Planning a Dec trip for a large family!

[american_mommy]

I am so excited. We are finally returning to Disney! I have only gone twice(when dh proposed and 10 years ago with 3 of our children). We now have 6 kids and this will be a HUGE expense but dh and I are so looking forward to it. We are also paying for my mom and stepdad to come but they will probably not do parks as my stepdad has social anxiety.
So I have a couple of questions. We are only going to do 2 days of DW because we also want to do SW, Legoland and possible Universal.
Is Hollywood Studios good? I want to do MK but not sure on the other park. My children are 16,14,12,8,5, and 2. The girls are 16&14 so they do enjoy things watching their little brothers do so I am not worried about them not having fun, I have never been to Hollywood Studios so not sure what to expect? Is it more for little kids? I figured AK was pointless because we go to the Toronto Zoo a lot already and its a pretty good zoo.
We are renting a house in Windsor Hills. We are going for 10 days the beginning of Dec to avoid holiday crowds and costs.
Where can I look to try and do more planning? I am super excited to do this so want to get started!

 

[disneywarriorprincess]

Well i would definitely spend a full day in magic kingdom because it's the crown jewel in wdw. Hollywood studios has gone down in value with many attractions under renovation or not very interesting. I'd only do it if your kids love star wars, frozen, and toy story along with thrill rides. And don't knock off animal kingdom it does have good shows such as festival of lion king, finding nemo musical,etc. It also has a dinosaur ride section with a boneyard that your little boys would probably love to explore in. Heres my final stance: With Park Hopper(if you got that): 1 full day magic kingdom, 1/2 day animal kingdom and Hollywood studios. Without Park Hopper: 1 full day magic kingdom, 1 full day epcot

 

[lazytown10]

We have 8 children, ages 23 down to 3. We usually stay for a week. We get park hoppers and go back and forth to the different parks, depending on the time of day and magic hours. Our least favorite parks are AK and HS. I would skip AK too, if you have an awesome zoo that you visit regularly. Our little ones enjoy Toy Story and a few shows at HS, while the older ones like TOT and Rockin Roller Coaster. When I think about it, that really doesn't sound like a good enough reason to go to either one! If you are needing to rule a couple of parks out, those two would be our personal choice. At Epcot our older kids enjoy Test Track and Soarin. The little ones like Nemo, Soarin, and some of the rides in the different countries. We also enjoy the food there. If given only two days, I think that ALL of our kids would choose to stay in the MK for both days.

We have been to Universal twice. My kids liked it ok. They have a lot of heavy duty roller coasters, so some of my kids were a little intimidated. If that's what your kids are into, then they will love it. We did enjoy Harry Potter World, as we are huge fans of the books! I have a friend whose kids ages are 11, 6, and 4. They prefer Universal and actually stay on site. Everyone is so different. I would continue to research here and make decisions based on what your family likes. This site has info on just about anything that you need. Have a great time! Disney is one of our favorite places to be!

 

[Happyinwonerland]

In December, I would definitely do HS, just to see the Osborne lights, they are amazing!

If you are doing a full day MK, can you also do a Christmas party evening ? The parties are so perfectly Christmas, it really is special.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

At HS, there is the Great Movie ride, Aerosmith's rocking roller coaster, tower of terror, honey I shrunk the kids playground, Muppet vision, Toy Story Midway Mania, frozen sing along, Fantasmic, beauty and the beast show, Indiana Jones, Lights Motors action show, Plus the animation classes and all the Walt Disney history stuff. And the Osborne lights. With snow coming down in Florida. It's amazing. We loved all the shows and the Walt history.

I honestly don't know why people pick Epcot over Hollywood Studios. We just didn't find Epcot all that interesting. World showcase is a bunch of restaurants and gift shops, then the main Epcot area has a few rides, but not a ton, especially for the younger ones.