Skip hs or ak?

[chimommy]

So My next trip trying to figure out which parks to attend. We always enjoy hs, (my kids love toy story mania, all the characters, Star Wars). Anyway, animal kingdom is our least favorite... we usually skip it. Every time I go I feel like we ride two things... and end up leaving. I always feel like maybe we are missing something? I'm thinking pandora might be nice to see. Just curious... how bad is Hollywood with all the construction? We were there last April and still had a good time. Also, anything interesting about animal kingdom that I'm missing... besides the new land. We usually ride the safari, Everest, wander and leave. Where are all the wilderness explorer encounters? What are your favorite things to do at animal kingdom? This might be our last trip for awhile... just trying to convince myself we should go to all parks. Can I add a park hopper into just 1 day? Thanks!

 

[crazylady]

You can not add the hopper to only one day of a multi-day ticket.

What does the rest of your trip look like?

We don't do alot of animal stuff at AK. In addition to what you do, we It's Tough to Be Bug and Dinosaur. My kids love the boneyard and the Lion King is prob our favorite Disney show. This year we are looking forward to ROL and the bird show.

But, if I had to choose between AK and HS, I would choose HS every time. The things that have closed weren't must do for us.

 

[bryanb]

It is not possible to add a park hopper to just one day of a multi-day ticket. Even if it were possible, the cost to add hopper to a one-day ticket is almost the same as for a multi-day ticket. (I don't think you mentioned how many days you'll be there in total.)

If this were my last trip for a while, I would consider adding a hopper and going to both parks. You won't have to stress about having made the wrong choice if you go and run out of things to do.

For infrequent visitors, I don't think the construction at DHS should be a deterrent. There's still a lot of fun to be had there. If you go often, then you might find it to be less of a value.

Animal Kingdom is a matter of taste. It's my favorite park at Disney World from a theming perspective. If you go just for a couple of rides, then no... I can see why you might not like it. If you really take the time to walk the trails and spend quality attention viewing the animals, chatting with the guides, reading interesting facts, etc., you'll find it to be so much fun. Don't like animals? Take in the outdoor entertainment... they have such talented performers. Enjoy the incredible theming. Savor the excellent food, which is different than your typical theme park fare while still being accessible for the average guest. Watch the shows.

 

[chimommy]

It is not possible to add a park hopper to just one day of a multi-day ticket. Even if it were possible, the cost to add hopper to a one-day ticket is almost the same as for a multi-day ticket. (I don't think you mentioned how many days you'll be there in total.)

If this were my last trip for a while, I would consider adding a hopper and going to both parks. You won't have to stress about having made the wrong choice if you go and run out of things to do.

For infrequent visitors, I don't think the construction at DHS should be a deterrent. There's still a lot of fun to be had there. If you go often, then you might find it to be less of a value.

Animal Kingdom is a matter of taste. It's my favorite park at Disney World from a theming perspective. If you go just for a couple of rides, then no... I can see why you might not like it. If you really take the time to walk the trails and spend quality attention viewing the animals, chatting with the guides, reading interesting facts, etc., you'll find it to be so much fun. Don't like animals? Take in the outdoor entertainment... they have such talented performers. Enjoy the incredible theming. Savor the excellent food, which is different than your typical theme park fare while still being accessible for the average guest. Watch the shows.

Thanks for the info, I feel like we always miss the trails at animal kingdoms and maybe would would like it if we took more time to see everything. It is really beautiful. We have gone to the parks almost every year for last 7 yrs. my kids are little and I feel like animal kingdom is always hard for them... but I'm thinking maybe I'm just not finding the right spots for them. I know we have not seen a lot of the park. Right before we left last time we encounterd a guide (maybe wilderness explorer). She was so great with he kids. I'd like I do more like that with them, but I just don't know how we found her .

Ugh... planning is so stressful to me. I Want to do so much, but we also like to have downtime at the pool and resort! This has to be like my 12th trip... you think I'd have it down by now .

 

[jeepnjudy]

