Half Day Parks

[Animaniac93-98]

People skip shows because most either do not have much replay value or they do not interest people. Disney Junior, for example, isn't going to appeal to groups where everyone is over the age of 6.

 

[Mukta]

DHS is less than a half day for me.

I don't like coasters, so no RnRC. We have ToT, TSMM, Muppets, Star Tours, Fantasmic! here in CA. I have seen the Indy show and BatB show over 10 times. That was enough.

I ride the GMR, sometimes visit One Man's Dream, watch the LM show if it is super hot and I am done.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Mostly full days for us. We take our time, dont rush everywhere, do things at a relaxed pace. Our vacation time allows us to take our time and not feel like we must DO IT ALL in one day. I like to wander all the paths & walkways, looking at the hidden or less apparent things.... read the signs, windows, displays and seek out things most guests aren't even aware are there. We will ride most all of the rides and re-ride them as long as the waits arent extreme. See all the shows... even stop and watch the street performances. So all the parks can be full days for us because of our style of doing Disney. If we chose to do it otherwise we could make them half day parks but we would feel like we were wasting out moneys worth. I work hard to earn it and to save it so I'm out to get every seconds worth of park time that I can.

 

[erasure fan1]

People skip shows because most either do not have much replay value or they do not interest people. Disney Junior, for example, isn't going to appeal to groups where everyone is over the age of 6.

Exactly. I have seen Indiana Jones so many times, I really can't justify sitting through it, again. Freshening up a show and giving it new content/changes would go a long way in my eyes to changing the 1/2 day attitude.

There is no right or wrong here, either side can make a case for or against. I believe that for the price you pay for Disney, I shouldn't have to do the things that don't interest me in order to make it a full day. There should be enough variety and quantity in the offerings to make it a full day even with skipping things. Calling HS or the AK half day doesn't mean they are "horrible" parks, it means they are lacking in content. Animal kingdom might be my favorite park once Avatar is done and if they add a couple more family friendly rides. But for now, we have a hard time spending past 2 or 3pm.

 

[Victor Kelly]

We are every few years people.

MK.....Multi day, and we usually have 14 days, out of that it is about 9ish with park hopping.

EPCOT.....Multi day. We go mainly for the food in WS. FW eh, not so much. I will say that there is at least 1 full day, the rest are hopping.

STUDIOS.....Multi day, but hopping after a certain point. If it wasn't for FP+ we would not be there beyond noon.

AK.....Single day. We try to see as much as we can, but the animals tend to be hiding after a certain point in the day. Can it be a two day park? Yes but only if you cut it to mornings only. By afternoon most animals are bedded down due to the weather.

Another few points I would like to make. This past year we did something I had never done in the parks before, and that was Princess and Character pictures. We saw just about every single one you can see because we bought the Photopass/Memory Maker. This kept us in the parks longer. In addition we did things we normally or I normally would not do, like walking through each country in Epcot, or going through all the nooks of each park.

I am a self admitted photo nut, I take literally thousands of pictures at Disney because I am now doing detail photography. So I tend to like to take my time now, which yielded some nice pics, a lot of nice pics.

Disney isn't just about the rides and attractions for me now, it is the details that go unappreciated

 

[wdwfan4ver]

I actually know people outside of the internet that didn't do all the attractions at all at some point.

What you have to understand is why they didn't. Any person that has a bad back, or any existing medical condition isn't going to go on all the rides plain and simple. The other thing is Disney has stuff that isn't for all ages. Stuff like Disney Junior isn't made for people that went to WDW for the first time ever if you are over the age of 6.

The problem with shows at DHS is Disney not updating them or change them over if you go to DHS at least 3 times your lifetime. The first time at DHS is fine, but how many you want to do for LMA is the issue.

Disney has shows over 20 years old without any changes, and that is the issue for a returning guest. That isn't a guest problem, but a Disney problem for not change or updating an attraction even once in over 20 years.

 

[Beastly74]

I would think that a lot of factors are involved in how people tour the parks - length of the trip, how often they can visit Disney World and the age group. Personally me husband and I try to spend an equal amount of time in all 4 parks but we have only been to DW 3 times so far and we can only afford to visit every year and a half. We try and stay as long as possible and always purchase a park hopper pass. Everything is still so new and fresh to us and every time we have gone back there has been something new to experience. I can only dream of touring the parks with the relaxed attitude that some people have on this site...lol. I keep trying to talk my husband into moving to the States to be closer to Disney .

