First time - Order of parks?

[Laura Kelly]

We're going for 5 nights, 6 days, but only 4 days in parks (no park hopper). This is our first time going, 2 kids (8 and 4 yrs old). We're over a year out so we have plenty of time to plan.
Is there a good day of the week to go/not to go to MK? Not talking crowd size, but more of the most "magical" day of the week. Are things like Wishes and the electric parade only on certain nights?
Was thinking about MK, Epcot, Hollywood, AK. But I've never been so I don't know which one is best to start and end with?
ALSO, since we're only spending one day in MK, I was hoping to go to CRT breakfast and then Be our guest for either lunch or dinner. Is that too much time in restaurants?
ALL tips and advice appreciated

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

Your answer is going to center around two things: what your family likes and what days you will be there. By all means, consult a crowd calendar like the ones you'll find at EasyWDW so that you are visiting the parks on the preferred days -- this is important!

Wishes and MSEP will be every night.

Kids of that age are most likely going to have the most fun at MK, but that varies. My DD may end up liking AK just as well since she's in love with every animal she sees.

It's very easy to spend more time in seated restaurants than you intend - plan on at least an hour. We always plan one (and only one!) per day just for the break.

4 park days is not a lot! Don't feel like you need to do everything because you won't. Consider 2 MK days and a half day at AK. Epcot is going to be of limited interest to the 8 and under crowd (but again, that depends on your family!). HS may offer more (Muppets, Fantasmic!, Toy Story Mania, Star Wars, Beauty and the Beast show, etc).

Bottom line: check a crowd calendar, look closely at the rides you think your family would like, don't plan to do too much (but do make a plan)! have fun!

 

[cigar95]

I'll let others get into specifics, but I'll offer one idea since you're bringing kids - consider *not* going to the MK on your first day or two. This is the exact opposite of what one might first think of, but because MK is the most directly "kid-oriented" of the four parks, going there first may set up expectations for the others that won't be met. Saving the MK for a day or even two gives the other parks a better chance to stand on their own.

Most kids enjoy animals, so AK is a possibility for that first day - and it tends to be a shorter day, which might be good if you've been travelling.

If you're really bold, you might even save the MK until the last day, as a way to cap off your trip with parade, castle show, and fireworks. (Definitely *don't* skip the castle light show - it's definite "ooh/ahh" stuff.)

 

[GAN]

Is there a good day of the week to go/not to go to MK? Not talking crowd size, but more of the most "magical" day of the week. Are things like Wishes and the electric parade only on certain nights?
Was thinking about MK, Epcot, Hollywood, AK. But I've never been so I don't know which one is best to start and end with?
ALSO, since we're only spending one day in MK, I was hoping to go to CRT breakfast and then Be our guest for either lunch or dinner. Is that too much time in restaurants?
ALL tips and advice appreciated

That's a tough one. But first, there really is no better day to go if you're taking out the crowd factor. Wishes/Parades are on every night -weather permitting, so that should factor in your decision ...especially with no hopper. I would usually automatically say MK should be your first park, but I'm thinking the kids will want to go back and that could be disappointing. That being said, I would probably go the last day OR since you're only committing one day, choose the day with Evening Extra Magic Hours ....that will buy you more time if the kids can hold up, which in the summer(if that's when you're going) will be TOUGH. The other three parks could be on any day -I probably would avoid the Park with EMH. My only suggestion would be to have your FP + and try to make it for rope drop if possible -you'll be surprised how much you can get done those first 2-hours, which happen to be the coolest as well.

Regarding meals -I think I would do just one of those. Do the other on your next visit.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

Haha that's so true. MK can easily make some kids disappointed with the other parks simply because they're not the Magic Kingdom! HS and AK are almost half-day parks and Epcot is geared so much more towards older children. There's something to be said for keeping the carrot at the end of the stick!

The nice thing, though, is that there are character meets in all the park, so all of them will at least have some Disney familiarity for kids that age.

I was assuming that her reservations were already set and that she would need to tailor her visit around crowd calendars. But if there's some flexibility there to arrive on preferred AK days then it's a lot easier to keep the MK prize for the end of the trip.

