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View Full Version : Help! Only 2.5 days at the parks! What should I do?



spectrum2100
03-09-2009, 01:39 PM
Well I only have 2.5 days at the parks. Epcot is my favorite, so I'm spending 1 day there, and I think 1 at the MK. The other half I guess at the Studios. How should I tackle the half day at the studios, which rides first, etc. ? Also should I go early and try to knock out a few rides at Animal Kingdom before going to the MK or Epcot? What would you do if you only had 2.5 days for the parks? THANKS!!!! :mickey:

Mendelson
03-09-2009, 02:12 PM
Well, I think the obvious answer here for the Studios is Toy Story Mania. Go there first thing and ride it a couple times if possible (grab an FP, then stand-by and then FP it). After that I'd personally head to ToT and RnR, but it's a matter of preference. But the premier ride in WDW right now is TSM, so clearly that's the first thought on that day.

And if you're there during a morning EMH for AK, I would absolutely go there for that hour...normally I would avoid AM EMH, but with your limited time you might want to take advantage of every hour. Ride the safari and/or Everest and then off to your full-day park as close to 9 as you can.

If you're not there during an AK EMH then I'd skip doing AK at all if your heart is really set on a full day at MK and Epcot. No use getting to those parks late in the morning when they're starting to get full. Unless you absolutely have to do something at AK, that is, like the safari.

It certainly is nice to hit all four parks on any trip, even the short ones, as they all have their own unique texture and enveloping creative environment.

KylesMom
03-09-2009, 02:14 PM
What would you do if you only had 2.5 days for the parks? Tough question. I guess the first thing I would do is choose my top four or five things I wanted to do at each park, and then "fill in" as time would allow between the FPs.

For instance, our "Top 4" at DHS would be: TSM, ToT, RnRC and ST. Utilizing FP for these, we'd sneak in a few character greetings, TGM and perhaps a show in between. We'd then head to the next park - possibly MK, and pick our top 4 there, including Spectro & Wishes in the evening.

The next day we'd hit AK: EE, KS, KRR & Dinosaur. Then we'd head over to Epcot for our top attractions there, including viewing Illuminations in the evening. Then with the remaining 1/2 day we'd go back to our favorite park to catch what we'd missed - in your case, Epcot.

Good Luck - it's got to be tough picking and choosing 2 1/2 days' worth of attractions!

Gregandmel
03-09-2009, 02:14 PM
Do you have a Park Hopper for the 2.5 days you will be there? If so, then I would definitely try to visit AK one morning for at least 1/2 day, then switch over to Epcot. If you spend 1/2 day at HS, then get a FP for Toy Story Mania, then hit TOT and RNRC and anything else that strikes you! I'd also look to see which park is open the latest to make sure you are at that park as well to make the most of your time. Good luck to you!!! 2.5 days at WDW is better than ZERO days, which is where I"m at right now!!

AdventurerKim
03-09-2009, 03:21 PM
With only 2.5 days in the parks, definitely one day for MK and one day for Epcot with a trip over to DHS after Epcot for the afternoon/evening. If you've got 1/2 day to spend, go to DHS early and get a fast pass for Toy Story Mania and then get in line to ride it. You'll get two rides on the coolest ride ever!! That's what I'd do.:mickey:

PlutoPlanet
03-10-2009, 07:42 PM
I agree with KylesMom.

mrsgaribaldi
03-11-2009, 02:51 AM
Many trips we only have a few days. We go to Epcot and then usually one other park. We skip the others. But we go often so what we miss on one trip we'll catch the next time. :mickey:

Kim Possible
03-11-2009, 05:55 AM
one of my favorites at the studios has always been the great movie ride. i can go on it so many times and not get bored. it's funny because one time i was mouthing the lines to it and the driver just started cracking up

MississippiDisneyFreak
03-11-2009, 08:40 AM
If it were me I'd spend the 1/2 day at AK so that I have time to enjoy Legend of the Lion King. However, with your plan I would try to make an early morning at Animal Kingdom and at least do EE, Safari and Tough to be a bug....:)

awaggett
03-11-2009, 05:13 PM
We did something similar a few years back. We made a list of what we wanted to do in each park. For AK and DHS there were only a few things, so we were able to fit them in. We utilized EMH and only focused on rides/things we really wanted to do, including spending plenty of time wandering around the World Showcase. It was a great trip and totally worth it.

