Which park first?

[mikepaj]

We are going to WDW in November with my 6 and 4 yr old boys. We'll be there for a week. Any thoughts on what order to visit the parks and which parks should be allocated multiple days? We are only visiting Disney (no Universal or other outside entertainment) and we have an Ultimate Park Hopper. Thanks.

 

[PurpleDragon]

Basically its at your discretion. Since you will be there for a full week you will have plenty of time to enjoy alot of what WDW has to offer. Got the following info from intercot.com:

What days are historically the busiest at the Parks?
Walt Disney World parks tend to be the busiest on the following days:

Magic Kingdom: Monday, Saturday & Sunday
Epcot: Wednesday & Friday
Disney-MGM Studios: Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday
Animal Kingdom: Monday, Tuesday & Friday

Hope this helps you in scheduling your trip.

 

[swimmom]

It really depends on your preferences. We make multiple trips to MK & Epcot during our trips. However, if you and your kids are big on animals, you may want to visit AK more than once. With the age of your boys, I would think that they would like to visit MK more than once. Some kids think that all of WDW is the MK.

 

[David]

I would start out with the Magic Kingdom, even if it is one of their busiest days. If you are staying on property take advantage of the Extra Magic hour since there are always characters around the Train Station and City Hall areas during the opening of the park. At the ages of your kids, they will get a kick out of seeing and meeting the characters as well as walking down Main Street for the first time and seeing the castle. If it gets too crowded later in the day, change parks. We usually hit the MK 3 times in a trip, beginning and ending each one with the MK.

Have a great trip!

 

[DigitalDisney]

Personally, I always go to the park that has the new stuff.

But in your situation, I would get things started with a bang and hit the MK first. It is the quintessential Disney park and it has most of the stuff people are familiar with. On your very first day, you can hit all of the big Disney rides (Pirates, Splash, Space, Buzz, etc) and get things started on a very high note.

I recommend going to all of the other parks as well. Purple Dragon has given good advice regarding the days. Your kids should love all 4 parks, but MK will probably be their favorite. AK will be a surprise hit, and Epcot may bore them a little bit (it is huge, and it tends to appeal to adults more), but they should have a great time.

Have a great trip!

 

[Main Street USA]

Yeah, I generally try to visit in order of their creation for a lot of reasons.

I hit MK first because it reminds me most of visiting as a child. It used to be that MK was the only park, so we, of course, always went there first.

Plus, no other park can give me that feeling of "Ok, now we're really here."

 

[ASHWALES]

if i were you i would do animal kindom becaause i find this the least impressive of the parks so if you do this first you be impressed, because you have nothing to compare it to. if you do it after the other parks i think you may get diappointed

 

[Nora]

I guess I am echoing what ASHWALES wrote, but I have heard people with young children say that they avoid the Magic Kingdom on the first day, just because nothing seems quite as exciting to little ones after they have seen it.

 

[figmentmom]

I would visit EPCOT first, Animal Kingdom second, MGM third, and save the Magic Kingdom for last! (I'd also plan on spending most of my time there, too!) Many times, after kids visit the MK, anything else is something of a letdown. Visiting the other parks first, and in order of ascending interest, will hopefully prolong your kids' enjoyment of ALL the parks.

Have a GREAT time! :wave:

 

[MKCP 1985]

Magic Kingdom first. If you are thinking of the kids, trust me on this. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and that park makes the best first impression on a child.

I have a good friend who took her two children to EPCOT first, and they spent the rest of the trip getting over a bad first impression (maybe they shouldn't have started with Mission:Space!)

If kids find Animal Kingdom unimpressive on day 2, they will find it unimpressive on day 1, and if they have already made up their mind that Disney World is not ALL THAT, they may have a closed mind to going to the Magic Kingdom. If in fact they are not having a big time at Animal Kingdom (a half day park anyway), you can tell them "Okay, let's leave and go back to the Magic Kingdom" :wave:

 

[PixiePower]

The first time I took my girls they were 4 and 6. They are 6 and 8 now. Epcot is a half day trip. My 8 year old just took a liking to Epcot beyond TT and MS about a month ago. When they were that age we were gone from the park by 2 at the latest having gotten there when it opened. MGM was a huge hit with my girls...they always seem to meet a lot of characters there and they LOVE the 50s Prime Time Cafe. Well worth the $$ for that dinner. Animal Kingdom was a hit at that age except for its Tough to be a Bug. I have to say mine did not like the 3d movies at all except for Muppets at MGM. They love them now but Bug was a tie for most feared attraction with HISTA at Epcot. And my girls don't scare easily! I will mention that we rented a double stroller at that age it it was worth every penny! They both enjoyed being able to sit down, we could keep an eye on them and we were able to maneuver through the parks easily. We took them to MK first and took th eferry over. One of my most precious memories is of my 4 year old seeing the castle from the ferry in the morning as her first glimpse of Disney- the castle is beautiful in th eam sun.

Our order for going to th eparks is something like this

MK first day...full day there- we like to start in Fantasy land and get it done in the morning
Epcot second day,TT and MS first thing, park hop to MGM.. I have always liked MGM in the late afternoon and evening. we always start with ToT and RnRc.
AK 3rd day- Start with the safari or dinosaur park hop back to MGM
4th day-usually MK again and anything else we have missed.
Don't forget to try to ride up front of the monorail!

