I don’t remember my first visit to Walt Disney World – I was far too young. But, one of my favorite memories is actually a relatively recent one: Riding Soarin’ for the first time. I was with my brother, a fellow Disney fanatic, and when the ride ended, we both were overwhelmed and started applauding wildly. And yet, what stuck with me wasn’t just that fact, but rather, the entire theater was uproariously applauding too. We all experienced it together, and it amazed all of us collectively in such a way that we all, unprompted, felt the need to clap. That was special. And, while I still enjoy Soarin’ immensely, I know I’ll never experience it again quite the same way as I did that first time.
You may not remember your first visit to Walt Disney World, either. Or, maybe you remember every moment of it. Either way, I’m sure there’s a part of you that, even after all the great experiences you’ve had in those parks, still wishes you could experience the resort or an attraction for the first time … again.
Whether you’ve been 100 times before or only once, fear not: there are ways to experience Walt Disney World anew. Here are just a few ways to trick your brain into seeing the parks through fresh eyes:
1. Tour the opposite way around a park
Image: Disney
We all do it: When you visit the Magic Kingdom multiple times (or really any Disney park), you develop a preferred way of touring the park. Personally, I always start in Tomorrowland and then move counter-clockwise through the park. I know others who begin in Adventureland and move the other way. It’s all a matter of preference, but that choice usually sticks with you and is tough to shake over time.
And so, if you want to try something new, tour the opposite way from what you’re used to.
Not only will experiencing the park in a different order change how you view the rides and shows, they will literally look different than you’re used to. The angle of the sun in the sky has an effect on everything from the placement of shadows on the buildings to the color of the paint, and so buildings you’ve seen 1,000 times at late-afternoon will look completely different in the morning. At parks like Animal Kingdom, this effect can be even more pronounced, as animals operating on different natural schedules will be active at different times, giving you even more new things to spot.
For a Disney veteran, it can be tempting to stick with what works, but trying a new way of seeing the parks can breathe some much needed originality into the experience and can cause you to view beloved attractions in a new light – in this case, literally.
2. Visit an attraction you’ve never tried
It’s extremely unlikely that you’ve experienced every attraction at Walt Disney World. When you visit Disney multiple times, you tend to become attached to certain rides and shows and, over time, that can coalesce into a fairly rigid plan. But, avoid the temptation of locking in on a handful of attractions and, on occasion, force yourself to try something new.
Maybe it’s a new ride, or maybe it’s something you’ve been avoiding for 20 years – either way, you never know what you’re missing out on until you try it. And, who knows, it might end up being your new favorite attraction.
And, even if none of the in-park experiences interest you, there’s tons of stuff outside of them to try. Maybe you’ve never played one of Disney’s miniature golf courses? Or tried a water park? Or maybe you’ve never rented a watercraft out on Bay Lake? Or maybe you’ve never taken one of the Friendship launches between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
There’s always something new to try, so try to keep an open mind and let yourself be surprised. And, if you’ve been putting off trying an attraction, well, take this article as a sign that you should try it now!
3. Visit the parks with a first-timer (and let them make the plans)
Disney fans tend to be planners by nature. A trip to Walt Disney World is really just one step removed from a military operation – there are dining reservations, FastPass+ reservations, touring plans, park maps, shuttles, trains, buses, etc. And so, if you’re looking for a way to spice up a Disney trip, turn that plan-making over to someone else – preferably a first-timer.
Now, you shouldn’t necessarily let them just plan everything – after all, there are always a few tricks of the trade that make a Disney trip more relaxing – but letting someone who’s not as well-versed in the Walt Disney World ethos can create something that’s at a premium these days at Disney: Surprise.
Because they don’t know as much about touring Walt Disney World as you, their plan likely won’t follow the same rhythms as the plan you’re used to. While that may be jarring at first, if you can learn to embrace the change, the new perspective of Disney is really refreshing.
With someone else leading the way, you’ll be able to sit back and take the parks in. You’ll notice things you’ve never noticed before, and you’ll get to see someone experiencing all that magic for the first time – and the wonder they feel is definitely infectious. Their enthusiasm will cause you to see the park through their eyes, which in this case, means as though it were your first time too.
4. Spend a full day in what you’d normally think of as a half-day park
All four of Disney’s theme parks, with the right mindset, have enough activities in them to take up a full day. The “half-day park” badge of shame is really just a euphemism Disney fans use when they really mean, “I just don’t like that park.” It’s perfectly fine not to like a park – I, personally, am not the biggest fan of Disney’s Hollywood Studios – but, if you’re trying to recreate the experience of seeing these parks for the first time, it’s important to give them a fair shake.
And, that means giving them a full day’s worth of your time. You might be surprised at what you find you like about a park when you give it a full day. There are so many subtle details in Disney’s parks, and they’re easy to miss when you’re rushing through them to get to the next big E-Ticket attraction. Slowing down and taking time to study the way the themed lands flow into one another, or even just enjoying the company of the people you’re with can make a place you’ve visited a dozen times seem brand new.
Ultimately, if you want to experience Walt Disney World and have it feel like the first-time, the most important thing to remember is to slow down. The more familiar you become with the Vacation Kingdom, the easier it is to take its magic for granted as you race through it from attraction to attraction. Slowing down helps resist that temptation and gives the whole vacation a far more relaxing vibe. And, well, aren’t vacations supposed to be relaxing?
