Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom

[Redpoppy]

I just booked our trip - 6 nights, 7 days, really 5 with travel. One day we will go to the Halloween party, another we aren't getting tickets because DH needs to watch football, then we will spend most of a day seeing my family (going to take mom to Halloween party too). So I decided we'd stay at Coronado Springs with a two day park ticket (non-hopper) instead of getting a three day ticket and doing a partial day at a park plus staying at a value (tried point rental but no luck). We can have fun in a cool pool while DH watches football. We have a non-Disney hotel the first two nights as we arrived late and then I needed an extra room the Halloween party night for my mom. I'm annoyed I had to wait for the NFL season was announced to book, I really wanted to stay near Epcot.

We are definitely going to Epcot because of Food & Wine. The other day I'm leaning towards Animal Kingdom since they will have the new show by then. I'm torn though because DS liked HS last time, but thinking we'd wait until all the Star Wars area is done. My parents live down there so we visit once or twice a year. We don't always go to Disney though.

Thoughts?

[ilikedonuts]

Hmmm hard one. Would your son be tall enough for the "big" rides at HS? HS should still have the Star Wars fireworks so if you pick that one there will be evening entertainment still along with fantasmic.

I like the AK nighttime show will be awesome, my kids just don't really love the rest of the park.

[Amy]

If your DS is into Star Wars at all I'd do DHS. Even with the closures, it was DS' (6) favorite park this year. Star Tours, Jedi training, launch bay with all the meet and greets and the awesome fireworks. Also he loves the Toy Story ride.

[Redpoppy]

That is a fair point, there are more "cool" rides at HS. Last time he just didn't go on the coaster and tower of terror by choice but probably would this time. We took him on ToT at 4 and scarred him (not a type, he was freaked out), but we've had talks about scary rides when he was little bit being not scary when he is older (7 now). We finally got him on space mountain last time and he loved it. We went in Star Tours multiple times. The AK shows will be there a long time, could wait for another trip.

[ribollita]

My son would choose HS as well but I like AK and don't think you can go wrong either way.

[curbsideprophet]

I would probably go with AK. We found HS to only be a half day park last time we were there.

So the only visit to MK is for the party? I would also consider just spending another full day in MK.

And I have to ask, what football game is so important that it requires an entire day of vacation to work around it. I am a big sports fan but even I know sometimes you need to give a little.

[huskymom]

This is how we ended up going from 3 day tickets to 5 day bc I couldn't decide, lol.

[krystee]

To me, they are both half-day parks, so I would do park hopper for that day and do both.

[dancelnow]

We did HS with DS (5) because he is all into Star Wars. But there just isn't that much yet. The line for the simulator ride was always ridiculous so the only thrill ride he could do was the tower. We left at lunch and didn't come back until dinner, fantasmic and fireworks. Not worth it.

[Redpoppy]

Apr 17, 2016 13:54:51 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

I would probably go with AK. We found HS to only be a half day park last time we were there.

So the only visit to MK is for the party? I would also consider just spending another full day in MK.

And I have to ask, what football game is so important that it requires an entire day of vacation to work around it. I am a big sports fan but even I know sometimes you need to give a little.

He has season tickets with his dad so we had to wait for schedules to be announced to book on a bye/away weekend and there is an away game at 1. I've accepted that watching it live is very important to him, plus we get a day to enjoy the pools. He is a man of few requests and plays along with a lot of my craziness. I took him to a quilting convention last year.

There is a slight chance we will go again to the Halloween party Sunday night. Cheaper than a full day ticket. We spend a full day at HS last time, but a short day at AK.

[bexporter]

You can't go wrong either way. I think calling them half day parks really means you miss a lot of what each park has to offer.

I'm not sure how old your son is, but my kids loved the Wilderness Explorers program at Animal Kingdom and each got lots of badges. We stayed from before open (9) until 5:30 one day and didn't even make it out to Rafiki's planet watch. Not for lack of trying. We just ended up doing lots of other things.

I can see waiting until all the Star Wars stuff is ready at HS, but Jedi Training, Star Tours, and the movie entertained my crew. We didn't even make it to the launch bay (my kids really wanted to go home and swim that night and, despite all my planning, I went along with it).

[ribollita]

Rather than getting a park hopper, I'd get a three day ticket.

bexporter are you going to post a trip report?!

[bexporter]

ribollita I'm working on it, but there's a LOT! Stay tuned.

[cbwm1]

Yeah, I'm with ribollita - I'd go with a three day ticket over park hopper.

Also, I might be in the minority but we thought the Halloweeen party was an a pic waste of money. The lines for candy were obscene, not all of the rides were running, you can't do FP+ or DAS (which our son qualifies for), and the stupid travel agent we were working with didn't tell us that a majority of the food places wouldn't be open, so we were completely starving by the time we left.

[Redpoppy]

Apr 19, 2016 5:46:23 GMT -5 cbwm1 said:

Yeah, I'm with ribollita - I'd go with a three day ticket over park hopper.

Also, I might be in the minority but we thought the Halloweeen party was an a pic waste of money. The lines for candy were obscene, not all of the rides were running, you can't do FP+ or DAS (which our son qualifies for), and the stupid travel agent we were working with didn't tell us that a majority of the food places wouldn't be open, so we were completely starving by the time we left.

We must've lucked out in a less crowded night. We never waited in candy lines. We went in at 4 with FP+ for 3 rides and hit the rides that would be closed and got on everything we wanted with minimal waits that night. It did pour, and he parade was delayed, maybe that thinned out the crowds.

[cbwm1]

Apr 19, 2016 18:44:55 GMT -5 Redpoppy said:

Apr 19, 2016 5:46:23 GMT -5 cbwm1 said:

Yeah, I'm with ribollita - I'd go with a three day ticket over park hopper.

Also, I might be in the minority but we thought the Halloweeen party was an a pic waste of money. The lines for candy were obscene, not all of the rides were running, you can't do FP+ or DAS (which our son qualifies for), and the stupid travel agent we were working with didn't tell us that a majority of the food places wouldn't be open, so we were completely starving by the time we left.

We must've lucked out in a less crowded night. We never waited in candy lines. We went in at 4 with FP+ for 3 rides and hit the rides that would be closed and got on everything we wanted with minimal waits that night. It did pour, and he parade was delayed, maybe that thinned out the crowds.

That sounds like a way better experience!

I'm also going to guess that the fact that we went three days before Halloween compounded things. ;-)