Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [42]
9) Don’t assume that the best place to meet the character is the Magic Kingdom. The stars of Disney-Pixar films and Playhouse Disney are exclusively available at Hollywood Studios. The lines at the Animal Kingdom are rarely unmanageable and the characters are doubly adorable, outfitted in their safari gear. And the World Showcase at Epcot can be a character bonanza; meeting Mulan in China, Belle in France, Aladdin in Morocco, or Mary Poppins in the UK makes the experience just that much more special.
10) Wherever you are, don’t get so involved in the hoopla that you lose your kids. When the kids are excited and dashing from one character to the next and parents are preoccupied with getting the perfect photo, it’s easy to look up and realize little Jeremy has slipped out of sight.
General Disney World Touring Tips
The size of Walt Disney World is often a shock to first-time visitors, many of whom arrive with vague notions that they can walk from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom or even that they are separate sections of the same theme park. There can also be confusion over the names: Some people use “Walt Disney World” and “Magic Kingdom” synonymously, whereas in reality the Magic Kingdom is a relatively small part of the much larger Disney World complex. There’s more to this place than Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain. Thus it’s vital that you have at least a basic understanding of the Disney World layout and transportation system before you leave home.
The tips in this chapter encourage you to visit more than one park a day—to follow a morning hitting the waterslides at Blizzard Beach, for example, with an afternoon taking in the shows at Hollywood. The best way to avoid overstimulation and burnout is to work a variety of experiences—some active, some passive, some educational, some silly—into each day. (Note that this strategy requires you to have a Park Hopper Pass.)
When it comes to touring, families tend to fall into three groups. The first group sleeps in, has a full-service meal at their hotel, and lollygags over to the parks around 11 AM. They wander around aimlessly, finding the lines for major rides to be so long that their only choices are either to wait 90 minutes for Splash Mountain or to spend the whole afternoon riding minor attractions. By the time they begin to get in a groove (i.e., they figure out time-saving systems like Fastpass), it’s 5 PM, and they’re exhausted. They retreat to their hotel room frustrated at how little they’ve seen, irritated by how much they’ve spent, and carping at each other. This is a vacation?
The second group is what I call Disney World Commandos. These hyper-organized types have elaborate tour plans and march determinedly from ride to ride, checking off their “to do” list as they go. Amanda wants to ride Dumbo twice in a row? No way! It’ll throw them off schedule. Jeffrey wants to hang out at Innoventions? Sorry, it’s not on the list. If anything unforeseen happens—Space Mountain opens late or there’s a glitch in the bus system—the whole group goes into a psychological meltdown. This is a vacation?
Disney-savvy families find the sweet spot between the two extremes. They have an overall plan but make sure to leave empty spaces in the day to allow for spontaneity. They get an early start each morning, but factor in plenty of downtime to rest, particularly in the afternoon. Most important, they’re familiar enough with each park and its attractions that they arrive with a clear idea of what they want to see, but they don’t feel compelled to do it all. One father of four from Washington wrote, “Disney World is so big and so overwhelming that the first time we went down we spent hours just aimlessly drifting around. People need some kind of plan.”
The following tips should help you make the most of your time without pushing anyone, parents or kids,