Disney World in 3 days?

[Gingersnapsk]

Hi, hoping for advice from Disney World experts. My family’s going for the first time in March & we only want to spend 3 days in the parks so we can do other things around Orlando. I don’t know how much park hopping I’ll be able to get the family to do, but would like to see all 4 parks. I figure we will need a full day at MK & am trying to decide where to spend the other 2 days. . My boys are 8 & 10 & love Star Wars, do we devote a full day to HS? We want to see Pandora in Ak, does that take a whole day? Epcot doesn’t have very many rides we are interested in, but it looks huge & we want to check it out. I know we won’t be able to do everything. Should we get 3 day park hopper tix or 1 day MK tix & 2 day park hoppers? any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’ll let others chime in on your questions, but just wanted to say to the DIS @Gingersnapsk!!

 

[mountdew1]

If its your first time, I wouldn't bother with hopping. The hour or more it can take to get from one park to another isn't worth wasting in my mind.

Pandora MAY take a whole day, depending on how you use your fast passes. You can only get 1 FP in Pandora, and if you aren't staying on property, even that might be tough. You might easily see lines of 2+ hours for the rides in Pandora, so those alone could take up half a day. And the rest of the park is easily another half to a full day, especially if you actually see the shows and take time to do the trails. (We can spend 2+ days in AK easy)

Personally, I'd choose either DHS or Epcot and skip the other for now. Yes, DHS has Star Tours and Star Wars Launch Bay, but Launch Bay is really 2 M&G with some props and stuff to look at. Cool, but not really a must do.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

It is very hard to say. I would make a list of must dos and then narrow it down. We can do HS in half of a day especially when we went so much was closed.

If you are going in March and don't have your plans then you must not have your FPs. Those are the most important. I probably agree with the PP and only pick 3 parks. You must do list will help.

 

[FCDub]

No matter what you choose, you do NOT want to buy a one-day MK ticket and then a separate two-day park hopper ticket. There's no need to do so, and it's more expensive than buying a three-day park hopper, which will get you into all the parks.

 

[tinkerjo]

I would do the 3 day park hopper. MK will definitely be a whole day event. Don’t try to park hop on that day. Even with the Star Wars stuff ( my boys love it to) DHS is still a 1/2 day park. Make sure to watch Indiana Jones too!! Hop over to Epcot ( closest park to DHS) and spend the rest of the day there. There are only a couple big rides there and you can do single rider line for TT. If your boys are like mine, they will get bored with the countries fast but you will love them. Epcot is usually open later then the other parks so this could be a long day, but get you the biggest bang for your buck. Use your last day at DAK. This is my kids favorite park and can spend a whole day here!!! (And that was before pandora) hope you have a great time !!!!!

 

[friedela]

Welcome! I am also a first timer so I can only say how we have planned things. We did not do park hopper tickets for our first trip. To me I felt like it would be too much hassle and stress to switch parks during the day. From what I keep hearing, Disney World is HUGE and travel between parks takes time. So that's my take on that For which parks to visit we are doing 2 days at MK, 1 day at HS and 1 day at AK. Absolutely no interest in Epcot either. My son loves Starwars too and we are really pumped about the shows at HS. I hope that helps!

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Are you suuuuuure you don’t want to use one more day at WDW?

4 park days would make things much easier. I would do a 4 day base ticket and do 1 park a day so you can really get a feel for each park.

But if you are set on 3, here’s what I would do. You want to see each park, so I would hop and do something like this:

1 full day MK
1 day split DHS/Epcot
1 day split AK/tbd (keep your second park this day open to go back to wherever you feel you didn’t see everything you wanted)

 

[ChristineOH]

Are you suuuuuure you don’t want to use one more day at WDW?

4 park days would make things much easier. I would do a 4 day base ticket and do 1 park a day so you can really get a feel for each park.

But if you are set on 3, here’s what I would do. You want to see each park, so I would hop and do something like this:

1 full day MK
1 day split DHS/Epcot
1 day split AK/tbd (keep your second park this day open to go back to wherever you feel you didn’t see everything you wanted)

I agree with doing one day at each park. I don't know about third party sellers, but if you buy from Disney, a four day ticket is almost the exact same cost as the three day hopper.

If you really want to do the hopper, I agree MickeyWaffles' suggestion for that too.

 

[AFwifelife]

Definitely 3 day park hopper but I agree if you can do the 4 day park hopper that would be even better. Epcot is our favorite and there's so much to explore there. What else are you doing around Orlando?

 

[Haley R]

We usually do the 3 day hopper and have never done more than that because, like you, we usually do other things. The first year we did mk, ak, and Epcot. Epcot easily took the whole day as well as mk. We were done early at ak but that was before pandora opened. Last March we did mk, hs, and Epcot. This year we are doing hs/Epcot, ak, and mk.

