OK need help how many days to stay

[shadybabysmom]

Hi I am going crazy trying to book our trip and need some help figureing out how long we should stay. It will be Me DH, and our boys 15,13 1/2 and 3 and my mother for babysitting purposes for me and DH to enjoy a day or two to ourselves. I assume the older boys will seperate from us and spend their days in the parks of their choice while we visit the parks with our 3 yr old, How many days do you think we will need to see all parks and at least 1 water park and maybe 1 show? We do not plan to really waste time relaxing at the hotel and although I would love to stay forever I am debateing on 5-7 days or as many as 10-14.
Please help!

 

[rlovew]

If it is the first trip to Disneyworld for all of you I would not plan to be in a different park than the boys unless you all have cell phones, many of the parks are a few miles away from each other. The Disney property is 47 square miles. Part of the response depoends on what you want to do, even in 14 days you can not begin to take in everything WDW has to offer although you can do an awful lot of it. I would suiggest that at an offpeak time of year you plane on 1 day for MK ( the thrill rides are not available for your older children), 1 day for MGM (unless you boys are really into shows they will be able to ride the thrill rides and take in the 2 shows geared for them), 1 day for AK, 1 day at BB, 2 days if you plan on really exploring all of EPCOT center (although you can do it in one if you don't want to worry about the entertainment- you would be missing a lot- shopping, and enjoying the atmosphere of the WS). Plan on a day at DTD at Disneyquest for your older sons especially if they enjoy video games. If your younger child enjoys animals a lot you may want a second day at this park while you older boys will want to be in FW or MGM riding thrill rides. This would be a total of 7 days. Now unless you plan on getting to the parks when they open you will not be able to get through them in one day.

 

[Iluvtgr]

Well, I am not really an expert on WDW because I have only been once, but I can give you my opinion. I would recommend at least 7 days. It took my husband and I two days just to see Epcot and that was without any children at the time. Unlike Disneyland (where you can go just for the weekend) WDW is so huge that to really be able to see much of it you need time. Lets put it this way we are going in May for 9 days and I know there will be alot we will miss. Have a great trip!!!!

 

[comicguy]

We have been 7 times and 6 of thise trips have been for 8 days, the 1st trip was for 5 days and we have yet to see everything that WDW has to offer, for example, I have yet been able to make it to Hall of President in the MK. I would choose at least a 7 day option and if you can swing the money and the time off I would go with 10 days

 

[kapica3]

IMHO I would think that with a really "tight plan" you could do it in about 8 days and see EVERYTHING. With a 3 year old and two older children you may be slowed down a bit because of meeting up for dinners and trying to be at the "kiddie" things and also experience some of the fun with your older children. With Grandma along (sorry Grandma) you may also be slowed down depending on Grandma's tolerance for running around a theme park. In order to fully enjoy the experience, I would really recommend 10-14 days, probably leaning more toward the 12-14 day trip. If this is your first trip you probably are imagining Disney World alot smaller than it really is. It is HUGE! So much to do, don't want to miss anything from the biggest thrill rides to the tiniest "streetmosphere" at MGM or MK. You want time to have your little one ride Dumbo twice if he wants and have your older boys be able to ride Rock N Roller Coster more than once too. Although you mentioned not wanting to "waste time" at the hotel, I believe you will need it! I regret not spending more time at my hotel the first few trips. We used to just run and run and never make use of the pool at the hotel. Finally after being there a few times we took time to sit back and enjoy a bit and WoW what a difference a day of rest makes in the middle of a trip. Also if you go for a longer trip you will have time to do the Water Parks, which I'm sure your older kids will just LOVE. They have a section for your little guy too! So cute! Grandma will love the lazy river! (My mom and I spend all our time floating around in it as my Husband and Daughter go off on the "fun" stuff). You'll have time to play miniature golf if you wish, do Disney Quest for the Boys and have time to shop and just sit on a bench and enjoy the atmosphere. Make sure to do some table service meals if you can as it cuts the stress( for me anyhow) of going up and trying to get our own food and not knowing where we will eat. Plan ahead for those.

Most of all have a plan in hand, read these boards, read The Unofficial Guide, and anything else you can get your hands on. Staying on site makes all the difference. If I were you I would book either two rooms at one of the Value resorts or one of the new family suites at the All star. Two bathrooms will make all the difference. Have a wonderful trip. ENJOY!

