HWS vs AK with 4 & 2 yrs old girls in Dec

[Star Mom]

I really need your advice and help deciding which park to go to. We are doing 2 days in MK (1full day and 1 MVMCP) so I'm princess checked! And got the reservations and FP needed for MK! Thanks to fellow DIsers. But now I need to finalize on which second park to visit. It is our first time at either of these parks and don't want to do both on the same day, as the kids would be pooped!


AK:
We have a character meal at Tusker house
Have FP for Safari and Lion King...debating on the Nemo Musical, as I'm not sure if they would be bored. Not doing it's tough being a bug, as they may be scared.
We also planned to have Boma dinner after the park!

HWS:
Lunch at Mama Melrose with VIP Fantasmic
Looking to score FP on Toy story, Disney sing along and Disney Jr show. ( they love dis Jr, and I know they will get to see all the characters, but that's really about it) Also not too much for a fan of the sing along as I saw on a video that it is like a karoake with a screen and words....Anna shown up in the start and then Elsa at the end for a final song.
Yes the other thing is the Osborne light, so is it really worth it? The Fantasmic and Osborne light? Heard some kids get scared at Fantasmic as well. What do y'all think?

Suggestions and thoughts please, I would like to cancel out my reservation for either park ASAP so I can give another the chance to enjoy the park accordingly.

Thanks in advance!

 

[siskaren]

You might want to check out Fantasmic online to see if that's something that your daughters would like, but since this year is the last year for the Osborne Lights, I would do HS for that reason (you can always skip Fantasmic). And I really have to disagree on the singalong. I've also seen it online, and I think it looks like a lot of fun.

 

[bc7ate9]

My little cousins LOVE Animal Kingdom - they say it's their favorite Disney park so I voted for that...but then I remembered it's the last year for Osborne lights...I think either would be a good choice.

 

[jessicadisneygirl]

We took our daughter last fall and she was 2 and a half. Here are some notes from our trip.
HS - Toy Story was too rough for her, meaning the spinning was throwing her around the car and I wish I didn't let her ride it. I can't believe there isn't a height requirement on that one. And she couldn't do the shooting the gun so it wasn't much fun for her. Great movie ride scared her a few times (alien scene and western shootout scene). So basically there are no rides for her at that park. She really enjoyed Disney junior, voyage of the little mermaid, and the frozen sing along (snow at the end was her favorite part). She loved fantasmic. In fact it may have been her favorite thing in all of the parks. She still talks abut it.

AK - disclaimer, we love zoos. She loved the safari, the train to rafikis, the triceratops spin, the Dino playground, and it's tough to be a bug. She sat on my lap for that and only got scared right when it got dark and then was fine. She also liked the character meets at AK better.

I think the deciding factor might be what time you think they will be better able to enjoy themselves. If they are early birds, do AK. If they can stay up late, do HS so you can see fantasmic and the Osborne lights.

 

[jessicadisneygirl]

Meant to add - we also did Tusker House and that was her favorite meal. The character interaction was good and she loved the dessert selection. She wasn't as adventurous on the food but they had plenty for picky eaters to choose from.

 

[ELSA711]

I voted for AK as Tusker House is my kids fav meal and AK is my kids fav park, they love MK too but AK gives MK a slight nudge for my kids based on the animals.

 

[minnie mum]

I had to read through the OP to figure out what HWS was. I've never seen that abbreviation before. DHS is the common form used here.

But, whatever you call it, I'd recommend AK instead. Safari, both musical shows, Flights of Wonder, The Boneyard. Conservation Station, the character M&Gs, and then the nature trails. Plus the live entertainment.

 

[mickeymom22]

I think they would really like AK more than HS. We ate at Tusker House for breakfast years ago, but it is still one of the best character experience meals we have had. Things for them to enjoy at AK: safari, seeing the animals on the trails, flights of wonder, meeting Minnie and Mickey, Lion King show, Nemo show, riding the train to the Rafiki's Planet Watch, petting zoo, and definitely digging for bones in the Boneyard! It's a Bug's Life way too scary for them!

If you have park hoppers, you could spend the day at AK and hop over to HS just to see the Osborne Family Lights...They are just beautiful and it is the last year for them!

Sounds like a great trip you are planning! I hope it is magical!

 

[Mainemama]

This is tough. My family loves AK. We are just beginning to explore and enjoy HS more as the kids got into the age 6-8 range. I find the park as a whole at AK much better themed and interesting to just walk through. HS can be tough to tour due to all the timed shows. We just get a lot more done on the AK days. BUT this is the last year for Osbourne lights. If you aren't interested in spending the day at AK, then hopping after 6:00 just to see the lights, I would say try HS. I personally would skip Fantasmic though, and pick a different ADR. (Haven't seen it, or eaten there, but with those ages, I would choose a different lunch option and keep my evening open for the lights).

