Is 5 days enough for you?

[Disnsyncey]

I always say "oh, I want to go to Universal to see the new stuff" but then when I plan out my days, and then think of the extra expense like park hoppers or APs already "invested" in Disney versus completely new tickets for Universal and needing to be onsite for the express pass there, Disney is much cheaper for me......you mention money is a bit tight, I would go with the other posters and add a day or 2 to the park hoppers for a small price rather than "investing" a larger amount in Universal tickets.....

Since Universal can be "done" in a smaller amount of time, save some money stay on property and do a long weekend for an anniversary!

I can "do" Disney in 4-5 days, but do I WANT to? Not really.....I want to be able to ride my favorite rides a few times, relax around the parks and hotel, be spontaneous! If I restricted my time to 4 days, it really would be tiring and rushed....its your honeymoon, enjoy it!

 

[loves to dive]

I often do 5 days, I currently have an AP but before that I always got PHs. DS, DIL and I tend to do the easy WDW style, I book FP for just the rides that are must dos for us, which really isn't that many then if we ride something else, we are good if not, we are good. We tend to not book at lot of ADRs in advance and just sort of wing it, going to GS at some point during the day and finding out what is available, another advantage to PHs, you aren't tied to one park for food. We like to spend mornings in one park, and late afternoon/evenings in another. DS is a disabled Navy vet, has a back injury that requires him to take a break every day for about 2 hours to just get some down time and we still find 5 days plenty. I would run the numbers since you are budget minded and see which option makes more sense financially and go from there. Are you going to move off Disney property and onto Universal for your other nights? How does that cost compare? We have only done Universal once, for two days and that was years ago before they added the whole Harry Potter stuff, frankly we were a little disappointed and swore never to waste what could be WDW time there again. That is just us though, we love the disney bubble. We are lucky enough to live in Georgia and driving distance and have been going at least every other year for over 30 years so we pretty much know what we like.

 

[Ceryssa]

I think it depends on a lot of factors. Have you been before? Are you wanting a nonstop-type trip or are you wanting to relax more? Is budget an issue?

If you haven't been before (or in a long time) I'd say no, it's not enough time. Especially if you stay somewhere with a nice pool you might want to enjoy. Also keep in mind there's LOTS of things outside the parks to see and do--since you won't have kids with you, you might want to do a nice signature dinner one night, or visit Jellyrolls. These kinds of things will take time away from your park time.

If you're wanting to do any relaxing/have some downtime during the trip, I think doing 6 straight days of parks is a little much. And if you save Universal til the end of your trip, I think you might find yourselves too tired to really give it the time to see everything--especially because just like Disney, although you can hit the highlights in a short amount of time, one day really isn't enough time (this is based on what I've read and heard though, I haven't actually been to Universal yet, so take that into consideration--although based on research I've done I'm pretty confident saying that).

If budget is an issue, as mentioned it'll cost a lot more to add a day at Universal than at Disney--especially because, if you want to see both parks, you'll need park-to-park admission which basically doubles your ticket cost. Then if you want the express pass (which if you're trying to do most of it in one day I think you'd need) that's additional cost, as well. Plus you'll need to think about food, which obviously won't be covered by your Disney dining plan (assuming you'd be getting one). You could be looking at quite an extra bit of cash just for one day.

Personally, I would stick with just Disney. Either add a 6th day there, or take a day to relax. Either way, have fun planning and enjoy your honeymoon!

 

[CounselorX]

It all depends on your style. Our first trip was 5 days straight of park days. We were very worn out by the end of the trip because we packed everything into those 5 days and rushed and rode all the headliners as many times as we could. Our 2nd and 3rd trips were 7 or 8 days a piece, to allow for a couple rest days in between the park days. We were more rested at the end of those trips, but we still left wishing we could stay longer, so this next trip we'll be there for 14 nights which will allow us to hit each park twice, plus have several rest/leisure/resort hop/watercraft rental/water park days or whatever we feel like doing in the moment.

I also really want to visit Universal because I have never been, but I know that I'm going to have to dedicate 3 to 4 days to *just* Universal in order to make it enjoyable and cost effective. We almost went to Universal as a spur-of-the-moment type thing on one of our past trips to WDW and after realizing it would be several hundred dollars in expenses (for just 2 people) to just go for 1 day, I decided against it. I would want to stay on-site to get all those added benefits and also visit both Universal parks 1 to 2 times each, depending on what we decide we like if we ever finally decide to go. The hard part about going there is knowing that you're sacrificing more time that you could have spent in WDW

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I think it depends on how you look at it. It five days is all you have then five days is better than none. But if you can try for longer

 

[scoobydooby]

I have found 9 park days, including Disney Springs, is the minimum I need not including water parks. With both of them and a trip to the mall it has to be 13 and Universal is 4 nights (3-4 days). We do travel from the UK though and flights are a horrible price; not worth it for a few days. I did enjoy my last short trip which was 9 days with just my DD. Also my first ever trip we just did 4 days and I still loved that! There were no water parks or AK in those days though. We did a day at each Disney park and a day at Universal Studios. In 28 days we go again. Five days at Universal staying at the HRH Club Level then 14 days at OKW in a one bed villa. I cannot wait! If you've got 6 days I would dump Universal. It's a minimum of a two day resort nowadays and ideally three. Have a lovely time. I also honeymooned in Orlando.

