We changed tickets....would you skip a park?

[TheDisneyBunch]

Ok so we orginally had 3 day hopper and we changed to a 4 day base.. Now from my last thread I felt like maybe we should devote 2 days to MK with a 2 year old and this beingo ur first trip. So, if we do MK for 2 days which parks would you choose for the other 2 days. I know Epcot would not be fun for my little one but I really would like to see Epcot b/c I can go to the World Showcase which I really want to see. I am thinking my son will like AK and we can get cool pics out there...but if we skip MGM would we be missing a lot?? Need some help here..we just can not decide..lol

 

[purplern]

I think skipping MGM with a 2 year old, you wont miss much. I cant think of anything a 2 year would like except Playhouse Disney-if he knows who they are.
I think he would have more fun at MK and AK if he likes animals!

 

[BluOrchid2]

I really think there is enough at Epcot AND MGM to make it enjoyable for your little one. I know you want to go to the World Showcase, and there is a river ride with large boats (not wild rides) at both the Mexico and Norway pavilions. Plus there are the KidCot stations that he might enjoy. You could stop for lunch at Japan's Teppanyaki; the chefs are pretty entertaining. Also, the Figment ride and Imagination Station in Future World. Shoot, the monorail ride over from the TTC is great fun for us! There's Spaceship Earth that he could do, and I'm sure there's much more that I cna't think of right now. Our daughter was just 20 months old the first time we took her, and since she would nap in the afternoons in her stroller we just did the "boring" stuff at that time.

And don't forget MGM is where he will see characters that he will likely know from TV shows and kid movies like Toy Story. He'd probably like to eat at Pizza Planet, see the Playhouse Disney show with Bear, etc. Actually, I think there are probably fewer rides and activities that he could do at MGM, so aside from seeing some characters like Mike/Sulley, Buzz/Woody, Lilo/Stitch...and the PHDisney show....MGM might be the best park to skip after all.

 

[3crazymice]

My 3 year old son has always loved Epcot, I would do that over MGM.

 

[Anc96]

I agree!
MK for 2 days would be great for him. Skipping MGM wouldn't be a big loss. Anything there he would enjoy now, he would enjoy just as much, if not more, in a year or two or three....

Don't think that he can't enjoy Epcot along with you too! There are wonderful things for him to see.. and I think that he might like Space Ship Earth if he's not bothered by a bit of darkness. Check out Innoventions too.. might be some hands on things he'd like.
The Living Seas has some great exhibits as well as sharks, sea turtles, manatees, manta rays and dolphins. It's like a leisure ride.
Lving with the land is a little boat ride too...
Journey into your Imagination might be a fun thing too.. at the end there's hands on stuff to play with.
Honey I Shrunk the Audience has been known to scare little ones a bit.. It's loud.. and can be startling. You know your son best.. he might like it.

AK... he'll love it!
Among all the other things to do.. take the 'Pangani Forest Exploration Trail'. A great walk and so fun and interesting. He'll love the animals I'm sure! We skipped this the first 2 times we were there and accidentally walked into it the last time.. We'll be sure to walk it next time.


Have a wonderful time!

ANC

 

[Nicolepa]

I would agree with skipping MGM. We go there because my 5 yo loves Tower of Terror, but every time we say that there isn't enough for the little ones to do.

Last time we were there we spent one day at MGM but our 3 yo didn't get to do much. Instead of us all going back for dd to rided TOT dh would run our daughter over to MGM while the little one and I rested.

 

[mill4023]

I'm going to disagree with those saying you won't miss much skipping MGM.
Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppetvision, Fantasmic. Our 1.5 yr old loved all these.

 

[*Fantasia*]

There's lots to see at MGM for a 2 yr old. Besides Playhouse Disney, there's 3D Muppet show, The Little Mermaid show, B&B show and Fantasmic! And at MGM, there's tons of Disney characters there to meet and greet.

 

[nliedel]

My, then three year old, love Epcot. I would consider skipping MGM, he was not as interested in that.

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

Mixed choices..I was worried about that...hehe I am loving reading everyones answers though! Thanks so much!

For those that would not skip MGM which one would you skip then? Or would you try to do them all and not have 2 days for MK?

I am torn.. I do want him to see the characters and we wanted to have lunch at Pizza Planet so that part makes me not want to skip MGM but then again I really do not want to miss Epcot and I think he might really enjoy Ak..

The choices we must make!!!!

 

[Traveliz]

I'm going to disagree with those saying you won't miss much skipping MGM.
Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppetvision, Fantasmic. Our 1.5 yr old loved all these.

I so agree - I think there is ALOT at MGM for little ones. The parade is good too.

Liz

 

[Mouse-n-Mini]

We did the exact same thing- switched from hopper to base in order to save $100. We are going for 6 days- and we're going to skip the animal kingdom this time. The only thrill the park offers is Dinosaur. We can't stand Kali rapids- it just gets you soaked and miserable. We figured that if we went to the AK, we'd be there about 2 hours, then be ready to shove off (since there aren't even any real locations to get a nice sit-down meal). Truly, the only thing I wanted to see at AK this year is the construction progress on Expedition everest...and some folks say you can see that from the parking lot of the AKL. So we'll be passing up AK this fall!

 

[Anc96]

We did the exact same thing- switched from hopper to base in order to save $100. We are going for 6 days- and we're going to skip the animal kingdom this time. The only thrill the park offers is Dinosaur. We can't stand Kali rapids- it just gets you soaked and miserable. We figured that if we went to the AK, we'd be there about 2 hours, then be ready to shove off (since there aren't even any real locations to get a nice sit-down meal). Truly, the only thing I wanted to see at AK this year is the construction progress on Expedition everest...and some folks say you can see that from the parking lot of the AKL. So we'll be passing up AK this fall!

