Which park would you do twice?

[Figvention]

I have been doing research on Epcot and I dont know what I am missing but I dont know how we can get two days from it. I am going to look again.

When we go as a family and bring the in-laws we do 2 days at Epcot. One day with the whole family doing the rides and experiences and then one day the in-laws watch the kids. The wife and I enjoy a relaxed adult day at Epcot, enjoying all the offerings at the seemingly ever present festival booths and a good sit down meal at one of the countries. We enjoy Epcot more than Disney Springs for a get away.

 

[TammyLynn33]

We are doing two days at both MK and AK. MK so big kids get a fp day and we will be more centered in their list and one day on the littles so more fantasyland..
AK two days bc we love animals zoos etc and we can do two separate fp for fop and river as they are tiered

 

[saraheliz]

After MK, I'd do Epcot first, next choice would be AK. We tend to do two days at Epcot but we make them a little bit shorter days with a little extra pool/rest time.

I can't imagine getting more than a full day out of HS as it is right now.

 

[Klayfish]

Nobody will really be able to answer this question for you because it's a personal taste decision. If you've never been to WDW, it'll really be hard for you to decide until you've visited each one and figured out which one you like best.

To me, HS is not a half day park, by any stretch. I could, and routinely do, spend several days there. That's because I like what it has to offer. I also like Epcot, and can/do spend several days there. But frankly I find the World Showcase a bit boring so we don't spend a ton of time in that section. But that's just our opinion. They both have good shows, thrill rides and family rides. Try them both and then decide which one you want to revisit.

 

[Shellyb84]

If you don't already have a rest day built in to your schedule, I would do that instead of another park day. Otherwise, I would choose two days at Epcot!

 

[MrsDuck]

Absolutely AK but that's just personal preference. I'd wait and see what parks your family loves and wants to return to.

 

[3gr8boys]

As PP said-it really is a matter of personal preference. If at all possible, I would try to move your ??? day to the end of your trip so the crew can decide where they would like to go. Perhaps you can try for the FPs of concern earlier- someone with more experience than me will have to assess your chances. We don't get to WDW often, so my boys like to focus on what they want to do, not following a plan. (We use hoppers so they go wherever whenever.... it must be very difficult to feel like you have to lock in each park day ahead of time....I am sure you are not alone in feeling stressed.)

For what it is worth, I would probably choose AK. Boys love EE, the Safari is great and there is just so much to linger and enjoy (animal trails, performers...). FWIW, my kids do like multiple visits to HS for ToT and RnR....they have never been into Epcot attractions aside from TT and maybe Soarin'....they just don't appreciate the World Showcase as much as my husband and I do.

ETA I was also thinking that more AK time would allow for an awesome extra experience like Caring for Giants or the rhino tour.

Are you doing the fantasmic package at mama Melrose strictly for the Fantasmic seating benefit? If so, I would keep in mind that there are other strategies for Fantasmic seating...you may not want that alone to decide for you.

Just know that, no matter how much you know or plan, you can't do everything and that is ok. It will still be magical!!!

 

[kiramay]

We do 2 days at Epcot. It’s a large park with a lot to explore. Most rides have hands on exhibits afterwards.
Spaceship Earth pavilion
Mission space pavilion
Test track pavilion
Seas pavilion
(Plus rides in the Land pavilion)

All the countries. We do the Agent P missions. Mexico ride. Frozen ride. Acrobat show. Eat and snack around the world.

As for your original question, if you want to eat at two places in HS might as well do that for two days. How’s, Flight of passage is so awesome that I’d suggest trying to get another fp for it.

 

[Anchored]

Animal Kingdom would be my personal preference

 

[hes122]

When I was there in March 2017, my traveling buddy and I had never been to AK before. We stayed Saturday-Saturday and initially planned out the following: Sa-EP, Su-AK, Mo-HS, Tu-rest/DS, We-MK, Th-up in the air, Fr-MK, Sa-EP. We initially talked about doing Universal on Thursday, but decided it was too much $$ for one day. After we visited AK on Sunday, we fell in love and started talking about doing it again on Thursday. By the time Tuesday rolled around we were pretty sure that's what we wanted to do, so stopped by the front desk at our hotel to ask how much it was to upgrade. Since it was less than $25/person we said yes, got our tickets and even managed to get fast passes that we wanted. It was the right decision for us.

All that to say...I think playing it by ear is a good choice for your situation.

 

[dreiwhit]

We do two days at Epcot and 2 or 3 days at MK.

To be honest, with what we can do at DHS, its a 3/4 day park.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It you go after Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens, I'd say DHS.

If you go before, I'd say Epcot.

