Very Short Trip..Please help me decide..

[TASHLEY]

I am traveling to Disney in late April with my son (7 yrs). He has never been to Disney and I really want to take him while he is still young. The problem is, we are on a very limited budget and will only be going for 2 days. I had thought about going to Disney for one day and Universal for the other. We will not be coming in until around 12:00 on Friday and I am not sure which one we should do that day. My question is...If you had to, which one would you devote a whole day to and which would you just go a half a day?

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

[spectromagic]

i always do the MK if i only have one day.

 

[suevee]

It totally depends on your son and what kind of rides/attractions he would like the most. If we travel with Zack then it is Universal, he is into thrill rides no "baby stuff" If we travel with Daniel and Eric it is Disney all the way! With MK the favorite park and AK tieing with Epcot.

 

[laughinplace199]

For a 7 yr. old, I would do a full day in the MK. For the 1/2 day, it depends on what he's into. I would suggest AK because it's fun and easy to do in a 1/2 day.

I can't really comment on Universal since I haven't been there in a few years.

Have a great time at whichever parks you choose!

 

[mmeb144]

If I only had 2 days with a 7 year old, I would take him/her to MK. It's a big place. It can take a while to see a lot of it. That would also give you time to see some attractions over again.

Marie

 

[jtjarvis]

This just MHO-- I too would spend both days at MK. We went in January, super low crowds, two whole days and STILL didn't do everything! Though we did what we wanted to do, in spades. Our boys are almost-7 and almost-5.

The window is small for true MK "magic." I'd introduce this to him first and then you can move on to the older stuff another time.

 

[trick78]

I would certainly say mk for the full day and whichever other area you think best suites you guys for the half day. It always depends on what your into, available time, priorties, age and other circumstances. But the number one thing I would do is to never loose sight of the reason your there, to have FUN!
I'd also suggets you attempt to eliminate some of those silly time killers like standing in line for water and such. take the time to prepare for the day. Your pack should have asprin, plenty of film, drinks that you can keep cool, to hold you over-snacks, detailed park maps, phone would be good. Just be prepared and eat really good (energy food,i;e high carb or something) the day before and mornings. Take full advantage of the time you have and spoil yourselves. If you get overwhelmed take a few of those minutes you saved and go find a great shaded place to people watch.
I'm going in a week and also only have a day and a half and I will prepare well and have a blast, you do the same. Remember to prepare, be aware, and have wayyyy to much fun if you dare. TAKE CARE

 

[kda]

As much as I love AK, if you choose it for your 1/2 day, you'll only have a few hours there. Check the closing time before you decide (it might be as early as 5P). The other parks would be open later.

 

[ktglads]

For a half day, I would do MGM. You can see most of the shows and while Fantasmic is going on, you can ride RNRC and TOT with very short lines!

 

[TASHLEY]

YOU GUYS ARE GREAT. THANKS FOR ALL THE INFORMATION. I STILL HAVEN'T DECIDED BUT I AM DEFINATELY LEANING TOWARDS THE WHOLE DAY AT MK. THANKS AGAIN.

 

[amyb9]

Our trip is next week, and short also. My DS is 9 and never been down there, so we are doing MK along with a Braves Spring Training game for one day and US/IOA for two days. He likes those movies much more than MK stuff, but the thought of not doing the magical stuff is inconceivable! We will most likely try and catch Wishes from the Pol or CR, even if we don't do dinner there. And, riding the monorail is important and very cool for a DS that age. Good luck and have fun!! Oh- and we are renting movies based on the rides right now- especially the ones from US/IOA as we are Dis buffs and have watched all those so many times! But, my DS does not know we are going and so he thinks mom has just been renting cool movies!

 

[WilliamsMom]

Since it is your sons first trip I would do MK for both days. My son is 8 and we just returned and he loved MK. If you go to another park for a half day I think I would feel rushed to see the best things and feel disappointed if I didn't see most of the park and had to leave early. MK has something for everyone.

I didn't know this prior to going but my son was a dare devil and loved riding all the big rollercoasters in each park. He also loved the classic rides like Haunted Mansion and Peter Pans flight. Make sure you also see Wishes/MK and Fantasmic/MGM. Those were our favorite evening events.

If you go to MK for the half day too you can ask your son which rides he'd like to do again. My son definately wanted to do Splash mt and big thunder mt and Buzz Lightyear again. We didn't get a chance to do space mt the first day so we started off with that ride as soon as the park opened. This really is the best age for a childs first trip to Disney. No way would I take a preschooler but that's another debate you'll see on these boards. Have a wonderful time!

 

[christinadei]

I would definatly do the whole day at MK. I wouldn't pay a park admission for just a half day. If I were you I'd check out something else, there is SOOOO much to do around disney. For instance, Disney Quest or downtown disney or go to Beaches and Cream for hamburgers and icecream and go down the boardwalk. For resort guests theres the campfire singalong at the Wilderness lodge campground, you can roast marshmellows with chip and dale and watch an outstide disney movie. You can spend some time swimming in your resort pool if you are staying at a resort. Theres just so much other stuff to do that you don't have to go t the park both days.

 

[kaguilbeau]

You mentioned "the end of April" and arriving on a Friday. We, too, will be arriving on April 30th for only 2 nights. Be sure and check out which nights are Grad Nights, as MK will be closing early to accomodate this special event. No Wishes or nightly fireworks will be shown on those night. I'd hate for that to be the one thing you "really" wanted to see - and then miss it!

 

[d96j97]

I don't care how short your trip may be, MK gets the winnng vote. We are actually making our trip shorter this year as well (5 days) and we are making sure that 2 of those days are spent in MK. We have a 6 and 7 year old and can't imagine not hitting the Kingdom at least 2 days.

Have a wonderful time...no matter what you decide!

 

[TASHLEY]

I wondered why MK was closing early that weekend we are going. What are GRAD nights? There is no way I can change my dates to go. What should I expect when I go at this time except for the early closing? Will it be really crowded?

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

If you only have a day and a half or two days and your son hasn't been to either I'd do either Universal OR Walt Disney World but definitely not both. IOA and USF take one day apiece. MGM & AK can easily be done in a day, MK and EPCOT are two days each.

Given he's so young I'd pick the Disney parks. You didn't say if you were staying on site...if so I'd get the length of stay pass and park hop. If not and you can stretch your budget I might get park hoppers and save them for next time. Getting in at Noon with any kind of park hopper you will have a good 8 hours of park time available to you. If you can only get single day passes then I'd either go to MK both days or MGM on day one and MK on day two. With a hopper you could go to MK during the day and then choose between MGM or EPCOT for an early dinner and catch both very spectacular light shows at night. On the second day you could go back to MK until ready for an early dinner then catch the light show you missed. On www.mousesavers.com they have explanations on how to get 3-day park hoppers.

 

[mikesmom]

Definitely MK. Actually I'd pick it for both days. If you are arriving at noon you will not get a half day in the parks. By the time you land, get your lugagge, get a rental car (or shuttle), you may not be checking into your hotel until after 2 PM at best. By the time you check in, drop your luggage and get your bearings it will be later still.

If Mk is closing early on that partial day I would plan to go over to Epcot - it is always open until 9 PM and will give you a few more hours. If MK is open regular hours, I would spend the time there.