If you’ve never been to Disney World before, the sheer size and number of options may be both exciting and a little intimidating.
There are TONS of ride and activities to do in Disney World, but without any prior experience, it might be hard to know what to prioritize and what to attack first.
This is list is by no means comprehensive, and everyone will have their own thoughts on what to prioritize on your first Disney trip.
But if you’re looking for a place to start, here are my top ten things you should absolutely do on your first Disney World Vacation.
Ride the classics
Disney is always coming up with new rides and experiences. This helps keep the parks fresh time and time again.
But there are some Disney classics that have either stood the test of time or have become instant staples for a reason.
This could very easily be its own post (in fact, I’ve just added it to my list of posts to write as a result).
But for now, here are some classics you may want to include: Peter Pan’s Flight, It’s a Small World, The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Spaceship Earth, Soarin’, Journey Into Imagination, Frozen Ever After, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Toy Story Mania, Slinky Dog Dash, Kiliminjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, and Flight of Passage.
This is a good mix of classic tame and thrill rides, but you’ll ultimately have to do a little more research on this area to consider what you and your group will enjoy.
Stay at a Disney Resort
Disney Resorts are pricy. But personally, I believe you get what you pay for, and I always stay at a Disney Resort when I go to Disney World.
One of the biggest perks of staying in a resort is the fact that you never have to leave the Disney bubble.
There are times where it may make more sense to stay off Disney property (check out the pros and cons of staying at a Disney Resort here). But if you’re looking for a top-to-bottom magical vacation for your first trip, staying in a Disney Resort can help make that happen.
For more on choosing the right Disney Resort for you, check out this post.
Consider a Character meal
This is a particularly good idea if you have kids, or if anyone in your party has a particular interest in meeting characters.
Character lines can be long and eat up a lot of your valuable park time. It’s often worth it–especially if you or someone in your group has a deep love of the character your meeting. But a great way to save time is to meet some characters while you eat.
You have a wide range of options, like Princess meals at Akershus or Cinderella’s Royal Table, or meals with Micky and Friends at Chef Mickey’s and more.
For more choices, here are the character dining options on Disney’s website.
Give yourself plenty of time for everything
Things in Disney World often take more time than you might expect.
This can include waiting in line, using Disney World Transportation (read more about that here), eating a table service restaurant, and more.
Give yourself plenty of time when you’re making plans.
It’s no fun missing a FastPass or dining reservation because the bus wait or ride was longer than you anticipated.
Use all your FastPasses
And speaking of FastPasses, make sure you use all of yours!
A lot of people who haven’t been to Disney World before don’t realize or don’t bother to use all their FastPasses.
This is a mistake.
FastPasses can save you a lot of time, which means you have more time to ride. This also means you’ll be getting the most out of your park ticket.
Make sure you use up all 3 of your pre-booked FastPasses. And once you use them, make sure to check and see if there are any more FastPasses available that you can book.
For more on the ins and outs of Disney’s FastPass System, check out this post.
Enjoy some Disney World food
Disney has great food! And while some can be a bit pricey, some are actually pretty affordable and comparable to fast/casual dining locations like Panera or Zoe’s Kitchen.
You can check out menus, pricing, and all of your dining options (sit down and counter service) here on Disney’s website.
Plus, the portion sizes are pretty large, so splitting meals is often an option, depending on the appetites of the people in your group.
There are also some options that Disney considers a “snack” that are a little more inexpensive but can definitely pass as a meal.
You can absolutely save money by bringing your own food, but you might want to think about treating yourself with either a meal here and there, or some classic Disney treats like Dole Whip and Mickey Ice Cream bars.
For more on Disney Food, I always recommend checking out Disney Food Blog.
Get a pin
If you’re celebrating in Disney World, they have free buttons you can wear to let people know you’re celebrating.
They also have buttons celebrating your first visit.
To get a one, go to guest services in the parks or your Disney Resort. They also have them at most merchandise locations.
These buttons let cast members know it’s your first trip and you may find that they can sprinkle a little extra pixie dust (i.e. give you a special bonus treat or experience) as a result.
Nothing is guaranteed, but this is a good free way to plus up your trip.
See the Parades and Nighttime shows
The parades and nighttime shows/fireworks are always a ton of fun. And if you’ve never been to Disney World before, they are Must-Dos.
Magic Kingdom has the Festival of Fantasy Parade and Happily Ever After. Epcot has Epcot Forever, with a new show HarmonioUS coming in 2020. Hollywood Studios has Fantasmic, and Animal Kingdom has Rivers of Light: We are One.
Get some souvenirs
Souveniers can be expensive, but, like with Disney food, there is a pretty big price range to pick from.
And given that this is your first Disney trip, if there were ever a time to treat yourself to that too-expenseive t-shirt you fell in love with, it’s now.
With that said, it’s not great to totally overspend and regret it later.
Set a souvenir budget before you go and stick to it. One easy way to do this is to load your budget on to a Disney gift card so you can easily keep track.
Let yourself have a little fun and bring home something that reminds you of your magical trip.
Give yourself time to rest
Disney World is massive. You will walk a ton, be on the move from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep and you’ll likely find that you still haven’t gotten to everything you want to do.
If you can, give yourself a down day or two to hang out by the pool or at that the resorts. It may feel like your missing out on the parks, but you’ll likely get to a lot more (and enjoy it) if you take some time to reset up.
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: What are you looking forward to most in Disney World? If you’ve been before, what first time do you have to share? Tell us about it in the comments!