Review my park plan, please

[PrincessAnnabell]

Tues. 10/28 Travel day
Wed. 10/29. MK
Thurs.10/30. MK
Fri. 10/31. HS
Sat. 11/1. AK
Sun. 11/2. AK
Mon. 11/3. MK or EP ?
Tues. 11/4. Travel day


We have a mix of ages from 15 yrs down to 1. I thought doing the same park in a row would help us know where we are going the 2 nd day.

 

[ghtx]

With 6 park days and no hopping, I would plan on MK twice and each of the others once, and then the last day going back to the one that you liked best or that you wanted to get more of (which would most likely be MK).

What was the rationale for two days at AK?

 

[downtownbrown]

EPCOT is usually a two day park for many, HS and AK can usually be knocked out in half a day. I think you might want to consider more time for EPCOT

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

EPCOT is usually a two day park for many, HS and AK can usually be knocked out in half a day. I think you might want to consider more time for EPCOT

I agree.

 

[Luvchefmic]

AK is easily a 2 day park for me Maybe OP feels the same way

 

[PrincessAnnabell]

We have never been to AK so not sure what to expect. We were avoiding Epcot because of food and wine and the ages of our kids this time. We went to Epcot once before and only went on Nemo, mission space, test track, soaring, and the one inside the ball. We walked around the world and only went into a couple countries. We thought about skipping Epcot all together this time, because not much for a 2 and 1 year old to do.

 

[Luvchefmic]

You can easily have a wonderful time at AK and there is so much to do and see.
If you like taking pictures the details in the park is amazing. You have character meets and real animals for your children to see. Awesome shows, what's not to love Never enough time to do AK.

 

[tigerbelly]

Have you consulted the calendar? For instance- the 30th MK closes at 7 because of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Which means you have reduced time in that park. Also on the 31st HS closes at 7. Again reduced time. Also if you are onsite- factor in EMH and whether you will participate in them or not. You can get a lot done in the early morning or late nights.

And for that length of stay I would factor in a rest day in the middle. We were there for 6 park days in the end of October and we were absolutely EXHAUSTED by the last day. We had saved AK for the last day and we barely made it through half the park before we gave up.

 

[SnowBelleAlice]

EPCOT is usually a two day park for many, HS and AK can usually be knocked out in half a day. I think you might want to consider more time for EPCOT

I agree.

Me too!

We have never been to AK so not sure what to expect. We were avoiding Epcot because of food and wine and the ages of our kids this time. We went to Epcot once before and only went on Nemo, mission space, test track, soaring, and the one inside the ball. We walked around the world and only went into a couple countries. We thought about skipping Epcot all together this time, because not much for a 2 and 1 year old to do.

DD's favorite park *10 during our visit last Oct* was Epcot - World Showcase! We didn't visit E on weekends.

How we spent our days last year - just DD, and me.
MK - HS - MNSSHP - Epcot - AK - MK - Epcot - MK

Plans for our upcoming visit -
EP - MK - AK - MK - EP - MNSSHP - HS - EP - MK

 

[PrincessAnnabell]

We know about the shorter hours days and were hoping for lower crowds because of it. Also, because of our young kids and our 5 yr old with low muscle tone, we aren't expecting to get in too many hours. We will go at a slower pace and when the kids have had enough just go back to the resort.

 

[tigerbelly]

Not sure that the crowds will be lower because of the shorter hours. They start letting party guests in at 4pm so it may be more crowded until they start asking guests without party tickets to leave.

I'm coming from a "bang for your buck" standpoint. If you don't have park hoppers then your best bet will be to be at the park with the longest hours each day. That way if your youngest decides to melt down in the middle of the day then you can take a break and come back later in the evening when it's cooler and calmer. Mid day can be a huge meltdown point. But if you are locked into MK on a day when it closes early then you don't have the option to go back and you are stuck outside the parks. If your goal isn't to get the most out of your park ticket each day but to just enjoy the resorts than this won't be as much of a priority for you.

