First Trip! Tips??

[ksw5261]

Self explanatory title, this is my first trip (sort of). Haven't been in so many years that I don't even remember the parks to be quite honest.. and this is my first trip without any family/friends, just my boyfriend and I. I know that things have changed a lot right now because of COVID, but does anyone have any tips on how to make the most of this trip? We have 4 park days, one at each park starting with AK, HS, MK, then Epcot. We are staying at AoA with the Skyliner for the entire stay.

I've never done 'rope drop', I'm not sure of any of the best places to eat (quick service or otherwise) and overall I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with planning a trip that checks all our boxes. We have a Disney premier visa, so any dining opportunities or entertainment where we have perks for using the card would be appreciated! This community is so knowledgable and so friendly, if you've had any places/experiences you've been dying to recommend please let me know!

 

[sethschroeder]

When are you going?

Is there specific things you "have" to see?

 

[ksw5261]

When are you going?

Is there specific things you "have" to see?

We are going from January 3rd to the 8th. Hoping that the holiday crowds will be down by then... but very new to trip planning, so not sure! We want to see as much as possible, but want to focus on the bigger rides (thrill rides, like the mountains at MK and Avatar rides at AK)

 

[sethschroeder]

We are going from January 3rd to the 8th. Hoping that the holiday crowds will be down by then... but very new to trip planning, so not sure! We want to see as much as possible, but want to focus on the bigger rides (thrill rides, like the mountains at MK and Avatar rides at AK)

Like 370 days from now correct in 2022?

 

[sethschroeder]

I am assuming Jan 2022 and things are going to change a ton between now and thing. Things like FP+ could be back, capacity restrictions could be gone, and restaurants could all be back operating at 100%. What I would say is just monitor regarding "reservations" that you can make. Example right now the only 3 reservations to worry about would be Hotel (you can book now I believe), Park (you can book now), and Sit Down Restaurants (currently 60 days out).

What I would spend time doing right now is:

• Rides
  • Pull a list of every ride
  • Rank most to least important rides (I do it in 3 or 4 "tiers")
  • Rides you are not 100% on you can find YouTube videos on or reviews on
  • October timeframe start to look in to how to order what you ride first in the morning
  • TouringPlans can help automatically organize your day (its not perfect but pretty good)
  • You can change this up even during the day (if FP+ comes back expect countless threads on it and the best FP+ to have)
• Food
  • Start to think of a budget
  • Go through all the restaurants/food locations and rank them (I do it in 4 "tiers" within Table Service, Quick Service, Breakfast, Snacks)
  • DFB (Disney Food Blog) has lots of free information and a digital book you can purchase with all locations in it
  • Watch YouTube videos by DFB, DisUnplugged, and others (AllEars)
  • Don't need this locked in until 60 days out to start reserving your sit downs
• Hotel
  • You have AOA locked in so you are good

 

[ksw5261]

Like 370 days from now correct in 2022?

Actually next week most of the trip is booked, but I am now realizing (very quickly thanks to this community) that there is much more to plan than just picking which park you are going to which day

 

[ksw5261]

I am assuming Jan 2022 and things are going to change a ton between now and thing. Things like FP+ could be back, capacity restrictions could be gone, and restaurants could all be back operating at 100%. What I would say is just monitor regarding "reservations" that you can make. Example right now the only 3 reservations to worry about would be Hotel (you can book now I believe), Park (you can book now), and Sit Down Restaurants (currently 60 days out).

What I would spend time doing right now is:

• Rides
  • Pull a list of every ride
  • Rank most to least important rides (I do it in 3 or 4 "tiers")
  • Rides you are not 100% on you can find YouTube videos on or reviews on
  • October timeframe start to look in to how to order what you ride first in the morning
  • TouringPlans can help automatically organize your day (its not perfect but pretty good)
  • You can change this up even during the day (if FP+ comes back expect countless threads on it and the best FP+ to have)
• Food
  • Start to think of a budget
  • Go through all the restaurants/food locations and rank them (I do it in 4 "tiers" within Table Service, Quick Service, Breakfast, Snacks)
  • DFB (Disney Food Blog) has lots of free information and a digital book you can purchase with all locations in it
  • Watch YouTube videos by DFB, DisUnplugged, and others (AllEars)
  • Don't need this locked in until 60 days out to start reserving your sit downs
• Hotel
  • You have AOA locked in so you are good

And thank you so much for all of your tips! I will absolutely start a ranking system for some of our 'must rides'

 

[cjlong88]

Super exciting! It's tough because everyone's idea of a perfect WDW trip varies so greatly, that you will most likely get a ton of advice that contradicts one another.