 

[Accident]

Anyone that's been to WDW will all say a week or more if you really want to take it all in and not run around like a maniac. Most people think the 4 parks is WDW but that's just a small fraction of what is on property to enjoy. There will be mother nature, there will be ride fixes, there will be crowds. More time offers a more relaxed, enjoy where you are and enjoy the different options available both inside and outside of the park. We like having the flexibility that we can shift our schedule at any time.

If 5 days is what you can afford either budget or time wise, it'll be a wonderful trip just go in knowing that your going to learn everything else you want to see your next trip and enjoy your time together and take it all in. Essentially on a 5 day trip, pick the 3-4 things that are must do for that day and if lucky you'll get them in plus enjoying the place and maybe a few extras. You really need at least 2 days in each park to almost see it all at a casual not regret it when you leave pace.

Figure for every day you can add to your 5 days is more and more honeymoon like resort options without taking away from the parks and what they have to offer. There's beaches, "dinner cruises", some really nice dress up and be adult dining options, and each resort is very different from each other and they all offer something unique that isn't just for families.

For universal, skip it for a 5 day trip unless thrill rides is really important. If you do plan to head here, I would recommend at minimum of 2 full days and stay overnight there. Their website sucks in this respect but you get park tickets with your hotel and unless you go really fancy, it's much cheaper to just stay there 1 night for the 2 days of park tickets and extras that actually cost more than some of the hotel rooms. Also from an adult pespective, city walk is really interesting but not sure i'd call it honeymoon interesting unless that's your style.

 

[scoobydooby]

You don't automatically get park tickets by staying in a Universal hotel (although you can buy a package). What you automatically get is front of line passes for the day of and day after each night you stay. You still have to buy the theme park admission separately. Still a great deal compared to a Disney hotel and FPP.

 

[Accident]

You don't automatically get park tickets by staying in a Universal hotel (although you can buy a package). What you automatically get is front of line passes for the day of and day after each night you stay. You still have to buy the theme park admission separately. Still a great deal compared to a Disney hotel and FPP.

I didn't realize that was a deal package we looked at, thanks for clarifying. It was still a cost savings vs what we spent for the day when we priced staying there for a future trip.

 

[Annadesu]

Here's more info... Thanks for all the tips, folks!

We have been to Disney before, but the last time we went it was several years ago, with a large group of people, all of whom were extremely slow (as in, we would wake up at 8am and not leave the hotel until noon because they weren't 'ready yet'. Drove us absolutely nuts. We like to GO in the morning). They were also not done with Fantasy Land yet, and it was hard to get around that area... Thunder Mountain Railroad and Test Track were closed for renovation, so that sucked.

The main reason I wanted to go to Universal was for the Harry Potter world... but they ARE building the park in California, near where my family lives. So I guess if we don't go now, we could always visit her and see it then. I assume it's going to be very similar to the Florida version?

We are going to arrive on the 16th of May, leave on the 23rd. I wasn't sure if we should use the 16th as one of our park days, because it would be a "half day" because of the plane trip. But I guess we could add it on when we get there... Blarg. This is really making me think!

 

[kerplop]

I could do the parks in 5 days, but we also like to swim, eat off-site, and otherwise explore all of WDW. So for me it could be done, but I'd greatly prefer not to.

 

[SillySallySews]

The main reason I wanted to go to Universal was for the Harry Potter world... but they ARE building the park in California, near where my family lives. So I guess if we don't go now, we could always visit her and see it then. I assume it's going to be very similar to the Florida version?

Hubby and I are HUGE Harry Potter fans. So last week while at Disney we decided to leave our kids with my parents for a day and go to Universal, just the two of us. Our main reason was to see Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Both were just as amazing as you could dream, but when it was all said and done we really wished we would've just gone to a Disney park alone instead. It took us about four hours to explore everything Harry Potter (and like an hour of that was waiting for lockers to store stuff to go on the rides, which was crazy annoying) and then we spent the rest of the day walking around. It was just ok. There is nothing there tied to anything nostalgic for us like there is at Disney, and we are not thrill ride people. We spent $300 to get in (no express pass 'cause we used military tickets and thought it was already expensive), $125 on two fast food type meals (although I guess they do have a dining plan), and I haven't even tallied up how much we spent on wands and minion souvenirs to take home to our kids because I'm scared to figure it out. Everything felt outrageously overpriced even for a theme park, and we are not normally people who fuss about the cost of things on vacation but this was just ridiculous. If they were building a Harry Potter park by my house any time soon I would rather spend time at Disney while in FL and try Harry Potter locally instead. I will say though that Universal has Disney beat on the parking situation and the idea of having misting fans blowing on you while you're waiting in line is genius! But Universal, for us, was most likely a first and last time thing.

