The easy Guide Update: Chapter Six- How to Spend Your Time
By Dave Shute
Josh and I published an updated version of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit last week, and as promised, here I’m both going into a little more detail on the update and also introducing the material in the book overall to those who aren’t familiar with it.
This post focuses on Chapter Six: How to Spend Your Time.
First, on the book itself—my co-author Josh of easyWDW is the world’s leading authority on the Disney World parks and how to maximize the value of your time within them. I have the same world-beating insight into the Disney World resorts–after my April visit, I’ll have stayed in more than 125 different Disney World-owned rooms, villas, studios, suites, cabins and campsites.
We each know a whole lot about a lot of other stuff too, and as a result, the Disney World guidebook series we have written has received more than 95% five star reviews. You simply won’t find a better reviewed Disney World guidebook.
You go to Disney World for the parks. That makes Chapter Six the most essential chapter of The easy Guide. Using it is what gives you the best visit possible no matter when you got to Disney World or how crowded it is.
Chapter Six, How to Spend Your Time, first covers the basics of FastPass+, Disney’s new program that allows—and honestly, requires–you to book low-wait windows at (to start) three rides in a park per day starting 30 to 60 days ahead of your visit. FastPass+ is an essential tool for a lower-wait visit and ours is the first guidebook written form scratch to take advantage of it.
Most of the key points about FastPass+ are in Chapter Six, but we do come back to the mechanics of booking them in Chapter Nine.
Next we talk about itinerary design—how to spend your time in the parks. How many days to visit, and how to divide those days among the parks, is covered in Chapter Three. Chapter Six is about the details. We give sample itineraries, include detailed overviews of each of the parks and all of their rides, and end with versions of Josh’s famous “Cheat Sheets,” all grouped at the end of the chapter so that you can cut them out and carry them with you in the parks.
The material on each park has common sections. First we give a quick overview of the park. Next we identify the most important FastPass+–in order—for that park. Then we talk about arrival tips and tricks, and then cover the lands of each park. The sections on the lands include dining, shopping, and up to date reviews of each attraction.
The Cheat Sheets at the end of the chapter repeat a bit of this material (because they are meant to be torn out and carried into the parks) and add some additional valuable stuff: coded park maps, overviews of the best ways to tour each park, multiple detailed step-by-step touring plans, and finally for data hounds, expected waits by hour by crowd level.
Openings, closures, changes and such means that Chapter Six changes with every revision we publish. The key changes for the March update include the following:
- Major revisions because of the refurb of Soarin, with new versions of every Epcot touring plan we offer. We also added new and revised attractions (Baymax, Disney and Pixar Shorts) and give advice on how to revise everything once Soarin and the new Frozen attractions open later this year
- Changes to the priority list of FastPass+ at every park, based on the latest trends in how much wait time a particular FastPass+ will save you.
- Updates to the Animal Kingdom sections based on the opening of Tiffins and of Rivers of Light and other evening shows later this spring
- Multiple minor updates across the Magic Kingdom sections, especially revised touring plans
- Major changes to the material on Disney’s Hollywood Studios, incorporating recent and early-April ride closures there, and the additions of Star Wars events, shows and fireworks
All these changes make The easy Guide to Your First Walt DInsey World Visit your best friend for an upcoming trip!
Want a copy of your own? It’s available in paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon here!
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4 comments
Dave,
First, love your site and your book. Made informative and motivational reading while deployed overseas. We’re going to be at WDW in June from 7-10 with the Armed Forces Salute 4-Day Park Hopper, but we’re checking into our on-property hotel Monday, June 6th around 2-4pm. Since we won’t be entering the parks until the next day, what recommendations do you have for 3 adults and 2 children (both age 6) for dining and entertainment without entering the parks that evening?
So glad, Brandon!!!
What hotel will you be in, and will you have a car?
Dave,
We will be staying in Art of Animation, and yes we will have a car (2 to be precise).
Brandon kids that age like pools as much as they like the parks, and the three pools–and the overall setting–of AofA are quite fun. So spending the afternoon and evening at AofA would be just fine.
Dining at AofA is sound, but you could try to book something else (see the book for suggestions) that is not in a park (otherwise you need a ticket).
Another thought: all the parks have evening shows (or will by the time of your visit) and two of the shows are visible from outside the parks–the fireworks show at the Studios, which you can see from just outside the park before the turnstiles, and the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, which you can see from multiple spots including just outside the park before you go through the turnstiles. It may however drive the kids crazy to be so close but not in the parks..
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