 

[Doug Means]

That's the operative phrase. There's enough to do to fill the day, but people who visit frequently (i.e. most of us on this board) tend to know what they like best and skip a bunch of things.

Oh ok only people who visit frequently should visit this board! It seems like a lot of money to do a few things, to me. But when I had annual passes, oh yeah I still made it all day for the money. But more importantly, it's your money to spend they way you want.

 

[Doug Means]

I actually know people outside of the internet that didn't do all the attractions at all at some point.

What you have to understand is why they didn't. Any person that has a bad back, or any existing medical condition isn't going to go on all the rides plain and simple. The other thing is Disney has stuff that isn't for all ages. Stuff like Disney Junior isn't made for people that went to WDW for the first time ever if you are over the age of 6.

The problem with shows at DHS is Disney not updating them or change them over if you go to DHS at least 3 times your lifetime. The first time at DHS is fine, but how many you want to do for LMA is the issue.

Disney has shows over 20 years old without any changes, and that is the issue for a returning guest. That isn't a guest problem, but a Disney problem for not change or updating an attraction even once in over 20 years.

I liked Tarzan rocks at AK but it changed

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

I always need a full day at MK & prefer a full day at Epcot (or at least 3/4 of the day, we usually go see Fantasmic or Wishes instead of staying for IllumiNations). Typically we do half a day at DAK and DHS, but I can make a full day out of either if I have the time.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

As others have said, it's all going to be about personal preference. Some people like the parades and other shows, and others skip them altogether. Some like entire parks like Epcot and others may stick primarily to Future World and leave out World Showcase entirely. So what makes one a half-day park depends on your interests.

For me, having been to WDW so many times and being quite familiar with the attractions there (at least the ones prior to October 2012), I have to go with AK, DHS, and Epcot being half-day parks. MK is my favorite park and I even give it being about a 3/4 day park. I don't care for the parades and I could take or leave things like Spectromagic....and I know which attractions are worth my time in each park. So during a typical week-long stay, I'll hit 3-4 parks every day, doing the things I know I enjoy. AK has Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and It's Tough to Be a Bug. Epcot has Soarin, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, and Test Track. DHS has Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, MuppetVision, and I can take or leave Star Tours.

 

[SAV]

I don't find any of the parks to be half day. DHS & AK are a full day to us and MK & EPCOT are multiple days for us.

I do agree that any park can be a 1/2 day, 1/4 day or whatever you want to make of it.

 

[Doug Means]

i'm glad that there are people that get to go enough and have the resources to be able to have half days. I hope i get that way some day (soon). I used to live in FL and am thinking about it again...hopefully i will be able to afford annual passes. i'm working with several psychics to help me win the lottery, mad myself laugh! keep the comments coming, this is very interesting to me for some reason.

 

[Evil Genius]

I posted this in another thread but it applies here:

Beauty and the Beast - 25 minutes
Citizens of Hollywood - 10 minutes
Disney Junior - 25 minutes
Fantasmic - 30 minutes
Frozen - 30 minutes
Indiana Jones - 30 minutes
LMA - 45 minutes
Mulch, Sweat & Shears - 30 minutes
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - 15 minutes

That's four hours of just shows. Assuming you'll be at Fantasmic about an hour early to get a good seat and at least a few minutes early for the other ones, that's another two hours. So six hours total. An average DHS operating day is twelve hours. You're already at 1/2 day and you haven't experienced Muppets, Star Tours, Tower, RnRC, Toy Story, or One Man's Dream yet.

Yeah, DHS is only a 1/2 day park when you skip half of the park. That's like complaining that a baseball game is only 90 minutes long because you left in the fifth inning.

Thing is though all those shows have become very stale IMO. I used to love many of them, but at this point we skip them all! After multiple visits over the years these shows have lost their return appeal.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

DHS is a 1/2 day park for us. I wish there was more to DHS.

