WDW Fanatics

[Hunter's Moon]

MIL is bringing DH and I to WDW and Universal Orlando in a month when she brings her two younger kids.

 

We will be leaving here on the 15th and leaving Florida the 23rd, so we'll be there for 7 whole days, though the flight is only about 2 1/2 hours.

 

MIL wants to know which parks we want to go to. DH and I are thinking no to Epcot, but the other 3 look great. I don't know anything about WDW or Universal though.

 

What are must sees? Any tips for being there in August (hot and busy)?

 

Thanks!!

[whitestavern]

Ack!  Epcot is our fav...we try to spend 3 days there when we visit.  If you're going to be there for 7 days, though, it's easy for you to see all of the parks, as well as the trip to Universal.  Universal for us was a 2 day event...we probably could've done headliners only and squeezed it into one.  I'd pick up a WDW book (we like the Unofficial Guide to WDW) which gives detailed info on what's in each park as a starting point.  Once you decide where to go you can loosely plan which days are best for which park and what rides to do first thing; especially important during the busy season.  Easywdw.com is a great site for that information.  I know most people who go during the summer always say be there at rope drop, tour all morning, then rest at the hotel/pool during the hot middle of the day, then go back to the park for the evening/fireworks, etc.  Have a great trip!!

[sparrow]

Yep, Epcot is our favorite, too!  We spend 2 days at Epcot and all other parks get one--I could skip Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, if forced to make a choice.

 

Are you staying on site or off site?  We stay off site and typically eat breakfast and dinner at our condo and lunch in the parks, sometimes dinner.  We usually take a backpack with snacks and water. I like a to carry a small to mid-size cross body purse, like a Vera Bradley Hipster. I love being hands free!  Read the DIS Boards and get familiar with FastPass! Really, you can find information about anything on the DIS Boards.

 

I agree with whitestavern that easywdw.com is great for planning. I like the PassPorter's WDW book, too.

 

Have fun :) .

[Hunter's Moon]

Ack! Epcot is our fav...we try to spend 3 days there when we visit. If you're going to be there for 7 days, though, it's easy for you to see all of the parks, as well as the trip to Universal. Universal for us was a 2 day event...we probably could've done headliners only and squeezed it into one. I'd pick up a WDW book (we like the Unofficial Guide to WDW) which gives detailed info on what's in each park as a starting point. Once you decide where to go you can loosely plan which days are best for which park and what rides to do first thing; especially important during the busy season. Easywdw.com is a great site for that information. I know most people who go during the summer always say be there at rope drop, tour all morning, then rest at the hotel/pool during the hot middle of the day, then go back to the park for the evening/fireworks, etc. Have a great trip!!

On their site, Epcot didn't look like it had much going on, but I'll check it out further.

 

Thanks for the site!

[Hunter's Moon]

Yep, Epcot is our favorite, too! We spend 2 days at Epcot and all other parks get one--I could skip Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, if forced to make a choice.

 

Are you staying on site or off site? We stay off site and typically eat breakfast and dinner at our condo and lunch in the parks, sometimes dinner. We usually take a backpack with snacks and water. I like a to carry a small to mid-size cross body purse, like a Vera Bradley Hipster. I love being hands free! Read the DIS Boards and get familiar with FastPass! Really, you can find information about anything on the DIS Boards.

 

I agree with whitestavern that easywdw.com is great for planning. I like the PassPorter's WDW book, too.

 

Have fun :) .

Thank for the book recs, will have to see if the library has them!

 

We will be off site, but there is a free shuttle to and from WDW :) The hotel has free continental breakfast, and we'll try to eat meals at the hotel to save on money.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I have been to Disneyland and WDW about 25 to 30 times (never actually sat down and counted) and Epcot is by far the favorite park of both dh, our dc and myself.  We usually go for about 9 days, get park hopper passes and no matter what park we go to during the day, we usually end up at Epcot at night (also spend a couple of entire days there too).  We never get bored with Epcot. 

 

Also since you will be there in Aug.  Epcot is the least hot , weather speaking., of the parks what with all the water and the fountains there

[MollyAnn]

You are going to be there long enough to do all the parks and Epcot shouldn't be missed. Soarin is one of our favorite rides. Get a fast pass as soon as possible. The fast passes go quick and the line is rarely under 90min durning the summer season.

No, there aren't the thrill rides like the other parks, but everything is so interesting!! Spaceship Earth is incredible, do it later in the day. It's the first attraction inside the park and everyone lines up right away.

Stay for the light show, you will not be disappointed.

