How many days at each park?

[candacewi5]

I am working on planning out our park days so we can book our FP+ on 11/24. We are going to be there in January for 7 days plus the days we fly in and out. I plan to use the days we leave and arrive as non park days and do a horseback ride at Fort Wilderness, check out Disney Quest, etc. This is our first and likely only visit to WDW and we will have a car with us. I have 2 boys ages 8 & 11 so there is absolutely no interest in anything to do with princesses.

How many days do we really need in each park? I originally thought MK-2 days, Epcot 2 days, HS 1 day and AK 1 day. We have started watching youTube videos of the different rides so my family can try to guess which rides we want FP+ for and honestly most of the MK rides don't interest my boys. I think we will ride more of the rides if we have time and the lines aren't long, but it isn't as if the rides are a must do absolutely or our lives will never be complete. My boys are HUGE Star Wars freaks and love Toy Story. Should I move one of our MK days to another park? Is there really a lot to do at MK for boys that would make it worth 2 days of visits? Are we just not getting what a bid deal MK is because we have never been there? I wish we could just leave our plans open and see how it goes after we start going to the parks and seeing where and when we want to go back to anything, but FP+ makes that more difficult. Please share any opinions and advise! I want this trip to be enjoyable and fun and make the best use of our time & money. Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I'd still go for 2 at MK. Besides just rides, it's big and there is a lot to look at. Do they care about characters? That makes a difference too. Maybe add an extra at DHS since that seems to be up their alley. I personally don't think there is 2 days worth of stuff to do at DHS, but I am also biased as I usually skip it because I'm not a fan. Maybe 1.5 epcot, 1.5 DHS for you. Have you looked into Pirates League at MK? They may be into that. A lot of people will say to half day AK, and I urge you not to do that. I think it is a super underrated park. There is a lot more to Disney than just rides

 

[ghtx]

Yes, definitely stick with 2 days (at least) at MK. If anything, you might want to switch one of your Epcot days to DHS, if you think the demand for TSMM and ST is high enough.

 

[SplashMo]

It depends on if you have Park Hoppers are not. Adding an extra day or two on the ticket is inexpensive...

Normally seven days I would think:

3 MK
2 Ep
1 AK
1 DS

But with Park Hoppers It could be

2.5 MK
1.5 EP
2 DS
1 AK

If you use the leaving day you can do AK for three hours from open to NOON as a second opportunity in AK:

Three mornings in MK (2.5 days total)
one morning in Epcot (1.5 days total)
One Day in DS (1 day)
One Day AK hopping to DS
One Day DS hopping to AK (arriving at 3PM)
Morning leaving: park open - NOON in AK

I think you only need two half days in AK so perhaps you convert one of the AT to DS day into DS only...

 

[SplashMo]

Also remember that FP+ is different for each park:

DS: TSMM main FP+
AK: FP+ perhaps not needed. (Maybe Kali River in the afternoon)
Epcot: A morning SOARIN or Test Track FP+ (Choose one) You can single rider line Test Track.
MK: Obtain FP+ early and make heavy use of additional FP+.

 

[Frozen2014]

Your original plan sounds good but it depends on what you want to do.

We just went with our 9 year old boy. At MK he skipped a lot of things that our DD went on but he loved Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Light. And there are also rides such as Space Mountain, Pirates of Carribean, Jungle Cruise. But it really comes down to what they would be interested in if its worth two days for you.

At HS, make sure you get there before rope drop to sign up for Jedi Training and get a FP for Star Tours and Toy Story.

 

[candacewi5]

I'd still go for 2 at MK. Besides just rides, it's big and there is a lot to look at. Do they care about characters? That makes a difference too. Have you looked into Pirates League at MK? They may be into that. A lot of people will say to half day AK, and I urge you not to do that. I think it is a super underrated park. There is a lot more to Disney than just rides

They don't really care about the traditional characters. They will go for the Toy Story characters, Monsters Inc, and Star Wars, but I don't think there is much more interest in the characters.

Pirates League does look interesting and it may be something we buy them as a Christmas gift to enjoy while we are there. I really wish they had a Jedi League along with the training camp!

Animal Kingdom is definitely a full park day for us. I don't know why it gets bashed because it looks really interesting to all of us. We are pretty excited for our AK day.

Thanks for sharing your opinion with us! I really don't know what to expect and the feedback helps a lot!

