To the right or to the left and why?

[Sam1Cohen]

I know I have seen some mention of which way to go when you first come into the park and I can't remember if I am to go left or right and why?
Also is this just for MK or does the same hold for all parks?

Thanks in advance.
Sam

 

[ghtx]

It depends on where you are headed. Where do you want to go to first at MK?

 

[puffkin]

Most people say to go Left as people will naturally tend to head to the Right. I think it really just depends on where the "Popular" rides are in each park.

It is definitely true in MK. Most people head more to the right for Anna/Elsa, SDMT, and Space Mountain. The left side is virtually empty for a good hour or two after opening. Epcot is about evenly split....half go left for Test Track and half go right for Soarin. DHS it holds true as most people go right for Toy Story or RNR. AK it doesn't really matter, many people go left for the safari, but a fair amount go right for Everest.

With FP+, I try to schedule the popular rides for later in the morning. So we have had a lot of luck with going the opposite direction with the crowds and have generally found virtually empty parks, even last week during Thanksgiving which was a fairly crowded week.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

For MK I think it also depending on the age of your kids. We have always heading straight, back to Fantasyland first

 

[PeterPanic]

Going to the left was a habit I developed years ago when the mad dash was for Space Mountain (which was to the right). As time went by there were big attractions no matter what direction you took.

How it worked back then was at rope drop there was a mad rush to SM. (no FP back then) I headed to the left where there were no crowds and when we got back to the middle (Fantasyland) we would meet all those that were coming from Tomorrowland. They would pass by and we would have a lesser crowd for the rest of the day.

Not sure it works that way anymore, but, old habits are hard to break, so I continue to head to the left.

 

[amcnj]

I know I have seen some mention of which way to go when you first come into the park and I can't remember if I am to go left or right and why?
Also is this just for MK or does the same hold for all parks?

Thanks in advance.
Sam

I know I have also heard about lines that split off into a left and right side the common wisdom is left is better as most head right, but even that is not always true.

As far as the parks, it at least used to be that in MK Space Mountain (to the right) was a big early draw. I haven't seen any stats on this in a while though. As stated by others previously, it all depends on what is the "hot ride" currently and which direction that is in.

 

[Oathkeeper13]

That depends on the park. In MK I tend to go right first so I can hit Tomorrowland. In Animal Kingdom I go left first because the Safari is my first priority. At HS I go to the left first I have no ideas why. As for Epcot I am a firm believer that you need two days for that park. If I am doing future world I go right first for Soaring, the land, and Nemo. If I am doing the World Showcase I go Left first because a Margarita from La Cava Del Tequila is my first priority.

 

[RustManFan]

We always go to the left first at MK. HM and POTC being our favorite rides there. We head left at AK first too so that we can ride KS as soon as possible. Epcot we would head to the right towards Soarin'

Haven't been since FP+ but this will still be the way we plan.

 

[MrInfinity]

I think I tend to go right first. I do this at Great America as well, counter-clockwise seems more natural.

But also Tomorrowland is the least enjoyable (to me) of the lands in WDW. It has good rides, but it's not a place I just like to hang out. Whereas I can spend time milling around in Fantasyland, Adventureland and Frontierland -- Tomorrowland is hot and sparse. (also worth note, it lacks the Star Tours and Jedi Training that you'd find in DL Tomorrowland)

Suffice to say, Tomorrowland needs an overhaul. In the 80's, the future was white curvy buildings with wide open spaces and minimal foliage. But today, Tomorrowland should reflect a time of denser living, integrated foliage, eco-friendly designs, pull in thermal, solar, and other renewable energy, etc.

Hopefully some day there is a massive redesign. With trees growing on buildings and an immersive tomorrow-world that you walk thru. Space Mountain should be retained as the staple ride, but integrated into a space of tomorrow.

Once that happens, Tomorrowland would be a nice place to just hang out and enjoy. But until then, we like to knock out Space Mtn and Buzz Lightyear at rope drop, so we can leave the zone and spend most of our time then in other places.

 

[Luv2Run]

MK - To the right. I think that's mainly because I'm used to "driving" on the right side of the road, so it always made sense to me to stick to the right of Main Street USA. We're late-arrivers (usually around 11am), so we'll grab a coffee or a treat on Main St, then head to Tomorrowland for Space Mtn., Monsters Inc., then move counter-clockwise after that. I prefer to ride Splash & Big Thunder after dark anyway.

EP- It's an even split, depending on what FP+ we snagged. I think we went left for TT last trip, but right on the trip before that to hit Soarin'.

AK - Left, always. I don't like Dinoland, so most of my time at AK is spent in Africa & Asia.

DHS - Another even split. Last trip, we went left for Star Tours (rode that 3 times in a row!), but the trip before that was to the right for ToT.

 

[lustergirl]

MK: To the left. I hop the train and get off in Frontierland. Hit the rides there then on to Adventure Land and back to around the castle.

EPCOT World Showcase: I go to the left to get my fix of Tequila in Mexico

 

[yankeepenny]

left in every park. OCD'er here who has to go clockwise.

I have to Ole in Mexico before I curse Canadian Hockey Teams, while singing O'Canada.

 

[wisblue]

If you are at MK at opening and want to go to 7DMT you definitely want to enter through the arch on the right. That will put you on the right side of Main Street and put you in the best position to follow the crowd going to 7DMT. On the left you get mixed in with the people going to see Anna and Elsa.

 

[Disneylover99]

I always go left at the MK. I prefer Tomorrowland in the evening.

 

[trekker93]

We go in the opposite direction of the crowds unless we have a fastpass in the area.

 

[Robert29]

I've never really thought about it but I always go left. No clue why but thinking back, i've always taken a turn left. How about that

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

At Magic Kingdom, we usually head to the left to Frontierland first, hit up Adventureland, then tackle Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square.

At Hollywood Studios, we head right to do Tower of Terror first.

At Animal Kingdom we go to the left to hit up the safari first thing.

And at Epcot, we always head to the right to do Soarin'. We aren't Test Track people. Now, when it comes to World Showcase, we don't always go one way or the other. Maelstrom was one of our favorites so it was common for us to go left towards Norway first to ride that, but we often have lunch reservations in World Showcase and that would dictate which way we went. Then, there were times we really wanted to see Romeo and Edna by World Showcase Players and that show they only did once and it was their first performance. So really, it depended. And now that they have gotten rid of both Maelstrom and World Showcase Players, who knows?

 

[nugov2]

We did a tour our last day and were lucky to be in MK early for a photo shoot and our guide had us stand and watch the crowds coming in from the castle. The crowd definitely goes to the right and if you ever have a chance to stand at the castle to watch I recommend it. It was pretty cool.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Typically I've always gone to the right to get in as many rides on Space Mountain as I could before a line started to build, but this past year SM was down so we high-tailed it to a very empty Frontierland. We had so much success we went there first on our second MK day and it may be the new strategy. Splash Mountain is a good way to wake up.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Typically I've always gone to the right to get in as many rides on Space Mountain as I could before a line started to build, but this past year SM was down so we high-tailed it to a very empty Frontierland. We had so much success we went there first on our second MK day and it may be the new strategy. Splash Mountain is a good way to wake up.

Don't give away our secret!



What this poster really meant was that Frontierland is absolutely packed. Packed to the gills, actually. There was no getting around without bumping into people. And the cast members throw rotten fruit at you in the morning in Frontierland and Adventureland. Make you you stick with Fantasyland and Tomorrowland in the mornings.