PrettyMinnie
03-12-2009, 10:36 PM
The first thing I thought of for half a day at DHS would be just do ToT and RnRC and maybe FP TSM. But then I thought about it. Even if you FP TSM, your time might be for AFTER you have to leave, which would be a waste.
I also enjoy the shows at the Studios and a trip to DHS wouldn't be the same with out BatB, But that's me. So, if it were me, I would skip TSm, hit up a few thrill rides and sneak in a show. Good luck! :minnie:

spectrum2100
03-14-2009, 10:08 PM
thanks for everyone's help!!! I'm leaving Monday and can't wait...

NLODisney
03-15-2009, 11:41 AM
We just returned Friday night from a week long stay in Orlando. We stayed off site at my time share at Orange Lake. We went to all 4 parks in 3 days and we did alot of stuff. We went to DHS on Sun and did ToT twice, RNR twice and then went to see what the wait was for Toy Story. It was a 20 min wait at about 10:10 so we did that they FP was for 1:20 to 2:20 so we just waited and we were done in less than 20 min. We then did Little Mermaid and GMR. We decided to leave and take the boat over to EPCOT it was around 1:00. We went to eat in Japan at Tepan and then did the countries starting from there and ending at UK. We were tired and ended around 6 and took the boat back to DHS to get the car. We could have stayed longer and did some other things but we were tired. On Monday we started at MK and did several rides including Buzz, SM, Tea cups, Snow White, Philharmagic, PP, HM, BTR twice, PoC and a few others before leaving around 1:30 and going back to EPCOT. Here we did SE, MS, TT, Soarin, Nemo, Figment and enjoyed some entertainment. We left around 7 and really had done everything we wanted to do at MK, DHS, and EPCOT. We went to AK on Thurs and did the Safari, EE 4 times with single rider line and FP. Then we did the musical Nemo, Primeval, Dino ride and some other things and were done around 1. We could have gone on to another park but we decided to relax at the pool and then went to AKL for dinner at Boma that evening. We did everything we wanted without rushing around and relaxed a lot. We had great weather and the crowds didn't seem bad at all to us. We did get extra fast passes at EPCOT for Soarin and TT. Our tickets wouldn't work for some reason at TT fast pass machines. Alot of people were having trouble there and the CM used a special ticket and got me 3 FP. So I was able to go to Soarin and get 3 FP there as well. Then later some people gave us 4 FP for Soarin they couldn't use so that helped us get two rides there. Also at TT after using FP we did single rider line because it had no people waiting. We had an awesome time!

WVParkfan
03-16-2009, 11:25 AM
Most of our visits have been 2-4 days, so we know about trying to do as much as possible.

Our solutions was this: We ABSOLUTELY parkhop. We split each day into 2 parks. So, with you scenario (2 1/2 days), we would see that as 5 times to visit the parks. We would make sure that we do each park at least once, and then do our most-favorite the 5th time.

Don't know if that works for you, but it sure does for our family. We'll be at WDW in April for only 3 days, but with the way we tour, that means 6 different park visits. So our problem is to decide which two parks we visit twice, and which two only get one visit!

Kerry823
03-16-2009, 09:54 PM
I am going for just one day and plan on hitting all 4 parks just to hit my favorites. I am doing this on Sunday March 22. My plan is to go to Epcot first~hit Soarin, Test Track and take a quick look at the flower festival and eat a pastry and coffee at the Fountainview Cafe. Second Park of the day~Animal Kingdom. EE, Finding Nemo and a quick jaunt through the jungle to see the gorillas. Maybe, just maybe a safari ride if the lines aren't too long. Third~Disney Studios. I plan on waiting in line for TSM. I am getting a piece of Grapefruit cake and then watching Fantasmic. Last Park~Magic Kingdom. Must do Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates, Haunted Mansion and hopefully Space Mountain. MK has extra magic hours that evening so I plan on being on the go from about 8 am to 2 am. I will be exhausted, but I am so looking forward to it. I really miss the sights, the sounds and the smells. I am excited!