How My Disney Visits Are Different From Yours

I’m plotting my next Walt Disney World visit right now, and this one’s a bit of a bummer.

I’ll only have a couple of days at the parks this time, which almost never happens to me.

As a rule, I’m one of those freaks who spends at least a week at Disney…and sometimes twice that.

The length of my vacation represents just one of the ways are Disney strategies diverge.

Here’s how my Disney visits are different from yours…and things we probably both do.

I’m an Early Bird

Every morning, my wife awakens me by handing me three pills. I’ve had weird health issues, and the medication has totally solved the problem.

Once I’ve taken my sweet, sweet meds, I catch up on the day’s news, paying particular attention to Disney stuff.

It’s not unusual for me not to start writing until 11 a.m., even though I’ll put together at least 5,000 words on the day.

Instead, I’m a slow starter who does my research before I do anything else…at home. 

At Disney, when that alarm goes off, it’s typically multiple hours before the parks open, yet my feet hit the floor immediately.

As an introvert who isn’t enthusiastic about large crowds, much of my park planning involves beating the rush to my preferred attractions.

When things go particularly well, I’ll remember them years later. As an example, I have fond memories of being nearly first in line at Soarin’.

That happened like eight years ago yet I still think about it sometimes today as an example of advice I gave readers also helping me at the park.

A key part of this strategy centers on Early Theme Park Entry and Rope Drop.

Since I always stay at an official Disney resort, I use the former, but the latter is fine, too.

As long as you show up 45 minutes before a park opens or Early Theme Park Entry is allowed, you’ll have the run of Disney for a while.

I fully take advantage of this behavior by rushing to something like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, I know from crowd traffic patterns that many of you sleep in, which is fine. But I can sleep at home.

I Buy Lightning Lane Every Time

When I’m at Disney, I’m on the clock, and I’m constantly in search of the perfect park day.

While Rope Drop and Early Theme Park Entry help with that, I know from experience that the long lines eventually arrive.

Generally, by 11 a.m., the parks have grown crowded enough that virtually everything I want to ride requires a 30-minute wait.

In many instances, the number is twice as big, and this behavior only accelerates during the early afternoon.

So, my choices are to spend a lot of time standing in the hot sun or bite the bullet and purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

While I recognize this topic is divisive for many of you, I genuinely believe that Lightning Lane is better than ever.

Disney’s recent adjustments have worked as a force multiplier for this form of paid FastPass.

Since fewer guests use the paid version, the wait time is literally, not figuratively, the shortest it has ever been.

In many instances, you can board an attraction via the Lightning Lane queue in ten minutes or less.

I happily pay that to enjoy priority access on many of my favorite rides. Of course, my favorites are different from yours.

I Love These Disney Attractions

Everyone has their favorite Disney attractions, but I can assure you that some of the ones I prioritize aren’t on your list.

For example, I love the double whammy Magic Kingdom combo of Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid and Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

I’ll even take this a step further. In terms of best attractions at Magic Kingdom, I’d rank PhilharMagic near the top.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, while everyone else is flocking to Avatar Flight of Passage, you’ll find me elsewhere.

My top three rides at the park are DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safaris with Na’vi River Journey a close fourth.

I’m guessing you agree with maybe two of those. And I won’t win any fans with EPCOT assertion, either.

Spaceship Earth is my favorite ride on the planet. I try to ride it at least twice during a park visit.

That’s like 45 minutes right there. None of you does that, do you? Most people get bored before the first ride ends.

Speaking of boredom, Living with the Land is one of my go-tos, and I actually pay attention!

Okay, I only pay attention during the greenhouse part of the ride but still.

All of us have our favorite things to do at the parks, and they rarely align.

I Go Park and Resort Hopping

Then, we have the option aspect of a park visit. How long do you stay?

Personally, I’m not married to any one place. Quite the contrary, I tend to bounce around.

If anything, it’s rare for me to spend 12 straight hours in a park these days.

In fact, the only thing likely to challenge this assertion anytime soon is the impending opening of Universal Epic Universe.

Since that park will only allow single-day visits from a three- or four-day admission ticket at the start, I’ll probably stay longer.

At Disney parks, I’ve seen and done it all. So, I tend to be mobile, Park Hopping to my favorite attractions.

For instance, I mentioned EPCOT but not Disney’s Hollywood Studios a moment ago.

Something I do that I sincerely doubt you’ve even tried is ride the Disney Skyliner to Disney’s Riviera Resort.

I’ll eat lunch there at Primo Piatto and hang out around the lobby for a while.

Once I’m done, I’ll switch to Hollywood Studios. Since the gondolas are right by the World Showcase, it’s easy to do.

Then, as Hollywood Studios crowds die down, I can ride my favorites like Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Alien Swirling Saucers.

Yes, folks, I unabashedly like Alien Swirling Saucers. I’m also still a sucker for Toy Story Mania! after all this time.

That’s a ride that still uses Windows XP (!) for its computer graphics displays. It’s not exactly cutting-edge.

When I’m not in the mood for a park visit, I’ll bounce around various Walt Disney World hotels instead.

Generally, the Riviera is part of an escape during a park visit. On Resort Hopper days, I’ll spend hours at my favorite hotels.

You may find me walking around at Disney’s Beach Club Resort or napping in the lobby at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas.

Of course, what I’m most likely to do is hang out at the Great Ceremonial House at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

This is my favorite spot overall on the Disney campus.

We All Try the Hot New Things

Still, there are some things that unite us, and one of them is doing the hot new stuff at Disney theme parks.

During my last trip, I hadn’t visited in a while. So, that was me knocking small children out of the way to play at Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.

I rode Tiana’s Bayou Journey twice in an hour, and we had reservations to go a third time. Alas, the ride broke down.

You really need to give Disney officials credit for the way they handle theme park expansion.

Disney’s modular approach guarantees that guests will find something new with each visit.

So, that’s what we do, and it’s happening right now at three different rides.

Disney has ditched the virtual queues for Tiana, Tron Lightcycle / Run, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

That’s why you’ll notice guests standing in VERY long lines to try out the hottest new rides at Disney theme parks. It’s what we do.

We All Wind up on Main Street U.S.A.

Ultimately, no matter where we start, we all wind up in the same place, though.

Magic Kingdom has remained the most popular theme park on the planet for many years now.

That’s the siren song that lures us to Main Street, U.S.A., the place where everyone experiences Magic Kingdom for the first time.

In that moment, we’re all swept away by the magic of traveling back in time to a long forgotten day from our youth.

Suddenly, we’re all kids again as we marvel at the sights, sounds, and smells of the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Main Street, U.S.A. brings all theme park fans together in our love of Disney.

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