HS vs AK

[maleficent55]

Pre-book Navi & Safari for late morning/early afternoon, immediately upon park entry get a DAS return time for FOP. Go ride Everest, and Dinosaur (if you like - we don't). Should be able to ride FOP by this point, go see Lion King and/or Nemo. Ride Navi & Safari, then go see the bird show. Walk the gorilla trail, if you like, or see Bug. Maybe if you go to Rafiki's you might end up leaving mid-afternoon, but it shouldn't take too long to get through all the attractions.

wanted to ask...what is considered late morning/ear;y afternoon for these suggestions?

 

[sponica]

I like planning for 2 HS days to give me a cushion on ROTR, in the event it has one of its more down than up days, you have a back up day.

 

[maverik85]

AK is my favorite park there, and I'd probably still say 1 AK 2 HS. AK is great but is easy to get everything covered in a day. Lines move quick there and not a vast number of rides. Lots of shows and animal trails. The Avatar attractions will probably be the only major waits.
Whereas HS has so many new things that you will probably have a lot longer to wait between attractions. DAS will definitely help with both of these. And if you have thrill seekers, HS is the best park for that.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Only if you are just doing rides. For shows and exploring, AK is at least a full day even with DAS IMO.

We have das and spend 2 days at AK to do and see everything we want (all trails, shows, rides, characters, meals) but 1 full day should be good too.

 

[maleficent55]

One more question since you guys are so helpful and full of tips!

Planning on AK at beginning of trip, for two reasons.
One, most steam and it’s our (so far) one park that’s one day.
Two, in case we fall IN LOVE, we would have more days after that we can always cancel HS and return to AK.

Good idea? Or maybe save it for the end to savor it?
Just not sure

 

[maverik85]

I think that sounds like a good plan. Especially if you can do one HS day at the start too and the second at the end so you really will know if you want to change it then.

 

[Anthony1971]

If you just want to go on the rides both AK and HS can be done in half a day especially with DAS.
which park 2 days will very much depend on what you like - Everest at night is by far the best coaster at Disney during the day RR is better. If you are going in the cooler months AK is very easy to spend 2 days at and not get tired of seeing the same thing as that is by far the largest park but that is if you like to stop and look and run past everything. While I love certain rides at HS after 1/2 day it feels like I am walking in circles. But all of this is not very relevant being oark reservations are going away in 2024 and you can modify your plans at any time.... So pick what you like the most. The largest parks are EPCOT and AK and both easy to spend a day and not see the same area twice. MK and especially HS i find myself walking past the same areas Multiple time. I would seriously consider the park hopper option for that many days as there will be favorite rides... Going on Everest, RR, ToT, Space mountain and other less popular rides is very doable.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm the opposite of most here..... I MUCH prefer hanging out in AK to HS any day! HS (to me) is all about 3-4 BIG rides,and not much else. It's crowded,it's hot,and it's hard to get into those big rides you want to see. There's not a lot of 'atmosphere' to enjoy IMHO- (I do like Star Wars,but once I've seen it,I'm done,esp with the crowding) AK on the other hand,is more about nature trails, cool attractions, stuff to see that isn't just static,it is changing a lot based on weather etc. I like animals,and I like foliage,along with a more artistic feel. Last trip,my entire fam felt the same way. HS was 1/2 day and done- AK was two full days.

 

[loves to dive]

I agree with a previous poster and say consider a hopper. If that isn't an option, I'd do all four parks at the beginning of the trip. That gives you the option to redo any of the others if you feel you missed something or you just want to do that park again. No park reservations makes it so much easier to decide day of (darn it wouldn't you know I got an AP before that happened and we still have to make park reservations but since they are hoppers can at least hop after 2).

Not sure I'd do two full rest days but I've never been to WDW and not at least stepped into a park (and I've been going for over 40 years). Your circumstances might require that though so do what works for you.

 

[RoseGold]

If your tween doesn't care about the animal trails (or maybe the scavenger hunt? petting zoo?) then AK is one day or less. There aren't many rides. There's the Lion King and the Nemo shows if you think that's interesting.

There is neat stuff in AK, like the drawing classes, but it isn't thrill rides.

I'd rather do one rest day and three half days than two full days and two rest days.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I'm the opposite of most here..... I MUCH prefer hanging out in AK to HS any day! HS (to me) is all about 3-4 BIG rides,and not much else. It's crowded,it's hot,and it's hard to get into those big rides you want to see. There's not a lot of 'atmosphere' to enjoy IMHO- (I do like Star Wars,but once I've seen it,I'm done,esp with the crowding) AK on the other hand,is more about nature trails, cool attractions, stuff to see that isn't just static,it is changing a lot based on weather etc. I like animals,and I like foliage,along with a more artistic feel. Last trip,my entire fam felt the same way. HS was 1/2 day and done- AK was two full days.

Absolutely agree with you - we feel the same. But it's obvious to me over the years that we're in the minority! And that's OK - if the 1/2-dayers hit AK in the morning, it frees up some space for us in the afternoon and evening! It truly depends on how folks want to do the parks. AK for us is relaxing, and awesome place to walk and enjoy the 'little things', plus the opportunity to do a few of our favorites attractions in FOP, EE, Safari, etc. For every day we spend in HS in recent years, we probably spend 3 days in AK. Just our preference.

 

[WLWildlife]

I think you are going to get a lot of different opinions on AK. It really depends on what your preference is. Do you like shows? Shopping? Animals? Are rides your thing? Do you pay attention to the details? For my family, AK is a half day park. There aren't a lot of rides in that park, most of the joy is in the details. And keep in mind, the hotter it is the less active the animals are.on the safari.

AK is the least favorite park for my family, they would ride and hop somewhere else for the day. I like exploring the trails and habitats around the tree of life, but we don't really shop in any park or watch many shows. I love the stories that are embedded in the details in the parks, so I really take that in with the rides. We also do park hoppers every trip. The extra flexibility they provide is worth it for us.

I would do 2 HS and 1 AK.