Is 4 park days enough?

[DisneyElite4]

Haven't visited DL since 2011. This time we will have our three kids, 7, 5 and 5.

We will be there Sunday, April 19-Friday, April 25. This is the week after Easter - I chose this week because I read that there might be longer hours and more entertainment scheduled. We are staying at GCV and will arrive Sunday around noon and leave late in the afternoon Friday. Right now we are not planning any parks on Sunday or Friday. We were going to visit Downtown Disney, swim, unpack, possibly do a character meal, etc.

Will 4 park days be enough with 3 small-ish children? I suppose we could go on Sunday and Friday as well, but with two flights, a layover, etc. I think we will have enough on our plates for arrival and departure days. My kids are great little travelers and can handle long days in the parks easily, however, we move slow and we stop a lot for snacks and characters. When we visited in 2011 4 park days was perfect - but that was just me and DH.

 

[VandVsmama]

4 park days is great! you'll have a wonderful time!

 

[avalon451]

That should be perfect. You can take your time and see as much as you want to, and still take midday breaks so the littles can recharge. I'd suggest checking out Disneyland Daily's guides to the parks for Big Kids or Little Kids. She's got great plans that she tries out every month or so to make sure they still work well. Here's a link to the DL strategies HERE; and she has other links to the California Adventure similar strategies. She's got great tips on her website, too.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Adding a 5th day is so cheap that if you decided you wanted to, you could just upgrade the ticket while you’re there and go on Friday - you can just see how the week is going and decide what you want to do! I don’t think there’s a benefit to doing it in advance; someone correct me if I’m wrong!

 

[Plip]

You might consider what the cost difference actually is between 4-day and 5-day tickets. Even if you buy they directly from Disney, the 5-day is only $15 more than the 4-day. And I've seen then on discount sites for as little as $3 (that deal was on Last Minute Travel, which is currently out of stock, though).

It might be worth having that extra day, even if it's just so you have the option to go back on Friday morning, to buy souvenirs or to ride that favorite attraction just one more time. To me, given what you're already spending on the vacation, it's a small price to pay for that flexibility.

 

[Plip]

Adding a 5th day is so cheap that if you decided you wanted to, you could just upgrade the ticket while you’re there and go on Friday - you can just see how the week is going and decide what you want to do! I don’t think there’s a benefit to doing it in advance; someone correct me if I’m wrong!

That's a great point -- you still do have flexibility to add the fifth day, even if you initially just buy the 4-day pass.

Possible benefits to doing it in advance might be that you don't need to go to the ticket booth and wait in line there on Thursday afternoon (or whenever you decide you want to do it), and, if you use a discount site to buy your tickets, it would save a little bit of money.

But, of course, there's value in not doing it in advance, too, because you wouldn't be committing the money in case you decide not to go on Friday (and there are certainly other things to do on Friday -- the pool, Downtown Disney, and even something like a beach outing).

 

[tink89]

yes that should be enough. In two days we can actually do everything but we prefer 3 to take it slowly. Take advantage of EMH and use Max pass. Plan out our days a bit so you have some sort of idea of what you will be doing. Every trip I ask the people going what is a must do, what they would like to do, and what they don't care if we miss. every time we go its a different list and I plan our days around that.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I like the idea of keeping the option open for a fifth day, just in case. That way, if the entertainment schedule changes before your trip, you'll still have that extra day for a nighttime show do-over. If fireworks get cancelled and you need to try one more night, there's your extra day. If the kids really want to ride their favorites one or two more times, extra day! Or if you want to end the trip with a dining package or character meal or something special, you'll have that flexibility.

 

[VandVsmama]

We did a 5-day trip once a couple of years ago. It is one of my favorite DL trips because we were able to tour the parks at a leisurely pace and thoroughly enjoy some of the aspects of the parks that we usually overlook. We took afternoon hotel breaks each day. It was a wonderful vacation.