 

[Laura Kelly]

I never considered skipping Epcot and doing two days at MK! We might actually do that bc epcot looks kind of boring to me (might be totally wrong!).
Maybe doing MK, AK, Hollywood and ending with a bang at MK?

Our reservations haven't been made, we're still hammering out details but looks like April 23-28 2016.

 

[Mome Rath]

We're going for 5 nights, 6 days, but only 4 days in parks (no park hopper). This is our first time going, 2 kids (8 and 4 yrs old). We're over a year out so we have plenty of time to plan.
Is there a good day of the week to go/not to go to MK? Not talking crowd size, but more of the most "magical" day of the week. Are things like Wishes and the electric parade only on certain nights?
Was thinking about MK, Epcot, Hollywood, AK. But I've never been so I don't know which one is best to start and end with?
ALSO, since we're only spending one day in MK, I was hoping to go to CRT breakfast and then Be our guest for either lunch or dinner. Is that too much time in restaurants?
ALL tips and advice appreciated

You're seeing both the good and bad of MK being so popular; the bad is that it is busy, but the good is that you can see parades and fireworks and shows pretty much any day of the week. Usually (usually!) the weekdays will be a bit less crowded. Here's my recommend; look at the hours that are already posted (or past hours) for the week you'll be there and try to squeeze a bit more time in the parks when their hours allow (esp. if staying onsite, are you?). As others have said; you won't get to see everything, so try to go into it with a relaxed acceptance of that. lol

As to which parks to go to when, that's really tough! I'm a fan of the classic 2; MK and EPCOT, but I think the other 2 are definitely worth seeing. IF I had to leave one out, I'd leave out Studios or AK (probably leave out Studios with kiddos your age if I had to), and have 2 MK days. In the best of all worlds, I'd say start and end going to MK, so that's what I'd suggest; MK first or MK last. The order of the rest isn't as important.

The other thing is that, for my family, ever since we were kids, 2 sit downs a day to eat is tooooo much. It eats up a lot of time, and truly we'd get so stuffed it would cause issues. lol However, we did enjoy doing a sit down at least every other day.

 

[Mome Rath]

I never considered skipping Epcot and doing two days at MK! We might actually do that bc epcot looks kind of boring to me (might be totally wrong!).
Maybe doing MK, AK, Hollywood and ending with a bang at MK?

Our reservations haven't been made, we're still hammering out details but looks like April 23-28 2016.

I'm completely biased because EPCOT is my fav. park, but if you do wind up going then, it will probably be during the Flower and Garden festival which is an EPCOT festival; it is decorated in flowers, and there are now food booths, and (usually) the butterfly house, playgrounds for the kids, etc... Yes, no matter which park you cut, if you do cut one, I'd definitely begin and end in MK.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

As to which parks to go to when, that's really tough! I'm a fan of the classic 2; MK and EPCOT, but I think the other 2 are definitely worth seeing. IF I had to leave one out, I'd leave out Studios or AK (probably leave out Studios with kiddos your age if I had to), and have 2 MK days. In the best of all worlds, I'd say start and end going to MK, so that's what I'd suggest; MK first or MK last. The order of the rest isn't as important.

I may be missing something, but don't you think HS would be better than EPCOT for kids 8 and 4? I love EPCOT -- I could spend 2 days there each visit, easy -- but my youngest are pretty character-driven. If your child isn't a thrill-seeker and you take out Soarin' and TT, suddenly EPCOT is a little light on entertainment for first-time kids. HS has TSM, Muppets, Star Wars, Beauty/Beast, Fantasmic!, Disney Jr, Frozen, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Pixar meet & great.

But that's what's great about Disney -- choices. Kids and families are all different. Spending a little time looking at rides and entertainment (look at reviews/summaries here and at other sites, as well as YouTube for ride videos) for each park will help everyone make good decisions on where to spend their time on their first visit.

 

[lauradis]

http://www.easywdw.com/ crowd prediction will give the best days to go to which park.

 

[Mome Rath]

I may be missing something, but don't you think HS would be better than EPCOT for kids 8 and 4? I love EPCOT -- I could spend 2 days there each visit, easy -- but my youngest are pretty character-driven. If your child isn't a thrill-seeker and you take out Soarin' and TT, suddenly EPCOT is a little light on entertainment for first-time kids. HS has TSM, Muppets, Star Wars, Beauty/Beast, Fantasmic!, Disney Jr, Frozen, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Pixar meet & great.