 

[JohnD]

I am very confused. i am also not very bright. I feel like I've done my share of visiting WDW, even having FL annual passes one year and going ALOT. With that being said i still feel like i have not done everything i could have. to the point that there has never been a day or park that i thought somewhere around 1, "i've done everything here and need to go!" AK and HS are said to be 1/2 day parks but i always find ways to fill an entire day there, and always want more. Please weigh in on your thoughts about Y or Y not half day parks. no need for heated discussions just really wanting some friendly opinions about this.

That's because that is the view of park commandos who have their stategy of hitting everything from rope drop in the quickest, most efficient manner as possible. That's just exhausting. I admit I did that in 2013 as I hadn't been back to WDW in 20 years. I wanted to get in everything. Now, I get more enjoyment out of just experiencing each park.

Several weeks ago, I was able to stretch my day in AK to 6:00pm. How? Not just my three FPs but allotting time for the shows and nature trails. Even sitting for one hour at Dawa Bar enjoying drinks and music until FOTLK was heaven for me.

It's what you make of it.

 

[JohnD]

I posted this in another thread but it applies here:

Beauty and the Beast - 25 minutes
Citizens of Hollywood - 10 minutes
Disney Junior - 25 minutes
Fantasmic - 30 minutes
Frozen - 30 minutes
Indiana Jones - 30 minutes
LMA - 45 minutes
Mulch, Sweat & Shears - 30 minutes
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - 15 minutes

That's four hours of just shows. Assuming you'll be at Fantasmic about an hour early to get a good seat and at least a few minutes early for the other ones, that's another two hours. So six hours total. An average DHS operating day is twelve hours. You're already at 1/2 day and you haven't experienced Muppets, Star Tours, Tower, RnRC, Toy Story, or One Man's Dream yet.

Yeah, DHS is only a 1/2 day park when you skip half of the park. That's like complaining that a baseball game is only 90 minutes long because you left in the fifth inning.

Agree. My typical day is mostly rides in the morning and shows in the afternoon.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Epcot is personal taste + kids.
Epcot used to be a park I could have spent a full week in happily, but today, Future World is a complete waste of the space it takes up (IMO). If I were going by myself, I'd hit SSE, then Living with the Land, wander WS, and be done. With the kids, I might get forced onto Nemo or Imagination as well, but both of those attractions don't take much time at all.
While I might be able to spend more time in World Showcase (depending on how much I want to spend on food and drink), the kids want no part of it unless they are playing Perry, which while entertaining for them, is not quite the way to really "see" each pavilion, so it typically turns into a bargain with them. We'll do 2 countries of Perry, then we'll see a few more without and we'll call it a day.

DHS it really depends on the kids moods. I could likely spend a full day there myself, maybe, but again, I'm not getting anywhere near ToT or RnRC with the kids (my oldest tried ToT once... once), and they typically don't want to sit through more than 1 of the shows. I can get good mileage out of TSMM, Star Tours, and Muppetvision 3D, but that ends up being a vast majority of it for us.

I could argue MK is a one day park or really any theme park anywhere.

I understand we all have preferences, but your preference doesn't make it a half day park in my own personal opinion. Skipping The American Adventure is a huge miss, along with the Voices of Liberty. Sure, you've seen it before, but we all have. It's just too good of a show (the best on property for me) to just straight up miss.

Additionally, just totally skipping Energy, Test Track, Mission Space, and Imagination is just ridiculous, again in my opinion. You're just flat out not doing great attractions out of personal preference. That's fine, but it doesn't make EPCOT a half day park.

I've beaten the EPCOT needs a $1b transformation and tons of TLC, but what's there isn't just totally missable. Even Ellen's Energy Adventure is worth doing once and Test Track and Mission Space are pretty unique. Illuminations is also a great show that can't be skipped and a lot more time can be spent enjoying World Showcase.

I'd argue that if EPCOT is a half day park for you, you're just not a big EPCOT fan and you're done with what they have to offer. It could be so much more, but calling it a half day park is extreme.

The definition of half day should be that you're able to easily do all offerings in a half day, not just do what YOU like and leave. Even still, most of the fun is exploring, eating, and doing favorites multiple times.

I've run through Magic Kindom in its entirety in under a day, quite easily...including shows.

