I’ve been tinkering with a touring plan for first time visitors to the Magic Kingdom that would present attractions in an order that does more than just maximize the number of things you can do in a day. I want a plan where the steps sort of build on each other, even if it’s not the absolute most efficient way to see every attraction. I’m curious if folks around here think this is a worthwhile idea and if so, what you think about my attempt to solve my own problem.
Here’s the touring plan that I’m working on: Magic Kingdom - HYPOTHETICAL 1st VISIT
I’ve made a couple assumptions:
- park hours are 9:00 AM - Midnight
- guests will arrive prior to rope drop
- guests will be ok with a short (2.5 hour) break in the late afternoon
- guests will ride all of the Mountains (if this idea generates interest, then I’ll work on another plan for those who skip the faster moving rides)
- guests will stay until park closing
- used “Relaxed” walking pace for touring plan (to account for bathroom breaks, wandering off course, etc)
Some ideas that I thought were important:
- If you’re there for rope drop, then see the Welcome Show (rather than positioning yourself ahead of the crowd to run to the first attraction)
- Start with classic Disney rides
- See PhilharMagic early in the morning, since it reminds guests of Disney movies/characters that they will see in other attractions/shows later in the day
- Ride the PeopleMover before anything else in Tomorrowland, to get an overview of the park from above and a preview of some attractions you will see later in the day
- Ride the Riverboat before anything else in Frontierland/Liberty square, for the same reason as riding the PeopleMover in Tomorrowland
- Ride Splash Mountain right before your break (in case you’re worried about getting wet)
- Watch Wishes from Main Street, between the shops and the Hub
- Adventureland is better to see at night
- Ending the day with ice cream is a good idea
Since there’s so much to do, I had to leave a lot out, so I tried to include a mix of classic attractions, things that Disney does best, and rides that offered an overview of different parts of the park. The items I considered including, but didn’t quite make the cut were:
- Walt Disney World Railroad
- Under the Sea
- Tiki Room
- more character meets (except Mickey)
- Tom Sawyer Island
So, what do you think of the idea of a touring plan not based solely on seeing the most attractions in a given time? If you like the idea, what would you change about my proposed plan?
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Simply put, this is a great idea! Building on the ideas from the other thread about first timers and being stressed…genius. Thank you!
[quote=“NeedaTurkeyLeg, post:2, topic:10420”]
Building on the ideas from the other thread about first timers and being stressed…genius[/quote]
Thanks. That’s part of my thinking. Just to give a list to people and say “do this” and you’ll have a good time. I’m not sure the other parks lend themselves as well to this idea, but since the Magic Kingdom is the most complicated I wanted to start there. Another question is, “What park to I visit first?” and I keep changing my mind about how to answer that one.
I do have trouble with that one, too.
In the beginning, EPCOT was a 1/2 day park on arrival day. Then we discovered the beauty and fun and that plan went bye-bye.
Now our first park is a complex mix of day of the week, park hours, crowd levels and special, hard ticket parties. If I was a TA and had all of the info plus the family asked my advice I MIGHT be able to figure out an answer for some but it seems to be so much based on personal preference.
I tend to visit Epcot on my first day in Disney World, but for a first timer I can make a good case for seeing several different parks on their opening day, but I’ll save that for a different discussion topic. Maybe folks can help me decide what the recommend for others.
1 Like
I like the plan! Question: you are assuming Splash and Big Thunder FPs for those times? I would be interested, SB may work too.
[quote=“PrincipalTinker, post:6, topic:10420”]
you are assuming Splash and Big Thunder FPs for those times?[/quote]
Yes, and the additional FPP reservations are something I’m not sure about. I don’t have a good handle on when the popular attractions “sell out” and what times are available before they do.
1 Like
This is a great idea … Love it! The only thing I keep thinking is not to sacrifice in shorter lines for a specific order then leading to longer lines (ie crankier kids). That probably goes without saying though. Maybe FPP would solve that problem if kiosks will have them but not sure on counting on that.
As much as the tiki room is underwhelming - it is a short wait and one thing my kids and parents are still singing months later. I might not cut it from my list.
Maybe work in the Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Donald characters if you could. OR if it’s a hypothetical multi park trip - call out seeing them at Tusker House or something instead? 
[quote=“awillard, post:8, topic:10420”]
As much as the tiki room is underwhelming - it is a short wait and one thing my kids and parents are still singing months later. I might not cut it from my list[/quote]
What would you take out to include the Tiki Room. I chose Country Bears in the classic Disney attraction category, in part because the location was more convenient, but I could be persuaded to rework the plan to include the Tiki Room instead. I’m also open to other suggestions.
[quote=“awillard, post:8, topic:10420”]
Maybe work in the Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Donald characters if you could. OR if it’s a hypothetical multi park trip - call out seeing them at Tusker House or something instead?[/quote]
I think a different plan for younger visitors might include more character meets and things like Barnstormer instead of Space Mountain.
As for multiday multipark trips, that’s a little harder to plan for, since the length of everyone’s visits are so different. At this point, I’m not sure if there’s a similar order that makes sense for the other parks. There may be, but I haven’t given it as much thought as I have about the Magic Kingdom.
Makes sense on characters and multipack. If it were me if probably skip the break and work slow shows/activities in there. I am not sure the break is enough time to really get back to hotel and back with much value vs just staying in the park. Just my opinion though. That is based on not being a young kid type of day.