Which park to skip?

[wilbret]

This was exactly our plan for our last trip! We went in Feb as well and had 4 days in the parks, 2 also being MK. We did HS and AK and skipped Epcot. My kids were 6 and 8 and I didn't think they would enjoy Epcot.

Next time we would probably skip AK and probably still Epcot again. We loved the shows at AK (Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo were great!) but the rides were just ok for us (not a big fan of the Pandora stuff). We personally LOVED Hollywood Studios but I have a son who loves Star Wars I think with Toy Story Land now open Hollywood Studios is worth a visit.

We have a 6,8, and 10 year old and they have been begging to go back to Epcot. We've skipped it now for a couple years. They want to do Test Track most of all, and we barely spent any time at the front of the park... we spent so much time in showcase, which I think they could have done without.

 

[stephmarty]

We’d skip Epcot. HS may not have a lot, but ToT, RnR and TSM are three of the best rides in all of WDW. My teenagers would agree. There’s enough there to make a day of it.

 

[Keckster]

We just returned on Oct. 11-16 stay and we visited all 4 parks. I have two girls, ages 13 and 11, both like animals very much. Our order of favorites: 1) Animal Kingdom; 2) Magic Kingdom; 3) Hollywood Studios; 4) Epcot. We only went to 1 park per day in AK, HS, MK+Halloween Party, EP order. EP has less "thrill" factor and other than Toy Story Land in HS, is more geared toward older kids. We had fun at all of the parks though just in different ways. Kids found no joy in World Showcase at Epcot (except Norway).

 

[Professor_Cookie]

Put me down as one for “don’t skip a park.”

 

[MomOTwins]

With a shorter trip, the odds of getting Slinky FP are next to nothing. I don't love the shows at DHS, so for us, it would be Star Tours, Tower of Terror, one non-slinky Toy Story ride, and Fantasmic. Just not a full day's worth of activities to justify it. Every other park has far more rides, and rides aside, I could spend all day just soaking in the ambiance, which I feel is lacking at DHS.

 

[studiojmm]

Depends on your style and how much you like Star Wars. We'd skip DHS.

ANIMAL KINGDOM with a TWEEN
Animal Kingdom is low key compared to the other parks. There are lots of places to tuck away from the crowds. I get the impression that pre Pandora a lot of visitors spent half a day doing the ride headliners here, but we happily spend all day without doing most of them.

My daughter isn't a huge thrill rides fan (MK coasters are an exception, she loves those). AK is a favorite even though she won't ride Everest (ever again because of the backwards in the dark part), Kali (won't get wet), or Dinosaur (turned off by theming). You might be wondering how we spend our time then (besides FOP standby).

My daughter (almost 10 on last visit) LOVED both the Lion King show and Finding Nemo, both unique and creative. Nemo is a retelling of the movie but worth it for the puppetry. Lion King is really acrobatics/dance/performance inspired by the Lion King, not a retelling (she wants to see that one again). There are a number of smaller performances.

We both really enjoyed all the animal exhibits and trails - many of them are on the repeat list. The CMs are great about educational content on that and they will chat with an interested child to their hearts content. She completed her entire Wilderness Explorers badge booklet, but it took us too trips to do so (one pre-Pandora so she has extra badges/pages that got retired in the interim, which she thinks is cool). We aren't crushed about loosing Raffiki Planet Watch, though it that was kind of neat as an offering, she was kind of ooked out by the live veterinary surgery part.

The Tree of Life is a top priority for our next visit. We caught about one story cycle the last time we were there and there are several. She wants to watch a couple next time. And she LOVED Rivers of Light.

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
If it weren't for Toy Story Land, a movie series my daughter is very attached to, we wouldn't be going back. This is colored by my daughters' huge dislike of Star Wars (I have lots of fond memories of Star Wars from childhood and quite enjoy the storm troopers, but really don't care much about missing this otherwise.) If your children are Star Wars fans, that totally changes the calculation.

We may be (ok, most definitely) in the minority here but we were completely unimpressed by the Beauty and the Beast show on our first visit. Watching that was why my husband skipped Frozen Ever After (oops, that was a mistake) and watched Jedi Training (which he thought was like a weird infomercial - but he's pretty jaded). We LOVED the Frozen show and watched it again on a subsequent trip. I think my daughter - not actually a huge Frozen fan, or just really tired of Let it Go - would go to DHS just for this because it's pretty funny.

We haven't seen the Indiana Jones stunt show and might next time around, but it's not a huge priority for us.

So without the Star Wars stuff or Tower of Terror (nope, she won't ride that), Rockin' Roller Coaster (hated it, I didn't love that one either and I like coasters), or BB, we're looking at Toy Story Land and Frozen Ever After and she's excited about eating at the 50s themed restaurant next time we go.

EPCOT
My tween LOVES LOVES LOVES EPCOT.

She loves Test Track, Soarin, and several other Future World attractions. She's got enough nostalgia for Nemo that the Seas Pavilion and Crush will always hold appeal and it's a neat aquarium. She could spend forever in the pavilions exploring every interactive element.

