10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before My First Disney World Vacation

27.07.2023 - 18:42 / smartertravel.com / Disney World

I have hazy memories of visiting Disney World as a kid. There’s an old picture of me grinning from ear to ear in front of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, so I think it’s safe to say I probably enjoyed the experience. But going to Disney as an adult in charge of planning the trip—where to stay, how to navigate the park, how not to waste two hours waiting in line—is an entirely different experience. It feels like going for the first time all over again.

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When I planned my first family vacation to Disney World as a dad this past spring, I made a few rookie mistakes. So take note, fellow first-time Disney trip planners: Here’s what I wish someone had told me before I took my family to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Most people picture the Magic Kingdom when they think of Disney World. I know I did—I think that and Epcot may have been all there was to “Disney World” when I was young. But in the last three decades, Disney’s Orlando presence has grown substantially: In addition to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, there are the self-contained Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios theme parks; two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach; and Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney), ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s BoardWalk.

And there’s a single super helpful app that works for all of these parks and attractions. Download the My Disney Experience mobile app for your phone to get everything from GPS-based in-park directions (e.g., How to walk from Space Mountain to the Haunted Mansion) to current wait times (e.g., “It’s 75 minutes to get onto the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster right now, but only 20 minutes at Splash Mountain—let’s go there instead!”).

You can change or update your FastPass+ selections at any time during the day (more on FastPass+ later) and even search for restaurants and events. It’s like the One Ring of theme park apps—the one app to rule them all. And it’s essential to getting the most out of your visit.

With the exception of ExtraMagic Hours (more on that later, too), the Disney parks generally open at 9:00 a.m. I made the mistake of arriving at 9:00 on my family’s first day at Magic Kingdom, thinking I was doing everything right. I wasn’t. The parking lot was already a vast sea of cars.

Let’s use a day at Magic Kingdom as an example: It will take you roughly an hour of walking-riding-waiting time from the moment you pull into the parking lot to the moment you pass through the park entrance. First you park, then you walk or tram it to the ticket gate, then you board a ferry, then you arrive at the park proper, then