what parks and what days (first timer)

[LMCCLOUN]

We are going to WDW for the first time with our kids, staying at FW. Can someone give me advce on what parks and what days are best. We will be spending the entire time 10/3 to 10/11 at WDW. Any ideas would be great, and thanks. I am sure you get asked this question alot but I could not find an answer quickly.

 

[MHopkins2]

There are a zillion factors to consider, so I'll just tell you what I do and you can ignore it if you want. I am NOT a morning person and have no desire to get up at the crack of dawn during vacation, so I use the "day after Early Morning Hour" plan - I go to whichever park had EMH the day before, working in Animal Kingdom (which typically doesn't participate in EMH) whenever I can. It's always worked out well for me, but then, I go during the off-season (September, November, early March when Easter is mid-April).

 

[disneyfett]

Luckily, you are going at what should be a pretty quiet time of the year so you are probably good to go no matter what.

However, I would disagree with MHopkins2. I would definitely make the effort to get up early and go the EMH park. I, however, would only stay at this park for around 3 hours after it opens (i.e. it will start to get crowded by then as all the resort guests tend to go to this park. Add this to the "outside guests" and you have a big crowd by 11:00 am) and then move to another park. Those first 3 hours will be great though and you can get more done in 3 hours than you could on full crowded day.

Other Suggestions:

-Whatever you do though, don’t go to Magic Kingdom on Saturday (not even for EMH on Saturday) as that is the most popular day for MK.

-Go to EMH at Animal Kingdom and go directly to the Safari Ride when it opens. This ride is at the back of the park. The ride will be almost empty and the animals will just be waking up and eating there breakfasts. Later in the day it gets hot and the animals tend to hide beneath shade (making it difficult for you to see all of them)

-Remember to use the Fastpass system to avoid lines. This system lets you get a time to come back to the more popular rides and go directly to the front on the line. Ask a Cast Member (i.e. an employee of Disney) if you have any questions about using this system. It can be a great time saver.

 

[iluvwdw_2002]

YES!!! Definitely make and effort to get up early and definitely go to the Safari Ride at AK first thing in the morning. It will be empty, and the animals are usually out more in the morning when it is cool. By the afternoon, they are out of sight looking for the shade.

I totally agree to avoid MK on Saturdays, because it will get super crowded.

Definitely don't miss the MGM Fantasmic show!! It is the best, but you need to be in the stadium at least one hour to an hour and hald prior to showtime. No worries...Disney is awesome about providing entertainment until showtime as well. They have some great comedians!!

An awesome restaurant is Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Hotel!! The kids just absolutely love this one, and even the adults get into the magic...I have pictures of my dad dancing with Chip N Dale!! Make reservations though, because it is really popular and fills up pretty fast. We went to the breakfast, but they also have a dinner.

I could go on and on....but I won't.. Most important have fun!! Let the magic of Disney take you a different world!

 

[LMCCLOUN]

Can you give me the list of parks and what days to go them other can the early entry. I have been told so many different ways of going to the parks. I heard that MK is real busy on sat and mon. Don't know? I guess I can book on the days that are early entry and go from there, any other ideas would be great, and thanks

 

[drogerstn]

Pay attention to when parades and firework shows will be performed at each park. If you want to see the parades and shows, you will need to visit that park when they are performed. If you aren't interested, the parks may be less crowded on days parades or shows aren't performed.

Based on my limited experience, the crowds should be smaller at the MK on days that don't have Spectromagic or Fantasy in the Sky fireworks. I visited the MK on Friday, June 20, and on Friday, September 12, and both days the crowds were relatively small. The fastpass machines weren't active on Friday, September 12; I only saw a couple of rides with waits over ten minutes.

This site TouringPlans-Best Days may help.

 

[iluvwdw_2002]

As far as what days to go to certain parks, that is hard to tell, because it depends on your taste and how you want your vacation to go. But for me...I don't really prefer the crowds, but sometimes are unavoidable, especially in WDW. But from what I hear October is a very slow month, and you probably won't have a problem with crowds if you were to go in like in July or August timeframe.

I would think the busiest day of your trip will be on Saturday, but then usually Sundays are pretty quiet, especially in the mornings. I usually plan which park I want to go to based on the day they are open the latest. And if the crowd is too much for you at one park, you can always hop to another and check it out. Or go back to the hotel for a break/nap.

Have fun!!!