But that's what's great about Disney -- choices. Kids and families are all different. Spending a little time looking at rides and entertainment (look at reviews/summaries here and at other sites, as well as YouTube for ride videos) for each park will help everyone make good decisions on where to spend their time on their first visit.

It truly depends on the kids and their personalities; when I was young (their ages) I was more into what EPCOT offers with all the food, the ball, figment, the cultural activities (kidcot and such, esp. during flower and garden), fireworks, than I would've been into the Studios offerings, and I would have enjoyed AK when I was young, now as an adult I avoid AK at all all costs. lol I feel as though EPCOT is also a park the adults can really enjoy alongside their kids. But, it is indeed so individualistic.

 

[MrInfinity]

If you have 4 days, do one at each park. Everyone will have differing opinions about which park to skip... but you've never been to any of them, so you should try them all! Then next trip, you'll have lots of things you didn't get to at several of them, and you'll have an idea of how much time you want then. There is tons to do at Epcot. How tall is your 4-year old? Will he make the 40" cut? I guess you can't know a year in advance. If so, he can ride everything there. And everything at most parks, save for Primeval Whirl at the AK and Rockin at HS.

I would do MK last. This is because you'll probly want to do this day the longest. You don't have anything going on the next morning except to pack up and leave.

All the other parks you'll have no trouble being out of there kind of midday, or whenever you get tired. The order of the other parks doesn't matter too much.

I agree w just about all of the recommendations above that say do BOG or CRT but not both. You can't go wrong w either choice... both are great. You will miss out on trying some random quick service place as you explore. If you must do both in one day, it's certainly doable. In that case I like your choice of CRT breakfast and BOG dinner.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

It truly depends on the kids and their personalities; when I was young (their ages) I was more into what EPCOT offers with all the food, the ball, figment, the cultural activities (kidcot and such, esp. during flower and garden), fireworks, than I would've been into the Studios offerings, and I would have enjoyed AK when I was young, now as an adult I avoid AK at all all costs. lol I feel as though EPCOT is also a park the adults can really enjoy alongside their kids. But, it is indeed so individualistic.

I was 14 the first year I went to EPCOT -- that was within one year of the park being opened. I think I remember my parents having a hard time dragging me out of the park. Future World was pristine and full of activities, the World Showcase was a fascinating place to explore, I loved it. They've done a good job adding the thrill rides -- now if only they'd update Future World! It really is a wonderful park for families (and adults w/o kids! hah).

 

[ariane37]

I may be missing something, but don't you think HS would be better than EPCOT for kids 8 and 4? I love EPCOT -- I could spend 2 days there each visit, easy -- but my youngest are pretty character-driven. If your child isn't a thrill-seeker and you take out Soarin' and TT, suddenly EPCOT is a little light on entertainment for first-time kids. HS has TSM, Muppets, Star Wars, Beauty/Beast, Fantasmic!, Disney Jr, Frozen, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Pixar meet & great.

But that's what's great about Disney -- choices. Kids and families are all different. Spending a little time looking at rides and entertainment (look at reviews/summaries here and at other sites, as well as YouTube for ride videos) for each park will help everyone make good decisions on where to spend their time on their first visit.

Well it really would depend on what your kids like. Minus TT and Soarin ( and MS if not thrill seekers) you still have all the fun stuff in Innoventions, Club Cool, Spaceship Earth, Figment, Turtle Talk, Nemo, checking out the aquarium, Ellen & Capt. EO ( ok, maybe lol), KidCot stations in WS, boat ride in Mexico, some street performers like the acrobats in China and the band in UK, or now the flag twirlers in Italy, Agent P adventure in WS, and all the character meets like Chip n Dale, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine & Aladdin, Pooh characters, Alice, Mary Poppins, Donald in his sombrero, Mulan, Character Spot in FW and I may have missed a couple
I'm sorry but I do like to point out how much EPCOT actually has for kids!! Mine loved it from age 2.5 through about 8 or 9, always asking to go there right behind MK. HS has now become a close 2nd fave only.due to TOT and RnRc, but they still love EPCOT!

