Hi everyone! I’ve been lurking (and learning a ton) but need some specific planning advice.
We’ve got a trip planned Dec 15-20 (Dec 14 &21 are travel days). Basically our first trip to WDW (I went as a little kid almost 30 years ago). For six days there, we have 5 Day single park tickets. Staying offsite. Our son is 4 and will be way more into rides than shows I think (he’s very adventurous/loves coasters). Neither DHS nor Epcot seem all that appealing so I’m thinking of just skipping them and doing one day at AK and the other 4 at MK. DS likes Toy Story but I think he’d have more fun from another day at MK than DHS.
We’ve got EMM booked at MK for Dec 16&18. My thinking is that 4 days plus two EMM will just let us be super chill at MK, leave early, do the stuff we love, etc. Is this crazy? Will we be totally sick of MK by the end? Will we regret missing the other parks? Do two days at AK instead?
I am totally guessing here, but I would think because of crowd levels it wouldn’t be insane to spend that many days at MK given the age of your kid. MK has the most offerings for his age group. That being said, lots of Christmas stuff will be going on at all of the parks, so be sure you have checked out all of the parks and what they are doing for the holidays so you don’t accidentally miss out on a show or something that you guys might otherwise miss.
Maybe book an EMM for Toy Story. My kids are not huge fans of the movie but LOVED the rides especially Slinky Dog. If your DS4 is into coaster he will love SDD. It was the clear favorite of all my kids. We had 2 MK days and a party night for MNSSHP and that was plenty of MK for us (DD7, DS5, DS4
Unless you are planning on very long afternoon breaks and/or are planning on a lot of multiple re-rides, I think 4 days in MK - especially with two EMMs, is serious overkill. If he’s into “thrill” rides, and assuming that he meets the height requirements, DHS has some of the better rides at WDW (RnRC, ToT, and ST), not to mention the 3 TSL rides. It also has all of the SW stuff. Even EP has it’s share of excellent rides.
I “get” wanting to make the trip special for your DS4, but it’s your vacation too, and as you haven’t been in 30 years, I highly recommend doing all 4 parks. Were it me, I’d plan a day at each park with a second day at MK.
I have to agree with the others. 4 days is a lot at MK. I would do 2 and go to the other parks for one day each. I also agree that it is a vacation for the family, not just the kids. When we go on any vacation, my DH and I also pick our things to do that we would enjoy. Many times, my kids end up having fun doing them as well.
At 4, DS will be happy anywhere, and his favorite things will probably be stuff you can do anywhere like swimming, playing in the sand, or water fountains. So think about what you and DH want to do. Are park hoppers an option, it would mean you could see all 4 parks and still spend most of your time in MK. I’d cancel at least 1 EMM and use the money on hoppers. If hoppers don’t appeal then I’d still spend less time in MK, and if DS4 is your priority then I’d go to HS.
Thanks guys. This is really helpful. A timing overlap with my siblings may mean that three days at MK is necessary if we all want to be together, but it sounds like we should treat that as an absolute max. Our original plan was to just do four days but I found a deal for an extra day free so it’s basically a bonus park day we hadn’t planned on.
One related question: How important do you think ending on MK is? If the crowd levels are much better for DHS/Epcot for our final day would that outweigh the risk that the last two days could feel like a letdown?
We don’t end our trips at MK, as there are usually higher crowds there our last day. I don’t think DHS or Epcot would be a let down in any way, but my family really enjoys those parks.
I think 4 days at MK is too much. I would do 3 days at MK, 1 day at AK and 1 day at either Epcot or DHS depending on whether Frozen Ever After and Meeting Anna and Elsa would be a can’t miss for your son.
If an upgrade to Park Hoppers is in your budget, you could tour Epcot and HS from RD to nap time then go finish the day out at MK. That would give you two full and two partial days at MK, which should be plenty.
We do 2 days MK, 1 epcot, 1 hs. We love Mk but HS is close 2nd. They have great rides and Toy Story rides are great! I would get parkhoppers and do epcot at nights if possible as they have great food options and so nice to just walk and eat and relax
For us, not very. We rarely even start at MK. But it just depends on how much you see MK as WDW. To us, all the parks are Disney, so MK is no more or less Disney to us. We go whichever days make most sense.
We’ll be there the exact same time frame (red eye to Orlando night of the 14th, fly out 21st afternoon). We have a DS9, DS7, DD5 and have never been. We’re doing EP DHS AK MK AK MK (0.5)MK. With the parties, doing MK on party days (18th & 20th) and hopping or resting in the afternoon will work really well. We have an Ohana dinner and will check out the resort decorations on the 18th and hop to DHS on the 20th.
I’ve been going over our TP’s and two and a half days at MK seems like plenty.
I agree with the consensus about 4 days is too many, and the new TSL plus the other thrill rides at HS make that park a great option. I would look into EMM at TSL if you can. We were able to get so much done in TSL with EMM and then at RD we went to the rest of the park while the bulk of the RD crowd went to TSL.
I always like to start and end at MK…even if the end is a park hop for a couple of hours. Just can’t get enough of the castle. But I must say that for our most recent trip we didn’t start with MK, and I still had a great trip. I mean, I acknowledged it when I did the planning, but after that it didn’t even cross my mind again until right now… a week after we got back. So maybe it’s not as important as I thought.
I would create TP’s for all your days, I found this a great way of seeing how much time we needed in each park. For us we don’t visit MK on our first or last day unless those days are the most convenient.
FWIW – and not to be all “education can be fun” – but there’s a lot going on at AK for younger kids that just don’t happen to be traditional rides. The safaris, trails, shows and the wildlife itself really are pretty spectacular. I know I’m piling on at this point, but please don’t go to MK 4x. By the middle of day 3 you’ll be kicking yourself.
My 1st trip with DD5 we ended up skipping Epcot. She was having a tough time with dark rides, and that is really your option there. So we did 3 days MK, I day AK and 1 day HS. Was definately the best plan as we were able to get familiar with MK which made it more fun and everyone more relaxed. Also meant we had some time to go back and relax at the resort. And it meant I had to plan another trip to get back to Epcot!
– but there’s a lot going on at AK for younger kids that just don’t happen to be traditional rides. The safaris, trails, shows and the wildlife itself really are pretty spectacular. I know I’m piling on at this point, but please don’t go to MK 4x. By the middle of day 3 you’ll be kicking yourself.