And she ADORES World Showcase. She likes exploring the different country pavilions and shops. She doesn't care about that Frozen ride (I got her to go once, but we probably won't ever do it again) but loves the various country movies and the street performers. There are a lot of character meets in Epcot, but we've only done Mulan in the China Pavilion.

BTW - I actually like thrill rides but I don't NEED them and really like that we don't have to rush around the parks to hit all the headliners, so her dislike suits me just fine.

SO RECOMMENDATION
We knew my daughter wasn't going to be a big coasters fan before we went the first time (this has actually gotten stronger as she ages). Have you guys done other theme parks? Are the kids involved in planning? Our first trip we got a kids guide to WDW and she read that and tagged her priorities.

Sorry this got crazy long, I started typing and it just all spilled out.

 

[Delirium]

If your kids like thrill rides, you can't skip HS. Tower of Terror and RNR are two of thE best in all of Disney.

 

[jarestel]

When traveling with our younger grandchildren, we tend to skip Epcot. Everyone is different, but our experience is that Epcot tends to thrill the adults and bore the youngsters.

 

[leahlefler]

It is so hard to decide which park to skip! My gut would be DHS since it isn't really a "full day" park. My younger son's favorite rides are there (Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster), though, so it would be a tough one to skip for him. I suppose you'd have to take your kids' individual tastes into account. My older son's favorite is EPCOT (Test Track), I love Pandora at AK, and going to the MK is a must for us, too.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We’d skip Epcot. HS may not have a lot, but ToT, RnR and TSM are three of the best rides in all of WDW. My teenagers would agree. There’s enough there to make a day of it.

We usually do at least 2 days at DHS and this is even before TSL. My kids love ToT, RnRC and TSM. I love just watching the citizens do their little impromptu shows.

 

[sandy77d]

We skipped HS last trip but plan to skip Epcot on our next trip (and I have two 13 year old daughters). Our last trip was during the Flower & Garden festival at Epcot so we wanted to see that and it was just before Toy Story land opened in HS, so we did not want to go to Toy Story Land. We are doing another short trip in December and decided to skip Epcot on this trip. We would never skip Magic Kingdom and we all love Animal Kingdom, especially now that Pandora has been added. I think FOP is worth the long wait even if you can't get a Fast Pass.

 

[KSR0330]

I agree to get hoppers and go to them all!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

With a shorter trip, the odds of getting Slinky FP are next to nothing.

I disagree. Getting a FP on the first try, yes, that is tough, but keep checking. I just got back from a tree day trip and got a FP for it about two weeks after my window opened. Just keep checking back.

I would suggest checking with the kids about which rides they really want, and base the choice on that. My teen loves DHS more than EPCOT...RNR and ToT and Slinky are her faves there where at EPCOT Test Track is pretty much all she really cares if she had to miss (she enjoys Soarin and Mission Space, but has done them enough she is fine if she had to miss). AK is all about FOP and Everest. Lucky for her, RNR, Test Track and Everest have single rider lines allowing her to focus fast passes on the rides with the longest standby waits without a Single rider line.

We would not skip AK, it is the one we plan a full day at without fail. This last Monday we got there at 10, grabbed lunch in Pandora, rode Everest three times, then Dinosaur on a Fast pass, did Navi River standby (was surprisingly only an hour) Plight on a Fast pass, then Everest 6 more times (she loves that ride) and Rivers of Light, then back to see Pandora after dark. HS and EPCOT were mornings on Sunday and Tuesday, MNSSHP those evenings.

 

[QueenElinor]

DHS would be our park to skip. You could do it in half a day, but I can't think of another park that I'd also do a half-day in. But it depends on the kids, I would look at each park closely, maybe watch some videos of each park to see the new stuff and refresh your memory. My kids always loved EPCOT, but they have always museum-lovers and science types.

I would not get a park-hopper on a short stay. Get the most out of the three parks you do visit, and let the other one go. There's too much time wasted traveling around with a park-hopper, IMHO, valuable time you need on a short stay.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I'd think twice before skipping any park, but these days, I'd skip Epcot if I had to skip one. As it is, we are planning to only do an evening there on our next trip. It's a nice park, but if I have to trim the fat somewhere, it's coming from Epcot.

It's funny how, once upon a time, the no-brainer answer to this question was AK.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I’m usually not big on park hopping ( just my touring style) but in this case, I think I would get hoppers and try to do AK and HS half day each. I don’t really feel either one is a full day park, but they both have new lands, so I’d want to try to get FP for the new rides. If you take advantage of EMH and stuff, you could still get 2 full days in MK and a full day in Epcot and still hit the highlights of the other 2 parks.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I think that question can only be answered based on what kinds of things you and your kids like. This is my super quick overview of the high points and low points of each park:


· MK:

· The classic Disney park. You have to go to the MK and you should probably go there first to kick off the trip…we always do.

