If you had to skip a park?

[kacaju]

honestly if this is your first trip I think you need to go to each park and find out for yourself which ones you like and don't like.
Many say AK is a half day park, yet when we went as a family for the first time we not only spent the whole day there, my 3 wanted to go back again.
So on our last day we spent another half day there.
I say go to all of them and then you can see what your son likes and doesn't like.

 

[nessz79]

Thank you so much for all the advice! I did not expect to get this many responses do quickly!

I think a good choice will be to do AK in the morning and do MK in the afternoon/evening on one of the days. I just read that they will be having the Pirates and Princess Party again next... hopefully when we are there!

So for now, I think I will plan on spending 1/2 a day at AK and then do the Princess and Pirate party that night. That will allow us to spend a day at each of the other parks (maybe have larger afternoon breaks for MGM) and still have a day to rest at the hotel. And that will give us 1 full day and 1 evening at MK. If we need more time at MK we can go after the Character Breakfast I am planning before we leave!

Thanks for the advice!

I think you have a good plan!

 

[HappyLawyer]

I would skip Epcot, no doubt about it.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I disagree with some of the PP's. My 5 yo son loved Epcot. His favorites were test track, Soarin, the kidcot stations, making his own take home robot for free, the soda taste testing, the maze in england. A lot for an energetic boy to do! We went twice with a 5 yo to Epcot in one week.

The only thing he liked at MGM was Star wars and the honey I shrunk the kids playground, so if you aren't into those I'd skip that one.

Have fun on your trip, it is a great age to go!

I am with Oldbay. There is a ton for kids at Epcot. My DD who is now 6 loves test track and Sorin, and did at 5 years old too (maybe later 4's when she was tall enough.) MM is good on the more timid one with little boys too, but he does have to be taller then TT and Sorin.

Turtle talk is great, along with the new Nemo ride and the revamped Mexico ride. Then there is some great stuff inside inoventions, and the light up side walk and the spraying fountain, ice cool station and Plus the WS is really cool at that age, so neat to tell them about all the different countries. Little pass ports, kid cot stations and pressed pennies make it more interesting. Really for us Epcot is a 2 day minimum place, and a don't miss.

It goes like this for us when we have kids with us.

MK
Epcot
AK
and MGM last.

Why MGM last? There isn't that much for kids, a lot of it is shows and it is very difficult to just go around and see what you want to. Much of it you have to plan it out to be at the right place at the right time.

For us MGM does have Ariel show (I have girls remember) Play house Disney ( I have a 3 year old too, but her big sister still enjoys it.) Beauty and the best show and Fantasmic. Muppet's is fun if you decide to go, but my oldest is really scared of them.

TT and RR are great, but too intense for my little ones. If they wanted intense you can do EE at AK too. MGM is really lacking for little kids and for places that you can just go to with out having to be on a schedule. Your kid might enjoy the new race show, but I would not go there just for that.

AK is a short day, it doesn't have as much. If you are going to park hop I recommend it a half day, but don't miss it. Plus it is a great place to take things at a reduced pace and walk around and really check it out.


What ever you do, don't skip Epcot. Skip MGM or AK before Epcot.

Oh and I would not bother with any EMH at any park other then MK (and maybe Epcot.) Most the of the attractions open aren't ones little kids go for.

 

[Elmo888]

MGM. Neither DDs (6 and 2 at the time) were crazy about the shows. That really seems to be all there is for the younger crowd.

I thought that we would skip it on our next trip (January 2008), but DH said that we need to go if only for the HSM show. DD7 is CRAZY about HSM.

I wouldn't skip Epcot. Both DDs loved The Seas, and we love the WS. And DD6 at the time liked the Kidcot Funstops.

 

[Woodpilemom]

I agree about Epcot. It is my 6y.o.s second favorite park. Animal Kingdom is his first. Believe in or not, MK is his third. He loves the themed rides, but thinks they are tame. He loves AK's EE and dinosaur. Oh and Kali. And he loves how realistic the rides are at Epcot. He also loves the kidcots and trying different foods per country.
MGM is by far our least favorite. I have 2yo and 1yo girls also. And MGM is the most tedious for both them and my ds. It is the only park they tend to get fussy. Especially the 1 yo. They liked Playhouse, Beauty and the Beast, and live action stunts. And ds loved TOT. But all the shows get tedious for them. And my son's comment on leaving Star Tours was "Man, thats boring after Mission Space." The only thing you do not want to miss is the parade and Fantasmic. Oh! and my son just has to get character photos and autographs with Darth Vader, a stormtrooper, and of course the Power Rangers. They are also the only place that has Cars. Those characters and the parade are the only reason we always do one day instead of just an evening. I see that even falling away as they get older.

Heres a look at our itinerary this past trip so you can get an idea. We were there for 12 days. We did Epcot Future World, Akershus, and Illuminations on day 1. Day 2 MGM from opening to after parade. Leave for break then back at 6pm for Fantasmic dinner package at H&V. Day 3 We take in Blizzard Beach and relax. Day 4 We hit MK at 7:40am for CP, stay till parade, then room and back at 6ish till closing. Day 5 Is AK at rope drop no break this day. We hit Boma for supper at closing. Day 6 We wake up slow and take our time getting to Epcot. Then hit World Showcase all day long. Day 7 We hit the other water park and sometimes play minature golf. Day 8 is MK. Day 9 AK with a trip after its closing for another look at Fantasmic. Day 10 Epcot. Day 11 is MK. Day 12 is DD for shopping, Wolfgang, and Ghiridellies. So as you can see MGM is low on the totem pole.
If this is your first trip though, you are going to want to see it all. I would probably hit MGM after AK on one of the first three days. Use that impression to decide what you will do for your last park day. Because every family is different. Have fun and let us know what you end up doing.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

We personally would skip MGM. Not much for us there except Fantasmic, which really is fantastic! DD5 and DS2 really love MK and EPCOT. Also, AK, but not as much. Our DS won't sit for shows, so that is why we generally can't do much in MGM, but I personally don't get a lot of that "Disney vibe" that I love from the other 3 parks...and yet again, that could be because we don't spend a lot of time there! Have fun with whatever path you choose!

