Category — i. Itineraries for Walt Disney World

I’ve recommended my “Summer Itinerary” for the weeks before and after Easter, not because it’s summer then, but because up until this year these two weeks had the same high-crowd operating patterns in the Disney World  parks as the busy summer weeks do.

Well, as noted here, the summer itinerary doesn’t work for summer any more…and with the parks shifting to Fastpass+ only, it doesn’t quite work for the weeks before and after Easter either.

There’s two basic issues.

1. Earlier openings than currently posted, and added Extra Magic Hours–both of which might even change the night before–mean that you may need to be at the parks one or even two hours earlier than the Summer Itinerary indicates. You need to keep aware of Disney’s operating and Extra Magic Hours calendar if you are going these weeks, even checking the night before.
2. The itineraries are designed around old style Fastpass–and those will be entirely gone by then. It’s be FastPass+ or nothing…

On the first point, you just need to stay close to these hours.

On the second, below is an approach for how to handle Fastpass+–which you can begin booking, if you are staying at a Disney owned-and-operated hotel, 60 days before your arrival date.  (All dining and park days stay the same–what’s different is FastPass+)

First Saturday

• If you have time to see them, given your dining reservations and Orlando arrival times, see Soarin with a Tier One FastPass+–and if your times don’t work for Soarin, book as your Tier One Illuminations.
• If you don’t or can’t book Illuminations tonight, see it as scheduled Tuesday night.  If you do see it tonight, the viewing area is as close as you’ll find to the bus stops and monorail station, so head for them the moment Illuminations ends, walk fast, don’t stop, and you should miss most of the crowds departing Epcot!
• If your schedule permits additional FastPass+, for Tier 2, aim for Spaceship Earth and Mission Space Green, planning to see one before dinner and the other after.

First Sunday

• As I write this, there are no tiers at the Animal Kingdom.
• If this is still true when you book, get FastPass+ for Kali River Rapids, Festival of the Lion King (if it has re-opened for your dates; book Dinosaur otherwise), and Finding Nemo—The Musical.
• Set Nemo for the morning after 10, and the other two in the late afternoon—5p or later. This will lead to less backtracking and let you take the early afternoon off!
• If FastPass+ is tiered when you book it, choose Kali River Rapids late in the afternoon as your Tier One selection.
• When the park opens, see Kilimanjaro Safaris first thing, then Pangani Forest Trail, then Festival of the Lion King (if open) next.
• Note that you return to the Animal Kingdom on Wednesday

Monday

• This day is scheduled mostly in Fantasyland.
• If there’s no tiering, book as your FastPass+ Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if open) and Winnie the Pooh.  If the Mine Train is not open, sect Buzz Lightyear instead. Target the times for the afternoon, with the windows ending by 3p, so you can see the 3p afternoon parade if it has re-opened by now. See Peter Pan at park open.
• If there is tiering, then set Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as your Tier One if open (Enchanted Tales with Belle if not open) and see Peter Pan at park open. With tiering, hold on Enchanted Tales with Belle until Saturday morning.

Tuesday

• As written, this itinerary has you at Epcot late to see Illuminations.  If you booked a FastPass+ for Illuminations on First Saturday, that part of today’s evening you’ll be free for rides—or to head back to your hotel!!—instead.
• If you did not get Soarin as your Tier One FastPass+ on Saturday, do it as your Tier One Today, targeting it for late afternoon.  If you did get it First Saturday, pick Illuminations as your Tier One today—that givesyou the option to beat the crowds if you choose to leave the park when Illuminations ends.
• For your Tier Twos, pick Turtle Talk with Crush and Living with the Land, both in the late afternoon, adjacent to your Soarin time if you have one.
• Go to Test Track at park open.

Wednesday

• Set Expedition Everest as your Tier One late in the morning—e.g., at 11a.
• At park open and until Expedition Everest, see anything you missed or want to see again from Sunday.
• If you are a huge roller coaster fan, head to Expedition Everest at open and ride it, on the theory that even with your FastPass+ you’ll want to see it twice!

