1st day park

ros1 · 31 Jan 18, 02:50 PM

Hi
So i had my itinerary all planned out, with a short day planned at MK on our first morning 20 May. Thought it would be a lovely park to start off with, what with it being the epitome of all that is Disney. I thought with two kids, it may be the only park we make rope drop for, and we could stay till 2 ish with another day allocated later on in the holiday.

However, i have since wondered whether it would be better to make Animal Kingdom our first park. As i said, its dubious whether we'll make any other rope drops, so should we take advantage of this and try and get on Pandora in the standby queue? My only reservation is that i don't think AK really screams Disney at you and i'm worried it may fall a bit flat with the kids, and also i don't have another day allocated to it so would we get it done in a short day?

stupet11 · 31 Jan 18, 03:39 PM

We usually do ASK, Tusker House bfast, a great Disney fix, then an early morning safari. You could do the shows too.

We have also done a waterpark first day, as finish early...just use lots of suncream!

mrs_dlw · 31 Jan 18, 05:44 PM

AK is my favourite park and it gives me goosebumps every time I walk in! I feel it�s very Disney, maybe get an FP to meet Mickey & Minnie at the Outpost to get a proper first day fix or arrange the Character Breakfast at Tusker House to meet a few Characters. I may ruffle a few feathers but I don�t like MK - getting in there itself (unless using Disney Transport) takes any magic off it for me x

kateh134 · 31 Jan 18, 07:02 PM

We usually do AK as our first day on the basis that it isn�t usually a full day park for us so leaving mid afternoon feels just right. However, we�ve not been since pandora opened, so we may have to review our thoughts after our next trip.

motty1969 · 4 Feb 18, 10:35 PM

Always done Seaworld Sunday. Always arrived Saturday and first day nice and chilled out at Seaworld . Although this year , we arrive on Tuesday, so no Seaworld Sunday 🤪

loldis · 4 Feb 18, 11:26 PM

I was going to suggest doing AK your second day, as I'd be surprised if you're not also up early then. No kids but it usually takes me about three days before I'm up at a sensible hour. But that would be a Monday, which is AK EMH - assuming you're off site if you don't think you'll get a FP for FOP.

Even if it doesn't scream Disney on the whole, it's still an amazing park. If your kids like animals even a tiny bit, it's just as good as MK IMO. It also has the best Mickey meet and greet IMO - I'm not fussed about the talking one, but meeting Mickey and Minnie at the same time is rare.

ros1 · 4 Feb 18, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by loldis

I was going to suggest doing AK your second day, as I'd be surprised if you're not also up early then. No kids but it usually takes me about three days before I'm up at a sensible hour. But that would be a Monday, which is AK EMH - assuming you're off site if you don't think you'll get a FP for FOP.

Even if it doesn't scream Disney on the whole, it's still an amazing park. If your kids like animals even a tiny bit, it's just as good as MK IMO. It also has the best Mickey meet and greet IMO - I'm not fussed about the talking one, but meeting Mickey and Minnie at the same time is rare.

Thanks for your reply - so would you recommend going to AK on an EMH day? Yes we're off-site so haven't a hope in hell of getting a FP, although don't mind doing the standby queue for the pre ride experience.

Tinkjon · 5 Feb 18, 12:11 AM

In my experience, you're usually up at silly o'clock for the first 3 days or so.

loldis · 5 Feb 18, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by ros1

Thanks for your reply - so would you recommend going to AK on an EMH day? Yes we're off-site so haven't a hope in hell of getting a FP, although don't mind doing the standby queue for the pre ride experience.

If you're off-site, definitely do not go to AK on an EMH day if you're trying to rope drop Pandora. You'll arrive to the EMH rope droppers + an hour's on-site queue already built up. No good.

I would go Sunday or Tuesday if I was off-site, since these are the days after EMH so theoretically slightly lower crowds. If you really wanted MK on a Sunday (which is a decent day choice) you'll probably still be up early enough on the Tuesday to make it for a 9am open, although you'll actually want to be parking up around 8am to be at the front of the crowds.

ETA: Double check EMH are actually on the days I say they are. They haven't changed in about 18 months so I'm assuming I'm right but I haven't specifically checked your dates.

ros1 · 5 Feb 18, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by loldis

If you're off-site, definitely do not go to AK on an EMH day if you're trying to rope drop Pandora. You'll arrive to the EMH rope droppers + an hour's on-site queue already built up. No good.

I would go Sunday or Tuesday if I was off-site, since these are the days after EMH so theoretically slightly lower crowds. If you really wanted MK on a Sunday (which is a decent day choice) you'll probably still be up early enough on the Tuesday to make it for a 9am open, although you'll actually want to be parking up around 8am to be at the front of the crowds.

ETA: Double check EMH are actually on the days I say they are. They haven't changed in about 18 months so I'm assuming I'm right but I haven't specifically checked your dates.

Thanks so much, that's been a great help!

31 Jan 18, 02:50 PM	#1
	31 Jan 18, 02:50 PM ros1 Trying for More Ears
ros1 Trying for More Ears Join Date: Jan 17	1st day park Hi So i had my itinerary all planned out, with a short day planned at MK on our first morning 20 May. Thought it would be a lovely park to start off with, what with it being the epitome of all that is Disney. I thought with two kids, it may be the only park we make rope drop for, and we could stay till 2 ish with another day allocated later on in the holiday. However, i have since wondered whether it would be better to make Animal Kingdom our first park. As i said, its dubious whether we'll make any other rope drops, so should we take advantage of this and try and get on Pandora in the standby queue? My only reservation is that i don't think AK really screams Disney at you and i'm worried it may fall a bit flat with the kids, and also i don't have another day allocated to it so would we get it done in a short day?

31 Jan 18, 07:02 PM	#4
	31 Jan 18, 07:02 PM kateh134 Imagineer
kateh134 Imagineer Join Date: Apr 08	We usually do AK as our first day on the basis that it isn�t usually a full day park for us so leaving mid afternoon feels just right. However, we�ve not been since pandora opened, so we may have to review our thoughts after our next trip. __________________ Kate

4 Feb 18, 11:26 PM	#6
	4 Feb 18, 11:26 PM loldis Imagineer
loldis Imagineer Join Date: May 17 Location: Sussex	I was going to suggest doing AK your second day, as I'd be surprised if you're not also up early then. No kids but it usually takes me about three days before I'm up at a sensible hour. But that would be a Monday, which is AK EMH - assuming you're off site if you don't think you'll get a FP for FOP. Even if it doesn't scream Disney on the whole, it's still an amazing park. If your kids like animals even a tiny bit, it's just as good as MK IMO. It also has the best Mickey meet and greet IMO - I'm not fussed about the talking one, but meeting Mickey and Minnie at the same time is rare.