If it is warm we always take a rest in the afternoon at the hotel and a swim in the pool. In that case you may want to spread MGM out into one full day instead of 2 nights.

Have Fun!!

 

[rosebud's mom]

Wow. With such a diversity of opinion, it seems like we won't be any help to you at all !! My advice to you would be, think about your children and their favorite activities. Are they already really into the Disney characters ? Is their preference more like Bear in the Big Blue House or Muppets ? Or are they really excited by trips to the zoo ? Or realla adventurous daredevils ?

Once you have that in mind, I would plan the part they are most likely to like best NOT for the first day. If you do the thing they will most likely like the best FIRST, you could be in for a lot of resistance toward doing anything else. With a whole week to spend, you could also do a lot of park hopping. Maybe keep returning to the park they like best in the afternoon. Flexibility is really the key to an enjoyable experience for all !

Have fun !

 

[Hakunamatata]

Wow. With such a diversity of opinion, it seems like we won't be any help to you at all !! My advice to you would be, think about your children and their favorite activities. Are they already really into the Disney characters ? Is their preference more like Bear in the Big Blue House or Muppets ? Or are they really excited by trips to the zoo ? Or realla adventurous daredevils ?

Once you have that in mind, I would plan the part they are most likely to like best NOT for the first day. If you do the thing they will most likely like the best FIRST, you could be in for a lot of resistance toward doing anything else. With a whole week to spend, you could also do a lot of park hopping. Maybe keep returning to the park they like best in the afternoon. Flexibility is really the key to an enjoyable experience for all !

Have fun !

I agree and would add the following: Remember the kid in you and make sure the kid in you gets to have fun too. Remember, you are paying for the trip and memories are made when your kids see you having fun at different attractions. This will build magic for them in the future, when they go as adults and remember back when you went with them. I agree, go to the park that you think they would have the most fun at on the second or third day, that way you dont have to fight the uphill battle of getting them into other parks.

Have a great time......im green with envy....

 

[Kadee]

My advice depends on ONE thing.....Are you staying on property????

(On property is the ONLY way to go in my opinon)
If you are staying on Disney Property, take advantage of the Extra Magic Hour. This may be your only chance to ride some of the big rides. We rode TestTrack 3 times in a row during the EMH. I think the days are:
Sunday: MK
Monday: AK
Tuesday: MGM
Wednesday: Epcot
Thursday: MK
Friday: AK
Saturday: MGM

Go to this page at Allearsnet.com to get all the info
But....My family and I always start with the MK. Seeing the Castle first is a must for me. I get tears every time!

We go to every park twice. If you have to limit one park to one day, I'd say MGM. I know AK only takes one day (or half a day for some), but I could do KS, KRR and Pangani Forest Trail over and over. Depends on what you are in to. Just have fun.

If your are NOT staying on Disney Property, then go where you want, when you want!!! Just have fun!!!!!!! Over planning can have a major negative impact on your trip.

 

[trdisneyfan]

I think it also depends on a) if your kids have been to WDW before, and b) where you are staying.

I've been going to the park for years and years, but it was my girlfriend's first trip last year. I think it's necessary to go to MK first, but I intentionally took the Ferry from the TTC instead of the monorail.

For someone who's never been to WDW before (although DL probably 100s of times) there is nothing like the anticipation that grows from seeing the castle out on the horizon, and moving slowly towards it. It's like waiting for Christmas day to arrive so you can open your presents.

Although I don't know if this would work on two small children. It might just frustrate the hell out of them. But best of luck!

 

[doop]

We always go to Epcot first and spend multiple days at almost every park, especially MGM because I'm a ToT addict. If you have kids of that age, however, I think Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom would be the better parks to spend more time in. Enjoy your trip! :sohappy:

 

[NTI2002]

If you're taking Kids for their first trip to Diseny World, There is nothing you're gonna love more than the looks on their faces when they see the Cinderella's Castle.
I don't have kids but I have seen my father's home movies of us there for one of our first visits. and I gotta admit. it really brings a tear to my eye.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Here comes yet another piece of conflicting advice :lol:
I'm assuming the kids haven't been before - find out their favourite parks and visit them last - there is logic here !
Assuming MK is the favourite (and at their ages it should be) - go to MK first and what do they have to look forward to (apart from a second visit later in the week)
My suggestion would be EPCOT first, followed by AK (half a day combined with DownTown Disney ??), MGM and finally building up to MK.

 

[PhilharMagician]

I would visit EPCOT first, Animal Kingdom second, MGM third, and save the Magic Kingdom for last! (I'd also plan on spending most of my time there, too!) Many times, after kids visit the MK, anything else is something of a letdown. Visiting the other parks first, and in order of ascending interest, will hopefully prolong your kids' enjoyment of ALL the parks.

Have a GREAT time! :wave:

I couldn't have said it better myself. We did the same with my daughter last year on her first trip @ 5 years old. MK was the last stop on our parks list and once we got there we could never get to another park without complaints about wanting to go back to MK.

 

[mikepaj]

Thank you for all of the advice, conflicting as it may be. I think I like the 'save the best for last' approach. They don't know what to expect, so building up to MK sounds like a plan. I have a feeling we'll end up at MK for a good chunk of the second half of the week. At least on paper, Epcot seems to have the least to attract little ones. We get in early on the first day, so Epcot would probably be a good arrival day destination to get the Disney ball rolling.

Thanks again.