I interviewed four passionate Disney Adults about the Disney World experiences they never skip—from hidden animal encounters to resort breaks and Broadway-caliber shows.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is massive. Spanning nearly 27,000 acres, it’s home to four theme parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, dozens of resort hotels, and countless experiences beyond the rides. With so much to see, even frequent visitors can miss some of the resort’s best offerings.

To find out what’s truly worth prioritizing, I spoke with four passionate Disney Adults, people who know Walt Disney World inside and out. While I expected them to recommend the biggest rides, their answers were much more surprising.

What Disney Adults Say You Shouldn’t Skip at Disney World

After speaking with four self-proclaimed Disney Adults, one thing became clear: the best Disney World experiences aren’t always the ones with the longest wait times. While blockbuster attractions certainly made the list, these longtime fans encouraged visitors to slow down and make time for experiences that many guests overlook.

According to them, these are the Disney World experiences everyone should try at least once:

• Watch Festival of the Lion King or another Broadway-style Disney show. These live productions are among the highest-quality entertainment at Walt Disney World, yet many guests skip them in favor of rides.
• Take advantage of Park Hopper by building in a midday resort break. Instead of pushing through from rope drop to park close, recharge with a swim or nap before heading to a second park for the evening.
• Experience Animal Kingdom beyond the rides. From backstage animal tours to simply taking time to explore the park’s wildlife trails, there’s much more to discover than many first-time visitors realize.
• Ride Avatar Flight of Passage. Two of the Disney Adults I interviewed independently named it the best attraction at Walt Disney World, praising its storytelling and immersive technology.
• Slow down and soak in the atmosphere. Whether it’s stopping to watch live entertainment, admiring the details of each land, or lingering after the fireworks, the moments between attractions are often the ones that become the most memorable.

Read on to see why each of these experiences made their list—and why these Disney Adults believe they’re essential for anyone visiting Walt Disney World.

What is a Disney Adult?

The general definition of a Disney Adult is an adult who is a highly devoted fan of Disney Parks and the Disney brand overall, and who frequently visits the parks. But if you ask one, they’ll tell you it’s much more than that: it’s a state of being.

Photo Courtesy of Terri Peters

Terri Peters isn’t a particular fan of the term. “Who cares if someone is an adult who likes to go to Disney?” In my conversations, three of the four Disney Adults I chatted with agree on one thing: being a Disney Adult is all about letting your inner child live and thrive. 

“A true Disney adult is in tune with their inner child,” Alex Ford says fondly. “It keeps us young, it keeps us excited about life, it keeps us hopeful.”

Being a Disney Adult is an Escape

As Mitti Hicks put it, it’s a departure from life’s daily responsibilities and stressors, creating a brief time of pure ecstasy and aloofness not always afforded. Hicks also says the Disney experience reignites the magic of imagination and dreams. 

Photo Courtesy of Mitti Hicks

“I think being a Disney Adult takes you back to your roots of being in a place where you just imagine, and you dream, and you literally can believe that you can do anything you put your mind to,” she notes.

Photo Courtesy of Christal Jordan

Christal Jordan, a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, says being a Disney Adult has allowed her to tap into the idea of a princess’s happily ever after. “I believe that the little girl inside of me deserves to indulge in the things that she wanted, from finding love to really finding herself, and then respecting everything around you,” she suggests, adding, “Disney celebrates all of that.”

The Best Disney Experiences Aren’t What You’d Think

All four Disney Adults have experienced Disney parks on various levels: alone, with family, with friends, with romantic partners, for work, and everything in between. Because their experiences are so vast, narrowing down the best things to do at the parks, especially Disney World, was difficult. 

Hicks says many people, even fellow Disney Adults, aren’t aware of what their tickets actually afford them. “There are so many special experiences. So many people aren’t going to the Festival of the Lion King or the Disney Broadway-style shows,” she says. “A lot of times, people think about attractions and food, and then they forget about fireworks and all of the other happenings around the park.”

Park Hopping is an Underrated Perk

Peters is a huge fan of hitting one park early, having early access courtesy of staying at a Disney World resort hotel. From there, she says there’s a hack that allows her to see more than one park in a day. “After lunch, I like to head back to the resort and hop in the pool, then take a quick nap in the air conditioning, then shower and get ready to go back to another park. Hitting a new park when you’re refreshed and well rested is the best. I rarely burn it down all day, park open to park close,” she says, suggesting others invest in the park-hopper option and follow her model.

Believe it or Not, Animals are a Major Attraction

For both Ford and Jordan, who needs a local zoo when there’s a safari a tDisney World? In Animal Kingdom, there’s a backstage tour where patrons can be up close in person with the animals, resembling something out of Africa.

Photo Courtesy of Alex Ford

“There is every animal that you can, but it’s easy to miss because the experience is ducked off to the side. I’d gone to [Disney World] over a dozen times before I even realized it was an option,” Ford recalls. “The animals are breathtaking. It’s an unbelievable experience.”

Jordan agrees. As an avid horse rider, it was something she wasn’t expecting to see or experience at a Disney World park. “Disney does a great job of actually preserving the natural habitat and making sure the animals are in environments that feel very authentic to their natural habitat,” Jordan says. “I love that, and it’s a learning opportunity in that experience.”

The icing on the cake for Ford and Jordan is the Avatar Flight of Passage ride. “It’s the best ride in all of the parks,” Ford promises. 

The biggest takeaway from all four conversations wasn’t that Disney World is about checking off the biggest rides. Instead, each Disney Adult emphasized slowing down enough to notice the experiences many visitors rush past, whether that’s watching Festival of the Lion King, spending an afternoon exploring Animal Kingdom’s wildlife, taking a midday resort break, or simply embracing the childlike wonder that keeps bringing them back year after year.