Madison | Portraits

It’s time to talk about what was on my Walt Disney World itinerary. I just got back from my week long Disney World vacation, and I can’t even begin to explain how fun and exhausting that trip was. I saw and did so many amazing things at the happiest place on earth, so here is a post all about what I did there and how I planned my stay.

First let me start off by saying I bought 4 one park a day tickets. In other words, I decided against park hopper tickets so I can just focus on each park for the entire day. I highly recommend doing this since it’s pretty time consuming going from one park to another (believe it or not, they aren’t close to each other or walking distance). I booked my vacation for 7 days total: 2 days for airport travel, 2 break days, and 4 days to do each park. Looking back, I totally would have changed it to 10 days since 2 break days is just simply not enough. I thought it was plenty but believe me, back to back 15 hour days under the hot Florida sun can really take a toll. Perhaps I’ll make a blog post about Disney World mistakes I won’t make again…

Before I dive straight into my itinerary, I must mention that I took advantage of the fast passes. They’re free, you get 3 per park, and they are LIFE SAVERS. You can reserve them up to 60 days before your trip if you’re staying at a Disney resort, or 30 days before your trip if you’re staying off Disney property. These fast passes will make or break your fun, so use them wisely and only on rides that have long wait times (ex. if they on average have a wait time more than 45 minutes, use your fast pass on them).

OKAY NOW ON TO THE GOOD STUFF.

First let me start off by saying I bought 4 one park a day tickets. In other words, I decided against park hopper tickets so I can just focus on each park for the entire day. I highly recommend doing this since it’s pretty time consuming going from one park to another (believe it or not, they aren’t close to each other or walking distance). I booked my vacation for 7 days total: 2 days for airport travel, 2 break days, and 4 days to do each park. Looking back, I totally would have changed it to 10 days since 2 break days is just simply not enough. I thought it was plenty but believe me, back to back 15 hour days under the hot Florida sun can really take a toll. Perhaps I’ll make a blog post about Disney World mistakes I won’t make again…

Before I dive straight into my itinerary, I must mention that I took advantage of the fast passes. They’re free, you get 3 per park, and they are LIFE SAVERS. You can reserve them up to 60 days before your trip if you’re staying at a Disney resort, or 30 days before your trip if you’re staying off Disney property. These fast passes will make or break your fun, so use them wisely and only on rides that have long wait times (ex. if they on average have a wait time more than 45 minutes, use your fast pass on them).

OKAY NOW ON TO THE GOOD STUFF.

The first park I went to was Magic Kingdom. This is the infamous park: the giant Cinderella castle, family friendly, and fairytale themed. This is where you can find Mickey and friends, all the princesses, and so much more. There’s only a handful of thrill rides here, so usually this is the park filled with little kids.

I mapped out my itinerary by finding out what rides had the longest wait times, shortest wait times, what rides were perfect for a rain escape, and when parades/fireworks/etc was going on. Rides with the longest wait times I booked for my fast passes. Use them in the afternoon since that’s when they’re extremely busy. Don’t book fast passes for the morning because the park is pretty empty, and the wait times are already down.

 

Rides with long wait times at Magic Kingdom that I recommend: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Railroad.

Rides with shorter wait times that I recommend: Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mad Tea party, and It’s a Small World.

Rides to go on when it rains: Haunted Mansions, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World.

Here’s what my actual schedule looked like:

  • 9 am to 10 am – Take pictures in front of the castle and do long wait time rides.
  • 11 am – Lunch reservation at The Plaza (always reserve a big lunch, they normally are sold out.)
  • 12 pm until 2 pm – Do some rides, meet characters, etc.
  • 3 pm – line up for parade 20 minutes before 3. I recommend watching it from Frontier Land.
  • 4 pm until 7 pm – Space Mountain fast pass (3:45 – 4:45), Splash Mountain fast pass (5:30 – 6:30), and Big Thunder Railroad fast pass (6:45 – 7:45). Fill in gaps with other rides, characters, etc.
  • 8 pm – Wait for the fireworks next to the partner statue. I recommend standing there by 8:15 to get a good view.
  • 9 pm – Firework show at 9:15. Once finished run to long wait time rides since their times will be low. (We basically walked on to Splash Mountain right after the fireworks, it was amazing).

Here’s a list of all the rides I did that day:

  1. Haunted Mansion
  2. Pirates of the Caribbean
  3. Mad Tea Cups
  4. Big Thunder Railroad (x2)
  5. Journey of the Little Mermaid
  6. Space Mountain
  7. Splash Mountain (x2)
  8. Jungle Cruise

The next day we went to Epcot. I see this park more as the “Adult Park.” There was noticeably a lot less kids, it’s space, future, and travel themed, and a whole lot of drinking. There is a showcase at this park with countries all around the world, so you can visit places like Japan, Mexico, and France just to name a few. This was probably the most relaxed park we were at and I really enjoyed it.

