Deciding Between Parks

[PeterPanfan]

My parents (and dog!) and I are going to Disney World in mid-July. We've never been there in the summer, only the spring, fall, and winter, so this will be a fun change (hopefully)!

Anyway, we're only staying for two nights since we're bring my dog, Pooka, and we need help deciding which parks to go to.

We've ruled out Animal Kingdom, since we honestly didn't enjoy it too much last year, and not much has changed since then. Magic Kingdom is a definite of course, so it's really between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. I've only been to Epcot once, but I've been to HS a few times, but there's a new ride there, Toy Story Mania.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

[goofystitch]

I'm a bit biased because Epcot is my favorite park (see avatar). However, if you are looking for new stuff to do, then its a no brainer that you should go to Hollywood Studios. Not only do they have Toy Story Mania, but also The American Idol Experience. I'm not sure if you've seen Pixar's Block Party Bash, the parade that replaced Stars and Motorcars.

You should check the schedule at Disneyworld.com and try to be there on a night when Fantasmic is running, since it now only shows on certain nights of the week.

Since you are bringing a dog, are you going to be putting him/her in one of Disney's kennels for the day? They aren't too expensive (it was $12 when I did it) and its very easy to exit the park and give your dog a walk. If that's what you are doing, you probably could have stayed longer. They have excellent kennel programs at all of the parks.

[David S.]

If you only have two days, that's really a tough choice. I would definitely agree with doing MK, as you don't want to go all the way to Florida and miss the classic iconic Disneyland-style "castle park"!

As for Epcot vs. Studios, have you considered getting the park-hopper option so you can experience favorites at both parks in the same day? (This would also allow you to park-hop back to the MK on the day you do the other park/s if the MK is staying open later that night) .

Like Goofystitch said, if you do visit the Studios and Fantasmic! is important to you, I would STRONGLY recommend finding out in advance what night/s Fantasmic! will be playing during your stay. Due to cutbacks initiated in January, 2009, it unfortunately no longer plays 7 nights per week.

Lastly, in the summer I would recommend drinking plenty of water/fluids. Florida is hotter than Hades this time of year, but then again, everybody has different tastes in weather so hopefully you'll be able to handle the heat better than me! And compared to amusement/theme parks that are predominantly outdoors, at least a large portion of the attractions at WDW are indoors, so there are ways to minimize exposure to the heat while still doing attractions.

Have fun!

[Kram Nebuer]

Totally agree with everything David S. said! Park Hopper for your 2nd day is probably the best bet. We just got back from our Disney World trip and we visited Hollywood Studios on 2 different days, but not a full day for either and we did the same things on both days and a little more the 2nnd day. I don't know if we've become experts in Disney theme parking or if the crowds were just efficiently moving and evenly dispersed, but we didn't really wait in too many lines and did lots of attractions (sometimes twice), so it's possible to do favorites of Hollywood Studios and Epcot in one day. Our 2008 Florida trip, we only spent 2 days in WDW and we were able to do all 4 parks with our Park Hoppers! Consider shelling over the extra bucks to make your tickets a hopper or at least one day a hopper. Though it is significant to note that a lot of time is lost in traveling when park hopping.

Like Goofystitch said, if you do visit the Studios and Fantasmic! is important to you, I would STRONGLY recommend finding out in advance what night/s Fantasmic! will be playing during your stay. Due to cutbacks initiated in January, 2009, it unfortunately no longer plays 7 nights per week.

Lastly, in the summer I would recommend drinking plenty of water/fluids. Florida is hotter than Hades this time of year, but then again, everybody has different tastes in weather so hopefully you'll be able to handle the heat better than me! And compared to amusement/theme parks that are predominantly outdoors, at least a large portion of the attractions at WDW are indoors, so there are ways to minimize exposure to the heat while still doing attractions.

Have fun!

This year, we came between separate publishings of the Disney Times and Ticket Information brochures/guides. For the end of May and all of June, Fantasmic has only been playing Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. We unfortunately missed all showings on our trip last week. Hopefully your 2 day trip falls over one of these time periods. Also, I think on Thursday they show it twice; once at 9 and again at 10 or 10:30.

And YES it is extremely disgusting in terms of heat and humidity this time of year and will definitely worsen in July. We felt like we were swimming in it whenever we were outside and I was actually overjoyed when it rained because it was such a relief. When we went to Magic Kingdom it rained all afternoon and it actually got chilly and I could wear my raincoat without feeling like I was suffocating. But David S. does have a good point that a lot of relief is found in the super air-conditioned portions of the parks, making the heat bearable and sometimes welcome if you're inside too long.

