what parks to visit if you can only pick 3??

[fraser]

Hello!
My first post here, I've lurked here for a while and finally decided to book the vacation of a lifetime and sign on here!

We are going to WDW on July 9-14 staying at Carib Beach resort we are buying 3 tickets for the parks and have to decide which 3 out of the 4 to visit?
There will be seven of us -myself my wife and our 3 year old son and my friend -his wife and their 6 year old daughter and 10 year old son
We have decided so far to go to magic kingdom and MGM studios but are having trouble deciding between Epcot and the Animal Kingdom

Given the ages of the kids (3,6,10)
which park would be more fun or suiatble for all 3 to enjoy?
I figured with all the disney "experts" here someone might have some good input for us!'

Thanks!

 

[sistertrip]

I would personally never ever choose not to go to Epcot and hit Animal Kingdom instead. I'm sure you'll get varying opinions, but to me, Epcot and Magic Kingdom are the ultimate parks. Also, for many people, Animal Kingdom is a "1/2 day park" where Epcot you could spend all day and be left wanting more (in my opinion). However, the young children might enjoy Animal Kingdom for the mere fact that there are so many animals to see (kids always seem to love animals). The Epcot World Showcase does have activities for children in every "country".

 

[kaw1218]

I asked my children who are 7 and 9 what they would want. Both said they like Animal kingdom better than Epcot (aside from the test track!)
They both said to let you know that the safari is only good if you don't wait in line too long(we were in line once for about 45 minutes). My DD7 also said not to miss Kali River Rapids- that is fun for everyone including Uncle Bob (not really sure that THAT will help Ya! LOL)
I recommend the Lion King show..... well you have our opinion, obviously we are not big Epcot fans! ( lots of walking!)
Hopefully that helps with your decision! Have fun!

 

[candykisses]

My kids at those ages would rather have been at AK instead of Epcot. Much more for them to do and see.

When DS was 3 he could have spent all day just in the Boneyard. Our vacation was 15 days and by the end he was sing parts of the "Diggin, diggin in Dinoland song."

Don't miss the FOTLK. The kids will love it. If you sit close to the floor, they may even get to be in part of the show.

 

[eblack0409]

Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and MGM!!!!

 

[checkwriter]

Given the kids' ages, I'd go with Animal Kingdom. Our seven-year-old LOVED it, and there are many more rides for kids than at Epcot. And from and adult's perspective, it is a wonderfully-themed park.

All in all, a VERY tough choice, though. Put it this way, you won't go wrong because no matter what you do, you'll be leaving yourself plenty for your next visit!

 

[fraser]

wow, I thought I had my mind made up for Epcot, but now I'm not so sure!

Another question The park Hopper option:
What are the possibilities of us (being 1st timers) actually having the time and energy to visit more than 1 park per day?
Is this a common thing ?
I have been to Canadas Wonderland and Darien Lake before but I can't imagine how much bigger the Disney parks are and us having enough time to do more than 1 park per day if that!

 

[zordude]

For our family we would take a pass on Animal Kingdom.

Z

 

[J and R's mom]

Hello!
My first post here, I've lurked here for a while and finally decided to book the vacation of a lifetime and sign on here!

Given the ages of the kids (3,6,10)
which park would be more fun or suiatble for all 3 to enjoy?
Thanks!

Welcome to the DIS!

I'll start by saying that EPCOT is my husband's FAVORITE park and my 2nd favorite park (MK is 1st). However, given the question above, I'd vote for AK. My DD (3) LOVES Illuminations but not much else in EPCOT. Conversely, she had a blast at AK. The Lion King show will give you (and the little ones) chills it's so good. The Triceritop Spin (AK version of Dumbo) kept both my DDs busy for at least FIVE spins apiece. The safari was fun for both of them too. The bone yard play ground area, the character meet-n-greets, the discovery trails...all of them fascinate alot of kids.

EPCOT is great but it sure is ALOT of walking with little ones in tow and not much of a payoff for the little ones for all of the walking (or stroller riding) that they'll be doing.

SSSHHHH...just don't tell DH I recommended AK.

 

[Honeybehr1]

We have decided so far to go to magic kingdom and MGM studios but are having trouble deciding between Epcot and the Animal Kingdom

Given the ages of the kids (3,6,10)
which park would be more fun or suiatble for all 3 to enjoy?

Thanks!

We went with DS8 and DS2 1/2 and they both loved AK better than EPCOT. We had to do EPCOT because of project for school for DS8 so we made it interesting and entertaining for him. DS2 was bored alot because most of the rides in the front were too intense for him, he was too short or were not working.
If you have a hopper pass, do AK and then hit MK in the evening to catch anything you might have missed

 

[Rella Bella]

When DS was 3 he could have spent all day just in the Boneyard.

Ah yes, the bone yard! We've spent many hours of every trip waiting for my DS to be "done". It's very cool, they dig up dino bones that are re-buried every night. It is so much fun they want to stay forever.

It's next to a huge play area, that kids disapear in! Raised walk ways and rope bridges, very fun... for them! Very hard to get them out unless they want to obey... no fun being the parent down below saying "Right now!"

