Planning your Walt Disney World vacation is fun, exciting, and deeply involved. There are so manybthings to consider that some important details can get overlooked. This is easy to do when thinking about dining reservations and which new attractions might be available. And it seems that the Disney Park Reservation is going to be hanging around for quite some time. Walt Disney World executives enjoy the benefits of forecasting guest attendance. So there is one important detail that is often overlooked during the planning phase that can really hurt your plans. You have to confirm the park hours.
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World maintains fairly consistent park hours. They don’t change much during the season. So you can check the weeks before the hours are released during your vacation and get a good idea of what the hours will be while you are there. You then would want to plan on going to parks that are open the longest each day of your trip.
Another important thing to check is if there are any special events during your vacation. These occur mostly at Magic Kingdom and include Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. On those select nights, Magic Kingdom closes early (usually 7pm). So you don’t want to be at Magic Kingdom that day if you are not attending the event.
Walt Disney World is home to four distinct world class amusement parks. There are so many rides, attractions and dining options that planning can be overwhelming. Each day needs to be planned out, especially now with the Disney Park Reservation System. Planning can (and should) be exciting when considering new rides and attractions at each park. There is an inordinate amount of news constantly surrounding the four parks. But what about the water parks.
Blizzard Beach
Walt Disney World contains two separate water parks. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon have distinct themes and different attractions. This purpose of this post is not to get into details about each park, but to encourage vacationers to consider a day at one of these locations. If your kids are anything like my kids, they absolutely love playing in the water. Like really love it. And these water parks are so different than the theme parks, it takes your vacation on a totally different direction. Also unlike the theme parks, you would not spend a whole day in a water park. It is a really fun excursion that can be completed by lunch time. Then it is a trip to the resort to change and then off to another park for the rest of the day.
Blizzard Beach
There is very little excitement within the online community for Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I am not exactly sure why. I guess that most people overwhelmingly prefer the other amusement parks. And I guess it is hard to compare one of these water parks to Magic Kingdom. But it really is like comparing apples to oranges. I get that Walt Disney World Vacations only last for a short time and going to a water park may seem like a waste of time. But it is really enjoyable for the kids and they get to have a little more freedom. They don’t have to be rushed to rides and wait in long lines. In the water parks they get to run and splash and play.
The added expense for the water park option can certainly be a deterrent. I already would recommend getting the park hopper option on almost all vacations. Adding in the water park option as well can make the cost per person per day increase a fairly significant amount. The cost per day actually decreases over time, so longer stays make the water park option slightly more affordable. It is easy enough to compare these prices on the Walt Disney website and see what works for you.
Vacations to Walt Disney World have so many variations. There are so many things to do and decisions to be made. Some families prefer a relaxing vacation with maximum time hanging out by the pool, while others arrive early at the park and stay all day. Many vacationers stay a week or more and still leave wanting more. There are also families that might only stay for a few days because of a number of factors including budgeting and time constraints. A short trip can seem even more overwhelming because there is the added stress of feeling rushed to get everything done. Here are some ideas to relieve stress and enjoy your vacation.
Hollywood Studios
The most important thing to remember when visiting Walt Disney World is that it is supposed to be fun. It seems simple, and kind of stupid, but it is still something to remember. Even with all the planning and considerations ahead of time, there WILL be bumps in the road. This is especially true for short trips where you will inevitably be trying to squeeze everything in. There have been times when I wanted to make a showtime, and just didn’t make it for one reason or another.
Dining reservations might be hard to come by. The dining reservation system opens when your vacation is 60 days away from the first day. So during a long stay, you can book the last days before many other people. The inverse is also true, that during a short stay, many people have already made their reservations by the time you are able to make yours. That means you have to accept that you will likely not get your top choices. And don’t feel like you need to sit down and eat every meal. I usually only do one table service meal anyway. On a short trip, it would be wise to only sit at a restaurant you really want, and not settle for anything.
It might be worth it to purchase the park hopper option on a short trip. The park hopper allows guests to go to 2 parks in one day. This way, you will at least be able to visit all the parks. A great benefit of this is that each park has their own hours, and generally Epcot and Magic Kingdom are open the latest. Also Animal Kingdom usually opens the earliest and you can really hit most of the attractions in half of a day. This allows you to start at an early park and then go to another that’s open later and really maximize your time. And to save money if you plan to park hop on the back end of the trip, you cab add that option after you used your base ticket the first few days. Something to remember is that Hollywood Studios and EPCOT are very close to each other and you can even walk from one to the other in about 20 minutes.
Finally, prioritize the attractions you definitely want to do. With a little luck you should be able to do everything you want at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. But, assume you won’t have time to do all of the major attractions in one day at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. And you won’t want to spend so much time in lines you can’t really enjoy the Disney experience. So make sure to hit attractions that don’t have long waits. And again, don’t rush around trying to do everything. Just enjoy what the vacation brings you.
There are so many things to do in Walt Disney World and so much planning that goes along with it. Most likely, you are not highly anticipating watching cartoons in a movie theater. But you should be. There are a couple of spots to catch Mickey Mouse on the big screen in EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. These attractions should not be overlooked. Kids love seeing Mickey Mouse and there aren’t many attractions featuring this original Disney character. These theaters also provide a great place to sit in the A/C and cool off and relax.
Hollywood Studios
Vacation Fun is located in Hollywood Studios behind Echo Lake near Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! It is an original short played in a cute theater. The animation is a throw back to older Mickey Mouse cartoons and not the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse style. The story is funny and kids and adults love it. There are also fun photo spots on the way out of the theater.
