What would you tell a 1st timer to skip?

[lauradis]

I might add that you should skip "sleeping in". I know it is tempting, but the parks are always nicer when they first open. I would never skip Pooh, Peter Pan, or Dumbo with a DD5. My Grandson (9) told me Sunday that he does not want to do Stitch and I did not even ask. I guess he has bad memories from 2 years ago.

My party wouldn't want to go, if they couldn't sleep in, lol

 

[atilley01]

LOL. You have to..... It's your vacation too.

We went on our first trip for our kids. Not any more! We all love to go. In fact, our girls are going to college this coming year and my wife and I are already giddy with the thought of a trip by ourselves.

We may have drank the Disney Koolaid on that first trip

I'm ok with doing our first trip mostly for our daughter. That doesn't mean we won't do things my husband and I want to do but honestly her happiness is what I'm most excited about. But don't worry about us...my husband and I really enjoy thrill rides so we usually take a yearly trip together to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (much closer) to get our roller coaster fix on.

 

[Disney93]

I hate Stitch and wouldn't waste my time with it but the worst ride in all of Disney is CAPTAIN EO....maybe it's gone by now, I don't remember seeing it last December.

 

[momof2n2]

I always tell first-timers to go not expecting to do everything, but know they will enjoy everything they get to do. ❤

 

[twinz]

Here is my list:
MK- Hall of Presidents (being Canadian it just doesn't interest me) and Country Bears jamboree
AK- Dinosaur (the only ride I don't really like)
HS- The car show (what is is Lights, Cars and ??? It was good to see it once but that's it)
Epcot - The tame side of Mission Space...I prefer the Intense side lol

 

[Parker Clan]

We spend the least amount of time in Tomorrowland every time we go. But agree with someone else who posted two days in HS! I could ride Toy Story Mania all day if I could! And of course Tower of Terror! Once at night and once during the day. When I went with my family as a kid, we all rode it at least five times.. In a row

 

[speller95]

At MK, I would definitely skip Stitch's Great Escape, Country Bear Jamboree, and maybe the TTA. I would try to do everything at Epcot (but as a last resort, skip Ellen's Energy Adventure). At HS, all of the thrill rides are great, but skip the shows that don't suit your fancy. And at AK, well, half the park is skippable. Hope this helps!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'd skip the sit-down meals and go heavy on rides & shows. We found having an ADR (especially for lunch) just ate up a HUGE chunk of our day. It wasn't just the time killed during the meal, either. We also basically lost an hour prior to the meal trying to make certain we didn't end up too far away or in a long line that would make us late for our reservation.

 

[itchin2go]

This will be the first trip ever for myself, DH and DD5. We're doing 2 days at MK, 1 day each at HS and AK and a half day at Epcot.

As far as Epcot, I think we'll just do a few attractions in Future World and then do the loop around the World Showcase. I'm planning for 1 or two character meet and greets along the way to keep her motivated.

Depending on what you consider to be a "half day", this may be hard to accomplish.

We are normally at Future World at rope drop, and head to WS exactly at 11:00. We probably leave around 2:00 or 3:00, many times without having done the full loop. Now, if you are just walking the loop, it can for sure be done. But if you do anything in the pavilions, your time will be gone before you know it.

I know on our first trip, we didn't make it through all the kidcot stops on the first day and had to finish it up another. I can also remember times when we took the boat back because we were worn out and didn't want to finish the whole loop on that day. (We usually return to Epcot at night because there are so many good places to have dinner, and we plan at least 2 days there.)

Consider too, that you'll be stopping somewhere for lunch. Even with QS (my faves are the Boulangerie in France and Tangierine Cafe in Morocco), it's going to take up a bit of time.

Also, a word about the characters. Grab a times guide (or look it up the night before), so you can be AT the character spot before the designated time. It will go faster that way.

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

MK: Stitch's Great Escape (BRING BACK ALIEN ENCOUNTER!)
Epcot: Mission: Space (I don't like to vomit) & Captain EO (it's just kinda creepy 30 years later)
AK: Kali River Rapids (or maybe at the end of the day so you're not soggy all day)
HS: I would have said Sounds Dangerous, but it's closed now. There is nothing much to miss there, epecially with all the attractions that have closed.

