How Disney World Parks Work
Updated 9/1/2022
Understanding how Disney World Parks work is the first battle in planning your trip.
Disney World has 4 parks
There are also 2 water parks: Blizzard Beach (currently closed) and Typhoon Lagoon . We are just sticking with the basic information on the 4 traditional theme parks.
We recommend figuring out which park or parks you plan on spending the most time at so that you can pick a resort that makes more sense for your plans. Getting from point A to point B at Disney World can take some time and you don’t want to waste precious park minutes on your way to the magic if you don’t have to!
Should I visit all four parks?
Each of the parks has different theming and a completely different feel. Some parks have more thrill rides than others which may appeal to you. Alternatively, some parks have more entertainment or dining options.
While all of the parks have something for everyone, families with young children tend to spend more time at Magic Kingdom. That’s not to say that the other 3 parks don’t have anything for the little kiddos, but if you are pressed for time and spending a couple of days at Magic Kingdom better suits your needs, do that.
Epcot, may be more of a draw for adults travelling without children or with older children. Do what works for you! The main take away here is that you should spend some time looking at what each park has to offer. You don’t have to go to all four parks just for the sake of checking it off your list. Plan the trip that works for your travelling party.
Why do I need to decide which parks I want to visit first?
If you know which parks you will be visiting the most, the resort hotel options will be much easier to weed through. Some people visit all of the parks and some don’t. You may decide that you will want to spend more than one day or evening in a certain park. Picking which parks work for you and yours allows you to target a resort that best enables that. Again, it’s a big world, people. Especially if this is your first visit, try to pick a resort that is located either near to, or with the best transportation options to, the parks that you will be spending the most time in.
Those with younger kids will have different considerations than adults travelling with older children or no children. You can often go from dawn to way, way past dusk in the parks on any given day. That doesn’t mean that you should. For instance, your group may need to take a middle of the day pool break to rest and recharge. You don’t want to waste precious vacation time trying to go back and forth to the resort farthest away from the parks you will be spending time in. Pick the parks, then pick the resort. Think about what would make most of your traveling party happy and work around that.
Take a look at the parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Once you understand how each Disney Park works, you are well on your way to picking a resort.
Disney World is rapidly changing. For one of the best updated lists for attraction closures or temporary closures due to refurbishments, check out AllEars.net.