 

[Tricia1972]

I agree with the others who suggested that you spend as many days as possible if you want to experience everything. You could spend two days in DTD alone just browsing all of the shops and sampling all of the food there. The street fountain will be a lot of fun for your three year old to walk throught there (just make sure you bring an extra change of clothes for him)

We went in Sept 2004, and were very rushed spending 8 days there. We spent one day in AK, one day at MGM (not enough time for either of them IMO), two days at Epcot and two days at MK. (The other two days were in our room due to a Hurricane). We spent a few of our evenings in DTD, which was a nice get away from the park atmosphere. Even with all of the time we spent at the various parks, we only scratched the surface of what there is to see down there!

I also agree with the feeling that you should plan a day in the middle for rest. If you push too hard (like we did), we left feeling just exhausted and a little incomplete for not doing it all.

Anwyay, just spend as much time as you can afford to down there - it will be well worth it! (When are you planning on going?)

 

[Kick Save]

We do not plan to really waste time relaxing at the hotel...

Here's where I think you may want to rethink your plan of attack...if you're staying onsite, a lot of the hotels have at least a day's worth of stuff to do in themselves. So, it's hardly a waste of time to spend some time there. ESPECIALLY if you're going to go for longer than 5 days, if you don't build a rest day in, or a couple of rest mornings/afternoons, you're going to burn out in a hurry.

If you build in time to be at the hotels, like mid-day for lunch each day, take a swim and relax a bit, you'll be much more refreshed in the afternoons. I know the Unofficial guide says this, but this is from personal experience, too. We've gone to the hotel to have lunch and a swim our last two trips and they've been much better trips...everybody is more rested, happier in the afternoons, and you can effectively add a day or two onto the trip because you avoid getting burnt out.

My advice for the longer trips is to definitely build that break in there.

Oh wait, I didn't really answer your orginal question of how long to go: 365 days.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

First, Welcome to the DIS! You came to the right place.
As already noted by the other posters WDW is VERY VERY BIG! Much larger than Disneyland. It is not like any other theme or amusement park you have ever been to. I would not want to separate from my teenagers unless they were veterans of WDW and knew the layout. Even then I would definitely keep in touch via cell phones.
I don't know when you are planning your trip but you will need some hotel breaks. There is a ton of walking to do at all the parks as everything is really spread out. My DS (15) and I normally get to the parks at opening because you can get a lot done in the first few hours. We then head back to our resort for a break and then on to another park later. If you can stay 10 days or more it would be great. But please realize that whether you go for 10 or 100 days you will not get to see and do everything at WDW. That is one reason so many of us here on the DIS are frequent visitors. That and most of us really love the time spent in WDW.
Keep reading these boards for great ideas and advice. Check out the loads of WDW info on allearsnet.com, wdwinfo.com, and mousesaver.com
Happy Planning!

 

[byoung]

As many as you can. You can always go back.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

As many as you can. You can always go back.

I agree. The length of my stays are based on finances and schedules, primarily. It seems that no matter how long my stay is, there are always more places to go and things to do than will fit in the days I have. I am going for 14 days this August and there are still several things that are on my "To Do Next Trip" List.

You can't really stay for too long, IMO. I'd never get bored. In 1999, I was on the College Program and there for 4 1/2 months and never got to do half of what I wanted to do there. Consider your finances, schedule and your kids (Will they get crabby if they're away from home too long?) There will always be activities to fill the days no matter how long you stay.

 

[Minniespal]

Welcome to the Dis

 

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

The best advise - you'll never see all of WDW. Just read the DISboards, get books like Birnbaum's or Passporter's Guide to WDW (they are the best IMHO) and then visit webpages like mousesavers.com, allearsnet.com (both of which send out monthly/bi-weekly newsletters that you can sign up for), mouse4less.com, wdwinfo.com.

That being said, look at what you want to see/ride, and prioritize them so that you plan on what you want to see first and then plan your park visit. There are a lot of tips from veteran DISers and others as to plan of attack, but just enjoy your first visit and remember, it is a vacation do not overstress, relax and enjoy. After all you are going to the most magical place on earth!

 

[dbm20th]

As a teenager, I often seperated from my parents and went to another park, though back then there was only EPCOT and MK. As my parents "shopped" the World SHowcase, I went to Space Mountain If your guys are trustworthy, they have even more choices now, especially with a bus system that can take them to Waterparks, Movie Theaters, Theme PArks...you get my drift (If I had that much back them I probably would never have seen my parents, except to eat of course )

Now, to answer your question. I'd say no less them a week, if that is possible. If the kids like pools, waterparks, and generally hangin around as much as hey like theme parks, anything less then a week will make doing that a rush. Also, if you want a day or two to yourself, you won't have time to do everything with your guys also.