 

[EmJ]

I’m planning what is essentially a four-day trip with our five year old. (There is a fifth half-day, but it’s mostly going to be walking through the castle, maybe one or two rides, and getting our bearings before we head off to dinner.) I also built in a long mid-day break each day, which it sounds like your kids might not need. I feel like we will get to see and do all of the rides that we want to, but I haven’t planned on any parades or evening activities. I also put ROTR in the “if we have time and it makes sense” category, as we plan to return in 2021 and can ride then.

 

[MonocularVision]

The answer to the question “Is N days long enough for a Disneyland trip?” will always be answered with “N + 1 would be better!” around here.

 

[Plip]

The answer to the question “Is N days long enough for a Disneyland trip?” will always be answered with “N + 1 would be better!” around here.

Yeah, but isn't it kind of like asking if four pieces of bacon is enough? Well, yes, on some level I suppose four is enough. But N+1 bacon is always better.

 

[avalon451]

The answer to the question “Is N days long enough for a Disneyland trip?” will always be answered with “N + 1 would be better!” around here.

Kind of like the answer to the frequently asked question: "I can only get there for a day (or for 1 evening)- is it worth it?" Around here, it's always a resounding YES!

Face it, we're a bunch of Disney enablers.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... Face it, we're a bunch of Disney enablers.

With LOTS of seriously cute Disney stuff! (And always on the lookout for more...)

 

[tarheelalum]

The more the better. I'm in the middle of a 13 day trip to Disneyland and I'd like a few more days. More is always better at Disneyland.

 

[Captainkidd76]

Here's the way I look at Disneyland, based on our 1st visit last year. Yup, 4 days is more than enough, but we could easily spend 7 or 8 days there. We did 5 last year and wished we had done more. We did everything at least once, and all of our favorites a few times. The rerideability of the attractions at Disneyland is very high.

 

[DisneyElite4]

Thanks everyone! Great advice here.

As much as I wish we could stay longer, we are using a TON of our DVC points for the room, so 5 nights is all we can do. We definitely plan to come back in a few years - that trip will have DL as a small stop on a much bigger road trip, and will include other spots of interest in California. This trip is all about DL, specifically DL attractions and experiences that we don't have at our WDW "home." We don't even plan on visiting Galaxy's Edge at DL - my kids would never do ROTR as they don't like drops, and we will see the rest of GE on our WDW trip in 2 days. My kids won't do GOTG or the IncrediCoaster, but everything else is a must. I think we will probably spend a ton of time in Fantasyland and Radiator Springs on this trip - and doing all the character meets, as the kids are still really into that and don't mind waiting to meet them. We love parades and fireworks, and my kids can wait a long time for these things also.

I think I'll probably just go ahead and get a fifth day if the cost difference isn't too high. I like the idea of just a small visit on the first or last day, depending on how we are feeling and what rides and/or shows we may want to do again. What's the recommendation for best character meal outside of the parks on arrival or departure day?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... What's the recommendation for best character meal outside of the parks on arrival or departure day?

The answer to this depends on your preference. Goofy's is the only character meal that does dinner. Lots of people here like to kick off their trips with dinner there -- a great way to get the magic rolling before your first day in the parks! Donald's is the only character meal that has Stitch -- a natural choice then if Stitch is a favorite character for your family! Storyteller's is usually voted Best Food. The Princess Breakfast at NR is a very luxurious splurge ($$$) -- reviews here say that the experience can be a little uneven, but the character interaction is fantastic.

 

[jbh275]

4 is the perfect amount, espectiall with a down day or two in the middle. We love 6 days with 2 down days for DTD, swimming, beach day. But 4 is perfect.

 

[Becca1007]

Buy the 4 day pass and then add the 5th day on if it makes sense for you. The cost for day 5 is slim in comparison to the other days. Also since you are staying onsite you have access to the EMH at both parks which is when you can ride a TON of rides. So even on your last day you could hit a lot of your favorites one last time.
I take my little guy (4yo) and he has loved our 5 day trip but also loves our quick 2 day trips too. Its just that on a 5 day you can move at a more leisurely pace and repeat the favorites over and over and over again (12 rides on TSMM on our last 2 day trip LOL )