Every park is an all day park.

[scoobygirl39541]

Epcot's a half day park for us. We always go there the day we arrive and only stay a few hours to eat, ride TT and Sorin' then see the fireworks. Its all a matter of opinion.

 

[David S.]

A one hour CD only last 1/2 hour if you skip half the tracks, but it is still a one hour CD!

For me, all four parks are full day-plus parks because there are very few attractions I dislike enough to skip. And I'm an open to close, rope drop to last call type of parkgoer.

AK is actually the HARDEST WDW park for me to "finish" in a day on those 5 PM close days, which feel so RUSHED. I can (and do) easily spend a full 9-5 day at just a "regular" zoo with NO rides or shows, so to "finish" AK before 5 would mean either giving the animals much less attention than I would like, or skipping some of the more traditionally Disney-esque rides and shows.

Considering on a typical day at AK I spend AT LEAST 30-45 minutes EACH on the Asia, Africa, Discovery Island, and Oasis Trails, at AT LEAST 90-120 minutes on Rafiki's Planet Watch (train both ways, trail, indoor exhibits, animal presentations, and especially the Affection Section contact yard), just doing all the animal attractions I just mentioned takes me between 3.5 and 5 hours of the day right there!

Then when you add in Everest, Flights Of Wonder, the Safari, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Dinosaur, Nemo show (45 minutes + wait time), Dinorama rides, Festival of the Lion King, and Jammin' Jungle Parade, that easily pushes the runtime of the day well over the 8 hour mark right there. And that's with usually skipping Kali River Rapids!

As for the other parks, the ONLY time I've EVER "finished" EVERY attraction at Studios in the same day (including all shows) was on a 10 PM close with a 10:30 PM Fantasmic!, but it felt really rushed (and that was WITH using FP for everything that needed it.) I like to spend at least 1 hour on the Animation attraction (including the half hour drawing class) and about 90 minutes in One Man's Dream reading every single sign, etc. So an 8 PM close at Studios definitely means missing things for me.

I used to be able to do every official "attraction" at Epcot in the same day, until I reallized this was causing the "self-discovery" nature of the park to get the shaft. Since then, I've treated it as a 2-day park, which allows me to spend the desired 2-3 hours on the animal exhibits in The Seas , (dolphin, fish feed, manatee presentations, etc), and by devoting a seperate day mainly for World Showcase, really gave me the time to enjoy all the live performers, art galleries, architecture, music loops, etc.

The MK is actually the easiest for me to "finish" in a day, especially when the closing time is 11 or 12. Even though it has the most attractions, the cycle time of each attraction on average tends to be shorter than the other parks, with many (such as nearly everything in Fantasyland) clocking in at around 2 to 4 minutes each.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

DAK is a greatly variable park according to the time of year I go. But even at the best of times it is no more than a 3/4 a day park. If I'm there in Dec. I can easily spend most of the day there. But it still closes around 5pm. So that leaves to entire evening and night hours that the park isn't even open. so I don't see how anyone could compare it to a "full day" park like MK that is open from 9am until 11pm. But the first 5-6 times I went was in Aug. and then for me, it is easily a half day or less park. It sufferes from the worst sweltering heat problems of any park I have ever been to. And I am a local that works outside so I am used to the heat, but DAK is ridiculously breeze free. And the animals do nothing be sleep/lay there panting. So lingering is boring and uncomfortable to say the least.

DHS is a full day park the first couple of times you go, but they have a lot of low repeatability attractions like Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and the stunt shows. Although Indy is more repeatable than LMA. I mean I love Wicked: The Musical, but I have seen it 5 times, and will be skipping paying the $250 required for the 3 of us when it returns next month. And it is dramatically better than the dreck known as Beauty and the Beast at DHS. So as locals that used to have APs, DHS for us is ToT, RnR, Star Tours done. Even TSMM is not worth the wait/hassle required to secure a FP. And while I love Fantasmic! if we start our day at DHS, we rarely make it to the evening hours to be able to see it.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I really don't think MGM was ever designed to be a full-day park. It's pretty apparent, actually. If you've been there before, you might not want to repeat shows like Indiana Jones, which has been the same thing for 23 years. I'm an Indy fan and I honestly don't want to see that whole fake production schtick again. All of the shows really do not have much repeat value. Aside from that, you can knock out the rides in a couple hours. Even that may be pushing it. We'll exclude the absolutely bogus Backlot Tour, but this touring plan still allots time to see it.

