AK or HS? Which would you choose?

[V2000]

I have a Sunday open from 8am - 4pm. I could choose to go to AK or HS.
I think both have construction going on. I have never been to either. My husband and I are taking my 16 year old daughter. We are going in October.

Which would you choose and why?

 

[JRawkSteady]

Honestly, I would choose AK, personally...Hollywood Studios is in the process of a huge renovation and there are a lot of closed attractions. I think in this particular case there is more for a 16 year old to do in Animal Kingdom. Yes, HS has 3 thrill rides (if that's what she's into), but Animal Kingdom's shows can be appreciated by teens, whereas a lot of the shows at HS are geared towards younger girls or teen boys. This is just my personal opinion obviously, but based on the times you are going...Plus the Safari, the two trails, and Everest....yeah, I would choose AK in a heartbeat.

 

[Alesia]

I would probably pick AK. DHS will have EMH that night, so it will be considerably busier.

 

[DisneyFan2013]

AK is my favorite park so that would be my choice! I'd say there's more to see and do than in HS. My favorite attractions are Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur, and the Festival of the Lion King. Also, I enjoy having lunch at the Yak & Yeti restaurant!

 

[BradyBrenMom]

Here's an idea to help pick which is best for you--sit down as a family and check out the descriptions of the attractions and entertainment available at each park--these are available on the Disney site. I thought for sure that my kids would be more excited about AK, but when we did this the other night to plan our upcoming trip, the list of things they wanted to do was much, much longer for HS. I had them do this for all 4 parks, actually, so I can plan our Fastpass + strategy

 

[TwoCortWort]

I would do AK because HS doesn't have as much to do at the moment.

 

[DisneyFive]

My opinion....

For a 16 year old, I would definitely choose HS. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, and Star Tours are all great rides. Plus there are lots of great shows. Also, the animation academy is super fun for all.

Contrary to what JRawkSteady said, there are NOT a lot of attractions closed. Only Backlot tour, Pirate Adventure, and American Idol. None of them hugely popular anyway. You still have a lot of great things at HS, and it's not in any state of big construction or anything.

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Star Tours
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast Live
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
• Muppet Vision 3D
• Fantasmic!
• Animation Academy

Having said that, both are great parks, and hard to go wrong with either.

Dan

 

[mshanson3121]

Honestly, I would choose AK, personally...Hollywood Studios is in the process of a huge renovation and there are a lot of closed attractions. I think in this particular case there is more for a 16 year old to do in Animal Kingdom. Yes, HS has 3 thrill rides (if that's what she's into), but Animal Kingdom's shows can be appreciated by teens, whereas a lot of the shows at HS are geared towards younger girls or teen boys. This is just my personal opinion obviously, but based on the times you are going...Plus the Safari, the two trails, and Everest....yeah, I would choose AK in a heartbeat.

I agree with this. Most of HS shows are geared towards younger kids (Little Mermaid, Disney Jr, Beauty & the Beast) etc... whereas Lion King and Nemo are more like Broadway-style stage shows which would be enjoyed by anyone. Also, AK has a good rollercoaster, Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug both of which I think a teen might enjoy. Plus there's the animals, the trails etc... You could even do the Wild Africa Trek, which is a behind the scenes tour that looks really neat.

 

[EmilyS90]

Your 16 year old might enjoy HS for the thrill rides like ToT and RnR. We personally didn't enjoy it as much. But DD5 just didn't care much for the shows and kept asking where the rest of the rides were.

 

[Mikie]

I used to think DHS was definintely a park I only needed about a 1/2 day and kind of only went because there were 4 parks! I had to get to all 4! If you like rides with a bit more thrill, DHS has two of my favorites in all of Disney - Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster. AK has one Expedition Everest. When my kids were smaller, they liked DHS for Disney Junior and couldn't yet ride the bigger stuff, and never got the knack for deciding how to wander that park fitting in things between scheduled show times. Both parks have several good shows and are less ride-oriented than Magic Kingdom. I like the Lion King show a lot and Flights of Wonder in AK, along with the safari, the trails, and the Asia/Africa theming. I felt bad, though, when I encouraged a friend to visit AK and they really thought it was a waste. They wanted rides and food! MK and Epcot! Anything else, no matter how well themed were just to be dashed past, and shows were just a time-suck to them.

