# of days at each park??

[Dr Ken]

We're planning 7 days in the park with kids 8 and 4. Here's our plan, in order:

The Unofficial Guide suggests that if you start kids out at the more "educational" parks, they'll like them more. That's partly why we're starting at Epcot.

I agree. If your kids have never been to WDW, don't start at MK. It will setup the wrong expectations.

 

[CalSea12]

We go for 10 days, our calendar looks kinda funky due to the touring suggestions, and a few corrections made by me lol

Day 1- fly in and go Dtd
Day 2- MK
Day 3- Epcot
Day 4- MK
Day 5- AK
Day 6- Epcot
Day 7- HS SWW
Day 8-AK
Day 9- HS SWW
Day 10- MK

So looks like MK-3 days, Epcot-2 days, HS-2 days mainly bc of SWW, and AK- 2 days

 

[CalSea12]

I agree. If your kids have never been to WDW, don't start at MK. It will setup the wrong expectations.

Would this matter much if the kid is 1 1/2?

 

[ZoZo]

Do each park once, and decide the rest after you've done that. The park you assume will be your favorite may not be. The park you assume will be your least favorite may be the one you end up loving the most.

This is excellent advice, and I totally agree. But you're concerned about making ADRs in advance because of the dining plan, correct? Here's what I'd recommend: Two days MK, two days Epcot, two days AK, one day DHS, one day Typhoon Lagoon, and one "free" day.

That's just my opinion, based on my likes and dislikes. After several trips, I find less and less to do at DHS, and more and more to do at AK. If you do decide to upgrade to "hoppers," that would give you more flexibility, though.

 

[Dr Ken]

Would this matter much if the kid is 1 1/2?

It could. MK is more "kid friendly" than EP or HS. So, to be safe, do one of those two parks first to set the tone,

In my experience really little one's tend to most enjoy or be most afraid of stuff that you'd never expect. On one trip to DL California, my niece won't go to CBJ 'cause we'd have to go past a tiny cave emitting the sound of a bear snoring. We told her there wasn't a real bear just a speaker but she still won't go. We never did get there but we did have an interesting discussion with her about the fact that many people enjoy being scared.

My recommendation is that they'll enjoy anything that they see you enjoy but they'll get worn out long before you do. My wife and I used to take turns watching the little one's relax while the other partner did attractions.

The younger the kids; the more down-time you have to plan.

 

[rsleleux]

First I want to thank everyone for all of their responses...all of you have some really great points for us to consider. We will probably def do two says at HS, even if we only need one to cover it all b/c DH and DS are such Star Wars fans (will be doing JTA for sure)! I'm thinking that y'all are right in that we'll need to at least add one more Epcot day.
Otherwise I'm sure we'll probably leave the other days just open so we can do as we please. For those days I'm thinking I'll make my ADRs at a non-park restaurant. Will probably also take advantage of the early AM EMHs and then rotate back to the hotel/pool in the early afternoon.
If there are anymore suggestions...keep 'em comin!!

2 days Epcot w dining reservations there
1 day AK resort hop to AKL
2 days HS take boat to Boardwalk for dinning one night w fantasmic other night
(JTA is awesome btw)
3 days MK w at least one character breakfast & one dinner @ monorail resorts
1-Swimming at resort during day and DTD at night OR Final day leave open to go back to where heart desires!

 

[seasidespences]

2 days Epcot w dining reservations there
1 day AK resort hop to AKL
2 days HS take boat to Boardwalk for dinning one night w fantasmic other night
(JTA is awesome btw)
3 days MK w at least one character breakfast & one dinner @ monorail resorts
1-Swimming at resort during day and DTD at night OR Final day leave open to go back to where heart desires!

I'm liking this suggestion...although our final day will probably be MK and the next to last day will be kids/family choice...whatever they want w/ ADRs for dinner planned late enough that it won't interfere with whatever they choose. But I really appreciate your dining suggestions...ex. Take the boat from HS to Boardwalk one night...these are the kinds of things I love learning from the DIS...sooo helpful!! Keep it coming!

Also really like the idea of another DISer on this thread who suggested Epcot before MK...I can't get out of stopping by HS first b/c my DS and DD already voted on that one, "if they ever get to go" as they say! (SN: just the other day they asked when they'd get to go to Disney and I told them it'd be at least treehouse years b/c it costs so much and we have to save our $ for such a special trip...can't wait to surprise them!!!)

 

[rsleleux]

If you know what your dates are, look at easywdw.com to pick what days to go to what parks and from their you can start making your ADRs!

 

[jrtoastyman]

First let me preface this thread by saying that I realize you can never see it all on one trip...there will be many more magical visits in our future, I hope!

Well, you are probably correct that you can never see it all in one trip, but with 9 days, you will be able to put a significant dent in it, at least the things you care to do. We just wrapped up an 8 day trip, and while I didn't literally see every single thing that WDW has to offer, I ended up doing several attractions more than once and definitely felt like I was able to hit the things I cared about.

