This trip to DLR will be DD's first. Also, it will be the first time I'm there as an adult. I want plenty of time to relax and enjoy our stay. I've taken 5 days off work, so I have a 9-day window. I'm looking at 6 days in the parks. So, my basic question is.... Is there a point where it's "too long" of a stay? Will I be pulling my hair out by day 5? day 6? I'm thrilled to go, and this trip isn't just for DD.... It's been something I've wanted to do for ages too. I just want to make sure I'm not risking DLR overdose by doing 6 days!
6 days sounds outstanding to me, especially with a small child. The most I've done was 3 full days and then 2 part days (1 from about 2 or 3 PM to close and the other from open to about 2 PM). That always leaves me wanting a little more, but it works best for my work schedule. This most recent trip, I only had a couple hours in the parks the first day, and we took things a bit slower because I spent a lot of time with my mom. One day I didn't get to the parks anywhere near opening because we were changing hotels and then did the Gospel Brunch at House of Blues. It was a wonderful trip but left me feeling like there wasn't enough time and I'm longing to go back. I'm hoping to do a 6 day trip next time (4 full days and 2 part days...or 5 full days and 1 part day would be so great, but I'm not holding my breath! ) I think you could be more than fine with 5 full days, granted. But if your party is small, the cost to add a 6th day to your pass is so small, I'd just do it, even if it means you only get a few hours in the morning or evening. (The larger your party, the more that adds up. When I go, the only ticket I'm buying is mine, so of course I add an extra day!) If you get "Disneyed out" you can spend a part-day or two part-days in the parks and enjoy the rest of the day elsewhere.
Let me preface this by saying that I LOVE Disneyland, and it's hard to get enough of it. According to my Annual Pass count, I've been there 13 times since July) BUT, I would say that 6 days might be pushing it, unless you've got other activities planned. It also depends on what time of year you are going, how old your daughter is, and how willing you are to get up in the morning when the crowds are always thinner. Usually 4 days is sufficient for me, and 5 is more than enough--even in the summer when the crowds are heavier. If you are there at a less-crowded time, 3 days might be perfect, particularly if your daughter is really young and might get cranky after a couple of days.
There is a lot to do there, and with a 7.5yo probably no restrictions on what you can do. Hours will be a little short on some of your days, so while 6 days in the park sounds find, the extra time out of the park could get boring. Also on the 29th it's open from 6am to 6am on the 1st. So if you hit that, you may want to spend a lot of time there and drop a day elsewhere.
For ME, yes, that is too long. I've been on long trips and we were all tired of DLR by the end. We just sort of wandered listlessly and didn't find the rides very interesting by the last day. We generally give ourselves 3 full days and find it to be plenty, but then we've gone a number of times. I don't like the feeling of the magic going out of it so I don't do long trips anymore. ETA: I do go frequently though! I can go several times a year and not tire of it, but just can't do long stretches at a time.
5 days is too long for DH, fine with me, but probably not enough for DDs. We've done two 5 day packages in the past. Once, we didn't even bother going in on the last day (it was a travel day for us.)
I love 6 day trips. In fact we did 3 of them the year we had APs andnever got bored. We like to enjoy all the non ride aspects of the park too and 6 days lets us do it without feeling rushed.
Took my kids (8 and 6) for the first time in October, and they didn't want to leave on day 5. We spent all 5 days at both parks, it was perfect. Being that it is your daughter's first time there, I think it will be great!
We've done 4, 5 and 6 day trips. With 4 & 5 days I was wishing it wasn't over yet. 6 days for us was perfect and we're doing 6 again next December. Plenty of nights to spread out the evening shows, able to go back to our room for a nap or pool time if it was warm, and plenty of time to do the little things. I think if I did a 7th or 8th day, I might actually go to San Diego or something. As it is with 6 days I refuse to go do anything else, I don't want to miss my Disney time!
