Which would you skip?

[OfTheWind]

Thank you all so much for your opinions ! You all gave wonderful advice and I'm going to try and work things out so we can go to all 4.

I really think you should purchase the park hoppers. They're great, especially if you aren't sure if you'll like a certain park and you don't want to spend an entire day disappointed. And to answer your second question, yes without park hoppers you can always return to the one park you visited earlier.

 

[nighttowll]

Well it sounds as if you've made your decision but I would skip AK. Other than Kilimanjaro, Festival of the Lion King and Nemo's musical, there isn't much for children that age. Heck there isn't much for most people which is why it's almost always a 1/2 day park. Epcot is such a nice, peaceful change from MK with its crowded walkways and constant stimulation. Epcot is wide open, fun and educational.

This is exactly why you need to know what appeals to your family. There's plenty do at AK to last a full day. It's not a half day park. It's a half day park to the above poster's family. There is a difference.

There are more attractions than just the 3 named above appropriate for the 4-7 age range. Will your children or family like them all? maybe not, but that doesn't mean there aren't options. We could never do AK in half a day. We never fit everything in in a full day.

And for kids who love animals, good luck dragging them away. Especially if they make it to the petting zoo or get caught up in completing the wilderness badges. That's a half day there alone to do both of those. Add in a few shows, a couple rides, the parade, and maybe a sit down meal, and you definitely have a full day.

It's Tough to be a Bug! - can be too scary depends on kid
Festival of The Lion King - child must be able to sit for a show
Kilimanjaro Safaris - animal safari in cars
Wildlife Express Train - train ride to petting zoo and veterinary building
Affection Section - petting zoo
Conservation Station - educational exhibits and veterinary
Kali River Rapids - very tame raft ride compared to others of its type, might be too much, might be ok
Flights of Wonder - live bird show, kids need to be able to sit for a show
Finding Nemo-The Musical - kids need to be able to sit for a show
Fossil Fun Games - carnival games with prizes
Wilderness Explorers Badges - hands on activities spread throughout the park the kids can earn badges for participating in, some are more fun or more interactive / complex than others
Primeval Whirl - crazy mouse ride
The Boneyard - playground
TriceraTop Spins - Dumbo ride
The Parade - I like this parade best for little kids, it is very interactive, the characters will dance with the kids, and you get much closer up for a more personal experience because there aren't big floats but these crazy puppets and stilt walkers instead
Character meet and greets
Character meals - Tusker House you can early entry buffet breakfast with Mickey and pals or for a little more exotic food lunch, fun parade for kids to participate in with drums to beat
Rainforest cafe
Animal viewing on the trails - many different zoo enclosures to view animals throughout the park, some designated animal trails, the Wilderness Explorers Badges are spread throughout these areas and give you interactive things to do and facts to learn that go along with the animals you are seeing

 

[OfTheWind]

This is exactly why you need to know what appeals to your family. There's plenty do at AK to last a full day. It's not a half day park. It's a half day park to the above poster's family. There is a difference.

There are more attractions than just the 3 named above appropriate for the 4-7 age range. Will your children or family like them all? maybe not, but that doesn't mean there aren't options. We could never do AK in half a day. We never fit everything in in a full day.

And for kids who love animals, good luck dragging them away. Especially if they make it to the petting zoo or get caught up in completing the wilderness badges. That's a half day there alone to do both of those. Add in a few shows, a couple rides, the parade, and maybe a sit down meal, and you definitely have a full day.

