Often families traveling on the Disney Cruise Line out of Florida plan a visit to the Walt Disney World Resort in conjunction with their vacation. Recently, a family local to Disneyland in Anaheim asked the Parenting Panel for advice in planning such a Walt Disney World excursion. They only had time to visit one park, but because they visit Disneyland often, the mom felt that Magic Kingdom would be too similar. This week we asked our Parenting Panel: If you could only visit one Walt Disney World Park for one day, which one would you choose?
Mary Kraemer is an avid Disney fan and a co-owner at EscapadeAdventures, who loves to travel with her husband and children to Disney destinations as often as possible. Mary writes:
Boy, this is a tough question, but for a kid-friendly one-day park that’s not the Magic Kingdom, I’d probably suggest going to Animal Kingdom.
Kids love animals, and being able to go on the Kilimanjaro Safaris expedition into the savannah is really exciting. Another fun ride is the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. During both rides, kids learn about conservation and taking care of animals, as well as the planet. There’s more animal-related activities with the Discovery Island Trails, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Oasis exhibits, and Habitat Habit for adventure and animal viewing.
The Tree of Life is an awe-inspiring sight, especially for little ones, and they’ll love trying to find all the animals sculpted into this magnificent icon of Animal Kingdom park.
DinoLand is enormously popular with kids, with rides such as Triceratops Spin and Primeval Whirl (it’s fun for grownups, too!). And the excavation-themed Boneyard is a place where kids can spend hours being pretend paleontologists while having fun in the play maze.
After all that activity, it’s nice to have some cool downtime at the imaginative Festival of the Lion King, enjoying Finding Nemo-The Musical, or experiencing the insect world in It’s Tough To Be A Bug.
One of the biggest Rainforest Café restaurants I’ve ever seen is right at Animal Kingdom Park, and it ties in beautifully with the park's theme, so it’s a great choice for families who are visiting for the day.
For even more kid-specific fun, there’s the Wilderness Explorer challenge, which are fact-finding challenges scattered through the park. Kids earn badges as they complete challenges and they can put those badges in an official Wilderness Explorer field guide, which will become a treasured keepsake.
If the parents need a thrill ride during the day, look no further than Expedition Everest, and be sure to get a child-swap ticket so both adults can take turns conquering this amazing coaster.
And it wouldn’t be a true Disney park experience without meeting some characters, so be sure to head over to Adventurer’s Outpost and see some of your favorite pals.
Chris Salata, also known as GusMan, is a Disney-inspired author and photographer, and loves to help people get the most out of their Disney vacation. Chris writes:
Soon after my first trip to Walt Disney World, my family and I went on a Disney cruise. It was an absolute amazing trip. There was only one problem. There was a part of me that did not want to trek down to central Florida without at least one stop at the parks. However, having what is essentially two large Disney trips back to back wasn't in the cards. We decided that we could simply stay for one extra night at a Disney resort and then hit one park once we got off the ship. In the same manner that is posed in this week's scenario… which park do you choose?
At this phase in our vacationing, we spent a lot of time at the Magic Kingdom, mainly because of the ages of our children. However, they were starting to expand their touring horizons a bit and I think they wanted something different.
For our specific journey, we had to make something of a compromise. My oldest loves Epcot. She loves the different countries and shows all around World Showcase. My son, on the other hand, was much younger and, for his age, Magic Kingdom was still the biggest draw. We decided to split our time between the day we got off the ship and next day, which would only be a partial day since we would be traveling home. This might seem like an inefficient use of tickets, but this was also a time that we had extra days left on tickets that had the no expire option. For us, the split of days and parks seemed to satisfy everyone's needs. At least this was the case for our family.
I know many people that consider Disney cruises but also would feel odd if they did not stop at the parks. After all, since a large portion of vacation costs is the travel to and from your destination, it only makes sense to stretch out the time a bit further if at all possible. Here are some things to consider if you are considering mixing up some park time before or after a Disney cruise:
- Do you already have tickets? If not, then consider the overall costs for the smaller number of entries at a Disney. If you anticipate such a land and sea trip, it might be a good idea to consider non-expiring tickets or to do the trip within the year that you might have an annual pass.
- If only a single park is the only option, consider investing some time looking at videos on YouTube with your family to see which attractions would be extra special, or would be new experiences. Doing the same with a Disney planning video might be helpful and also entertaining.
- Think about how late you will be willing to stay out. Depending on the time of year, some parks can be open quite late. If this is a real draw for your family, you can try to squeeze all the time you can out of a park. After all, you can sleep on the way home, right?
- Plan your time wisely. No matter which park you choose, plan for it. Using a site like TouringPlans.com can really help you get the most out of a limited time at the park. This is especially the case if you will not arrive until mid to late morning from the ship.
- If a park is out of the question, considering touring the different resorts, restaurants, and Downtown Disney. This is especially the case during the Christmas season with special decorations and events going on in different places.
Regardless of choice, know that no matter what you do, you will still experience the magic just a little bit longer. That, in of itself, is worth the price of admission.
MousePlanet columnist Chris Barry, his wife, Diane, Samantha (16), and twins Casey and Alex (12), live on Long Island and are all major Disney and Walt Disney World fans. Chris writes:
I come to this discussion with a slight disadvantage. It’s hard for me to say this out loud, but I have never, in fact, been to Disneyland. Considering my level of fandom—I write for a website hatched in Disneyland for goodness sakes—it’s a pretty amazing factoid that I still haven't been there. However, I don’t have to possess actual experience in both parks to know they’re different. I’ve seen Disney legendary Imagineer Tony Baxter say it himself, “Disneyland is charming. The Magic Kingdom is spectacular.”
I’d want to see both. I do want to see both and see what the differences are.
When I’m asked the question at hand, my first response is, “A day at the Magic Kingdom? Of course, why even question that?” An offer to spend a day at the most magical place on Earth sounds wonderful. But, I suppose if I spent my life going to the happiest place on earth in Anaheim, perhaps I might want to see something a little different when I came to this coast.
When it comes to different, there’s really no other choice in Walt Disney World but Epcot. The following statements don’t mean to trivialize the wonder and awe of the other Walt Disney World parks. Obviously, they hold a special place in my heart. However, it could be argued that they each share a little something with other existing places. The Magic Kingdom has its counterparts throughout the world. I know the Magic Kingdom is quite different in size and scope when compared to Disneyland Park, but still the main idea is pretty much the same. Although certainly different, Disney's Hollywood Studios can be compared to the Universal parks in its general theme. I adore Disney's Animal Kingdom, but it could be argued that one could see animal attractions at some of the leading zoos in the country or at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Once again, these are generalizations. Nobody else has Expedition Everest for example. The one exception to these generalizations is Epcot.
Epcot really does stand apart. There’s just nothing like it anywhere. It’s a destination all to itself, one that I would travel to if it were all on its own. The wonders of Future World and the amazing Spaceship Earth welcome you into this unique place and, right away, you know you're in for something different. World Showcase is the cherry on top. What better way to spend the one day you have in Walt Disney World then a morning in Future World and an afternoon strolling around the 11 countries that live around the lagoon. Cap it off with a fantastic international dinner and then the most incredible fireworks show there is, Illuminations. That’s a unique day for sure, one that you can’t duplicate anywhere else.
It's your turn—keep the discussion flowing!
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