Category — i. Itineraries for Walt Disney World

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS DAY 1: THURSDAY AGENDA

Today you have the morning off and then begin your visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which you will complete Sunday morning.

You should have FastPass+ for the Frozen Sing-Along, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Toy Story Midway Mania. You have no scheduled dining today. Today’s plan is to work four scheduled shows in around you FastPass+ and some minor attractions.

(Note: this is from the FastPass+ Lower-Crowd Seven Night Itinerary, Sunday Arrival Variant. It does not work all weeks–use the comment form to check in on yours!)

FIRST THINGS

Sleep in and be at the park by noon.

AT THE PARK

• Grab a Times Guide and check the timing for Lights Motor Action, Beauty and the Beast, and Fantasmic
• See the Great Movie Ride (if lines are too long, get a fourth FastPass+ after Toy Story Mania)
• See Voyage of the Little Mermaid (FP+)
• See Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
• See Toy Story Midway Mania (FP+)
• See the Frozen Sing-ALong (FP+)
• See Lights Motor Action
• See Beauty and the Beast
• Be at Fantasmic 30-45 minutes before showtime. Fit dinner before or after

PREVIEW OF TOMORROW

Tomorrow you continue your visit to the Magic Kingdom.

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MAGIC KINGDOM DAY 1: WEDNESDAY AGENDA

Today you have the early morning off, have brunch at Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort near the Magic Kingdom, and then begin your visit to the Magic Kingdom, seeing Tomorrowland and then touring some lower-wait attractions in Adventureland and Frontierland.

You should have FastPass+ for Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and the Jungle Cruise. The other fixed point in your schedule is Chef Mickey’s.

(Note: this is from the FastPass+ Lower-Crowd Seven Night Itinerary, Sunday Arrival Variant. It does not work all weeks–use the comment form to check in on yours!)

FIRST THINGS

Be at the Contemporary Resort in time for your meal at Chef Mickey’s. For most, this will mean a bus to the Magic Kingdom, then walking or taking the resort monorail to the Contemporary. Check at your resort front desk for the best route.

AT THE PARK

• After your meal, walk or take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom
• See Space Mountain (FP+)
• Fit around your Buzz Lightyear FastPass+ lower wait rides in Tomorrowland–the Carousel of Progress, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Stitch’s Great Escape, and the Tomorrowland PeopleMover.
• Around the time of the 3p afternoon parade, check waits at Astro Orbiter and the Tomorrowland Speedway.  If the lines look OK, and the rides seem fun, see them
• Go to Adventureland and fit the Swiss Family Treehouse and the Enchanted Tiki Room around your FastPass+ for the Jungle Cruise
• Once off the Jungle Cruise, if you skipped Astro Orbiter and the Tomorrowland Speedway because of waits, try now for a fourth FastPass+
• Find the passage into Frontierland and see the Country Bears
• Find the rafts near Big Thunder Mountain and see Tom Sawyer Island
• Have dinner at a counter service at either the Magic Kingdom or back at your hotel

PREVIEW OF TOMORROW

Tomorrow you have the morning off, then begin your visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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EPCOT DAY 2: MONDAY AGENDA

Today you will complete Epcot, and have the evening off.

Assuming you saw Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, most of Innoventions East, and some of World Showcase on Sunday, you’ll have an easy day today.

If you missed some of these, the priorities from among them to fit in today are Spaceship Earth, Mission Space and World Showcase. For today you should have FastPass+ for Soarin, Turtle Talk with Crush, and a third ride. (If you missed Mission Space on Sunday, change your third FastPass+ to it, for early in the morning.)

You have no reserved dining today.

(Note: this is from the FastPass+ Lower-Crowd Seven Night Itinerary, Sunday Arrival Variant. It does not work all weeks–use the comment form to check in on yours!)

FIRST THINGS

Be at the park by 45 minutes before open. 