I definitely agree with a PP that you should peruse the attractions list and see what you think. Personally, my family and I would choose AK, but we do enjoy DHS and I suspect a 16 year old would prefer it.

 

[mkla2015]

I'd research both parks and see which appeals most to you. Personally, I'd pick AK. The Lion King is my favorite show in all of disney parks and our family loves the safari and walking the trails to see animals.

 

[lustergirl]

I would do AK because HS doesn't have as much to do at the moment.

2nd your opinion

 

[MataHari22]

I am not really a thrill ride person and I don't ride Rock n roller coaster or Tower of Terror, but I do ride Star Tours , and it's one of my favorite rides, but I would still pick Animal Kingdom over Hollywood Studios. I love the theming and the details though AK, I love Festival of the Lion King, my fav show at WDW. HS has too many things that are closed, and has become a 1/2 day park for me.
Really just depends what your daughter would like. Expedition Everest is the only thrill ride in AK, but it also has Dinosaur. (I don't ride either of them, because I have neck issues.)

With these types of questions the answers are so based on personal tastes that I'm not sure I would ever use them to make up my mind, I would take them into consideration and make a list of all the things that looked interesting in each park to us, and decide that way. Hope you guys have a great time at the park you choose.

 

[Lucius Best]

Second a previous poster's suggestion to look at the rides/shows at HS and AK and figure out which ones look more fun. Agree with other poster that HS is going to be busier because of evening EMH. AK had quite a bit of construction on our last visit, but nothing that prevented us from seeing/riding what we wanted to.

 

[PoohJen]

Animal Kingdom, without hesitation.
I was there several times last month (going again this weekend) - the construction was not inhibiting in any way at all.

Animal Kingdom is such a pleasure just for walking around. The safari ride never gets old for me. There is great ambiance. And, it is more of a "day" park. I'm not a big "show" person, but I can't deny that both Lion King and Nemo are excellent at AK.

For me, Hollywood Studios needs work. Seems so fragmented, incohesive. There is certainly lots for your family to enjoy (if Roller Coasters are your thing, I think the RocknRoller Coaster packs more punch than Mt. Everest). But my favorite thing at HS is Fantasmic, and as you won't be there at night, that is out of consideration.

Have your daughter take a look at what's available at each; her preferences may sway your decision.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

I think either would be a good choice, but if your 16 year old likes thrill (minor thrill) rides I would go with HS. It has both ToT and RnR. AK just has Everest. Even with the "shut downs" at HS, most of what was shut down wasn't very popular and/or did not have long waits. I think there is still a lot of fun to be had.

That said, AK is fun as well so you really can't go wrong. I agree with the person above that said to look at the attractions and choose what suits your family best. Do you love zoos and animals? Easy decision. More action oriented? HS might be best.

Have fun!

 

[bookgirl]

HS, it has more top tier rides than AK and they have more shows.

I do like AK and will often do a EMH there so I can go ride Everest. If I have time I will try to catch a safari or Festival of the Lion King but those are really the only things I like at AK. I only plan a longer day there (wondering around looking at the animals an such if I have more than 4 park days. Under that and I tend to drop AK.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

I would definitely consider what you family likes best. For us, Animal Kingdom is a lot of walking, it's extremely hot, and I'm the only one that rides EE. Hollywood Studios is the park we would choose, but that's our personal opinion. Every family is different of course! I don't think 8-4 is enough time to get everything in HS done, but I like to do and see everything Wishing you a fun trip!

 

[cygnusx1jg]

IMO, you should:

1. Go to BOMA at the AK Lodge for breakfast that morning since neither park opens until 9:00am.
2. Go to Animal Kingdom and enjoy their combination of fun rides and great shows.
3. Pray that the Florida summer doesn't continue through October (like it did in 2014) and highs are not in the upper 80's.

 

[Eandbmom]

My 13 year old said DHs without hesitation (which I was going to say AK). She said that she never has enough to do at AK. She said besides the rides at DHS there is the animation academy, more characters, and more shows