 

[GEM]

Don't skip MGM with a 5 year old boy!!!

Now, MGM is not my favorite park, and it is the one I'd pick to skip for myself.

But . . .

All my little guy's heros can be found there! Mr. Incredible! Lighting McQueen! Buzz and Woody! The Little Einsteins!

Getting to meet the "real" Mr. Incredible was easily the highlight of the last trip for him, maybe even the hightlight of his whole little life so far! And, the first time he saw the "real" Lighting and Mater come driving up the street, I thought he was going to die from the excitement of it.

I'd head over there at least for a few hours, just to see some of the characters. You can't find those guys in any of the other parks.

 

[ammo]

There is obviously a wide range of opinions and each park is somebody's favorite. Our kids loved Epcot when they were 5, so we would never skip it. The two that they would most likely pass up are MGM or AK (this is by far the largest park, which takes a toll on our kids).

 

[badblackpug]

I hate to skip anything, too, but honestly my kids still find Epcot World Showcase a little dry. They do love future world, though.

 

[Zoesmama03]

MGM or if you have hopper passes do AK in day and head over to MGM before the night is done. MGM wasn't my favorite but I did go once at Christmas(Christmas day to be exact) and I thought the light display was great. But otherwise doesn't seem to be a whole lot for kiddos there like AK and MK.

 

[tinkandpan]

At 5, Epcot is my sons favorite park after the MK. He is really not into thrill rides, but loves to see how things work. His favorites there are NEMO, Turtle Talk, Soarin', The Land boat ride, MExico and Norway rides. The trains in Germany, kidcot stations, the list goes on and on.

MGM- for us I thought it was going to be a half day park but we wound up spending quite a bit of time there. THey have a great parade, great to see those characters you don't see other places.

AK doesn't have that appeal for us, I find it very hot and crowded there and it makes me antsy so we usually discourage a visit there for our kids.

 

[newholidayx2]

either mgm or ak
this past aug ds15 & i skipped ak

 

[Keara'sMom]

I agree that MGM is one to skip, if you have to skip one. My dd10 still doesn't find much interesting there, with the exception of Fantasmic. Maybe do as some have suggested and see AK first thing in the morning and then MGM later in the day--that's doable. We always go to MK first, as that's the most "Disney" to our dd and the most fun for her. She always has loved EPCOT, though, so I wouldn't skip it! Just my 2 cents!

Have a GREAT trip!!!

 

[MNDisneyFan]

We could NEVER skip MGM because of the Power Rangers (where the kids get to meet them and get autographs). I think we hung out in the Power Rangers area for HOURS

I was really surprised - for some reason - I had it in my head that the kids wouldn't like Epcot, but it turned out to be DS8's FAVORITE PARK - even moreso than the MK.

Not completely crazy over AK (not even sure why), but I think it will get better if they add a few more attractions.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

MGM, definitely. We like it fine, but if we were short on time, it wouldn't kill us to miss it.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

I agree with the PP who said if it's your first trip, you should try to get to all the parks to see what your family likes best. On our first trip, my dad took us to the places he liked best, and we found we didn't have many of the same tastes

That being said, I'd definitely go to MK twice and 1/2 day at AK & MGM. Or Epcot. Truthfully, I could do 1/2 day at any of them, except MK with a 5 year old. Wasn't very helpful, was I?

Don't stress too much over it - I'm sure whatever you do will be wonderful!! Afterall, you'll be at Disney!

 

[tanyaandallie]

If you have a full week, I would not skip a park! Even if you just go for a few hours or the evening to whatever park you are least interested in!! I do agree that with a 5 year old I'd do 2 day in MK. We did 2.5 when we went last Nov.

 

[JacobsMommy11002]

We are going to Disney for the first time next May. We will be there Sunday-Saturday, but plan on actually going to the Parks on 4 of those days with a couple days of rest.

We have a son, 5 years, and I am trying to make the most of our plans! With him being the main reason we are going, would it be best to spend 1 day at each of the main parks or should we skip one of the parks and go to 1 of the parks twice (MK)?

Any suggestions????
Thanks!

We are skipping AK when we go in January. The rides are beyond what our kids enjoy. Really, the only thing we all enjoy is the Safari. My kids love Epcot, so we could never give that up, MK is a given, and they had a fabulous time in MGM. So for us, its AK that goes.

 

[mommapoppins]

We are skipping MGM this year. But we have been there and seen just about everything. The first year we went to Disney, we skipped AK because we thought it was just a zoo. But this past year we went, and ended up loving AK. We have scheduled two days at AK for this coming trip. There is so much at AK we haven't seen.

That being said, there is absolutely NO WAY we would skip EPCOT. It is my DH's and DD13's absolute favorite park, so we will spend two days there also.

IMO, you should at least try to go to all of the parks for half a day, but having a second day at MK is always awesome.