2 days for parks after Christmas with a 6 and 10 yo... Which to choose?????

[j&jsmama]

Please help us! We are longtime Disneyland fans and, love everything there and go fairly often. This will be our first ( and, maybe, only!) trip to WDW on December 27 th and 28 th before getting on the Dream. We're staying at Shades of Green. Which parks should we head to? We are leaning heavily towards Epcot because it is so different from what is offered at Disneyland. Thoughts???? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Nanajo1]

Epcot would be a good choice. I think Animal Kingdom would also offer something different.

 

[j&jsmama]

Epcot would be a good choice. I think Animal Kingdom would also offer something different.

Thank you! We were thinking about Animal Kingdom, but have heard it is really a half day thing... With our limited time, do you think MK or DHS would be a better choice? We love rides, but my kids also adore just being around anything DIsney ( or Disney Jr.--- in my younger ones case). Thank you!

 

[Ilivetogo]

Please help us! We are longtime Disneyland fans and, love everything there and go fairly often. This will be our first ( and, maybe, only!) trip to WDW on December 27 th and 28 th before getting on the Dream. We're staying at Shades of Green. Which parks should we head to? We are leaning heavily towards Epcot because it is so different from what is offered at Disneyland. Thoughts???? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated

I agree with the Epcot thing. I'd also say get a hopper for the other day because if you're there at Christmas time, you would probably want to see the Osborne Lights at DHS. (That also gives you R&R, TOT at DHS) You could possibly start that day out at AK.

Sorry your first and possibly only time at WDW will be so short. SO much to do there.

.

 

[Nanajo1]

DHS has Disney Jr as well as some great shows, Osborne lights B&B etc. I think whatever parks you choose you'll have a great time. Don't be surprised if you start to plan a return trip!

 

[SmallWorld71]

According to the crowd calendar at easywdw.com the recommended parks for those days are:

27th: Epcot, Hollywood Studios

28th: Magic Kingdom, Epcot

Whatever you chose, keep in mind that these will be some of the busiest days of the year (10 out of 10) and that the parks could likey close to incoming guests for a while mid-day. (Particularly MK and DHS)

Get to the parks well before opening and have a good touring plan.

 

[kalamazoo]

MK has more rides and some shows. DHS has some rides and more shows. So it really depends on what your family prefers.

MK doesn't really have too much different from DL, ride-wise (actually, to me most notably missing from MK is the Indiana Jones ride). There are some small differences in the rides and some differences between the parks themselves but visiting MK when you are used to DL (or vice versa) is kind of like going to visit someone who has the same model house as you - familiar but different. That being said, you have to decide how much of a uniques experience you want. DHS has a few rides that are the same as at DCA/DL (Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania, Star Tours) but otherwise is pretty different from either of the California parks.

 

[mom2rtk]

Regardless of what you choose, plan to be there at rope drop, no matter how early. It will be key to you being able to get much done on some of the busiest days of the year.

I know MK is most like DL, but I would still make sure you get there. You could be disappointed since DL has so many more attractions than MK, but you need to see the "other" castle. And it's the most decorated of all the parks.

If you are choosing between DHS and AK, I know AK is most unlike what DLR has to offer, but you really should try to see the Osborne Lights.

 

[j&jsmama]

Thanks so much! Maybe we should do Epcot one day and MK another and try to fit in HS in an evening???? Is that even possible?

 

[CaliTex]

Magic Kingdom (so much to do and see!) and Epcot. If I had to pick two parks only, they would be the ones. Follow the crowd calendar for both.

Have a wonderful time!

PS: once you go, you will be back!

PPS: You could do Epcot early and DHS in the evening, but honestly you need a full day for MK, and I still vote for just MK and Epcot.

 

[MHSweb79]

To do two parks in the same day, you must have park hoppers. Do your military tickets include that?

If so, then I would definitely recommend going to AK- I disagree that it's a half-day park, but you can do pretty much everything from 8am-4pm. So that leaves your evening free to hit another park. We like Epcot at night but any park would be good. OR you could go over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner- it's a really cool place on its own.

 

[j&jsmama]

We actually arrive about 4pm on the 26 th, so reasonably, we could get to a park by 6.... Should we consider going to one of these parks for just the evening ( since they offer hours until 10 at that time) . We are fine with late nights... All the parks sound so great!!!!

 

[Alesia]

We actually arrive about 4pm on the 26 th, so reasonably, we could get to a park by 6.... Should we consider going to one of these parks for just the evening ( since they offer hours until 10 at that time) . We are fine with late nights... All the parks sound so great!!!!

I would absolutely go to a park on arrival day.

 

[herb102211]

I would check out Epcot for sure, since there is nothing like it at DL. I would also check out the Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios. Its our favorite event at WDW at Christmas time.

For us, AK is a ½ day park and you could always do AK in the morning and then head over to HS in the later afternoon for the lights at night.

 

[j&jsmama]

Thank you so much for the advice! It sounds like we should definitely go to three parks, so we'll have the opportunity to see the different light shows and all of the rides that are so different from Disneyland/California Adventure. I'm leaning towards a whole day at MK and Epcot and an evening (we'll get about 5 to 6 hours) at Hollywood Studios. Does that sound like a good plan for first -timers at WDW?