3. Visit the parks with a first-timer (and let them make the plans)

Disney fans tend to be planners by nature. A trip to Walt Disney World is really just one step removed from a military operation – there are dining reservations, FastPass+ reservations, touring plans, park maps, shuttles, trains, buses, etc. And so, if you're looking for a way to spice up a Disney trip, turn that plan-making over to someone else – preferably a first-timer.

Now, you shouldn't necessarily let them just plan everything – after all, there are always a few tricks of the trade that make a Disney trip more relaxing – but letting someone who's not as well-versed in the Walt Disney World ethos can create something that's at a premium these days at Disney: Surprise.

Because they don't know as much about touring Walt Disney World as you, their plan likely won't follow the same rhythms as the plan you're used to. While that may be jarring at first, if you can learn to embrace the change, the new perspective of Disney is really refreshing.

With someone else leading the way, you'll be able to sit back and take the parks in. You'll notice things you've never noticed before, and you'll get to see someone experiencing all that magic for the first time – and the wonder they feel is definitely infectious. Their enthusiasm will cause you to see the park through their eyes, which in this case, means as though it were your first time too.

4. Spend a full day in what you'd normally think of as a half-day park

All four of Disney's theme parks, with the right mindset, have enough activities in them to take up a full day. The “half-day park” badge of shame is really just a euphemism Disney fans use when they really mean, “I just don't like that park.” It's perfectly fine not to like a park – I, personally, am not the biggest fan of Disney's Hollywood Studios – but, if you're trying to recreate the experience of seeing these parks for the first time, it's important to give them a fair shake.

And, that means giving them a full day's worth of your time. You might be surprised at what you find you like about a park when you give it a full day. There are so many subtle details in Disney's parks, and they're easy to miss when you're rushing through them to get to the next big E-Ticket attraction. Slowing down and taking time to study the way the themed lands flow into one another, or even just enjoying the company of the people you're with can make a place you've visited a dozen times seem brand new.

Ultimately, if you want to experience Walt Disney World and have it feel like the first-time, the most important thing to remember is to slow down. The more familiar you become with the Vacation Kingdom, the easier it is to take its magic for granted as you race through it from attraction to attraction. Slowing down helps resist that temptation and gives the whole vacation a far more relaxing vibe. And, well, aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing?