Is it possible to do AK & MGM in the same day

[TexDisneyMom]

If AK has early morning hours and MGM has extra evening hours can these two parks be done in one day? I was thinking we would go back to the hotel and rest in the afternoon before going to MGM. I would really like to free up another day so we could either do 2 days at MK or EPCOT and would like to do AK and MGM in one day. Thanks for any thoughts on this!

 

[webmomom]

Yes It can done in one day, if only going to see the major attractions and the AK.
It takes us a full day AK and then don't see everything. There is so much to see at AK, The theming is beautiful. It is park not need to slow, as the saying goes, Stop and Smell the Roses. It is a very big park and takes alot of walking to end and other end. There lots in little things a can find and are on the path. I know alot people you do, but to enjoy park and in all it has offer and plan of full day there

 

[Karnak]

You can probably do it; but you will need to pay attention to the starting times of the major shows, especially at MGM, where there are currently ten shows running, many with specific starting times.

The key is smart advance planning.

Enjoy.

 

[goofymom23]

We always do AK and MGM on the same day. We have breakfast with Donald before the park opens at AK. This gets up into the park early. We get done eatting before the park opens and walk to our favorite attraction. For us its the rapids. Look at an AK map and mark what you really want to see. We are usually out of AK by 1:00. Back to the hotel for a couple of hours and off to MGM for the rest of the evening. The biggest problem you will encounter is the shows at MGM. We usually are able to see most of them. The new stunt show is probably the hardest to get in (in my opinion it wouldn't matter, its not that great).....You really have to plan your day out and decide what is important to you. Estimate what time you will need to get to MGM in order to see what you want and then just make sure you get there by that time.

 

[princess aurora]

We did 3 parks in one day! It was our last day so we did AK in the morning with EMH and hit EE, the jungle treks and Flights of Wonder, then back to the hotel for a rest. Popped over to MK to ride Space Mountain and Splash Mountain for one more time then monorailed to TTC and caught a bus to MGM and stayed there until closing for their EMH!

Just plan your day ahead of time to give yourself some guidelines as to what you want to accomplish. What are the "must sees" vs the "nice to dos" for your family. Plan to get up EARLY and stay out LATE with hopefully a rest in between.

 

[tink1978]

Yes, you can do them in one day. We always do. We do AK in the morning and do the safari, KRR, It's Tough To Be A bug, Dinosaur, and The Primeval Whirl. This year we will be adding EE. Then at MGM, we do the Beauty and the Beast show, TOT, RNR, Great Movie Ride, Playhouse Disney, MuppetVision 3D and sometimes Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We have dinner and then do Fantasmic in the evening.

 

[tkd lisa]

Many of the shows at MGM have a last showing around 6, so if you don't get there until 3, you may only be able to see one or two of them. As long as you don't expect to do every attraction in both parks, it is possible to enjoy both of them in one day.

 

[ougrad86]

If it is your first time, I wouldn't try it, because you never know what you will fall in love with! But next time we go, we will do both in one day. AK in the morning and MGM at night. Will hit dinosaur, everest and would like to see tough to be a bug. Maybe one of the trails.
MGM do star tours, might try RNR and I never did see that walk through about Disney. DH wants to eat at Hollywood & Vine, so we might do that with Fantasmic - not sure tho.
Not big on parades or too many show (just a few), so it makes it easier to zoop on through. Keep in mind, during EMH, some attractions are closed, so you have to plan your way around the park.

 

[Bev J]

Yes you can do both parks, but you probably won't see everything you want to see. We like to go to AK first thing and do what we can till about 1 then it is just too hot to stay any longer. We head back to the resort or somewhere out of the parks for lunch then relax till 5 or so then head back to a different park.
We always visit AK another day for a few hours to hit our favs then leave. Same with MGM.
For us Epcot and MK need multiple days to get it all in..

Bev

 

[Ava]

I've done both in one day on two occasions, neither time using EMH. It will depend on crowd levels when you're there, but with planning you should be able to do the major attractions at both parks in one day. On my trip last month, here's what we were able to do in one day:

Got to AK a little after 9am opening
Everest twice in a row, once standby & once w/ FP
Kali River Rapids
Primeval Whirl
Dinosaur
Got FP for Safari
Lunch
It's Tough to Be a Bug
Safari w/ FP
Left AK around 2pm, got to MGM around 2:30
Got FP for Rockin' Rollercoaster
Great Movie Ride
Star Tours
RnR w/ FP & picked up another FP on the way out (this is my favorite ride)
Backlot Tour
5:50pm ADR @ Hollywood & Vine
Finished dinner around 7pm
RnR again w/ FP
Went in to get a seat for 8:30 Fantasmic @ around 8pm (had the dinner package)

We didn't do a whole lot at MGM, but that's because there wasn't a lot there we were interested in, and we had plans for dinner & Fantasmic. The park also closed fairly early that night (8:30) and there was no EMH. I'm sure if you are able to utilize EMH at one or both parks, and possibly skip Fantasmic, you'll be able to see more of the attractions. It also obviously depends on the ages of your kids and what kinds of rides/shows you like. Have fun!

 

[LISAMWDW]

Everyone here seems to say yes, but I guess, I'll stand alone and say no. I love AK and there is so much there that it takes an entire day to accomplish everything. Ava's itineary above looks good but it misses Festival of the Lion King among other things. Festival of the Lion is the best live show in WDW! It's not one to miss. Also, it only accomplish's 4 things at MGM. There's alot of good stuff at MGM. It's tough to do all the shows at MGM when your there for the entire day. I personally wouldn't rush thru the parks just to see all the parks quickly.

If you must, know the show times and be sure to plan your day throughly. Knowing you'll be missing alot.

 

[TexDisneyMom]

Thanks for all the input!!!! It will be our second time to go to WDW, we went July 2004 and we are going again this July. I cant wait, and while I didnt want to skip any parks I really wanted more time at MK and EPCOT.

 

[Ava]

Ava's itineary above looks good but it misses Festival of the Lion King among other things. Festival of the Lion is the best live show in WDW! It's not one to miss. Also, it only accomplish's 4 things at MGM.

That's true, I didn't even think about the fact that we saw none of the shows at either park when I said yes. We're not show people and have seen most of them before, so they weren't on our list of "must-do's." We actually did go back to MGM for a couple hours on another day and saw the Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show, which was pretty cool. We also aren't into meeting characters so we skipped Camp Minnie Mickey @ AK. If you have kids (or just love characters ) this will probably be a must-see area for you.

So I'm going to amend my answer a bit... it's possible to do a "highlights" tour of both parks in one day, but there is no way you'll be able to see & do everything. Since you've been to both parks before, you should know what the highlights of each are for you. Have fun at Disney! I wish I was going back!

 

[Jobie]

yup, very possible! I did it last year.

 

[STEAMBOAT209]

AK and MGM can be done in the same day, just have your priorities listed for each park, and secondaries available just in case timing doesn't match up, you can jump to your second choice for a given priority. Make sure you arrive before park opening to take advantage of small crowds for the first events you need to see. But do take time to enjoy these parks, there's allot to see in each, don't rush through to get it done. Have fun and plan well.

 

[Goofy4]

Wow. I don't see how. By the time you would get over to MGM, the fastpasses would be gone. This time of year, I would think that it would be very difficult to enjoy either park unless you really narrowed the scope of what you're interested in.

Please excuse, DS wants to do a little dancin'.

 

[byoung]

You will not see every think but you will enjoy it.

 

[TexDisneyMom]

Thanks everyone for replying. This was my first post to the board and I actually think my dh was more excited than me on all the replys I got to my question. This is definitly the best place for information!

 

[msgrimm23]

ak and mgm can be done in one day i do it everytime i go down there and check out which park is open late sometimes i am so excited i can not sleep so i sneak in a 3rd park too if epcot is open late that would be great you can take a boat from mgm to epcot. plan out your day when doing the 2 parks make sure you know where you are going to minimize time wondering around also make a list of the most see things too it helps out and you will be fine good luck and have a great time

 

[cookiebrito]

I guess that you can do both in one day but both parks do have alot to offer. I would start my day at AK and jump to MGM in the afternoon. Keep in mind that if you travel during the busy season you will be waiting in long lines. The one thing that I hate about trying to do too much is that you can't enjoy your day. I've been to WDW too many times to count and at this point I do not care much for riding.... I just like to go and hang out. See everything and ride what I can.

I hope that you have a great trip.