Is 10 days too long?

[mannasn]

Well, my family has me terrified.

We're planning our first trip to Disney... heck, our first family vacation ever. It will be myself (28), DH, and our two boys (7 and 4). We're flying down and staying 11 days/10 nights at ASMo.

Everyone (non Disney nuts) says that 10 days is way too long and we'll be exhausted rather than having a good time.

What do you pros think? Should I shorten up the stay?

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Just did 11 days in December 05 and it was great. As long as you take at least one day to relax and let the kids rejuvinate then you should have a great time. We had DD9 and DN10 and they were pretty worn out but they still had a great time.

 

[TMJR]

That would be my DREAM! I think on the contrary, the 10 days will give you plenty of time to relax and recharge during your vacation. We have always gone for a week, but this year we are eeking out 8 days...I am absolutely looking forward to the extra day of "down time".

I say go for it...it sounds awesome!

 

[Pinnochio]

two words
too short

 

[mjmcca]

With all of those days you have plenty of time to stop and smell the roses. Make sure you plan time for rest every day come back to the room and nap or swim. You will have a blast!

 

[richard_andmel]

First of all, don't take advice from people who don't really care about WDW, and probably know nothing about it.

When are you going? My advice about when to take your rest time depends on that a little bit...

Mel

 

[jimmiej]

Our longest trip so far has been nine days. It was very relaxing. No need to rush. We went to Epcot four times! Our next trip is 12 days (including our first Disney cruise) and I'm thinking about adding one day on the front, depending on whether SWA flights are cheaper, better flight times a day earlier. Ten days sounds great to me!

 

[Daxx]

Every summer, we do 10 days at WDW. We stay "on campus". Sometimes we rent a car, sometimes we don't.

W/a rental car and 10 days, we don't feel bad skipping a hot afternoon to hit the outlet mall. In turn, if we don't have a rental car, we don't feel bad going back to our resort to cool off in the room, take a swim, etc. We also don't feel bad if we only spend a few hours in one park then hop to another. The longer vaca. allows us to really relax and not feel like we have to "cram" everything in.

Having more days allows us more option time. For example, we might hit the campfire movie one night instead of staying late in the parks. Or, we might decide to resort hop and check out the shops and atmospheres that each resort has to offer. **NOTE: We do NOT pool hop -- we just check out the lobbies of the resorts and the shops exclusive to those resorts. We might take a walk around the pool area, but we DO NOT go swimming at any other resorts!** We don't feel bad missing a late night in the parks, knowing that we'll have more late-nights to come.

We just did 5 days a few weeks ago ... and we found that we tried to spend every minute in the parks, rather than take a more relaxed pace. We felt almost obligated to get as much park time in as possible b/c our vaca. was significantly shorter.

Personally, there's no such thing as spending too much time at WDW! I could be there for 2 months and still wouldn't have enough time!! lol!

 

[Servants of Evan]

We're going down for 11 days, 10 nights at the WL. When are you going?

 

[Bobbysdog]

It's all about going at a pace that the whole family is comfortable with. We've gone down for as short as four days (wayyyyy too short!) and we've gone down two seperate times for 17 days each. The first time we did a two week plus trip, DD was 6, and we used the extra time to go at a leisurely pace and enjoy ourselves.

The key here is to not ignore what your bodies are trying to tell you. If everyone is having trouble getting going on a certain morning, then don't rush! Or, if you do have to be somewhere at a certain time, then cut the day short and go sit by the pool or in your hotel room for a couple of hours.

We went in September for 17 days and 16 nights, and we still didn't do nearly everything we wanted to in WDW. Keep in mind that while ten days may seem like a lot, it really isn't, and as long as you go into your vacation understanding that you won't see everything, you'll handle the stress much better and the vacation will be more relaxing.

One scheduling tip we've found; don't plan to be somewhere later than what your kids are used to in the evening and then make early plans the next morning. That will catch up with your kids (and quite possibly the adults as well) sooner than you think.

Hope this helps!

 

[tazleiten12]

The longest i have gone is 15 days, and i could have stayed at least 15 more!

 

[Disneyfun1]

I think 10-11 days is just perfect.

We have done it and its great!!

You can go to the parks when you want and not feel rushed. You can take your time to look in the shops, do a ride or two, switch to another park, or even relaz in your room with the time you have.

You will have a great time!!!

 

[drteeth3]

10 Days is great. you can do anything you want at any time. You dont have to feel like you have to go to a park and kill yourself trying to see everything. People have said to us, "10 days you are crazy" and they are the ones who dont know how to see disney the right way. And thats take your time and make sure you relax and dont get bent out of shape when things dont work out 100% like you planned.

 

[tzuhouse]

Well, my family has me terrified.

We're planning our first trip to Disney... heck, our first family vacation ever. It will be myself (28), DH, and our two boys (7 and 4). We're flying down and staying 10 days/11 nights at ASMo.

Everyone (non Disney nuts) says that 10 days is way too long and we'll be exhausted rather than having a good time.

What do you pros think? Should I shorten up the stay?

Everyone told me the same thing about 11 days being WAY too long, especially when my children are 6 and 4. We got home on 12/14 and were ready to go back on 12/15. I'm still trying to come up with some way we can go back this year.

Have a blast and don't listen to those who are trying to make you change your plans. I'd go back for another 11 days tomorrow, if I had the money!

Mary

 

[mannasn]

I'm glad to hear so much positive input! Thanks, yall!

That's what I was hoping to hear - we are planning on such a long trip so that we can take things at a slower pace... actually see some of the things we want to see, but not feel so "rushed" (commando?) in the process.

We're headed down May 7-17! Can't wait!

 

[Family Fun Mom]

We were there for 8 nights on our first trip. We were no where near ready to leave on our last day. We wanted MORE!



We plan to stay for 10 nights next time. I can't wait!

 

[graygables]

I also think 10 days is a good number. If we have a longer trip, I try to schedule days with no parks, just hanging out at the resort, pool, DTD, Disney Quest, whatever strikes our fancy. We rarely leave the property, though. In the planning, a late night (say, Illuminations, or an EMH) is followed by a late morning or an unscheduled day. With 10 days, you really feel like you've had a chance to experience quite a bit, you're not as harried racing from attraction to attraction, and you will be able to pace yourselves much better. I still do full park days, to take full advantage of our passes. We tend to park hop mid-afternoon, so DDs have a chance to sit and rest while we get to the next park. That's usually enough for them (and us) to recharge and hit it for the evening. Also, we do a sit down dinner in our evening park, which is more rest. I save the out of park dining for our 'days off'.

 

[pepperw23]

Well, my family has me terrified.

We're planning our first trip to Disney... heck, our first family vacation ever. It will be myself (28), DH, and our two boys (7 and 4). We're flying down and staying 11 days/10 nights at ASMo.

Everyone (non Disney nuts) says that 10 days is way too long and we'll be exhausted rather than having a good time.

What do you pros think? Should I shorten up the stay?

Too long????? No way man!! LOL. Disney is what we are in to around here. Probably the people who say that are not in to it....I will never understand that.. . Anyway, Lots of people on here go longer than that, and they seem to fill up the days. It gives you more time to go at your own pace. Have fun you lucky duck.

 

[huskermouse]

three words
i'm so jealous

 

[chop456]

10 days will be great! You can visit all the parks and really see and do everything you want! Also, you can take "rest" days, waterpark days, special activity days (pirate cruise, etc.) Enjoy!

I am taking DS6 this summer for 12 days and cannot wait. We can take our time at the parks and have fun!