Again, these parks are about a mindset and going with the right intentions. If you want to criticize, skip entire areas, and say there isn't enough, you'll be right. If you want to do the things offered and try to enjoy your time, you will.

It all could be better but it's not to a point that half of everything at EPCOT or anywhere is missable.

 

[sshindel]

I could argue MK is a one day park or really any theme park anywhere.

I understand we all have preferences, but your preference doesn't make it a half day park in my own personal opinion. Skipping The American Adventure is a huge miss, along with the Voices of Linerty. Sure, you've seen it before, but we all have. It's just too good of a show (the best on property for me) to just straight up miss.

Additionally, just totally skipping Energy, Test Track, Mission Space, and Imagination is just ridiculous, again in my opinion. You're just flat out not doing great attractions out of personal preference. That's fine, but it doesn't make EPCOT a half day park.

I've beaten the EPCOT needs a $1b transformation and tons of TLC, but what's there isn't just totally missable. Even Ellen's Energy Adventure is worth doing once and Test Track and Mission Space are pretty unique. Illuminations is also a great show that can't be skipped and a lot more time can be spent enjoying World Showcase.

I'd argue that if EPCOT is a half day park for you, you're just not a big EPCOT fan and you're done with what they have to offer. It could be so much more, but calling it a half day park is extreme.

The definition of half day should be that you're able to easily do all offerings in a half day, not just do what YOU like and leave. Even still, most of the fun is exploring, eating, and doing favorites multiple times.

I've run through Magic Kindom in its entirety in under a day, quite easily...including shows.

Again, these parks are about a mindset and going with the right intentions. If you want to criticize, skip entire areas, and say there isn't enough, you'll be right. If you want to do the things offered and try to enjoy your time, you will.

It all could be better but it's not to a point that half of everything at EPCOT or anywhere is missable.

What each park has to offer makes all of them a "full day park". What the OP is asking about is when someone says it's a half-day park, why do they think so, because each park has enough offerings to make a full day if you see everything. I was answering what makes Epcot a 1/2 day park for me.

I'll agree with one point. I'm not a big Epcot fan. I am an EPCOT Center fan. I love what the park was. I do not love what the park is currently. On my past 3 trips, I've never spent more than 5 hours in Epcot, typically 3 hours is my average. I used to be able to spend 3 days just in Future World. Horizons, World of Motion, The Living Seas, Journey into Imagination, Wonders of Life, Communicore. It goes on. I could and would spend multiple days just in Future World.

Now there are 2 attractions that are "must do" for me (LWTL, SSE), 2-3 attractions I enjoy, but am not upset if I miss them (EEA, TT, M:S), and 3 attractions I actually try and avoid going on (Soarin, Imagination, Nemo).

 

[Chef Mickey]

I posted this in another thread but it applies here:

Beauty and the Beast - 25 minutes
Citizens of Hollywood - 10 minutes
Disney Junior - 25 minutes
Fantasmic - 30 minutes
Frozen - 30 minutes
Indiana Jones - 30 minutes
LMA - 45 minutes
Mulch, Sweat & Shears - 30 minutes
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - 15 minutes

That's four hours of just shows. Assuming you'll be at Fantasmic about an hour early to get a good seat and at least a few minutes early for the other ones, that's another two hours. So six hours total. An average DHS operating day is twelve hours. You're already at 1/2 day and you haven't experienced Muppets, Star Tours, Tower, RnRC, Toy Story, or One Man's Dream yet.

Yeah, DHS is only a 1/2 day park when you skip half of the park. That's like complaining that a baseball game is only 90 minutes long because you left in the fifth inning.

Could not like this enough.

We can argue all day about what we like and what needs updating, but flat out NOT doing tons of stuff in a park does not make it a half day.

I like every single show at DHS and it is very difficult to do them all in a day just because f time and showtime restriction. DHS also has Tower of Terror and Toy Story, which I'd argue are 2 of the best rides at Disnet, especially ToT.

I happen to LOVE The Great Movie Ride. The people skipping it and other hints are simply doing what you stated in your baseball analogy.

Half day doesn't mean I did everything I like in a half day.

By that logic, Universal and IOA are 0 day parks because I'm not interested in anything there.