Disney World Vacation Package - Which Disney World park should we go to after the Magic Kingdom?

Which Disney World park should we go to after the Magic Kingdom?

My sweet husband surprised us with a trip to Disney World. We could only afford a 2 day park pass. We want to go to the Magic Kingdom ofcourse and hope to do that in one day. So we need to figure out what other park to go to either Epcot, MGM Studios or Animal Kingdom. My pick is Epcot. We are a homeschooling family and I saw on tv that will have Christmas around the world which falls into our unit study. My husband mentioned Animal Kingdom, but I mean we could go to a zoo any time of the year! I have always enjoyed MGM. What do you guys think??? My kids are 10, 7 & 5. Oldest 2 are girls and youngest is a boy. We will be going to our second park on Dec. 22nd. Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

I would suggest Animal Kingdom or Epcot center.
I would go with MGM. I know for a fact that Epcot can be a slog, and you and your husband might appreciate it, but attempting it with 3 youngish children could be hellish. I'm not much of an animal person, but if that's your thing Wild Kingdom is as good as any zoo.
Epcot...which was my favorite park since I was twelve (now 31) -- lots of education and "worldly" fun to be had!
EPCOT is a great choice. Lots of interactive educational exhibits (don't tell the kids that they're educational), but some really cool rides too. (Test Tack, Soaring, etc.) The Living Seas has a fantastic aquarium and the evening fireworks are incredible! Do the Fast Pass to "book" your times for the rides everyone wants to do! I like Animal Kingdom, but you need to get there early 'cuz once it gets hot, all the animals go to sleep. MGM, it's my least favorite.
animal kingdom!!!
I live in FL and been out to the DISNEY props A MILLION TIMES! (and yet I still go!). Frankly, the other parks are a poor comparison to the Magic Kingdom. I can also tell you that Thanksgiving - New Year's is the busiest time of year. With that said, you won't get to do everything you wanted to do in the MK in one day (b/c the lines are HUUUGE). If you were surely committed to this, then b/c you homeschool your children, EPCOT may seem like the best prop - however most of the instructional stuff in there hasn't been updated in 20 years (originally it was to be sponsored by US companies who would add to it - but that didn't pan out). AK is great, and the saffari ride awesome, but you could get through AK in a morning (even with huge crowds). And MGM is not spectacular but it has rides and video spectacles having to do with movies like Star Wars and the Muppets. SO - My advice is - see if you can upgrade your passes to two day passes that allow you to travel amongst all the parks. In two days, you could pick out what in each of the parks you would like to see (for sure!) in advance (call disney for the park maps or they may be online) and then schedule your two days out like that. Traveling amongst the park is super easy with a metrorail and bus sevice that gets you to all the parks in 15 minutes tops. Like this you can also pick out what and where you would like to eat - most of the cool restaurants require reservations (no exceptions - like the underwater restaurant in THE LIVING SEAS). Oh yea, and get your Fast passes - scheduling out helps you get those - so you don't wait in lines (as big as the others or as often as everyone else). Sorry I wrote so much but I do hope you and your family have a wonderful time.
Don't do Animal Kingdom. We took our four kids (preschool through high school) and will never go back. You're right - it's not much more than a glorified zoo. Between Epcot and MGM, MGM was slightly better for the kids' attention spans. Epcot is cool up front with its lights and gadgets, but disappointing to the kids once you get to the international sites around the lake (the majority of Epcot territory). Meanwhile, MGM had exciting shows and a few fun rides. Since Magic Kingdom is the most fun, I recommend you go there last. Also, since you still have a couple weeks before your trip, make a reservation for dinner (or breakfast or lunch) at Cinderella's castle today. You can get the number from Disney's web site. It will be full if you wait until one week in advance. It's a really special experience for young children.
if you got the hopper pass you could to both epcot and MGM. both are worth it. but Epcot is the best of all of them. there is lots to do there for both adults and kids. Now MGM has some really good shows, lights motor action, indy jones and fantasmic. for shows that is the park, epcot has illuminations and all kinds of shows around world showcase but those are more suited for adults. have fun. whatever you do make it to the park closing shows and allow yourself at least 1 hour to get your spot. fills up fast
EPCOT would be my choice. It is one of the largest parks and there's a very large selection of rides and shows. The World Showcase is awesome! The entire park and all its attractions are very educational but so fun, too! It's my favorite of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. And it has three of the most popular rides at the four theme parks - Mission: SPACE, Soarin' and Test Track. But I have to let you know... Disney's Animal Kingdom Park is not like a zoo at all! And when it was created that was the goal - to make it different from a zoo so people would actually want to travel to Florida to see it. First of all, the animals roam freely. There's monkeys in the trees and tropical birds and ducks walking, swimming and flying about. On Kilimanjaro Safaris you can see a large selection of African animals (elephants, lions, rhinoceros, hipopotomus, giraffes, alligators, zebras, ostriches, etc.) roaming freely on an open savannah. In other areas of the park you can see giant tapirs, giant bats, Komodo dragons, and tigers. There's a fantastic bird show and a great selection of rides, like DINOSAUR, the Primeval Whirl, Kali River Rapids, and the very popular, new roller coaster, Expedition Everest. Anyway, I'd still choose EPCOT. It's the best and you certainly won't regret the decision. I wouldn't recommend Disney's Animal Kingdom Park because it's only open until five, or so, so that's kind of a waste of a park ticket if you only have two days. I just want people to understand that it's NOT like a zoo and you can't experience anything like it at all in the world. I also wouldn't recommend Disney-MGM Studios, though, because there's not very many attractions, so it only takes a few hours to do everything at the park. Hope I could help! Have fun!
