The old adage “Early bird gets the worm” has a lot of truth to it, especially when it comes to Walt Disney World. Our family jokes that our WDW trips are the only time we can get all of us up and out of bed at the crack of dawn (we’ve gotten up before sunrise, literally). Because we know the big secret – getting to the parks WAY before they open is the best way to get in the most rides/experiences without wasting time in crowds and lines.
Full disclosure, this is not easy to do. Especially with young kids (or adults who act like young kids). But we’ve been there! I’m the oldest of four girls, and at one point we traveled with two of my sisters under the age of 4 when we started our annual WDW trips. We’ve gone through the early mornings with young kids, pre-teens, teens, and now, mid and late twenty-year-olds. It’s always a struggle, but always worth it.
None of us has ever said, “oh I wish we didn’t get up early and ride all the rides.” Yes, we’ve mentioned the tiredness, but that’s where our strategy comes into play. It’s simple.
Hit the parks early
Leave the parks after lunch, or before, depending on the length of your vacation
Relax in the afternoon (pool, nap, AC, whatever!)
Hit the parks again in the evening/night
This plan of attack has yet to fail us after all these years. We’ve tried getting to the parks at a “normal” time, and that’s when we always regret it. We get spoiled from getting there early and beating the crowds and lines!
If you’re in WDW for a week, one thing we’ve done is pick a day in the middle of the week where you get to sleep in! It makes the other early mornings more bearable, just knowing you get one day to leisurely sleep in. Maybe do a fun character breakfast and make that a pool day for everyone. And then that night, head to Disney Springs – this even helps to cut back on your Park Hopper days!
WDW makes us morning people, and you can be too.
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Location: Epcot® Resort Area Resort Category: Deluxe Resort
Walking into the lobby of Disney’s Beach Club Resort is one of our family’s favorite things at WDW. The sites, the sounds and the beachy smell (they make a candle of it!) just brings a flood of happiness to us. We’ve stayed at this resort more than any others and have a hard time staying anywhere else – there are so many things we love about it! Picking just five favorite things was tough, but here is what we came up with…
5. The lobby
From the time you get off the Magical Express and are welcomed by the lobby greeter, the New England ambiance is pure relaxation. The distinct lobby smell has been captured perfectly by this candle company HERE.
4. The Rapid Fill Refillable Mugs
Purchase your refillable, 16 oz. plastic mug for $19.99 and get free refills on soda, hot chocolate, hot tea, iced tea and coffee for your entire stay! It’s worth the investment if you’re there for more than a long weekend (and you like your beverages). We’ve even shared our mugs between family members to save money – two kids to a mug. Bring your cup down to the pool and you can stay refreshed with refills at Hurricane Hannah’s. Keep in mind, though, you cannot refill the mugs at the parks. Fun souvenirs to bring home after your trip!
3. Lafferty Place Arcade
While arcades may not be for everyone, this spot located near the pool is a family favorite of ours. We like to hit it in the afternoon after some pool time, and then we swing by Beaches and Cream for ice cream on our way back to the room. You pay to play at this arcade, but it’s worth it since the AC is always cranked in there! Kids will love the pop-a-shot, air hockey table, skee ball and Guitar Hero (okay so those are my favorites…let’s be real).
2. The Kitchen Sink
So many great family memories ordering The Kitchen Sink at the ice cream shoppe, Beaches and Cream. This monstrous sundae comes, as the name suggests – in a kitchen sink – and is enough to feed a very hungry family! When we were a family of 6, we got pretty close to finishing the entire sink, but we never quite found the bottom. Regardless of the challenge, it’s fun to order, and is a Beach Club Resort staple!
1. Location, location, location!
Choosing our top reason for loving the Beach Club Resort was easy. We love being close to Hollywood Studios AND Epcot. Taking the boat to Hollywood Studios is a nice change from the buses (although they can get pretty hot in the summer) or if your group is up for it, you can make the mile-ish trek by foot.
The best location perk though, is the very short walk to Epcot. Having access to the side entrance to the park allows you to get in to World Showcase in just minutes. Easy in, but even easier out. No fighting the crowds after Illuminations – just a quick walk back to your room.
Our family loves going to Epcot when we stay at the Beach Club. We definitely spend more time there than when we’re at other resorts – we like to walk over for drinks, to enjoy the live music (British Revolution!!), and then to hit up our favorite countries for dinner before catching Illuminations!
WDW Park Planners Tip
Take advantage of being able to walk to Hollywood Studios – if your group is able to and up for the extra steps! We’ve done the early morning walk to the park AND the late night walk back to the hotel.
MORNING: When Extra Magic Hours were at 7am at Hollywood Studios this past August after the opening of Toy Story Land, we wanted to get to the park by 6:30am to be there when they start letting people in. Well, the boat doesn’t start running until 6:30am (which we didn’t find out until we were out there in the pitch black), so we decided to make the trek by foot. I’ll be honest, not everyone in my family was thrilled about this, but we had some good laughs as we watched the sun rise over the park. And for the record, we were some of the first people on Slinky Dog Dash that day 🙂
NIGHT: Be prepared to walk home from Hollywood Studios! The boat line can get extremely long, especially after Fantasmic or the Star Wars fireworks let out. If the boat is a better option for you and your group, you may want to consider heading out a few minutes early (before the show/fireworks let out), so you can get in the boat line quickly. We’ve also done this in the past, especially when my youngest sisters were still in strollers. Definitely worth it with strollers! Otherwise, you may have to wait for a few boats before you get on, and they typically run every 15 minutes or so.
After our WDW trip this past August, Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom quickly became a family favorite. We prepared for the visit to Pandora by watching the Avatar movie again before our trip, something I would recommend doing if you haven’t seen it in a while (or ever!). That way, you can appreciate every square inch of detail that Disney includes in Pandora – World of Avatar.
The entire new Pandora section in Animal Kingdom was nothing short of unbelievable, and Flight of Passage was at the top of the list. As Disney does best, the entire ride experience from start to finish is magic. From the time you enter the line, to the pre-ride video and prep, to the actual ride itself – you truly feel as if you are a visitor in Pandora.
Disney has outdone itself with this ride. The 4D adventure of being linked to an Avatar and experiencing the rite of passage of the Na’vi – riding a banshee through the landscapes of the moon – is hands down one of the best rides ever produced. The rush of flying through the mountains on the back of a breathing banshee, wind and ocean spraying in your face, is what puts this ride at the top of our Family Favorites list.
WDW Park Planners Tip:
If you do NOT have a Fast Pass+ for the ride, or if you want to ride it more than once – GET THERE EARLY! Unless you want to wait hours for Flight of Passage, we recommend arriving to Animal Kingdom 45 minutes before the park opening time or Extra Magic Hours opening time (i.e. if EMH are at 8am, arrive at 7:15am). That allows you time to line up close to the front and get through the entrance quickly. The Animal Kingdom park typically lets guests in 30 minutes prior to the listed opening time, and then walks you to Pandora and leads you directly to the line entrance.
Once you’re off the ride – go ride Na’vi River Journey and then get out of Pandora! Head to the other big rides, which will likely have a short wait time (Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaros Safaris, Kali River Rapids). Come back later to walk around and take in the details once the craziness has died down.
