2 Park Days Out of 7? Possible? Realistic? - The DIS Discussion Forums

baleeve · 05-10-2013, 02:30 PM

Is it possible to do the parks only 2 days out of a 7 night vacation?

We will be in WDW for 7 nights at the end of August. My thought is we would do 1 day at Disney Quest, 1 day at a water park and 2 park days (MK and HS). For the other 3 days I thought we would explore, swim and just wander. We are staying at POP.

Is this realistic to think I can get away with only 2 park days if Im traveling with an 8 and 10 year old?

P.S. We were in WDW Christmas of 2010 and we did it all. We were exhausted! So they have been to all 4 parks.

disney1990 · 05-10-2013, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baleeve

Is it possible to do the parks only 2 days out of a 7 night vacation?

We will be in WDW for 7 nights at the end of August. My thought is we would do 1 day at Disney Quest, 1 day at a water park and 2 park days (MK and HS). For the other 3 days I thought we would explore, swim and just wander. We are staying at POP.

Is this realistic to think I can get away with only 2 park days if Im traveling with an 8 and 10 year old?

P.S. We were in WDW Christmas of 2010 and we did it all. We were exhausted! So they have been to all 4 parks.

It would be hard for us to be there and only go for two days. We sometimes take off a day or two.

Cheshire Figment · 05-10-2013, 03:41 PM

For the three of you it would cost an additional $230 plus tax in total to add two extra Park days and it would also add 2 extra fun visits. The kids are three years older and would be more appreciative of the parks, especially Epcot (don't tell them Epcot is educational).

Nancyg56 · 05-11-2013, 09:18 AM

It sounds like a good idea when you plan it but for my family, it did not work out. We had tix for our entire stay, but thought that since Thanksgiving Holiday was going to be crazy in the parks, we would keep busy elsewhere and use the rest of the week to hit the parks. My DD still thinks we had a good plan, but she is the only one. My 11 YO DGD never complained, but she wanted the parks, as did my DH and DSIL.

We stayed at BC, so we did go in and out of Epcot, but that was not the same, we wanted park time.

choppee · 05-13-2013, 05:09 PM

actually, i guess i am a dissenter here because we are doing pretty much the same thing this june. we will be there for eight days and are only spending two days in the parks! last time we went to wdw we did the marathon thing and spending each and every day touring all four parks. all our kids wanted to do after the first three days was to stay by the resort and play in the pool. we hit the wall, but still plodded along! what a mistake. this year, we are only doing our favorite two (mk and hs) and will spend the rest of the time enjoying the resorts and the pools. if it seems like it's not enough, we can always find something else to do! i'm not worried about that, though. our kids are more into the pools than anything else (9, 7, 6). do what's best for you! nothing can take away that right that you have, and remember...it's VACATION. it's what that word means to you!

Mrs. Ciz · 05-13-2013, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choppee

actually, i guess i am a dissenter here because we are doing pretty much the same thing this june. we will be there for eight days and are only spending two days in the parks! last time we went to wdw we did the marathon thing and spending each and every day touring all four parks. all our kids wanted to do after the first three days was to stay by the resort and play in the pool. we hit the wall, but still plodded along! what a mistake. this year, we are only doing our favorite two (mk and hs) and will spend the rest of the time enjoying the resorts and the pools. if it seems like it's not enough, we can always find something else to do! i'm not worried about that, though. our kids are more into the pools than anything else (9, 7, 6). do what's best for you! nothing can take away that right that you have, and remember...it's VACATION. it's what that word means to you!

I have to agree with you! When we went in 2010 (DD11, DS 13) we did the marathon: Sea World, MK, EP, AK, HS, Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach all in 7 days and the park days were comando days. We never had time to swim in the resort pool or visit DTD and we were exhausted. My kids, now 14 & 16, are excited to go again but asked for more downtime to just relax. We will be there 7 days in early June and will only do 3 park days (MK, HS for SWW, & an AK/EP combo day). We will also hit the waterparks (maybe not both), rent water mice, visit DTD for shopping & DQ, play golf...it will be a more relaxing trip.

indimom · 05-14-2013, 01:36 AM

We're doing something like that this year.
We'll be at Ft. Wilderness six days.
We are visiting two major parks (probably DHS and Epcot) and the two water parks (BB and TL).
I'd just keep Cheshire Figment's information in mind, and if you realize it's not working out or you want to do more, upgrade your tickets.

