Which park is best for late-arrival?

[Stinky_Pete]

I have to agree with others who say if you're only doing one day at AK don't short-change it. Make it a full day.

My suggestion if you're spending two days in Epcot is to do one side one day and the other side the second day. At least for future world. These days it just kills my feet and legs to keep criss-crossing any park. If I can split the park up into halves it makes a huge difference to my comfort. I do the same at the MK.

 

[Delirium]

EPCOT. I think a lot of people recommending AK missed out on the fact that you had 2 EPCOT days planned.

 

[Fizban]

We arrive from the West Coast into MCO on a Saturday at 5:30 p.m. I don't know if we'll be able to get up for Rope Drop on our first day, Sunday. And I don't want to burn us all out on the first day. Me, DH and DD9. So I am thinking of going to AK or Epcot. We only have 1 AK day and 2 Epcot days during our trip. Which do you think is a better park for a late-arrival? We aren't hopping, so we will have FP+ available at whichever park we choose.

I was thinking AK because it is the park that we are most looking forward to (because it is so totally different from Disneyland). I thought that Kilimanjaro Safari, The Lion King Show and lunch at Tusker House would be a great start to our trip.

What do you think?

AK is definitely out as they close before you arrive. Best chances (IMO) are Epcot or DTD(not really a park but a good time to be had by all).

 

[Stinky_Pete]

AK is definitely out as they close before you arrive. Best chances (IMO) are Epcot or DTD(not really a park but a good time to be had by all).

I think you missed the OPs question. She's not going to any park on arrival evening. She was asking what she should do the next full day because they don't want to get up first thing and make rope drop.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think it depends on what you want out of that day.

If you're concerned about burning out on the first day, then AK might work well as it does have shorter hours than Epcot, so your overall day in the parks will be shorter. You could always head to DTD after the park closes if you want a little more Disney for the night. With FP+, especially, AK can be done in a 1/2 day, depending on how much you want to see.

On the flip side, if AK is the park you're most excited about and want to spend a lot of time there, then a 1/2 day is probably not your best choice. The shorter operating hours would work against you in this case.

Epcot is also very unlike anything in Calfifornia, especially world showcase. It will also have longer hours than AK, so a 1/2 day could mean more like 8-9 hours (entering around 12pm or 1), vs 5 hrs (entering AK around noon). You can still take it easy here, arriving for lunch somewhere in World Showcase and using the afternoon to explore WS, and potentially making your FPs for Future World rides for later in the day (if you want to...you could probably easily spend the entire afternoon/evening through til Illuminations in WS alone - especially if you're going during Food and Wine Festival at all.

For myself, I would probably spend that day in Epcot. We usually spend a 1/2 day (maybe a little. more in AK), but I prefer to be there at RD in the morning as we've found the animals can sometimes be more active earlier in the morning.

 

[tinkerbesh]

We arrive from the West Coast into MCO on a Saturday at 5:30 p.m. I don't know if we'll be able to get up for Rope Drop on our first day, Sunday. And I don't want to burn us all out on the first day. Me, DH and DD9. So I am thinking of going to AK or Epcot. We only have 1 AK day and 2 Epcot days during our trip. Which do you think is a better park for a late-arrival? We aren't hopping, so we will have FP+ available at whichever park we choose.

I was thinking AK because it is the park that we are most looking forward to (because it is so totally different from Disneyland). I thought that Kilimanjaro Safari, The Lion King Show and lunch at Tusker House would be a great start to our trip.

What do you think?

I would consult a crowd calendar like easywdw.com first. Then organize your days around whatever will have the lowest crowds.

 

[HappyDisneyMama]

I vote for Epcot and do the World Showcase. World Showcase does not open until 11am so you can easily do a late arrival for it. You can spend a leisurely afternoon touring the different country pavilions and then do an early ADR and leave the park before Illuminations. That way you get a leisurely start to the day as well as an early enough night to manage rope drop the following day.