Grab a Fastpass for Toy Story, then ride Tower of Terror, Aerosmith, Great Movie Ride, grimace at the broken Roger Rabbit silhouette in the blinds, snap a photo with the Indy tank, pull the rope, ride Star Tours (you have time to attempt to experience all scenes and combos since there's never a wait), see Muppets, look around the New York Street with no one else around, wave to the giant ant at Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and return to Toy Story with your Fastpass whenever. Whew. It should be 11am. You've got a few hours to see some shows. You won't be grabbing lunch here because there are no great food offerings.

Now, finish off the day at MK or EPCOT.

Or, you can arrive in the evening and repeat these very steps and see Fantasmic. Again, a couple hours should do it for all the rides. You clearly need a Fastpass for Toy Story, that's the only problem.

 

[Figgy1]

I might be drinking some of the stuff@real mad hatter and others have been passing around this sight But I need 3 days for Epcot!!! To ride and see everything not to mention eating. 3 days at MK see previous. 2 days AK and HS I want to see and do everything possable rides, shows street performers eat and drink I don't want to miss a thing and some things are worth doing twice!!!!!! I think the park experience is what you make of it!!! If you take the time and really look you can find something you never noticed before at every turn. Smell the roses literally at the rose garden. But that's just me! I only get to go every year or 2!

 

[real mad hatter]

It's relevant because it is an issue of repeatability. You can only watch the same show or do the same walking trails (for AK) so many times before they become a more passive experience. Once a year - you are probably good - especially if you are pretty new to vacationing at WDW.

Spot on.Thats why my two yearly trip is never boring like " Here we go again " It's always exciting and there's always something new and something I want to try,eating or doing something.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Spot on.Thats why my two yearly trip is never boring like " Here we go again " It's always exciting and there's always something new and something I want to try,eating or doing something.

But as a local, who used to have an AP, the last year I had an AP I did DHS something like 10 times. Trust me, by your 10th day in the park, you wouldn't be doing everything. I don't do everything at Universal either. But they have more attractions that I want to repeat than WDW does these days.

The MK has the most "must dos", But for us now that is Space Mtn., Haunted Mansion, BTMRR, Splash (if the line is not too long), Pirates, and a Dole Whip. Done. If we do a Fantasyland dark ride, it's usually Peter Pan.

 

[David S.]

But as a local, who used to have an AP, the last year I had an AP I did DHS something like 10 times. Trust me, by your 10th day in the park, you wouldn't be doing everything. I don't do everything at Universal either. But they have more attractions that I want to repeat than WDW does these days.

The MK has the most "must dos", But for us now that is Space Mtn., Haunted Mansion, BTMRR, Splash (if the line is not too long), Pirates, and a Dole Whip. Done. If we do a Fantasyland dark ride, it's usually Peter Pan.

I think ultimately, it comes down to different strokes for different folks. I've been a seasonal local for the past several years, doing about 10-15 open-close full days in each of the 4 parks a year during that time, and I found that rather than getting tired of things I had already done, my appreciation for them actually incresed as time went on. On top of that, I was constantly discovering new things to add to my iteneraries, such as the World Showcase musical groups, or just spending more time slowly savoring details.

So the more these "little things" began to mean to me - the more the bond was established that they were an important part of the parks to me - the less inclined I was to skip them. Or, in the case of self-guided attractions like the animal trails at AK and The Seas postride exhibits, the greater the bond became, the longer I wanted to spend doing these things while in the park, rather than rush through them.

I never found myself wanting to leave any of the parks halfway into the day, or before closing. Then again I'm a very thorough and methodical person with a very good, linear attention span and a singular focus on only what I am doing. Reading a 500 page book in one sitting is not uncommon for me. When I start listening to a CD, it is understood that I will start at track one and not stop until the last track is over. Same with watching my DVDs. I even watch all the bonus features, commentaries, etc!

So it is logical that this would carry over into how I do parks - starting with whatever my first attraction of the day is and not wanting to stop until I am finished or the park closes! And even if I do finish a little before closing (which usually only happens in MK) I am always eager to do repeats on favorites I've already ridden that day.