It's Tough to be a Bug! - can be too scary depends on kid
Festival of The Lion King - child must be able to sit for a show
Kilimanjaro Safaris - animal safari in cars
Wildlife Express Train - train ride to petting zoo and veterinary building
Affection Section - petting zoo
Conservation Station - educational exhibits and veterinary
Kali River Rapids - very tame raft ride compared to others of its type, might be too much, might be ok
Flights of Wonder - live bird show, kids need to be able to sit for a show
Finding Nemo-The Musical - kids need to be able to sit for a show
Fossil Fun Games - carnival games with prizes
Wilderness Explorers Badges - hands on activities spread throughout the park the kids can earn badges for participating in, some are more fun or more interactive / complex than others
Primeval Whirl - crazy mouse ride
The Boneyard - playground
TriceraTop Spins - Dumbo ride
The Parade - I like this parade best for little kids, it is very interactive, the characters will dance with the kids, and you get much closer up for a more personal experience because there aren't big floats but these crazy puppets and stilt walkers instead
Character meet and greets
Character meals - Tusker House you can early entry buffet breakfast with Mickey and pals or for a little more exotic food lunch, fun parade for kids to participate in with drums to beat
Rainforest cafe
Animal viewing on the trails - many different zoo enclosures to view animals throughout the park, some designated animal trails, the Wilderness Explorers Badges are spread throughout these areas and give you interactive things to do and facts to learn that go along with the animals you are seeing

The Wildlife Train to a petting zoo is hardly what I would call an attraction. The poster said she has a petite 4 year old (average 4 year old is 37 inches) who probably won't be able to ride Kali River Rapids (with a height requirement of 38 inches). All of the other items you listed are restaurants, an extension of the petting zoo area and frankly, things the poster could do at her local zoo without paying hundreds of dollars for one day.

 

[twinboysmom]

For my 4 year old boys, DHS is their least favorite park. They love MK of course, enjoy Epcot, and they do like a lot of what AK offers (and we live in Houston Texas so we have a great zoo).

 

[nighttowll]

The Wildlife Train to a petting zoo is hardly what I would call an attraction. The poster said she has a petite 4 year old (average 4 year old is 37 inches) who probably won't be able to ride Kali River Rapids (with a height requirement of 38 inches). All of the other items you listed are restaurants, an extension of the petting zoo area and frankly, things the poster could do at her local zoo without paying hundreds of dollars for one day.

Ok first, I only listed 2 restaurants, so not sure what you are talking about. Yes, a lot of AK does revolve around animals. That's the point, but I know my local zoo is nothing like AK. I can't do a safari ride, ride rides, or watch theater shows or parades for instance.

Also, just because you don't call something an attraction doesn't make it not one. For many kids, the petting zoo is a very popular attraction. It doesn't matter to them or their families if they can do that at home or not. They really like animals and very much enjoy it. It's like how people go all the way to Disney and the kids favorite part is the hotel pool, despite that they can swim at home. Your family obviously doesn't care about it, but that doesn't mean everyone else feels the same way.

That's the point. I've got one kid who by choice would spend the whole day doing nothing but collecting wilderness explorer badges and have the best time ever. She'd choose this and other educational activities over MK any day. I've got another who wants to do nothing but ride coasters. Every family and kid is different. Some really enjoy AK, some don't. I'm not saying it is better than or even equal to MK. I don't think you can compare them. They are two totally different experiences. I'm just saying because it's not the park for your family, don't assume it isn't the park for mine or someone else's. Maybe none of the things on the list I posted appeal to the OP. That's ok then. They are just a list of options available. I don't expect them to appeal to everyone. I was just making the point that there are options available to fill a day if some chooses to do that.

It's not a better or worse choice than any other park. It's just a choice. It all depends on your family's particular preferences. Some people don't like AK because as you said you can see animals at any zoo, some people don't like Epcot because they feel it is too adult or too educational, some people don't like HS because they say that there is nothing for little kids but Disney Jr. The truth is there are options available at each park for each age group. It's just that these options don't always appeal to everyone.

 

[jlaneme]

So hard to choose! But, I would def do 2 days in MK, my kids loVE AK especially for the safari, kaki river rapids, Nemo show and probably Hollywood Studios - my kids love the belle show, Ariel show. We love Epcot too but if we had to skip one, it would probably be Epcot or HS