Do you think we can do the parks in four days???

[meganbear]

Since we are driving it will take one and a half days driving time both going down to WDW and back home, we were thinking about only staying in WDW for four days (five nights). I'm going to order the 4 day hopper plus ticket from orlandoinfo.com. That ticket will let me park hop AND go to Blizzard beach---but do you really think we'll be able to get it all done in four days? I was thinking maybe making MGM half a day then since Epcot doesn't close until 9:00 maybe we could do both in one day? We are early risers and I'm thinking we will be at the park every day on EE days.

It will be me, hubby, DS (age 9), my sis, two nieces (5,8) and my 72 year old Mom --who is in really good shape for her age. I could get the five day pass, but if I could do it in four I'd rather--- since we are going the week of May 9th the crowds shouldn't be bad. But I also know that the parks close earlier on those dates too.

 

[WDSearcher]

Of course you can! Just be sure you know what you truly want to go on in each park, and also have a list of things you're not interested in. That way, you won't be waiting in line for something that doesn't interest you. (Happens more often than you think.)

The important thing to remember is that there is no rule that says you MUST see EVERYTHING before you leave. There's not a test when you leave! Just enjoy yourself and have a good time. Have a plan, but don't be frantically trying to see everything. Disney is designed to be a place that you return to.

 

[Blueberry]

Yes make sure you have a plan...A plan of what you want to see what and what can be skipped. You have some young children and your Mom with you, so be prepared to be flexible last minute. Seeing the parks in four days will tire you, so be prepared for some sit time too...

If it was me I would spend all four of my days in the parks, and skip Blizzard Beach for another trip. The parks have so much more to offer...just my two cents

 

[GailT]

YOu sure can and I bet this won't be your last time going.

 

[stinkerbelle]

we did this recently - went commando for 4 days!

we saved Epcot WS for night - so that saved some time. we also hit DTD/DQ almost every night if we didn't have late dinner plans.

here's what we did
Day 1
AK until around 3
MGM for a late lunch
Epcot at night

Day 2
MGM in the AM until after lunch
MK until around 5ish
dinner at CG

Day 3
MK until after lunch
(back to AKL for sunset safari - so we lost half a day/night with that)

Day 4
Epcot
MGM (or reversed - i forget)

we would have liked to go back to AK...but oh well - we were just there in Sept. and are most likely going back again in Sept.

 

[meganbear]

Thanks for all the tips so far!!!! My nieces are wanting to do a character breakfast at Cindy's! How long would that take? I'm not so sure I want to waste time doing that.

Also, it is really a good idea to go to each park for EE mornings, then around 10:00 or so hop over to another park that might be less crowded?

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

We just got back today! Our iternary for THREE days was:

Thursday: Epcot til 2 p.m. then MK until 6 p.m.
Friday: AK til 1 p.m. then MGM until 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: AK again til 1 p.m. then MK until 6 p.m.

We also went to DTD and the outlet malls at night. NOBODY was at MGM, so we got to do everything there in just a few hours.

 

[Armadillo4]

I'll echo Blueberry's suggestion to skip Blizzard Beach. If you just focus on the parks, then 4 days should give you plenty of time. As others have posted, don't feel like you have to see or do everything during your trip. Make sure to hit your favorites and make a note to get to anything you miss on another trip. There will be another trip in the future, right???

My last trip was a 4-day itinerary too. Besides my favorites, I focused on seeing things I missed on our previous trip--like Fantasmic. We also did the Keys to the Kingdom tour, which cut into our attraction-going by quite a bit, but it was well worth the time. We didn't get to everything, but that's okay. It just means we'll have to go back again.

 

[mad4themouse]

The biggest mistake to make would be to try to do it all in one trip, especially one which is so limited in time. We did all 4 parks in 3 days but we've "been there, done that, going again", so it's much easier to skip over something. I also agree with skipping Blizzard Beach on this trip.

EMH's are a MUST if you want to see a lot. Don't expect to finish any park by 10 am. That just isn't doable.

Almost every attraction empties into a gift shop. It's very tempting to browse around. Don't. Save your shopping for Downtown Disney or your last day.

Use FastPasses when you can. Have one person get FastPasses for the whole group, while everyone else is waiting in line for an attraction.

