Help me RANK THE PARKS for our next trip! :)

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

We are currently planning our next trip - DH, myself, DD (5), DS (3) - and am looking for a little park help and tips.

We have been to every park. However, as much as we like AK - parts of it felt a little like a glorified zoo, especially with littles too small for some rides. I know some people LOVE AK, but IMHO it's my least favorite.

We (obviously) love MK, and Epcot is another fave, and the kids love HS for the DisneyJr characters. We also enjoyed using our water park passes that we added on.

If you were traveling with a family similar to mine what would be your order of parks? Is there anything at one that makes it a MUST DO over other parks? Is there any park - like AK in our case - that we can skip next trip and not have the littles miss anything major?

TIA

 

[Micca]

MK will be number one, of course. I'm not the biggest AK fan, but I'd think with kids that age they'd really love it. If we're talking Epcot, WS is probably not great for little kids, but there are some really cool things in FW like Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush (not sure if that's the correct name). At DHS you might consider the shows like Beauty & The Beast and the Indiana Jones show.

I didn't do a very good job ranking the parks, but certainly they all offer something for your group.

Have you considered a waterpark?

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

Have you considered a waterpark?

We added the "Water Park Fun & More Option" last trip and LOVED it! It felt like a break from the hectic rush of getting ride to ride and such at the main parks while still being Disney fun-filled and able to enjoy Downtown Disney at night!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Honestly, AK is far & away our favorite. And as much as we like MK, it still ranks behind Epcot & both water parks for our family.

So, asking what "we" would do really isn't going to help YOU decide what's best for your family. Everyone's tastes are different

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

Honestly, AK is far & away our favorite. And as much as we like MK, it still ranks behind Epcot & both water parks for our family.

So, asking what "we" would do really isn't going to help YOU decide what's best for your family. Everyone's tastes are different

Very true, it is what we want. Just sometimes hearing others takes and likes and dislikes brings something to light we have yet to discover or enjoy!

 

[Mikie]

I love AK, but have learned to never insist that someone go there until I ask a little about what they like (AK is great if you like a somewhat slower pace, appreciate just walking and admiring the beauty of the park, and like shows such as flights of wonder and lion king, which I do). If you're all about attractions back-to-back, characters and parades or fireworks, AK could be skippable.

MK for your family' sages, I'd automatically recommend 2 days and consider leaving flexibility for another half or whole. Epcot seems to be another "love it or hate it" with littles. I'd recommend committing to 1-2 days but being flexible to add or even remove one depending how the first day goes.

DHS again depends on your fondness of shows, I think, since the rides there aren't plentiful for little ones. Was often a 1/2 or 3/4 day when my kids were younger.

 

[thefriendlyfloridian]

I'd rank MK #1, then probably EPCOT #2 because I think it's ran pretty well and never feels too crowded to me. AK & DHS are a tie for 3 and 4 because some days I like one more than the other. From experience, AK always feels very dirty and not kept up with and we have had the worst CM experiences at DHS which really makes us shy away from that park

 

[ArwenMarie]

If I had to rank the parks overall though..

MK
AK
Epcot
DHS

If I had to rank them with the Universal parks in there...(not to start a debate but just because I think of the parks in Orlando as a group of six)

MK
IoA
AK
USF
Epcot
DHS

With your age of kids, I would rank MK first, then Epcot and DHS would be equal. I would skip AK and the Universal parks, if my focus was just on the kids.

 

[DopeyDame]

As a PP said, it really is personal preference.

For our family (DS 5, DD 2) we would never skip AK. We've always had absolutely fantastic times at AK with the littles - I'd almost say it's the best park for little people as there's so much they can do other than just ride on rides. But you've been there and you know what's best for your family, so clearly it's just personal preference.

For our family, we'd skip DHS with the littles. The only reason we're going this time is because DS is finally tall enough for Star Tours and I know he'll love it. It will almost surely be a half day park for us.

 

[IamJBo]

I think for your situation with the kids being so young...

MK
DHS
AK
EPCOT - Unless your kids are into the World Showcase (which can be rare if they are under 6 then I see you running low on options here for a full day.)


I saw a PP mention Universal - and if you are considering it...

MK
USF
AK
DHS
IOA
EPCOT

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

For our family, we'd skip DHS with the littles. The only reason we're going this time is because DS is finally tall enough for Star Tours and I know he'll love it. It will almost surely be a half day park for us.

We really only wanted to go because of the Disney Junior characters. Is this the only park they can be seen at? If so, I think we'd plan one day here - maybe not even a full day - just so they can see Sofia, Jake, etc.

 

[Starhart81]

My DS5 and DS3 really enjoyed Agent Ps Adventure at World Showcase and Wilderness Explorers at Animal Kingdom. They loved the scavenger hunts and trying to get badges. Hollywood Studios is definitely my boys least favorite park.

 

[misskerri]

For us, it's definitely:

Magic Kingdom, followed closely by
Epcot
Hollywood Studios (TSMM is DD's very favorite ride)

And this time around, we're skipping AK altogether. We didn't enjoy it much at all on our first trip. Maybe because it was our 6th park day in a row. Maybe because I had little interest in seeing zoo animals, and DD wasn't tall enough for the cool rides (and DS flat-out refused to ride EE). Maybe because it was just so flippin' hot there. This time around, we have 2 MK and 2 EP days, and 1 HS day.

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

For our family (DS 5, DD 2) we would never skip AK. We've always had absolutely fantastic times at AK with the littles - I'd almost say it's the best park for little people as there's so much they can do other than just ride on rides.

