Main Street Wishes: Weekly Tip #3

I know you are on vacation and it's hard to wake up early on vacation, but at Disney World it is definitely worth it to get to the parks early. I will tell you why.

Setting an Alarm on Vacation: Why It Will Pay Off

You're on vacation and you want to relax, it makes sense. If you are doing a resort only stay at Disney then that would work, but if you are including the parks it pays to get there early. Especially if you have a list of attractions you don't want to miss.

If you are like me, then your Disney vacations are planned out for each day. Disney makes planning out each day a necessity thanks to the dining plan and now the FastPass+ (FP+) system. So the last thing you want is to get to the park in the afternoon and not be able to see all of the rides, because the lines are so long and everybody is at the FP+ kiosks trying to get more FPs for the day.

If you get to the park, especially the Magic Kingdom, before the park opens you will get to see a lot more attractions. Not only will you experience more rides in the first couple hours of park opening then you would in the afternoon, but you will also get to see the opening show. I would recommend getting there an hour before the park opens, if you want to see the opening ceremony. The only one I have seen is the one at the Magic Kingdom and now I want to make it to the opening ceremony every time we go! It is the only way to start a Magic Kingdom day for me now.

Video of the Opening Ceremony

Time to start the show!

Here comes the train!

Some of the characters help to open the park.

Of course Mickey is on the train.

Tiana and Chip 'n Dale

Stitch and Mary Poppins

Lots of singing and dancing at

the opening ceremony.

Waving to the crowd.

And the park is officially open!

Once we were in the park, we made our way to the castle and were able to get pictures will almost no one around. After the pictures, we made our way to the attractions we wanted to see and the wait times were almost non-existent. I'm telling you, it's worth it to set the alarm for park days. If you go early, you should be able to see everything you want before the park gets crowded and be back at the hotel swimming by the early afternoon. If you or someone you are traveling with hates waiting in lines then this is the perfect plan for your group.

Another possible bonus for going early? You might get picked as the Family of the Day. They get to come in on the train with the characters and help open the park! It's a pretty memorable experience for everyone in the family.

So, between the opening ceremony, the possibility of being the Family of the Day, and getting on rides before the crowds come, I would say it is definitely worth it to get there early. We didn't regret it at all. In fact, as I said above, I would love to make it to the opening ceremony every time we go to the parks (Magic Kingdom in particular). Nothing beats a non-crowded castle picture! :-)

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