 

[siskaren]

Not sure that the crowds will be lower because of the shorter hours. They start letting party guests in at 4pm so it may be more crowded until they start asking guests without party tickets to leave.

EasyWDW always recommends MK on party days because most people don't want to go on a day with reduced hours, and in particular, no nighttime entertainment.

 

[Love Tink]

Not sure that the crowds will be lower because of the shorter hours. They start letting party guests in at 4pm so it may be more crowded until they start asking guests without party tickets to leave.

The crowds will be much, much, much, much lower.

I'm coming from a "bang for your buck" standpoint. If you don't have park hoppers then your best bet will be to be at the park with the longest hours each day.

This is the exact opposite of what I would recommend.

 

[SnowBelleAlice]

We love MK on MNSSHP party nights, easy to get a lot done during the day.

 

[Snakes in a boot]

I'd plan for at least one full, if not two days at Epcot. Could also use a day for relaxing at the pool or going to downtown disney. Animal Kingdom for 2 days wouldn't be worth the time. Even with kids you can finish that park in one day and have done everything there.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

We too, love Epcot. We usually plan two full days at Epcot and one day at AK

 

[anett]

My suggestion is to alternate the days in each park: example, MK, EP, AK, HS, then repeat. It breaks it up for all of us and allows us to reflect on what we want to revisit or experience the next time around AND it allows those who aren't in love with a certain park, to have a "break" from being exposed to that park two days in a row. We use to do back to back same park but found it was too much exposure if traveling with several a group. Our itinerary looks like this, MK, EP, HS, AK, MK, Pool/DTD, EP, AK1/2& fly. For us HS is our least favorite of the 4 parks.

 

[tigerbelly]

The crowds will be much, much, much, much lower.



This is the exact opposite of what I would recommend.

So you are saying that you find there is more value in your single park ticket on a 9-7 park day than a 9-11 or 12 park day? Okie dokie.
I've been to MK before on a party night and at around 5 or 6 the park was SWAMPED. People everywhere it was a mess. And then around 8 and after it thinned down to a very manageable crowd.

 

[catra121]

I disagree about Animal Kingdom with the people who say it's not worth two days...but most of my family would agree that it's not worth 2 days. When I travel myself or with my boyfriend...we always spend 2 days at AK. With shorter hours...I never had time to really explore when I went with my family and see the shows. The first time I went solo and spent 2 days at AK I was shocked at how much stuff I had missed out on. I always try for at least 2 days at AK...even if one of those days is a half day due to time constraints. I think it just varies from person to person and what you interests are. I love wandering the animal trails, all 3 shows, the rides, the shops...everything.

I also love Epcot...it never feels like there is enough time in any trip to day ALL the things I want to do at all the parks. I spend most of my trips trying to balance trying new things with returning to old favorites. My next trip is 9 days and even then I feel like some things are tight. I'm travelling with my mom (who is not as big a fan of AK as me)...so we are going to do 1.5 days at AK and 1.5 at HS (AK in the AM and HS in the PM for our half days). We've got two days at Epcot.

So pick what you think will be best for your family. The beauty of scheduling multiple days in the parks is that IF you feel like you did everything you want at AK on the first day...you can go somewhere else the next day.

One thing to definitely keep in mind with AK is that it is HUMID in that park...much more so than I feel in any other park. Make sure you stay hydrated and are prepared to get out of the heat (rides, shows, shops, etc) throughout the day.

Have a great trip...I think your plan looks good to me. Just remember to be flexible and do what's best for your family...without worrying so much about getting the most bang for your buck. The important thing is to have a wonderful time with your family.

 

[nat8199]

AK is definitely a two day park for us. We spent two days there last fall and still didn't see everything I want to.

Our plan is to do 3 days at MK, 1 at Epcot, and 2 at AK.

We are unfortunately skipping HS until our kids are tall enough for tower of terror and rockin roller coaster.