 

[tink2]

This is a tough one........ First off, MK is always a 2 day park for us. But if you are deciding between HS and AK,
we generally do 2 days at HS and one at AK. We have found ourselves waiting around for it to get dark at AK so we can see Pandora at night (summer trips and late sunset).... I love AK a lot, but we literally run out of things to do- even after we've done Everest at least 3 times and safari twice. We love doing the safari at night and seeing Pandora at night~ but the last two trips we literally were sitting around waiting on it to get dark.
HS is in transition right now and a lot of things have closed and waiting on things to open. With the ages of your children though~ there are a lot of things there they will love. The girls will love Beauty and the Beast show and The Little Mermaid show~ we see those twice a trip. They will love the Frozen Sing Along. Indiana Jones show is great. and of course TOT and RNR. and if your kids love Star Wars, there is a good bit with that too. With the new Toy Story land added too~ I think we'll spend more time in HS than AK this year. There tends to be more character meet and greets at HS too we've found. If you're going after Star Wars land opens..... definitely HS~ the crowds will be much much larger.
You might consider hopping that second day~ that is our tentative plan for now for our upcoming trip. Doing a full day and half at HS and then hopping to another park~ maybe Epcot. We never do a full day at Epcot~ it is really good to see a few times, but my family just doesn't care to do it all over and over again like we do the other parks. We are leaving it up in the air in case weather has not been our friend and we need to go to a different park or even stay in HS. We are going to make FP for HS for lunch/early afternoon of our second HS day, and then decide if we are staying or going to a different park.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'm the odd ball...I would do two at MK and two at EPCOT. But if thrill rides are your thing, I think HS is your best bet. I don't visit that park myself as RnR is the only ride I really care for. Some people may not need two days at EPCOT, but I REALLY love the World Showcases. More than I do the rides in Future World.

I'm with you

 

[ashleyr409]

As PP said-it really is a matter of personal preference. If at all possible, I would try to move your ??? day to the end of your trip so the crew can decide where they would like to go. Perhaps you can try for the FPs of concern earlier- someone with more experience than me will have to assess your chances. We don't get to WDW often, so my boys like to focus on what they want to do, not following a plan. (We use hoppers so they go wherever whenever.... it must be very difficult to feel like you have to lock in each park day ahead of time....I am sure you are not alone in feeling stressed.)

For what it is worth, I would probably choose AK. Boys love EE, the Safari is great and there is just so much to linger and enjoy (animal trails, performers...). FWIW, my kids do like multiple visits to HS for ToT and RnR....they have never been into Epcot attractions aside from TT and maybe Soarin'....they just don't appreciate the World Showcase as much as my husband and I do.

ETA I was also thinking that more AK time would allow for an awesome extra experience like Caring for Giants or the rhino tour.

Are you doing the fantasmic package at mama Melrose strictly for the Fantasmic seating benefit? If so, I would keep in mind that there are other strategies for Fantasmic seating...you may not want that alone to decide for you.

Just know that, no matter how much you know or plan, you can't do everything and that is ok. It will still be magical!!!

I am doing Mama Melrose for the Fantasmic seating. I read that if you don't have the priorty seating it can be 60-90 minute wait.

 

[MousetersInc]

Good evening all,

Would you do 2 days at AK, or 2 days at HS?

We are a family of 5 DH, myself, DS15, DD12, DD6. This will be our first time at Disney and I am really confused.
We are going in June 2019 staying at B Resort.

My husband and oldest son loves thrill rides, daughter it depends on her mood for the day. Myself and youngest its a just depends on the ride itself. I have done tons of research and I just can't figure it out.

We have 2MK, 1EP, 1AK, 1HS so far.

Which park would you choose and why?

June is presumably before Galaxy's edge opens, so personally I'd say AK. HS is geographically the smallest park, and AK is huge. While there's a lot to be said for staying open to the unplanned and unexpected, it's also true that you gotta lock those FPs and ADRs down. (By the way, while your window to book FPs is a long way off, you should be aware that you can already be booking your dining. Most things should be available this early, but high-demand things like pre-park-opening reservations go quickly.) Personally we're giving two days each to MK and AK and only a half day to HS. Of those two-day allotments for MK and AK, the first day emphasizes "the big stuff"—FPs for the "headliner" thrill rides and must-do, but also leaves larger midday nap breaks. The second day is "batting cleanup"—meandering the trails of AK, exploring Tom Sawyer's Island and Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, catching the parade we napped through on the first day, etc.

Incidentally, as far as wanting two competing dining situations at HS—I don't think I'd actually recommend it, but there is the idea of park hopping. You could do morning FPs at one park one day and come to HS for lunch, staying for Fantasmic and the chance to ride SDD at night, and on another day start at HS and leave after lunch for your midday FPs elsewhere. Honestly, though, we're first-timers as well and are not considering park hopping; there's so much to do at every park and I don't want to lose time to travel. (Plus, as first timers, I like the idea of staying in the "theme" of an individual park for each day, not code-switching from the faux international travel adventure of AK to the abstracted globalism of EP to the futuristic fantasy of Tomorrowland.) If there are more trips in our future, that can be the time for hopping & optimizing.

Oh, one more thing: when planning rides for your youngest, don't forget about height limits. At 6 he's likely above the 38" for Slinky Dog Dash, but our 7-yr-old is right on the line for Rock-n-Roller Coaster, the highest limit of any ride (outside water parks) at 48".

 

[Shellyred8]

I would recommend doing AK for 2 days. There's more to this park than just the rides. If you've never been to any of the shows at this park, they are all worth checking out at least once (we sometimes do Festival of the Lion King and It's Tough to be a Bug twice!). There are also 2 zoo-like walking trails that are nice. If your family likes zoos/animals, these two trails are definitely a must-do.

Have a great trip!!

 

[ashleyr409]

I think you just answered the question of which park you will want two days for.

I don't know if that's wise to base a whole park day on one meal.

 

[hes122]

Would you consider getting park hoppers to split that day between two parks?

 

[ashleyr409]

Would you consider getting park hoppers to split that day between two parks?

Yes. I was looking into that. But to be honest I don't even know where to start and plan with hopper.