So Which other park do I choose?

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Ok, my third time of trying this, let's hope this works....

I have a few questions and would like some help so here goes.......

My family and I (7 yr old boy, 14 yr old girl, 17 yr old boy my husband) are going to Disney in about a week and we are goin to Magic Kingdom, and one other park. The problem is we don't know what other park to do. My husband and I went to Epcot about 10 yrs ago and LOVED it. We were leaning more towards Epcot, but still haven't made a full decision. We will be goin to Busch Gardens, so will most likely not be goin to Animal Kingdom. MGM or Epcot?

While at the parks, if we decide to head back midday for a break, what is the best time to head back and to try and miss SOME of the big packs (not that it will be easy to miss)? Our hotel is in a conveniant mile away from Disney. And do they stanp your hand so you can get back into the park without a problem, as we will not have hoppers.

I have heard that with the fastpasses you can only get one every two hours meaning once you get one, you cannot get another for two hours for all the rides. Is this correct?

And if you have the time...........

What are some of your favorite places for viewing fireworks for both MK and Epcot that are still located in the park.

Thanks so much for your time!!!!

 

[shortbun]

For thrill rides, my 8yo DS prefers MGM! Check height requirements. Fastpass can be worked to your advantage.
It's not neccessarily only every 2 hours. Check the bottom of
your FP ticket to see when you can get the next one. We worked
it hard over Christmas and left the parks early every day having
done everything "important" to us. He liked Worldshowcase
and the thrill rides at EPCOT but while there, he asked to return
to MGM the next day. He wanted to skip MK totally but I vetoed
that. He was glad we went, had fun but we left at 4pm having
completed our todo list. He rated the rides like this:
#1 RcNRC
#2 RcNRC
#3 yep- RcNRC
#4 TOT
#5 Mission Space
#6 Space Mtn
#7 Test Track - rated so low because he bumped and hurt his
knees
#8 Splash Mtn
#9 BTMRR

He rode RcNRC 6 X. I only rode once. Once was enough for
me-lol!
We skipped AK this trip. I love it but DS and DH both voted
for 2 days at MGM.

 

[anne60]

I would probably say Epcot....unless your 7 year old is into the thrill rides, or, you don't feel like a lot of walking...then I would say MGM. Epcot is much bigger and there is a lot more to see, but MGM has TofT and RnR, 2 of the best rides in all of WDW.

Yes, you can leave and come back, but I have never used a one day one park ticket, so I would double check with a CM.

Fireworks - MK - in the street in front of Casey's Corner

Epcot - Canada (if you do choose Epcot, DO NOT MISS ILLUMINATIONS, it is so much more than Fireworks!!)

We usually head out of the park between 1:00 and 2:00, and return between 3:00 and 4:00. You may want to schedule your "hotel" time around whether or not you want to catch the afternoon parade at MK.

 

[princess lovers mom]

First have a great time and leave some time in your schedule for unscheduled time...its nice not to run from one attraction to the other if possible.....in response to your question I would suggest a family meeting and discuss what everyone is hoping to get out of the other day...

...MGM has some very fun things for both age groups of kids...Rockin' roller coater is amazing as is Tower of Terror...Fantasmic is an interesting show for all...LOTS of characters walking around if that it important to the 7 year old...some "younger" attractions such as Mermaid show...Bear in the Big Blue house...Muppets show,,,

...EPCOT will be a long day with lots to see as it is really two parks...Mission to Mars is great and Test track, but not many other RIDES...every country has something cool in it...some shows...more relaxed I would say, kind of meandering around and enjoying the day

...I would suggest looking at the disney web site for a list of all attractions, shows, and parades, write them down and you choose what works best for all of you...

AND another opinion since you asked...we have always been the type of family that does not leave during the day even though we always stay on site...we usually find a place to sit and relax in the parks avoiding the whole in and out thing...maybe the older kids could go off and do some stuff while you relaxed with a good SNACK!!!


HAVE A GREAT TIME!

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Wow thank you guys so much!! You have helped alot!!! But since my son is scared of thrill rides (he is debating whether or not to go on Splash Mountain) I'm pretty sure Epcot will be our pick, plus Illuminations, sounds prety good to me!!

Has anyone used the Disney lockers?? How much are they?


**~I'm rumbly in my tumbly, time for something sweet!!*~~

 

[tcfdick]

My children LOVE EPCOT next to MK! They have gone since a very young age and still love it even more now they are older now. There are lots of rides for you to do in Future World that are not scary (watch out for HISTA which is a 3-D movie and has some scary parts) and they like them all. They love to go on the rides in the lands at Mexico and Norway too.

 

[XStAnt]

Since you are only going to Disney for two days and can't park hop, I'd give some serious consideration to NOT taking a mid day break. For two days I think your family can handle all day at the parks. Even with a third day at Seaworld, it's okay.

Plus, keep in mind that when your hotel tells you it is 1 mile from Disney, they mean 1 mile from the entrance to Disney property. MK is another 6 miles inside Disney property. Depending on crowd level and how crowded the parking lots and roads are, it could take a bit of time to get back to your hotel. It's just something to keep in mind.

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

I never put that into thought XStAnt, thanks alot for pointing it out!




~~*Oh, I'm just a little black raincloud, hovering over and hunny tree.~**

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Ok, we decided to do both MGM and Epcot (along with MK, of course!!)..... AND LEAVING TOMORROW/ THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol, as you can tell I (well, we) are VERY excited.... haven't gone to Disney in about 13 yrs! WOOO HOOOOO!!!