 

[ktlm]

Osborne lights is absolutely worth it. We even looked at booking a trip just to see them one last time but with airfare, park tickets, and room it was going to be almost $4000 for 3 nights and 2 1/2 days in the parks, and that was just too much. As far as Fantasmic, DD was terrified of it at age 2, but okay by age 4. At DHS, at age 2, DD liked the Beauty and the Beast show, Little Mermaid show, TSM, meeting characters, and she liked the Great Movie Ride (I had her close her eyes for the Alien part). Frozen didn't exist back then, but we have seen the sing along. I wasn't looking forward to it, but it was better than I expected and we enjoyed it. DD was not a big fan of AK as a preschooler- she liked the Lion King show and Safari and then she wanted to go back to another park that had Princesses. We do have a really good zoo at home though and went there quite a bit when she was little, so that may be part of why AK was not interesting to her at that age.

 

[hakepb]

I voted AK... But the Osborne mentions are very convincing!

But the ideal answer is both

I know with boys, DHS was a fustrating park (lack of attractions) before Star Tours, RnR and ToT were height possible.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I think for little ones the AK is fun! There are a lot of things for children, trails, animals, a nice mix of rides, Nemo, Lion King, Bird show, etc.. HS has Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast show, Muppets, Disney Jr, Toy Story MM, and for adults it has all the thrill rides and you can do rider swap, but I would still vote AK. Shorter day so they won't get worn out.

 

[senadler]

I would choose AK for kids of that age, but I might still try to head over to HS for Osborne lights in the evening.

 

[Star Mom]

Thank you everyone for all your input! Yes Osborne lights is calling me, but I think AK is the better choice at this moment. Perhaps something else will come in place or better for Osborne lights. Im guessing, if it is/was such a big hit, they might try to incorporate it in the expansion in some way. Something to look forward too.

I was reading up the AK expansion, new rides and Avatar section, night safari etc which is extremely exciting, and looking forward to 2017 and beyond, will def return when my youngest is at least 5 so we can enjoy the parks to the fullest!

So for now. AK it is! Thank again everyone! Really appreciate your feedback!

 

[mshanson3121]

Also not too much for a fan of the sing along as I saw on a video that it is like a karoake with a screen and words....Anna shown up in the start and then Elsa at the end for a final song.
Yes the other thing is the Osborne light, so is it really worth it? The Fantasmic and Osborne light? Heard some kids get scared at Fantasmic as well. What do y'all think?

Suggestions and thoughts please, I would like to cancel out my reservation for either park ASAP so I can give another the chance to enjoy the park accordingly.

Thanks in advance!

The Sing-a-Long is somuch more than just "karaoke". It's actually very funny, and our entire family loved it - and more importantly, our children (including 5 year old daughter) LOVED it. So, if your daughters like A&E, then do not skip this.

Fantasmic my 8 year old loved,my 5 year old did find parts of it scary. Not bad, she was okay, and really enjoyed most of it, but there were some scary parts for her.

Both parks have a lot to offer. If you kids like animals then AK would be great - the safari, Lion King, DinoLand, going through and seeing all the animals, doing Wilderness Explorers (my kids LOVED this, especially the 5 year old), even Conservation Station.

HS of course has Beauty & Beast, Little Mermaid, Disney Jr, Fantasmic, Sing a Long and TSMM.

I really couldn't choose between the two, lol. So I think it's whatever you think your children would enjoy the most based on their interests.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Im going to go against the grain. I actually think there is more for little kids at DHS. You can also do the character meal at Hollywood and Vine. The food there was VERY GOOD. We are planning to eat their again when we go in January.

2 and 4 year olds will LOVE the frozen sing a long. I'm sure they know most of the words to the songs even if they can't read and it is silly and funny. They would also love Beauty and the Beast and Disney Jr. Show. They would probably also like Little Mermaid, Muppets and TSMM.

Animal Kingdom would also be fun, but Lion King is scarier than fantasmic, so BE PREPARED for that. The Nemo show is nice and very colorful, but it is 42 minutes and is very slow in some parts for a tot and a preschooler. I think they would probably really really enjoy the safari, conservation station, characters if they like fuzzy guys and the dinosaur spin. We also love Tusker House so that would be a great meal too.

S/N: Speaking of the lack of rides for little ones in DHS, I really hope they put a "Dumbo" in toy story land. Kids LOVE Dumbo rides.

 

[epcotty]

For now I say HS because of more attractions being offered in Dec (Osborne lights, Star Wars Launch Bay, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Comedy Warehouse Holiday Special) Otherwise I'd say AK

 

[kohlby]

We tried AK many times when my kids were young and it was a flop. So, I'd say DHS. Epcot was their favorite park at those ages though - even ahead of MK!

As for Lion King vs Nemo, my kids preferred Nemo at that age.

 

[ammag]

Ak for sure although I agree with the naive poster about the sing a long, we almost skipped it but I was so happy we did not! I was very funny, and the end was pretty amazing! Much better than it seems in a video