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If you’ve never been to Disney World, the sheer size can be overwhelming and the amount of info that people share makes it even more confusing. Anyone that has been to Disney, knows how much time it requires to get to the park, ride wait times and the general crowds can make things harder to get around. Sometimes, an entire week or more at the parks is not possible, but if you still want to get in a little Disney magic and only have the weekend, there is still plenty to do in a limited amount of time. Read further to learn how you can enjoy Disney World in a weekend.

With a little planning, decision making done beforehand and some strategy, you can put together a Disney World weekend to remember.

Decide On Your Parks

It is important to nail down which parks you want to visit from the start in order to plan out your weekend to the best advantage. When you are purchasing single day tickets, which is the only option open to you unless you choose a park hopper pass, you will need to indicate the parks. This will be reflected in the price of the tickets, but ultimately it is important for strategizing your day.

Narrow Down Rides and Attractions

Once the family has decided on the parks that are going to be attended, download park guides provided by Disney and let everyone take a look. There are a lot of rides, attractions, shows and events that take place in each park, every day. Figure out where everyone overlaps on what they want to see and do and narrow it down to the top five or six items. Remember to mix things up and throw in a show, parade and of course the firework show if you are in a park that offers one. No one wants to be standing in lines exclusively all day, so other activities help fill the day.

Take Advantage of Fast Passes

The fast pass option is available to most guests, and this option requires a little advance planning on your part. As soon as everyone figures out what they want to do, grab fast passes for those rides so that you can cut your wait time by half. When you know the time available to you to check out other attractions, you can plan accordingly. These slots do go fast though, so make sure you mark the date down that you can sign up the family in order to get a few fast pass rides in.

Split Up

Not every family can split up, and some don’t want to, but if everyone is okay with doing different things, or adamant about it, take the opportunity to split up. This doesn’t mean that everyone has to be split up for the entire day, but you can always meet up halfway through the day and do the attractions that everyone agreed on together.

Dine Once a Day

The dining experiences at Disney are legendary, and sometimes they might be the only way to get in some quality character time. In order to keep the momentum going and cover as much area of the park as possible, dine only once a day and rely on quick meals and snacks from the many buy and go options around the park. Book early to ensure that you have a guaranteed character meal on the days that you are visiting, because like the fast pass, these slots fill up within minutes of opening.

Get a Little Lost

Like any other vacation destination, sometimes the favorite sites, events and attractions can be found when you ditch the map and get lost. So many favorite Disney World stories occur when a family just happened upon something and the kids were thrilled by the experience. Don’t be so caught up in your schedule or timetable to enjoy everything that is going on around you.