With that said, here are some of my favorite eats at WDW. I've include a few quick service and table service locations that we have dined at and really enjoyed. More often than not, we choose to snack or eat at quick service locations -- we like to try so much different food throughout our visit that we hate filling up from a single meal. But again, that's just us and how we like to tour the parks.

Animal Kingdom: Satu'li Canteen, Nomad Lounge, Flametree BBQ, Yak & Yeti
Magic Kingdom: Jungle Skipper Canteen, Aloha Isle, Sleepy Hollow
Epcot: literally any Festival Food Booth (if there's a festival happening) or just snacking Around the World
Hollywood Studios: Ronto Roasters, Hollywood Brown Derby, Woody's Lunch Box, Baseline Tap House

When it comes to rides, we love to rope drop to take advantage of the lower crowds. If we start getting tired, we will take a nap back at the hotel midday and then return to the park in the late afternoon to ride anything we missed or ride our favorite attractions again. With shorter park hours nowadays due to the pandemic, I'm not sure if I would choose to nap midday.

Our favorite rides are all of the thrill rides. When we rope drop, we tend to go the opposite directions of crowds. While everyone rushes over to Flight of Passage in AK, we will head to Everest and ride it a number of times with little to no wait. We will often save FoP for our very last ride of the day and will hop in line one minute before park close. At MK we like to head left toward Frontierland and tackle BTMRR, Splash, and Pirates before heading to Haunted Mansion. Others will say they like starting in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Follow your heart.

I hope you have an AWESOME trip!

 

[gharter]

Manage your expectations. A lot has changed even for those of us who go regularly.
Plan for the rides/attractions that you really want to do.
At 60 days get your ADRs for where you know you want to eat at a sit down restaurant.
Plan downtime.

 

[hertamaniac]

Plan for the E ticket rides towards closing time. You can often get <15 minute waits.

 

[ksw5261]

Super exciting! It's tough because everyone's idea of a perfect WDW trip varies so greatly, that you will most likely get a ton of advice that contradicts one another.

With that said, here are some of my favorite eats at WDW. I've include a few quick service and table service locations that we have dined at and really enjoyed. More often than not, we choose to snack or eat at quick service locations -- we like to try so much different food throughout our visit that we hate filling up from a single meal. But again, that's just us and how we like to tour the parks.

Animal Kingdom: Satu'li Canteen, Nomad Lounge, Flametree BBQ, Yak & Yeti
Magic Kingdom: Jungle Skipper Canteen, Aloha Isle, Sleepy Hollow
Epcot: literally any Festival Food Booth (if there's a festival happening) or just snacking Around the World
Hollywood Studios: Ronto Roasters, Hollywood Brown Derby, Woody's Lunch Box, Baseline Tap House

When it comes to rides, we love to rope drop to take advantage of the lower crowds. If we start getting tired, we will take a nap back at the hotel midday and then return to the park in the late afternoon to ride anything we missed or ride our favorite attractions again. With shorter park hours nowadays due to the pandemic, I'm not sure if I would choose to nap midday.

Our favorite rides are all of the thrill rides. When we rope drop, we tend to go the opposite directions of crowds. While everyone rushes over to Flight of Passage in AK, we will head to Everest and ride it a number of times with little to no wait. We will often save FoP for our very last ride of the day and will hop in line one minute before park close. At MK we like to head left toward Frontierland and tackle BTMRR, Splash, and Pirates before heading to Haunted Mansion. Others will say they like starting in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Follow your heart.

I hope you have an AWESOME trip!

Thank you so much for all of these recommendations! I've never thought to go the opposite of crowds at rope drop, but I think that will definitely be our plan! Also can't wait to try snacking (and some drinking) around the world.

 

[chris benton]

I'm going to suggest using touringplans.com to build an itinerary since you are short on time, and not familiar with park layout. IMO, if you think you are feeling overwhelmed with all of the info, and how to plan out your days in the parks, the touringplans software might be a sigh of relief. The community here, and also on the tourinplans website are usually more than happy to help out with any questions. Keep asking away. I would also be compiling a "priorities" list right now. Like...NOW. One thing working in your favor - no fastpasses right now, so that's one thing you are not behind the 8 ball for. You will still have a great time with only a few days to plan. Just remember, it's a vacation, things might go wrong, but just go with the flow if that happens. Chill - it's a vacation.

