Which Disney World Park Should I Go To?

Many of my friends and family know that I spent a year working at Disney World as a part of their Disney College Program (DCP). So I get asked a lot of Disney questions on the reg. And because the DCP awoke within me the slumbering beast of a Disney Adult, I am, of course, happy to talk about Disney all day, every day. 

So many silly little things go into planning a Disney vacation (see my whole post on planning a trip there myself). You need to download an app, make reservations, maybe buy magic bands or upgraded experiences, or again, download the app... But I can walk you through downloading the Disney My Experience App. By far, the hardest question I get asked is, "Which park should I visit?"

And answering that question for me is like choosing a favorite child. But the reality is, unless you're lucky enough to be an annual pass holder or are a Cast Member, most people can't afford multiple park days. Disney World is seriously expensive. Even the people who are like, "You can totally do Disney World on a budget," and are doing it on a pretty generous budget. You might also want to do many other things in the greater Orlando area or even central Florida. Universal Studios, the Kennedy Space Center, SeaWorld, Bush Gardens, the beach, and even the Everglades are all a reasonable drive away. 

Choosing which Disney World Park to go to depends on a lot of things. How old is everyone in your party? What are you most interested in doing? What are your favorite characters or Disney stories? Are you going to Park Hop? Do you like fireworks? Etc. etc. etc. 

That all being said. I will break down for you what I think are the biggest reasons you should go to each park. 

Why You Should Go to Magic Kingdom: 

Magic Kingdom is the classic Disney Park! I have a special love for Magic Kingdom because that's the park I worked in. I also grew up going to Disneyland in California, and although not identical, Magic Kingdom is the closest park at WDW to Disneyland. The parks expanded a lot in the 80s and 90s, so if you're a 50s, 60s, or 70s baby and want to hit the rides you remember loving as a kid or want to revisit the nostalgia of Disneyland on the other coast, Magic Kingdom is where it's at. 

They actually have a few rides that Disneyland has long since done away with. At Magic Kingdom, you can still board the People Mover for a trip around Tomorrowland and take a spin with Father on the Carousel of Progress. You can meet every single President of the United States at the Hall of Presidents. (Or you can take a peaceful nap in an air-conditioned theater, it depends on your mood and level of patriotism, I guess!) 

Magic Kingdom is the park I'd recommend to anyone who can only visit ONE park. If you can only hit one, it should be this one. This park is good for people of all ages and tastes. You can watch shows on the Castle Stage, meet a gazillion characters, watch a parade, ride thrill rides like TRON, or chill rides like Winnie the Pooh. You can sit down for a meal and a drink at the Beast's Castle or grab something to go. There are so many things to do and see here, and you'll leave with the quintessential Disney experience. 

Top things to see and do in Magic Kingdom include: 

• The Haunted Mansion
• Pirates of the Caribbean 
• Space Mountain
• TRON Lightcycle 
• Big Thunder Mountain
• The Jungle Cruise
• The Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Walt Disney's Railroad
• The Happily Ever After Fireworks Spectacular
• Shopping on Main Street USA

Characters you can meet in Magic Kingdom (as of Dec. 2023) include: 

• Aladdin and Jasmine (Adventureland) 
• Captain Jack Sparrow (Adventureland)
• Minnie Mouse (Fantasyland)
• Daisy Duck (Fantasyland)
• Donald Duck (Fantasyland)
• Goofy (Fantasyland)
• Ariel (Fantasyland)
• Belle (Fantasyland)
• Peter Pan (Fantasyland)
• Anastasia and Drizella (Fantasyland)
• Rapunzel (Fantasyland)
• Tiana (Fantasyland)
• Elena (Fantasyland)
• Cinderella (Fantasyland)
• Merida (Fantasyland)
• Mirabel (Fantasyland)
• Winnie the Pooh (Fantasyland)
• Tigger (Fantasyland)
• The Country Bears (Frontierland)
• Chip and Dale (Tomorrowland)
• Stitch (Tomorrowland)
• Mickey Mouse (Main Street USA)
• Snow White (Main Street USA)
• Plus, there are a bunch of other characters you can meet at different sit-down character dining experiences, see in the parades or cavalcades throughout the day, or see on the castle stage in a show. 

Why You Should Go to EPCOT:

Walt Disney never got to see any of the Parks at WDW completed, but he probably put the most personal time and effort into EPCOT. If you don't know, EPCOT stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" and was originally going to be a city where you could live and work rather than a theme park. In fact, Walt decided to build Magic Kingdom in part to draw visitors to Florida, so they would visit EPCOT too. It turns out Walt Disney was a man of many interests, one of them being city and community planning. (This same interest is why you cannot drive up to Magic Kingdom but must take a monorail or boat from the transportation center. Walt was big on public transportation.) 