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

MK: Stitch's Great Escape (BRING BACK ALIEN ENCOUNTER!)
Epcot: Mission: Space (I don't like to vomit) & Captain EO (it's just kinda creepy 30 years later)
AK: Kali River Rapids (or maybe at the end of the day so you're not soggy all day)
HS: I would have said Sounds Dangerous, but it's closed now. There is nothing much to miss there, epecially with all the attractions that have closed.

Oh I forgot for NK: Tomorrowland Speedway (smelly and slow)

 

[emmabemmainc]

Everything is so subjective. I adore Country Bear Jamboree. It's cool inside, a great break from walking and the show just brings back so many good memories. Plus, it's cute.
The rides I skip are the Dumbo ride, the Magic Carpets and the Teacups. I hate any ride that goes around in circles. I will go on anything else again. I agree with some of the PP, do what you really want to do first and then try anything else that looks somewhat interesting. You don't have to do it again.

 

[WhispyPixie]

"To each his own", you are going to find so many opinions. The best thing is to narrow down what YOU think you "can't do without" and hit those things up and everything else is just a bonus!

 

[IWRBIE]

I would skip Animal Kingdom and spend more time in Epcot.

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

We spend two days at DHS, and that's with skipping Indy Jones and Lights, Motors, Action. I don't see how people do it in half a day!

We also spend 2 days at HS. My family loves it there.

 

[skier_pete]

Back to advice for what to skip, I am going to leave those comments to others.

With your limited time (yes 5 days is limited) I would more focus on what to DO rather than what to skip.

I always advice first timers to come up with 5-10 "must-do" attractions in each park, and focus your plans around those. Beyond hitting those primary goals, consider everything else beyond that "gravy".

For instance - at AK: make sure to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari, see Festival of the Lion King, ride Everest & Dinosaur if you want thrills and do the Pangani Forest Trail and Maharajah Jungle Trek. If you accomplish those, then do some other stuff. You will 12 different opinions on things to skip or things to try. Some would tell you skip Dinoland rides, others might say skip Conservation Station...but as long as you did the things most important to you, then that's what really matters.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I personally would never tell a first-timer to skip anything. They need to experience it for themselves and see if they like it or not. What I would do is tell him/her what I like and don't like and my reasoning behind it and then leave it up to him/her.

 

[minniemous]

Yeah, I hear a lot of people say that HS is a half day park right now because of all the things they've closed but that is the park that's hardest to weed out attractions because almost everything looks like something my daughter would love. And this is our first time so all the shows will be new to her.

This is s subjective one. A lot of people will say it is a half day park..you will find others like myself who disagree. We love HS and my 6 year old loves the attractions there. We enjoy them as well. I say there is less at animal kingdom but many will disagree. If you think your daughter will love a lot of the stuff at HS then you may find yourself wanting to spend more time there.

 

[atilley01]

When I say a half day at Epcot, I'm really thinking around 12 or 1:00 until Illuminations. We'll be doing the Pirates & Pals Voyage the night before which will keep us out late and I wanted to let my daughter sleep in a little since I want to see Illuminations that night. We'll probably eat lunch before we get there and only have an ADR for dinner. There are really only a few attractions in Future World that jump out as "must do" and then I figured we'd spend a majority of the time walking the WS. I plan on bringing an umbrella stroller for DD which I think will make her more cooperative.

 

[atilley01]

This is s subjective one. A lot of people will say it is a half day park..you will find others like myself who disagree. We love HS and my 6 year old loves the attractions there. We enjoy them as well. I say there is less at animal kingdom but many will disagree. If you think your daughter will love a lot of the stuff at HS then you may find yourself wanting to spend more time there.

Maybe if you don't have kids or have seen all the shows, HS could be a half day park. But according to the touring plan I've been working on and everything we want to do, it looks like it will be a full day for us.