Although Orlando is relatively a small city, it is a unique destination for tourists. Why? The answer is obvious; it houses the most treasured theme park in the world, Disney World.
Covering almost 75.63 km2, the “Walt Disney World Resort” has four amusement parks: “Epcot”, “Magic Kingdom”, “Disney’s Animal Kingdom” and “Disney’s Hollywood Studios”, plus two water Parks: “Disney’s Blizzard Beach” and “Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon”. With interactive attractions, animal adventures, magical attractions, dinners, places to shop and almost 60,000 cast members performing in more than 3,000 different roles, visitors will undoubtedly feel the magic of Disney on each visit.
Now, how many days do you need to enjoy this extraordinary destination? That is the first decision to make when you are at the stage of organizing your vacation to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. It would be ideal to dedicate a whole week to enjoy each attraction at it most but if your time is restricted and you have only a weekend available (2-3 days) you’ll have to know how to organize your time.
Of course, we have to be realistic and know that it is nearly impossible to visit each of the parks and all of its attractions in just 3 days, but the important thing is to give the average family an idea of what to do in this given time. This time, we will focus on the three main Disney parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Animal Kingdom) and the attractions you cannot miss.
Important tips to keep in mind
- Rent a car in Orlando. If you don’t want to rely on public or Disney transportation, renting a car in Orlando will give you the advantage of moving around the parks freely, and it will save you time, especially if you want to go out of the park to and explore around for a while.
- It is recommendable to reserve Disney World tickets in advance. This way you can get some discounts and avoid long, time-wasting lines.
- Stay at a Disney World Resort. If you do, you can enjoy first access to FastPass+ and Disney dining reservations, free Magic Bands and other perks and let’s not forget: location!
- Make your FastPass+ reservation. If you are staying at a Disney World resort, you can make FastPass+ reservations for the whole trip up to 60 days in advance, beginning at 7 a.m. eastern time. (When you have a FastPass+ reservation, it allows you to show up during the FastPass+ time and board an attraction in a separate FastPass+ line).
- Do your research on how to use your fast pass wisely and what attractions are worthy of it.
Orlando Day One
The Magic Kingdom
You can start the day in Fantasyland and climb the short-lived attractions, all close together. It is recommendable to enjoy them in the morning as you will find long lines in the afternoon. The recommendation is to go straight to Peter Pan, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid. If you got your FastPass + selections you could save them so use them later in popular mountain attractions (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad).
Late in the morning is a good time for Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. Then head over to Haunted Mansion and ‘it’s a small world’ before going to lunch.
If you want to avoid the middle of the afternoon Disney’s longest lines and still have the best of times, a great idea is to head shows like Country Bear Jamboree and Carousel of Progress. There is also the Hall of Presidents, Enchanted Tiki Room of Walt Disney and Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a 10-minute long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water as well as starring Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and a number of other Disney animated characters.
Another option is the Festival of Fantasy Parade, a spectacular and exciting spectacle where you can see some of your favorite Disney characters, as well as artists in colorful costumes on stilts, pendulums and swings … and even a dragon that throws fire! A fun festival for everyone!
There are some attractions you’ll enjoy more at night and also the lines are considerably shorter. Rides like Dumbo, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are The Magic Kingdom’s main course.
One of the things you must definitively not miss is the new fireworks show. Fireworks in the Magic Kingdom are displayed on the Cinderella Castle and the show is ideal to see from Main Street, although Liberty Square is also a good place but less crowded.
Where to eat:
- Breakfast: Main Street Bakery
- Lunch: Columbia Harbor House
- Dinner: Be Our Guest Restaurant
Orlando Day Two
Epcot
An important fact here is that the Magic Kingdom schedule is not always the same, so it is important to keep an eye on the schedules before planning your visit, since depending on the day, the operating hours can get quite short. The opening time is always at 9 in the morning and the closing time is the one that changes, it can go from 7 in the afternoon to midnight, as you can see, 5 hours of difference that can make a lot.
The first thing you have to do when arriving at Epcot Center is to look up and find the large and huge sphere formed by 12,000 silver plates, the icon of the park and the best known in Disney world. You can get some extraordinary pictures there! Before you know it you are below the sphere ready to ride the first of the park’s attractions, “The Spaceship Earth”, an almost 15-minute trip to the past narrated by actress Judy Dench, where you will learn the history and evolution of mankind going through all the times of antiquity.
