Theme Park Guides | Walt Disney World

Guide to Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World (WDW )is perhaps the top destination for theme park visitors and Disney fans worldwide. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is the largest Disney resort in the world. It’s located near Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Theme parks:

• Magic Kingdom

• EPCOT

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Water parks:

• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

• Disney’s Blizzard Beach

Travel Tips

• You’ll want to stay at a Disney resort, especially if it’s your first visit.

  • Staying at a Disney resort (and some select non-Disney neighboring hotels) allows you to book Lightning Lane selections before guests staying off-property can, and you qualify for early park entry.

  • All on-property resorts offer free transportation to the parks. Options include shuttle buses, the monorail, boats, and the Disney Skyliner.

• Five days are needed for first-time visitors- about one day per theme park. If you can stay a little longer, you will have more time to visit resorts, water parks, or pools.

• Visit TouringPlans to help determine the best time of year to visit. Ideally, you should start planning your trip at least seven months in advance.

• Universal Studios Orlando is conveniently located near Walt Disney World and is a must-visit for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and other attractions. Add 2-4 days to your trip to visit Universal.

• SeaWorld Orlando is another nearby resort with a theme park, water park, and marine park. To visit SeaWorld, add 1-3 days to your trip.

• Legoland Florida Resort, which includes the Peppa Pig Theme Park, is 50 minutes south in Winter Haven, Florida. To visit Legoland, add 1-2 days to your trip and consider staying in one of their on-site hotels.

• Frequent visitors to Walt Disney World may be interested in Disney’s version of a timeshare called the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). It’s an expensive investment (e.g., $20,000+), but it can be worthwhile for Disney fans with a substantial disposable income.

Must-Do Attractions

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Avatar Flight of Passage is a 3D flying simulator attraction themed to the movie Avatar.

• DINOSAUR (closing in early 2026) is a dark ride attraction loosely themed to the Disney-animated film of the same name. It will be open throughout 2025, but is planned to be reimagined as an Indiana Jones-themed attraction.

• Expedition Everest is a steel Vekoma roller coaster built around an artificial mountain. It is themed around a Yeti protecting the Forbidden Mountain next to Mount Everest.

• Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is a walking path where guests can observe a variety of animals, including gorillas, zebras, snakes, and exotic birds.

• Kali River Rapids is a river rapids attraction with one of the most intricately designed queues at Walt Disney World.

• Kilimanjaro Safaris is a safari ride where you can see many animals, including giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs, hippos, and okapi.

• Maharajah Jungle Trek is a walking path where guests can observe a variety of animals, including tigers and exotic birds.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Fantasmic! is a fireworks show similar to the version at Disneyland.

• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! is a 25-minute stunt show that reenacts scenes from the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (closing TBD in 2025 for retheming) is an enclosed Vekoma roller coaster that reaches speeds up to 57 mph. The coaster will be themed to The Muppets when it reopens in 2026.

• Slinky Dog Dash is a Mack Rides family roller coaster in Toy Story Land.

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is an attraction with a trackless dark ride and motion simulator. An identical version is at Disneyland in California.

• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a drop-tower dark ride that opened in 1994.

EPCOT

• The American Adventure is a 30-minute production featuring 35 Audio-Animatronics.

• While not the most thrilling attraction, the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in the Mexico pavilion is a lovely boat ride that typically has a very short wait.

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an enclosed Vekoma coaster custom-built for Walt Disney World. It opened in 2022.

• Journey Into Imagination with Figment is the only dark ride featuring the beloved purple dragon, Figment.

• Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, is a walkthrough attraction that opened in 2023. It features interactive fountains and water exhibits.

• Living with the Land is a relaxing boat ride through sets and greenhouses where real fruit and vegetables are grown. The attraction has a popular festive overlay during the Festival of the Holidays.

• Spaceship Earth is a dark ride enclosed in what many guests refer to as the “golf ball.” The ride features many sets with Audio-Animatronics and tells the story of human communication.

Magic Kingdom

• The Country Bear Jamboree is a stage show featuring Audio-Animatronic bears that perform country versions of Disney songs. The original version (“Country Bear Jamboree”) was an opening-day attraction at Walt Disney World and still operates at Tokyo Disneyland.

• The Hall of Presidents is a 25-minute stage show featuring all of the Presidents of the United States as Audio-Animatronics. Walt Disney had initially wanted an attraction like this for Disneyland, but it was not feasible in the 1950s.

• Happily Ever After is a nighttime spectacular with fireworks and projected scenes on Cinderella’s Castle.

• The Jungle Cruise is a 10-minute river cruise with a punny skipper. You can also find versions of the attraction at Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. The attraction features a holiday overlay called the Jingle Cruise from November to December.

• The PeopleMover is a slow-moving tour of Tomorrowland.

• The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a custom Vekoma family coaster themed to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

• Space Mountain is an enclosed roller coaster located at Disney parks worldwide.

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a log flume ride themed to The Princess and the Frog. The attraction opened in June 2024, replacing Splash Mountain.

• TRON Lightcycle/Run is a launched steel coaster that is a clone of TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disneyland.

• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is a 21-minute stage show that debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and is the longest-running stage show in American theater history.

• The Walt Disney World Railroad is a relaxing train ride around the park.

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