EPCOT is also heavily influenced by the idea of the World's Fair. Some of Disney's most popular and influential attractions, like It's a Small World, the Carousel of Progress, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (which later became the Hall of Presidents), were first introduced at the 1964 World's Fair before being brought back to Disneyland. However, EPCOT takes inspiration from the different nations and innovators that presented at World Fairs. 

Here, you can walk around the World Showcase and visit Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the US, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Though all but the Japan Pavilion have been taken over by Disney, all the country booths were originally co-sponsored by the countries they represent, much like a World's Fair. And like a World's Fair, the rest of EPCOT is meant to be dedicated to innovation and new technologies. Sometimes, in more realistic ways, like the new Moana, Way of Water, that talks about water and conservation. Or Spaceship Earth that takes you through the history of communication. EPCOT also dabbles in some more fantastical, yet-to-be innovations, like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which imagines a world where we're able to use jump-ports to launch ourselves lightyears away into space. 

EPCOT is also the only park to host 4 yearly festivals and rotate out a bunch of their food and drink options. The festivals are the Flower and Garden Festival, the Food and Wine Festival, the Festival of the Arts, and the Festival of the Holidays. This makes this a really fun park if you're a big foodie. And if you want to indulge in some adult beverages, this park is also a fan favorite. Guests will often try to "drink around the world," with the goal of getting a drink in each country pavilion. (If you want to avoid throwing up in a trashcan in front of a bunch of children or spending $300 on overpriced alcoholic beverages, my recommendation, if you choose to drink around the world, is to share a drink in each country. You can thank me later.)

You should go to EPCOT if you are at Disney for the food and drinks. It has a LOT to do for kids, but it is probably the most adult-centered Disney Park. This is also where you'll want to go if you're a Frozen Fan since this is the only park where you can actually meet Anna and Elsa. You should also go to EPCOT if you want to go on one of the coolest new medium-level thrill rides: Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. I put it here because it's worth planning an EPCOT day just to go on this ride. EPCOT also hosts probably the most spectacular fireworks you will ever see, in your entire life, period. Becuase they launch their fireworks from a lagoon, they can go all out with the explosives without risking catching, say, the Cinderella Castle on fire or a nearby hotel or house. The team that puts on these fireworks shows combines music, projections, lasers, water, lights, storytelling, and pyrotechnics in a round setting, and it is truly spectacular. Don't miss the EPCOT fireworks. 

Top things to see and do in EPCOT include: 

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind 
• Soarin' Around the World
• Spaceship Earth 
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure 
• Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana 
• Frozen Ever After 
• Journey Into Imagination With Figment 

Characters you can meet in EPCOT (as of Dec. 2023) include: 

• Alice (UK)
• Anna and Elsa (Norway)
• Aurora (France)
• Belle (France)
• Donald Duck (Mexico)
• Daisy Duck (Entrance to World Showcase)
• Goofy (Front of Park)
• Jasmine (Morocco)
• Joy (Imagination! Pavilion)
• Mary Poppins (UK)
• Mickey Mouse (Queue Area for the Short Film Festival)
• Minnie Mouse (Entrance to World Showcase)
• Mulan (China)
• Pluto (Front of Park)
• Snow White (Germany)
• Winnie the Pooh (UK)
• Vanellope (Imagination! Pavilion)
• Plus, you can meet various characters at character dining experiences. 

Why You Should Go to Hollywood Studios: 

Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly MGM Studios, is, in some ways, a relic to a specific time in Disney's theme-park history when then-CEO Bob Eisner was determined to compete with Universal Studios and appeal to yesterday's teenage youth. Hollywood Studios was going to be the thrill-ride park. Like Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida, Disney's Hollywood Studios was an actual backlot and set for a few films and TV shows. It is also home to the first Disney theme park ride to get a movie made after it. That's right. The Tower of Terror (1997) was filmed almost a decade before the much more successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and stars a young Kirsten Dunst. 

It's no longer an active studio. That was fairly short-lived for both Universal and Disney's East-Coast theme parks. It turns out it's pretty expensive to attempt moving an entire industry across the country when all the resources and talent are already located in California. Still, it gave us one of my favorite Disney parks, all dressed up in Old Hollywood glamor with a bit of 90s charm and nostalgia. It is still home to some of my favorite live entertainment offerings on property, like Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, A Frozen Sing-Along, and Fantasmic! 

