How many hours is too many?

[mymadori1]

I am planning my family's first trip to WDW.

I have 5 children ages 19, 17, 11, 5 and 1.

If we were to arrive to the parks at rope drop, would it be reasonable to stay from 9 am open to 9 pm close? Do most of you go early in the morning and only stay until mid afternoon or go early afternoon and stay til close?

I am not too worried about the 1 year old, because he is a very very good little guy, totally obsessed with people watching, and the stroller will give him the opportunity to sleep when he feels like it.

 

[MamaBearJohnson]

We did a couple of those days, but then usually intermixed it with shorter days, like Animal Kingdom where we were back to the hotel by dinnertime, etc. We were exhausted by the time we got home from our trip though. I hated going back to the hotels in the afternoon because I felt like the transportation time was such a waste. If we had stayed at a Magic Kingdom area hotel, it probably would have been easier.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I often stay the entire day, from rope drop to 9pm or later. I've done that when my girls were everywhere between 3 and 14 years of age. But if you can afford the time, you probably want to try having a break the day following a long day. Sleep in late and don't go the parks until after lunch. It helps re-charge the batteries, especially for younger kids.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

open to close is a lot of time on your feet. I would schedule a non park day the next day. Give your feet a rest and avoid shin splints. That also means you will be buying lunch and dinner for that many people and it will be costly!

 

[BubblyTrip]

With my young DS we either rope drop and leave by dinner, or we take an afternoon hotel break for nap or quiet time. The parks are pretty overstimulating.

 

[Mousemommy1]

The kids might be ok, but you might not be, lol!!!

We have done open to close a few times way back when but we function so much better with a nice break in the middle of the day. Well be in the parks for 3-4 hours in the morning and then come back to the resort mid day for pool time, and naps. Then head to the parks at night, nice and refreshed and go at it for another 4-5 hours.

 

[kalc12345]

If you did open to close the whole trip I think it would be too much. We get there at rope drop and leave around 2. By then we are all getting tired and cranky and ready for a break. We will chill in the room for a while and then head back if we want to. I also make our Disney vacations longer than most vacations so we can do all we want and have time to rest and relax.

 

[MandiC]

We did open to close Day 1, day 2, and day 4 of our 6 day trip. Our 7 and 9 year olds were fine. A little tired by the end of the trip but no meltdowns or anything. Just really depends on your 5 year old. I would have been fine doing open to close everyday. We were not on our feet that whole time. When we were tired at MK we'd ride the train for a bit if we felt like a break, at Epcot we'd sit and people watch in the World Showcase with a snack.

 

[kwdw]

I am planning my family's first trip to WDW.

I have 5 children ages 19, 17, 11, 5 and 1.

If we were to arrive to the parks at rope drop, would it be reasonable to stay from 9 am open to 9 pm close? Do most of you go early in the morning and only stay until mid afternoon or go early afternoon and stay til close?

I am not too worried about the 1 year old, because he is a very very good little guy, totally obsessed with people watching, and the stroller will give him the opportunity to sleep when he feels like it.

Remember, 9 to 9 is really up in time to catch a bus about 8 am and getting back at 10 pm.....

With kids that age, I think you can do one day like that, but it might be trying on the 5 year old to do that two days in a row. The older three could probably handle two or three full days like that in a row. But YOU would probably struggle with more than that, too!

 

[kreckl]

No. Way. Not even my 11 year old. Cranky, too overstimulated. Exhausted and just not as enjoyable as it could be. There is so much to see and do...We sometimes go rd and stay until dinner. Or arrive mid morning and stay until late. But adding on those extra 4-5 HOURS makes all the difference to us and is just not worth it, imo. A day like that? Maybe- but a vacation like that-no.

 

[ksl5f123]

For me, it depends on how many days you are spending at WDW. Is this a single day at Magic Kingdom in the middle of a Florida beach vacation? If so, go for it! Or are we talking four back-to-back days trying to see all the parks? In that case, no way!

 

[Lavitz]

You know your kids, don't let anyone tell you a mid afternoon break is required.

Been to WDW twice (4 days, 7 days), once with a 7 y/o and 2 y/o, once with a 9 y/o and 3 y/o and 1 y/o. We never got to the park later than 10am, and never left before 8pm. Nothing but close to 12 hours of pure fun every day. It would have driven all of us crazy to lose 6 hours to a mid day break each day (4 hour rest, 2+ hours going and coming).

Try it the first day. If there are problems, spend less time the next day or try the mid day break.

 

[RustManFan]

We usually have stayed from park opening to park closing but have never done more than 2 park days in a row. And it was a long day (9 am to midnight for example) we would schedule a short day (like AK with fewer hours) for the next day.

You could also take a day "off" and do a water park, go to DTD, see some other resorts, relax at the pool, do a carriage ride or a campfire or activity at Fort Wilderness. You get the idea!

 

[stephm0188]

It depends on your family. We've always been an open to close family, and it's never been much of an issue for us. Our kiddo does have a stroller because of mobility issues, and I suspect that's contributed to our ability to be out in the parks so much.

 

[msmama]

8 - 10 hours is our limit here, usually less. We hit rope drop and stay until dinner time.

We HAVE done full days, but I don't find it enjoyable. There plenty of stuff to do at the resort and it's fun to take advantage of swimming when possible.

Would you be willing to separate? Seems like the 5 year old would be the hardest, maybe some could go back to the resort, leaving older kids (or grownups) at the parks? (Don't know where you're staying and if that's possible).

I will say that Disney is the place where you need a vacation after your vacation if you go-go-go!!