Next, you can continue with another amazing attraction, this time to the age of the dinosaurs, “Universe of Energy”, a long 45-minute journey, narrated this time by Ellen DeGeneres, in which you will discover how energy is produced and the history of the process.
Right after this attraction, you have to check out “Mission Space” and enjoy the adventure of becoming astronauts. This is personally one of my favorites. Here, you will travel to 2036 and be the protagonist of the first manned trip to Mars. Once aboard the ship, you will be assigned a character from the ones who embarked on the mission. You can choose from different roles, captain or commander… Absolutely exciting!
If you enjoyed the previous attraction you will flip with the next one. “Test Track” where you can become a car mechanic and design our own car, then test it by a circuit outside the attraction and finally star an ad TV with your own creation.
By entering the afternoon one good option would be the Future World West, where you will immerse yourself in the Pixar world of the movie “Finding Nemo”. “The Seas With Nemo & Friends” is the favorite attraction for the little ones where they will embark on a trip to the bottom of the ocean with the characters of the movie, Nemo and Dory. There is a huge aquarium to see dozens of marine species.
If you are not too tired yet, it is a good time to explore the last of the great attractions in Epcot Center “Soarin”. This is a kind of hangar of a small municipal airport; it is one of the most innovative attractions at the level of simulators in the world that Disney has come to create, consisting of a hang gliding ride through several corners of the United States to end up flying over the park itself. There is absolutely no waste on this!
There’s nothing better to finish your day in Epcot that a good set of fireworks. Near closing time you’ll be able to enjoy a great show called: “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth”. 13 minutes of fireworks, laser projections, flares of fire and water sources, synchronized with music reminiscent of the great African tribes, aimed to accentuate the union of cultures idea.
Where to eat:
- Breakfast: Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie
- Lunch: Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria or Tangierine Café
- Dinner: Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Coral Reef Restaurant or Le Cellier Steakhouse
Orlando Day Three
Animal Kingdom
The Animal Kingdom is one of the trendiest parks in all of Disney World since the moment they opened the large Avatar area. So a good recommendation is to wake up early and get to the park 30 minutes before opening hours.
The first thing to do as soon as you get to the Animal Kingdom is head to the Avatar area and go to the Navi River Journey attraction. Next, you can walk around the area a bit and enjoy the surroundings until you get to the other side of the park and climb the Everest Expedition. Make sure you stop at the Dinosaur attraction as it is in the way.
You will definitely want to end your morning at the Kali Rivers water attraction as the heat begins to tighten in the park.
After you have freshen up and maybe have had something to eat, it is a good idea to enjoy the ride in Mar Ajah Jungle Treck where you will be astonished by the jungle curves, relaxing waterfalls and appreciate the ruins of a palace frozen in time. Not to mention that the elegant Asian tigers, the Komodo dragon and more than 50 bird species will be at sight reach along the trip. After this ride, you can go straight to the Kilimanjaro Safari to keep on with the wild mood and if you are lucky enough you can close the afternoon with a flourish enjoying one of the most beautiful shows in the park that is Lion King Festival.
You must definitely save the night to enjoy one of the most amazing attractions in all of Disney World, Flight of Passage. This is a 3D augmented reality flight simulation attraction within the world of Pandora. The attraction allows guests to take flight over a Banshee and Fly through the landscape of Pandora. Just imagine that!! This is by far my favorite ride in the whole Disney World complex and I’ll assure you, once you ride it once, you’ll want to do it over and over again.
Where to eat:
- Breakfast: Tusker House
- Lunch: Flame Tree Barbeque
- Rain Forest café or Pizzafari (Fast service)
Regarding dining options in Disney: The park is full of restaurants (You can see my favorite in the suggestions) and street food stands with hot dogs, popcorn, hamburgers, crepes, etc. etc. but as is it obvious, prices can be a bit high or maybe out of our budget. If paying the entrance price has already been an enormous effort, and you do not want to spend a penny more inside the park, I recommend to take your car rental and explore the many options you have outside the park, they can be much more affordable and still delicious. Also, it is totally allowed to enter the park with food so you can be making a picnic around the parks green areas are also a great idea.
