We're taking our 4 boys (ages 7 yrs to 6 mos) to Disney shortly, and I still haven't decided which one of the parks to visit.
We will only be using 1 of our days for Disney, so we can really only do 1 park (I'm a realist, and with 4 kids, I know it's not worth the hassle to try more). So which one?
All the boys are very into Star Wars, but it looks like my 3 year old wouldn't be tall enough to ride the Star Tours ride at the Hollywood park. Does the Magic Kingdom have ANY Star Wars attractions (other than their annual Star Wars weekends?)
Would Epcot be fun for them, or geared more toward older kids and adults?
I'm lost! Help, please!
Our move is on hold for now--I pulled the plug on it when I found out some concerning things about a pending re-zoning of the property adjacent to the neighborhood which has the potential to severely impact the air quality in the immediate vicinity. So, we're back in the house hunt again, but have listed our home. The Disney trip's been planned for a few months, and we're using Southwest vouchers that expire May 1, otherwise we'd reschedule to a less hectic time.
I'm so torn--Maybe we'll have to bite the bullet and give Disney 2 of our days, or at least 1.5 days.
ETA: We ended up doing Hollywood Studios where we pretty much stuck with Star Wars for much of the time there. Thank you all for the input. Our next warm weather trip will definitely be Legoland.
We went for 9 days, almost 2 years ago. If I only had 1 day I would do Hollywood Studio. My son did the Star Wars reenactment, it was awesome. We all watched and had a blast watching too. The light show was amazing as well. All the rides were a blast for all ages.
Don't do Epcot
Aren't you in the middle of moving?
Have fun
I would agree with either MK or DHS. Everyone will LOVE the MK. That is a given. But if Star Wars is your top pick, they will all love DHS as well. It's a smaller park so it's easy to navigate. The three year old will love the shows. There is also the Toy Story ride which you all will love. The Indiana Jones show is terrific. We had a lot of fun our day at DHS. Your 7 YO will like the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith Rock and Roller Coaster too! Assuming he is into that. Try to go when they have Illuminations - look up the dining deal. If you eat at the Brown Derby or one other restaurant (Can't recall which one) You will get reserved seating for the show which always sells out. You MUST reserve in advance but it is so worth it.
Have fun - I'm jealous!!
The only Star Wars attraction is at Hollywood Studios. They should also like the Disney Junior Show and the Muppet Show as well as Indiana Jones show. There is a Toy Story ride you must get fast passes for early in the day as that always has a wait. All of this is at the Studios.
With your age group, I would do Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Magic Kingdom has more rides that little ones can do. And you can spend a whole day at MK. You would be done with the studios in a little more than half a day. MK has a brand new parade that I hear is fantastic. And you just can't beat the magic of the Magic Kingdom. I am happy anywhere on Disney property, its a shame you only have one day to experience it. But if you choose either of these parks, you will have a great time. Epcot is one of my favorites, but a lot of walking for little ones. I feel it is geared toward older children/adults.
Check out allears.net website or the mom blog page on the disneygo website. You can ask questions there and get all kinds of feedback about what the parks have to offer.
I have been to Disney over a half dozen times and I still think there is nothing like the thrill of walking down Main Street at the Magic Kingdom on the way to all the attractions. Love it!!!! There is no doubt, I would pick MK above all the other parks.
FYI... To get the most out of your day, be sure to be at the park when it opens. You can accomplish a lot in the first 3 hours before the crowds get insane. Have fun!! We just booked our trip and we are going for 9 days:)
Magic Kingdom with those ages. Have fun!!!
I would definitely go with the Magic Kingdom with those ages. They will all be able to go on most of the rides. Epcot is definitely for older kids, I would say 5 or 6 would be the youngest I would take there just because of the walking. A lot of the subject matter is better for older kids, too. The best rides are the test track, space shuttle, soaring, all for bigger kids. If they have never been before, Magic Kingdom is quintessentially Disney!
One vote for Animal Kingdom, the wild animal park.
We just went to WDW for our first time in December and spent FIVE days there (and that felt like "barely enough" for us)!! It was me, DH, my MIL, and DD (she was just turning 5).
With just 1 day and 4 kids, I'd think Hollywood Studios would be better. You could spend a whole day there and they would really enjoy meeting so many characters. It wasn't as crowded as the other parks, but there was fun stuff to do around every corner. Plenty of opportunities to sit and enjoy short shows, too.
We LOVED Magic Kingdom, but you just won't get to see/do much in 1 day! We spent 3 days there and it wasn't until the 3rd day that I felt like I knew my way around and got to really see & enjoy things! Of course, there are a TON more rides, but with 4 kids, I think it would be more stressful trying to drag them from one end of the park to the other trying to see as much as possible.
Animal Kingdom was also really nice! We saw the whole park in 1 day and didn't feel rushed or too crowded. There are more younger-kid-friendly rides than Hollywood Studios and it wasn't very crowded.
We didn't do Epcot, but mostly because I had read the reviews about it being geared towards older kids & adults and we had a limited time.
If you could squeeze out at least 2 days (or 3), I would very much suggest MK!! For just 1 day, I would suggest Hollywood Studios (or Animal Kingdom if your kids like animal-related stuff).
I'm not sure when we'll go back, but it was an amazing trip for our family and we really enjoyed ourselves! We have friends who go every 1-2 years, but I can't imagine fronting that cost for such a "commercial" vacation!
Whatever you choose, I'm sure your family will have a blast!
MK or DHS.
And with those ages I would pick MK.
Good luck and have a great time!
Epcot is for adults. My 12y and 10y nephew were bored. It was the middle of summer and very crowded.
Have you considered not doing Disney and instead doing LEGOLAND? It is about and hour South of Orlando in Winter Haven. All of the rides there are geared towards 3 -12 year olds. The park wasn't very crowded when we went last summer. My kids were 12 and 7 were able to ride more there in 20 mins than in 3 hours at Disney.
It is $15-20 to park. If you go, pay for the Premium parking. It gets you closer to the entrance, there are no parking trams.
The tickets are $80 a person, but the have Buy 1 adult, get a kid free tickets. They can be found on the back of some Lego packages, in the Lego Magazine, or sometime online at LEGOLAND.com. (I didn't see one just now)
If you decide to do Disney, Animal Kingdom is best when done first thing in the morning. Otherwise, I would vote for Magic Kingdom
There is also Universal Studios that has Harry Potter, but the tickets are like $130 a person.
Epcot is definitely for adults and older kids, but the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom would be great for them. There are a lot of rides for little kids at the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom has animals, although there are thrill rides for bigger kids. If it's hot out, hit one of the water parks -- either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon are great for kids of all ages!
