowded. The earlier in the day you start your tour of the parks, the more you will get done. If you get there 30 minutes before the park opens for the day you will be at the turnstiles when they open 15 minutes before the park opens. From the turnstiles you will be held inside the park by a rope. When the park officially opens for the day they remove the rope and you may then proceed to the attractions. You will get more done in the first hour than you will in the next 3 hours and more done in the first 3 hours than you will the rest of the day.


7: Fastpasses – They are free and are included with your park admission. You get a Fastpass by inserting your Key to the World card or park ticket into the Fastpass machine at the attraction you want the Fastpass for. This will give you a ticket with a return time that will allow you to ride with a minimal wait. You can get a second Fastpass as soon as the return time on the ticket or 2 hours from the time you got the previous Fastpass whichever is less. Fastpasses may be used after the return time that is printed on the ticket but never before the time printed.


8: Take Care of Yourself and Your Group - Make sure to drink plenty of water. Dehydration can cause meltdowns and muscle fatigue. If someone in your group starts to imitate Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs have them drink some water. There are many drinking fountains around the parks but filtered water is also available for free from any location that has fountain drinks. Bring a couple of pairs of comfortable shoes that are broken in. Take a first aid kit with moleskin for putting on blisters and check your kids feet regularly to make sure that they don't have a blister starting. Extra dry socks are a good idea to take with you into the parks. Medicated powders can be helpful for keeping chaffing under control. If your in pain, your not feeling the Magic.


9: Know your Group – Gear your trip to the needs and interest of all members of your group. Not all people are into big coasters or meeting characters. Plan something for everyone. Also remember that you are only as strong as your weakest link. Young children (some adults too) may need a break in the afternoon whether it is a nap or a swim in the pool. You will then be better rested to hit the parks in the evening. Remember that you can get Fastpasses before you leave that you can use when you get back to the park.


10: Have Fun – Remember that this is a vacation and not a military exercise. You will not be able to see and do everything in a single visit. Slow down and enjoy what you are doing instead of rushing around trying to get it all done. If you miss something, don't get upset about it. Just think of it as being the reason for your next trip to the Mouse House.

[monsterfan99]

First off, go to http://www.ridemax.com/. This is software for planning your trip. Since you are going at high season and don't know how to tour Disney this will be the best $18.95 you will spend.

If going with planning software, I'd go with The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Not only is cheaper, but comes in book form. Check your local library for it.

[vprlvr456]

Ahh, the planning of peak season, this is why I go when it's literally FREEZING (29 degrees) in November.

[monsterfan99]

Ahh, the planning of peak season, this is why I go when it's literally FREEZING (29 degrees) in November.

huh, i think you have the wrong park there.

[vprlvr456]

No, I'm dead serious. The highest it was in Florida was 44 degrees Nov. 19-22 2008

[monsterfan99]

No, I'm dead serious. The highest it was in Florida was 44 degrees Nov. 19-22 2008

Ouch, no fun there.

[vprlvr456]

Nah, It was the samew weather in Chicago the week before and there was a lot of no liners (SplM, ToT, SpaM,). Actually, it was the best visit to disney.

[monsterfan99]

To the original poster, let us know how your trip was. I will be there for 2 weeks starting on August 4th. I'm like to know how the lines were.

Thanks

[Danhockey04]

I live here in Florida and go to the parks a lot and know my way around them too. There are things I could share with you but cant due to it being not allowed and can get you in trouble, more than just the fastpass trick. But I can say that the parks are crowded and lines are rather long right now and will be for some time to come, as we are expecting crowds till labor day at Sea World. So, expect lines, nights at the MK are great for rides. Just try not to over hype yourself for low crowds, expect big crowds and it will make it more fun rather than disappointed.