 

[disneyfan150]

I worry about giving advice sometimes. Things are changing so fast and I would hate to steer someone in the wrong directions. While some things are tried and true, other things have been turned upside down. But if I were planning a last minute trip, this is what I would plan. I would make every effort to be on the first bus/skyliner of the day. I would eat lunch at 11:00 if eating at a Quick Service location. I believe it is possible to mobile order early in the day and schedule the Quick Service restaurant for a later time. The restaurants get crowded. It is a quieter and more efficient experience at opening. Hopping in line at a popular ride just prior to park close is a great idea. You are standing in long line while the park is closed. Sometimes the wait times are inflated near to park close to deter people from hopping in line. Flight of Passage and Seven Dwarfs Mine Trian would be my choices for getting in line at park close. Also, Test Track often has technical difficulties. I might try to ride that at park opening. The problem might be if it is not listed as down and then you arrive to find that out. This would cause you to miss a nice short line elsewhere at rope drop (Soarin' or Frozen). But I usually take my chances and head to TT. Since both sections of Epcot have the same hours at the moment, I think I would head to World Showcase after a rope drop ride to take advantage of the booths earlier in the day. Then, I would hope that lines in future world thin out as the crowds head to World Showcase. This is similar to cjlong88's advice of trying to do the opposite of what the crowds do. I learned a long time ago to zag while the others zig - or something like that. I hope you have a wonderful trip full of special memories.

 

[twinmom13]

My standard advice is to make a plan, but then be prepared to throw the plan out the window. That goes double right now with everything being unpredictable. I definitely think it is still worth making a plan, because it is easy to get overwhelmed when you are there if you do not have a plan at all, but prepare yourself for the unexpected and don't get upset when things do not go according to plan. You might have a specific plan and also contingency plans; for example, we will head for Splash Mountain, but if the line is too long, we will go to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then try Splash afterward. Or you might have a general plan, such as heading left from the hub and moving clockwise around Magic Kingdom. Make sure you have the app so that you have the map and wait times handy, which will help you make decisions about where to go next, as well as placing mobile orders for food. Speaking of food, I recommend eating at off times -- waits are long and tables hard to come by at noon, but you can eat pretty much wherever you want at 3 pm. If you can get a reservation at a table service restaurant after the park closes, do it. Leaving the park when (almost) everyone else is gone is truly magical. Most of all, have a great time!!!

 

[cjlong88]

My standard advice is to make a plan, but then be prepared to throw the plan out the window. That goes double right now with everything being unpredictable.

Amen!

 

[Blondie58]

Self explanatory title, this is my first trip (sort of). Haven't been in so many years that I don't even remember the parks to be quite honest.. and this is my first trip without any family/friends, just my boyfriend and I. I know that things have changed a lot right now because of COVID, but does anyone have any tips on how to make the most of this trip? We have 4 park days, one at each park starting with AK, HS, MK, then Epcot. We are staying at AoA with the Skyliner for the entire stay.

I've never done 'rope drop', I'm not sure of any of the best places to eat (quick service or otherwise) and overall I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with planning a trip that checks all our boxes. We have a Disney premier visa, so any dining opportunities or entertainment where we have perks for using the card would be appreciated! This community is so knowledgable and so friendly, if you've had any places/experiences you've been dying to recommend please let me know!

Your trip will be different as you will be making decisions for two adults without children as opposed to a family with a variety of ages. You will not have fast pass options due to Covid. But you will have crowd sizes maxed at 35%. I would google for a list of major rides and attractions at each park. Rank order your favorites. If your goal is to do as much as possible, check ride/attraction locations (google park maps) and do all preferred activities in one location as not to be walking about so much. If you wish to be more relaxed this won't be as important. Also check what is closed due to Covid when planning at each park.

I would also research a bit on where you wish to eat as making this decision on the fly takes time. Again, this will help in getting to see as much as possible. Skip table service and go quick service if time is important OR do a table service late evening after the parks have closed at a resort. (You are at AOA and on the gondola line so there would be many options for a nice dinner at Swan/Dolphin or Yacht Club area and/or at other resorts on the gondola line. (We love Topolinos.) I do not know gondola schedule at this time so you might have to Uber home after a late dinner but the distance will be very close from the places mentioned.

Favorite places to eat for us (remember everyone has a different opinion): AK we like Yak and Yeti quick service (QS) or table service (TS). HS we like Prime Time (TS). MK we love Pecos Bills (QS) or Liberty Tree Inn for (TS). At EPCOT we enjoy eating at The Land or Germany (QS or TS). Off property OMG - so many favorites: California Grill, Narcoossee's, Topolinos, Yacht Steak House, and Boathouse. (Looking at menus prior to your trip will help planning for $$$.) We eat out one meal a day and take snacks etc. Take your own water bottle for filling free. Print out a list of where your card gets you discounts. This will help guide decisions too and keep you from overspending.