You can stretch any park into a multi-day extravaganza depending upon what interests you, so I'd recommend hitting all 4 parks right off the bat so you kinda know what is what and then let your taste guide you on your remaining days. For example, on our 8 day trip, there was only 1 day where I didn't set foot in the Magic Kingdom, but that's primarily because we have a princess-crazed daughter who loves it there. I suspect as we get older, she'll favor other parks, or at least not have quite such strong tunnel vision. Also, I know most people view AK as a 1/2 day park, but if you're the sort of person that likes to really learn about animals and talk to the handlers, there is enough content there to last several days. It's all a matter of what you're into.

 

[seasidespences]

You can stretch any park into a multi-day extravaganza depending upon what interests you, so I'd recommend hitting all 4 parks right off the bat so you kinda know what is what and then let your taste guide you on your remaining days.

That's what we're thinking...all 4 parks...and then we know we'll have repeat visits at HS (for my Star Wars men) and MK again at least once or twice for us all (esp. my little girl). But I'm thinking we'll be dropping in at least one more day in Epcot and will use at minimum a full day at AK.

I feel very lucky to say that my kids are also usually very interested in the more educational aspects on our vacations as well so I can pretty much rest assured that boredom will not set in at Epcot or AK...of course I say that now but truth be told all bets may be totally off once we drive under the WDW sign!!! ROTFL.

 

[Lisa71]

We did all 4 parks our first 9 day visit ..our last was only 7 so we let the kids decide and skipped MK as the new fantasyland was not complete and we live in CA near DL.. That being said our 9 day trip was perfect. ..2 days Epcot..2 days MK...1 AK and 1 HS then DTD and pool days for the interim ....hoping we go back soon when fantasyland is done!!! We want that train ride and BOG!! Have fun !

 

[seasidespences]

So...more questions....as I continue to plan ADRs and overall vacay...can anyone help me with what would be the easiest connections/routes so that my park plans best match up w/ my food plans??

I know earlier it was said that from HS you could take the boat to Boardwalk...but what about DTD? Is that close to one of the parks in particular?

To give you some background, we are staying at CSR and will have our own vehicle if we need to use it. Right now we are not sure about which dp we will use but let's say we go for the DxDP...let me know what you think and which ressies you might match up with which park days:
By the way...this isn't my absolute final order of park days (planning to compare my plans w/ some of the trip planning sites I've heard about here...)

Day 1: 1/2 day at HS
Dinner at HBD w/ fantasmic package

Day 2: Epcot
Kona breakfast
QS lunch?
Chefs dinner

Day 3: AK
TH breakfast
?? Lunch
'Ohana dinner
(or could flip 'Ohana to another day, skip lunch and do Jiko this night??)

Day 4: MK
CP breakfast
LTT lunch
BOG dinner

Day 5: HS
H&V breakfast (pre-park opening hopefully for JTA sign ups)
Signature dinner

Day 6: MK
?? breakfast
Signature dinner

Day 7: Epcot
Via Napoli early lunch
Signature dinner

Day 8: Open day?
? Breakfast
Signature dinner

Day 9: MK
1900 PF breakfast?
BBB & PL
BOG lunch
CRT dinner

The signatures we want to do are CRT (last night), HBD (first night for Fantasmic), AP, CG, Yachtsman and Narcoossee's/Jiko (not sure..opinions??). But...I'm not sure which days would be best to do which signatures...does it really matter since we will probably return to our room to freshen up beforehand?

Ok WDW....it's OFFICIAL...you are trying to kill me with OO (Option Overload)....too many scenarios and choices!!!

 

[seasidespences]

So...more questions....as I continue to plan ADRs and overall vacay...can anyone help me with what would be the easiest connections/routes so that my park plans best match up w/ my food plans??

I know earlier it was said that from HS you could take the boat to Boardwalk...but what about DTD? Is that close to one of the parks in particular?

To give you some background, we are staying at CSR and will have our own vehicle if we need to use it. Right now we are not sure about which dp we will use but let's say we go for the DxDP...let me know what you think and which ressies you might match up with which park days:
By the way...this isn't my absolute final order of park days (planning to compare my plans w/ some of the trip planning sites I've heard about here...)

Day 1: 1/2 day at HS
Dinner at HBD w/ fantasmic package

Day 2: Epcot
Kona breakfast
QS lunch?
Chefs dinner

Day 3: AK
TH breakfast
?? Lunch
'Ohana dinner
(or could flip 'Ohana to another day, skip lunch and do Jiko this night??)

Day 4: MK
CP breakfast
LTT lunch
BOG dinner

Day 5: HS
H&V breakfast (pre-park opening hopefully for JTA sign ups)
Signature dinner

Day 6: MK
?? breakfast
Signature dinner

Day 7: Epcot
Via Napoli early lunch
Signature dinner

Day 8: Open day?
? Breakfast
Signature dinner

Day 9: MK
1900 PF breakfast?
BBB & PL
BOG lunch
CRT dinner

The signatures we want to do are CRT (last night), HBD (first night for Fantasmic), AP, CG, Yachtsman and Narcoossee's/Jiko (not sure..opinions??). But...I'm not sure which days would be best to do which signatures...does it really matter since we will probably return to our room to freshen up beforehand?

Ok WDW....it's OFFICIAL...you are trying to kill me with OO (Option Overload)....too many scenarios and choices!!!