 

[candacewi5]

It depends on if you have Park Hoppers are not. Adding an extra day or two on the ticket is inexpensive...

I think you only need two half days in AK so perhaps you convert one of the AT to DS day into DS only...

We do not have park hoppers and I am not that ambitious to hop. We purchased a 7 day ticket thinking instead of one whole day off, take 2 half days off at the parks if we feel like it. Maybe do one morning off to sleep in and have a relaxing sit down breakfast before venturing out, followed by one early park departure day for swimming and napping followed by a dinner on the boardwalk and a night watching the sights around the boardwalk and an early to bed night.

Thanks for sharing what works best for you and how we could adapt it to our trip!

 

[candacewi5]

Your original plan sounds good but it depends on what you want to do.

We just went with our 9 year old boy. At MK he skipped a lot of things that our DD went on but he loved Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Light. And there are also rides such as Space Mountain, Pirates of Carribean, Jungle Cruise. But it really comes down to what they would be interested in if its worth two days for you.

At HS, make sure you get there before rope drop to sign up for Jedi Training and get a FP for Star Tours and Toy Story.

Thanks for the HS tips. We will definitely get there before rope drop because missing out on Jedi Training Camp would ruin their trip. Star Tours and Toy Story are also absolute must do also! Any chance of getting FP+ twice for one attraction as part of my original 3? That would make their day!

If it was your son only with you would you change your distribution of park days?

My boys really are only drawn to Space Mountain, Buzz Light year, and Splash Mountain. I believe Splash Mountain is scheduled to be down for the duration of our trip which is a bummer. I plan on making sure to be at MK on a day when the electric parade, wishes, and Festival of Fantasy Parade.

Thanks for your help!

 

[bmiller954]

Another thing to to consider is that you are able to switch your FP+ selections up to and including the day you use them. So if you get there and change your mind about what to do and where to spend your time, you have to option to change your FP+'s.

We were at WDW in May, and I modified and changed our FP+'s lots of times while we were there. Sometimes it was because we changed our minds about what we wanted to ride, other times it was because certain rides didn't necessitate a FP+, so we were able to switch those to rides with longer waits. Also, and more relevant to your situation, we decided to go to MK on our last day instead of Epcot, and I was able to get hop on my phone that morning and switch all of our Epcot FP+'s to MK.

I know the new FP+ system gets a lot of hate on these boards, but honestly, we loved our experience with the system. Though you have to do extra planning in advance, we actually found that it allowed more flexibility once we were there.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for the HS tips. We will definitely get there before rope drop because missing out on Jedi Training Camp would ruin their trip. Star Tours and Toy Story are also absolute must do also! Any chance of getting FP+ twice for one attraction as part of my original 3? That would make their day!

If it was your son only with you would you change your distribution of park days?

My boys really are only drawn to Space Mountain, Buzz Light year, and Splash Mountain. I believe Splash Mountain is scheduled to be down for the duration of our trip which is a bummer. I plan on making sure to be at MK on a day when the electric parade, wishes, and Festival of Fantasy Parade.

Thanks for your help!

Yes, definitely get there before rope drop then and head straight for the Jedi sign up with your DSs. Because of circumstances we didn't get there pre-rope drop as planned, but still arrived pretty close to opening and DS was on the waiting list. DH and DS had to constantly check at training times if there were any openings, and thankfully he did get lucky. But this wasn't certain. And he LOVED it. Very cool pictures too.

Not sure about getting a 4th FP for Toy Story or Star Tours, but DS did ride Star Tours more than once so the line ups couldn't have been too bad for that one.

As for us...we did 2 days at MK (plus MNSSHP late afternoon/evening), 1 day HS and 2 half days at Epcot (Test Track is very cool). We'd probably still would have stuck to that schedule had my DD not been there as there is enough that interests him. He also didn't mind Winnie the Pooh (even though a touch young), IASW, Peter Pan (just once though).

 

[SplashMo]

One thought:

2MK
2EP
2DS
1AK

Then you could take a break on one of the EPCOT days or end on of the DHS days early (If you decide it is needed). If we do an entire day in AK it is usually over by 4PM. However this is a great time to hit rides

For AK the Flame Tree BBQ is a favorite of mine for a quick lunch.