 

[Accident]

We are going to arrive on the 16th of May, leave on the 23rd. I wasn't sure if we should use the 16th as one of our park days, because it would be a "half day" because of the plane trip. But I guess we could add it on when we get there... Blarg. This is really making me think!

I do this no matter how long I plan. Prior to getting an annual pass (just got one) we would leave a couple days of tickets we weren't sure if we would use off. 5th day seems the sweet spot where tickets go flat rate of $10 per person, per day and it's the same price to add on more days later. We then decide once there what we want to do that first day. If we start our tickets early, we only add on at the end when we know we're going in. We've saved enough doing this that it's helped doing somethign else while there.

 

[Kellie Howdoyousayit]

I was thinking only 4 days this time...Maybe I should be reconsider. Last time we did 6 days....and felt that 6 was too many. Eeek. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

 

[vanyel]

Ask a question and get as many different answers as the number of people posting .

For my dh and I, a lot older than you, 5 days are not enough. We love down time at our resort, eating TS, and we go on the rides from thrill to relaxing. We considered adding on universal this trip but I couldn't figure a way to do all that wanted at wdw and fit universal in. Plus, getting a 7 day ticket wasn't much more than a 4 and sometimes, we pop in to a park just to eat and wander around. Though if we see a short line, we probably jump on that as well. So, my opinion, read all the responses, and then figure out what works best for you.

 

[snoopy5386]

Wow I can't believe how many people say 5 days is not enough, especially for 2 adults! We are DVCers so we go yearly, but we never stay longer than 6 days. At this point I could do everything I wanted to do in the parks in 3 well planned days - 1 for MK, 1 for Epcot and a half each for HS and AK. I think 5 park days are plenty, especially since AK and HS are more of half day parks. Those park days should leave you with time to relax, swim at the resort, have a nice dinner, etc. The water parks are nice (we just did them last week), but they don't scream "Disney".

If you are planning kids in the near future, I would do Universal now. It's not a small kid friendly park and having done it a couple of years ago with my 2 and 6 year olds (so mom and dad could see Harry Potter), we won't be going again until they are old enough to really enjoy HP and the thrill rides and most importantly be tall enough to ride everything. It really wasn't worth it IMO for our family, we had a MUCH better time at UNI when we went pre-kids. Both times we did Universal off site with no express pass and it was fine. We were able to hit all the highlights that we wanted and had a great day. Definitely worth it.

 

[TagsMissy]

The hubby and I are taking a "very late honeymoon" trip to Disneyworld in May (not the holiday weekend, don't worry). We were planning to do 5 days at Disney, and 1 day at one of Universal's parks. We don't have kids yet, so there's no restrictions in that area.

I was thinking 1 day for each park, and then 1 extra day for "leftovers" would be enough. But my husband thinks we should just do 6 days at the park, and skip Universal.

WWYD?

Honestly we're at WDW for a week after a week long cruise and I'm feeling anxious that's not long enough. We usually do 10-12 day trips every year or so. I ended up bringing us in a couple days before our cruise just so we could add on a bit more park time. We are kidless as well and so we can go at our own pace. Personally I'd follow your husband's suggestion but keep in mind there's no way you'll see it all in that time

Our first trip back in '98 we stayed for 4 nights, so had 5 days in the parks and boy were we in for a shock being used to going to DL (which was just the one park back then). We basically had a day per park plus some extra time at MK on our last day. We were exhausted by the end as we tried to get it all in but there's no way. Heck how many trips later we've still not done it all! We do take things more easy now though that we own DVC. Definitely move at our own pace which is why the longer trips work for us.

 

[Kathryn777]

I agree with US being good to do now if you're planning on kids. We haven't been because it isn't as good for our kids. Wish we'd gone before them.

We do 8 days. I find it difficult to not feel aggravated by the heat, the crowds etc when we do shorter trips because I try to plan to do too much. But if this is likely to be your only trip (and you don't mind the extra cost) I'd do 5 and 1 at universal.

 

[sophiasapientia]

Five days is technically enough for us but not without sacrifice. Our family really needs at least 1.5-2 full days at Magic Kingdom and 1-1.5 days at Epcot. Everything else works around that. If we go to Universal, it means that we'd skip one of the remaining WDW parks on a short trip. However, we are Disney fanatics and vacation there often. If it was a once or twice in a lifetime kind of trip, I think I'd want more than 5 days.

 

[hicksnichols]

We do 4 days with 2 kids! It's really plenty but we could always go more.