If you are visiting Walt Disney World for the first time, your are about embark on an amazing trip unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced. During your visit, you’re going to have the most magical time and create the best of memories that will last a lifetime! By visiting WDW, your whole family will have the opportunity to travel to a magical place where you’ll step into your favorite stories and participate in wonderful adventures, from visiting countries around the world to meeting your favorite princesses to saving the galaxy! When you are planning your first trip, there are so many amazing things offered you could do during your trip and it can be hard to narrow all of these amazing offerings down. We’ve compiled our list of five must-do’s for your first visit to Walt Disney World to help you plan your trip!
1. Visit Magic Kingdom
On your first visit to Walt Disney World, make sure to visit the Magic Kingdom! This is the original theme park at WDW land-marked by Cinderella’s castle and celebrating fantasy, magic, and classic Disney storytelling. Here you’ll find attractions, shows, and more the whole family will enjoy! When choosing which parks to visit, this is a must do. Make sure to watch the fireworks offered each night illuminating Cinderella’s castle along to beloved Disney music. This park is truly the most magical place on Earth!
2. Meet Mickey Mouse
If its your first visit, don’t forget to make sure to meet Mickey Mouse himself! Mickey would love to say hello and take a picture. There are opportunities to meet Mickey at each of the four Walt Disney World theme parks! Sometimes Mickey will meet alongside Minnie Mouse as well! Depending upon where you have the chance to meet Mickey and Minnie, you might be able to meet them in themed outfits according to the location.
Magic Kingdom: Meet Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater where he is preparing for his magic show.
Epcot: Meet Mickey, and for a limited time Minnie Mouse as well, at Epcot next to the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival!
Hollywood Studios: Meet Mickey and Minnie at Red Carpet Dreams preparing for their big roles in Hollywood! Mickey is dressed in his costume on the set for Fantasia, while Minnie is all dressed up ready for the red carpet.
Animal Kingdom: At Adventurer’s Outpost, you can find Mickey and Minnie together ready for their next safari adventure. In the queue to meet these beloved characters, you’ll see pictures of the two on their many adventures around the world.
3. Eat at a Character Dining Restaurant
Character dining is a special type of dining experience at Walt Disney World. During your meal, you’ll have the opportunity to meet 3-5 Disney characters as they travel to your table to say hello. At each restaurant that offers this experience, you’ll find a different group of characters, such as the princesses, Mickey and friends, and characters from Lilo and Stitch. This is a great way to meet many characters at once without needing to wait in line. You will also be able to enjoy a delicious meal! Each character dining experience is slightly different, with some restaurants serving the meal family style, buffet style, or each individual selects an entree and the table receives appetizers to share.
Check out our Guide to Meeting Characters at Walt Disney World to learn more about character dining and how to meet characters!
4. Ask for a First Visit Button
If it’s your first visit to Walt Disney World, make sure to ask for a first visit button! These are free souvenir buttons given to guests visiting WDW for the first time. You can kindly ask a cast member for one of these buttons at guest relations or at many merchandise locations. If they have them available, they are more than happy to give one to each member of your party. As you wear them throughout the parks characters and cast members will recognize it’s your first visit and ask about your trip! If you or your party are celebrating any other special occasions during your first visit, such as a birthday, finding happily ever after, or another celebration, you can kindly ask if they have buttons available for these occasions as well!
5. “Rope Drop” One of the Parks
Rope drop refers to arriving at one of the Disney theme parks right when the park opens for the day. This activity received the its name because in the past, Disney would hold up a rope until the parks were officially open and then drop the rope to welcome guests in. When you rope drop the parks, this is the best opportunity to be able to ride many rides with little to no wait, as well as ride the most popular attractions with a shorter wait time. By rope dropping the parks, you may be able to complete as many as 3-5 attractions within the first hour of the day!
When you rope drop, you might even be able to catch a special opening ceremony featuring some of your favorite characters welcoming you into the park for the day! Although it can be difficult to wake up early in time to rope drop the parks, we recommend doing this at least once during your first visit to Walt Disney World.
If you do take part in rope drop during a day of your visit, we also recommend taking a break during the middle of the day! This is important especially if you have little ones in your group. By heading back to your hotel room or visiting the pool, this is a good opportunity to rest up from the early morning and allow you to go back to the parks later in the day if you so choose.
What would you like to learn about visiting Walt Disney World before your first visit? Share with us your ideas here!
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