So – you’re headed to Walt Disney World For the FIRST TIME – you’re excited, and can’t wait to do it ALL. Then you start doing some research, and you realize….doing it ALL might take a bit longer than you thought…so…what now? You want to be realistic and don’t want to overplan or overpack your days full of stuff, but you also want to make sure you’re getting a true “Disney World experience”. Well, fear not! I’ve got the perfect thing for you, a list of Top 5 Disney World First Timer “Must Do’s”

Hug A Mouse: No matter your age, or if you’re traveling with or without little ones, you should definitely make sure you meet up with some characters while you’re at Walt Disney World. The excitement of standing in line and getting closer and closer to your favorite character – and then the thrill of getting to greet them, give them a hug, get an autograph, and take a selfie – it’s something that’s fun for everyone, and with the Official Disney World App, you will be able to figure out wait times and plan accordingly

A Character Meal: Not only is it fun meeting characters, but you can take it even further and DINE with them, too! Character meals are a staple of a great WDW experience – and if you’ve never been to one – here’s how they work. You sit down to eat, and during your meal, the characters (usually 4 of them or so) circulate the dining room and stop at your table for autographs, hugs, and photo ops. It’s the perfect way to get to meet multiple characters in one place, and to enjoy some amazing Disney food at the same time! There are plenty to choose from – check out the list here

Stay For The Fireworks: After a long day at the Parks, you probably just want to head back to your WDW Resort for dinner and bed – and while I fully support that plan, I do recommend you stay in the Park for the nightly fireworks at least once during your vacation. Why? Well – these aren’t your typical little 4th of July fireworks – they are MUCH more spectacular! While each Park has their own nightly show, I personally prefer Magic Kingdom’s Wishes – the lights, fireworks, music – it’s a great experience that is worth staying up late for

Ride The “Classics”: This year the Magic Kingdom is celebrating its 45th anniversary, and while a lot has changed since that day back in October of 1971, there are some rides that have stood the test of time – operating since opening day, and still thriving. Jungle Cruise, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan’s Flight, The Haunted Mansion, And the Hall of Presidents (just to name a few!). I highly recommend you check these out – these are the cornerstones of Disney World – the rides that Walt himself helped plan and create – which makes them pretty unique!

Try Some New Eats: One of the things that WDW is known for is it’s AMAZING food – this is no standard theme park when it comes to dining – they have well over 100 different places to eat – and serve everything – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and EVERYTHING in between. They have a variety of styles of cuisine too – American, seafood, Chinese, Moroccan, German – basically anything you can think of, they have it. And not only that, but they are well versed in dealing with dietary restrictions and allergies, so if there is something you can’t eat, they will work with you to ensure your needs are met

There are a LOT of things to do at Walt Disney World – and the impulse on your first trip will be to do it ALL – but I know (from experience!) that you will be much happier and have a lot more fun if you take it slow and really savor the experience – and utilize my tips, of course!