haw many days to book? to see it all????

[crash2000]

Curious, how many days would it take to see it all that disney has to offer in orlando, i was figuring 1 day at each resort, but others i have spoken with said, you could spend a week at each resort, whats a realistic time frame to see the resorts such as magic kingdom, epcot, mgm studios, animal kingdom, and of course a water park, and downtown disney??

we would be traveling with a 6 yr old...so alot of adult rides will be skipped over..

and staying onsite.

thanks

 

[chipndales]

Curious, how many days would it take to see it all that disney has to offer in orlando, i was figuring 1 day at each resort, but others i have spoken with said, you could spend a week at each resort, whats a realistic time frame to see the resorts such as magic kingdom, epcot, mgm studios, animal kingdom, and of course a water park, and downtown disney??

we would be traveling with a 6 yr old...so alot of adult rides will be skipped over..

and staying onsite.

thanks

Here's my opinion and I travel with my DD who's ten, and my parents (my mom is uses an electric wheelchair for her spinal problems).

MK 2 days minimum
Epcot 2 days minimum
Animal Kingdom 1
MGM 1
Typhoon Lagoon (more kid friendly imo) 1 day
DTD 1 (be sure to take her to disney quest!)

Personally, we did MK 3 times this trip and skipped AK because we'd done it last year and didn't feel the need to go back, but there are cute shows there for little ones and of course, the safari. That's just my opinion. I'm sure others will post with different ones!

 

[cabanafrau]

We really don't want to go for less than 7 days anymore because it's become so large & so busy to navigate all we want to do. I can't even fathom seeing & doing it all & just exactly how long that would take. I hope you can plan a visit of at least 6 days, 7-8 might be preferable if you can do it.

You will probably be very pleasantly surprised how much of Disney is available to 6 yr olds. I recommend learning as much as you can about each park & having everyone help decide what you absolutely must do, would really like to do, would do if you had time & the things you know don't suit your family's interests. Don't get overwhelmed by trying to plan too obsessively because I really don't think it's necessary for a first time visit, unless you're going at Christmas/New Year's, Easter or some extreme peak like that & I don't recommend those times for a first visit, period.

If you'll be on the dining plan or know that you want to do any table service restaurants, I'd investigate their menus online & work on making dining reservations as soon as you can do so (up to 180 days ahead).

Have a magical time!

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

10-14 days

 

[mom2grace]

I tell my friends and family that you can really see/do about 10% of all WDW has to offer in a week's vacation! Now, obviously that's a little extreme, but if you plan to "See it all", you may be very disappointed!

Part of the fun of WDW is stopping to smell the roses as your kids experience everything! DD was interested in a lot of things simply in the beautiful surroundings........water fountains (decorative, not to quench thirst!), the gift shops (Even though we weren't buying), the playground at Pooh's corner, etc.

If you are doing more than 4-5 days, plan a day to rest in the middle, maybe visit a few resorts or go to Downtown Disney!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

4 parks
2 water parks
DTD DQ
La Nouba
if you want to break it down by days of fun and things to see and you want to relax and not go commando you could plan 2 days per park. 1 day to a water park(both are great in there own ways ) get a 8+ day vacation at WDW. This way do relax see all the shows you want. no just the big name shows.
DTD is fun in it's own way. Lego people for the kid in all of us there are shops to shop at that is ALL DISNEY you have friday night style clubs for dancing( if the club hopping is your thing) and now the one thing i can't wait to see is La Nouba
I guess it's all just what you call seeing it all and how much time YOU have to see it. It's a vacation. YOU and your FAMILY earned it

 

[chipndales]

La Nouba definitely!

 

[hddanis]

We were there for 12 days and didn't get to nearly everything we wanted to get to.

 

[timben]

We will be staying from Dec 8 - 22 which is the absolute maximum to be away from our jobs. Of course we also want to go to Universal at least once.

So I hope this will be enough time to see all the things we are interested in and also have time for some more relaxing moments.

 

[newholidayx2]

I originally booked 8s day for my 50th Birthday Bash in Nov
Just last week I added on another 6 days

I spend alot of time at Off Kilter! (so only have a few mornings to ride the rides!)

 

[mill4023]

2 days MK
2 days Epcot
2 days MGM
1 day AK
1 day Blizzard Beach
1 day Typhoon Lagoon
1 day Downtown Disney/Disney Quest
at least 3 or 4 rest days in between

So my ideal vacation would be about 2 weeks.

Most people would probably put MGM as 1 day and that's what we usually do, but to see all the shows there, you'd really need 2 days.

IMO, Blizzard Beach is better for young kids. They have a better area for little ones, the wave pool is less intimidating, and they have a great family raft ride that was a lot more fun that the Typhoon Lagoon version, but still mild enough for our 3 yr old.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

If you were just staying within WDW, the following is what I would suggest. If you want to do any parks outside of WDW, add extra days. Also, this won't allow you to see EVERYTHING but, I think it would allow you to see most, assuming you aren't going at a busy time.

