in my opinion, you should buy the park hopper ticket. It does cost more, but the vacation already costs so much, it's not too shocking. I would (and will) also buy the non-expire option. Otherwise, the tickets expire 14 days from first use, and I always just think what if something happens? What if someone gets really ill and you just can't go to the parks? Or something happens at home and you have to fly back............I'd hate to eat the cost of the ticket, but I also know I'll be coming back for another trip, so that could also make a difference.
I think you should go to all the parks. We like to spend a morning through early afternoon at Animal Kingdom, a morning and evening at MGM, two mornings and two evenings at Magic Kingdom, and a morning and two evenings at Epcot. We do always go back to the hotel for lunch or right after lunch and rest until early evening or late afternoon before heading out again, so we plan by mornings and evenings instead of whole days. We often will start at one park and go to another after the rest..........each park has a different focus, and this helps to avoid too many shows or rides or exhibits at once............and mix them up more.
We also take a day in the middle to either just hang around at the hotel or go to Downtown Disney. That's 6 days for us (though only 5 in the parks) with our arrival and departure days, it stretches to 8, and then we often do Disney Quest or a Water Park (or both), which brings it to 9. We usually schedule an off-park character meal for our arrival day (Chef Mickey's is our preference), to start the magic right away, and we always end the last evening at Magic Kingdom.
Check this site and
www.wdwig.com to help you plan, decide where to stay, etc. I also use the Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger........they should have a new printing before you go to help, and their site is
www.touringplans.com, and also Tour Guide Mike has a site at
www.tourguidemike.com. Hope that helps!
