Which park to omit?

[Tallent]

We have a 4 day trip planned for next month. I'm fine-tuning our plans and am wondering if we're overdoing it a bit. Traveling is myself, dh, dd 5 (turning 6 on the trip) and ds 2.5. We're getting hoppers, taking rest breaks for ds's naps (though dh and dd might want to forge on and then we'll meet up in the pm), will have other family traveling with us from time to time, and will only do parks in pieces (am or pm) For example we'll do MK at rope drop till lunch then take a break and go to a different park in the afternoon/evening. We've never done AK or MGM. My dh will go to MGM for the thrill rides and dd would love the HSM show. But is that enough to warrant going there? Like I said dh will probably go alone or with the other family members for the thrill rides at some point. (fine with me as I don't 'do' the thrillers! lol) IF I was to omit a park from our trip this time, keeping in mind the kids' ages, which one would you do? MGM or AK? We DEFINITELY will do MK and Epcot lol.

Thanks!
Rachel

 

[TheZenMaster]

You're going to get a mixed bag for responses, obviously it's all personal preference. Personally, I'm 100% positive that when I go back I'll be skipping MGM if I had to skip a park. We went there last trip and really the only thing that was great obviously was TOT and RNR, after that we left the park at noon after doing some of the other good attractions. Now, keep in mind with kids you may find that everything else offered at MGM could be their cup of tea and right down their alley, while obviously they'll want nothing to do with RNR and TOT.

I would just ask yourself if you and your family would rather enjoy the animals and attractions at AK vs. what MGM can offer you.

 

[cabanafrau]

For us the park to skip would be MGM -- try as we might, just can't warm up to it. As for you, I'd hate to make that decision because that's completely a personal preference & way too much pressure for me.

I say review what each park offers & see which stacks up w/ more must do & really want to do attractions, then make your decision. Luckily you'll have the hoppers, which always leaves room to change plans.

Have a magical trip!

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

MGM is our family's favorite park. Yes, we love ToT and RnR, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
DD (now 12) has loved Star Tours since her first ride at age 6.
My DH and DS19 are huge muppets fans and can't imagine missing Muppets 3D.
The Beauty and the Beast show is fantastic.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a must-do for DS19 and DS21.
We all love One Man's Dream, and never fail to find some new detail we overlooked on previous visits.
The Streetmosphere alone is worth the trip.
I haven't even mentioned Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, Animation tour, Bear in the Big Blue House...

Of course, we all miss WWTBAM...

So what park would I skip? Well, with your kids, ages 2.5 and 6, you might want to reduce your Epcot time.

 

[bouldertcr]

I'd have to agree with the previous posters and say GO TO AK and skip MGM. I think your children (at their ages) will really enjoy AK. Do your children enjoy animals? If they do, AK is the place. You can hike the trails (they are not too long or just push them in a stroller) and see a lot of animals. KS ride is fantastic and fun (you really do see a lot of animals). We loved Festival of the Lion King and I hear positive reviews of the Nemo one as well. Your children will just love the Dinosaur boneyard and TriceraTop Spin. Also, if your DH decides to come along, send him over to Expedition Everest! It is the BEST coaster in Disney (IMHO)! AWESOME!

Hope that helps.

 

[DVC California]

Traveling is myself, dh, dd 5 (turning 6 on the trip) and ds 2.5.

For children that age, probably Epcot. Although the Illuminations fireworks show in the evening is technically "Not to be Missed!"; the only other things that most toddlers and pre-K's would enjoy are "Journey into Imagination" with Figment and "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" at the Living Seas.

Stick with Magic Kingdom, MGM, and Animal Kingdom (in that order) and you will have a great time.

 

[bnk1120]

I have a totally different opinion from other posters. I would just spend two days at Epcot and two days at the Magic Kingdom. The last three times we have gone those were the only parks we went to. I'm sure others would disagree, but we personally feel that MGM and AK are both half-day parks. Epcot and MK have so much to see that two days at each will still not be enough!! Maybe you should go to those two parks first and then decide if you want to go back there or go to one of the other parks. Be flexible and have fun whatever you do!

 

[michelle1]

As others have pointed out, everyone has their own tastes so it is hard to tell you what you should skip. We just did a 3 day trip and what we did was narrow down what we really wanted to see at each park and then figure out how much time we would need. In MGM and Epcot there were only a few attractions that we needed to see so we just did a few hours in each of those parks and spent more time at MK and AK but we did manage to see a bit of each park.