3 days Magic Kingdom
3 days Epcot
1 1/2 days MGM
1 1/2 days AK
2 days DTD (including shopping, PI, Cirque de Soliel, & DQ)
2 miscellaneous day (tour hotels, visit the Boardwalk, Wide World of Sports, play mini-golf, relax, golf, parasailing, horsebackriding, spa, etc.)
1 day Blizzard Beach
1 day Typhoon Lagoon
1 day to arrive
1 day to depart

That would give you a grand total of 17 days.

 

[dqpowell]

MK - 2 days (possible to see it all in a day and a half if you strictly adhere to a touring plan)
Epcot - 2 days (possible to see it all in a day and a half if you strictly adhere to a touring plan)
Animal Kingdom - 1 day
MGM - 1 day

That's for the main parks. You might also consider doing a resort tour of the deluxe resorts -- Animal Kingdom Lodge, The Polynesian, The Contemporary, The Grand Floridian, etc. I'd set aside a half day for Animal Kingdom Lodge, and 2-3 hours each for the others.

The waterparks are not something I would set aside any time for, as I don't consider them unique. i.e., there's almost nothing to distinguish them from any other water park anywhere else. Blizzard Beach has an interesting concept for the theming but it's something that you can appreciate in about 5 minutes, after which it's just another water park.

David

 

[laughinplace199]

I would say a week is the bare minimum. You will definitely not see it all, but you will be able to do quite a bit. We go almost every year for 8-9 days each time and we still haven't seen it all.

With a 6 yr old, I'd say you'd need:
2 days in MK
2 days in Epcot
1 day in MGM
1 day in AK
1 day for water park/DD

Also, you may not have to skip as many rides as you think. Unless your 6 yr old is teeny tiny, he/she will be able to do most of the rides. My 6 yr old is small for his age and I think there are only 2 rides that he's too small for.

Have a great trip!

 

[Mickeys_n_me]

Truth of the matter is unless you go for a month, there will always be something that you want to do but can't find the time. We stay for 10 days and are pretty happy when we get back that we have got a lot done and saw the "bests" of what we went there to do.
We usually do 2 days MK, 2 Epcot, 1 AK and 1 MGM, 1 day DTD. The other few days we spend outside WDW or resort hoping. If we missed something we add another park day on.

 

[CanadianGuy]

As numerous people have noted.. you could stay for 6 weeks and not 'see it all'

I find a comfortable time between 7 and 10 days. By the end of that vacation, I am usually ready to come home.. regardless of how much I have seen.

But to truly see it all, you'd be there far far far longer.

Knox

 

[mill4023]

The waterparks are not something I would set aside any time for, as I don't consider them unique. i.e., there's almost nothing to distinguish them from any other water park anywhere else. Blizzard Beach has an interesting concept for the theming but it's something that you can appreciate in about 5 minutes, after which it's just another water park.

David

I strongly disagree with this. Yes, at the heart of it, the water slides and wave pool and lazy river are not much different than the rides at any other water park. But the Disney water parks are SO much nicer.

 

[Peaches1111_00]

I've been to WDW quite a few times and have never gone to the water parks. We also had never gone to D. Disney until this past trip (I never really knew this place was there b/c before I was too young).

We went for 5 days. We had a child with special needs, so we were able to get a pass which helped get more rides in. With this short amount of time, we didn't get to do everything we wanted to. Breakdown:
D1-Supposed to be EP/AK/EP. We spent most of the day in EP, rode 1 ride at AK, then back to EP.
D2-MGM -MGM morning, break mid-day, back to MGM. Ended up spending 1/2 day here then went home.
D3-MK - Guest Assistance Pass was the best for Easter Sunday at MK.
D4-Supposed to be what we missed at MK. Since what we missed wasn't a big deal, the families split up. Mom and I went to Downtown, others caught up on stuff they missed.

To make the most of your time, make a list!
3 catagories - Must do, Want to do, Don't want. Get your Must list in first, the wants next (but some can be skipped), and just bypass the don't. It'll make life easier.
Example: Must get Dole Whip and ride CoP & PoC, Want IaSM, Skip Stitch.

Sorry so long *blush*. Once I start, I can't stop.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I agree with the above poster that suggested 7-10 days. That would give you enough time to hit the highlights with a little relaxing inbetween. I wouldn't suggest much more than that for a first timer, because Disney can get overwhelming, and missing a few things here and there will only motivate you to come back. I've been to Disney 33 times and I still haven't done it all, so don't beat yourself up if you don't get to everything. Remember that Disney is a lifelong love affair that you have years to cultivate!

 

[HollyP]

my last 2 trips were 15 days each. This was in very low crowds when most rides were walk ons. I still didn't see EVERYTHING. For my family this was the perfect length. Long enough that when we had our day off in the middle I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not being at the park. If we were tired having a half day or sleeping in was OK. I did a 1 week trip before kids and was so commando, I got sick for the last day and was truly exhausted.


Holly