The real draw of Hollywood Studios these days, though, is the latest expansion on the park: Galaxy's Edge. (Or, as I like to call it, Star Wars Land! But I'm a fake fan, don't listen to me.) Galaxy's Edge takes you right into the world of Star Wars, where you can talk to droids like Luke, drink at a cantina like Han, search for Grogu with the Mandalorian, and escape the First Order and Kylo Ren with Rey and Finn. For those who love the first trilogy, you can also board the Millennium Falcon, hop on a Star Tours flight, meet Darth Vadar, and get harassed by Storm Troopers. 

Galaxy's Edge is also home to one of the most advanced rides in existence: Rise of the Resistance. This ride is an absolute masterpiece of Imagineering, combining a trackless ride system, projections, animatronics, and great storytelling to create one of the coolest immersive experiences you'll ever, well, experience, Star Wars fan or not. 

You should go to Hollywood Studios if you're a 90s kid because Fantasmic and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage will bring back all the nostalgia. I know a handful of people who decided to work at Disney because they loved Fantasmic so much. This show is so ironically beloved that variations of it exist at both Disneyland and Disney World, and formerly at Tokyo DisneySea. Disney World recently added in Moana, Mulan, and Frozen sequences too. Just be ready to sing along. You should also go to this park if you are a big Pixar fan - especially Toy Story. There's a whole Toy Story Land inside Hollywood Studios that I didn't even talk about. But you're shrunk down to toy size and can hang out with your favorite Toy Story pals. You should also go to this park if you are a Star Wars fan. Duh! This is one of the only places Star Wars is represented at Walt Disney World, and it is phenomenal. 

Top things to do and see in Hollywood Studios include: 

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway 
• Fantasmic
• Frozen Sing-Along
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

Characters you can meet in Hollywood Studios (as of Dec. 2023): 

• Kylo Ren (Galaxy's Edge)
• Storm Troopers (Galaxy's Edge)
• Rey (Galaxy's Edge)
• Vi Moradi (Galaxy's Edge)
• Mando and Grogu (Galaxy's Edge)
• Green Army Men (Toy Story Land)
• Ariel from the Live Action Movie (Walt Disney Presents)
• Vampirina (Animation Courtyard)
• Doc McStuffins (Animation Courtyard)
• Fancy Nancy (Animation Courtyard)
• Pluto (Animation Courtyard) 
• Minnie Mouse (Red Carpet Dreams)
  
• Mickey Mouse (Red Carpet Dreams)
• Edna Mode (Pixar Plaza)
• Olaf (Celebrity Spotlight)
• Mr. Incredible (Pixar Plaza)
• Mrs. Incredible (Pizar Plaza)
  
• Woody (Toy Story Land)
• Jessie (Toy Story Land)
• Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story Land)
• BB-8 (Star Wars Launch Bay)
• Darth Vader (Star Wars Launch Bay)
• Chewbacca (Star Wars Launch Bay) 
• Plus, any characters you may see at a character dining experience or in one of the various shows or cavalcades. 

Why You Should Go to Disney's Animal Kingdom: 

Okay, I'll admit. Animal Kingdom is a bit of a sleeper favorite for me. This means I didn't have high expectations going in but have since come to LOVE it. This is the newest Walt Disney World park, at only 25 years old, and it combines Walt's vision of having animals and guests interacting. (Remember how I said Walt had a city-planning era? The man also had a huge animal era. Big animal guy.) It's giving Bush Gardens, but Disney-fied, with fewer thrill rides and more shows. 

Animal Kingdom opens and closes the earliest of all the parks to accommodate the animals. It's a park that usually has fewer crowds and has more space and trails to wander. You can indulge in the more "zoo" focused side of things on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail (hippos, gorillas, and birds), the Maharajah Jungle Trek (tigers, tapir, bats, and birds), or jump on the Kilimanjaro Safari where your guide will point out lions, giraffes, zebras, antelope, rhinos, and more. (And you have to give Disney credit here - I have been on a few Safaris in South Africa, and sure, I can't speak for ALL Safaris, but based on the real-life African safaris I've been on, this actually lines up pretty well with the real experience. It's shorter, and you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn, but honestly, other than that, it's a pretty good imitation of the real thing.) If you really want the wildlife experience, Animal Kingdom hosts a number of Backstage Tours, where you can learn more about how they take care of the animals or go on a dawn safari tour (which would be even more like the real deal.) I think they also offer some high-ropes courses if I'm not totally mistaken. 