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

Well it really would depend on what your kids like. Minus TT and Soarin ( and MS if not thrill seekers) you still have all the fun stuff in Innoventions, Club Cool, Spaceship Earth, Figment, Turtle Talk, Nemo, checking out the aquarium, Ellen & Capt. EO ( ok, maybe lol), KidCot stations in WS, boat ride in Mexico, some street performers like the acrobats in China and the band in UK, or now the flag twirlers in Italy, Agent P adventure in WS, and all the character meets like Chip n Dale, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine & Aladdin, Pooh characters, Alice, Mary Poppins, Donald in his sombrero, Mulan, Character Spot in FW and I may have missed a couple
I'm sorry but I do like to point out how much EPCOT actually has for kids!! Mine loved it from age 2.5 through about 8 or 9, always asking to go there right behind MK. HS has now become a close 2nd fave only.due to TOT and RnRc, but they still love EPCOT!

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I probably undersold it because of it being her first time with young kids. Lots of people have regional aquariums and access to good children's science museums (though not on the same scale!). Characters can be seen in all the parks. But you can't get the branded stuff that HS has anywhere else.

The awesome thing about EPCOT is that it's a park that is very rewarding for repeat visitors -- there's so much to do. We like staying in the resorts nearby so we can drop in often for the great food, entertainment, and atmosphere. I do love it. It's good to see so many people that feel the same way!

 

[ariane37]

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I probably undersold it because of it being her first time with young kids. Lots of people have regional aquariums and access to good children's science museums (though not on the same scale!). Characters can be seen in all the parks. But you can't get the branded stuff that HS has anywhere else.

The awesome thing about EPCOT is that it's a park that is very rewarding for repeat visitors -- there's so much to do. We like staying in the resorts nearby so we can drop in often for the great food, entertainment, and atmosphere. I do love it. It's good to see so many people that feel the same way!

Excellent point about the different characters at HS (which happens to be my favorite park, BTW ) lots of characters there that you can't find at the other 3!

And very true about EPCOT being great for repeat visitors as far as the dining and entertainment. I think those are things that also make it enjoyable for parents as well as their kids Love EPCOT resorts, too, in fact DH and I will be at BWV in 8 days enjoying LOTS of EPCOT food

 

[lauradis]

Magic kingdom is Disney to me, so we normally arrive on a Tuesday. Tuesdays seem to be a slow MK day. It will always be first to me. The rest of the parks I follow the crowd calendars. Plus Disney has sucked me into park hoppers, I love the ability to go to any park at any time.

 

[lauradis]

We're going for 5 nights, 6 days, but only 4 days in parks (no park hopper). This is our first time going, 2 kids (8 and 4 yrs old). We're over a year out so we have plenty of time to plan.
Is there a good day of the week to go/not to go to MK? Not talking crowd size, but more of the most "magical" day of the week. Are things like Wishes and the electric parade only on certain nights?
Was thinking about MK, Epcot, Hollywood, AK. But I've never been so I don't know which one is best to start and end with?
ALSO, since we're only spending one day in MK, I was hoping to go to CRT breakfast and then Be our guest for either lunch or dinner. Is that too much time in restaurants?
ALL tips and advice appreciated

I like CRT for later dinner 2 hrs before wishes.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

I like CRT for later dinner 2 hrs before wishes.

I couldn't agree more! Those morning hours are super-valuable for getting in plenty of rides before the crowds descend upon the park. We always do a quick breakfast (sometimes while we're waiting for RD!) so we can get right in and have fun. CRT is a pretty magical way to end the day just before the big spectaculars.

 

[GAN]

I never considered skipping Epcot and doing two days at MK! We might actually do that bc epcot looks kind of boring to me (might be totally wrong!).
Maybe doing MK, AK, Hollywood and ending with a bang at MK?

Our reservations haven't been made, we're still hammering out details but looks like April 23-28 2016.

Well... You are totally wrong! But in your case, I would seriously think about skipping Epcot and doing an extra day in MK. First day/Last day would be my choice ...or maybe ask the kids what they want to do on the last day. I think your 8-yo would enjoy Epcot, but with a 4-yo I think that changes things a bit. You can always visit Epcot on your next trip.