First park of the trip

[MAJ RN]

Anyone have any suggestions on what the first park of the trip should be? This is a trip for my youngest son who will be 6. We were there in 2003 when he was 4 but this time it will only be him as his older brother has chosen to go to SC to visit his grandparents instead. Crazy, I know!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appriciated!!



Thanks,
Melissa

 

[bytheblood]

I would have to say that depends on what time you are coming in vs the park hours. For us, we always go to MK first. It really places us in the "magical mode"....well, I think we are already feeling that when we are packing our bags the day before.

If you get in later than the afternoon, I would suggest Epcot. A lot of children that age do not find all of Epcot exciting. Mine does not care for the countries.

Well, that is my opinion anyway.

 

[MAJ RN]

Our plan is to stay off site the night before and get up early, check into Pop Century, then head to the parks. We should be there around opening. We thought of following EMH times, but I don't want him to get bored with the other parks because, of course, MK is his favorite


Thanks,
Melissa

 

[a Really Bad Egg]

I vote for MK also...first park and last park if you can swing it.

As noted in the previous post, it sets tone and gives you a special feeling upon arrival...and sends you home with magical memories if you can make it your last stop.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[bytheblood]

Originally posted by MAJ RN
Our plan is to stay off site the night before and get up early, check into Pop Century, then head to the parks. We should be there around opening. We thought of following EMH times, but I don't want him to get bored with the other parks because, of course, MK is his favorite


Thanks,
Melissa

Hmmm... I do not find that with my 6-year-old she gets bored with the other parks and she does love MK the most, too. I usually find that going to MK first sets her entire mood for the trip. Of couse, each child is different and you certainly know your son. Maybe you should start him off at Animal Kingdom??

 

[Micca]

Unless you are going off season, I would study the lightest days for each park and let that dictate which park/which days. Any park with the shortest lines is the best place to be that day

 

[MAJ RN]

We are going to WDW during my son's spring break. I know this time is crowded, but I refuse to go during the summer, the heat is a killer!!! We will be there for 12 full days so we can take our time. My son is very patient with waiting so line should not be to big a problem. We will also take full advantage of fast pass whenever available. I just want this trip to be as magical from beginning to end!!!

 

[Geomich]

My DS is also 6 and we plan on MK being the first and last park we visit. He enjoys all of the parks but as was said before- MK just seems to set the tone for the whole trip. Enjoy yours!

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

As so many others have said, it is always MK first and last for us! Such a thrill everytime we take that "first" walk down Main Street and such a bittersweet feeling each "last" walk back up!

 

[crzy4mk]

When we were there in Feb., we had several children with us, mostly very young. Having been to WDW a few times, I had some method to my park planning. We went to AK the first morning there for 2 reasons: we knew this would be one of our early mornings and it would be great for the safari, and (honestly) AK is not as "exciting" as MK or MGM. I wanted to "build it up" for my kids as we went along, and was afraid that if we did MK or MGM first, and then AK later we would hear some complaining about it being boring. It worked out well for us, but hey, you're at WDW! You can't go wrong with any choice!

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

crzy4mk,
You have given me a great idea! We always tend to do AK toward the end of our trip and frankly, find the park to be our least favorite. Perhaps if we went there first, we might get a different perspective on it!

 

[PhotobearSam]

The unofficial guide to WDW says to start with

Epcot (because kids may be bored here is you start at MK)

AK

MGM and then

MK... This wasy the excitement does not come to a screaching halt after the first day and you can enjoy all the parks...

They say this tends to make the wow feeling last longuer...I tried this with DH (fiance at the time) and it worked but he is a "BIG" kid and that does not mean that it will work for you...

Just another opinion...I don't have kids but this still made sense to me.

 

[frstimer128]

Our flight gets in before noon so I am going to take my time getting to the hotel. We have PS at Planet Hollywood for 7 so in the mean time, we will explore our resort (the POP) and head on over to Downtown. The next morning I have an 8:10 PS at CRT in MK. I couldn't think of a better way to really start our first ever Disney trip. Our last 2 days are wide open so we can decide what we want to do before we go home.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Like others, I have read and heard that it is best to do another park before MK so kids don't get bored etc....
I don't have kids so I don't know.... but do people hear their kids complaining that they want to go to MK if they don't go their first??
Just wondering.

 

[Eeyore2003]

I would start and kind of end with MK. If you're going to be there 12 days, you can easily stick MK somewhere in the middle too, if just to walk through to a meal or something.

In most of the guide books they say to start with the other parks and end with MK because the kids will be disappointed with the other parks. I don't agree that you should leave the "best for last". I think that's the park they're excited to see at that age and it should be first. Spend the first day there, take a break and go somewhere else for the night. Do the night time parade and wishes later in the week. Stick in a meal at the castle or one of the resturants at MK.

When I was planning my vacation for my neice 7 and nephew 11, I wanted to start in MK and end with lunch at the castle. It didn't end up that way, just because we couldn't fit something like that on our last day. We started with MK, EMH, then 10:00 reservations at CRT. It was wonderful. We had a wonderful ending to the trip also. ~~~ the Lion King and pizza at Pizzafari, turned out perfect!!!

 

[MAJ RN]

I want to thank you all for the great advise. I have quite awhile before our trip, but am enjoying planning. We will probably start with MK and end with MK. He loves MK the most, as do I!!!


Thanks,
Melissa