If you are visiting Disney World you need to be prepared for the immense size of this theme park. It’s just not possible to see all of it in one or two days – although if you only wanted to see a few things in a number of the parks that make up Disney World, you probably could manage that. But to really take in what it’s all about, soak up that special Disney atmosphere, and take the opportunity to try out all the rides and exhibitions, then you’re looking at one full day minimum per park.
Buying a good guide book that’s dedicated to Disney World is a must if you’ve never been before. Make sure you have this at least a few weeks in advance to ensure you have time to read it. Highlight everything that you think sounds fun and/or interesting and then make a list of these items for each park that you hope to visit. If you have time, and actually enjoy planning an itinerary, you could take this one step further. Using any maps of the parks that are in the books, or at the Disney website, highlight on the map where each of them items on your lists are located. That way you’ll be able to see the most time efficient way of packing everything in.
Make sure you read any tips that the books give you about times when certain rides are busy, and the rides which are the most popular. This will help you to budget your time better as well as decide the best times to take a lunch break.
On the days you are going to the parks, make sure you pack a bag that contains everything you’re likely to need – sun glasses, camera, spare batteries for camera, sun screen, money, food (which you will probably have to leave in the car, but returning to the car for a picnic lunch is one way of stretching your holiday budget further, especially if you have kids as you aren’t usually allowed to take these into the park with you!), medication, hat, and something to cover you if there’s a shower. If you have everything you could possibly need, you aren’t going to have to pay for it in the park. You should find all of these things (except your medication!) in each of the major Disney World parks, but you will find yourself paying an expensive price for something you already have! The last thing you should do before leaving for Disney World is to make sure you have comfortable footwear – until you start walking around, not to mention the length of time you will be standing in line waiting to get on/into attractions, you won’t realize how big the parks are!
Planning your Disney World vacation may not seem like something you need to do, but if you haven’t been before, you’ll wish you’d done it – and if you have been previously, you’ll know how much easier your trip will be with a little bit of planning beforehand.
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