Rides with long wait times at Epcot that I recommend: Frozen Ever After, Soarin’ Around the World, and Test Track.

Rides with shorter wait times that I recommend: Spaceship Earth, and Mission Space.

Rides to go on when it rains: Frozen Ever After, Soarin’, Spaceship Earth, and Mission Space.

 

And here’s what my actually schedule looked like:

  • 9 am to 11 am – Take pictures and do long wait time rides.
  • 11 am – Lunch.
  • 12 pm until 8 pm – Do some rides, meet characters, etc. Spaceship Earth fast pass (2:00 – 3:00) and Frozen Ever After fast pass (3:20 – 4:20)
  • 9 pm – Firework display

Here’s a list of all the rides I did that day:

  1. Mission Space
  2. Soarin’ Around the World (x2)
  3. Spaceship Earth
  4. Frozen Ever After
  5. Finding Nemo
  6. Test Track

    Our third park we went to after a break day was Hollywood Studios. I have to say this just might be my favorite park out of them all. This park is the best of both worlds: both family friendly and filled with thrill rides. The closest thing I can compare it to is Disneyland’s California Adventure, and it gives off a very old Hollywood vibe.

    Rides with long wait times at Hollywood Studios that I recommend: Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers, and Toy Story Midway Mania. GO TO THE NEW TOY STORY LAND FIRST BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, IT GETS CROWDED QUICK AND HAS THE LONGEST WAIT TIMES!!!

    Rides with shorter wait times that I recommend: Star Tours.

    Rides to go on when it rains: Basically everything except Slinky Dog Dash and the Alien Swirling Saucers.

      And here’s what my actually schedule looked like:

      • 8 am to 11 am – Take pictures  and do long wait time rides.
      • 12 pm – Lunch.
      • 1 pm until 8 pm – Do some rides, meet characters, etc. Star Tours fast pass (1:10 – 2:10), Rock n Roller Coaster fast pass (2:45 – 3:45), and Tower of Terror fast pass (3:50 – 4:50).
      • 9 pm – Wait for Fantasmic show near the Tower of Terror no later than 8:30 pm

        Here’s a list of all the rides I did that day:

        1. Toy Story Mania
        2. Slinky Dog Dash
        3. Tower of Terror (x3)
        4. Star Tours (x2)
        5. Alien Swirling Saucers
        6. Rock n Roller Coaster (x2)

          The fourth and final park we went to was of course Animal Kingdom. This park is very family friendly and the best way I can describe it is like a zoo. It’s filled with so many animals and gives a completely different vibe than the other 3 parks.

          Rides with long wait times at Hollywood Studios that I recommend: Avatar Flight of Passage (SERIOUSLY THE BEST RIDE I HAVE EVER BEEN ON IN MY LIFE, I WAITED ALMOST 2 HOURS AND IT’S SO WORTH IT), Na’vi River Journey, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safari.

          Rides with shorter wait times that I recommend: Primeval Whirl, It’s Tough to be a Bug, and Jungle Trek.

          Rides to go on when it rains: Any of the Avatar rides and Dinosaur.

              And here’s what my actually schedule looked like:

              • 9 am to 11 am – Take pictures and do long wait time rides.
              • 12 pm – Lunch reservation at Rain Forest Cafe.
              • 1 pm until close – Do some rides, meet characters, etc. Na’vi River Journey fast pass (1:40 – 2:40), Kali River Rapids fast pass (3:25 – 4:25), and Expedition Everest fast pass (4:50 – 5:50).
              • Watch the Tree of Life and other shows before close OR take advantage of the short wait times (literally 5 minutes) on rides that usually have long wait times.

              Here’s a list of all the rides I did that day:

              1. It’s Tough to be a Bug
              2. Kilimanjaro Safari
              3. Primeval whirl (x2)
              4. Na’vi River Journey
              5. Dinosaur
              6. Kali River Rapids
              7. Expedition Everest (x2)
              8. Avatar Flight of Passage

              One final note: I really enjoyed my first Disney World vacation, and it was insanely magical thanks to my best friends. To anyone interested in taking this trip, I highly recommend it! It takes lots of planning AND saving, so the sooner you start the better. I have memories that I will hold close to me forever, and I’m already looking forward to going back in the future. See ya real soon Mickey Mouse!