If you are heading to Walt Disney World for the first time, you might feel a bit overwhelmed about how to navigate through these amazing theme parks. To make you journey a bit more magical, the team at our Orlando mansion rental agency has compile a few helpful tips, including the following.

1. Stick With Just One Or Two Parks

Even if you will be spending an entire week in Orlando, it can be smart to just stick with only one or two of the theme parks within Walt Disney World. Many people are surprised to learn that Walt Disney World includes six different parks – the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and two waterparks, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach.

If you are staying at one at one of our Orlando mansion rental homes, we recommend skipping the two water parks. All three of our mansions include lavish swimming pools with a waterslide and you won't have to share them with hundreds of guests. Our Sweet Escape property, for instance, includes a pool with a water slide and a small splash park, as well, so we highly recommend that you save your budget for Disney's other amazing offerings.

The Magic Kingdom is what most people are referring to when they say, ”Disneyworld,"and this includes all of the popular rides such as Splash Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and so forth. Epcot includes two main areas, known as Future World and the World Showcase. Future World includes attractions related to technology and science, while World Showcase is meant to be an example of a World's Fair and includes cultural experiences (and food) from 11 countries, including Mexico, Japan, France, China and more.

Disney's Hollywood Studios, includes a wide variety of rides and attractions, including thrill rides. This park is divided into several different themed areas, several of which are based on famous areas of Los Angeles, including Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. Disney's Animal Kingdom is a zoo, but so much more. You'll encounter hundreds of species from around the planet as well as a dinosaur-themed area, an Avatar-themed area, thrill rides and much more.

Take a look at all four of the theme parks, and we recommend that you stick with just two of them, so that you don't become exhausted and feel more like you are rushing through the parks, rather than truly experiencing the "magic"of these attractions. If you are making a week-long visit, you might spend a few days at the Magic Kingdom and one day at another park. You can spend the rest of the time at your Orlando mansion rental which includes dozens of amazing amenities, including mini golf, playgrounds, arcades, home theaters and much, much more.

2. Study Up Before You Go

While people flock to Orlando throughout the year, summer is the busiest time of year at most Walt Disney World parks. If you can plan a visit, from mid-September to about mid-November, you will enjoy fewer crowds. Midweek, throughout the year, also tends to be less crowded than weekends, Fridays and Mondays. There are quite a few helpful websites out there that describe the typical crowds you can expect during every day of the year, and it can be wise to study these before booking your trip. Another advantage of planning your visit during off-peak times is that you can also enjoy lower rates for your Orlando mansion rental.

3. Discover The FastPass+ & the My Disney Experience App

For the uninitiated, a FastPass+ allows Magic Kingdom guests faster access to popular rides, provided that they ride these attractions during a set time. FastPasses are free and available for many of the park's top rides. For instance, if you get a FastPass+ for a ride such as Splash Mountain, it might state that your FastPass+ will be good for 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. So, head to this ride within that hour, and you can bypass the regular line and head straight to the FastPass line, which is almost always much shorter.

Best of all, if you've pre-paid for you admission tickets (which many people do, it's just easier), you can reserve up to 3 FastPasses in advance of your trip. In fact, you can reserve these passes up to 30 days prior to your park visit. To make FastPass+ management easier, be sure to everyone in your party download the park's mobile app. In addition to helping you manage the FastPass+, this app includes a detailed map of the park, provides wait times for attractions and shows, allows you make dinner reservations, browse menus, find character greeting times and so much more. Of course, when it comes to meals, your Orlando mansion rental includes a full gourmet kitchen, so you can save some money and enjoy breakfast and dinner back at your luxurious mansion.

4. Come Early & Create A Plan

Armed with an assortment of FastPasses, the mobile app, sunscreen and comfortable shoes, another way to maximize your enjoyment of any of the parks, is to arrive before the park opens. Most guests really don't arrive until about 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., so if you get there early, you can enjoy as much as an hour or more of quality time with short wait times on many of the most popular rides. So, if you have FastPasses for three rides, pick an additional ride or two you would love to enjoy that's not on your FastPass list.

We highly recommend planning out your day as much as possible, particularly if you only have one day at any given park. Study the park map and study up on the typical wait times for various rides. Again, there are many websites and blogs dedicate to all that Walt Disney World has to offer, and they can tell which rides have the longest wait times as well as rides that rarely have long lines. Be sure to dedicate some time to just walking around and taking in the sites. Each park is adventure unto itself, and there's much more to do and see than simply rushing from thrill ride to thrill ride. There are fantastic shows and exhibits and architecture that are highly enjoyable.

If you are searching for the best accommodations near Walt Disney World, our Orlando mansion rental properties are perfect for families traveling together. Each mansion is stocked with dozens of spectacular amenities and provides enough space for 40+ guests to relax and truly enjoy their Orlando vacation. Our main website includes links to each of our three Orlando mansion rentals. Once you've taken a look at these special properties, you might even decide to bypass Walt Disney World entirely and just enjoy a few special days at our rental properties.

Click Here To Read More About
The Great Escape Lakeside

Click Here To Read More
About The Sweet Escape

Click Here To Read More
About The Ever After Estate

.... that The Sweet Escape was called "..more fun than Disney" by Travel & Leisure Magazine, The Ever After Estate was featured on HGTV's "Most Outrageous Homes In America," and The Great Escape Lakeside even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records?!!