Is two days too short?

[AJA]

We just got back from a three day trip, Thurs night - Monday early morning, and it was fantastic! One of our best trips. My vote is to go for it.

 

[Accident]

I'd rather go 2 days than no days. Everyone has their time and budget constraints to work around.

 

[scrapquitler]

Is two days too short? We have been getting the Disney itch.

Our last trips were late January 2012 and 2014 both 7 day trips with all 5 of us. Kids are now 13, 11, 9.

Every summer my in-laws take our 3 kids for a weekend and take them out of town. During this time DW and I have gone to NYC for the past 2 years. I have been toying with idea of the two of us going to Disney, the only problem it would be a short trip. Arrive late(10pm) on Thursday have all day Friday and Saturday and then fly back early Sunday(8am). Is this too short of a trip? We will be without the kids so we could hit our favorite rides and probably see/do things we wouldn’t normally get the chance with kids in tow.

The cost to go for room only discount, park tickets w/PH, and then OOP food would be on par with a trip to NYC(food, a broadway show, hotel). Our flights would be covered under some CC reward points.


Am I crazy? We have been eyeballing a trip in December with the free dining, but the cost is kind of prohibitive at the moment.

We did a Thursday night to Sunday night adults only trip back in January. We did MK/Epcot both days, and we had a blast. We did all our favorite things and we did some things that we couldn't/wouldn't do with the kids (drinking around the world at Epcot, hanging out at Trader Sams). We had APs, so our cost was room/flight/food. We spent about $1500 total.

I would definitely do it again if we had the opportunity.

 

[Tattylou]

We are planning to do a trip in December for 3 days from Boston with our kids, ages 6 and 8 by then. We've been to WDW a bunch so we know what we want to hit and are realistic about what can get done, seen, etc in a short time frame. We are arriving Weds night at 10pm...Thurs, Fri, Sat at parks.. . flying home Sunday morning. I say go for it!!

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Is two days too short? We have been getting the Disney itch.

Our last trips were late January 2012 and 2014 both 7 day trips with all 5 of us. Kids are now 13, 11, 9.

Every summer my in-laws take our 3 kids for a weekend and take them out of town. During this time DW and I have gone to NYC for the past 2 years. I have been toying with idea of the two of us going to Disney, the only problem it would be a short trip. Arrive late(10pm) on Thursday have all day Friday and Saturday and then fly back early Sunday(8am). Is this too short of a trip? We will be without the kids so we could hit our favorite rides and probably see/do things we wouldn’t normally get the chance with kids in tow.

The cost to go for room only discount, park tickets w/PH, and then OOP food would be on par with a trip to NYC(food, a broadway show, hotel). Our flights would be covered under some CC reward points.


Am I crazy? We have been eyeballing a trip in December with the free dining, but the cost is kind of prohibitive at the moment.

We did this once for a Star Wars Weekend trip. We hit MK, EP, DHS that trip. Totally worth it!

ETA: Come to think of it, we also did it another time just to sample all the Christmas atmosphere -- did all 4 parks that time -- also worth it!

 

[uccats97]

Sitting at MCO as I write this...my flight landed at 11:40am yesterday and leaves at 8:30pm tonight. Yesterday I did HS, Epcot and MK. Today was AK, Epcot and MK. It's so worth it and tons of fun. Do it!

 

[skuttle]

We normally do 7+ day trips. We did a shorter trip in December with (3 1/2 park days) for Osborne lights and enjoyed it. We have now planned an even shorter trip for October to do MNSSHP. We are doing the party on arrival day, a non-park day to enjoy the resort, then a MK day. That's it. It'll be hard not to go to our fav, AK, but we are staying at the contemporary so figured we'd keep things near there. Debated about trying to do 4 parks in one day, but our youngest kids are still a little too young for that.

 

[CarolynFH]

DH and I did a last-minute quickie trip for what turned out to be the last Star Wars Weekend and had a wonderful time. I'd say go for it - child free trips are amazing!

 

[SirMickey]

I've gone before for only two days and, of course, it was worth every minute. Do it!

 

[RCMommy]

I'd rather go 2 days than no days. Everyone has their time and budget constraints to work around.

This!

 

[angierae]

We did two days in 2013 - we came in Sunday and went to MNSSHP, and then spent all day Monday in the parks. I got a hopper because we wanted to go to MK in the morning to meet Peter Pan (DD hadn't met him yet) but I wanted to spend most of the day at Hollywood Studios, since we'd just been at MK for the party. We ended up hopping back to MK after F!. It made for a super long exhausting day, but I don't regret doing it.

However, I keep thinking about booking a weekend for my birthday this year (Friday-Monday, Sat/Sun in the parks) and whenever i look at how much it would cost, I blanch. Somehow spending $5k for a week doesn't seem unreasonable, but $1200-1300 (depending on flight costs) for two days in the parks is just too much for me.

 

[noblemaidenfair]

Thanks all for the replies.

The real issue I could see is being able to hit the favorites at the different parks so park hopper is a must, but I fear how much time we would waste shuttling to the other park.

AK we could easily skip, but HS I love the tower of terror and she loves the Rockin Rollercoaster, plus Star Tours
MK - Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain,
Epcot - Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, then the countries we were never able to see with the kids

I think it's absolutely worth it. DD13 and I are doing this two weeks from today (We'll have all day Thursday, though). It's just a Band-Aid until our full trip next year. Because of the shuttling issue, we decided to splurge and book GF because of the monorail. We have FPs early in the day for the must-rides and are at peace with the idea that we'll either have to get the 4th FP or wait in line for anything else. We did get the park hopper so we can hit whatever we want whenever we can, but didn't get a dining plan because I didn't want to be subject to reservations (except I did get BOG!). Good luck!

 

[loves to dive]

Since your plane tickets are free and you say it would be around the same cost you've been spending to go to NYC, I would say go for it. You can even hit all 4 parks no problem and not be rushed. Given the few must dos you have on your list, those can be done with a rope drop and FPs for the afternoon. I actually accidently hit 3 parks one day with no FPs and just kind of wandering around doing what I wanted to do. I was at AK for rope drop (I don't normally do rope drop but I also don't sleep late no matter if I'm on vacation or not, it's the curse of getting older) grabbed a muffin and coffee at the little stand by Safari since I didn't want to fight the made rush at rope drop, enjoyed that then rode Safari, went to EE and rode it (in all fairness I did that in the single rider line), walked both trails and walked around Africa and Asia, I left around 11 or so and hopped a bus to HS. Grabbed some lunch, rode GMR, ToT and watched Indiana Jones. I'm not a fan of RnRC or Star Tours and just wasn't in the mood for TSMM that day. Walked around the back lot for awhile and grabbed a cookie at Writer's stop. Hopped on a boat to YC/BC (I was staying there) and then walked over to IG at Epcot. Wandered around WS until about 8:30 and walked back to my room. It was during F&W so I grabbed something to eat at the booths (and maybe a drink or two). It was all done very leisurely and unplanned.

 

[china mom]

It is supposed to rain all day in MD on Sat so the plan is to hop on a 6:15 fligh, grab a rental car and get to EPCOT by 9:15. DD, my friend and I will enjoy our last time at 2016 F&G Festival and hop on the 7:10 flight home. This is contingent on the flight loads staying light enough to get on standby.

Did the same thing last weekend, but alone, and it was worth it.

 

[BusyP76]

I would do disneyland in that scenario.

I agree with this! If you are just wanting some Disney "magic" and not wanting to stay at a specific resort, attend a specific event (like F&W), see something park specific (River of Light at AK) or have a specific ADR in mind (V&A, Cali Grill during wishes) then Disneyland is a perfect two day trip! The weather is pretty much always fantastic, everything is super close together, Califorinia Adventure has some pretty cool rides like California Screamin' and Radiator Springs Racers, and it's a really laid back vibe with a unique but equally "Disney" feel. World of Color is one of the most jaw-dropping shows I've ever seen in a Disney park...or anywhere. There is so much to see and do that would fill a weekend perfectly without you feeling like you are running from one place to another the whole time. We love both parks but if your worried that you will feel like there is so much you would miss out on with such a short trip at WDW, I think Disneyland would be a great alternative for you. We used to think Disneyland was just the B plan to WDW and then we actually went. We love it equally in a completely different way!!

 

[Micca]

I think it sounds great! My only caveat: The moment you board the plane to return home, be prepared for obsessive planning for any way possible to return to WDW WITH the kids ASAP.

 

[Roop]

I would only say it's too short for a newbie! They would be totally overwhelmed, if you have been a few times, go for it!!!! Especially if the alternative is to not go.

 

[mm1971]

Hold on....A few days, without kids, in Disney? Just wanted to make sure I heard right. Of course it's worth it. I'd already be booking the ADR's and FP+. Two days without travel on either is plenty of time to get a quick shot of pixie dust. Have a great time!

 

[Princess_Kirky]

Thanks all for the replies.

The real issue I could see is being able to hit the favorites at the different parks so park hopper is a must, but I fear how much time we would waste shuttling to the other park.

AK we could easily skip, but HS I love the tower of terror and she loves the Rockin Rollercoaster, plus Star Tours
MK - Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain,
Epcot - Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, then the countries we were never able to see with the kids

You can easily do one day for DHS and Epcot in this scenario. Rope Drop DHS and use your FP+ for rides at Epcot. Taking the boat to the WS from DHS is a nice ride - yes, it takes time but it's a nice rest and relaxing. Then rope drop MK and maybe hop over to EP for evening entertainment via the Monorail. Dinner and Illuminations!

Of course, like others have stated, DLR can be done as well. I would go there over WDW as well but I do understand that flights are more expensive from some locales. Flying from MSP to LAX is easily twice as expensive at flying to MCO. The transport is so much faster - AKA you can walk everywhere and the parks in general are more walk-able so you can get to attractions faster. The old FP system is easy to work with and you don't have limits on top tier attractions and such.

 

[lustergirl]

I have done it. Took the late flight on Friday night. Spent Saturday and Sunday in the parks and then took the late flight home on Sunday. I kind of enjoy these short trips.