Beyond the Rides

[ultimate_ed]

I'm getting ready for a return trip to Disneyworld this summer prior to a sailing on the Fantasy.

Our one previous visit to the World was prior to FP+. On that trip, thanks to lots of research here on the boards, I was able to give the family a great trip taking full advantage of the old fastpass system to maximize our ride experiences at the different parks.

However, especially at MK and Epcot, I don't feel like I got to just see as much of the parks as I would have liked. With FP+ for this trip, I know that we're not going to get the number of rides we had before and I'm going to be focusing them on favorites and new ones.

What I'm looking for are suggestions from the regulars on things to look at and take advantage of beyond the rides and FP+ system. What do you feel that folks like myself have been missing in the parks when we have been more focusing on hitting the major rides in times past?

 

[tcherjen]

We go often. RD is great. We will do a theme park in the morning, go back and rest at the resort and a different park at night. Sometimes we just tour the resorts. I really like the new FP+ system though others hate it.

 

[sharonabe]

The Street Performers! Get very familiar with the times guides for ALL the parks and pick out some that seem interesting to you and be where they are when they are scheduled to perform. Plan it into your day instead of just happening upon them.

 

[sharona]

Great question! As a former "commando" hoping to have a more leisurely day at MK next month, I'm very interested in seeing the responses. So far, our plan is to slow down and really look around - sometimes just wander with no destination in mind.

 

[loves to dive]

Lots of people do RD in the mornings and schedule there FP for later in the day so they can get some of the headliners in without FP. You didn't mention if you have kids and their ages so it's hard to say what would appeal. I'm a big fan of the show and can spend all my time at the parks just going to those and not riding a single ride. I love to shop so Epcot is perfect for me, I spend a couple of days at WS there. There are a number of children's activities that you can pay for both at the parks and at the resorts. I also spend at least one day just resort hopping and enjoying the pool at my resort.

 

[MmmSuite]

I want to see the acrobats, jugglers, and lumberjacks at Epcot!

I loved being early for the first Chip n Dale M&G in AK. They play hot potato and dance with the guests.

Meeting Indy and Marianne after the stunt show was a highlight for me.

I'm by no means a regular so ignore me if you know all this or this is all obvious.

 

[prudence64]

The afternoon parade I'd a good one at MK. We like to play near the fountains by captain EO at Epcot.

 

[CarolynFH]

Schedule your FP+ far enough apart time-wise that you don't have to run from one to the other, and remember that you have until near the end of the FP+ period to get there - that was the biggest lesson we had to learn, I think! Gives you more time to stop and do other things in between.

Walk more slowly and look UP, especially on MK Main Street and HS Hollywood Blvd. The architecture is interesting, but more importantly the names in the windows are all those of people who were significant to the Disney company. The name of the company they're listed as proprietor of gives a hint of what they did.

 

[msmama]

I love the nooks and crannies of World Showcase. Man of the countries go back REALLY far!! Like someone else said, I don't know ages of kids (if any) but there are lots of fun places to stop and play at Epcot. My son (6) loves Innoventions and the area after the Figment ride (don't forget jumping waters, too). There's also a neat place to play at the end of Mission Space (if you don't ride, go through the exit in the gift shop and you'll find it).

Don't discount the "slow" rides at MK. They're still fun. I think everyone should do the Tiki room at least once, and climb the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. Take the train around and visit Tom Sawyers Island.

I love the previous suggestion to Look UP!! Look down too. It's amazing to me that the Disney Imagineers have thought of EVERYTHING!! There's no exposed pipes in WDW, unless someone made the conscious choice to leave them exposed. EVERYTHING was a calculated choice (to me, that was the biggest difference between WDW and Universal).

My son is a slow down and see the sights kind of guy and it's vastly different from the touring I did before kids, but its great to come back from WDW and not feel like I need a vacation!!

 

[Jennytoon]

In MK, there is Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom which is kind of a scavenger hunt -- you get clues to a location, find the location, and see part of the story that tells you to go to the next clue. There are self-contained vignettes within each land, so you end up criss-crossing the lands a bit, but not criss-crossing the park. If you do it over multiple days, you can tell the CM when you sign in for the day and they can usually help you get set up with a land that you haven't done yet / is convenient to your FP schedule. They don't advertise this, so YMMV, but we have only been refused once when we've said we played a couple of days ago and wanted to start in a specific land.

My kids (and I, but not so much DH) love to watch the glass blowing demos in the back of the glass shop (it's on the right early on as you go down Main St).

