Did you ever take a WDW vacation that was too long?

[MinnieMe129]

I agree a lot depends on your travel party. We tried 9 days last September with our 4 year old and it was too much. Days 6 - 9 all she wanted to do was swim at the pool. We tried down time, but she was too wound up to nap. 4 days in she was exhausted, off schedule and grumpy. We do 2 or 3 shorter trips a year. We don't feel rushed because we go so frequently.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that's true for many people, but it isn't really the question being asked here. Assuming you didn't have those responsibilities back home, would you want to stay at Disney longer?

If I had the time and the money (didn't have to get back to work), my wife and I would be on the next moving van to Orlando and never come back.

I would get sick of hotel rooms and themepark food. I could see staying a while if we rented a full house or even stayed in a travel trailer at Fort Wilderness as another DISer described though. I'd have to have some of my things and space and a place for pets when we have those.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

For us, with two small kids, our last trip with 8 park days and 11 nights was just too long. This time, we are doing 6 park days with one down day dead center. And nothing planned for arrival or departure days except Disney Springs and/or the pool (weather permitting).

 

[disneysteve]

I would get sick of hotel rooms and themepark food. I could see staying a while if we rented a full house

I agree with this 100%. When I talk about going for 2 weeds or longer, I do not mean in a hotel room. We rent either a timeshare, condo, townhouse, or house when we go (even for just a week). This is for many reasons but space, comfort, and price are at the top of the list. You also get a full kitchen so you can prepare meals if you choose to. We always eat breakfast in the condo and occasionally do some simple dinners. Even if you don't cook, just bringing in take out but sitting in the peace and quiet of your own home away from home is a very nice break from the chaos of the parks.

 

[rotlex]

We have averaged 10-14 days for most trips. Last year was extreme. 17 days total. We could have stayed longer, LOL. Seriously. We find that the longer our trips, the more we enjoy everything. We don't feel rushed. We spend more time at the resort, and a lot more time just enjoying the scenery rather than trying to get all the rides and attractions in before it's over.

 

[DIS_MERI]

We just got back Monday night from a 10 day trip, and the kids asked not to do one so long again, lol. DD13 (who is the one who wanted the trip in the first place) said she'd rather do a 4 day trip, which is fortunate since we've got 4 day/3 night trips coming up in January and May

I think part of the issue is that we did *so much* resort hopping (we booked a split stay with 4 nights free dining at Pop and 3 nights at OKW when the rest of our people came, then we had a chance to add on 2 days at the beginning but couldn't get Pop so we went with POFQ, and then we switched our last night to BLT so we could walk to MK), and that we had first-timer friends who joined us at the end of day 6, so we ended up doing a lot of things over (and we let them use some of our fastpasses since they may never be able to go again).

Our next 2 trips we do not plan to resort hop

 

[married2mm]

Our first trip was supposed to be our only trip-our big once in a lifetime
14 nights as a last family trip me, dh & our 3 darlings...

It was actually postponed due to illness & I was rather relieved; had literally no idea what lay ahead & no way would I have believed how hooked I'd become.

we've done 12-21 nights without eldest dd-never,ever felt it was too long
In fact, we always want more.

Me,dh & dmil (85) had a trip last month for 7 nights.
We didn't have many park visits & we missed our kids-however, we were still sad to leave.

I do agree with the previous posters who stated it depends who you're with & how you spend your days.
Even on shorter trips-we don't plan with military precision & never spend rope drop-closing in parks.
We are leisurely & relaxed with a plan thrown in!!

I don't believe there is such a thing as too long a vacation at wdw.
In fact, dd 2 recently said to me -you could visit every day, couldn't you?

 

[orna14]

Personally, I think 2 weeks sounds like a really enjoyable trip for a lot of different reasons. For one thing, it gives you time to slow down, visit parks more than one time each, and thus for not feel rushed to see everything all in one day. Another thing is extra relaxation time - I don't know if you have a big party coming along or how old everything is, but depending on the circumstances, some days just to appreciate the hotels and dining on Disney property might be much appreciated. Not to mention, you're in Florida, and there are tons of things to do in the entire State, and plenty in the Disney area. My family finds that if something takes long than two hours to reach, then you can turn that into a day trip for one of your vacation days. It gives you a break from Disney (and its expenses) and other things to see. Having two weeks to explore the parks will give you time to meet the characters you want, go to the restaurants you want, ride different attractions that you wouldn't normally, and revisit all your favorites. It might feel like you're pushing it, but in the end I think you'll feel satisfied with everything that you got done.

