Welcome to this month’s Magical Blogorail Blue loop. Today we are sharing the must-do’s for your first Disney vacation.
Frontierland Station, as seen from the Splash Mountain queue
Get your bearings. That’s my advice to anyone who is visiting a Disney park for the first time. There is so much to do and so many things to see, it is easy to get overwhelmed! And you could fall into the trap of running from one attraction to the other trying to beat long lineups or focusing on obtaining that coveted Fast-Pass. If you do this, you will be missing out on much of the charm that can only be found by slowing down and enjoying the details!
How can you find these details? Ride one of the trains (pictured above, at WDW) for a leisurely trip around the Magic Kingdom. From the train, you will be able to see all of the key offerings of the park, like this one:
A view of Big Thunder Mountain you can’t get while riding the attraction!
And the beautiful stations and cars are just too much to be missed:
Another form of transportation that will take you around the property for an overview is the Monorail. This is my favorite way to take in all of the magic to be found in the parks and resorts.
Monorail Yellow leaving the Magic Kingdom station, WDW
The monorail is also a great way to get your bearings at EPCOT, as one of the lines takes you into the park, around Future World, past World Showcase, and then back to the entrance. Now you can disembark and know where you want to visit first!
Monorail Purple heading to the entrance via Future World
The train or monorail can give you the same introduction at the Disneyland park in California, or any of the other Disney parks that have these forms of transportation.
I mention this thought of getting your bearings first before racing to an attraction because I believe it is something that Walt intended. A bold statement, I know, but here is my reasoning: Walt wanted a popcorn dispenser just inside the entrance to Disneyland. He thought that the smell of the hot butter would be inviting and get people in the mood for what they were going to discover beyond Main Street. He hoped to get people to slow down and to give them the time they needed to put the real world behind them.
I don’t know about you, but I always breathe a huge sigh of relief when I arrive at a Disney park, and am only too ready to slow down and enjoy the experience! Try it yourself, whether you are going to visit for the first time, or the umpteenth time. I guarantee it will enhance your visit!
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Blue | First Timer Must-Dos Loop:
- 1st Stop – The Disney Point | A First Timers Guide to Epcot’s World Showcase
- 2nd Stop – Ashley Aspires | Things You MUST DO in Each Park
- 3rd Stop – Disney Mamas | Connor’s Must-Do List
- 4th Stop – Frontierland Station | Fantasmic!
- 5th Stop – Cool Nouns by Lee Beatens | (you are here)
This is such a great tip, for everyone, not just first timers. I’m usually always on the go on my Disney vacations. On our last trip, my husband convinced me to slow down and take everything in. It was so fun and I was able to see things I’d missed before. I love riding the Walt Disney World Railroad and monorail too!
My first trip I almost killed myself trying to take it all in! I wished I’d have taken my own advice and chilled on the train. Thanks for commenting!
I love taking a round trip on the Walt Disney World Railroad on my first day. Even though I certainly know my way around, it gives me such a sense of excitement before tackling the park! Fun tip. :)
It’s hard to beat a ride on a steam train!
We leave in 20 days for our daughter’s first trip to Disney World (she’s 6). I am so excited for her to get to experience the magic and wonder that the parks have in store for her. I have had some anxiety about how it seems everything feels like it has to be so scheduled before you go now and I’m worried about feeling rushed and not getting to just let her take it all in. I love the idea of taking the train or monorail around the parks first just so she gets to see everything from above. I also have to remind myself that we are going to be there for 7 days, so there is time to do a lot of what we want (I know better than to think that we will get to see EVERYTHING). Thank you for the reminder to slow down and enjoy the whole experience. Your pictures got my heart racing in excitement. I think I’m worse than a kid since I know all the fun that we are going to have. The waiting is torture!
I am so glad to hear from you! I know your daughter will have a magical time because I did when I first went at the same age! The smallest things will make the biggest impression. Thanks so much for commenting!