In Epcot -- Wow, this is the park we always feel we don't have enough time in. In FutureWorld: Innoventions, the games after you get off of Spaceship Earth, the game (older peeps) + playground (younger peeps) after you get off of Mission Space. There are similar things in the Seas and after Figment as well, but we like the ones after SE and MS the best. Innoventions -- I know I said that already, but we somehow never get enough time there. If you're not a fan of children's or science museums though, Innoventions might not hold your interest as much. In World Showcase ... well, World Showcase. This is an area that is not focused on rides at all, you can very much do it at your own pace although it *is* a lot of walking. Also, great food. Also, Phineas & Ferb -- this is kind of similar to the Sorcerers game in MK, but also different. If you have older kids who can go around one of the countries by themselves with minimal supervision, and you like shopping, it's a great way to do both -- send the kids around the country with instructions to find you (in the same country) when they're done, you shop, they play. I mean, not that it's not fun for adults too ...

In AK -- there is Discovery Explorers. This is again a "stop at various places" kind of event, but unlike the other parks it's not automated, usually the places you're stopping (at least last time we did it a couple years ago) are stations where you can learn from a CM stationed there about specific animals that can be viewed from that location. Lots of people give Conservation Station a pass because it is a time investment as you have to take the train out there and back, but there is definitely some cool stuff there including the Affection Section -- much better than your standard petting zoo kind of attraction, as you can actually take a brush and groom the animals. The two "treks" (Pangani and Maharajah) are absorb at your own pace kind of things, and we see different stuff every time we go through them, usually things we overlooked in the past. If your kids are under 10ish, we usually have to drag mine out of the Boneyard, but this is an activity that does pale for older kids (too old for digging in the sandbox) and adults. Also, there are Discovery Trails on Discovery Island; these like many other spots around the park are places to watch the animals; we spent an hour one morning after we rode KRR watching some kind of baby monkey learn how to swing in an area right near the entrance to KRR. This kind of thing is sprinkled around the park although it's easy to rush past without noticing (we had missed the monkey area near KRR on two previous trips).

 

[PoohsFan1]

We actually don't mind the new FP+ system, but we are one of the ones in the minority. Just make sure you get your initial 3 FPs for the day, but make sure you make them for as early in the day as possible so when you are done with your initial 3 FPs, you can then go to one of the FP+ kiosks and get your 4th, and when you are done with that one get your 5th, then so forth and so on. This would work only if you get to the parks at RD or even have breakfast at a restaurant before the parks open (but those are all character breakfasts so not sure if that is something you want to do or not). However, if you can't get on the major attractions multiple times during the day, there are so many other things to do in the parks such as the shows and any of the non popular rides. When we were there in January, I made sure to take my kids on rides and see shows that they have never seen there before (i.e. Country Bears, Tiki Room, Liberty Bell) because it was a girls trip and DH never really cared to go on any of these rides before, and you know what? They both loved the Country Bears Jamboree, it was great I got to relive my childhood with them again by seeing the show with them.

So I guess my suggestion to you is, if you want to ride the headliner rides then by all means do it, however I would get the FP+ for them so you can, but after that check out some of the lesser known rides too because I am sure you will like those as well. And if you don't want to focus on rides all of the time, then that would be a great time to stop and smell the roses and really appreciate the details that go into a Disney park, or sit on a park bench with a ice cream cone, or any snack you like, in hand and people watch. Have a great time.

 

[cyndylou]

I agree with catching as many street shows as possible. Don't miss the Candy Lady in Japan, if she is still there.

 

[kaetra]

Visit all the less popular attractions - Carousel of Progress, Country Bears Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Tiki Room, Tom Sawyer's Island, Primeval Whirl, etc.

Take a Mystery Science Theater approach and visit the duds for a chuckle - Stitch's Great Escape, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Circle of Life, Captain EO, Hollywood Studios

 

[mybestieismickey]

I agree with catching as many street shows as possible. Don't miss the Candy Lady in Japan, if she is still there.

She's not But the Taiko drummers are fantastic!

 

[BalooFan]

There are a lot of classic attractions in MK that have short or no waits because so many people bypass them for the popular attractions. My favorites are Carousel of Progress, the Peoplemover, and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. In Epcot, ride Living with the Land, check out the gardens in the Canada and Japan Pavilions, or stop to watch one of the many performances. At DHS, Muppet*Vision never gets old to me and exploring the pre-show area is as entertaining as the show. At AK, I recommend Maharajah Jungle Trek. Although the animals are the main draw, in my opinion, the detail in the theming is amazing. If time and finances permit, consider a tour like Keys to the Kingdom in MK or Wild Africa Trek in AK. Finally, you might consider taking a little time away from the parks to explore some of the Disney resorts. Check out the evening entertainment at the Boardwalk (entertaining for the whole family) or Grand Floridian (a more more laid-back, grown-up experience) or have a meal at one of the MK or Epcot resorts.

 

[ultimate_ed]

All excellent suggestions so far. Some of these we did manage to get on our previous trip, but many I didn't. Especially at EPCOT, I really want to take more time to explore the World Showcase area.