Avoid criss-crossing the parks repeatedly. Get a map, and plot your path ahead of time. All WDW parks form loops that can be accessed thru a central hub. Complete each loop before going on to another.

Urge everyone to take bathroom breaks at the same time. Preferrably when one person is waiting in line at a counter service restaurant with everyone's order.

It's easier to get from the MK to EPCOT's Future World via monorail or from EPCOT's World Showcase to MGM via boat than it is to go from AK to any park or from MGM to MK. If you're going to park hop on any days, I suggest doing an MK/Future World Day and an MGM/World Showcase Day. Spend 3/4 of your time at the other parks before going to EPCOT (it opens later and stays open later most of the time).

Have everyone pick one "must-see" attraction in each park and make sure that they get to do it. That way everyone feels happy.

Pay attention to your mother. She may be a healthy 72 but she is still 72. Make sure that she is well-hydrated and if it looks like she is flagging, get her to a place where she can rest in the shade or inside. A commando-style approach to the parks is hard on the very young and the elderly.

Likewise for the 5 YO niece. Tired kids go from zero to meltdown in a matter of seconds. Consider renting a stroller for her. Even if you tell her that you're just going to put you backpacks and packages in it, there's a very good chance that she'll climb into it at some point.

Character breakfasts can be fun and they are great photo opportunities. You can schedule a PS for early (as in before the park opens) or as late as possible in the morning. To book breakfast with Cindy in the castle, you would need to call at 7am, 90 days prior to your date. By 7:02 am, you will be too late. It's a very hard-to-get PS, so don't make any promises to your nieces until you've nailed it down. Figure on at least an1-1½ hours for breakfast with Cindy.

Lastly, know when it's time to give up the itinerary and take a rest. The parks are filled with tired parents who want to get their money's worth and tired children who want to do something else.

 

[meganbear]

WOW!!! Thanks so much, you have really helped me out! I think I'll skip Blizzard Beach this trip---I'm not sure when we will get to go back to Disney again, we took our DS (then 6) to Magic kindom in may of 2000, usually we don't spend this kind of money on vacations, so if we do get to go back it won't be for at least another three to four years.

I'm wanting to get ps for Cindy's on May 12 or 13, so I'm gonna try this week! Cross your fingers for me!

 

[drogerstn]

How long is your drive? Is there any way you can add another day to your visit? Our drive is about 13 hours. We have visited WDW when we only had a week off on a couple of occasions. We either leave home Friday evening and get some miles out of the way before stopping overnight, then drive the rest of the way on Saturday. Or, we leave home early Saturday morning and drive most of the way and stop overnight close enough to get up early on Sunday and drive directly to a park.

An extra day would allow you to take advantage of Blizzard Beach during the middle of your visit without disrupting your park days. We get a little tired after 3 straight days of park touring and a day we sleep a little later and visit a water park is a "rest day" for us. We usually visit Downtown Disney for shopping on the same day.

 

[bizwiz24]

Hello,

I would truly hate for you to make your Disney trip a rush situation. It should be an enchanting time for your entire family. When I go in July, I was supposed to jam pack everything into a 7 day trip, since I am going with first-timers. Instead, I extended the trip 10 days to fully enjoy ourselves.

My advice is that you pick two parks on one day (i.e. animal Kingdom and Epcot) or skip one. In either case, I insist that you make the best out of the full day in which ever park you choose, the Magic Kingdom I presume.

Best of Luck!

Bizwiz24

 

[Chicago526]

CAN you? Yes! Should you? Well....

You'll be tired. Drop dead bone tired. This will not be a restfull trip! But yes, you can do it. AK is a half day park unless you really have kids (or adults) in your party that are animal mad. MGM can be half day too. What I'd do is morning in AK, then afternoon and evening in MGM so you can catch Fantasmic. Then a full day at MK and Epcot each. For the water park day, stay until 2 or 3, and if you're not wiped out, spend the evening at whatever park you want to do again (I'd pick MK, myself!).

Try to get everyone to pick 2 rides/attractions at each park that they "must" do. Try do get those done, then see how much time you have left. This way, everyone gets to do what they want most in each park. Use FP's whenever possible. Consider a scooter for grandma in Epcot (and strollers for the yougest kids), the place is huge and even being in good shape, she may poop out.

You'll have a great time no matter what. This will just take a bit more planning than if you had more days.