How long to stay??

[hcarr]

I know it is often said that there is never enough time to see it all. However, I do need some advice. It will be myself, my husband and our 4 1/2 yr old next May. We will obviously be doing MK alot but will also want to do a fair amount at Epcot, MGM and AK.

We certainly don't need to see it all but how much time will we need to not feel like we missed alot. Keeping in mind that a 4 yr old will get tired but also that some of the attractions will not hold interest or be appropriate for her. It's primarily a trip for her but I'm sure we'll do a few things for ourselves as well :0)

Thanks for any input!

Hilary

 

[new_yawka]

Generally, unless a child is very used to extended travel, I would not go away for more than a week. Children tend to get homesick by that time and become less interested, even if Mickey is around.

7 days will give you 2 full days in MK (you'll want it); at least 1 day in Epcot; and 2 days to spend doing AK, MGM and any additional Epcot things you may have missed. This leaves you 2 additional days to: relax and spend time around the pool; go shopping in DTD; play mini golf; and all of the other great non-park activities available (you may even want to try sea world for your daughter).

We will be there for 7 days in October with our DSs (1 and 4). We can't wait!! Have a magical trip.

 

[joyful1nh]

We did 10 days in Feb with my 4 year old. This worked well for us because we like to spend time at the resort pool, do character meals and the like.

However, we are a flexible family -- meaning we don't stress about getting DD totally off her normal schedule -- and kind of let her mood guide us to some extent. For example, one day toward the end of the trip she was a little grumpy (overtired more than anything) so we cut our MK visit short, went back to the resort and to the pool (her favorite thing to do), and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Then we went back to the MK for fireworks and parade.

I highly recommend a MK resort with a preschool age child for at least part of your stay.

 

[Janet2k]

Hcarr, only you can answer that question since only you know your family. But since you asked for some input from your fellow Dis'ers, here is mine.

My family (husband, teenage son, young daughter, and myself) spent three and a half weeks at WDW over the Christmas / New Year's holidays. My daughter wasn't much older than your child, and she had a ball. Of course she has been vacationing at WDW for a few years now and is quite the veteran. I should note that we resort hopped all over WDW (CBR, AKL, CR, OKW, BWV, and CBR again), and we were joined for two weeks by her grandparents (my parents), and the third week by her aunt (my sister) and two cousins (my niece and nephew). We spent a lot of time swimming in our resorts' pools, driving all over Orlando (my parents had a vehicle), with not enough time in the theme parks (my daughter would have lived in the theme parks had she been able to, but with so many people vacationing with us, their wishes came before our own, which was what I wanted since it was an extended family vacation).

My daughter is sitting next to me right now, and just for kicks, I asked her if that trip was too long or just about right. Her answer was, "Not long enough!" (Like mother, like daughter.)

This is all my humble opinion, and others' opinions will vary, as it should be. Whatever you decide to do, I am sure that it will be perfect. If you're like the rest of us here on the Dis, you'll have many WDW vacations in your future.

 

[momx2]

I'd like to see some more replies. I'm having the same problem. We have been 2x this year. First, last Sept., with only our 3 1/2 DD and DH and myself. Left 6 mon. DD with DGP. We stayed 6 days and 3 1/2 DD was ready to get home. We went this past May with DD 4 and DD 14 mons. and DGP. We stayed 6 nights again. We are going in Dec. without DGP for 6 nights.

We are now planning our last trip (before APs run out) beginning Apr. 27 (beginning of regular season). Our APs run out on May 6. That would give us 10 nights and with the last year before DD starts school I wanted to stay the whole 10. The DGP won't be with us and I'm scared the (then 5) DD will get soooo homesick because she is sooooo close to DGD.

Anyway, just like to see some more responses and any experience with this situation. Thanks!

 

[Minnie23]

We just returned from a 12 day trip. We did 10 days in the parks. My kids are older but I still thought we would need breaks etc. We didn't take any days off and were at if from 7am until 10 pm every day. I thought I would fall asleep on my feet by the end. My kids were like the energizer bunny...they never stopped. We did spend two days at the water parks and went to Disney Quest as well. In my opinion, there is too much going on there for the kids to get homesick and there is always the phone to call home!

 

[elgerber]

We took our 4 and 7 year olds for 11 nights in December of 2001. Honestly we could have easily spent another week. Neither of my kids were worn down, and neither were ready to go home (of course neither was I). There was plenty of stuff we didn't see in that amount of time. I would say 1 week is a minimum, and if you can do it, I would stay longer, 10 days or so.

Erika

 

[monalsw]

You know your kids better than anyone, use your intuition as to what to plan!
I took my 13 yr-old dd and almost 3 yr-old ds for 8 nights last may and none of us thought it was long enough! The kids are used to traveling with just me, as dh is not much of a 'vacationeer', and they roll with the punches! Both kids were well-behaved, more than they are at home anyways lol, and we did a rather leisurely pace (my mom was with us and isn't into commando-style touring!). Our next trip, 2/03, is a surprise for the kids and will be 12 nights!!! DH will fly down with us and stay for 3-4 days, then the kids and I will have some time to ourselves until my mom flies in for the last weekend. WDW is a great place for kids, but they all respond differently to the non-disney pieces of the trip; ie, travel, accomodations, food, etc. Keep that in mind and happy planning! Lisa