Traveling to WDW this summer? Here’s what you should know …
This summer is going to be an amazing time to visit Walt Disney World and if you’re a teenager (or a kid at heart) like myself who is going to be visiting, there are some important points you should know for each park.
Magic Kingdom: As some of you may know, Wishes is making its final performance on May 11th, 2017. The beloved show is going to be replaced by Happily Ever After. It will have big shoes to fill but from what I’ve seen so far it will fit in just fine. Remember that this is one of the busiest times of the year for the parks and the Magic Kingdom is going to be crowded all summer long. My suggestions are be there for rope drop, schedule your FastPasses in the morning so you can schedule more for later in the day, and come back for a 2nd day if you have the option. The park is filled with so many hidden secrets that rushing through doesn’t give you the whole experience. As of right now Splash Mt will be closed for refurbishment August 28- November 16, 2017. EPCOT: If you are going to EPCOT remember that World Showcase opens at [11:00] AM compared to the rest of the park which opens at [9:00] AM. (Extra-Magic Hours may affect these hours) Frozen Ever After does open at [9:00] AM for those planning on riding that attraction.
EPCOT also has a tier system for FastPass which means that you cannot have a FastPass for Soarin and Test Track at the same time. Tier 1 also includes Frozen Ever After and IllumiNations. If your little ones or yourself really want to ride Frozen then definitely book a FastPass for that attraction. If you are not interested in Frozen then I would suggest going with Soarin since Test Track has a single rider line. I highly suggest staying to watch IllumiNations, it is a wonderful show and you can find a great spot all over World Showcase.
Hollywood Studios: This is not the park to be at this summer but it soon will be. With all of the construction going on between Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land it is not the most pleasent view in all of the parks. With that said there is still a lot to do and enjoy at Hollywood Studios. This park, like Epcot, also has the FastPass tier system. Tier 1 includes Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, and The Great Movie Ride. The popular tier 2 ones are Tower of Terror, Star Tours, and For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. My plan is usually to FastPass Toy Story and run to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster right when the park opens. I would then use Tower of Terror and Star Tours as my Tier 2 FastPasses. If you have a Frozen fan or little ones in your party I would probably drop Tower of Terror to fit in the sing-along. Fantasmic! Is my favorite night show at WDW and I highly recommend it for all ages.
Animal Kingdom: Pandora: The World of Avatar will be opening May 27th, 2017 and it is going to make the Animal Kingdom crowded. This new land may also mean that your normally half-day park becomes a full-day park. I would suggest getting to Animal Kingdom at park opening to ensure you get onto all of the attractions your party wants. Expedition Everest is definitely one of the most popular attractions at the park but the two new Pandora attractions may challenge it. Animal Kingdom also has a night show called Rivers of Light running, which I would highly recommend checking out. Also be sure to check out Tree of Life Awakenings at Discovery Island, it will take your breath away.
I hope all of you enjoyed this article and please let me know if you did! I am a teenager who loves all things Disney and I want to help bring Disney magic to your life out of the parks. If you have any questions for me or thoughts leave them in the comment section below.
By Teen Blogger Noah
Noah has been visiting Walt Disney World ever since he was a little kid and has a deep passion for the parks. He wants to share this passion with everyone and help bring a little bit of Disney magic to your life.