Epcot or Hollywood Studios?

[crazy2bme]

We are going to Disney the week of Thanksgiving. First trip for 4 of my kids. We are definitely doing MK. Trying to decide if we should go to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, my kids are 14, 12, 12, 11 & 9. I would rather Hollywood Studios but my husband was thinking Epcot.

 

[momto3gr8boys]

How many days are you staying, and what passes do you have? Where are you staying? FYI, the MK will be insanely crowded on thanksgiving, but the other parks will be ok and crowds for the rest of the time will be ok.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[darkwing818]

Based on what we saw this June & past summers, we'd go with EPCOT. When DHS gets crowded it gets wall to wall people & very uncomfortable.

 

[ParkaPooh]

We love Epcot and would prefer it over HS, but that's mainly because we have littles (2 & 5) and feel there's more at Epcot for them. HS has some big headliners though, so with your age kids it's a toss up. We're going for a quick trip next week and splitting the day between the two, so that's an option. Either way, you'll have a great time!

 

[geraghty]

HS has late emh on Monday and Epcot has late emh on Friday. What days will you be there and are you staying onsite. Both have their advantages for different reasons. You will have fun at either one.

 

[TerryLP]

Normally I would recommend Epcot. Instead I am going to say HS because of the time of the year that you will be there. The Osborne Lights should be up and running at that time. WDW is never as beautiful to see as when all the Christmas lights are up. When you in MK make sure that you get a picture of the family with the Castle in the background at night. When HS, the Osborne Lights at night is a must.

 

[Delirium]

If all 4 will ride Rock N Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror, I would do HS. However, if there is some uncertainty about whether everyone will ride those two, I would consider Epcot. In general, HS is a better park for young teens, but there is less overall to do there.

 

[Bothepro24]

DHS-1/2 day park, Rock&Roll Coaster, TofT, Star Wars, maybe a couple of others but that's it. Epcot 1 1/2 days

 

[Delirium]

DHS-1/2 day park, Rock&Roll Coaster, TofT, Star Wars, maybe a couple of others but that's it. Epcot 1 1/2 days

I disagree. It's the first trip for the OP's kids. They will likely enjoy some, if not all the shows at HS if they've never seen them before (Indiana Jones, Beuaty & the Beast, Lights, Motor, Action). Plus, HS has Fantasmic! and Epcot doesn't. HSD gets a bad rap because so many people are tired of the shows. But, for first time visitors, it's a better park than Epcot.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Epcot is our family's favorite park. We always have at least two full days there.

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

I disagree. It's the first trip for the OP's kids. They will likely enjoy some, if not all the shows at HS if they've never seen them before (Indiana Jones, Beuaty & the Beast, Lights, Motor, Action). Plus, HS has Fantasmic! and Epcot doesn't. HSD gets a bad rap because so many people are tired of the shows. But, for first time visitors, it's a better park than Epcot.

Very true! Based on the ages of your children, I think they'd have more fun at HS. The shows are great as are the rides like Tower of Terror, Toy Story and rockin roller coaster. Then there are the Osborne lights. I would love to go there for that!! Also Fantasmic is nice too although Illuminations at Epcot is nice too but the holiday lights at HS would be the number one reason to pick that park!! And this is coming from an Epcot park fan.

We were just in Disney and had planned to be at AK one day but chose to do 3 in MK instead. Sometimes it just will work itself out. See what your kids think if you'd like their input.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

That is a really tough choice - overall I think there is more at Epcot but with the holiday lights & Fantasmic at HS it's tough to ignore that park. We love both for different reasons.

I think it depends on how interested your kids are in the World Showcase at Epcot - if they aren't interested, Epcot may not seem as fun as HS (or not as much to do there). If they ARE interested, you could easily spend a half day just shopping & eating your way through the WS.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Keep in mind Epcot doesn't really do thrill rides.

Mission Space typically has to be ridden on the tame side or people get sick, and Test Track seems to have been dumbed down - whether you like the new version or not, riding in a car isn't THAT big of a "thrill". Soarin' is very cool for a first timer - and who can miss SSE when it's right there in front of you? And so much fun to take a trip through the "big golf ball" smelling Rome burning...

But then HS has ToT and RnRC, both big thrills. There's also the novelty of riding a video game in TSMM. The GMR is typically considered a big snore. I personally can't go a trip without getting in a Muppets show viewing, and then you still have the Star Wars simulator...

Of course, I would go to Epcot for one reason only - one of my favorite rides is there - Gran Fiesta Tour, in Mexico!!!!! Can't miss multiple rides on that one. Love it!

 

[CNYDisneyFan]

Disney Hollywood Studios

 

[henry72]

Disney Hollywood Studios

My vote too!

 

[Brahlt]

Me too.

 

[nighttowll]

I'm thinking Hollywood might be more appealing to that age group, but I'd hesitate to go during Thanksgiving. Star Wars weekends are bad enough, I couldn't imagine going at Thanksgiving. I think I would feel smothered. HS just won't handle the crowds like Epcot will. It's a hard decision, though. Maybe you could hit HS at rope drop, then hop over to Epcot as soon as it gets crowded, whether that is 10:00am or 1:00pm. Just stay until the crowds get to be too much, then leave. From my understanding, the best place to be during the crowded holidays is Epcot. Epcot can be a lot of fun. You just have to be a little creative about it. Try dessert around the world, snacks around the world, maybe ornaments around the world for Xmas. You could do scavenger hunts, give the kids a budget and things to get or do, and some of the rides are still appealing to teens. Plus, I enjoy Illuminations much more than Fantasmic with the added bonus of not having to wait in line for hours to get a seat to watch it.

 

[Bullseye]

Epcot! Thanksgiving is a time of feasting and celebration and there's no better park than Epcot for that!

Though if there would have been Osborne lights when you were going I'd definitely go HS.

 

[crazy2bme]

Thanks for the input. We are staying off property as there are 7 of us and that just worked out better for us. 3 of my kids enjoy thrill rides the other 2 not so much. We were thinking 2 days at MK if needed then one day at one of the other parks. We will be going to the parks the beginning of the week. Have not bought our tickets yet as we were trying to decide what was the best to get.

 

[DreamerWDW]

Based on everything you said and the time of year, I would choose HS. Both RnRc and ToT are fun. Plus, Fantasmic and the Osborne lights are amazing.

Have a great trip!