Your Disney World Must-do List

The size of the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando is staggering, and an attempt to take in every single attraction, show, restaurant, and other tidbit is not only intimidating, but a plan destined to fail. There's simply too much for even a three-week excursion.

So let's narrow down the list. If it's your first time to Walt Disney World, here are the 10 things you simply must do to get the real Disney World experience while actually managing to enjoy yourself.

Disney World Must Do #1: Take time to look for the little things
There are enough eye-popping attractions and larger-than-life details to rival Las Vegas as the most visually overwhelming man-made attraction in the world. But the real magic at Disney World is in the little things - like the paw prints and heart crudely carved into the cement outside of the "Lady and the Tramp" themed restaurant on Main Street (Tony's Town Square), the penny video machines and one-machine band in the train station, and the hilarious voice-overs on the much overlooked Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Imagineers put a lot of work into these little in-jokes and magical details. Don't miss them.

Disney World Must Do #2: Ride the mountains
Even if you're typically a thrill ride chicken, your Disney World vacation is the time to test whether you're making too much of nothing. Disney's mountain range - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and the spectacular and newly-opened Expedition: Everest - are its crown jewels. All four coasters are very different and brilliantly themed.

Splash Mountain is a log flume ride through Brer Rabbit's forest, and it is full of fun animatronics, catchy songs, and little thrills. It's my top ride at the Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain is a fast-paced ride full of tight curves and short drops. What makes it unique? It's in a pitch-black dome with constantly-changing star constellations projected high above. If you're a super chicken, don't sit in the front seat. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a runaway train-style coaster through a cursed mining town. Of the four mountains, it's the mildest. you might want to hit it first.