One Day, Which Park?

I once got an email from a friend of mine saying that she had extended her convention trip by one day to spend time at Disney World. So which Park should she visit? This was a very difficult question, which had to be looked at objectively. Everyone has their favorite Park, but even if you know someone it's hard to gauge which one they are going to like. My brother isn't an animal person, he's into movies, yet he surprised me by declaring Animal Kingdom to be his favorite. My favorite is probably Epcot which on some days gets tied with Hollywood Studios.

So how should you decide if you only have one day? It depends on the experience you want. A lot of people go to just the Magic Kingdom and leave it at that. In fact, some don't even know the other three Parks exist. It certainly wouldn't be a bad choice since it is the iconic Disney experience with the Castle and many classic rides. It's an especially good choice if you have kids with you. Although, I have to admit that it's the first Park I hit on my first trip just because it is iconic. It can also be much more crowded than the other Parks because everyone goes there and you may end up feeling like you didn't get much done there.

Hollywood Studios is good if you don't have little kids with you. It's size can be easily navigated in a day even in crowded times. The only reason not to choose Hollywood Studios would be that it's a little less Disney and depends on your love of classic Hollywood. There's less for children who are scared or under 40 inches tall here. If you aren't a thrill ride seeker you would miss out on two of the main attractions lessening your enjoyment quite a bit.

For those who aren't thrill junkies the choice is Epcot. This has the advantage of having Spaceship Earth, the giant geoglobe which is nearly as iconic as Cinderella's Castle. The Park is also able to handle crowds nicely without ever feeling crowded except during events such as the Wine and Food Festival. There's also enough here to satisfy kids and good opportunities to see characters. However, many people also find the Park boring due to it trying to deliver it's edu-tainment. It's also huge and may take more than one day.

Lastly, there is Animal Kingdom, which is usually much loved by kids. It is actually the biggest Park, with most of the acreage devoted to the animals. The places where human can roam make this more of a half-day Park. Usually, I suggest having a Park Hopper on this day (if you are without small children) and getting at least a little taste of one of the other three Parks in addition to Animal Kingdom.

In the end, I couldn't answer her question outright without asking her about what attractions she was most interested in and making a list of pros and cons. In the end, she still didn't decide and ended up doing an amazing marathon visit of three all in one day. I don't recommend this unless you are traveling alone as she was during a very low attendance period.

I guess my real answer would be to try to go at least three days if possible. If you can't, whatever you will still pretty much find yourself in a win-win situation whatever you choose.