 

[Hopefully]

My thought in reading through the post is that there is WAY more to WDW than just "rides". You say this is your first and probably only visit. WDW and the MK in particular are unlike any other theme park anywhere. I know other theme parks are all about the rides. But that is not WDW. Be open to the sights, sounds, smells and theming all around you. Take it slowly and don't just dash from ride to ride. There is so much to see and explore that it really is difficult to explain until you experience it.
Our thoughts for days would be:
MK 2 days
EC 2 days - at least.
DHS 1 day
AK 1 day.
Have Fun

 

[itchin2go]

I think your original plan sounds good.

Honestly, there's not enough in DHS to keep us there a half a day, but it looks like you've already got half a day planned! Add the stunt shows to that, and I'd say you definitely have enough for a day there. The only way I can see doing 2 days there is if you want to repeat everything you did the first day (which is something people do - I'm not criticizing it!).

AK is also a half day park for us, but I think that's partly because we've already done it and there's not that much that we would want to repeat. It's all just ok for us.

MK is overflowing with rides and it's very difficult to do it in 1 day. It's more enjoyable if you don't try. Some of the rides may not seem as exciting on paper, but it's hard not to get caught up when you're there and want to do everything.

We love Epcot, but if you're not into World Showcase, it can be hard to fill up 2 days there. We are WAY into World Showcase, especially the shopping and snacking. If you did want to make room for another DHS day, I'd say lopping off an Epcot day would be the way to do it. It pains me to say that because it's my favorite park, but I think it makes more sense for you than skipping a 2nd MK day.

 

[Sydney2977]

My two boys have always enjoyed most of the attractions at all the WDW parks, but they've been going from a young age so some are nostalgic. From what you're describing of what your boys like and their ages these would be my recommendations:

MK 2 days- Pirates of the Caribbean (DH's all-time fav), the interactive Pirate's Adventure, the Pirate's League if you can swing it in your budget, Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer Island, Big Thunder Mt., Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents (if they like that sort of thing- mine were really into it at those ages), Mickey's Philharmagic, 7 Dwarves Mine Train, any of the Fantasyland rides that they may have a connection to, Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mt., Astro Orbiter, Peoplemover (for relaxing in between rides_, Buzz Lightyear, Monster's Inc., and a ride around the park on the railroad. Again, you can do all this in one day especially at a slow time in Jan., but much more enjoyable to split it up and take you time to savor everything. There are lots of counter service places to eat (Pecos Bill's is a fav of theirs) as well as table service places to have a nice break. The Main St. Electrical Parade and Wishes are both worth staying to watch- maybe one on the first night and the other on the second (because during these is a great time to catch rides with short lines).

DHS 2 days- So much your boys will enjoy here! Besides the Jedi training and Star Tours and Toy Story MM, try to do the Great Movie Ride, the Indiana Jones show (if they've never seen the movies let them see at least one maybe), Light, Motors, Action show, Muppet Vision 3D show, the Magic of Disney Animation, Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Rollercoaster if they like those types, and stay to see Fantasmic! Plus there are cool shops to look in and they'd probably like to eat at Pizza Planet and either Sci-Fi Dine In or 50's Prime Time Café.

AK 1 day- We love this park and definitely thinks it needs a whole day. It does close earlier than other parks, so you can still have an early evening back to your room. I'd recommend everything here for them. It may be a bit cold for Kali River though. All the animal walk throughs and the safari are awesome. My boys loved the Dinosaur and Everest rides. They may not want to watch the Festival of the Lion King or Finding Nemo shows, but you can judge when you get there. Maybe just eat a cs meal for lunch here. You could also use the evening to visit DTD.

Epcot 2 days- These could be your early up and then late arrival park days. Maybe break them up by doing one day for Future World and one for World Showcase. In FW I'd say try Test Track, Soarin', Mission:Space (tame version), The Seas and the aquarium, Spaceship Earth, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Living with the Land, and spend some time exploring all the interactive things in Innoventions East and West. Also check out Club Cool. In World Showcase it's fun to just explore each country's pavilion for the shops, shows, and food. A fun thing to do might be to grab a snack in each country or pick a small souvenir from your favorites. There's also the interactive Phineas and Ferb's Agent P Adventure in World Showcase. Whichever time you are there at night, be sure to catch Illuminations!

Ok, now that I've talked your ear off I hope that helps!