[OhanaBee]

Epcot is my favorite of the parks!!  I'm heading down there in August as well, with my dd and niece.  They're doing all four WDW parks and two days at Universal [i think they're nuts].  I'm only doing three parks and NO days at Universal.  The park I tend to skip is Disney Hollywood.  Can't tell you anything about Animal Kingdom as this will be my first time there. 

 

Magic Kingdom is not to be missed - and make sure you're early enough for the opening ceremony/rope drop.  I grew up going to Disneyland and I'll tell you, the opening stuff is WAY better at WDW [sorry, Anaheim.....i miss you, though!]. 

 

I agree that you need to get your hands on a guidebook to see if Epcot is right for you.  My youngest dd tolerates Epcot and LOVES Animal Kingdom.  Middle dd loves Disney Hollywood, whereas I find boring to spend the whole day there.  However, *you* may love it. {Star Tours! Tower of Terror! Fantasmic!!}  Oldest dd would spend all her Disney Days at the Magic Kingdom if she could.  The other parks are just fluff [but I think Epcot is her second favorite of the parks]

 

If you go to Epcot get on Soarin' first thing.  I usually hustle over there, grab a fast pass *and* get right on the ride.  Then I have a fast pass for later.  Because I never go on that ride just once.  A few years ago youngest dd and I were out at Disneyland and I discovered that Soarin' Over California [same as Soarin' at Epcot] had no line.  That's right.  No. Line.  I dragged her on that thing 4 times. {Which may be one of the reasons why she just tolerates Epcot, now.......hmmmmm, hadn't thought of that....}

[katilac]

Another vote for not missing EPCOT, lol! It's very hard to know which parks you are going to love before going, so, with 7 days, I would definitely say to go to all 4 and then decide which ones to return to. When we have 6 days at Disney World, we do 2 at Magic Kingdom, 2 at EPCOT, and 1 each at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

 

Universal is much more of an amusement park rather than a theme park; great if you love thrill rides. They have 2 parks, and I think Islands of Adventure is the one with the most big coasters. The Harry Potter section is very cool if you love that series, but might be impossibly crowded in August - it's really small, with fun but tiny shops, and only a few rides.

 

You don't need to decide exactly which parks you want to visit ahead of time, but rather how many days at each 'world.' For example, 5 days at Disney World, but you can decide which park to skip or visit twice after you're there. Same for Universal and their 2 parks. If you pay for park hoppers at Disney, you can hop from one park to the next in the same day, but that will take up travel time. And, tickets get cheaper and cheaper per day the more days you add on.

 

Gotta do camp drop-off; more later!

[besroma]

Our favorite parks are Epcot and Magic Kingdom. We like to spend at least two days at Epcot. The outdoor shows at each of the countries are wonderful. There are not as many rides there as MK, but there is still so much to see and do (and the food is great!).

[Mom in High Heels]

We love EPCOT!  There is so much to see and do.  Magic Kingdom is just awesome.  We really like Hollywood Studios (the Indiana Jones Stunt Show and the Motor Stunt Spectacular are not to be missed), but aren't big fans of Animal Kingdom.

[QueenCat]

Epcot is not a skipper........ it's a two day minimum kind of place to be!!!!!!!!!! If it were me, I'd skip Universal but do the Disney and Discovery Cove. We just went to Discovery Cove........ one of the most incredible experiences one can imagine!

[catz]

Epcot is probably our favorite Disney Park too - LOL! We LOVED Universal though (do not miss if you're into Harry Potter!). August will sadly be very hot and very busy.

[mlktwins]

I'm going to be the one dissenter...Epcot was my least favorite park. We had 8 days in the parks for our first trip with kids. We spent 2 full days at MK and 1 additional day for the Christmas party, 2 days at Epcot, 2 days at HS, and 1 day at AK. If we go back soon, we will skip Epcot and do the other 3 parks again. We didn't get enough time at AK our first time, but we did go at Christmas time and the hours were shorter so we didn't get to see everything we wanted to see. At Epcot we did love Soarin and Test Track (rode each multiple times). If it was just DH and I, I think we would appreciate Epcot more as we would eat our way around the world, etc. Our boys (6.5 at the time) were not fans of the countries although they did love getting their passports stamped.

 

The shows at HS and AK were great. Lion King was phenomenal. Our favorite show was Fantasmic! at HS and Beauty and the Beast was there also. Of course, the fireworks and parades at MK were awesome and not to be missed. Do not need to wait around to see the light show at the end of the night at Epcot again (with or without kids). For us, HS had the Jedi training, which the boys did twice, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, the stunt shows, and my favorite ride, Toy Story Mania :-). AK didn't have a lot of rides we loved, but the safari ride was fun and Expedition Everest was thrilling.

