Which Disney Park Should You Begin Your Trip With?

Disney vacations involve quite a bit of planning! Between making dining reservations and figuring out which attractions are most important to you, figuring out which park to attend on certain days of your vacation can be an important tool during your vacation planning. While you no longer need to make a park reservation for your multi-day park ticket, guests should still go into their trip with a personal itinerary of which park they will be experiencing per day of their vacation. But which Disney park should you begin your trip with? There is no simple answer to this question as there are many variables involved in making your decision. Here are just a few things to consider when making your decision!

Consider Your Favorite Park

The easiest way to determine which park you should begin your trip with is simple: choose your favorite park and start there! Planning your Disney vacation should be fun and not at all stressful. It is more than okay to simplify your decision-making and do things based on what you like and enjoy. Many people prefer to begin their trip with their favorite park. Some people prefer to begin at Magic Kingdom because of the “classic” Disney experience, while others might enjoy a day at Animal Kingdom above all else. Whatever you choose, starting at your favorite park sets the tone for a great vacation. Not sure which park is your favorite? Try visiting the park that contains the majority of your favorite attractions!

Is Your First Day A Monday?

Not interested in the “follow your heart” approach to Disney vacation planning? Then consider the day of the week when determining which park to visit on your first day! Many guests travel to Disney World over the weekend and end up checking-in to their resort on Sunday. And with Magic Kingdom being a popular choice to begin a vacation with, this leaves Monday as being one of the park’s busiest days! If your first park day is falling on a Monday then you might want to consider choosing EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom as your first park instead of Magic Kingdom. If your first day falls between Tuesday and Friday then this time-frame is generally better for visiting Magic Kingdom.

Start Big or Start Small

When determining which park to begin your trip with you should consider whether or not you want to start big or start small. Will you have the most energy on day 1 of your trip? Or will you be tired from traveling? The answer to this question is different for all families. If you think you’ll have the most energy on your first park day then you might want to consider starting at Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is Disney World’s largest park and contains the most walking and exploration out of any other parks. But if you’d rather start small and take it easy during your first park day then consider visiting a smaller park like Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios is one of the smaller Disney parks, and attractions are located more close together which allows for less long-distance walking.

Follow Your Stomach

Still having trouble deciding which park to begin your vacation with? Follow your stomach! If you plan on enjoying sit-down dining during your vacation then you can determine which park to visit based on what reservations are available during your stay. Do you really want to dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table but there are only reservations available for the last day of your trip? Let that be your deciding factor! It can be difficult to make certain dining reservations for popular restaurants so sometimes it is best to not have concrete plans before you make your advance dining reservations.

How do you decide which park to visit on the first day of your trip? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Photo: Megan Woodard.