As a First Time Visitor what shows or parades are a Must See?

[CynBeth]

The holiday storytellers at Epcot.

 

[emgilmartin]

Hi friends!

My family and I are going to be in Disney World the week after Thanksgiving. As this is our first trip our main focus will be on rides but I wanted to know if there are any parades or shows we need to see. Or any other activities that we must do in order to miss out on anything great. I know it's all great, but I also know we can't fit everything in one 6 day trip.

To help out I'll let you know we have a toddler and a tween, both boys. So princess are not must see item. But they do love anything Pixar or Disney Animation related.

Thanks in advanced!
MW

Animal Kingdom: Festival of the Lion King

Magic Kingdom: Happily Ever After on Main Street so you can see the projections.

Hollywood Studios: Indiana Jones stunt show and Fantasmic

Epcot: My boys always loved the Japanese. Drummers. Even when they were little.

 

[Huff]

The Frozen Sing Along show in DHS is a must-see in my opinion.

Disney tried to make the show appeal to a larger audience than young girls. For us they failed miserably. It was just plain awful. I felt the writers of the show must have been novices. Just didn't flow, jokes were poor etc. This was in 2016. I do not know if its been revamped since then. I sure hope so.

 

[OscartheSnail]

This is very similar approach that I plan to take. Thank you for your valued perspective!

 

[Delirium]

You are going during a very bust week (we will be there as well). Because of that, I encourage you to do as many shows as possible, even if you are unsure whether you will like it or not. You may be surprised on what shows end up being your family's favorite. And, it's much easier to see the shows than it is to ride things during busy times. I highly recommend focusing on shows during the middle of the day.

By all means, get all of the rides in that you want to do, at least once. That said, after the rides are done, seeing a show for the first time is a better use of your time than waiting 45-60 minutes for a 2nd or 3rd ride on the majority of attractions (the truly top rides , the ones worth an extra ride, will be even longer than that).

 

[gharter]

There are too many things to list.
the obvious ones are HEA at MK, Fantasmic at HS, Illuminations at EPCOT. RoL at AK is ok.
MK - 7DMT, HM, PoTC, JC are our must does.
EPCOT - Soarin, Test Track, Frozen Ever After, plus the 3 movies in World Show case
HS - love Toy Story Land, SDD, TSM, RnRC, ToT
AK - FoP, Navi, EE, Safari, Festival of the Lion King, Nemo

 

[BeerMe]

I like to watch the drunks stumble around in World Showcase especially during F&W.

 

[SeeDisney]

Fireworks at MK is a must! Don't miss it....Jingle bam fireworks and Fastasmic at DHS are fantastic! Laugh Factory at MK. Pandora and Flight of Passage is a must! Lion King and Finding NEmo at ANimal Kingdom is a must!

 

[tinkerjo]

If your tween is a Star Wars fan, the Jedi training academy!!! Festival of the lion king and Nemo are both great and give you a chance to sit for a little bit. My boys also love the Indiana Jones show. You never know what unexpected side show will pop up. One of my kids favorites was when a bunch of green army men marched out and did “boot camp” just go with an open mind and know you will never hit everything (not even close) the mistakes I see my first time friends make is that they try and cram too much in and make themselves miserable. Enjoy it and take the time to smell the roses

 

[goofyintoronto]

MK fireworks (happily ever after)
Festival of Fantasy parade at MK (2pm)
Festival of Lion King show at AK (various times)

 

[kaetra]

First timers the only absolute must see is Happily Ever After. Everything else is gravy.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Hoop-Dee-Doo for sure. Though it's a dinner, the show part is incredible.

 

[fbarker]

Its always brings a smile to my face when someone asks a queston like the OP. By the time you have a page of responses almost every activity at WDW is mentioned. The bottom line is that there are so many great things to see, and of course like any entertainment they all have a personal preference. My suggestion would be to do your research and then pick the ones you think you and your family might like. I am sure you will not be wrong!!

 

[OB1]

I would have to vote again for Festival of the Lion King. GREAT SHOW
Frozen Ever After at DHS is so funny. We don't have kids, but it is a blast, and very entertaining
Also think the family will enjoy the story tellers in EPCOT. Canada, UK, France, Italy are so good. Norway is good also.

While the MK show seems a slam dunk, the Christmas shows at DHS look fun. We are going in 2 weeks and very much looking forward to Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam and the projections on Tower of Terror. Totally miss the Osborne Lights, but these look fun.