Dinosaur and KRR don't seem to be options here since we're talking about a 2 year old. But Kiliminjaro Safari.. the Pangani Trail.. the Conservation Center after taking the little train ride there, the bones play area in Dinoland (can't remember the name).. and much more would be ideal for a 2 year old. And true there are no full service restaurants there... but there's the Rainforest Cafe right at the entrance. Kids love this place! Food is good, not great, and prices run about disney-ish. It deserves at least a walk-through!

MK- a must for him!
Epcot - a must because you really want to see it And it will be fun for him too.
If you think that AK would be the most fun for your son (it would be if he loves animals) then it seems your real decision is between having a second day at MK or to see MGM.
If you're looking for the most for a 2 year old, my vote is for a second day at MK.

Of course there are things he would enjoy at MGM. But I think you'd miss more by skipping a second day at MK

OH OH! Almost forgot! The Festival of Lion King!! Don't miss this if you go to AK!! You will all love it!


Whatever you decide.. I don't think you'll be disapointed!

Have fun.




Oh.. btw.. We stayed at AKL this June. I didn't see the Expedition Everest from the parking lot.. but then again I wasn't looking for it either.

 

[abacobaby]

Last year we took our DD (18months old at that time) to DW. We spent 2 days at MK, 1/2 a day at Epcot, 1/2 day at MGM, and 1 day at AK.

You definitely need 2 days at MK!!! I wish we would have spent a whole day at Epcot. My DD really liked it and it was fun for both my DH and I. We went to MGM mainly for Bear in the big blue house. My DD cried the whole time. She did NOT like any theatre type shows (with real people) like The little Mermaid so we didn't bother to go to any of the other shows. MGM was a real waste to us. We spent 1 day at AK and it was totally worth it! My DD loves animals, so this park was great. I have read many reviews stating that you only need 1/2 day at AK, but that is so NOT true. There is so much to see and do at AK. It is now one of our favorite parks.

We are going again this November. We are spending 2 days at MK (one of those evenings in Epcot), one whole day in Epcot, and one whole day at AK. We decided not to go to MGM again.

So, I think you should spend 2 days at MK, one day at Epcot (you won't regret it) and one day at AK (you won't regret this one either).

Hope this helps!!!

 

[CherCrazy]

I forget when you said you are going...but you may need more time at MK just because the crowds are always bigger there. (Or at least they seem to be) I guess because it has an abundance of rides for smaller children, the lines are loooooooooooonnnnnnnggg!!!

 

[zurgswife]

When you say 4 day base...does that mean you can't hop???

If not then I would do one day at each park. You little one will be exhausted but each park has more then enough to entertain a 2 yr old and not to be missed.

At least with a hopper pass you have the option of switching parks and changing the pass in the afternoon and eveneing./...

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

Nope, can't hop, only one park per day. Originally I wanted to do all 4 parks but seemed to hear so many people saying how we need 2 days in MK so that is why we are so torn. Right now, I am just not sure. Part of me wants to do all 4 parks...dh I think definately wants to get in 4 days of MK. I really want MK and Epcot so that is why we are kinda in the air on the other 2. There are things at both I want to see. Boy we need 2 weeks out there.. LOL Maybe our 2nd trip will be longer. I am just glad we are getting to go right now and with free dining no less..hehe If only there were not 100 things we needed to decide on soon..

 

[BluOrchid2]

Do you ebay? There are all kinds of 1-Day Park Hopper passes on ebay. I wouldn't recommend buying one there, though, unless you are a seasoned ebayer and know what to check and where to look to assure yourself that you are buying from a good, reputable seller.

My point being, if you could park hop on just one day, you could split up an Animal Kingdom day with MGM, or some other combination of two parks and still see them all. You could just buy 3 day base tickets on your pkg, and then have the one-day PHP's.

But PLEASE, don't do that unless you really know your ebaying. I've bought and sold on ebay since Feb 1997 - 8.5 years.

 

[Nicolepa]

Another reason to skip MGM is that if you do not plan your times well you could miss out on a lot of the shows. They time them so you have to really rush from one to another to get them in. My husband is a very experienced Disney Addict and is very good at mapping out routes thru the park and he has a hard time planning the shows and such so we can see more than a couple in a day. Our last trip we saw the most ever and I think that was 3 plus all the rides. (And we were there in September, zero lines.)

My daughter (5) is afraid of the 3D shows. My son could care less about Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaide and such. He likes Playhouse Disney because they blow bubbles for a bit. He loved pushing the buttons at Millionare, but really spent most of the day in the stroller while sister rode the big rides.

As for spending 2 days at MK, I would say plan 2 days for MK, if you decide you don't want to do 2 days at MK then throw in MGM. But when my kids go we spend at least 1.5 days at MK. We usually go in September when there are no lines so they are able to ride every ride they like 4-5 times, which is usually enough for them. If we were to go at a busier time 2 days would be the minimum we would go to MK.

This is how I would rate the parks for our family. 1. MK, we spend at least 1.5-2 days each trip, no matter how long or short. 2. AK, we didn't do this park until last year because everyone told us not to. My kids love it. My 3 yo (was 2 at the time) loves the water rapids. They have to be 38 inches for this one. That's his favorite ride, the safari, they have a dinosaur ride (think Dumbo with Dinosaurs), We couldn't get them out of the dino playland. They both loved the Tarzan show. 3. MGM (only because my 5 yo love TOT and Star Tours, otherwise it would be at the bottom) When my daughter was <40 inches this was definatly our last choice. 4. Epcot

 

[Viki]

Keep it simple. Rather than saying your "skipping" MGM, why not say your "saving it."

There's so much to do at WDW. It'll be great for him when he's older, walks into MGM, and it will be all new.

In any event, have fun.