Thursday

• Book Fantasmic Thursday as your Studios Tier One. This won’t get you better seats—you’ll still need to show up early for good seats—but means you won’t be shut out from the show!
• For your Tier Twos pick Great Movie Ride and Tower of Terror. Aim both for the late afternoon—with that, your visit tomorrow morning, and the absence of an afternoon parade at the Studios, you will then be able to take the afternoon off!
• See Rock N’ Roller Coaster at park open.

Friday

• Set Toy Story Mania as your Tier One selection, and Star Tours and Voyage of the Little Mermaid as your Tier Twos, all in the late morning or very early afternoon (so you can take the rest of the afternoon off.)
• At park open, hit your favorite ride from Thursday a second time.  If nothing from Thursday sharply resonates, hit Toy Story Mania at park open–on the theory that you may wish to see it twice, anyway!

Second Saturday

• If there’s tiering, and if you were not able to book a FastPass+ for Enchanted Tales with Belle on Monday, have it be your Tier One ride today, and see Space Mountain at park open
• If there’s no tiering, set as your FastPass+ Space Mountain, the Main Street Electrical Parade (you’ll also watch the Castle Show Celebrate the Magic and Wishes from this same spot—I got this idea from  Josh), Enchanted Tales with Belle if you haven’t booked that yet, or Space Mountain if you’ve seen Belle.   Set all of these FastPass+ for late afternoon or early evening, so you can take the afternoon off. At park open, see Big Thunder Mountain!

Second Sunday

• If there’s no tiering, book FastPass+ for Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise, with times that suit your departure plans. Try to make Splash Mountain last.  See your favorite from earlier this week at park open.
• If tiering is on, book Splash Mountain as late as you can as your Tier One, and see the Jungle Cruise, and then Pirate of the Caribbean, at park open.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 18 TO JANUARY 26, 2014

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.

For more on January 2014, see this.

[Read more →]

Update: there’s a new–and much better–version of this itinerary here.

Below is a FastPass+ based Disney World seven night itinerary with a Sunday arrival.

There’s a Saturday arrival version too–but if you could do either, the one here, with a Sunday arrival, is better…)

This itinerary reliably works only during weeks that the normal eight night variant works without changes. To see if that’s true for your week, look your week up here. If your week is listed with changes–e.g. “swap Sunday and Tuesday” then use the comment form below to ask for help!

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Thanks are especially due to Josh from easyWDW. With his permission, I picked the targeted park days based on both my own practices and his daily park recommendations.

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Update: there’s a new–and much better–version of this itinerary here.

Below is a seven night, Saturday arrival FastPass+ based Disney World itinerary that is a shorter variant of my recommended eight-night itinerary.

(There’s a Sunday arrival version too–if you could do either, the Sunday arrival version is better!)

This itinerary reliably works only during weeks that the normal eight night variant works without changes. To see if that’s true for your week, look your week up here. If your week is listed with changes–e.g. “swap Sunday and Tuesday” then use the comment form below to ask for help!

Getting it from the recommended eight-night itinerary to seven nights required losing much of the built-in free time…

The FastPass+ that make it work are in the To-Do List, so you can book FastPass+ at the 60 day window for FastPass+ sign-ups.

The To-Do List for this itinerary is here.

And here’s the daily links:

• Saturday
• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday

Thanks are especially due to Josh from easyWDW. With his permission, I picked the targeted park days based on both my own practices and his daily park recommendations.

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Update October 2015: For travel in 2016, I’ve published a revised itinerary for the lower crowd weeks in January through May that works better than this itinerary. The new itinerary is here. 

Below is my FastPass+ based Disney World itinerary for lower crowd weeks.

It does not work all dates, and some dates that it mostly works it needs some little adjustments. Check your week here.

The recommended FastPass+ that make it work are in the To-Do List, so you can book them at the 60 day window for FastPass+ sign-ups. Daily agendas are in the links:

• Saturday
• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Thanks are especially due to Josh from easyWDW. With his permission, I picked the targeted park days based on both my own practices and his daily park recommendations.

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I have two shorter seven night variants of my eight-night Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary, one with a  Saturday arrival, and one with a Sunday arrival.

Below are two sets of instructions for adapting these to FastPass+ and the coming entire absence of traditional fastpasses. The Saturday arrival is first, and then after it the Sunday arrival.  Don’t mix them up!

