In what order?

[ColleenMcD]

What order do you usually visit the world in?

We arrive around 10am on a Wednesday in August...we figure it to be around noon when we arrive at POR for check in.

The plan is to leave the bags, eat at the dining hall and then hit Animal Kingdom..

We are there for 6 days with a late fly out on a Monday.

EMH and Park Hours are not yet posted for August - at least not in any of the places I have looked...

My travel party includes "Papa" and "Mammie" and DDS 7 and 4.

"Mammie" doesn't think we should wait to see the MK, I vote for the parks in the following order:
AK- arrivial day until closing
Epcot
DHS
MK
MK
Park of Choice - departure day

Thought??:mickey3:

[Tygger7]

Back when we first visited WDW, Magic Kingdom was the only park....so that is traditionally where we start every trip. (In fact, we head straight to Space Mountain...it's always the first thing we ride when we get there.) It really comes down to personal preference. On our last visit, we scheduled lunch at Epcot because we were going to see the Candlelight Processional our first night. I still couldn't bear the thought of not going to MK first, so we got up early & were at rope drop at 8am. We managed to hit all the major rides and still make it to Epcot by noon. It truly is a matter of personal preference. One thing to consider if you choose AK as your first park & are arriving in the afternoon: it generally closes the earliest. If you are looking forward to the safari and seeing the animals, I would plan on hitting AK early and leaving after lunch. It gets dreadfully hot and the animals are much more active in the morning. Whatever you decide, have fun!!!

[CU Tiger]

For us it depends on the day of the week. MK is usually more crowded on the weekends and lighter on Tuesdays thru Thursday. We feel AK and the studios are best on the weekends. Epcot is also best Tuesdays thru Thursdays.
Locals and those spending just a weekend at the world go to the MK and Epcot on the weekends which make them more croweded. :mickey: Just my:twocents:

[ColleenMcD]

I chose AK for arrival day because according to one of the many guidebooks people typically go to AK early and are done touring by around two making it less crowded in the afternoon/evening hours.

I also figure that the early closing will allow for us to return to the hotel and swim and then make it an early night since we will be up super early to catch our flight...

if we didn't do AK on arrival day, what would you recommend as the best half-day tour?

[Tygger7]

Personally, I would plan a few hours at MK, especially since the kids are 7 and 4. Even if you only stay a few hours, I can't think of a better way to start a vacation. And, a lot of families are heading back to the hotel for afternoon naps, so the crowds should ease up a little. Pick a couple of attractions, and just take it at a leisurely pace. You could catch the afternoon parade, or if everyone is feeling good, catch the night parade & fireworks. Regardless, whenever you plan to go to AK, I would recommend going early...even try to catch the early EMH. I'm not sure exactly why, but it gets hotter than any of the other parks. By afternoon, it's a sauna, especially in August. The park is huge and there's lots of walking...have I mentioned that it gets hot? If you are getting park hoppers, I'd hit AK for early EMH, go back to the hotel at lunch & swim, then hit another park in the evening. As I said, I know I'm more than a little biased, so I would hit MK the first day. My second "first day" choice would be to hit Epcot & focus on the Future World part of the park. Again, just my two cents. :D

[stitchingirl]

I would honestly say to go to the Studios. Don't know how tall your kiddos are, or if they meet the height requirements for ToT and Rock'n Roller coaster, but if they don't, then that's two less rides to do. They're definitely open later than AK, which usually closes at 5. DH and I have come to the conclusion that Studios is just a half-day park. Hit Star Tours, Toy Story, Muppets, maybe American Idol and you've seen practically all of the park.

[roses]

We always hit Magic Kingdom first, then Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and last but certainly not least, Animal Kingdom. :D We are in the process of planning a vacation there in March - cannot wait!

[tjstrike]

we always start out with the MK, walking in and seeing Cinderella's castle for the 1st Disney breath of the trip is sooooo exhilerating !!!!!

:thumbsup:

[ColleenMcD]

So if you visit MK first, do you find it hard to get the kids to enjoy the rest of the parks?

This is the reason given in the great big book of disney guides...

[LVT]

I was about to mention that guidebook tip. My
sons were teens when we first went, so it was not pertinent.
I would think your plan allows for a good night's sleep.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We don't have a set order but it seems like we always start with DHS.

