Category — i. Itineraries for Walt Disney World

(A slightly different version of this first appeared in WDW Magazine.)

This site exists to help first time visitors to Walt Disney World who may never return make great decisions quickly. The home page has a Summary of Instructions built to do just that.

And since I opened the site almost six years ago, the most controversial—and most misunderstand–instruction has been the third one:

“…if this may be your kids’ only childhood visit, consider going when your youngest child is at least 8 or 9, and your shortest child at least 48 inches tall.”

It’s the “who may never return” words that drives this instruction: Will–or might—this be your only Disney Word visit?

So it can be hard enough to plan a first visit to Walt Disney World, and here I am asking you to figure out how this visit might fit into your other future vacation plans too? What’s up with that?

Well, if you want to have the best first visit, it really matters.

There’s an enormous Disney World fan community that can’t imagine going only once.

Yet plenty of families can’t imagine how they could go more than once.

• Some just can’t see how they could afford a return visit.
• Some could afford another visit, but have too many other vacation goals—Yosemite, New Orleans, Cleveland—to see how a return visit could fit.
• Others could afford another visit, and could make the time…but just can’t say before they visit for the first time whether or not they’ll ever return. This group won’t know whether the value is there for a return visit until they go the first time, because—if you’ve never been there—it’s astonishingly hard to imagine the scope and fun of Walt Disney World.

If this might be your family’s only trip, and you want to see all the best of Walt Disney World…well, that has big implications for how old and tall your kids should be, how long you should stay, what you do each day you are there, when you should go, where you should stay, and all kinds of other issues.

For now, let’s focus on how old and tall your kids should be.

If this may be their only childhood visit, wait until your youngest child is around 8, and the shortest around 48 inches tall.

Why? Because Walt Disney World is not designed for children.

It is designed for children and their parents.

Among Walt Disney’s frustrations that led him to the concept of Disneyland—which set the tone for all the other Disney parks that followed—was watching his daughters enjoy rides that were too dull for him.

That lead him to a park design that children and their parents could each enjoy together.

As a result, much of the best of Walt Disney World has a level of sophistication, and of physical and emotional demands, that will escape, or worse, overwhelm, children younger than 8 or so.

Disney World itself is only half of the equation—it requires the other half, your child’s mind, to complete the experience of the place.

The play world of kids is grounded firmly in what they understand of the real world, and a kid with an understanding of the real world below that of the typical eight year old just won’t get as much fun out of Disney World as a more sophisticated and experienced kid will.

Height is the second issue. A couple of Disney World’s best rides require kids to be 48 inches tall, and several more of the best require a kid to be at least 44 inches tall. Some of this is for safety reasons, and some is a way of marking that a ride just isn’t for the littlest kids.

If your kids aren’t this tall, they won’t get to enjoy these rides at all—and if they are tall enough, but aren’t mature enough, then they can ride, but may well not get Disney Word at its best.

Now don’t get me wrong—kids of any age can enjoy Disney World.

But if this may be your only trip, why not wait until they are old and tall enough to fully enjoy all of the best of Walt Disney World?

In contrast, if this is just the first of several trips, then bringing younger and shorter kids makes much more sense. Having things go over their heads is not an issue, because they can see and fully get those attractions on a later visit, when they are older.

But little kids do bring along their own set of issues. You have to match what you do to their interests, stamina, and routine schedules…or tantrums may result!

This tends to lead to much shorter days, and fewer experiences per day, than with older kids. Not an issue if you can catch what they missed later on another visit…but frustrating to the parents—who, since the parks were designed for them too, will want to see and do more than their kids can take!

But if you push your little kids too hard…well, the most miserable people one sees in the parks later in the day at Walt Disney World are the parents of small children, and the second most miserable group is their kids…

If you don’t push them too hard, littler kids who will be returning are also easier to schedule for.

• The first visit can be just a few partial days at the Magic Kingdom.
• A later visit can add to revisiting the Magic Kingdom (your kids will never tire of revisiting the Magic Kingdom) mornings at Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
• Still later visits can pick up the more sophisticated rides and shows at all the parks.

So a core question—one that really affects almost everything else—is whether or not you will be able to return.