 

[Tksolomom]

I agree with MickeyWaffles. 1 day MK, 1 day AK and half day HS and Epcot. The shows are good at HS, but I would say the two ones that you should really go to are Indiana Jones and the stormtrooper march. I love Beauty and the Beast, but don’t know how your sons will like it at that age (mine didn’t).

 

[Gingersnapsk]

Thanks everyone for your advice! We are from California & have been to Disneyland multiple times. The 2 parks are right next to each other so hopping takes no time at all. mK sounds very much the same. We aren’t staying on property in Orlando, I’m worried about the time needed to get to the parks & to hop. Our trip is 7 days, but with traveling we only really have 5 over spring break. UC Tourist has 4 day MYW + an extra day for $399 for adults. I know, more than 3 days. 1 Park per day, probably all my family can handle tho. Maybe we won’t do full days & try to do something else after a partial day. We also want to go to Kennedy Space Center & the Atlantic coast. My kids want nothing to do with princesses, only Star Wars, Indiana Jones & Mickey, lol. I’ve got to get tickets so I can start booking fast passes! Thanks for your help!

 

[tinkerjo]

Well this changes my advice. I have been to Disneyland and MK is very similar even with the layout. I would definitely do a full day at AK, and DHS. These 2 parks are unique for the most part. Epcot is great if you want to visit the countries but you have probably done sorin and TT will be a disappointment after radiator spring racers. There aren’t very many rides or shows to entertain the kids. I probably wouldn’t waste time hopping. Definitely not as easy as DL. I would spend my 3rd day at MK only because it is familiar, there will be a few new rides, and the size comparison of the castles is amazing

 

[clarkinstlouis]

This will be our 6th week long trip, and we are doing new things and eating new places almost every day. 3 days is like eating one potato chip, your just going to want more. Good luck!

Oh one more thing. The shear size of the property will shock you. Until you've experienced it you can't really wrap your head around it!

 

[kalynn]

I'll keep it simple for you. If you can't do 4 days, which is highly recommend, then skip Epcot. Normally I'd say Skip DHS but since your kids are fans of Star Wars, go to DHS. Why skip Epcot? Because there isn't too much there your kids will enjoy. Park hopping is expensive and time consuming. To make the best use of your time:
- arrive at the park 30-45 mins before opening.
- make use of the fastpass system ahead of time and throughout the day.
- leave the park mid day for some rest and relaxation at your hotel, maybe even a nap. Then return in the evening and stay to close.

That's what I would do if I was in your shoes.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think you need 4 days, but if three is all you have then personally, I would skip MK. I know! I Know! No one skips MK, but given you are familiar with DLR and must make choices, I would choose what you do not have in Cali. DAK is going to take one full day. Epcot is fun, and worth spending time in, and for Star Wars folks, you mut do DHS. If you do add hoppers, then you could hit the MK at RD, and head over to Epcot for the rest of the day, and see Illuminations.

I am in the minority but we do not use hoppers unless we have a longer trip planned becuase it takes so much tiem to get from one place to another.

 

[OB1]

Maybe consider upgrading to a 4 day, and only do a 1/2 day with your fourth day. That way, you get a day at each park. The hopper is just so expensive for you to really have it for just 1 day of use.

• Your boys will probably like Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, and Toy Story at the Studios. You could certainly see the Indiana Stunt show, and it is easy to spend some time in the Launch Bay. They will like Muppets 3D also. It is hilarious
• EPCOT has a few good rides that they will like, and a walk around the countries is probably enough for them. There are some fun performances to catch as you walk around.
• If they like animals, the AK will be a blast. Lots to see, and they should really like Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and maybe the Kali Raft Ride. Add in the Safari, Tough to be a Bug, and Pandora, and I see this as a fairly full day.
• And of course a full day at Magic Kingdom for sure.

I could see EPCOT as your short day since the boys will probably not care too much for the countries.

 

[dachsie]

I would also consider the 4 day with the last being a 1/2 day. And remember, you can go to Kennedy Space center in the middle of the park days to break things up. There is not a lot other than the star wars stuff for the boys in DHS so I would be more inclined to do that as the 1/2 day. You may be surprised and they like Epcot after all. But since Epcot is so much more different than Disneyland, I would spend more time there

 

[JessicaW1234]

I would recommend 3 day hopper, 1 full day at MK, split day between HS/EP and one day at AK

At HS for the Star Wars fans, you will want to do Star Tours, Launch Bay (they have a meet & Greet for Chewbacca- must do! & I think also BB8) and see the stormtrooper March

Tower of terror in HS is my DD&DS(11) new favorite ride so I would also recommend that as a must do!

In EP- test track is probably your top must do, followed by Soarin

Have fun & come back if you have more questions!