We are headed for our first trip in September 2017. We will have 2 adults and 2 kids (7 and 5). We will be there 7 nights with park hoppers for 8 days. Any thoughts on which parks to hit more than once. I was planning on MK on first full day and our last full day. Any thoughts on which parks need 2 days?
Thanks
I’m going for the first time this year as well. We’ll be there for 9 days. Planning on Epcot (future world), half day at AK (Christmas Day so only going for the afternoon), HS, MK, non Park day, Epcot (main rides in morning then World showcase), AK, MK, MK for at least half the day, relaxed and not overly planned last day. We check out at 6 am on our leaving day, and we arrive at around midnight on our first day, so no plans for those two days.
I hope that helps?
I am a magic kingdom nut. I spend most of my time there so i may be biased. There is a lot to see there. I would recommend doing 3 full days making the last day to do things that were really liked or missed. I suggest catching the festival of fantasy parade one day.
I would say hollywood studios is a one day stop.
Animal kingdom may need a second day. Especially since Pandora will be open. It depends on how into the aminals your kids get.
Epcot I will not comment on. For me i soend about half a day. For others they will spend most of their trip there. I am not a foodie.
I would recommend 2 days in Epcot. The last time my family went we only spent a day, and it felt incredibly rushed and stressful, and I only saw about half of what I would have wanted to. The FP+ tiers also make 1 day in Epcot difficult with having to choose a FP for just one of Frozen, Test Track, and Soarin’.
I also agree with others about 2 days in MK. AK and HS are each at least 1 day in my opinion. HS takes a full day just to deal with the scheduling of all the shows if you’re interested in seeing those. AK is a full day right now if you’re interested in enjoying the animals and also to see the shows - plus, as others have mentioned, Pandora will be open by the time you’re there.
From there, I think it depends on your family’s preferences. For my 7 night, 8 day trip, I’m spending an extra evening in HS (because I love Fantasmic and want to see it twice) and an extra day in AK (because I love animal photography and getting good animal photos takes extra time and patience). Your family’s interests may lead you in a different direction.
Here’s what I’d do:
Two days at MK - with that age group, you’ll have some attractions you’ll want to hit more than once.
Two days at AK - Pandora’s opening pushes this from a one-day park to two, as they’ll likely have tiered FP+ for their attractions. And the shows are so good, you’ll need two days in order to hit them all.
One day at DHS - DHS is “in repair” IMHO, and I wouldn’t waste more than one day here. You’ll be able to do it all easily.
Two days at EP - Sounds like you might be there during F&W, so take some time to enjoy that (just NOT Friday night-Sunday due to crowds/overindulging crowds ;-)). Also, tiered FP+ is easier to navigate with two days.
That leaves one day extra, which I’d save as a catch-up day for your favorite attractions. You’ll also be moving at a breakneck pace with no break days, so you might want to extend your stay to incorporate in a day or two. Might now be possible, but something to think about.
Enjoy your trip!
@Jedilogray I thought I was the only one that can do Epcot in one day or less. My DD and I enjoy WS, but I’m just not a fan of FW. Of all the parks that need an overhaul and update, I would have picked that one over HS.
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That what we do too—2 days EP, 2 days AK, 2 days MK, and 1 day HS (and if an extra day 3 days at MK). That way we can start late or finish at dinner time or take a mid-day break and still do everything we want.
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Just to throw a spanner in the works, are the kids (or you) big Star Wars fans? Allowing for extra time, say 90 minutes at Launch Bay, March of the First Order, followed by Galaxy far far away can take up quite a bit of time. Depends what rides you’ll do and crucially any shows. Personally I only do Indy, but young kids might like the others. I think scheduling more than 2 shows could be an issue. And of course, are you doing Jedi Training?
We needed 2 days, albeit not from rd. That included TSMM, Star Tours and Indy for fastpass, all the Star Wars stuff, One Man’s Dream, GMR and Muppets, an ADR each day, the HS street performers, Fantasmic (with dining package so no queueing), the Star Wars night show, plus time to explore both of the main streets and shops. We did meet Olaf, but no other meet and greets other than Launch Bay.
So not ToT or RnRC, no Little Mermaid, Frozen or Beauty, and no Jedi Training, tho we did watch one group. Had we done those it would have been 2 days from rope drop to park close.