If you are a Disney World resort hotel guest, you can begin booking FastPass+ 60 days before arrival (sometimes the parades and fireworks shows only become available much closer to your arrival date), so you also need to add booking the FastPass+ below to your To-Do List!

See this for more on the upcoming loss of all traditional fastpasses.

SEVEN NIGHT AUTUMN-WINTER-SPRING ITINERARY, SATURDAY ARRIVAL

First Saturday

• As written, you skip Illuminations tonight and see it Friday—so that with Epcot’s evening extra magic hours you don’t have to leave the park—with 20,000 other people—after the show.
• Instead, see Illuminations tonight with a Tier One FastPass+. The viewing area is as close as you’ll find to the bus stops and monorail station, so head for them the moment Illuminations ends, walk fast, don’t stop, and you should miss most of the crowds departing Epcot!
• This lets you take Friday night off…and by then, you’ll need it…
• For Tier 2, aim for Spaceship Earth and Mission Space Green, planning to see one before dinner and the other after. With your travel arrival schedule, 6.30p dinner time, and Illuminations FastPass+, you might not be able to do both—that’s OK.

Sunday

• As I write this, there are no tiers at the Animal Kingdom.
• If this is still true when you book, get FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King (if it has re-opened for your dates; book Kali River instead if it hasn’t), 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!
• If FastPass+ is tiered when you book it, choose Kilimanjaro Safaris as your Tier One selection.
• When the park opens, see Everest first thing, then the rides in Dinoland next. See this for more suggestions on your Animal Kingdom day.

Monday

• Set Toy Story Mania as your Tier One selection, then book Thursday (see below).
• Then come back to Monday and book  Star Tours and whichever of Tower of Terror or Great Movie ride you couldn’t book for Thursday afternoon—if either–as your Tier Twos.
• The next Tier Two priority, if you got both Tower or Terror and Great Movie Ride for Thursday, is Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Target late morning or afternoon for the FastPass+.
• Start your day at Rock ‘N Roller Coaster.

Tuesday

• As written, you have the morning off and your afternoon is focused in Adventureland and Frontierland.
• If there’s no tiering, book FastPass+ for Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise, with return windows beginning no earlier than 12:15 and ending no later than 5.15p.  Book Splash Mountain as late as you can within these windows.
• If tiering is on, then you’ll need to lose the morning off, and arrive before open.  Book Splash Mountain mid-afternoon as your Tier One, and see Big Thunder Mountain, and then the Jungle Cruise, at open.

Wednesday

• This day is scheduled mostly in Fantasyland.
• If there’s no tiering, book as your FastPass+ Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if open) and Winnie the Pooh.  Target the times for the afternoon, ending by 4.30p. See Peter Pan at park open.
• If there is tiering, then set Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as your Tier One if open (Enchanted Tales with Belle if not open) and see Peter Pan at Park open. With tiering, hold on Enchanted Tales with Belle until Saturday morning.

Thursday

• Thursday is largely off, but at Hollywood Studios in the evening for Fantasmic.
• Book Fantasmic as your Studios Tier One. This won’t get you better seats—you’ll still need to show up early for good seats—but means you won’t be shut out from the show!
• For your Tier Twos on Thursday, pick Great Movie ride (first) and Tower of Terror (later), if you can fit them tightly together around Fantasmic.
• If you get only one or two of these, that’s OK.  Getting these for these times will limit your walking—and also make your other Studios Day, Monday, go better!

Friday

• As written, this itinerary has you at Epcot late to see Illuminations.  See First Saturday for an approach that frees you up after dinner.
• Pick Soarin as your Tier One FastPass+, targeting it for early afternoon.
• For your Tier Twos, pick Turtle Talk with Crush, and if you missed Spaceship Earth on First Saturday, pick it. Otherwise do Living with the Land, adjacent to your Soarin time.
• Go to Test Track at park open.

Second Saturday

• Book your FastPass+ for late morning.
• If you were not able to book a FastPass+ for Enchanted Tales with Belle on Wednesday, and if there’s tiering, have it be your Tier One ride today, and see Space Mountain at park open
• If there’s no tiering, set as your FastPass+ Space Mountain, Enchanted Tales with Belle if you haven’t booked that yet, or Space Mountain if you’ve seen Belle. At park open, repeat your favorite ride from what you’ve seen so far!

