Please remember that this article was written prior to the CoVid-19 pandemic and some items discussed may not currently be available. We are anticipating most, if not all, experiences and attractions to return to the parks when Disney fully reopens.
Most people don't think of all the entertainment options available at the 4 parks that make up Walt Disney World. There is a reason we had to break it up into 2 podcasts and we are going to break up the blog as well. From family rides to intense roller coasters , Disney makes sure that there is plenty to do once you hit the parks. This should give you an idea that, no matter how much you want to, you probably aren't going to "do it all" in one trip. We know it took us a few times to confidently plan successful days.
Disney Offers Something for Everyone
When you see commercials for Disney, what are the "guests" doing? The answer is a lot of things. Disney has found a way to combine a variety of rides with live entertainment and staged shows that no other theme park has been able to replicate, and believe us, many are trying hard. What we are going to focus on in this blog entry, the rides. Before we get there, let's take a little detour to explain something that will greatly help your planning experience.
The FastPass+ System
What would you think if I told you that the Magic Kingdom can let 50,000 people through the entrance each day and there are only 4 major rides? Chaos, and you would be right, but Disney got ahead of the chaos and began offering what are called FastPasses for most of their attractions. What this system does is allow for guests to get a predetermined hour window to enter the attraction through a special line. Usually this line will have a significantly shorter wait time than the Stand By line.
Around 2000, as Disney began to see increased crowds, they implemented the first version of this system. As the system stands today, it allows guests staying at a Disney property to book up to 3 FastPasses per day of their visit 60 days prior to the first day of their visit. This can be done either through My Disney Experience or by calling in to the booking center. Their choices will be attached to their account electronically and can be accessed at the ride by either using their magic band or park ticket. Once the 3 FastPasses are used for the day, the guest can book additional FastPasses one at a time for the remainder of the day or until rides no longer offer the option.
Most of the parks now have a tier system so that guests can not book all of the major attractions together in advance. This allows more guests access to those rides and forces you to think through your touring plan well to hit all of the items that you want. We plan on going into much greater detail about this system and how to use it to your advantage in it's own podcast and blog. Look for those in the near future. Now let's get back on the main topic.
Now What are you Going to Ride?
This is usually the first thing people think about when planning their Disney trip, but in all reality, it is one of the last things you get to solidly plan. Disney does their rides on a grand scale. Unfortunately, you aren't going to find the tallest or fastest roller coaster here. What you will find are immersive and whimsical rides that work your senses and take you to another place. It is important to know the heights of the guests in your party. Some of the rides due have restrictions and it is better to know in advance rather than having a Cast Member tell you that they can't ride.
Throughout this series we have tried to keep a high level perspective of Walt Disney World and we will continue that. As we continue to drill down to more focus of each park and area, there will be more detail provided. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the rides, but each park has their top tier attractions and we will go through a few of them here.
Magic Kingdom - Just look to the Mountains. Space, Splash, and Big Thunder that is. Add in Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and you have a good start at this park. These will be the rides that consistently have a Stand By time of over an hour due to popularity. Beyond these, we like to look at Peter Pan's Flight, the Jungle, or Jingle, Cruise, and Haunted Mansion as the ride systems for these attractions limit the guest flow and can have Stand By times that creep up over an hour. There is not currently a tier system in place for FastPasses at this park, so you can look at advance booking for any 3 of these rides depending on availability.
EPCOT - This park does utilize the tier system and that this where we will start on our list. Soarin', Test Track, and Frozen Ever After are the 3 tier 1 rides and you can only choose 1 in your advance booking. In our opinion, all 3 are worthy of this designation and worth your time to try and experience. Once you choose from this group, there is a pretty wide spectrum of attractions to pick from. I would suggest looking at Spaceship Earth, due to popularity and location in the park, and Mission Space if you are looking for another thrill. EPCOT is in the middle of a huge make over and the opening of the Ratatouille ride (Summer 2020) and Guardians of the Galaxy coaster (2021) may change how we look at the rides here.
Animal Kingdom - Here, you are either in Pandora or you are not. When this new land opened in Animal Kingdom it brought a change to the tier system. Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey became what you had to choose between. From there everything else in the park is on the same level. Expedition Everest is a great choice for the thrill seekers. Kilimanjaro Safari and Kali River Rapids are also great rides to experience in this park.
Hollywood Studios - This park is where we are watching to see how the FastPass+ system may evolve for the future. Currently, the top tier for this park is all of the rides, except for anything to do with Star Wars. Interestingly enough Smuggler's Run doesn't yet offer advance booking, Rise of the Resistance is on a unique boarding pass system, and Star Tours is tier 2. What this does mean is you have to choose one selection from the 3 Toy Story rides, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror. This can be a hard choice, but until the interest in Toy Story Land wears off, this tend to be the harder ones to get. From there you can use your other 2 for the day for a wide variety of shows that are offered throughout the park.
As you can see, there is a lot to think about when planning your rides at each park. Our goal when working with a client is to make their days successful and less stressful by grouping multiple items together in close proximity to each other. The less worrying about the next place, the more enjoying where you are.
Ready to take the next step? Fill out our information form on the Vacation Information page and let's talk about your Disney adventure. If you are looking for more information, the Disney Planning Insights Podcasts and Princesses and the Mouse Blogs provide more information to help you plan your next Disney vacation.