Help me pick which park to skip

[Vegaslover]

Hello, I have 4 1/2 days to spend at WDW in March. Looks like we are trying to cram in Sea World. We were going to do AK and HS in one day. Believe me, I'd rather skip Epcot but my DH really wants to see it. Our DD is 4. I would just like one day to relax at the pool. So, can you tell me with one to skip? AK or HS. Or, can you give me some awesome highlights of each park so we can do the highlights and not spend our whole day walking around the parks?

We are from St. Louis and have one of the best zoos in the nation. So, if AK is like the zoo, I'd prefer to skip that one, but some of you may have a different opinion. Thanks!

 

[princess lovers mom]

if you must miss one I would skip AK - it is a big park - lots of walking - I think your 4 year old might like DHS better...that being said - AK is NOT a zoo - some great shows - Lion King, Nemo that she would really like...it also closes early - so you could get there at rope drop spend the day and early afternoon and still have pool time at the resort in the evening...

if I had to skip one it would be Sea World....there is a cool aquarium at EPCOT!!!

 

[jpolak]

I would skip AK. It's a half day park at best and thats with going on all of the big rides.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I would skip AK and HS, we usually do both in the same day and still see just about everything

 

[nickelsfamily]

I agree with the others and would skip AK. In all the 17 times I have been to WDW we have only been there once. Out of all of the parks, that is our least favorite. I have always been a fan of HS and both of my boys 8 & 3 really enjoy it there. Plus, at 4 I am sure yours will love to see Playhouse Disney

 

[laughinplace199]

I think you should base your decision on what your DD would enjoy most. My kids are animal lovers, so AK is a 2 day park for us. We could never skip it. When the kids were under 40 inches, HS didn't hold their interest for long. They liked the Playhouse Disney and Little Mermaid attractions, but were pretty indifferent, scared, or too small for a lot of the other stuff. Now that they're tall enough for RnRC, it's a different story.

 

[Minnie824]

I would skip HS. Animal Kingdom is not a zoo...there are a lot of rides and shows to see there that your DD would enjoy. I feel, much more than at HS.

 

[ktlm]

I would skip AK. We took my not quite 3 year old to MK and Epcot the 1st 2 days, and then AK the third. As a result, she hated AK and begged to go back to MK after a couple of hours. To me, it is much more than a zoo, but I don't think she saw it that way- I think she felt like it was a zoo (which she normally loves, but apparently not compared to the rest of WDW). I'm with your DH- don't skip Epcot, especially if your DD likes princesses. It was my DDs favorite other than MK. We did the Princess meal in Norway, which she loved (saw Belle, Ariel, Alice, Cinderella and Jasmine), but even without that it was great. In the world showcase outside of the meal we saw Belle, Beast, Aladdin, Jasmine, Snow White, Dopey, Mary Poppins, Pooh and Tigger. She also loved the street performers and looking for and going to the Kidcot stations in each country in the World Showcase. On the other side of Epcot, she loved the Nemo and Figment rides, plus at least the day we were there, the lines to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald were not that long- much shorter than in the MK. Personally, I love Soarin, but she is not old enough for that one yet. She also really liked DHS. She loved Toy Story Mania and seeing Woody, Buzz, Lightening McQueen and Mater. She loved the little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows, and Muppets 3-D.

 

[KimK2006]

if I had to skip one it would be Sea World....there is a cool aquarium at EPCOT!!!

Me, too. When we went to Sea World when my kids were young, they were expecting rides and characters like in WDW. At the Shamu show, my DD was more interested in the indention the bleachers made on her legs than the show. We left after a few hours. I think they would have appreciated it more when they were older.

 

[pickles]

skip sea world..cheaper just to add an extra day onto your tickets at disney, they have an aquarium as well

the studios are a 1/2 day park for us and I bet with a 4 yr old it will really be a 1/2 day park for you, AK has potential to be 1/2 day or more depending upon your family. Take Rafiki's train..hidden stuff over there that a young child may enjoy

epcot is fantastic on many levels for all ages(except those who only want thrill rides) we always plan 2 days for that park at your kids age, they can ride Figments, Mexico ride and Norways ride(depending how easily scared of trolls they are) there are the kid cots, crush turtle..really save your seaworld money for another trip

 

[bytheblood]

Animal Kingdom is not a zoo. As a matter of fact, the number of animals in the park is pretty limited.

If I were to skip any park, it would be Disney Studios.

IMO, Sea World is a total waste of money. I will never give them my cash again.

 

[andrews_dad]

SeaWorld is great, IMO. I think way too many folks hammer Diz to death and miss what Universal and SeaWorld have to offer. I know that SeaWorld usually has a buy one day get one free promo going. You buy the ticket at the gate, and then get it validated at the CS booth just inside the gates on your left. It gives you 10 days to use your 2nd day free (parking is not free on the 2nd day, though .. currently $10).

If I HAD to skip either AK or HS ..... personally I'd skip Epcot rather than either of these two with the 4 year old. I see Epcot as the adult park in many ways with the countries and such. If I had to skip either AK or HS, I'd skip AK I guess. B and B show, Toy Story Mania, Snunt Show, the Animation (you and the kid will draw a Diz character with an imagneer leading the class step by step), fantasmic, .....