That and that darn "carnival" in Dino-land!!! Why do they have that at Disney, it's just like the state fair! And he would be very happy to just do those three things -- for hours -- no matter that there's a whole park to see and other things he likes to do!

Sorry to be negative... AK is awesome -- but if you choose AK, do Dino-land last so you don't mind staying for a while. It's a real bummer when you miss the last show because you can't get your kid out of there in time.
(*Please don't flame me for this... I wasn't the only parent with a child too tired to obey.)

The boards have also said it is quite a bit busier there now that EE is open.

On the positive side there are lots of wonderful shows, it's very beautiful, the safari and the animals are amazing -- it's unlike anywhere else. But so is Epcot!

Is there anyway you can do a park hopper?? Because with kids that age you could easily do AK during the day and then MGM after dinner. Then you'd have a day for Epcot too! Between the two, I don't think you could make a bad choice.

 

[RedFamilyLuvDisney]

My 2 DS, ages 10 & 8 said that they will not go to Epcot anymore, unless they can just ride Soarin, Test Track and Mission Space (personally would not ride MS) hated it. Other than that, they were bored to death... Animal Kingdom would be our choice.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

For a 3, 6, and 10 year old hands down Animal Kingdom over Epcot.

Another question The park Hopper option:
What are the possibilities of us (being 1st timers) actually having the time and energy to visit more than 1 park per day?
Is this a common thing ?

Ok you're going in July, where you probably will want to go to the parks early, then Go back and rest mid-day, then go to a park in the evening when it cools off. It is this situation where hopping can be a benefit. Especially if for example, you get done with a park in your early session. Or on the day you do AK, it closes earlier than the others. You may want to do that park, then jump over to MK and finish up what you missed. You might want to pick a day where the MK closes late and head to AK that day, then hop.


By the way, don't add the hoppers now. You can always add them down there if/when you need them.


.

 

[daisyduck123]

We just returned last weekend from a 9 day trip & recently discussed the same thing on our trip home. I told DD11 & DS8 that if we were to ever only do 3 parks (which would never really happen to us) that I guess we'd skip Animal Kingdom.

DS8 replied, "On no! That's my favorite park!"
I replied, "Since when? You never told me that."
He said, "I just decided that during this trip. They have dinosaurs & I love dinosaurs. They have EE. I love that too! I love all their rides!"

I told DS8, "You should've told us while we were there that it's your favorite park. We would've gone there more than once".

If we had to skip one...it would be MGM.
My kids love the Figment area of Epcot & Epcot is DH's favorite park.

 

[STEAMBOAT209]

Welcome to the DIS, I would recommend AK, there is much to do there for the young ones, Camp Minnie Mickey, the bone yard, dinoland, the kids will be able to run around and have a blast.

 

[goofy4tink]

Welcome to the DIS!!! If I were you, I would add park hopping to my tickets. You're going at a busy/hot time of year. You are going to want to get to the parks early, and then head back to your resort mid-day for a swim and a rest. Then back to a park that afternoon or early evening. Hopping makes this incredibly easy. I hate being in one park for the entire day.
So...I would do it this way (or some combination similar)..
Day 1..MK...resort swim....Epcot
Day2... AK...swim....MK
Day 3...MGM....swim....???? whatever park you feel you liked most

Have a great trip!!!

 

[java]

PARK HOPPER!!
While AK is fun for young kids.... In July it is so HOT there(there was a post just a few days ago about people debating if disney pumps in the heat to make it feel more like the Jungle ) Really by lunch you will be exhausted from the heat. Plus the AK closes very early. In the summer you can spend extra morning hours or evening hours in the parks as a guest. Check here to see the schedule of when you will be there
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wd...alendarParkHoursMonthlyViewPage&date=20060701
It is the best way to get the most out of your tickets. I really think you could fit in all the parks if you want. My kids love EPCOT(soarin, Test Track, Mission Space-I am thinking about the 10 year old....)Turtle Talk, The big Ball ect... It is a really fun park. While we love AK, it really isn't a FULL summer day kind of place.
Have fun!
Edit to add
I looked at the schedule and it looks like on the 10th MGM opens an hour early for resort guest and AK stays open late for resort guests...So you could go early to MGM and see what you want to then head over to AK...Just an example of what a park hopper is worth.

 

[crisi]

We normally skip MGM. It is BY FAR our least favorite park.

My real advice is to scrap any first time trip in July where you can only spend three days in the parks. Go during a less hot and less crowded time for more days. We do seven in early October - have been to Disney many times in the past - and still don't do things we'd LIKE to do.

 

[sistertrip]

I'm don't think you said whether you were staying at a Disney Resort. I wouldn't do the park hopper if you're staying elsewhere, but if you're on Disney property, I think it's the way to go. Like another poster said, it's great to be able to spend a morning in a park, go back to the resort to rest, then back out to do something else for the evening. Also, this way, if later during the week you decide you missed something you really want to do or if you loved something so much you want to do it again, you can do those things without "wasting" a park visit.

 

[Mike Jones]

Just Epcot every day for me!