And that’s why you need to think about this now.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: DECEMBER 21 TO DECEMBER 29, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic.

And for more on December 2013 at Disney World, see this.

[Read more →]

As of December 18, 2013, in a new—and perhaps enduring—change, there will be couple of differences at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park

• The old Fastpass machines at the Animal Kingdom will be turned off—no paper Fastpasses will be available until further notice, just FastPass+
• Off-site guests will be able to use FastPass+, although they won’t be able to book them ahead of time—just the day of their visit.

As I write this, while you can only book three FastPass+ per day, you can still book all three of your FastPass+ as headliners, which makes planning much easier…if this changes I’ll revise what follows.

Below, I’ll make suggestions for how to handle this in one and two-day itineraries at the Animal Kingdom for on-site guests, and then suggest differences that off-site guests should pursue.

This is a moving target, so things may change. Those who experience this directly: please weigh in with what you discover in the comment form below!

FASTPASS+ PRIORITIES AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

FastPass+ will be available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the following rides:

• Character Greetings at the Adventurers Outpost
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest
• Festival of the Lion King
• Finding Nemo – The Musical
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Primeval Whirl

Of these, the prizes for families with kids old enough to enjoy all the best of Walt Disney World are Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. These rides are wildly popular and build long lines quickly.

After those, on really hot days, Kali River Rapids will be a high priority. You get just soaked on this ride, making it a popular cooling tool late in the day.

Right now, it’s not that hard to see most of the other options. But I expect Dinosaur, Festival of the Lion King (while it’s still open) and Finding Nemo to become harder to see, especially on busy days, simply because many will pick these as their FastPass+ options.

(If your kids are young, you likely want to avoid Everest, Dinosaur, and It’s Tough to be a Bug, and put the Character Greeting as a higher priority.)

FASTPASS+ ITINERARY FOR ONE DAY AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM FOR ON-SITE VISITORS

Book up to 60 days ahead of time via MyDisneyExperience FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King, and Finding Nemo—The Musical, for 10.30a or later. If you can, set Nemo for the morning, and the other two in the afternoon. This will lead to less backtracking later!

Arrive at the park at least 45 minutes before the scheduled opening—earlier if during a high crowd week.

When you are let in—typically these days about 15 minutes before the scheduled opening—head immediately to Expedition Everest, ride it, and ride it again if you wish, using if necessary the single-rider line. (You do Expedition Everest at open rather than through FastPass+ because its regular queue is much better than its FastPass+ queue.)

The rest of the morning, while keeping an eye on your return times for your FastPass+ for the nearby Finding Nemo—The Musical, see what interests you in Dinoland: Dinosaur for sure, and, if they appear of interest, the nearby Primeval Whirl and TriceraTop Spin.

After lunch, keeping in mind any FastPass+ return times and the 3.45p parade, see the rest of the shows, rides, and walk-through exhibits, saving Kali River for the end of the day.

Because your later Fastpass+ are both in or near Africa, coordinate them with seeing Pangini Forest trail and also Rafiki’s Planet Watch and its associated Wildlife Express Train. (If time presses, Rafiki and the train are quite skippable.)

FASTPASS+ ITINERARY FOR TWO DAYS AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM FOR ON-SITE VISITORS

Two days at the Animal Kingdom is a bit of a luxury.

The first day, plan to take the morning off, and 60 days in advance or sooner for the afternoon FastPass+ Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and, at the end of your planned time there, Kali River Rapids.

At the park, see between these the parade, Flights of Wonder, Panagani Forest Trail, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Flights of Wonder, and It’s Tough to be a Bug

For day two, FastPass+ beginning 60 days in advance for the morning but 10a or later Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo-The Musical, and Dinosaur. Make Dinosaur the earliest of these.

Arrive at the park at least 45 minutes before the scheduled opening—earlier if during a high crowd week. At open, immediately head to your favorite between Everest and Kilimanjaro from day one, re-ride it, then head to Dinoland and ride the rides there until your Dinosaur FastPass+ is ready.

Catch your other FastPass+, and see what you missed on day 1!