 

[IndianaSPEED]

I personally would skip Animal Kingdom if you are planning to go to SeaWorld. SeaWorld has a couple of really funny and exciting shows like Shamu-Rocks and a Seamore show (can't think of the name...). Also, there is the Polar Bear Exhibit right by a Artic Simulator ride and an awesome sea lion and dolphin cove area too! SeaWorld currently has 2 thrill rides and those would have to be the Kraken and Journey to Atlantis. MANTA (a new rollercoaster) is coming out sometime in the Spring of 2009.

If it was me and I had 4 days for theme parks around Orlando, Florida.

1st Day - Magic Kingdom
2nd Day - Sea World
3rd Day - Hollywood Studios
4th Day- Universal Studios Theme Parks

But thats just me!

 

[scrapbookworm]

I would skip HS.

 

[brockash]

Hello, I have 4 1/2 days to spend at WDW in March. Looks like we are trying to cram in Sea World. We were going to do AK and HS in one day. Believe me, I'd rather skip Epcot but my DH really wants to see it. Our DD is 4. I would just like one day to relax at the pool. So, can you tell me with one to skip? AK or HS. Or, can you give me some awesome highlights of each park so we can do the highlights and not spend our whole day walking around the parks?

We are from St. Louis and have one of the best zoos in the nation. So, if AK is like the zoo, I'd prefer to skip that one, but some of you may have a different opinion. Thanks!

Personally our family would skip AK if we had to. It's really only a half day park for us as it is, and it does have some neat things, but I think for your DD's age HS would be better. Good luck, it looks like a lot of cramming, but I'm sure you'll have fun

 

[kjbrown]

I agree with a PP, it sort of depends on your child. My son absolutely adores animals. My daughter is not a huge animal lover, but we still spent two days there (before my son was born).

That's a tough decision. I personally would skip Sea World, but that's me.

Check out the attractions at each park and the characters. Who would your child be more interested in? Little Einsteins? Then hit HS. Lion King? Then go to AK.

 

[MichelleVW]

skip sea world..cheaper just to add an extra day onto your tickets at disney, they have an aquarium as well

the studios are a 1/2 day park for us and I bet with a 4 yr old it will really be a 1/2 day park for you, AK has potential to be 1/2 day or more depending upon your family. Take Rafiki's train..hidden stuff over there that a young child may enjoy

epcot is fantastic on many levels for all ages(except those who only want thrill rides) we always plan 2 days for that park at your kids age, they can ride Figments, Mexico ride and Norways ride(depending how easily scared of trolls they are) there are the kid cots, crush turtle..really save your seaworld money for another trip

I agree, I would skip Sea World in a heartbeat. When we skip parks it's usually HS because it's our least favorite. Our family loves AK and would never skip it.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I would vote to skip Sea World. We went last year (free military tickets) and we were there only a little over half the day. We saw 3 shows - the sea lion show, the Shamu show and Blue Horizons. I thought the sea lion show was CORNY and not impressive at all. The Shamu show was cool. The Blue Horizons show had impressive parts (divers) but the rest was just "ehh." My 6-yr-old's favorite thing was the Journey Into Atlantis ride. My 2.5-yr-old barely had anything to do but look at stuff. He likes rides and attractions. I also thought the food at SW was even pricier than WDW. We spent $40 on a basic lunch for the 4 of us.

If you REALLY want to go to SW, and I had to pick between AK and DHS, I guess I'd pick based on your child's likes/dislikes. AK is not a zoo. Here are my highlights for each:
DHS: new Toy Story ride (both my kids loved it), Playhouse Disney show, Great Movie Ride, lots of character meet-n-greets, Beauty & the Beast show, Muppet 3-D movie
AK: Safari, Nemo show, Rafiki's Planet Watch, lots of characters, Boneyard, Triceratop Spin, animal-viewing trails, River Rapids

Have a great trip!

 

[t_catt11]

Blargh, I hate to skip anything!

Understand, I LIKE Sea World. My family and I usually do two days there so that we can hit all of the shows (of course, this was in the past when an admission to Discovery Cove got youa multiday pass to Sea World... don't know if that's still the case). That being said, we do two types of trips to Orlando - one is Dinsey 24/7, the other is everything else Orlando (Sea World, various dinner shows, mini golf, etc).

I took the OP's question to mean which DISNEY park should be skipped. I personally hate to skip anything, but DHS is the clear #4 on the list for our family. It has two of the most thrilling rides in all of Disney (Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror), and I know that the new Toy Story ride is hugely popular (haven't had the chance to do it yet), but if you're not going for the thrills (and with a 4 year old, I don't think you are), it may be the best choice to skip.

Not that we skip any park, but to us, DHS has the least magic to it.

Understand, we like to stay for 9 days, but we spend two at Animal Kingdom. Younger kids can kill some serious time in the dino play area. Mine have always loved the shows there (Festival of the Lion King, Pocohontas). The safari is great fun... if you don't approach it as a zoo (which it is not), then Animal Kingdom is great. Plus is closes early, so you can kick back by the pool that evening.

My two bits.

 

[Booyakasha]

Sea World would be a waste of time. Go to all 4 Disney parks. If you find you are not enjoying one leave and go to another. That still leaves you 1/2 for the resort. Personally in a short vacation like yours spending time at the resort can be done in between park visits instead of setting out a whole day.

It would be terrible to skip any of the parks as they are all unique and can only be found at Disney. Even if you just spend 1/2 a day it would be worth it.

B.