Deep in the Hundred Acre Woods, where Christopher Robin plays, you'll find the enchanted neighborhood, of Christoper's childhood days. A donkey named Eeyore is his friend, And Kanga, and little Roo. There's Rabbit, and Piglet, And there's Owl, But most of all Winnie the Pooh!!!

ok, so I'm a little upsessed...... lol

 

[XStAnt]

Are you now planning three days at Disney parks or are you planning on getting hopper passes and saving the unused days. The reason I ask is because you cannot park hop with single day tickets so you won't be able to go to Epcot and MGM on the same day.

On the other hand, if you're going for three days I think it's great you are trying those three parks.

Have a great trip.

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

I am pretty sure that we are just going to go the single days, and go three days..... but who knows, our plans change so much, and we are leaving tomorrow, kinda scary huh?? lol. So we might end up doing the hoppers, depending on how the expenses look once we get down there. Disney here we come!!!!!!!

**~Oh stuff and fluff!!~**

 

[Atreyu]

Park hoppers are good so you can go back and forth and try a bit of everything.

Have fun on your vacation

 

[Blueberry]

I KNOW YOU MAY BE GONE ALREADY..BUT YOU WILL ENJOY BOTH MGM AN EPCOT HAVE A GREAT TRIP AND SEE YA THERE THIS WEEKEND...WOO HOO!!!!

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Got back two weeks ago, yeah I know, took me quite awhile to respond. lol.
Wow was MK crowded!!!!! Guess we are not used to it! But WOW lol!! Only got to ride 13 rides, not to much when you think about it! We won't be going to MK on spring break again!! We had breakfast at the Crystal Palace.... the best breakfast I have ever had!!!! Hope to do that again soon!!! Luckily we got to MK, not knowing when we would go back. One trip we won't forget!!!

Epcot was sooo much better!!! We got on every ride we wanted to get on (bascially everything)! We got there about 2-3 hrs after it opened, and were waiting around to watch Illuminations. Mission:SPACE was awesome!!!!! LOVED Epcot!!

We didn't get to MGM, we did Blizzard Beach instead, which is why we are going back in the summer (to go to MGM)!!!!! Blizzard Beach was great!!! Not to busy and perfect weather. But we waited and hour and a half for summit plummet!! But it was worth it!!!!!! Lots of fun there too!!!

 

[XStAnt]

Glad to hear you had such a great trip.

Did you just use single day tix or did you go with the hoppers?

Did you keep your offsite hotel? How was the drive to Disney each day? Did you take a mid day break or stay at the parks all day?

Now you have the agonizing wait until your next trip

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Thanks!

Our hotel lobby offered a nice little deal where you get a single day ticket and add-on another day at a park for $10 cheaper, and also got to add-on Blizzard Beach for $10!! So we went with that.

Stayed off-site (wish we wouldn't as we did a timeshare presentation and were pickpocketed $900 while there, sour ending to our vacation!!) . But... staying on-site this summer!!!!!!!!!!!! whoo-hoo!! At Pop Century,,,, looks cute!!

The drive wasn't half bad to Disney!!! On Blizzard Beach day (Wednesday) we left at....oh...say.. about 10:30-11:30, and it was pretty busy on I4!!!!! It usually took us about 5 mins to get to the first sign that reads.... WALT DISNEY WORLD....well, this time it took us 10-15. Funny how you can sort-of tell what cars are going where, as about 1/4-1/2 turn off the Disney exit along with us!!

Oh boy, a midday break didn't even come to mind with how busy it was!!! We were either getting a fastpass, waiting inline at a ride, or runnin around to different rides like chickens with our heads cut off!! MK was so busy! We would have missed out on about 4-5 attractions had we left! Woo-wee!!

Ok, I must say, my whole family got EXTREMELY emotional with Wishes!!!! I mean.... VERY VERY emotional!! SpectroMagic made my 17-year old son (now get this, he is into heavy-metal music, wears flames and skulls on his shirts all the time, don't get me wrong, he is one of the sweetest guys you will ever meet and no I am not just saying this cause I am his mother, my 14 yr old daughter thinks so too!) but any ways back to the Spectro.... It made him almost cry because it reminded him of his childhood and that when he is at Disney, he was lookin at all the younger kids, wishing that he could live that moment again, and also wishing that while at Disney, he wouldn't be thought of as a big tough guy but a kid....... sweet huh? But then Wishes (shh don't tell anyone) he had TEARS IN HIS EYES!!! And when the little girl said "we will all put our heads together and make a wish" or something similar to that, a tear actually fell down his cheek. WOW I then look over at my 14 yr old daughter and she leans over to me and gives me a HUGE hug (but we have always been really close)and she is filled with tears!! Very emotional for all of us!!

To continue on before I once again become emotional................ we could have easily taken a midday break for Epcot, and still been able to get on all the rides we wanted to. We took about an hour just ridin poo-dunk rides like the one in Mexico, Norway, O Canada (sorry to those who really enjoy them) but we had all the time, and it wasn't too busy, so it didn't matter. Illuminations was incredible!!


Yeap, I now have all this time for my daughter and I (she is on what is now "our Winnie the Pooh" name as she makes posts on here alot too! She is worse than me!!) to do lots and lots of research!! She'll love this!!!!!

Well thanks for your time!!

 

[Atreyu]

Pick pocketed? How did that go about? That's no fun

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Honestly, I have no idea how it happened!! We went to the presentation, before we left, I KNEW I had my money in my purse, while on our way to DTD, I realized it was gone. Almost like ~poof~ it's gone. Not fun, but we also look at it as, it could have been worse. At least we had a GREAT vacation before that happened, and it happened on a Friday as we left on a Saturday. The hotel didn't seem to considered for us, which kind of made us leave on a sour note for that place also!