Can We See It All In Only A Week?

[ewjackss]

MY FAMILY OF FOUR ARE PLANNING A ONE WEEK TRIP TO DISNEYWORLD IN MARCH FOR SPRING BREAK. I KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE BUSY BUT CAN WE SEE IT ALL IN A WEEK?WE HAVE PLANNED ON TWO DAYS AT MAGIC KINGDOM,TWO DAYS AT EPCOT,ONE DAY AT MGM STUDIOS,AND ONE DAY AT ANIMAL KINGDOM.WE ALSO HAVE PLANNED TO DO ONE DAY AT UNIVESAL STUDIOS. IS THIS POSSIBLE OR ARE WE TRYING TO CRAM TOO MUCH INTO A WEEK.I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO COME BACK SO WE WANT TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.IF ANYONE COULD GIVE SOME INPUT ON THIS IT WOULD BE GREAT! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dawgsgirl]

NO, you can NOT do it all in a week. We went for the first time for a week in Sept. All Disney, no other parks. I was so naive I thought --"Well, we will stay a week and do it all and never come back." Ha, Ha. We are already planning another trip when school is out in May. We didn't see it all and were so tired by the end of the week we literally drug ourselves back home. You will see a lot and have a great time, but don't make the mistake of trying to cram too much in a week. Personally, I would leave out the trip the Universal. Have a great trip!

 

[nancyL]

No, you wont be able to see it all. We've stayed 2 weeks and not seen it all (and that didnt include Universal). I too would skip Universal this trip and save that for another time. Make a list of the must see's at each park for each person and do a few character meals. That way you get a good sampling of what is yet to come on future trips. Because there will be future trips. grin.
Dont push it all together like that- you wont have as much fun. Disney is still a vacation and should be treated like one- no stress, no fuss, no timetables (except those PSs! lol) and lots of relaxation.
You'll have a ton of fun if you only see an eighth of what there is to see so go with a good attitude and you'll be back for more soon enough.
Enjoy!
Nancy

 

[epcotfan]

Nope. It can't be done in 1 week. I too would leave out Universal and use that day for more time at MGM.

 

[Mickey76]

No, you cannot do it all in a week. However, you can do a lot. The great thing about WDW is that there is a wide variety of things to do, except you may not have enough time to do it all. Have a great time!


Mickey76

 

[swilphil]

My answer may differ a bit from the others. It just depends on what you mean by "all." You can definitely visit all four parks, and I think your plan is a good one although I agree with skipping Universal. Save the last day to visit your favorites and do anything that you missed. I would get a couple of good guide books. I like the Unofficial Guide best. Then decide as a family what are your musts. Plan from there. In seven days, you can definitely cover a lot of ground and have a very satisfying trip. I don't think anybody should really try to do EVERYTHING at Disney. People have different needs based on their age, tastes, and just how they are feeling at that moment. Remember it's a vacation. It's important to plan to an extent, but be flexible and allow yourself to be spontaneous.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

Don't even try to do it all in a week. You won't enjoy yourselves. Just relax and enjoy and do whatever, whenever. We like to wake up in the morning and decide what we're going to do according to the weather or whatever. 10 days or so seems to be a little better if you want to do US/IOA etc. Look at the bright side, whatever you don't get to do this time, you can do next time. And trust me....there will be a next time

 

[Planogirl]

It depends on what you mean by see it all. You can easily see the top attractions and eat at a few choice spots in the amount of time you've allotted. However, you would miss a lot of the little things and you wouldn't have much time to just goof off and relax. You might also want to check out a waterpark or minigolf or some of the other attractions that Disney offers. We have easily toured the parks in that amount of time but we only hit those things we really enjoy and we don't bother much with shows and nicer restaurants. We also spend little time at our resort and love to stay on the move as much as possible.

It's also fun to include Universal but with two parks and a great entertainment district there, one day would be hard. If you want a break from the Disney parks you might want to consider something a little less tiring than a Universal park. Just a thought.

 

[AZKathy]

Welcome to the DIS!!!!

Don't get your hopes up to see it all in the time you have especially during the time you are going, but you still will have a lot of fun!

Get one of the unofficial guide books to read through and have your family write down what each does not want to miss. Make arrangements for character meals so your kids can have interactions with the characters rather than wasting your time in lines in the parks to visit with the characters. Skip Universal this time around to focus on WDW. If you do Universal, you would need two days at least there to do both parks. Try and do an enight for MK to get the big rides done with less crowds.

Just don't plan on seeing it all; enjoy your time there and plan another trip to do more later! We have been at WDW for a total of over 70 days with our trips and we still have have not seen everything. Like, we have never done Cirque, I keep forgetting about COP, never went to the animation studios at MGM, etc. We finally did Universal on our trip in 2003!!!