My choice would be epcot. Make dinner reservations at one of the countries, my favorites are Mexico and China. Have dessert in France. Enjoy the fireworks. ~~~~
I just returned from Disney two days ago. Last time was at Christmastime, and we were so frustrated at how long everything took to do. Lines, lines, lines. We did Magic Kingdom twice last time and didn't even cover the whole park. This time we did MK twice and I think we just about covered everything. Then we hit Epcot and then Animal Kingdom. Epcot does not have a ton of rides, but then, Animal Kingdom doesn't either when you compare them to Magic Kingdom. If you want rides, and because of the time of year you are going there will be long, long lines, stick with Magic Kingdom. Otherwise, my vote would be for Epcot. There is something for everyone there, young or young at heart. There are rides, such as Soarin', the second largest aquarium in the U.S. (puts Sea Worlds to shame), yummy food and plenty of things to see and do. Plus, it is open later than Animal Kingdom!
I agree with EPCOT however thats a hard decision. Good luck and HAVE FUN!!!
I worked for Disney for 10 years and can say honestly I would go to EPCOT. There is more rides to do and the restaurants are MUCH better. TIP: If you like steak, go to Le Cellier in Canada ....fantastic food and great service! or great seafood at Living Seas Pavillion (complete with great view of the fish) EPCOT has more for young kids then MGM. Soarin is cool (albeit a short ride but still entertaining). Mission Space has had some bad press about the kids dying on it but those dumb families knew the kids had preexisting conditions and still put them on the ride. One boy had a heart condition that is fatal and unpredictable. Bottom line if you're children are healthy, you won't die on this ride! Test Track is a wait from you know where so get your fast pass early just like Mission Space (another ridiculous wait but fun ride so it's a must do! The rest of the Future World is very dated and should be called Yesterdayland. You seem to like educational and this is where EPCOT shines over any park in O'town. The World Showcase is phenomenal in its attempt to recreate the countries. Yes, they are Disney sterile and no street bums or locals hawking straw products but still a great way to show the kids there is more to the world then the USA and Canada. (If you didn't have the kids, I would recommend the famous Disney Cast Member game...Drinking around the World. But that's another story). Even though some people put this park down as an adult park, it still beats any festival or fair in your town. The night time fireworks/laser show is the best you will ever see! TIP: Bring a jacket and store in the lockers at the front of the park early in the day as they fill up fast and are priced for all day usage. I don't care where you are from, it cools off at night and you will need at least a light jacket so you can stay late. If you are on a food budget (trust me Mickey screws it to ya for burgers/fries etc), pack a lunch in a cooler and do a tailgate in the parking lot. No one will say anything to ya and it saves you a ton of money to spend on those darn Mickey ears your kids will have to have or autograph books for character signatures. Also, You MUST arrive early (I recommend no later than 8am to get a decent parking spot during the Holidays) If you are lucky enough to stay on property you can catch a bus to the park and skip the parking lot pain in the butt. Note: You shell out almost 10 bucks to park on Mickey's pavement but it is secure, well lit and you get to ride the air-conditioned tram to the entrance and back again to attempt to find your car. Remember to write down your parking section name and row number. The big joke is to watch stupid tourist couples and tired children screaming at each other at closing time due to Dad didn't write it down and now they can't find their car. This is great family entertainment!!! NOTE: When the kids get a bit older, do yourself a favor and visit Islands of Adventure instead.....this is the best park in town for teens and parents who love roller coasters. No one touches Spiderman the ride and Hulk roller coaster. I know, I went to work there after Disney and it is the so much better to work for than the Mouse.
If you only have 2 days I would absolutely suggest EPCOT as your second day. Like you said you are a homeschooling family and you will find the World Showcase at EPCOT a good learning experience of other cultures around the world. And not to mention the food there is great! Be sure not to miss the firework show at EPCOT. It's one of the best in my opinion. Animal Kingdom is great too and it's doesn't even compare to a zoo. All the animals are free to roam and its a great place if you want to teach your children about the animals. I would still suggest EPCOT but whatever you choose I'm sure you will have a great time. All the parks are great in my opinion and are worth seeing at some point. Have fun!
ANIMAL KINGDOM!!!