We did go to AK. However, we were with extended family who weren't quite as into everything as we were. We did a couple rides, (safari, rapids, Mt Everest, Dinosaur one) lunch at Tusker House to see characters, and such.

We did see the Birds of Flight (I think that's the name??) We haven't done anything Lion King there - can you tell me anything about this? Or anything else major that maybe we didn't make it back too?

 

[Starhart81]

We really only wanted to go because of the Disney Junior characters. Is this the only park they can be seen at? If so, I think we'd plan one day here - maybe not even a full day - just so they can see Sofia, Jake, etc.

Yes, Disney Junior is only at HS. We did character lunch at Hollywood and Vine and the boys liked that. They have Sophia, Doc McStuffins, Jake, and Handy Manny. HS could definitely be half day with little ones.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

MK and EPCOT get the same amount of time for us.
Then HS (usually 1 day and maybe an additional evening)
and last AK. We feel the same as you - when we do AK it is not a full day. Our kids love Everest, Kali River rapids and Dinosaur we also like Tusker House and then usually end up at MK for the evening.

 

[DopeyDame]

We did go to AK. However, we were with extended family who weren't quite as into everything as we were. We did a couple rides, (safari, rapids, Mt Everest, Dinosaur one) lunch at Tusker House to see characters, and such.

We did see the Birds of Flight (I think that's the name??) We haven't done anything Lion King there - can you tell me anything about this? Or anything else major that maybe we didn't make it back too?

I hear you on the extended family - I've done a trip with the MIL. Never thought I could actually hate a day in Epcot!

Anyway, here are some of our favorites in AK:
- When you come in, take your time entering. there are a ton of animal displays (mostly birds, smaller animals, and fish), in the pathways. Most people are just rushing by to get to the big rides. There are usually CMs with animals or activities as well. My son could spend his whole day just wandering the trails on the way into the park (we don't let him, though)
- The Safari
- Hop the train to Rafiki's planet watch. With the littles, the train ride itself is fun. Once you get out there, they have some displays about how they keep the animals healthy and sometimes there are even vets and vet techs actually doing procedures on the animals. You can also usually find Jimmeny Cricket and Pocahontas out there. And then there's a petty zoo. Once you're done (we usually spend about an hour there), hop the train back.
- The Harambe Village Dancers. Don't miss them. So much fun! And the littles get in on the act.
- There's a big drum display on the path from Africa to the Wonders of Flight show. Great fun.
- We've had mixed success with the bird show. I've always enjoyed it. But we did leave early once when DS was just getting way too antsy
- Dino dig area (can't remember the real name!) There's a great playground and then if you climb across the overpass you get to a huge sandpit with dino bones where the kids can be "archaeologists" and dig and uncover the bones
- LOOOOOVE The Lion King. Absolutely amazing. Great music, constant action, and amazing acrobatics. Even when DS was 2 he loved it, and it's just gotten better as he's gotten older. Absolutely a kid friendly show.
- Nemo is awesome, too. Not quite as mesmerizing as the Lion King, but if your kids are Nemo fans, they'll really like it.
- Use your judgement for It's Tough to be a Bug. My son actually enjoyed it, but I can easily see how it would freak kids out.
ETA: When you're leaving the safari, you can do the quick exit or walk through the displays and animals. Definitely take the time to walk through and see the gorillas! And walk through the bird house too. Our son loves to get the card and try to find the birds.

Hope that helps!

 

[Mikie]

We did see the Birds of Flight (I think that's the name??) We haven't done anything Lion King there - can you tell me anything about this? Or anything else major that maybe we didn't make it back too?

Unless the Festival of the Lion King show has changed with its new location, it was a high-energy, acrobatic musical show. Some say it was a bit like the broadway play, but with only the song-and-dance numbers and not the story in between. My family loved it, but we suggested it to another family who considered time spent in a show a "waste" that takes away from ride time.

 

[Starhart81]

We did go to AK. However, we were with extended family who weren't quite as into everything as we were. We did a couple rides, (safari, rapids, Mt Everest, Dinosaur one) lunch at Tusker House to see characters, and such.

We did see the Birds of Flight (I think that's the name??) We haven't done anything Lion King there - can you tell me anything about this? Or anything else major that maybe we didn't make it back too?

Lion King is great for kids and adults. Finding Nemo can be a little long to sit with two little ones, but is good if they like the movie. My DS3 loves animals, so AK is a must for us. The Boneyard was fun for the boys, and I mentioned earlier they enjoyed Wilderness Explorers.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

We are currently planning our next trip - DH, myself, DD (5), DS (3) - and am looking for a little park help and tips.

We have been to every park. However, as much as we like AK - parts of it felt a little like a glorified zoo, especially with littles too small for some rides. I know some people LOVE AK, but IMHO it's my least favorite.

We (obviously) love MK, and Epcot is another fave, and the kids love HS for the DisneyJr characters. We also enjoyed using our water park passes that we added on.

If you were traveling with a family similar to mine what would be your order of parks? Is there anything at one that makes it a MUST DO over other parks? Is there any park - like AK in our case - that we can skip next trip and not have the littles miss anything major?

TIA

My preference for the parks are
MK
EPCOT
AK
HS
That being said every family is different. Both of My daughter's favorite park has always been MK. Then one prefers AK, Epcot, and far behind in last place is HS. The other one prefers HS, EPCOT, and far behind in last place is AK. They have always felt this way since they were little. Since you have already been to the parks you have an idea about what is best for your family. If you are really not feeling AK only go for a half day and then spend the rest of the day in another park our at the pool. I loved in the N.Y. and NJ area for most of my life and have been to numerous zoos and never have I felt the AK is a glorified zoo so I enjoy my day there but top each their own.