2 adults, 1 day at WDW--Best choice?

[minnemom]

My husband and I will be in Tampa with Super Bowl Sunday free on our calendar. We are considering driving over to Orlando and doing a Disney day.

Neither of us has been to WDW for 20+ years, but we've been to Disneyland/California Adventure twice in the past two years.

We're considering Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom or possibly a park hopper between two or three. We don't really have any "can't-miss" attractions; we're just looking to see what we've been missing and enjoy the day together (and possibly scope things out for a future trip with kids).

Any suggestions on which park(s) would be best to see? Could we fill a full day with any of them, or is the park hopper a good option? (Park hours for that day are Hollywood Studios 9-7, Animal Kingdom 9-8, Epcot 9-9, Magic Kingdom 9-10). How long does it take to move between parks? Is monorail best, or moving the car?

Thanks for any advice you might have. Looking forward to our trip!

 

[erikaluvsdisney]

I love Animal Kingdom. I think it has a lot of hidden treasures. Do the Discovery Island trails to see the carvings in the Tree of Life up close. Have fun whatever plan you end up with!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We love Epcot for the food and shopping and we love MK. I would do MK and Epcot. You can take the monorail between the two parks.

 

[Sandisw]

We love Epcot for the food and shopping and we love MK. I would do MK and Epcot. You can take the monorail between the two parks.

Agee with this!!! And, there would also be the option to explore the Baordwalk area as well.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't know if I'd bother with MK since you've been to Disneyland so recently.

I'd probably go with Animal Kingdom in the morning and Epcot for the rest of the day. We love some things at DHS but overall I'd probably bypass this one.

 

[bcrook]

I would do Epcot and Hollywood studios. I find them convenient to travel back and forth.

 

[SplashMo]

My First thought was MK and then Epcot. However since you have been to DL.

I am thinking AK and then epcot.

Be at AK 20 minutes before park open. Ride Safari or Expedition Everest using FP for the other one. You can grab a quick byte at Flame Tree BBQ and grab a fast pass for Kali River Rapids. You will get drenched but bring a poncho if that is an issue. It might be considering you won't have a change of clothes. Have fun and leave around 1-2 and head over to Epcot. Grab a FP for SOARIN or Test Track if they are available but they likely will not be. You have been to SOARIN. You could ride Single Rider in epcot Test Track perhaps. Explore the countries and have a nice dinner. But be sure to make a dinner reservation in advance and then watch the fireworks.

Have Fun!

 

[haPevraftr]

Spend the day at Epcot. There is so much to see and do there. You will have plenty of dining options even if you do not make dining reservations b/c there are so many good counter service choices. DHS and MK are most like your past experiences at DL/CA. Don't waste your money on a park hopper. You won't be able to see/do everything in Epcot in one day anyway.

 

[Timandalicia]

MK in the am- if you are the nostalgic type, you might want experience the things you did 20 years ago that aren't at DL. If you went to California Adventures when at DL, you might want to consider what type of experience you had there that you liked.
I would take the monorail to Epcot after a morning at MK. It's cool way to get over there. Then hit some of the famous stuff like Spaceship Earth, walk (really a hike) around the countries clockwise. Yea shopping and bakery in Norway. Then after France take the boat to Hollywood Studios. If you can wind up back to Epcot just in time for Illuminations. That's the one that doesn't have a counter part at DL.

 

[ZoZo]

I don't know if I'd bother with MK since you've been to Disneyland so recently.

I'd probably go with Animal Kingdom in the morning and Epcot for the rest of the day. We love some things at DHS but overall I'd probably bypass this one.

Agree.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Epcot is the only park of the three that would fill up a whole day, in my opinion. AK is always a half day park for us. There are some rides we really like at HS, but again, we never do a whole day there.

If you want to get a park hopper, then I would suggest the safari ride and the Lion King show at AK, then head over to Epcot. Or, go to Epcot first, then ride the boat to HS for Fantasmic in the evening. That show is worth seeing.

But Epcot has so many things to see and do that you don't need to leave the park at all.

 

[kevdo]

Any suggestions on which park(s) would be best to see? Could we fill a full day with any of them, or is the park hopper a good option? (Park hours for that day are Hollywood Studios 9-7, Animal Kingdom 9-8, Epcot 9-9, Magic Kingdom 9-10). How long does it take to move between parks? Is monorail best, or moving the car?

I would suggest avoiding MK since it is so similar to your already-familiar experience with Disneyland, and HS for more or less the same reasons (though DCA is not as similar to HS as DL is to MK).

That leaves Epcot and Animal Kingdom. You could consider a park hopper to experience both. I think both parks appeal more to adults. Since you have a car, it is easy to drive from AK to Epcot (takes about 20 mins).

If you had to choose only one I'd choose AK, just because it is so different from the Disney parks you're used to. Especially if you like animals, of course.

 

[linzbear]

I would suggest avoiding MK since it is so similar to your already-familiar experience with Disneyland, and HS for more or less the same reasons (though DCA is not as similar to HS as DL is to MK).

That leaves Epcot and Animal Kingdom. You could consider a park hopper to experience both. I think both parks appeal more to adults. Since you have a car, it is easy to drive from AK to Epcot (takes about 20 mins).

If you had to choose only one I'd choose AK, just because it is so different from the Disney parks you're used to. Especially if you like animals, of course.

I agree with this. Animal Kingdom has some amazing shows (Flights of Wonder is frequently missed), in my opinion the best parade, some great walking trails, and it's so detailed everywhere. There aren't any 'dark rides' here though. I would skip Kali River Rapids. The entire purpose of the ride is to get wet, there is barely any story to it (check youtube, it's pretty bland), and you'll wish that you were on Grizzly Rapids in DCA instead. Also, Indy in DL is way better than Dinosaur in AK (they have the same track, different story).

Epcot has all of the countries, but it also has Spaceship Earth, and Mission Space (which is my favorite, but I know lots of people hate the spinning!), which are very different from most things in DL. Epcot is wonderful to wander around at night, while Animal Kingdom closes early.

Have fun!

 

[SolitaryPhoenix]

I would definitely agree with those who suggest AK in the morning and then Epcot the rest of the day. I know some people look at AK and HS as kind of 'throwaways', but I think they both have enough to them to warrant a full day; for me, AK is a particular draw since I love animals and the theming of this park. However, in your situation, AK and Epcot, or just Epcot alone, is probably your best bet. IMHO, of course...

 

[minnemom]

Thank you for all of the suggestions, especially regarding what is similar/different from what we experienced in California. It's looking like we'll try for Animal Kingdom and Epcot and we can skip over the rides that we've done in Anaheim if we want to see more new things.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

 

[wiigirl]

EPCOT for me...

 

[kevdo]

Epcot is wonderful to wander around at night, while Animal Kingdom closes early.

The OP noted that the closing time for her date is 9 pm for Epcot and 8 pm for AK, so not really that different. Though, certainly, less to do at AK after animal attractions close ~ 5pm.