Phase III of planning a trip to Walt Disney World is what I am going to do now? The resort is so large that I find it impossible to just get up in the morning and start going. I do need to plan ahead on what parks I will visit and the attractions that I have to see. How do I decide what park to go to each day?
First, if you have taken my advice and had The Mouse Experts book you into one of the many resorts at Walt Disney World, you should look to see if any parks have early Extra Magic Hours. Extra Magic Hours is when one park opens early (or remains open late) only for those staying on Walt Disney World properties. If there is an attraction that I know I must experience, I try to go to that park first and ride that ride first.
An example of this type of planning was on my 2008 trip to Animal Kingdom. No one in the group that I was with had ridden Expedition Everest and we knew that this ride would have long lines all day. We showed up for the early opening of Animal Kingdom and went directly to Expedition Everest. We each got a “Fast Pass” for the ride. A Fast Pass is a printed ticket that allows you to ride a popular ride at a later time without waiting in a long line. And best of all, they’re free. Then we rode the ride without using our Fast Pass, twice. Once the line starting getting longer, we rode a third time using our Fast Pass.” By combining Extra Magic Hours and the Fast Pass system, we where able to avoid the lines and experience this attraction three times; all before non-Disney guest where allowed into the park.
It should be noted that if you plan on getting a Fast Pass for any of the popular rides such as Expedition Everest, Toy Story Midway Mania, or Soarin’, get them as soon as you get to the park. These attractions run out of Fast Passes early in the day.
I usually go to one Park in the morning and “Park Hop” to another in the evening. I often will go to a park in the morning that does not have Extra Magic Hours and move to the park with evening Extra Magic Hours near closing time. Again, making sure that during Extra Magic Hours I enjoy those rides that the lines would be to long to visit during the day. When hopping between parks around noon time, I often return to my hotel room on the park to relax some before returning for an evening of fun. This can be really important if you have small children with you. Being able to return to your hotel room for a short rest period is just another benefit of staying on the World.
I guess the bottom line is, it does not matter if you are visiting during peak summer days or some of the slower times of the year, working with someone at The Mouse Experts and doing a little advance planning just makes your Disney trip a little more Magical.
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TweetExpedition Everest, Extra Magic Hours, Fass Pass, Soarin, Toy Story Midway Mania, Walt Disney World Resort
2 Responses to “Planning For A Walt Disney World Trip, Stage 3 -I am at Walt Disney World. What Now? By Gil Pohl”
The fastpass had just come out the last time I went to Disney (just illustrating how long it’s been since I went) and I remember how awesome it was to be able to cut off so much waiting in line time. It almost felt like cheating.
I know what you mean. Walking right past all of those people waiting in the regular line makes you feel a little guilty.
It sounds like you’re overdue for a trip back to Diney:)
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