Which park first!?

[Miscrapper]

Okay I am planning way in advance (trip in October) but I am wondering what your kids reactions have been to going to MK first vs other parks.
We arrive on a Saturday so we will probably go to MK first late in day for Spectromagic and fireworks. Sunday is early entry at MK as well so I am thinking that might be good to do! We will have girls ages 4, 9, 9 and 12 with us.
My two dd's (9 and 12) have been. We ate at Chef MIckey's first night with monorail tour of MK and then Sat went to Epcot in day and MK in eve and then didn't go back to MK until Monday. They were okay with this. When we did early entry we were able to do all Fantasyland rides without crowds!
I have read 2 guide books that say not to bring kids to MK first because then they are diappointed in other parks. Esp with this being my nieces' first visit (and a 4 yo) I am sure we will spend lots of time in MK. Fortunately we are there 7 nights with 6 full and 2 half days!

 

[MelanieC]

I love to start my vacation out at MK. Its a special way to start and end it. It is my favorite park. I would use the first day just to get a flavor for what is to come.

Melanie

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

In 2000 we started our WDW trip by going to MNSSHP and then went to EPCOT the next day. Our kids were not impressed with EPCOT, because it didn't measure up to MK in their opinion. However, they did come around as the day went on and definitely enjoyed themselves! At the time I wondered if they would have enjoyed EPCOT more if they hadn't already been to MK. I thought it was kind of like giving them ice cream and then asking them to eat their vegetables!

Having said that, our decision on which day to go to which park is based primarily trying to avoid parks on the days they are most crowded.

 

[WDWorBUST]

MGM - Disney Studios is our favorite park so we always start our trip there. But we are two adults so that might make a difference. Now that it's a tradition though I don't think we'll ever change it even after our little peanut makes his/her debut and is going with us.

 

[tink2]

We always start our vacation at MK. We travel with a children the ages of 2,4,7,and 10. They love MK the best (except maybe the 10 yr who loves RNR and TOT), but they really enjoy the other parks too. We do go back to MK for a whole other day during the vacation, so they have that to look forward to!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I agree with everything MelanieC said, and I double that when traveling with kids. Our first day we only had a few hours and made it to MK just to get some autographs and slowly introduce WDW to the kids. We later went back for a full day. Definitely my kids' favorite!

 

[tjkraz]

I wholeheartedly agree with the EPCOT-first strategy. When visiting in the off-season, it's the perfect park for a travel day because it's often the park that is open the latest. I can get checked into my hotel, catch the highlight attractions at EPCOT, and finish off the day with a great Illuminations show.

If your party has been to WDW a dozen times, this doesn't necessarily apply. But I firmly believe that if you travel with any first-timers (children included), it's difficult to ever get them to enjoy what EPCOT has to offer without it immediately being deemed inferior to the other three parks. If you hit EPCOT first, it helps your trip build toward a climax. Making EPCOT your fourth park visit is very anti-climactic for most.