Have a great trip!

klangkat · 05-14-2013, 02:20 AM

As an adult now, no I couldn't bear it! We'll be doing 20 FULL park days on our 19 night stay this trip - not a single pool afternoon on rest day in sight

However as kids our parents had to drag us out the pool to go to the parks, so we probably could have done a trip like that then.
The only problem would have been that our favourite rides were 'scattered' over three of the parks... I think it would have been hard explaining to a six y/o that they had come all this way and couldn't do their favourite ride. I'm guessing your kids are totally happy with only doing two parks? And that they understand which attractions are at which park so they know exactly what they'll be missing?

choppee · 05-14-2013, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klangkat

As an adult now, no I couldn't bear it! We'll be doing 20 FULL park days on our 19 night stay this trip - not a single pool afternoon on rest day in sight

However as kids our parents had to drag us out the pool to go to the parks, so we probably could have done a trip like that then.
The only problem would have been that our favourite rides were 'scattered' over three of the parks... I think it would have been hard explaining to a six y/o that they had come all this way and couldn't do their favourite ride. I'm guessing your kids are totally happy with only doing two parks? And that they understand which attractions are at which park so they know exactly what they'll be missing?

whew!!! wish i could stay that long, and yes! have a similar touring plan, but with our kids we have to slow it down. i would probably do as you, but have a few days of lounging and dtd days. i explained to our kids that they would miss out on the rides in the two parks we are missing, and they seemed fine with it...we will see when we arrive how it goes! if we need to upgrade, we will. if not--cool beans! we will get to the point where we can roll a bit more soon enough.

GaSleepingBeautyFan · 05-16-2013, 08:05 PM

We couldn't do it. If I'm paying the high prices to stay on Disney Property, then I'm going to the parks.

Otherwise it doesn't make sense to me to spend all that money staying onsite.

Oathkeeper13 · 05-17-2013, 07:32 AM

For me it's not a vacation unless I go to all four parks. I would recommend spreading it out over the seven days, doing less intense days between the park visits. But then again I'm not a big water park fan. If visiting both water parks is important to you then I could see forgoing one or more of the parks. I'm a big advocate of only one park a day scheduling and I think you could pull off three parks if you want to.

Example:
Day 1 Arrive do Disney Quest and Downtown Disney
Day 2 Magic Kingdom
Day 3 Blizzard Beach
Day 4 Hollywood Studios
Day 5 typhoon Lagoon
Day 6 Animal Kingdom or Epcot
Day 7 Lounging or Downtown Disney

Remember when you go to a park you don't have to hit every single ride, and see every show. Take it easy, just do the things you really like and take breaks to go back to the hotel and lounge by the pool.

pooh4evr · 05-17-2013, 09:32 AM

Definitely could not do it, my kids would revolt! They would move into the castle if they could. I can see maybe taking a couple of days easy shorten the park touring then swim, dtd, minigolf or whatever. If you haven't been since 2010- three years ago- things have changed, the kids have changed too- for us each trip is different just because our kids are some much different each time, for 1 they are bigger and want to ride bigger rides, and their interests change. I haven't done Disney Quest so can't comment there, but, I would get bored with the one pool at Pop, and would miss the parks magic.

RedHeadedFairy · 05-17-2013, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klangkat

The only problem would have been that our favourite rides were 'scattered' over three of the parks...

This is the reason we could never get away with it. Disney does a great job of spreading out the magic & we want to see our individual favorites in each park. We could never get away with it over 7 days. Maybe 1 day off, but probably more like an afternoon spent walking around DTD.

uccats97 · 05-18-2013, 04:56 PM

I think you will have a great time with a more low key vacation. There is so much to see and do outside of the parks! The kids will have time to participate in the resort activities which are mostly free. You can visit other resorts and try their free activities/tours, etc. In December 2011 we were in WDW for 5 nights. We did E, HS, & AK all in one day, Blizzard Beach another day and MVMCP at MK one day. It was so much fun! We saw all we wanted to see and still had time to chill. Have a great trip!!

Danielle3699 · 05-19-2013, 08:53 AM

You could go to Downtown Disney one day and walk around. We spent an afternoon there on one trip and went in a bunch of shops, ate lunch at Planet Hollywood, the kids got to pin trade, and it was still a fun, relaxing but totally Disney day!