 

[cgattis]

Trying to get 7 clocks to chime at the same time sucks, and we normally ended up with one person being grumpy..

I have never heard that expression, but it's a perfect description! I'll be stealing that, thankyouverymuch

If it weren't for my mom and our dog at home, as long as I was with my family, no trip would be too long. DD is the same way. DH and DS get homesick (DH soonest, but he's just a stick in the mud LOL). Only trip they never said they were ready to go home was Alaska (10 days).

 

[Ursula's Apprentice]

I have never heard that expression, but it's a perfect description! I'll be stealing that, thankyouverymuch

Lol, I must admit, I didn't come up with it, I borrowed it from my aunt, but it really is perfect! Enjoy!

 

[NYHeel]

I couldn't stay in a hotel room with my kids for more than 2 nights and we only have 3 kids. It's just too cramped. That's why we always stay in apartments/houses when we go. Plus they're cheaper most of the time.

This time we're going for 9 days (including one rest day on Saturday for the Sabbath). It feels about right. We have 8 days for the parks and I think we'll split the days 5/3 or 6/2 between WDW and Universal. I was considering adding one day and getting there a day earlier but we already have flights booked and I don't think it's necessary. Plus it's one more day to pull my kids out of school.

If I were staying at a hotel I probably couldn't do more than a few days, maybe 4-5, even without my kids. But in a spacious apartment/house with a real kitchen I can do 2 weeks without a problem at all. I just need space and place to make food. I can't live all cramped in for very long anymore.

 

[BeerMe]

........... But in a spacious apartment/house with a real kitchen I can do 2 weeks without a problem at all. I just need space and place to make food. I can't live all cramped in for very long anymore.

That's a good point. We have never made an extended trip in a hotel room (over 2 weeks). We always have a condo. The trip in 10 days we will have 4 adults and 4 children 6 and under. That's the first time we've ever done that. We didn't start going to disney for vacation trips until our youngest was 16. That does make a difference. We'll see how this trip goes.

ETA: We will stay at SSR in a 2BR condo.

 

[Planogirl]

I think a lot depends on how often you've been too. I've been quite a bit and there's only so many times I want to ride certain things and I know for the most part which restaurants to skip. I can easily finish three of the parks in a day or less each so much time is spent doing other things which is great but it's not so reliant on being at WDW.

I marvel at how much time some people have though. I never could get off from work for three works for example. Two maybe but it would be rough.

 

[disneysteve]

Trying to get 7 clocks to chime at the same time

I have never heard that expression

Have you never seen The American Adventure in Epcot?

Ben Franklin:
Thomas, it is difficult to make 13 clocks chime at the same time, but we must carefully justify the separation.

 

[NYHeel]

That's a good point. We have never made an extended trip in a hotel room (over 2 weeks). We always have a condo. The trip in 10 days we will have 4 adults and 4 children 6 and under. That's the first time we've ever done that. We didn't start going to disney for vacation trips until our youngest was 16. That does make a difference. We'll see how this trip goes.

ETA: We will stay at SSR in a 2BR condo.

Yeah, I have no idea how everybody stays in these hotel rooms for so long, especially when there are condo/houses just nearby for even less money. We're staying in a Townhouse within 10 minutes of WDW for 9 nights that has 4 bedrooms/3.5 bathrooms and paying about what it would cost at the All Star hotels (for a family of 4, though we're 5 people). Even after adding in a rental car we're still paying far less than what it would cost a family of 5 to stay in any hotel on Disney property. But that's a discussion for a different time.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We usually do 9 days (Dec. 24 - Jan 1st). It always feels way longer. We're very efficient travelers and even with the holiday crowds, we typically see and do everything by Dec. 27th. We've learned to space apart our trips and actually strategize.

We now mix in some different things. This year we'll go to Trader Sams and spend more time at Disney Springs. We'll try new food places and take the time to explore and enjoy the details rather than run ride to ride. Having 9 days gives us the ability to accomplish 6 days worth of activities at a relaxed pace.

