Which park? We only have one day

Canadiannewbie18

Earning My Ears
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Mar 23, 2018
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Hi! We only have one day to dedicate to Disney World next month while in Orlando and we’re trying to decide which park to go to. We have a 13 month old and 6.5 year old, so this is mostly for our oldest. He’s not much into Disney characters or movies other than Star Wars. He loves rides, science, nature and animals. He’s really into technology and science and mature for his age. He also loves learning about different countries. We’d love any suggestions as we just don’t kniw how to choose! Also, any tips for making the most of a single day would be great. Thank you!
 
Given your son's interests, I'd recommend Epcot or Animal Kingdom. Epcot has World Showcase, with eleven different countries' pavilions to explore. They're rich in cultural goodies (some have films or exhibits to enjoy), and you could buy him a passport kit to have stamped at each one, which would be a fun souvenir to take home.

The Future World section of Epcot is less technologically oriented than it used to be, but there is still a lot to learn about the natural sciences, and specifically marine biology, in The Seas pavilion. He'd probably enjoy Turtle Talk with Crush there. There is also a new science show called SpectacuLab he should check out in Innoventions.

Soarin' Around the World and Spaceship Earth are wonderful Epcot attractions for kids of his age. Not too sure if he'd be that into Frozen Ever After, given his lack of Disney interest. Living with the Land is a must for folks with an interest in horticulture.

Another plus with Epcot is that you'd be going during the Flower & Garden Festival. There will be beautiful gardens, topiaries, and even a butterfly house to explore. It's just a gorgeous park at this time of year. Really enjoyable to walk around. There are tasty treats at the kitchen food booths, too.

Animal Kingdom would be right up his alley as far as his interest in wildlife goes. He'd love the animal trails and the Kiliminjaro Safaris. I'd strongly recommend he enroll in the Wilderness Explorers program, too, which assigns kids certain "tasks" to complete throughout the park, and is educational while being extremely fun. The new bird show might be open by then as well. The number of rides at Animal Kingdom that would be suitable for his age group is rather low, however.

Pandora is the new must-see land at Animal Kingdom. If you can get a Fastpass for Avatar Flight of Passage, it's an absolutely amazing attraction. Otherwise, unless you get there about an hour before Rope Drop (park opening), you probably won't be able to ride it. The lines are extremely long.

Once you nail down a specific park, make sure you select your Fastpass+ reservations at 30 days out, if you're staying offsite Disney property. I'd position them in the afternoon hours, since lines are longest then. If you want to make an ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation), take a look at some restaurant menus in advance. It might be difficult to find any openings now, but the parks also have great counter-service restaurants that don't require ADRs. Be sure to download the My Disney Experience app to access wait times while you're there, and to be able to modify your Fastpass+ reservations, or try for a fourth, rolling Fastpass after you use your first three.

I hope this wasn't too overwhelming! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful day, whatever you decide to do.
 

I would get a park hopper and do HS in the morning then do MK afterwards so you can end with the fireworks that night.
 
If it’s a one and only trip I would go to MK, if you plan to come back someday I would go to EPCOT to support your sons interests.
 
He also loves learning about different countries.
I think Epcot might be a good mix for him -- you have some great rides - soarin, the land, test track, mission space, spaceship earth. And then you can plan to do the countries and have him complete a little passport book with getting stamp from each country. If you are going next month then flower and garden will still be going and they have a scavenger hunt for the bee - once completed you get some patches. There will be tons of flowers, topiaries, butterfly garden, many outdoor kitchens for the adults to sample around the world -- so lots to do and see. The other option would be AK - getting pandora FP will be impossible and not worth a 2-3 hour wait, if Everest is not his speed then you are left with the safari, kali river and dinosaur ride and the smaller rides in dino land.
 
Based on the interests of your older child I'd say EPCOT, too.

Along with exploring different countries, there is technology and other sciences at Future World as well as rides.
 
I would strongly suggest a park hopper to get the most out of your day! I would recommend Hollywood studios in the morning. (Lunch at the sci-fi place is one of our favorites!) i would end your day with Epcot. Epcot is a great nighttime park and they offer a ton of dining options for dinner. Another bonus is these parks are close to each other so you won’t spend a ton of time traveling back and forth. (You could even walk to both if you wanted)
 
Honestly, I'd still do Magic Kingdom if you're just going to do 1 park (and not a hopper). Even though your son likes animals, science, nature, etc. (as does my son, who is 8.5), I think you can see that in other places - zoos, science centers in large cities, etc. I think if you're doing Disney, MK is the place to go. Especially since you said he likes rides - and MK is the best park for rides, IMO.
 
If you can afford to add park hoppers, I would start the day at DHS, mostly to do all the Star Wars stuff (Star Tours, Launch Bay, March of the First Order) then hop to Animal Kingdom (if your family has never experienced Pandora, it's a must). Have fast passes waiting for you for Flight of Passage, although your youngest won't be able to ride so you'll have to take turns staying with him/her. If you can stay until closing, you can also ride Na'vi River Journey with a short wait, by getting in line just before closing time.
 
If he likes Star Wars I would really recommend HS. We had a fantastic full day there and the amount of Star Wars things to see is enough to make it worth in IMO. Or do a park hopper pass and see HS in the AM and Animal Kingdom in the afternoon. Don't know if I would do Magic Kingdom, my hubby is similar to your son and he wasn't a huge fan of Magic Kingdom (hard to believe!)
 
I would do MK. Mk has tons of rides and things to do for all ages and it's just the best park in my opinion!
 
For those of you suggesting MK, just a thought. When my son was young he sounded a lot like OP's son. He loved learning, loved animals, loved learning about different countries. He didn't like MK and we would only go for a few hours on a 7 day trip. He would spend every day at Epcot if allowed, and we did because we always had hoppers.
 


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