05-10-2013, 02:30 PM	#1
baleeve "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere -- I want it more than I can tell Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mousachusetts Posts: 270	2 Park Days Out of 7? Possible? Realistic? Is it possible to do the parks only 2 days out of a 7 night vacation? We will be in WDW for 7 nights at the end of August. My thought is we would do 1 day at Disney Quest, 1 day at a water park and 2 park days (MK and HS). For the other 3 days I thought we would explore, swim and just wander. We are staying at POP. Is this realistic to think I can get away with only 2 park days if Im traveling with an 8 and 10 year old? P.S. We were in WDW Christmas of 2010 and we did it all. We were exhausted! So they have been to all 4 parks. __________________ Mom DS John (21) DS Owen (10) DS Brady (8) DCat Mew DCat Cheddar Dance Team July 80 WDW -Navy March 88 EPCOT -Navy April 88 Disneyland -Johns 1st visit April 95 WDW POR - Trip with Papa Sep 96 WDW FWC - Family trip Dec 98 WDW POFQ/FWC - Work trip 01 CS Owens 1st visit March 03 WDW FWCG - 8 months prego w/Brady Jan 05 WDW - Bradys 1st visit/Mardi Gras Feb 08 WDW POFQ - First Xmas at WDW/1st year remission celebration Dec 10 WDW POP - 4th yr remission celebration Aug 13 4 nt Dream cruise/POP/Parks Last edited by baleeve; 05-10-2013 at 02:36 PM.

05-10-2013, 03:41 PM	#3
Cheshire Figment Friend of Figment Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Poinciana, FL (20 miles to WDW) Posts: 36,647	For the three of you it would cost an additional $230 plus tax in total to add two extra Park days and it would also add 2 extra fun visits. The kids are three years older and would be more appreciative of the parks, especially Epcot (don't tell them Epcot is educational). __________________ 41 WDW Stays Totalling 321 nights between 1987 and mid-2003. Animal Kingdom Lodge; All Stars(2); Beach Club; Boardwalk Inn; Caribbean Beach (9); Contemporary Tower (13); Courtyard (2); Disney Institute; Dixie Landings; Grand Floridian; Grosvenor; Hilton; Old Key West; Polynesian; Port Orleans; Royal Plaza; Shades of Green; Wilderness Lodge; Marriott World Center (3); Other Off-Property (Other Than just 1st or last Night) (8). Now Working Part Time at Walt Disney World! (Guest Services/Ticket Sales/Turnstile Greeter) A few very helpful links which are on DisBoards: Everything About WDW Tickets and this one disABILITIES FAQs

05-11-2013, 09:18 AM	#4
Nancyg56 DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: CT Posts: 13,961	It sounds like a good idea when you plan it but for my family, it did not work out. We had tix for our entire stay, but thought that since Thanksgiving Holiday was going to be crazy in the parks, we would keep busy elsewhere and use the rest of the week to hit the parks. My DD still thinks we had a good plan, but she is the only one. My 11 YO DGD never complained, but she wanted the parks, as did my DH and DSIL. We stayed at BC, so we did go in and out of Epcot, but that was not the same, we wanted park time. __________________

05-13-2013, 05:09 PM	#5
choppee Earning My Ears Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 73	actually, i guess i am a dissenter here because we are doing pretty much the same thing this june. we will be there for eight days and are only spending two days in the parks! last time we went to wdw we did the marathon thing and spending each and every day touring all four parks. all our kids wanted to do after the first three days was to stay by the resort and play in the pool. we hit the wall, but still plodded along! what a mistake. this year, we are only doing our favorite two (mk and hs) and will spend the rest of the time enjoying the resorts and the pools. if it seems like it's not enough, we can always find something else to do! i'm not worried about that, though. our kids are more into the pools than anything else (9, 7, 6). do what's best for you! nothing can take away that right that you have, and remember...it's VACATION. it's what that word means to you! __________________

05-14-2013, 01:36 AM	#7
indimom Are We There Yet? Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 4,010	We're doing something like that this year. We'll be at Ft. Wilderness six days. We are visiting two major parks (probably DHS and Epcot) and the two water parks (BB and TL). I'd just keep Cheshire Figment's information in mind, and if you realize it's not working out or you want to do more, upgrade your tickets. Have a great trip! __________________ PTR: July 2013: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3051923 Susan 40 Matt 40 Emily 15 Garren 13

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05-14-2013, 02:20 AM	#8
klangkat Mouseketeer Join Date: May 2012 Location: Scotland Posts: 95	As an adult now, no I couldn't bear it! We'll be doing 20 FULL park days on our 19 night stay this trip - not a single pool afternoon on rest day in sight However as kids our parents had to drag us out the pool to go to the parks, so we probably could have done a trip like that then. The only problem would have been that our favourite rides were 'scattered' over three of the parks... I think it would have been hard explaining to a six y/o that they had come all this way and couldn't do their favourite ride. I'm guessing your kids are totally happy with only doing two parks? And that they understand which attractions are at which park so they know exactly what they'll be missing? __________________ Hi, I'm Kitty!