You can also spend your time enjoying the theme park side of things. This is still Disney, after all. You can catch live performances, like Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! or Festival of the Lion King, both of which are super fun. You can get super wet on the Kali River Rapids. But I mean it, like bring-a-change-of-clothes-put-on-a-swimsuit-dont-wear-a-white-t-shirt kind of wet. Expedition Everest is also a classic! At the time that it was built, this was the MOST expensive roller coaster in the world, with an estimated build cost of $100 million. Eep! 

Animal Kingdom is also home to a newer addition, Pandora - The World of Avatar. Look, I have literally never seen the 2009 "forgotbuster", Avatar, nor have I bothered to see the long-anticipated 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. But that does not mean I am not BLOWN AWAY by this land. Like Galaxy's Edge, this area of the park is so immersive and spares no detail. It truly feels like you are on another planet. And if you go around the park's closing time, the whole land glows with "natural" pandoran bioluminescence. 

You should go to Animal Kingdom if you have small children, love animals, love Avatar, or need to take things at a slower pace. This park, of all of them, has plenty of room for ECVs, strollers, and wheelchairs. Plenty of areas exist to sit down and relax. You should also go if you are a lover of ambiance - the theming at this park is second to none, folks. This is truly one of the best parks to just stroll around and take everything in. 

I also, and this is controversial, tend to recommend this park as a good one to park hop from. Because it opens earlier, you can usually get through most of the attractions by mid-afternoon and then hop over to one of the other parks for a nighttime show. Animal Kingdom doesn't have a fireworks display or nighttime spectacular since that would be really disruptive to their animals. 

Top things to do and see in Animal Kingdom include: 

• Avatar: Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest
• African Safari
• Na'vi River Journey
• DINOSAUR
• The Animation Experience

Characters you can meet in Animal Kingdom (as of Dec. 2023): 

• Chip n' Dale (DinoLand USA)
• Daisy Duck (DinoLand USA)
• Donald Duck (DinoLand USA)
• Kevin (Discovery Island)
• Mickey Mouse (Discovery Island)
• Minnie Mouse (Discovery Island)
• Moana (Discovery Island)
• Plus, you can catch a glimpse of a few rarer characters out on the Discover River, boating around. Those include Pocahontas, Meeko, Goofy, Pluto, Russell, Dug, Scrooge McDuck, Launchpad McQuack, Timon, and Rafiki. And any characters in the various shows or character dining experiences. 

Note: This is my favorite park in which to meet Chip 'n' Dale because they wear their cutest little dinosaur costumes, and I'm totally obsessed!!! 

What Park Would I Go To?

If I Had One Park Day: 

If I only had one day to spend at Walt Disney World, I kid you not, I am getting a Park Hopper ticket, and I am going to all four parks. I would start at Animal Kingdom, since it opens first, and end at Magic Kingdom since it closes last. I would absolutely not recommend this if you haven't ever been to a Disney park before, but since I've been to all these parks, and been fortunate enough to spend significant time in all of them, I'd want to complete the "4 Parks, 1 Day" Challenge. It is just made up by fans, but it is fun. 

If I were to recommend one park to a family who had never been to Disney, it would be Magic Kingdom. The expectation would be if that family had kids obsessed with Star Wars, in which case I would recommend Hollywood Studios as their one park. And I would probably spend the whole day at either of those parks. 

If I were to recommend one park to a group of adults who'd never been to Disney, it would still be Magic Kingdom. But if they had been to Disney before, I'd recommend EPCOT. It's still a Disney experience, but it would be something new and different for you. 

If I Had Two Park Days: 

I'm getting two Park Hoppers and doing all four parks. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios in the morning, probably, and ending the nights at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. That way, you can see the fireworks at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. However, you'd miss Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios, so if you told me Fantasmic was a priority for you, we'd switch things around and make either MK or EPCOT a morning park. 

If you didn't want to Park Hop at all, I'd probably choose Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (if you're a Star Wars fan), or EPCOT (if you're not a Star Wars fan). If you had little kids, I'd choose Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom for you. 

If I Had Three Park Days: 

Easy. All day Magic Kingdom, all day EPCOT, and park hop one day, with Animal Kingdom in the morning (again, because it doesn't have a nighttime show and opens early) and Hollywood Studios in the afternoon. 

If I wasn't going to Park Hop, I'd probably cut out Animal Kingdom. I love it, but there are fewer rides in that park, and I LOVE nighttime fireworks shows, which Animal Kingdom doesn't have. But again, it would really depend on what your interests were. So you'd have to decide which park you'd be okay saving for another trip. 

The good news is that you will have a wonderful time whatever Disney Park you choose to go to. Each park is unique, but all four have a mix of thrill rides and chill rides. Shows and entertainment. Characters and restaurants. You really cannot go wrong.