2nd Day At AK or Epcot for twin 5 YOs

Highgrovemanor

New Member
Last minute, not hyper-planned trip coming up.....already have 2 days MK, 1 day AK, 1 day Epcot. Since no more Hollywood Studios reservations are available, what rates a second day with two 5 year olds?


Many thanks
 

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Last minute, not hyper-planned trip coming up.....already have 2 days MK, 1 day AK, 1 day Epcot. Since no more Hollywood Studios reservations are available, what rates a second day with two 5 year olds?


Many thanks

My pick would be AK. You have Kilimanjaro Safaris, three animal walking trails (around Tree of Life, Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, and Maharajah Jungle Trek), animals in Oasis, a bird show, and Rafiki's Planet Watch conservation station with a petting zoo. Also Dinoland. Less interest to me but probably more interesting to your 5 year olds.
 
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Highgrovemanor

New Member
Original Poster
Thanks everyone. AK seems like its got more depth of interest, and I'd rather not spend 4 hours riding Test Track repeatedly.

Hey Jiminycr, is the Rainforest the same as the chains? Eating will be my homework assignment after picking day-5.
 
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LovePop

Well-Known Member
Last minute, not hyper-planned trip coming up.....already have 2 days MK, 1 day AK, 1 day Epcot. Since no more Hollywood Studios reservations are available, what rates a second day with two 5 year olds?


Many thanks
Definitely MK. Tons more rides fit for the whole family there, young kids especially, and many don't require fastpass. AK only needs 1 day which you already have. You can go to the local zoo (or farm) to look at animals any time for a lot less money. You can't get rides like MK anywhere else. DHS isn't interesting to kids at all. My son, years ago when he was 5, used to call it "The Horrible Studios." He said, "I don't want to be in the Horrible Studios! I want to go on a ride!"
 
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UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Definitely MK. Tons more rides fit for the whole family there, young kids especially, and many don't require fastpass. AK only needs 1 day which you already have. You can go to the local zoo (or farm) to look at animals any time for a lot less money. You can't get rides like MK anywhere else. DHS isn't interesting to kids at all. My son, years ago when he was 5, used to call it "The Horrible Studios." He said, "I don't want to be in the Horrible Studios! I want to go on a ride!"

You can't go to a local zoo (and especially not a farm) and see anything remotely like Animal Kingdom, unless you live in one of the very few places that have a zoo of similar quality.
 
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Highgrovemanor

New Member
Original Poster
MK it is everyone, as I really do want to keep it focused on Disney as we do have local zoos, waterparks, and some out of city limits destinations for outside activities. Any hints on catching HS? Even if its just a park-hopper for afternoon availability?

Thanks again
 
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UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
MK it is everyone, as I really do want to keep it focused on Disney as we do have local zoos, waterparks, and some out of city limits destinations for outside activities. Any hints on catching HS? Even if its just a park-hopper for afternoon availability?

Thanks again

Your local zoos aren't anything like Animal Kingdom in many, many ways.

Still, though, with young kids you could probably spend 3 days at the Magic Kingdom no problem. I think Animal Kingdom would be the second best choice behind MK.
 
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aliceismad

Well-Known Member
Definitely MK. Tons more rides fit for the whole family there, young kids especially, and many don't require fastpass. AK only needs 1 day which you already have. You can go to the local zoo (or farm) to look at animals any time for a lot less money. You can't get rides like MK anywhere else. DHS isn't interesting to kids at all. My son, years ago when he was 5, used to call it "The Horrible Studios." He said, "I don't want to be in the Horrible Studios! I want to go on a ride!"
Weird. All kids are different. Sorry yours didn't like DHS. My 5 year old really liked DHS in 2019. Frozen, Indiana Jones, Lightning McQueen, etc. Not sure if any of those are running currently. She loved everything Toy Story Land and especially Star Tours. Both SW:GE rides are also likely ridable by a 5 year old, unless there is a fear factor. Height restrictions are pretty short. Plus the new MMRR ride, of course.

She also loved Epcot, especially Soarin, Test Track, and Frozen Ever After. She enjoyed the various pavilions and performers (which I understand are not happening now with covid). And getting food/treats at various kiosks. Also riding the monorail to and from the park (again not sure if that's running when OP goes).

Animal Kingdom, to me, is unlike any zoo I've ever been to. Although my 5 year old couldn't go on Everest or FOP, we rode everything else. She loved Kali and would've ridden on it many times if allowed. We love the Safari and the various trails. Lots of room for kiddos to skip and hop and discover things. She did some of the Wilderness Explorer challenge. We spent a ton of time at the Boneyard area. (Which was also great for resting my feet.) Seeing the vets work on animals at Conservation Station was one of the highlights of our trip. Again, I know FOTLK and Nemo aren't running, which is unfortunate because they're both great. When it's open, it's one of the best places to meet Mickey and Minnie with short waits. If your kids are highly ride-oriented, then AK might not be the best choice for a second day, but my family could certainly spend more than a day there.

I agree that a young family could easily spend 3 days at MK. Personally I prefer park hoppers and splitting days, but I also prefer mid-day breaks. Other people tour differently, of course. If you do have parkhoppers, people have reported good success getting to DHS in the afternoons. And if you're not taking mid-day breaks, it's an easy hop from Epcot to DHS.
 
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Our kids asked to go back to AK to do more of the Wilderness Explorer book. They didn't care as much about the epcot hunt thing. Mention the side activities as we were able to do all the rides we wanted to in one day at each park last month. Also should note the boneyard was closed last week.
 
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