It always surprises me when people in parks are so preocupied with their hand-held devices that they aren't completely attuned to the music loops, architecture, and all the other "little things" that make the parks so special and escapist. To me the parks (whether Disney or other parks) are an escape from all that and I want my immersion into whatever park I am in to be total and complete.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I think ultimately, it comes down to different strokes for different folks. I've been a seasonal local for the past several years, doing about 10-15 open-close full days in each of the 4 parks a year during that time, and I found that rather than getting tired of things I had already done, my appreciation for them actually incresed as time went on. On top of that, I was constantly discovering new things to add to my iteneraries, such as the World Showcase musical groups, or just spending more time slowly savoring details.

So the more these "little things" began to mean to me - the more the bond was established that they were an important part of the parks to me - the less inclined I was to skip them. Or, in the case of self-guided attractions like the animal trails at AK and The Seas postride exhibits, the greater the bond became, the longer I wanted to spend doing these things while in the park, rather than rush through them.

I never found myself wanting to leave any of the parks halfway into the day, or before closing. Then again I'm a very thorough and methodical person with a very good, linear attention span and a singular focus on only what I am doing. Reading a 500 page book in one setting is not uncommon for me. When I start listening to a CD, it is understood that I will start at track one and not stop until the last track is over. Same with watching my DVDs. I even watch all the bonus features, commentaries, etc!

So it is logical that this would carry over into how I do parks - starting with whatever my first attraction of the day is and not wanting to stop until I am finished or the park closes! And even if I do finish a little before closing (which usually only happens in MK) I am always eager to do repeats on favorites I've already ridden that day.

It always surprises me when people in parks are so preocupied with their hand-held devices that they aren't completely attuned to the music loops, architecture, and all the other "little things" that make the parks so special and escapist. To me the parks (whether Disney or other parks) are an escape from all that and I want my immersion into whatever park I am in to be total and complete.

That is sort of what I was saying, I no longer do "everything" in the parks. Say instend of hitting Imagination for the 4000th time, I would simply sit for a while at La Cava de Tequila. I take them at a much slower pace. And when I get bored of that I just do something else. Sometimes that is just leave. There were times where I would go to the parks and not ride anything at all. I would just stroll around taking pictures. But I live very close and don't feel the need to stay from rope drop until they close the parks. But a lot of times I found there just wasn't much that I really wanted to do repeatedly.

 

[David S.]

Good point. I guess the difference is, when I began going at a slower pace to "smell the roses" and discover the "little things" that weren't always officially considered "attractions", my desire was still there to hit the "attractions" for the umpteenth times! (whether they were my "favorites" or not). This ensured I still had the desire for full days, because in addition to doing all/most attractions, I was doing more and more of the "little things" as well. Of course, an exception to this was the small minutae of attractions that I truly didn't care for. These I would just skip.

 

[BryceM]

I spent 12 hours at Disney's Hollywood Studios once...

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

Take in the shows at DHS and you'll easily spend a day there. Granted, I could spend all day just riding Tower Of Terror.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

While I agree that you 'could' make DHS and AK all day parks...it's often a recipe in disaster if you're attempting to do all of this with younger children. While there is so much beauty and so many interesting little things to stop and take in at AK...an average child can only tolerate so much of that before you've got the very worst day of your life at a Disney park. And since they are very limited in the # of rides they can ride in that park (too short for EE & PW, too scared of Dinosaur, often tired of Dumbo style rides by AK, and won't ride Kali when it's cold)...it drastically limits what that park really offers for a family with younger kids. Sure...there are several good shows, but patience tends to dwindle MUCH more quickly when you're waiting in a stationary spot. i.e. a 30 min wait on a line for an omnivore style ride is much more tolerable than standing in place waiting to get into a show. Sure, we have our ways to entertain them...but it starts making it less of a vacation and far less enjoyable when you're spending a chunk of time standing still trying to be the entertainment. And that's just the kids...DH despises waiting for shows...the standing still in the wait makes him feel like it's a bigger time suck/waste. So, we struggle to make either of these parks interesting and fun for the whole day.

 

[CP_alum08]

Like others have said, it's a ll a matter of preference. Sure you COULD spend all day at DHS, taking it slow, catching all the shows, the street performers, leisurely lunch/dinner, which we have definitely done but for most people it's rush rush rush because they only have a limited time at WDW and they want to cram as much in as possible. I don't see anything wrong with either way of vacationing.