This usually works for us:
Dec 24th: Arrival day. No parks. Eat at Trattoria Al Forno, see the Boardwalk resorts and call it an early night.
Dec. 25th: Morning EMH at Magic Kingdom. Arrive at 7:30 am and go on Space Mountain and Buzz. Then Haunted Mansion and Small World. FP+ for Jungle Cruise, FP+ for Thunder Mountain, FP+ for 7 Dwarfs. Tour the Monorail Resorts. Call it a day and back to the resort.
Dec. 26th: EPCOT World Showcase in the morning, DHS at Night. FP+ for Tower, FP+ for Toy Story Midway Mania, FP+ for Frozen.
Dec. 27th: Animal Kingdom - FP+ for EE, FP+ for DINOSAUR, FP+ for the safari
Dec. 28th: Hollywood Studios - FP+ for ToT, FP+ for Star Tours, FP+ for RnR
At night, head to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks and parade.
We've now completed Hollywood Studios.
Dec. 29th: Open morning - breakfast at Kona. EPCOT in the afternoon/night. Character Meet & Greet FP+, Spaceship Earth FP+, Test Track FP+... Illuminations, then back to the hotel.
I know, no Soarin', but we've now competed EPCOT.
Dec. 30th: Slow morning - explore the resorts then head to MK in the evening. FP+ for Buzz, FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain, FP+ for 7 Dwards. Dinner @ BOG, Fireworks. Late-night EMH: Goofy Coaster, POTC, Peter Pan, Winnie, anything else we've missed.
Dec. 31st: Steer clear of the parks - Head to Disney Springs for the day. Head to EPCOT at night (haven't been turned away yet.) Countdown the new year.
Jan. 1st: Open day. Hang out, maybe head to a park in the evening if we've missed anything.
Jan 2nd: Go Home

 

[Fryan08]

We did 9 days (7park days) last December and I couldn't believe that I heard, "I'm ready to go home" come out of my mouth. And this was my "dream trip"! Now granted, my daughter got the flu while we were there so that was probably the bulk of the reason why I was over it. (Although I was glad we had so many days because we were able to salvage most of what she had to miss). We had done two 5 day trips and that just wasn't enough. I think if we hadn't had the unexpected illness it would have been fine. I'm thinking 8-9 would be just right!

Now that our kids are older we go every other year for 2 weeks at christmas. we only get the 10 day park passes and plan "days off" where we go explore other resorts, go to disney springs and putt putt. This works well for us and it has never seemed like to long.

 

[Huggups]

No way! My dream is to do a month preferably starting right after Thanksgiving. Some on points and the rest with cash. I would probably plan on an Annual pass. I would just take my time and enjoy and take it all in. It would also be a work trip for some blogging.

 

[raddisneyfan]

I think a lot depends as previous posters have mentioned. It looks like you've been a couple of times. Between '98 and '13 I'm sure lots changed. Between '13 and now, not so much. Also, do your sons need down time during the day or can they hang in for entire days from opening to closing? For me, I would stay longer if I really wanted to spend time at the resort. This upcoming stay (in just 11 days--YEAH!!), I'll be staying at 2 resorts I've never stayed at before, so I plan to spend some time checking them out and I really am looking forward to the Animal Kingdom Lodge experience. Also to consider, if summer and staying at the Beach Club for instance, then I'll want lots of pool time. Overall, I think any extra time allows you to do other stuff. Do you want to go to Universal or Sea World--all of these things take time and eat into your WDW time. For me, I like the 9 day trip--Saturday to Sunday, but I've been many, many times and am in no rush to see anything in particular....except Soarin', 7 Dwarves, Splash Mountain, etc. etc. etc. The last trips I've gone to Universal for a day and have rented a car just for that day. I don't think I'll be doing this in a couple of weeks--just staying at WDW and enjoying all of the holiday magic. Finally, as a previous poster said, anytime at the World is definitely a good time!! Have fun!!!

 

[dawnmichele]

We're leaving tomorrow for a 19 day trip!
The first week will be just me, my kid and her dad. Then we'll meet 4 other family members for another week, and then a few more days on our own again.
Like others have mentioned we are looking forward to a slow pace and not feeling rushed. I'm a little worried about eating Disney food for 3 weeks, but during the stay with the larger group we'll be at BLT with a big kitchen so hopefully that will help!
But on the whole we're all super excited and can't wait to see how almost 3 weeks in our happy place feels!