AT THE PARK: MORNING

• Enter the turnstiles when the park opens at about 8.45, grab a map and Times Schedule, and head to Test Track. Ride it.
• Go into Innoventions East and check out The Sum of All Thrills.  If it looks like fun, ride it
• If you missed them Sunday, see Mission Space and Spaceship Earth, and if you wish, more of Innoventions East and Ellen’s Energy Adventure (which takes 40 minutes)
• Head to the other side of Future World and see the attractions in the Imagination Pavilion– Captain EO and Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Two of your FastPass+ for today are on this side of the park.  Using them see Soarin and Turtle Talk with Crush.   Fit in The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land and Circle of Life around the FastPass+ rides. (If the lines for Living with the Land are too long, get a fourth FastPass+ for it after Maelstrom.) Note that as you ride each FastPass+ ride you can move the next to an earlier time, if available.
• Have lunch while you are in this area of the park at Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion on the same level as Soarin
• Next is the rest of World Showcase, starting in Canada and progressing counter-clockwise. Tour as you did Sunday night, checking out the shows as you wander
• If the kids are bored by World Showcase, check out Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure
• And you are almost done!  Check out Innoventions West on your way out of the park

PREVIEW OF TOMORROW

Tomorrow you visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

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EPCOT DAY 1: FIRST SUNDAY AGENDA

Check in, get settled if your room is ready, and be at Epcot as soon as you can.

FIRST THINGS

(Note: this is from the FastPass+ Lower-Crowd Seven Night Itinerary, Sunday Arrival Variant. It does not work all weeks–use the comment form to check in on yours!)

• Arrive at your hotel, following the instructions in your Disney’s Magical Express packet if you are using it to get from Orlando International to your Disney Resort. Check in
• Unless you are arriving late, your room will likely not be ready, but you can leave your bags. First change into clothes more appropriate for the weather–which your To-Do List reminded you to pack in your carry-ons. You can ask to be called or texted later to find out your exact room
• If your room is ready, and if you have time–you want to be at Epcot as soon as you can–get food and supplies (bowls, napkins, scotch) for your breakfast in the morning, which you will be eating out of your room. Also get (from the counter service restaurant)  “Refillable Mugs,” which you will be able to re-use at your resort for free drinks over your entire stay
• Head to Epcot as soon as you can

AT THE PARK

• Your plan today is to see as many of Epcot’s lengthier attractions as you can to free time on your second visit, see parts of World Showcase that are most fun in the evening, and see Epcot’s park-closing spectacular Illuminations using FastPass+. You should also have FastPass+ for Spaceship Earth and Mission: Space, and dinner reservations for either Akershus or San Angel Inn at around 7p. Those arriving late may have to thin the below to just dinner, World Showcase, and Illuminations
• Go through the turnstiles and pick up a park map and “Times Guide”–a schedule. Use your Spaceship Earth FastPass+ and then see Ellen’s Energy Adventure. Use your Mission: Space FastPass+ then sample Innoventions East (except for Sum of All Thrills, where the line is likely too long–see it on your second Epcot day).
• Head to World Showcase, and while keeping an eye out for your dinner reservation at around 7p, see the pavilions starting with Mexico and going clockwise.
  • Each pavilion will have some or all of shopping, special exhibits, a ride, a movie, and other special events—such as acrobats in China.
  • Check your map, times guide, and the pavilion itself, to see what each pavilion has.
  • For scheduled events like the acrobats, etc., sequence what you do when among items that are not scheduled (shops, exhibits, and rides), and bounce back and forth between nearby pavilions, so that you don’t have to wait long for the scheduled item
• Have dinner at whichever you chose to reserve between San Angel Inn inside the Mexico pyramid or the Akershus Royal Banquet  Meal in Norway at 7p
• Continue touring World Showcase clockwise until about 8:30p
• Start making your way to the Illuminations FastPass+ area right where Future World and World Showcase intersect. Hit the bathrooms if needed on the way, as you don’t want to so pause after Illuminations
• Watch Illuminations, and if you are parked, taking the monorail, or taking a bus back to your hotel, immediately at its end start walking briskly to the park exit (on the far side of Spaceship Earth) to beat the crowds.  The value of your Illuminations FastPass+ is that 1. it puts you in the best viewing spot for Illuminations, and 2. it puts you in the viewing spot nearest the park exit
• Return to your hotel

BACK AT THE HOTEL

Buy food, supplies (bowls, spoons, etc.) and refillable mugs for breakfast in your room at your hotel counter service or gift shop, if you did not have time, or a room assignment, earlier.