And in the middle of all this...when do I find time (and a place in my full tummy) for the:
bacon-wrapped meatloaf at WPE?
the crab legs at CMC?
the famous Earl of Sandwich?
Etc, etc!!

 

[jrtoastyman]

Ok WDW....it's OFFICIAL...you are trying to kill me with OO (Option Overload)....too many scenarios and choices!!!

Actually, in the interest of eliminating this problem to some extent, particularly for a trip as long as you are taking, you might consider scrapping the dining plan and ratcheting back the number of ADRs you're doing. You run the risk of spending all of your time moving from one ADR to another, leaving limited time to do what you really came to do, which is enjoy the parks. Particularly if you live in a major metropolitan area with ample dining options, little of the food at WDW is going to blow you away. There are a few places that are exceptional, but most aren't.

Point is, between getting there, waiting for your table, eating, and wrapping up, TS meals take a chunk of time out of your day. One a day is a nice breather, but two or even three, and you're going to feel like ADRs are controlling everything you do. As a first timer, you're probably going to want to spend more time exploring the parks.

My $.02.

 

[seasidespences]

My $.02.

$.02 can be quite worthwhile...so I thank
you.

If we do the DxDP we would probably keep the pattern of early breakfast and late signature dinner (not the most bang for our buck but oh well) for most days (not all...but most)...b/c I think what your saying is right on target...3 a day may make it feel like we're just eating all day.

 

[jennykay]

Not just eating all the time, but also planning all your activities around your next adr. We've gone with ddp twice and qsdp once, and although we missed some of our fave restaurants, the qsdp was nice since we weren't always figuring out what we could get done and when we had to leave for our adr's. Next time (if I can ever convince DH to go back) I think we'll do our own mix of qs and just a few sit-down meals.
Just another 2¢.

 

[P00H1010]

First let me preface this thread by saying that I realize you can never see it all on one trip...there will be many more magical visits in our future, I hope!

We are taking our first "real" family trip soon, staying on site for 9 days. Not planing at this point to do the park hoppers (although that may change). Our family consists of myself, DH, DD8, and DS6.

For the first five days we already know that we wil be going to HS, MK, AK, EP and HK again, probably in that order. We also know that we are going to spend our last day at MK. With that said, what do you think we should plan to do on the other days? Which parks would you return to and why?

Also, we want to fit in a visit to both DTD and the boardwalk but I'm thinking that we could do those in one afternoon/evening each. What are your thoughts on this? Do we need to plan more than one afternoon or evening at each?

I realize everyone vacations differently so I welcome varied responses here.

As a side note..the main reason I'm trying to figure all of this out is b/c we are going to do the dining plan and I want to go ahead and make a plan as to where we will be each day so that my reservation plans make sense.

Thanks everyone!

You are right in saying that everyone vacations differently . For us we are huge on park hoppers. We are very laid-back and like to go with the flow...we love to have the ability to spend the afternoon in one park and eat dinner in another and spend the evening in another if we want. One reason I like park hoppers is because you don't have to worry about crowd levels, if a park is busy you can simply grab a FP for an attraction do a few things (depending on FP return times, leave and come back or just leave). Otherwise you would be stuck in a park and have to deal with the crowd level and wait times...I just like the flexibility of it I guess.

We do 10 day trips (10 day park hoppers, with water parks and more) We do go on our first and last day even though they aren't full days. Magic Kingdom and Epcot are our 2 favorite parks so we spend a lot more time in them than in the other parks.

Having said that my amount of time in the parks are a little different as we are in and out throughout each day. If I was to estimate how much time we are in each park....
* Magic Kingdom 3 days
* Epcot 3 days
* Animal Kingdom 1 day
* Hollywood Studios 2 Days
* Waterparks/DTD etc 1 Day

Hope this helps...have a great trip!

 

[Rylee]

For most trips, we manage to have 9 full days in the parks. We have had trips with and without Hoppers. (We find with any trip over 6-7 days, we don't need hoppers.) We always have at least 1 Table Service meal per day. To cut down on traveling time between parks/restaurants/resorts, we dine IN or NEAR the park we are planning to visit. We do...

3 days @ MK - Dining at MK area resort restaurants on those days, using the monorail. (One morning we do CP for breakfast.)
2 days @ Epcot - We stay in Epcot for our meals.
2 days @ DHS - Meals are, 1 Fantasmic Dinner pkg, 1 meal at Beach Club or Boardwalk, taking the boat.
2 days @ AK - 1 dinner at AKL, take the AKL bus when leaving the park, on our other AK day, we go to DTD that evening for dinner and shopping.

I would take a day for a pool/resort day, but DH would NEVER be happy being that close to the parks and not going for at least a little while. We do work in pool time on a few afternoons, (DH usually does laundry once while we are at the pool. He doesn't enjoy the sun and water.) On our 2nd or 3rd visit to the same park, we might sleep in one day and have a relaxing morning before heading to the park. Sometimes we spend a little extra time exploring the resorts we dine at, (research for future trips! )

 

[SA mom]

I think it is too much sitting in restaurants for kids that are at Disney World.