[markfnc]

We were there Mon prior - Thanskgiving day.

Got in Sunday night, went to Downtown Disney
Mon - Epcot
Tues -MK
Wed - Animal Kingdom
Thurs - Disney Studios

we picked that order due to looking at when each park was least visited, and also knowing it would get busier each day heading to Thanksgiving. Also, MK was open to midnight each night, so we always went back there (park hopper) each night. went on rides after we saw both castle light shows, and electric parade the 1st night.

Love Disney

[Gator]

My first trip was the only trip MK was our first park. The 5 next trips have either started with DHS or Epcot. Never AK.

[Janmac]

I don't know if you are planning to be at rope drop on the rest of your days at WDW but I do like your reasoning for your arrival day. This should work out pretty well for you, as long as there isn't a lot of rain in the forecast.

I generally pick our park days according to the EMH days. We generally avoid the early EMH parks.

As for will the kids enjoy other parks if they visit MK first - that is really kid specific. Our youngest grandson was far more into animals. MK, even among the kids in our extended family, has been only second or third favorite. Epcot comes in first.

Generally, we split up the days. We do two mornings at each park, except Epcot, because we generally do every evening at Epcot. We rarely do the same park two mornings in a row.

I don't remember where, but I did search for historic EMH days and finally - after much searching, found some info. Then I made some guesses and for the most part, guessed accurately. So the info is out there. Somewhere.

Jan

[CanadaLovesDisney]

Start at magic kingdom!
Or it will be all your family will be thinking about until you get there! Because ads etc mostly feature MK it's what most kids think of when they think of Disney!

Have a great time :mickey:

[Tygger7]

First, I wouldn't put too much stock in the guidebooks. After all, they are just suggestions. They do offer a lot of good info, but I've also read things that are just plain wrong. I really think you would have the opposite problem not going to MK first. Like a previous poster said, when kids hear "Disney", they think of MK. I honestly think it will be harder for them to enjoy the other parks if they have to wait for the MK. I would talk about your plans with the kids and set expectations from the start. If you decide to try MK first, tell them they're going to get to see the castle and explore the park. Use it as an opportunity for them to pick out the attractions they really want to see, and go ahead and do things that have low wait times. As I've said though, I'm pretty set in my ways when it comes to WDW. I really try to psych myself up for AK, but I have a hard time getting excited about that park. There are really only a few "must do's" for me at AK...and compared to everything else at WDW, well, AK always seems to fall to the bottom of the list. It's a LOT of walking and unless you're kids are big into the zoo & animals, they may be disappointed. I just know that AK wouldn't be the first impression I would want to imprint on anyone going to WDW for the first time.

[c&d]

I would start with the Magic Kingdom. For me it's the park that is Disney.

I would not stay until closing.It's going to have been a long day and the excitement has been building. I think that staying at any park until closing could be a recipe for cranky children.

[darthmacho]

As far as parks go, I like to start and end with MK, and everything in between gets worked out according to that particular trip. Traditionally, I reserve 3 days for MK, which go something like this:

Check-in day = No parks, explore the home resort.

First full day = MK with early breakfast at Crystal Palace, proceed to Dumbo.

Parade day = Usually a Saturday, we do MK, do a monorail dinner (Chef's, Ohana, etc.) and come back for the parade and fireworks.

Last full day = Do all the rides we missed and revisit our favorites!

[ransam]

I always go to MK first and walk down Mainstreet It's the best part of the vacation. usually AK the second day and Epcot at night that day. Then HS, Epcot at night. then a full day of Epcot. then whatever happens.

[phlo8810]

When we bring our kids we always go in the order that they opened. MK,EP, DS,AK. We even have an order to the restaurants we choose. IMO MK should always be first when kids are involved. That park brings out the magic in them like no other place.

[cuteduck223]

I'm a big supporter of "start at MK" but at the same time when we arrive mid-day we explore the resort and then usually do a dinner at Epcot and illuminations since when we go during off peak times, it is open the latest. Then we start our first "full day" at MK. Usually with a 1900 park fare breakfast and monorail ride or Crystal Palace early entrance breakfast.

[ronandjulie]

I would base my visits on EMH, or if your not an EMH person, then I use an APP which forecasts crowd levels based on years of WDW historic attendance and just go to the least crowded one on that day.