SEVEN NIGHT AUTUMN-WINTER-SPRING ITINERARY, SUNDAY ARRIVAL

First Sunday

• As written, you skip Illuminations tonight and see it Friday—so that with Epcot’s evening extra magic hours you don’t have to leave the park—with 20,000 other people—after the show.
• Instead, see Illuminations tonight with a Tier One FastPass+. The viewing area is as close as you’ll find to the bus stops and monorail station, so head for them the moment Illuminations ends, walk fast, don’t stop, and you should miss most of the crowds departing Epcot!
• This lets you take Friday night off…and by then, you’ll need it…
• For Tier 2, aim for Spaceship Earth and Mission Space Green, planning to see one before dinner and the other after. With your travel arrival schedule, 6.30p dinner time, and Illuminations FastPass+, you might not be able to do both—that’s OK.

Monday

• Set Toy Story Mania as your Tier One selection, then book Thursday (see below).
• Then come back to Monday and book Star Tours and whichever of Tower of Terror or Great Movie ride you couldn’t book for Thursday afternoon—if either–as your Tier Twos.
• The next Tier Two priority, if you got both Tower or Terror and Great Movie Ride for Thursday, is Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Target late morning or afternoon for the FastPass+.
• Start your day at Rock ‘N Roller Coaster.

Tuesday

• As written, you have the morning off and your afternoon is focused in Adventureland and Frontierland.
• If there’s no tiering, book FastPass+ for Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Jungle Cruise, with return windows beginning no earlier than 12:15 and ending no later than 5.15p.  Book Splash Mountain as late as you can within these windows.
• If tiering is on, then you’ll need to lose the morning off, and arrive before open.  Book Splash Mountain mid-afternoon as your Tier One, and see Big Thunder Mountain, and then the Jungle Cruise, at open.

Wednesday

• This day is scheduled mostly in Fantasyland.
• If there’s no tiering, book as your FastPass+ Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (if open) and Winnie the Pooh.  Target the times for the afternoon, ending by 4.30p. See Peter Pan at park open.
• If there is tiering, then set Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as your Tier One if open (Enchanted Tales with Belle if not open) and see Peter Pan at Park open. With tiering, hold on Enchanted Tales with Belle until Saturday morning.

Thursday

• Thursday is largely off, but at Hollywood Studios in the evening for Fantasmic.
• Book Fantasmic as your Studios Tier One. This won’t get you better seats—you’ll still need to show up early for good seats—but means you won’t be shut out from the show!
• For your Tier Twos on Thursday, pick Great Movie ride (first) and Tower of Terror (later), if you can fit them tightly together around Fantasmic. If you get only one or two of these, that’s OK.  Getting these for these times will limit your walking—and also make your other Studios Day, Monday, go better!

Friday

• As written, this itinerary has you at Epcot late to see Illuminations.  See First Saturday for an approach that frees you up after dinner.
• Pick Soarin as your Tier One FastPass+, targeting it for early afternoon.
• For your Tier Twos, pick Turtle Talk with Crush, and if you missed Spaceship Earth on First Saturday, pick it. Otherwise do Living with the Land, adjacent to your Soarin time.
• Go to Test Track at park open.

Saturday

• As I write this, there are no tiers at the Animal Kingdom.
• If this is still true when you book, get FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King (if it has re-opened for your dates; book Kali River instead if it hasn’t), 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!
• If FastPass+ is tiered when you book it, choose Kilimanjaro Safaris as your Tier One selection.
• When the park opens, see Everest first thing, then the rides in Dinoland next. See this for more suggestions on your Animal Kingdom day.

Second Sunday

• Book your FastPass+ for late morning.
• If you were not able to book a FastPass+ for Enchanted Tales with Belle on Wednesday, and if there’s tiering, have it be your Tier One ride today, and see Space Mountain at park open
• If there’s no tiering, set as your FastPass+ Space Mountain, Enchanted Tales with Belle if you haven’t booked that yet, or Space Mountain if you’ve seen Belle. At park open, repeat your favorite ride from what you’ve seen so far!

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