CHANGES TO THE ANIMAL KINGDOM FASTPASS+ STRATEGY FOR OFFSITE VISITORS

During this test, off-site guests will only be able to make FastPass+ bookings in the park, and only using Disney objects—that is, not their own cell phonse or iPads.

Right now, from what I’ve seen on the web, the places off-site guests can sign up for FastPass+ are near

• Creature Comforts, on Discovery Island
• Disney Outfitters, also on Discovery Island
• Expedition Everest, in Asia near Dinoland
• Kali River Rapids, in the heart of Asia
• Primeval Whirl, in Dinoland

(I’m surprised there’s nothing in Africa…)

I don’t know how this will unfold. I expect at the beginning of the test it’ll be a zoo, as off-site guests go to the old Fastpass machines, learn they don’t work, and then mob these off-site FastPass+ distribution points.

If the test sticks around for a while, then, as the word gets out—and it took years for people to understand that the old FastPass system was free with your ticket, not an extra-charge perk—more and more off-site guests will head to the distribution points as soon as the park opens, to lock in their FastPass+ for the day.

FastPass+ One Day Strategy for Off-Site Visitors.

FastPass+ priorities are the same for off-site as for on-site visitors, so here’s what I’d suggest:

• At open, head straight towards Everest.
• If the FastPass+ booking line there is short, then book your FastPass+ for the day (same list as in the one-day itinerary above: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King, and Finding Nemo—The Musical, for 10.30a or later, with Nemo for the morning, and the other two in the afternoon). Then ride Everest.
• If the Everest FastPass+ booking line is long, then skip it, ride Everest, and make your way to Kilimanjaro along the path that passes near Kali River Rapids. Check the FastPass+ booking line here; if short, do it; if long, keep going and ride Kilimanjaro stand-by. Then get your FastPass+ for the rest of the day booked after you are off Kilimanjaro, likely at Discovery Island.
• Then follow the rest of the one-day itinerary above, adapting it for your actual FastPass+ and their times

FastPass+ Two Day Strategy for Off-Site Visitors.

Off-site visitors with two days at the Animal Kingdom should start both days by arriving 45 minutes or more before the scheduled park opening.

On day one…

• Start as above—head for Expedition Everest, book FastPass+ there if the booking station is not busy for Kilimanjaro, Kali River at the end of the day, and Finding Nemo. Skip this step if the line for FastPass+ is long. Either way, ride Everest.
• If you did not book FastPass+ before Everest, then book after at either the Everest or Kali River Rapids stations, if not too busy. If they are too busy, then then head for Kilimanjaro.
• If you leave Kilimanjaro without FastPass+, then get them next.
• The rest of the day, see as much of the Animal Kingdom as you can.

On day two, start at whichever of Everest or Kilimanjaro was your favorite, getting FastPass+ at Everest or on the way to Kilimanjaro if the lines aren’t too long, or after if they are. Prioritize for your FastPass+ any key rides or shows you didn’t see on day one, and then anything you want to re-ride!

OK, that’s what I got. Josh of EasyWDW.com published a slightly different approach here that’s also worth a look.   I’ll revise these suggestions as experience proves necessary!

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: DECEMBER 14 TO DECEMBER 22, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic.

And for more on December 2013 at Disney World, see this.

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: DECEMBER 7 TO DECEMBER 15, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic.

And for more on December 2013 at Disney World, see this.

[Read more →]

Hey, there’s an updated version of this itinerary that world much better, here!

Below is a seven night variant of the eight night FastPass+ High Crowd Itinerary.

Look–I’m not particularly keen on this itinerary.

The eight night itinerary is action-packed enough, and creating a seven night variant from it requires cutting out a sleep-in morning, building a really long day at the Animal Kingdom, and cutting the Magic Kingdom back to the bone. So a rough visit becomes even rougher.

But people keep asking for such, so here it is…

Park days, dining and FastPass+ targets are set, so you will be able to make your dining reservations at the 180 day mark and FastPass+ when the 60 day window for FastPass+ sign-ups opens–all covered in the To-Do List for this itinerary.

Your steps for each day are in the following:

Saturday  Sunday  Monday  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday

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