Planning a Visit to Walt Disney World - In which order should you visit the parks?

As a Disney area vacation home owner, I am often asked for advice from families planning a trip to see Mickey Mouse. To help make your planning a little easier, over a series of articles I will share with you some answers to the most common questions I am asked about the ‘happiest place on Earth’.

This is the third article in my series, offering answers to the question, “In which order should we visit the parks?"

As is always the case, my short answer is that it really depends upon your personal situation. Major factors include whether you have children in your party, what time of year you are visiting and how many days you plan on spending at Walt Disney World.

Since the majority of families bring young children, I will focus my advice for these families to help guide your decision, using January as the time of year and a visit of one week.

January is one of the best months to go to Disney as it is one of the least crowded months. However, over the last few years attendance seems to get higher and higher due to the various promotions Disney has been doing. When it is high season, I would advise primarily visiting the parks based on the average crowd statistics. Some parks are busier than others on certain days of the week, so plan to visit the least busy park on any given day.

Crowd statistics aside, if you are not too concerned with crowd levels and prefer to plan your visit to make your overall experience as magical as possible, I'd recommend you visit the parks in the following order based on my personal opinion of what is the best flow when visiting with children.

You can still become immersed in Disney on your first day without rushing to visit the parks by going to Downtown Disney. This entertainment district of Disney offers free parking and free admission, with something for everyone to see or do just about any time of the day or night. There are a plethora of shops (including the largest Disney retail store anywhere; World of Disney), dining options, live entertainment and good old people watching opportunities.

One of our favorite things to do as soon as we get to Downtown Disney is to visit Ghirardelli's ice cream shop to get sundaes for the children - the ice cream is creamy perfection dripping with high quality melting chocolate - a decadent treat that the kids look forward to every time. The next stop is a short walk towards the Disney marina pier and down a few steps to a wooden dock which boasts a small Margarita Bar kiosk selling alcoholic drinks. I highly recommend the Rum Runner, which tastes divine as you lounge at one of the shaded tables on the dock, gazing out over the water. There is often a one-man band singing old Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet songs which sets a very laid back ambiance. A perfect balance to the excitement of your first day in Walt Disney World!

Many families visiting Disney for the first time make a beeline to Magic Kingdom right away. But I don't recommend you make Magic Kingdom your first park at all. This is because since it is quintessential Disney, for the kids to see it first will set the tone for their overall expectations and they may be disappointed if they anticipate that all the other parks will have that same look and feel.

My recommendation instead is to start with Hollywood Studios.It has a very 50's feel and a movie-set vibe that makes you feel like you are rubbing shoulders with the celebrity set.There are not an overwhelming amount of rides at Hollywood Studios, which also makes it a bit more manageable as your first day's park.The rides they do have are some of the best Disney has to offer.You absolutely must go to Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster as soon as you get in the park (or obtain a fast pass if the line is longer than 20 minutes). This is my favorite ride in the world (and if you like Aerosmith, you'll love all their greatest hits playing in the background). The second ride you must visit (or obtain a fast pass for, depending upon wait times) is the Tower of Terror.Children and adults alike love the thrill of this drop ride.But be forewarned that the theme of the ride is "The Twilight Zone" so some children may get a bit spooked.More children friendly attractions include Toy Story Mania and Star Tours.

This is also the park that has the Fantasmic show which can't be missed and I guarantee that the kids will love it. The show is held, weather permitting, after sundown and is on a first come/first served basis. It can get filled up pretty quickly but another option is to reserve the 'dinner and a show' deal online at Disney Dining reservations, which gets you close to front row reserved seats for Fantasmic as well as a great meal at a sit-down Hollywood Studios restaurant.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/fantasmic-meal-packages/http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/fantasmic-meal-packages/

For your second park day, I'd recommend you visit Epcot. While this is my overall favorite park, it is usually the least favorite for kids. However, the fireworks show in the evening is awesome and the world showcases are an amazing sight to see for young and old. Despite their beautiful architecture which uniquely details the styles of each respective country they represent, they don't hold the attention span of children quite as long as the adults. To counteract this, Disney has a 'Phineas and Ferb' themed scavenger hunt for kids to enjoy that gets them investigating 'crimes' throughout the World showcases. This also gives the adults the opportunity to admire the Worlds as the children track clues hidden in all sorts of strange places like bushes, phone booths and chimneys.

Unless the children can't take the suspense I would leave Magic Kingdom for Park day #3. Make sure to visit the brand new Fantasy Land area that just opened recently and have lunch at "Be Our Guest". Get a fast pass for Space Mountain if need be because this ride is iconic Magic Kingdom and can't be missed. You also must take a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain and the Jungle Cruise. Yes, all of these rides are very cheesy but are classic Disney and give me tingles of nostalgia every time. The evening parades at Magic Kingdom are also some of the best in all the parks, especially the Disney Electric Parade.

Finally, I would reserve Animal Kingdom for the last full day of your visit because it closes the earliest and is the fastest to get through. It is also an oasis of nature and breath-taking world wonders taking you through Asia, Africa and Prehistoric times. This park features an appealing mix of exotic wildlife, attractions and live shows. By visiting this park last, you will get a full Disney experience with lush green surroundings that help you to unwind so you are less stressed when it is time to pack up for the trip home.

All in all, there is no wrong answer to the order of parks you take, so don't stress about it, just drink it all in. Be sure to make full use of the Fast Pass system for the headliner rides because it will save you a ton of waiting time. Also make sure to take a day off here and there between parks. It can become overwhelming to trek through all four parks in succession and you don't want to get "Disney'd Out".

So I recommend lazing by the hotel/resort pool a day here and there, or visiting one of the two Disney water parks (my favorite is Typhoon Lagoon).

To make sure your visit keeps its magical quality, you must pace yourself!

The last thing that I strongly recommend when visiting the Disney parks is wearing Mickey ears. It may sound silly, but you should ALL get some Mickey ears to wear at the parks (yes, even the adults). The cast members will compliment you all day long as will many other guests (which feels great!). It will make you feel like a million magical bucks - just like being a kid again.

Enjoy your visit!