Vacation Fun
Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival is one of my favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World. It is so underrated. It is located in EPCOT behind Journey into Imagination with Figment next to the Land in World Nature. The presentation usually includes 3 short films. The second two films are selected from several different options that rotate through performances. The first film is always a Mickey Mouse short. And it is so good. The first time we saw it we were blown away. We never expected it to be so great. The film is in 3D and the effects are top of the line. It is hilarious and so much fun. We make sure to catch this show every time we are in EPCOT.
There are many planning considerations for a Walt Disney World vacation. With four unique theme parks, exciting rides and beautiful shows, the planning is certainly continuous. Still nothing might require more thought than planning meals. Under no other circumstances do people plan meal times and restaurants 60 days in advance.
Well one easy way to narrow it down, is to plan on some character dining. If you have your heart set on world class meals, look elsewhere. But for this Disney Dad, we are on vacation in Walt Disney World for reasons just like this. Kids absolutely love having the characters come by their dinner. And the pictures are wonderful. And their faces are so cute and they are so excited. Those memories are what Disney Dads strive to capture.
Garden Grill, EPCOT
You might read reviews for these character experiences that they are expensive or that the food isn’t great. Well yes they are pricey and the food is probably about average. But the experience can’t be beat.
Some Walt Disney World vacation tips are more impactful than others. One of the most important tricks implemented by veteran Disney Dads is the rope drop.
Hollywood Studios
The term rope drop means entering an amusement park right when they open. At Walt Disney World rope drop is an event in and of itself. It seems the secret is out. There is a line to get through security and then another line to get through the gates. The only way to effectively rope drop at Walt Disney World is to get there early. Really early. And that distinction makes all the difference. If you don’t arrive early enough, you will not get into the park with enough time to beat the initial crowds. We try to get there at least 30 minutes before park opens. That’s enough time to get off the bus or other transport and get to the front of the park 15 to 20 minutes before open. And that 15 minutes is crucial. If you don’t make it in before that initial rush, then you practically lose most of the advantage of the rope drop. It may seem trivial, but that 15 or 20 minutes makes all the difference. For example, with an 8:30 park open we will get there at 8. Usually we will then be through the gates and in the park right around 830, because they do open the gates a few minutes early. If we were to arrive at 8:30, we might not get through the gates until after 9. So we just lost a half hour in a sparsely populated Disney World. Even worse, if we arrived around 9, it would probably take close to an hour to actually get into the park.
When we get into whatever park we are going to, we have a plan for which rides we are going on. It will obviously be one that will have a long line later in the day. We also consider which ride we might have a lightning lane reservation for first, because we don’t want to miss it by trying to start on the other side of the park. So just like the rest of your Disney Vacation, you need a plan, and it needs to be flexible. Usually we can go to 2 attractions back to back with little wait time. This is especially true for resort guests who currently can enjoy a half hour early admittance. Some of the most popular rides attract a massive crowd immediately. One such ride is Avatar: Flight of Passage. Pretty much everyone rope dropping Animal Kingdom goes there. So if you are not one of the first in line, it might be something to avoid. I have seen waits up to 45 minutes as soon as the park opens. We usually go the other way in Animal Kingdom. We can ride Dinosaur and Expedition Everest both without any wait.
Walt Disney World parks do not empty out early like some other amusement parks. You can not hope to ride Space Mountain multiple times in a row at the end of the night. The wait times decline, but never is there no wait. That makes the rope drop so much more important. It gives guests their best chance to enjoy a ride or two with an amazingly short wait.
It is easy to dismiss a trip to Oga’s Cantina. It is in high demand and difficult to get reservations. It’s specifically themed to Star Wars and maybe you are not a Star Wars family. There are only drinks served besides a few snacks. But it is so fun that everyone in your family will enjoy it. It is an exciting little break during a busy day in Hollywood Studios. Disney Dads know that their Walt Disney World Vacation must include new, different and exciting options.
The atmosphere inside Oga’s Cantina is awesome. Guests are served in a space port and all the details are amazing. And for Star Wars fans it is authentic and wonderful. We went once with people who had never seen Star Wars and they still had a blast.
But the real story here is that the drinks are inventive and fun. They serve two types of drinks. Each come either with alcohol or without. Concoctions are drinks, while provisions are more like a gelatin. The flavors are bold and unique. Some of the kids’ drinks have carbon ice on the bottom that provides an endless stream of bubbles and giigles.
Oga’s Cantina may seem like too much effort and may get lost in your planning routine. But do not write it off because you are not sure if your clan is going to enjoy it.
Planning a vacation to Walt Disney World can be challenging and there is certainly much to think about. Park reservations, dining reservations and park hours are all things to consider. But Disney Dads know that getting everybody’s clothing together is one of the most fun planning ritual.
Magic Kingdom
We made a regrettable mistake on our very first vacation to Walt Disney World. We did not pack Disney attire and just wore common shirts. Sadly we didn’t know any better. We didn’t know that wearing Disney themed clothes enhanced the magic so much. Don’t follow in our footsteps. Everything is better in Disney clothes. The characters interact with you more. The pictures are amazing.
EPCOT
There is one more way to take the magic to the next level. Matching shirts for the whole family. Yes that’s right. You may be hesitant and it may sound unusual, and you may think “we aren’t those people”. But it is so much fun to be those people.
Fantasmic is a nightly show at Hollywood Studios. It is hands down the best night show in Disney World. It is proabably one of the 5 best attractions. Fantasmic has it all. Water. Fire. Drama. Music. Mickey. So. Many. Characters. It is an absolute must see. Do not hesitate to attend this show. It is late, it draws a massive crowd and it takes a long time to leave. But it doesn’t matter. Go see it.
Here is a video of my son absolutely crushing it at Fantasmic. The video doesn’t spoil anything if you haven’t seen it. At the end of Fantasmic, large boats pass by saturated with characters. I watch this video all the time. I don’t know if I have ever been as happy and excited as he is.
