Greetings, Tabitha! Thank you so much for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel for help with your upcoming vacation! A summer vacation at Walt Disney World Resort is one of my favorite memories from growing up! I distinctly remember the layout of “old” Fantasyland with its Skybuckets and Dumbo, the flying elephant ride.
If you have small kids, you’ll want to make sure you have lined up your
FastPass+ reservations as soon as possible for popular rides like
Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story Mania and Magician Mickey (he'll talk to you!). There are a few rides with consistently short lines such as Journey Into Imagination with Figment and the Mad Tea Party. Other rides have play areas to entertain kids through about 80% of the queue like Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. If your kids are up early like mine are, morning Extra Magic Hours are the perfect way to get more done with less of a crowd! You can check those times on the Walt Disney World Resort website. The mobile
My Disney Experience App can tell you attraction wait times in real time, so be sure to download the free app to your smartphone.
As far as crowds, I religiously visit Undercover Tourist’s website for their crowd calendar. They have an uncanny knack for being able to estimate crowds and tell you which parks are the best to visit on any given day. The late mornings and early afternoons tend to be the heaviest in volume, so be sure to snag lunch and a nap at your resort before heading back out to the parades and nighttime spectaculars. I have two small kids myself, so please be sure to visit me again and ask another question. Have a magical vacation! ~ Lindsey P.