Rope drop: Just be at the park and be one of the first to enter and go straight to the most desired ride for a short wait. We usually do not do rope drop as we utilize the fastpass system which is not in play with Covid. When MK Mine Train opened we did ropedrop for that a couple days. No big deal and then used FPs for other things.

With pre-planning you will have a great time and cover more ground and lessen "what do you want to do now" debates. We put all days on a calendar spreadsheet and have a scaffold to start each day with. We even know when we will split up. Example: He does Aerosmith Roller Coaster and I go to Beauty and the Beast. He does Mission Space while I do Spaceship Earth. I go to the Bird Show while he does Expedition Everest. (Get the picture??? My stomach and nerves don't take severe rides. lol. And for a couple depending on location I just people watch.) We love WDW!!

As the years pass and you make return visits don't forget the tours and spas. Both add to the WDW experience. Have a GREAT time.

 

[Blondie58]

I forgot to share: At AOA they have a great place to buy breakfast foods and snacks. Last time I went to WDW alone I stayed at Pop but also shopped at AOA. I took protein bars, snack crackers, and tortilla shells with me. I bought bottled water, fresh fruit, peanut butter, cold cuts, and cheese slices AOA for snacks and breakfast. Take an insulated sleeve to carry meat/cheese wraps with you. Eat breakfast before you leave for the day. Some folks prefer to eat out two or three meals a day, I do one meal a day out. It is all preference.

 

[ksw5261]

Your trip will be different as you will be making decisions for two adults without children as opposed to a family with a variety of ages. You will not have fast pass options due to Covid. But you will have crowd sizes maxed at 35%. I would google for a list of major rides and attractions at each park. Rank order your favorites. If your goal is to do as much as possible, check ride/attraction locations (google park maps) and do all preferred activities in one location as not to be walking about so much. If you wish to be more relaxed this won't be as important. Also check what is closed due to Covid when planning at each park.

I would also research a bit on where you wish to eat as making this decision on the fly takes time. Again, this will help in getting to see as much as possible. Skip table service and go quick service if time is important OR do a table service late evening after the parks have closed at a resort. (You are at AOA and on the gondola line so there would be many options for a nice dinner at Swan/Dolphin or Yacht Club area and/or at other resorts on the gondola line. (We love Topolinos.) I do not know gondola schedule at this time so you might have to Uber home after a late dinner but the distance will be very close from the places mentioned.

Favorite places to eat for us (remember everyone has a different opinion): AK we like Yak and Yeti quick service (QS) or table service (TS). HS we like Prime Time (TS). MK we love Pecos Bills (QS) or Liberty Tree Inn for (TS). At EPCOT we enjoy eating at The Land or Germany (QS or TS). Off property OMG - so many favorites: California Grill, Narcoossee's, Topolinos, Yacht Steak House, and Boathouse. (Looking at menus prior to your trip will help planning for $$$.) We eat out one meal a day and take snacks etc. Take your own water bottle for filling free. Print out a list of where your card gets you discounts. This will help guide decisions too and keep you from overspending.

Rope drop: Just be at the park and be one of the first to enter and go straight to the most desired ride for a short wait. We usually do not do rope drop as we utilize the fastpass system which is not in play with Covid. When MK Mine Train opened we did ropedrop for that a couple days. No big deal and then used FPs for other things.

With pre-planning you will have a great time and cover more ground and lessen "what do you want to do now" debates. We put all days on a calendar spreadsheet and have a scaffold to start each day with. We even know when we will split up. Example: He does Aerosmith Roller Coaster and I go to Beauty and the Beast. He does Mission Space while I do Spaceship Earth. I go to the Bird Show while he does Expedition Everest. (Get the picture??? My stomach and nerves don't take severe rides. lol. And for a couple depending on location I just people watch.) We love WDW!!

As the years pass and you make return visits don't forget the tours and spas. Both add to the WDW experience. Have a GREAT time.

Thank you SO much! I think that I am going to follow your plan of one meal out a day.. will make logistics a lot easier (and help stretch our $$$ as well) have heard some great things about all of your food recommendations so I'm sure we will be hitting a few of those. Thanks again so much for all your help!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Don't try to do it all. Relax. Take your time. Use this trip to learn all about WDW, the parks, the resorts, the restaurants, evening shows and the other "rides". Enjoy this trip, and you will be back, numerous times, with your kids, then grandkids...

 

[spierce21]

Passholder here who's gone dozens of times... My top tip is just to be there at rope drop if you can. We get in so much so quickly when we're there early. Then we go back to the room for naps in the early afternoon and back to the park in the evening.