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.

KidCot

The World Showcase in Epcot is probably the most adult orientated place in the Parks other than Pleasure Island. Not only does every country pavilion serve alcohol sampled from each country, the Showcase is mostly shopping and culture with rides being scarce and mild. That doesn't mean that taking kids there is a wasted effort.

There are live performances such as the Chinese acrobats, which kids enjoy. If your little one wants to meet princesses this is the place I'd recommend. Even Mickey and Co can be found in different costumes with shorter lines than anywhere else in the Parks. There's a model railroad in Germany and a pond of koi in Japan. Still, a very small child or toddler will quickly get bored with the World Showcase once you've hit all of these things.

That's where the Kidcot stations come in handy. There is a station at every country were kids are given masks on a stick, a stamp and something representative of the country to hang off the mask. The kids can color the masks themselves. This is not a babysitting service, though. An older person is expected to be with the child while they are at the station. Usually the stations are located in such a place that after making a stop, parents can have a look around a store while the child is still preoccupied with the mask they just made.

It's cheap, free and could be done at home without the $60 admission price, so of course this makes it one of the most popular activities for the little kids. However, I'm going to give my readers a piece of advice I wish I had known before approaching a table. The Kidcot stations are sponsored by Sharpie. Therefore those aren't washable Crayolas in the marker baskets, but very permanent marker. It may not matter if the clothes they are wearing are just your typical vacation and living out of a suitcase sort. But if your child is wearing that $14.99 Mickey shirt purchased at a gift shop yesterday, you may want to detour around the station before the markers are spotted or stand over the child like a domineering and micro-managing overlord.