 

[Scraper]

Next minth the osborne lights will be at MGM. It is a must see. The park with the least amount of christmas scene is AK. If I had to skip one next month it would be AK. We love all the parks.

 

[Tinkerspell]

See, I'm a much bigger fan of MGM than I am AK. If you have a local zoo that's pretty good, you possibly won't be too impressed with AK and the walks, etc. If we had to leave one off, that'd be it. For me, the best part of MGM is all the behind the scenes stuff.

Then again, I went when they were working on Aladdin and I got to see animators at work.

It really depends on your kids though too. Would they enjoy the animals more or all the movie stuff? Also, how well do they handle the heat? Because AK is HOT, and there's lots of walking in the sun.

 

[spicemom]

I f I had to skip a park it would be AK (Epcot second).

 

[jenseib]

We went for 4 days last March. We skipped MGM, as I have never been a big fan of it either. We did two days at MK and one at Epcot and one at AK. But if you have park hoppers (which we decided wasn't neeeded for us at that point) then you could go for a few hours and see how you like it. I will say though that 4 days is not nearly enough to do all you want. We can only go on small trips because my DH is a Dairy farmer and we can't get away for too long, but my dream would be to go for a week. I would like to do a resort day and a DTD day as well. Instead fo trying to rush it all in, in a few days.

 

[Liberty Belle]

If I had to eliminate one, it would definitely be MGM. Don't miss Animal Kingdom. It's an awesome park!

 

[Liberty Belle]

See, I'm a much bigger fan of MGM than I am AK. If you have a local zoo that's pretty good, you possibly won't be too impressed with AK and the walks, etc. If we had to leave one off, that'd be it. For me, the best part of MGM is all the behind the scenes stuff.

Then again, I went when they were working on Aladdin and I got to see animators at work.

It really depends on your kids though too. Would they enjoy the animals more or all the movie stuff? Also, how well do they handle the heat? Because AK is HOT, and there's lots of walking in the sun.

See, Animal Kingdom doesn't seem much like a zoo to me at all. I love the theming most of all.

 

[lustergirl]

<<<< wouldn't skip any- each park is unique in its own way!!

 

[La2kw]

I would skip MGM and AK and spend more time at the MK and Epcot.

 

[La2kw]

See, Animal Kingdom doesn't seem much like a zoo to me at all. I love the theming most of all.

As a zoo, AK is a pretty poor one. It has a pretty limited collection of animals. IMO, it's not a very good theme park either since there are only 6 rides. It's got a lot of plants, but what Disney park doesn't? It's got a few shows, but that's not what I go to a theme park for. The only thing worth bothering with is EE, and that's only because it's brand new. I would definitely skip it on a short trip in favor of more time at MK or Epcot.

 

[kimkarli]

I would skip AK (we are doing half day). MGM has tons of stuff for kids that afe. Playhouse Disney, Voyage of the Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, High School Musical Pep Rally, Lights, Camera, Action Stunt Show, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Muppet Vision 3-D, plus Fantasmic and Osbourne Family Specticle of Lights when you will be there. They will love it. You could also do a half day of AK and half day of MGM, and hit what would be your highpoints at each.

 

[Liberty Belle]

As a zoo, AK is a pretty poor one. It has a pretty limited collection of animals. IMO, it's not a very good theme park either since there are only 6 rides. It's got a lot of plants, but what Disney park doesn't? It's got a few shows, but that's not what I go to a theme park for. The only thing worth bothering with is EE, and that's only because it's brand new. I would definitely skip it on a short trip in favor of more time at MK or Epcot.

We obviously look for different things in theme parks. It may have fewer animals than most zoos, but the settings are better quality, imo. And I just love the theming. Shows aren't usually my thing, either, but I enjoy Festival of the Lion King. I am not a thrill seeker, so I am not sure if I'm even going to do EE, but I love Kali River Rapids and Primeval Whirl.

 

[Tallent]

After reading all of your great replies and talking it over with dh some more, we've decided to pretty much just stick to our original plan. The last Sat of our trip we'll do the EMH and morning at MGM take a break and then head over to AK for the afternoon/early evening. If we get everything done early enough at MGM we'll hit AK sooner rather than later. If our plan goes well, we'll get to experience every park at a nice leisurely pace. We'll see if it really happens but fingers are crossed! (and we're flexible--we'd rather have happy kids on a happy trip rather than just jam in all in just to say we did it) Thanks!!!