I think this depends on the interests of your family members. My family would never miss any opportunity for HS because we love the rides there. On the flip side my family is not as excited about AK so we hit that park every other year when we visit. Talk to your family and try to gauge what rides interest them and work from there.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm a big believer that you should see all the parks at least once. I'm also a big believer in PHs, we have APs now but always had PHs in the past. We just got back from a 7 day trip on Saturday and didn't find HS construction a bother at all. I'm not a huge Star Wars fan and even I loved to watch the shows they have throughout the day. Because my son has back problems and PTSD which cuts out rides like Mission Space and Star Tours, we only ride 3 rides at HS - GMR, TS and ToT, he also doesn't like to sit and watch shows and even doing that little we were there for bits and pieces of two days. Now, I'll admit one day we rode ToT 3 times back to back in the morning and twice back to back at night but, still we were there for a good part of that day. AK is one of our favorite parks and again, we don't ride many rides, up until this trip it was just Safari and EE, he tried EE this trip (the first night of the trip) and hurt his back so much we were afraid the rest of the trip would be spent not riding anything but with medication and rest, he was o.k. So now for us, it's just Safari as far as rides and we still manage to be in the park at least 4 or 5 hours. We love the trails and spend a lot of time just slowly walking those and stopping at all the animal encounters throughout the park. We are huge fans of Nomad Lounge and Tiffins so we would go to the park just for those if there wasn't anything else to do. When he is not with me, I ride Tough to be a Bug (the poking in the back hurts him) and watch Lion King and Nemo and sometimes will ride Dinosaur. We watched Rivers of Light this trip and both enjoyed it. I enjoy watching all the street performers as well. I can easily spend all day there when I'm solo.

 

[Neverland98]

I agree with PP...AK is one our favorites---mostly due to theming!

If our have young children, try the following:
-Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch (nice ride on train, petting zoo, vet hospital, and character meet n greets)
-The Lion King Show-it is awesome!
-Finding Nemo show - young kids would enjoy
- Wander the trails and talk to cast members
-Kali River Rapids-if hot, dress in quick dry clothing, waterproof shoes (like sandals) and ride this to cool off.
-Ride Dinosaur!
-Let me repeat----talk to cast members!!!!! The info you learn is fascinating!!!!!
-Eat at Harambe Market when it first opens for lunch
-Sit at the Dawa Bar for an afternoon drink/rest
-Shop at Mumbasa Marketplace in Africa

 

[Lothlórien]

If I were making the decision for my family, I would skip Disney Studios because there is almost nothing left. However, which park you visit is a matter of preference. You should look at YouTube videos and the Disney planning video and decide which you could make the most of.

 

[SaintsManiac]

If I were making the decision for my family, I would skip Disney Studios because there is almost nothing left. However, which park you visit is a matter of preference. You should look at YouTube videos and the Disney planning video and decide which you could make the most of.

There's a lot to do at HS. Not sure why people keep saying this.

OP, I would not skip anything. We spend the least amount of time in AK, but we make sure to hit it.

 

[CynBeth]

I agree with PP...AK is one our favorites---mostly due to theming!

If our have young children, try the following:
-Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch (nice ride on train, petting zoo, vet hospital, and character meet n greets)
-The Lion King Show-it is awesome!
-Finding Nemo show - young kids would enjoy
- Wander the trails and talk to cast members
-Kali River Rapids-if hot, dress in quick dry clothing, waterproof shoes (like sandals) and ride this to cool off.
-Ride Dinosaur!
-Let me repeat----talk to cast members!!!!! The info you learn is fascinating!!!!!
-Eat at Harambe Market when it first opens for lunch
-Sit at the Dawa Bar for an afternoon drink/rest
-Shop at Mumbasa Marketplace in Africa

The Flights of Wonder show is great as well.

I agree take time to enjoy AK.

 

[CAS239]

If I were making the decision for my family, I would skip Disney Studios because there is almost nothing left. However, which park you visit is a matter of preference. You should look at YouTube videos and the Disney planning video and decide which you could make the most of.

The only major things that closed were Lights Motors Action and the Backlot tour.

Honey I shrunk the kids playground and Streets of America get honorable mention. But the park is not much different now than it was 3 years ago

 

[adisneyaunt]

AK is wonderful... tho warmer it seems. We are skipping HS again this visit. Just not enough to do imho right now.

At AK, safari, lion king, flights of wonder, nemo, bugs life, dinosaur, Rafikis train... see/pet the Animals , walk the trails and interact with the CM's they are Amazing and Filled with info and so friendly to share All their knowledge with the kids!
Kali can get u soaked...nothing worse than a little one in damp or wet sneakers/clothes so take a small hand towel n xtra socks OR grab those $1 store ponchos and wear them ... I'd skip Everest for little ones...

Most of all... take an easy pace, enjoy the sights and sounds...use your Fastpasses and keep adding when u can.
We typically have our dinner sit down at Rainforest Cafe and grab a qs at lunch.
It used to be our least fav park and now it's my #2... nothing beats MK lol
We love AK after changing the way we visit it... relaxed and slower paced.

Enjoy ur visit and making wonderful memories with ur family!

 

[jaychis]

I agree with several of the other people who posted. It all comes down to personal taste and what your family likes. There's not much left at HS right now. I find that HS is my least favorite, but that is my opinion. We like to take the wildlife express train out to the conservation station and do all of the interactive things with my son as well as the checking out the animal viewing areas. again it all depends on what you like. As mentioned by another person. You should check out the Lion King if you haven't seen that show. It's one of the best shows Disney does.