05-16-2013, 08:05 PM	#10
GaSleepingBeautyFan DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 6,561	We couldn't do it. If I'm paying the high prices to stay on Disney Property, then I'm going to the parks. Otherwise it doesn't make sense to me to spend all that money staying onsite. __________________ Me DD13 DS17 DH Lola Rocky Connie WDW: 14 family trips, 7 solo trips - resorts stayed at: AKL, BWI, CR, WL (twice), CBR, CSR, POFQ (twice), POP (twice), POR (five) ASMo DISNEYLAND: 1 family trip, 2 1 day trips chaperoning US/IOA: 5 family trips

05-17-2013, 07:32 AM	#11
Oathkeeper13 Earning My Ears Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 34	For me it's not a vacation unless I go to all four parks. I would recommend spreading it out over the seven days, doing less intense days between the park visits. But then again I'm not a big water park fan. If visiting both water parks is important to you then I could see forgoing one or more of the parks. I'm a big advocate of only one park a day scheduling and I think you could pull off three parks if you want to. Example: Day 1 Arrive do Disney Quest and Downtown Disney Day 2 Magic Kingdom Day 3 Blizzard Beach Day 4 Hollywood Studios Day 5 typhoon Lagoon Day 6 Animal Kingdom or Epcot Day 7 Lounging or Downtown Disney Remember when you go to a park you don't have to hit every single ride, and see every show. Take it easy, just do the things you really like and take breaks to go back to the hotel and lounge by the pool.

05-17-2013, 09:32 AM	#12
pooh4evr Mouseketeer In STL we drink soda and eat barbecue, use realators, eat sherbert, and drive on rout farty far Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: St. Louis MO Posts: 2,061	Definitely could not do it, my kids would revolt! They would move into the castle if they could. I can see maybe taking a couple of days easy shorten the park touring then swim, dtd, minigolf or whatever. If you haven't been since 2010- three years ago- things have changed, the kids have changed too- for us each trip is different just because our kids are some much different each time, for 1 they are bigger and want to ride bigger rides, and their interests change. I haven't done Disney Quest so can't comment there, but, I would get bored with the one pool at Pop, and would miss the parks magic. __________________ July '12-- quick 3 day getaway then the beach! -Sept./Oct '11ASMuFS -Dec. '09 (9-19th) ASMuFS - Dec. '07 (12-20th) Caribbean Beach -First trip with kids May '05 BW LBV -Trip with DH June '99 Best Western Lake Buena Vista

05-18-2013, 04:56 PM	#14
uccats97 Mouseketeer Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Home of the UC Bearcats, Reds & Bengals Posts: 82	I think you will have a great time with a more low key vacation. There is so much to see and do outside of the parks! The kids will have time to participate in the resort activities which are mostly free. You can visit other resorts and try their free activities/tours, etc. In December 2011 we were in WDW for 5 nights. We did E, HS, & AK all in one day, Blizzard Beach another day and MVMCP at MK one day. It was so much fun! We saw all we wanted to see and still had time to chill. Have a great trip!! __________________ I dream in Disney! Me DH DS(17) DD(10) DD(8) DD(5) 1979-2000 Too many WDW day trips to count! 2001 DL/CA offsite, 2002 WDW offsite, 2003 WDW offsite, 2005 WDW offsite, 2007 WDW offsite, 2009 WDW offsite (Spring), 2009 WDW SSR (Summer), 2010 WDW ASMovies, 2011 WDW offsite (June), 2011 WDW, MVMCP Doubletree Downtown Disney (December), 2012 WDW offsite (June), 2012 DL/CA, minus the kids, offsite (December), 2013 WDW, Princess Half Marathon weekend ASMusic (Feb), 2013 WDW AoA (June)

05-19-2013, 08:53 AM	#15
Danielle3699 Earning My Ears Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 34	You could go to Downtown Disney one day and walk around. We spent an afternoon there on one trip and went in a bunch of shops, ate lunch at Planet Hollywood, the kids got to pin trade, and it was still a fun, relaxing but totally Disney day!

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