Disney Theme parks...

[momcat5]

I have 3 children (ages 4, 9, 10) and we are planning on doing Magic Kingdom. I am trying to decide if we should do another disney park or universal studio's. Please correct me if I am wrong but the other disney theme parks do not seem to have as many rides. It seems that MGM is all about tv/shows etc... What would you do?

 

[shellybaxter]

I have 3 children (ages 4, 9, 10) and we are planning on doing Magic Kingdom. I am trying to decide if we should do another disney park or universal studio's. Please correct me if I am wrong but the other disney theme parks do not seem to have as many rides. It seems that MGM is all about tv/shows etc... What would you do?

I think you kids would LOVE all of the theme parks, my 5 year old niece did. Granted the Magic Kingdom was her favorite, but Animal Kingdom was her next favorite, then Epcot and the Studios were kind of tied. There aren't as many rides, but there is SO much to do in all of the parks. The shows, parades, games, and just the surroundings are all fun!!! I'd suggest you take a look around the DIS site, or the offical site or even allearsnet.com, and read about all of the things that are available and then make up your mind.

I've never been to Universal, so I can't say whether you should visit there or not, because we LOVE Disney so much we've never ventured outside of it's gates.

Shelly

 

[SammieG]

Goodness... this is a tricky question it all rather depends on what your family like to do.

Disney is so much more than rides.. I cant stress that enough.. its not like any "theme park" you will have been to before.

Now dont get me wrong.. there are rides there and we do go on them.. but thats not where you will find the majority of the magic.
I dont like rides much.. infact I do very few of them indeed - but the shows, and other stuff that is not ride related is amazing too!

the thought of going to Disney, and not visiting Epcot and missing out on world showcase would be such a shame to me.. all those countries and cultures, where you can see, touch, smell, hear, taste and buy (hey this is Disney!!) something from another country is amazing!

Thats before we even start at Animal Kingdom... which is our favorite park.. again the theming and cultures and shows! PLUS all the animals on the safari, Dinoland..

MGM... well I think its great, but if youre not into films/shows etc.. I suppose you could leave it out.. although we absolutely love this park too!!!

If your family love thrill rides and are not bothered about the thememing and the entire "experience" _ I would probably go to Islands of Adventure over Disney (although there isnt too much for your 4 yr old there) -

if you want to savour the experience, then go to Disney!

 

[joshsmom]

We've done Universal and we like it, but my DS (who was 7 at the time) didn't like a lot of Universal's rides and he wasn't tall enough for some of them. At this point (he's 9 now), we go to Disney, stay at Disney, and do all four parks. Each is very unique in the themeing and although MGM has fewer rides than MK, it is a LOT of fun (don't miss Tower of Terror and Rock 'n Rollercoster!!). Epcot has SO much to do that we can't do it all in one day and Animal Kingdom is Natazu!!! (Not a zoo!!) The rides are fun, the shows are great, and the animals are fabulous.

You know what your family likes to do. I wouldn't let fewer rides scare you though--there's SO much to keep you busy!!! Look on the main DIS page for the Theme Parks section and then you can click on each one to see what they offer. Good luck with whatever you decide!!

 

[WDSearcher]

If your purpose on the trip is to go on rides -- "rides" being defined as coasters or flume rides or things like that -- then Universal (or, rather, Islands of Adventure) is probably a better choice. But if you look at the number of rides and attractions per park (including live shows), you'll find just as many at MGM or Epcot as you will at Universal. What you won't find at Universal are many live shows or characters (except in those specific areas of the park devoted to Barney or Nickelodeon). If live shows don't excite you or your kids, and it's really all about thrill-type rides, then a day at IOA is probably in order.

It really depends on what you're wanting to see and do.

 

[ccgegg]

My 4 year old loved all 4 Disney parks. There's something unique and magical about each one. (kind of a corny line, but it's true) And I can't imagine your 9 and 10 year olds not liking Epcot & MGM & AK. Plus, if you want thrill rides, there's Tower of Terror and the Rock n Roller Coaster at MGM. Also, Test Track at Epcot is quite a thrill.

I agree with previous posters about Disney being much more than just rides. Don't think of it as a Six Flags type amusement park. There are so many things that appeal to all ages. Your day will vanish before you know it.

 

[Amirah95]

Let them see it all since you have so many age differences. Don't worry, they'll love it all anyway.

 

[debm]

We travel down there at least once a year for Disney. Some of the times we have done Universal---it is fun for something different for us but there are a lot of details that I really miss that Disney has. Also be aware that unless your kids are on the taller side they won't be able to do half the stuff at Islands of Adventure. The rides in the Studios are more "lame" in my opinion--fun to do every couple of years but some are in desperate need of updating. And the "cooler" rides the kids probably won't be able to go on anyway. "The Hulk" roller coaster is awesome---but it is also very big and I believe the height requirement is 54 inches. There is so much more to do in WDW. And like other posters said it is much more than just rides. It is the entire experience. That is why so many of us keep doing it over and over and over again!!!

 

[DLKT]

As others have said, it really depends on your kids.
I was only at Universal the year it opened so I'm WAY behind with what's there but everytime talk to people and see commercials on TV it looks like more of a fun place for older kids 8+. what with all the Superheroes and such.
And of course SpongeBob and all the other Nickelodeon characters.

Disney seems more mello and girl oriented.
Universal seems more geared towards boys.
(Both with some notable exceptions)
IMHO.