Drink LOTS of water and bring in bottled water or use a reusable water bottle in the parks with you. Bottled water in the park is expensive, so unless you bring your own, expect to pay a couple bucks or ask for a cup of (free!) iced tap water at a counter service restaurant. It's not too bad and actually tasteless in most areas of Walt Disney World (we voted Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney Marketplace as the keeper of the best tasting tap water), but I think Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn in Magic Kingdom had the worst.

I hope you have lots of fun on your 2-day trip!

[Jack Skellington]

I'd say Hollywood Studios, since they just opened the American Idol show over there, so I bet that would be a lot of fun.

[blackcauldron85]

I, too, enjoy the summer rain and wishes that it'd be gloomy and rainy all summer. I hate the heat.

Bring a sweater (or jacket, or long sleeved shirt, or whatever floats your boat), though, if you're planning on watching a lot of shows or eating at sit-down restaurants, since the air conditioning can get cold.

If you only can choose one of those 2 parks, I would say Hollywood Studios, just because there are the 2 new attractions. But, if you have the money and think you can get all you want done, then I agree about the Park Hopper option, I guess; I don't think that I'm personally a big fan of the Park Hopper, due to the time it takes you to travel, but, again, if you think you can get all done, and have the money, then go for it!

And, most importantly, have fun!

[David S.]

Drink LOTS of water and bring in bottled water or use a reusable water bottle in the parks with you. Bottled water in the park is expensive, so unless you bring your own, expect to pay a couple bucks or ask for a cup of (free!) iced tap water at a counter service restaurant.

I am very sorry you missed Fantasmic!, Kram

EXCELLENT point about the complimentary tap ice water! I'm not even there in summer, but in early May, April, and March (and even a few unseasonably hot days in WINTERTIME), there are many days where I have to take advantage of the free ice water. And not always to drink, but to pour on me so I won't feel like I'll get a heatstroke! Even 80 degrees is unpleasant for me, so it's no wonder I don't go in summer!

Bring a sweater (or jacket, or long sleeved shirt, or whatever floats your boat), though, if you're planning on watching a lot of shows or eating at sit-down restaurants, since the air conditioning can get cold.

Interesting point. I've read this in several guidebooks, and I'm sure it's true for a lot of people. I will say for me, personally, that I've never had this problem. In fact, a lot of times, I find the air conditioning is not COLD enough! But then again, I like my AC COLD, like David Letterman's fabled studio conditions .

I keep my house cooled to a cool 68 degrees F, though, so I'm quite used to it. This is NORMAL room temparature to me! And if the outdoor temperatures are in the 60's and sometimes even in the upper 50's, I'm comfortable in just shorts and a T-shirt! A lot of times if the weather is borderline "sweater weather" for me and I bring a sweater, I tend to get hot and have to drag it around all day, so a lot of times I end up forking over some coin for a rental locker

I don't think that I'm personally a big fan of the Park Hopper, due to the time it takes you to travel, but, again, if you think you can get all done, and have the money, then go for it!

Yeah, I'm kinda the same way on a "typical" park day, but that's coming from the point of view of a seasonal local. I know I have lots of time on other days to do the other parks each season, so I tend to pick just one and stick with that one for the day, rather than lose time going back and forth. This works out good for me because I honestly like enough attractions in each park to keep me occupied and entertained all day.

And aesthetically it works well, because the parks are designed to tell a story and the attractions and theming of each to be part of the cohesive whole - so you can really immerse yourself in the "essense" of that park by making a full day of it.

Then, if my "starter park" for the day closes and others are still open though, I do like being able to park hop to, say, the MK or Epcot to see Wishes, Spectro, Illuminations, etc., and hop on a few rides, which is like a nice little "bonus nightcap" of Disney magic!

Sometimes I find the park-hopper ability of my AP really valuable during the day, as well, though. My last day this season was May 2, which I spent entirely at MK, of course

But an example of the park hopper really working great for me was on May 1. I wanted to see the special 20th Aniversary presentation at the Studios that morning and then say goodbye (for now) to some Epcot favorites and see the Flower and Garden concert and Illuminations. There was no Fantasmic! that night, and I had already said "goodbye" to all my Studio faves on my previous visit there, so this worked out perfectly. Before "hopping" to Epcot, I also saw Jack Hanna's one-weekend-only annual show at Sea World, and had some more shirts made at Downtown Disney. And then after Epcot closed, I said goodbye to the Virgin Megastore, which sadly had been pretty much picked dry - but I got a GREAT deal on the WD Records World's Fair CD boxed set! Whew, that was a really busy day

Also, when parents and friends come to visit me, and I become a tour guide (but without the red flag on a stick!) it's great when they have the park hopper because they are in town for a limited amout of days and they don't always want to limit themselves to just one park per day.