 

I think it depends on the ages of your children and what you are looking to do -- more thrill rides, shows, educational. DH and I are big Harry Potter fan's, but we are waiting to go to Universal studios until the boys are older.

 

Whichever parks you go to, have an awesome time!!!

[staceyobu]

If it is just you and DH, walking through the countries at Epcot is very romantic.  Beautiful sights and sounds.  I highly recommend the Phineas and Ferb game at Epcot for the young kids.  It is to make the countries more interactive.  It was probably my kids favorite part of Disneyworld.  I think Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios can be done in a day.  You can spend more than one day at Epcot and MK easily.  Understand the fastpass system before you go and use it often.  We also downloaded an app to our phone that showed wait times for rides.  You can also look at online schedules and see which park will be recommended for which days.  It is most crowded in the middle of the day.  Go to the parks early, get on the big attractions first thing.  Take an afternoon rest or see some shows in the afternoon, then stay late when the crowds start to thin.  The crowds might be a bit better by then because a lot of people will be going back to school.  Go prepared for the heat.  

 

Disney is amazing.  We spent 8 days at the beginning of the summer and had a great time.  The Lion King show at Animal Kingdom is great.  It's Tough to be a Bug show and the Dinosaur ride are tons of fun at AK.  Soarin' at Epcot is maybe the best ride ever.  I also loved Spaceship Earth at Epcot.  The Toy Story ride at Hollywood Studios is fabulous (get fastpasses first thing).  I'd also recommend walking through the Walt Disney tribute there.  It really ads to the experience to see how it all came into being.  MK has too many great rides to name... although if we could go without kids, I think Epcot and Hollywood would be the most fun to spend time at.

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

EPCOT is our favorite, too.  We usually go twice during our trips.  If I had to skip one, it would be Animal Kingdom or if you have really little kids, Hollywood Studios.

[Hunter's Moon]

DH and I don't have kids. BIL is 10 and SIL is 16, but they'll be with my MIL mostly.

 

Magic Kingdom is a must! I told DH there is no way I am leaving WDW without going to a castle.

 

Epcot sounds nice the more I hear about it.

 

Animal Kingdom is still a maybe, and I'm not too sure about Hollywood Studios yet.

[Hunter's Moon]

If it is just you and DH, walking through the countries at Epcot is very romantic. Beautiful sights and sounds. I highly recommend the Phineas and Ferb game at Epcot for the young kids. It is to make the countries more interactive. It was probably my kids favorite part of Disneyworld. I think Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios can be done in a day. You can spend more than one day at Epcot and MK easily. Understand the fastpass system before you go and use it often. We also downloaded an app to our phone that showed wait times for rides. You can also look at online schedules and see which park will be recommended for which days. It is most crowded in the middle of the day. Go to the parks early, get on the big attractions first thing. Take an afternoon rest or see some shows in the afternoon, then stay late when the crowds start to thin. The crowds might be a bit better by then because a lot of people will be going back to school. Go prepared for the heat.

 

Disney is amazing. We spent 8 days at the beginning of the summer and had a great time. The Lion King show at Animal Kingdom is great. It's Tough to be a Bug show and the Dinosaur ride are tons of fun at AK. Soarin' at Epcot is maybe the best ride ever. I also loved Spaceship Earth at Epcot. The Toy Story ride at Hollywood Studios is fabulous (get fastpasses first thing). I'd also recommend walking through the Walt Disney tribute there. It really ads to the experience to see how it all came into being. MK has too many great rides to name... although if we could go without kids, I think Epcot and Hollywood would be the most fun to spend time at.

Do you remember the name of the wait time app?

 

The hotel has a free shuttle to and from WDW, so we plan to head back to the hotel in the afternoon. The hotel has a pool, and there are outlets right behind it, so we'll be able to shop and eat out with the WDW crowds or prices.

[staceyobu]

Undercover tourist.

[JessReplanted]

Epcot is my favorite! We always get a park hopper pass, and often return to Epcot in the evening for dinner.

 

For 7 days, I would really recommend park hopper passes.

[Homemaker]

If you can go to all the Disney parks, don't skip any of them! My kids loved Hollywood studios, they have Rockin Roller coaster, tower of terror and our favorite ride: Toy Story, it is so much fun! They also have great shows and Fantastmic show at night. Again, I would recommend all of the parks!