Also, keep visiting these boards and get any questions answered to prepare for the trip. We had our very best trip every thanks to the nice people around here (yes, we did our first couple trip totally unprepared!!! It is amazing we kept going back!!!).

 

[FloridaCat]

I pretty much agree with all of the above. .In order to cover as much as possible is to be organized and if you have not done so, go to WDw site, type MAPS in the search box, and print the park maps. Then have family get ether and go over all there is to see and do. Plan it so you are working your way around the park not over here and then over there. I wish I had a dime for all the years when I am there and I hear “it’s over hers, no it’s over there”.

The Mouse will show you a great time, but he wants you to come back.

 

[KevinFSU]

You might wipe yourself out. At the end of July and August, we were there for 8 days and 7 nights. If we had done parks every single day, I would have been bushed. However, we had 2 non-park days in their, and I enjoyed those just as much... lounging around the resort and pool. Probably could have done just about everything if we had done the parks everyday.

As it was, didn't get to do as much exploring in the World Showcase as I wanted to, but made it to every park. Prior to finding these boards, we just kind of blew right through World Showcase. However, I read these boards and found out there was so much more to do there. If we had gone back to Epcot for a second day, probably would have gotten it all in.

 

[Eeyore2003]

Personally, I don't really think there IS an "end" to Disney World!!! We ALWAYS find new things to do, so no you can't do it "all". BUT I agree with what other people have said. Get some books, take some time to do a little reading, make a list of the things you'd like to do, experience, see, etc. and places you'd like to eat. You can certainly hit the main attractions and night shows in that time. BUT the worst thing to see is the parents arguing, the kids crying, hot and whiny and all because you're trying to stuff too much into a day.

So keep an eye on this board, I've gotten so many tips and ideas here, also of course the books, AND if you want to get the most out of your day, I would stay on Disney and get there for Extra Magic Hour, before the gates open and have a little first two hours plan for each park. Especially during such a busy week. It "might" save time standing in lines, but then I've never been there when it's "quite" THAT busy!!!

 

[Efastpitch]

Plan, Plan, Plan!. By the WDW unoffical guide. Read from cover to cover. Make a schedule. It can be done, but you will be very tired and have to rest when you get back home. Have a great time.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Welcome to the Dis!!! I do know this if you plan your strategy, pick the absolute musts that you have to do this trip, eat at a few of the restaurants in Epcot, deciding which of those you will do, you can get a lot done... it is a lot of walking, wear comfortable shoes and just do what you can...you probably will end up planning another trip before you leave. Just try to enjoy your week and get what you want to see the most done...

I am not sure I would attempt Universal this time... but you will know once you are in the thick of it whether you can fit it in or not...

 

[safetymom]

No you can't do it all in a week but you can feel like you have. Pick the rides that you really want to do and make sure you do them when you get there. That way if you don't do it all you won't feel like you missed something.

I suggest you don't give up your day at Universal. Experience the other park in Orlando. You will have a great trip.

We have been many many times to WDW and I still am finding new things to try. That is the beauty of WDW.

 

[donna in Oz]

I, too, would put Universal on the list for the next time!!

You'll probably find that if you plan to visit a park from open-to-close on a daily basis, you'll be burned out after about the first 3-4 days.

Buy a good guide (I like the Unofficial Guide or Birnbaum's), plan your must-see attractions, and allow yourself a little leisure time mid-way through your trip, even if that means just sleeping in a little later, or enjoying the pool mid-day.

We just returned from an 11-day stay. Did we see it all?? No. But we had a terrific time and took advantage of lots of Disney activities outside the parks (Pleasure Island, mini-golf, renting water mice, etc.)

You're going to have a great trip!! Slow down just a tad and give everyone a chance to remember the magic, rather than to remember the commando pace !!

 

[ewjackss]

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE GREAT TIPS! I GUESS I WAS CRAZY TO THINK I COULD COVER ALL THAT MAGIC IN ONE SHORT WEEK. I WENT TO THE WDW WEBSITE AND COULD NOT BELIEVE ALL THE THINGS TO DO. I DID NOT EVEN THINK OF DOWNTOWN DISNEY IT SOUNDS FUN TOO. I GUESS I WILL JUST HAVE TO PLAN A TRIP TO DISNEY EVERY YEAR SO I CAN SEE EVERYTHING. I'M SURE MY DAUGHTERS WILL BE REALLY UPSET TO HEAR THAT(HA! HA!)THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP!! I'M SURE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BLAST!!