Get Up Early, Rest, Return: A Disney World Vacation Strategy

If you’re an early-riser, then you have a great advantage on a Walt Disney World Resort® vacation. Besides booking FastPasses ahead of time, the easiest way to experience the most thrills on Disney World vacation is to get to the parks as early as possible. You might have to forgo breakfast on a few days, but this simple strategy will help you get the most out of your Walt Disney World experience.

Let’s go through a few critical tips on how to best schedule your days in Walt Disney World so you can get on all the hottest rides with minimal wait times.

How Early Should You Get Up?

Usually, all four Disney theme parks open at 9am every day. However, you need to check on Disney World’s website before heading to your chosen park for “Extra Magic Hours.”

“Extra Magic Hours” refers to a set time in which only guests staying at select Disney resorts can enter a park before the opening or after stay after it has closed to the general public.

If you can it is a good idea to avoid parks that have morning “Extra Magic Hours” because people will already be waiting in line once you get into the theme park.  Check out Disney World calendar for the scheduled times as they can be a big time saver plus it will show anything special that might be happening extra like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Cheat-Sheet For Most Popular Rides

So, once you’ve arrived at your Walt Disney World theme park, what ride should you run to? Below, you’ll find a handy list of the most popular rides at each park. Each of these rides tends to have over an hour wait by midday.

Magic Kingdom

• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Peter Pan’s Flight

Epcot

• Soarin’
• Test Track
• Frozen Ever After

Hollywood Studios

• Toy Story Mania
• Slinky Dog Dash
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Na’vi River Journey
• Expedition Everest
• Kali River Rapids

Consider A Midday Rest Before The Big Fireworks

Once it reaches about noon, you’ll notice that it’s getting more and more crowded in your theme park. This is a great time to head back to your vacation rental home, eat lunch, rehydrate, and cool off from the oppressive Florida sun.  After you feel refreshed, head back to a Disney theme park for one of the spectacular nighttime shows. If you want a good seat, arrive at least one and a half hours prior to your chosen show.

Are ready to find the perfect vacation home for you Disney World vacation … then let’s get started?

The four major nighttime shows at each of these parks are:

• Happily Ever After Fireworks in The Magic Kingdom
• Illuminations in Epcot
• Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios
• Rivers of Lights in The Animal Kingdom

The hours for these shows sometimes varies, so be sure to check on this Disney’s fireworks webpage for official times.