which theme park to leave out?

[momosunny]

Arriving in mid May for six nights - will definitely do MK and EP and a day off for golf and shopping and rest, but am wondering if there's really enough time to do both AK and MGM as well, or if we should leave one out. We do not expect to see everything in one trip, but want to enjoy ourselves without rushing around. which park (AK, MGM) which you omit or insist upon, and why? (Our party is one 5-yr-old, one 82-yr-old, and three of us in our lively 40's.)

Many thanks to all who take the time to reply!

 

[wdwguide]

Well, it really depends on your taste. If the 82-year old in your party isn't to keen on thrill rides, I'd probably skip the Disney-MGM Studios in favor of the Animal Kingdom. The latter also lends itself better to slow touring since there is much more to see in terms of theming.

But being there for six nights, you may well get a chance to see all four parks - even when touring slowly, the AK and the Studios should not take longer than 1 1/2 days combined.

 

[pintrader]

There are so many reasons to do each park. and frankly so many reasons not to as well, but I'll leave that to someone else.

If you are Pooh and Gang or Beauty and Beast fans, then that is one reason to choose studios. If you are Lion King/Tarzan fans then I'd choose AK.

Frankly, to be brutally honest, AK is 10 degress hotter and 15% more humid which is taxing on the youngest at heart. In May is is also noticable. That could be a consideration considering the range of your party ages.

If ya wanna do live animals then of course, no argument, AK
Ultimately you have to determine what appeals to your party. None of us can know that.

These are a few consideration to assit with making your decision.

Either way You'll definately have fun and you are wise to realize it may unrealistic to do it all !!!!!

 

[4greatboys]

If you dont think you can do all of them then pick the parks with your favorite stuff in it. My family would leave out Epcot if we only could do 3--its just not our favorite. We have to hit MK and Studios, we also like AK. You could always do just a few things at either park you might leave out--like go a few hours (3-4), hit the highlights, then take the rest of the day off.

 

[chessie]

If you have the option to hop, I would choose a few must sees at each park and do AK in the AM and MGM in the PM.

 

[franw]

While there is a lot of walking involved at MGM, I would have to say that it wouldn't be as tiring on the 82 yr. old as AK is. My parents are 80 and 79 and AK just wears them out big time. It takes forever to get to the Safari tour and with the narrow walkways and added heat (for some reason it always seems much hotter at AK) it is very taxing on older folks. The motorized carts are great (if it isn't crowded) but my parents refuse to even try one. You could plan stops along the way at MGM that would make it easier on your senior citizen coffee and a danish at Starring Rolls on the way in - lunch mid-way somewhere on the way out). You could also take a nice break in the middle of the day or have someone escort your senior back to the resort for a nice rest. If it were me, I'd go to MGM with everyone in the morning and then go the AK mid-afternoon and do a few things there. It would be really hard for me not to get a little taste of each park when there. I would also mention to take special care of your senior while there as there seems to be small steps to make everywhere. My mom took a terrible fall at MGM not seeing the small step down from sidewalk to street. There are so many people rushing about with strollers, etc. that elderly folks seem to get lost in the shuffle.

 

[dsanner106]

We hit AK at opening and were done with all the kids wanted to do, and had taken the tours by lunch time. Then we hit MGM and stayed til close. We had little desire to return to either park on that trip and felt we had gotten to do all we were interested in. Also,in AK, the animals are only active in the early morning and sleep most of the day afterwards, and the heat is not so bad. Definately an AM choice.

dsanner106

 

[eeyore0062]

If I were to leave out any park, it would be Epcot. I would never conceive of leaving out either MGM or AK... both are very nice for both 5 year olds and 82 year olds. I find Epcot kind of boring for the young, and huge and difficult to navigate for the elderly. If you want to go to Epcot, try it the evening of your AK day, and make sure to stay and see Illuminations... it is the the best of the nighttime shows!

 

[RedNeckChik13]

We take my 4-year old cousin with us almot everytime we go and my g-ma also goes with us...she is in late 60's..we have only gone to AK twice because none of us really like it...the 4yo doesn't really enjoy anything there except the plaything..after that se is ready to go to another park and my g-ma can't stand all the pushy crowds...we almost always make it a point ot go to MGM because its me and my 14yo bro's favorite park beside EPCOT...the 4yo likes it because she loves the shows and the playarea...my g-ma likes it becasue its more open and the crowds aren't as pushed together and there are many good places for her to rest...if it was up to me I would say skip AK and hit MGM...but hey, that's just me

 

[tjkraz]

I'll start by saying that MGM is my personal favorite. I love the movie theming and the architecture. I've seen all of the shows multiple times, and would see almost all again given the opportunity.

That said, I think that MGM and AK complement each other nicely as half-day parks.

Get to AK in the morning and spend 4-5 hours there. Can't miss attractions include Kilimanjaro Safari, Lion King, Kali (weather permitting) and Tough to be a Bug. IMO, the rest at AK is mostly fluff.

As soon as you've had your fill of AK, move over to MGM. On busy days, Tower of Terror and Rock & Rollercoaster could be a problem when arriving mid-day, but check the Fastpass situation and you may be OK.

Hit the key attractions at MGM, and make sure your plans include Fantasmic before the day is over.

 

[deirdrefitch]

I am in agreement with a couple of the previous posters. I would start out at Animal Kingdom, and see the attractions and shows that are of interest to you. I have teen-age kids, and last summer it only took us 4 hrs to tour AK. This included repeat rides of several attractions. We then hopped over to MGM and finished the evening over there. We finished the day off with Fantasmic. If you opt for only one park, get one of the WDW Unofficial Guides and decide which park has the most entertainment value for you.

 

[admiral nelson]

I would skip AK. I would even go as far as to say I would rather an additional day at MK, maybe even MGM. Or off site at IOA.

 

[Tnkrbl2199]

Just my opinion, we have done trips as short as 6 days and always try to hit each park a few times even. MK is my fave so we usually do that atleast 1 morning for opening, 1 afternoon for mid day parades and usually 2 nights for fireworks!
My fiance's fave is the Studios so we often do 2 visits, 1 morning and one night. Epcot usually gets atleast 1-2 visits and AK, our least fave usually gets one, we go there for opening and stay until after lunch. That is usually enough AK for us. We have found that after doing the safari and trails once, the few rides we enjoyed just weren't worth more than 1 stop.
BUT, if you haven't been to AK (or anyone in your party) it is really worth a few hours if your pass allows it.

 

[Micca]

Park hoppers allowing, I would suggest combining golf day with a 1/2 day park visit and the same for shopping day.

 

[campingcorgi]

AK is hot! and it wore out my mother (70'something) and it is hot!

My mom seemed to enjoy MGM--the architecture and all, and she really enjoyed the shows there (more sitting and less walking).