· Several roller coasters [all though none go upside down]; moderate level rides and also super simple easy rides that everyone likes

· Many traditional and newer Disney characters and themed rides

· Alcohol only available at dinner in certain restaurants

· A few shows in front of the castle

· Amazing fireworks each night…great parades too

· Epcot

· Really big! Lots of walking. Not tons of rides, however Test Track and Soaring are fabulous rides. No roller coaster

· Great food and adult beverages in the World Showcase section

· Soarin is one of the best rides in the world….truly! and it is for almost everyone…..great ride but not a thrill ride and I am a thrill ride junkie

· I would do a nice dinner at one of the World Showcase countries and have snacks in that section of the park possibly even lunch at a quick service in one of the countries.

· Alcohol available easily…my hubby likes a beer throughout the day while on vacation … lol

· Some shows may be going on

· A foreworks show each night…not my favorite one. We usually skip it. I raeslly don’t like it! Lol! No parades

· HWS

· Smaller park. Star Wars themes characters and things to see. One great roller coaster that goes upside down and one great thrill ride, Tower of Terror.

· Some Disney Jr characters and also classic Disney characters

· Brand new wonderfully themed Toy Story land

· My suggestion for dining is just to do their quick service options

· Alcohol available easily…my hubby likes a beer throughout the day while on vacation … lol

· Beauty and Beast show and Ariel and a Star Wars themed fireworks show on some days and also a show called Fantasmic which is boats and fireworks

· AK

· Many rides of all levels [thrill and moderate and easy]. The safari ride is especially cool

· The new Pandora section is small but well done.

· Larger park. Lots of walking btwn sections

· Alcohol available easily…my hubby likes a beer throughout the day while on vacation … lol

· For me, personally , the rides in the Dinoland section are very “herky-jerly” and not smooth and I don’t like them at all

· Their version of a fireworks show is called Rivers of Light. I think it is a light show with boats. I have not seen it

· I think they still have a parade

For me personally, Ak is my least favorite park. But, that is just based on my personal preferences. Oddly enough, the AK resort is my absolute favorite place to stay…

 

[wilbret]

I’m usually not big on park hopping ( just my touring style) but in this case, I think I would get hoppers and try to do AK and HS half day each. I don’t really feel either one is a full day park, but they both have new lands, so I’d want to try to get FP for the new rides. If you take advantage of EMH and stuff, you could still get 2 full days in MK and a full day in Epcot and still hit the highlights of the other 2 parks.

This is exactly what I'd do, and have done. AK tends to close early enough anyway, and there is a bus directly between the parks. If they are staying on site, maybe link the day to take advantage of magic hours...

 

[Tksolomom]

I think that question can only be answered based on what kinds of things you and your kids like. This is my super quick overview of the high points and low points of each park:


· MK:

· The classic Disney park. You have to go to the MK and you should probably go there first to kick off the trip…we always do.

· Several roller coasters [all though none go upside down]; moderate level rides and also super simple easy rides that everyone likes

· Many traditional and newer Disney characters and themed rides

· Alcohol only available at dinner in certain restaurants

· A few shows in front of the castle

· Amazing fireworks each night…great parades too

· Epcot

· Really big! Lots of walking. Not tons of rides, however Test Track and Soaring are fabulous rides. No roller coaster

· Great food and adult beverages in the World Showcase section

· Soarin is one of the best rides in the world….truly! and it is for almost everyone…..great ride but not a thrill ride and I am a thrill ride junkie

· I would do a nice dinner at one of the World Showcase countries and have snacks in that section of the park possibly even lunch at a quick service in one of the countries.

· Alcohol available easily…my hubby likes a beer throughout the day while on vacation … lol

· Some shows may be going on

· A foreworks show each night…not my favorite one. We usually skip it. I raeslly don’t like it! Lol! No parades

· HWS

· Smaller park. Star Wars themes characters and things to see. One great roller coaster that goes upside down and one great thrill ride, Tower of Terror.

· Some Disney Jr characters and also classic Disney characters

· Brand new wonderfully themed Toy Story land

· My suggestion for dining is just to do their quick service options

· Alcohol available easily…my hubby likes a beer throughout the day while on vacation … lol

· Beauty and Beast show and Ariel and a Star Wars themed fireworks show on some days and also a show called Fantasmic which is boats and fireworks

· AK

· Many rides of all levels [thrill and moderate and easy]. The safari ride is especially cool

· The new Pandora section is small but well done.

· Larger park. Lots of walking btwn sections

· Alcohol available easily…my hubby likes a beer throughout the day while on vacation … lol

· For me, personally , the rides in the Dinoland section are very “herky-jerly” and not smooth and I don’t like them at all

· Their version of a fireworks show is called Rivers of Light. I think it is a light show with boats. I have not seen it

· I think they still have a parade

For me personally, Ak is my least favorite park. But, that is just based on my personal preferences. Oddly enough, the AK resort is my absolute favorite place to stay…

There is no parade a AK anymore. Alcohol is available at all TS restaurants all day (breakfas lunch and dinner). They even made it available at BOG for breakfast and lunch now.

 

[Ds4angels]

With those ages, I'd skip Epcot. My kids like the rides, but WS is kinda blah for them.