PREVIEW OF TOMORROW

Tomorrow you continue at Epcot.

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DISNEY WORLD ITINERARY DESIGN

This site provides 8-night itineraries here for all of the year (published about six months ahead), as well as itineraries a night or two shorter (more of these are coming…).  Beginning for June 2014 travel dates, all are based on optimizing the use of FastPass+.

If these aren’t enough, here are a few thoughts on designing your own shorter itinerary.

For a blank excel version of the itinerary spreadsheet to use for your own itinerary, click here. For a blank PDF version, click here.

How to divide up and allocate your days

• Decide how many days you can be at the parks—include if you can time on your arrival and departure days, as the cost of tickets after four days is so low that partial days are worth it! Shoot for at least 6 days and 5 nights on site–e.g. four full days and two partial travel days. 7 days and 6 nights is much more humane, if you can do it
• Divide your days among the parks. You have two different issues here: the overall use of your time at the four parks, and the days you can spend at each. Because you can pre-book only three FastPass+ per park, two half days–and thus six FastPass+–are more valuable than one full day.
• For the overall use of your time, very few sources will suggest less than
  • At least a day each at the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios
  • More than a day at Epcot
  • Around two days at the Magic Kingdom.

How to sequence your days

Work through the following five rules in order. You rarely will be able to design a perfect trip unless you have extra off times that you can move around, so do the best you can. You will need to check the Disney calendar while doing this.

It’s easier to work with the individual park calendars. To view a day–for example, to figure out if and when Fantasmic or Wishes is on that day–go to the individual park’s monthly calendar and click within the date you are curious about.

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

1. Avoid Extra Magic Hours unless you are starting at a morning EMH park and hopping to another park where your FastPass+ are scheduled. The higher crowds in EMH parks typically overwhelm the EMH benefits

2. Make sure that one of your Magic Kingdom evenings is a day with the evening fireworks show Happily Ever After, and ideally one that also does not close right after the fireworks

3. Otherwise, avoid Magic Kingdom on days where it has the evening shows in the middle of a stretch of days where it doesn’t.

4. Make sure that Fantasmic is playing one of your Hollywood Studios days. Fantasmic is on almost–but not quite–every night.

5. Within the constraints above, try to see Epcot first, and the Magic Kingdom last

FOOD, SHOWS, AND SUCH

See this for various meal and show options ranked in order.

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Note: This itinerary is just an example!  I will be revising it (if needed) after Disney World publishes its actual schedule for December 2016, likely in late May.

This Walt Disney World itinerary is designed for the three weeks following Thanksgiving.

If you aren’t going one of those weeks, see Other Itineraries for alternatives the rest of the year, which are published about six months ahead.

You can enlarge the basic itinerary by clicking it. For a PDF, click here.

As with the other itineraries on this site, there is also a detailed page for each day of your vacation, with specific instructions for that day. Find them here:

Moreover, a detailed To-Do List covers all the steps you need to undertake–including reserving dining and booking FastPass+.

ITINERARY DESIGN GOALS

The basic itinerary was designed to meet several goals: to ensure that you

1. See the best that Walt Disney World has to offer
2. See the parks in the order that works best for kids (essentially Epcot first, as it is potentially the most disappointing, and the Magic Kingdom last, as it is likely to be the best loved)
3. Avoid unnecessary waiting, by using FastPass+ and other tactics…
4. Have as much time off, and as few early mornings, as practical
5. Avoid unnecessary spending–for example, the basic itinerary does not require you to buy the “Park Hopper” option, saving you more than $200

If you can’t do the Basic Itinerary, see Other Itineraries for alternatives for both the December week and the rest of the year.

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