Personally, for me (and my GF) AK is our least favorite park. We are "local" AP holders and will often go for a 1 or 2 night weekend trip and maybe get to AK once every third trip. And even going once every third trip it's still not a full day park for us. We've actually forced ourselves to stay all day before and did just about everything possible in the park, things we had no interest in doing and will never do again but just to take up time.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

I do alot of sit down dining and I take my time so I can say every park is an all day park if I didn't It wouldn't be

 

[lunchbox1175]

I guess it comes down to what you consider a full day to be. For me its gotta be open until at least 9pm for me to consider it taking up my entire day, if i can go there from open to close, and then go to another park, it isn't a full day park.

 

[RoyWalley]

I have never understood it when people say DAK or DHS is a half day park. We can make a full day out of any park, and multi days out of most. When someone says a park is half a day are they only hitting major rides? For us there is so much more to do than rides. Now, we do take midday breaks.

I agree with you 100%. We also go once a year and we stop and enjoy everything.

Everybody has different views of each park.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Like others have said, it's a ll a matter of preference. Sure you COULD spend all day at DHS, taking it slow, catching all the shows, the street performers, leisurely lunch/dinner, which we have definitely done but for most people it's rush rush rush because they only have a limited time at WDW and they want to cram as much in as possible.

For me that isn't the case for DHS. I actually take me time as all the parks since I usually have 10 days in the parks for a trip. I don't rush looking at shops at all the parks either. The fact is I am able to go to leave the park at 1:30 p.m despite the amount of attraction I see. I see Star Tours: The Adventures multiple times. This from a person who doesn't do Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller coaster backlot Tour. The fact I am able to do 1:30 p.m. despite not doing the stage shows and not two the must attractions for people at DHS speaks that I take my time at the park.

Backlot Tour was once of my favorite attractions in the 1990's, but the attraction itself got worse since the 1990's because of what happened to it. It is really an attraction that I wouldn't miss in its present form if the Rumor of the changes to DHS do happen like RSR replacing Backlot Tour.

The real problem is I don't do the shows that happened during the day. It does to the fact I went to WDW at total of 13 times. I saw Indiana Jones before. I saw Lights, Motor, Action!, I saw Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage before, and I saw Voyage of the Mermaid before. I you do to WDW for 13 trips, it is easy for DHS not being a full day park.

I fact is the shows I mention DHS for me really are lot of low repeatability attractions like Disneyhead'71 mentioned. Star Tours: The adventure continues was a great job by Disney with them making it an attraction that you can see multiple times due to the fact you don't get the same scenes on every time you go on the attraction. DHS just doesn't have enough attractions like that at DHS do to the stage shows and Once Man's dream.

One Man's Dream is an attraction I go on once a trip because the attraction itself isn't really made for doing multiple times for one trip. I compare One Man's dream to Museum despite despite seeing the film everytime. You can look in a lot of times in your lifetime, but it is not a place to go to once every 3 to 10 days though.

Toy Story Midway Mania is a task for doing 2 times in one day due to the lines for the attraction and is the most popular fast pass attraction for the park also. I go to Toy Story Midway Midway Mania right away once the park opens. The real problem the popularity of Toy Story Midway Mania really is the lack of family friendly rides there. Toy Story Midway also is a low capacity ride that a lot of people go to right away once the park opens.

For me, DHS isn't exactly known for their food. Starring Rolls is a wonderful place for a snack for having stuff like a cupcake and I have been going there. I went to Table Service restaurants before at WDW, but I eat at better restaurants at WDW. My table service places at at Epcot. Hotels at WDW and one at Downtown Disney.

I also see Fantasmic very time I go to WDW thanks to me having a park hopper. Fantasmic is weather sensitive based on what I experienced in the past there.

AK does not the issue of seeing multiple attractions unlike DHS.

 

[the-reason14]

I don't spend full days in any parks, but the ones that I could would be MK and Epcot. All I do at AK is E:E, and dinosaur if the line is short and KS if I have a fastpass or if the line is short. Mgm I do all the biggies, and not a single show. So I can't imagine staying in either mgm or AK all day, especially AK because there's only so many times I can ride E:E before I want to venture to another park.

 

[ScoutN]

Every park is a full day park?

Sounds like a wish upon a dying star.