Once you leave the tunnel it's time to get down to brass tacks (sort of speaking) before getting too caught up in all the pomp and circumstance that lies on the other side. Like for instance, I entered right in the middle of the parade and I was not going to miss that for the world because at one point in time I was part of it while a member of my Miami Beach Senior High School Band back in the late 1970's. I am not sure if they still allow this but that is an experience that I will never forget especially since we were privileged to enter the otherwise off limits area of the park. We were not allowed, however, to take any photographs; especially of a headless (costume-wise) Donald Duck. Smile! After the parade, it was back to the matter at hand; my strategy, but not before getting stuck in the meet-and-greet line for Mr. "A who, who" Goofy. Hint -- This is a must do if you have little ones with you because they will never let you forget if you bypass this photo opportunity.
I suggest finding a shaded spot to sit to go over your park visit strategy. Their maps have been conveniently configured to unfold so that you can view the entire 107-acre park with a numbered key to the sites to the right. The legend at the bottom helps you quickly locate all of the features and essentials the park has to offer to include restrooms, first aid, ATM's, and even Automated External Defibrillators. I typically circle all the sites that I want to visit in legend to the right and then locate and circle them on the map to the left.
If you are not an expert -- like me -- at knowing which sites are the most popular, just locate the ones that are annotated with the new FP+ (Fast Pass) designation to the right of the ride/attraction name in the legend to the right. If you have a multi-day pass do not worry about getting to all of your choices in one day. Those of you that have just one day should number your choices based on which ones you want to visit first, second, and so on and so forth.
Now that you have circled all of the rides/attractions you plan to visit, locate the ones labeled FP+ and note their location on the site map to the right. Disney has added a great new feature that allows you to bypass the main standby entrance to the most popular rides/attractions. They have stations throughout the park where you can go to register for that option; however, they require you to wait in a line that can be quite busy.
I will clue you in on a secret that I learned from one of their
park associates and further map inspection in part two of this article next
month in January of 2016. The FP+ option allows you to
select three of the most popular rides/attractions at no additional cost. This
option can save you as much as an hour's wait time which will greatly enhance
your Disney experience by allowing you to do more in the same period of
time. It comes in handy especially if you are on a one day visit.