Probably the stupidest question imaginable...

[Trina7020]

But I have been looking over all the maps and such trying to plan out our "must sees"...

Is there really enough to do in the 4 main theme parks (We don't plan on Water Parks this trip) to keep us busy for 5 full days and 2 half days.....

It looks like some place like Six Flags actually has more rides.


Please forgive the Disney Newbie! I haven't been since I was a little girl and don't remember much of it anyway....

Educate me please!

 

[gabriellyn]

Nope, not stupid at all! WDW is just IMMENSE. The maps make it look all cute and compact and it is anything but! We were just there this past NYE for 7 1/2 days and were only able to do about 50 - 60% of the parks. We did not do the water parks either and we never even made it to Downtown Disney!

Of course, we had a toddler with us and that slowed us down, but believe me, you will be occupied! Have fun - you will LOVE it!

 

[nannerbadnanner]

Let me put it this way, I have been to Disney 9 times and I still haven't seen everything. Of course, this is the best excuse to keep going!

 

[Aliceacc]

Yes, there is absolutely enough to do!

 

[laceemouse]

Believe me, you would have to go full steam from sun up tp sun down to come anywhere CLOSE to seeing and doing everything there is to see and do at WDW in that short of a time, particularly with two toddlers with you. Disney is nothing like Six Flags, you don't just go from ride to ride. There are shows and parades and a gazilion little things to stop and see along the way. You will probably want some down time in the afternoon for the kids to rest. Plus, the place is massive, just getting around takes time.
Lots of newbies think they can just walk from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT to Animal Kingdom. No way. Disney property is almost 50 square miles. Each hotel complex is huge. You have to see it to believe it!
Get a guide book for doing Disney with kids. You really need to make a plan or you will miss so much, truly!!

 

[LadyShea]

You're right in that other parks have more rides but that's all they have. WDW has so much more! There are shows, parades, excellent dining, character meet and greets, shopping, exploration of everything from science to exotic animals, shows and music, heck my husband and I are continually fascinated by the amazing attention to detail found everywhere...even standing in line offers surprises and fun. With the kids you may spend some time just letting them run around one of the playgrounds, or playing in a fountain. My 21 month old kept us going through the hedge maze at Epcot (back corner of UK) for an hour! Also, some rides you may want to go on multiple times.

 

[MiniGirl]

But I have been looking over all the maps and such trying to plan out our "must sees"...

Is there really enough to do in the 4 main theme parks (We don't plan on Water Parks this trip) to keep us busy for 5 full days and 2 half days.....

It looks like some place like Six Flags actually has more rides.


Please forgive the Disney Newbie! I haven't been since I was a little girl and don't remember much of it anyway....

Educate me please!

Oh yeahhhhhh...... plenty to do. What is a must see is different for everybody depending on what you like. For example, many people say that Disney's Hollywood Studios is a half-day park -- at best. I, however, whole-heartedly disagree. In fact on our last quick trip there (just 1 night), it was the only park we went to. Fantasmic! the night we arrived and back the next morning for rope drop and won a dream and stayed until 2 hours AFTER the park closed. We never got bored.

You'll have a great time. Hang out here, read, and ask questions, and you'll learn about many little-known gems WDW has to offer -- like the Campfire at Fort Wilderness just to name one.

 

[Trina7020]

It is my husband and I and our 2 boys, (They will be 2 1/2 and almost 4 when we go).

Everyone is telling me we are going to soon! (And maybe we are... but we got a REALLY big tax return this year... and well.. I wanted to take the kids to WDW while it will be so magical for them!) I want to prove everyone wrong! I really want our trip to be all about the kids. I want to take things as slow or fast as they want to.

I have lots of character meals ADRs... (one everyday) I know some things it takes away from park time, but I just consider it part of the experience.

I have a feeling naps are not going to be very successful if we go back to the room. But again... I am willing to go with their flow and just enjoy the time and not stress!

And come back and tell all my friends and family what a wonderful fun trip we had even with little ones!

 

[LadyShea]

Oh my gosh the little ones are perfect ages! They will have a blast!

 

[Steve's Girl]

It is my husband and I and our 2 boys, (They will be 2 1/2 and almost 4 when we go).

Everyone is telling me we are going to soon! (And maybe we are... but we got a REALLY big tax return this year... and well.. I wanted to take the kids to WDW while it will be so magical for them!)

Oh no! It isn't too soon. I wanted to wait until all my kids were out of diapers before we went. So, mine were 7,5 & 3 on our first trip. It was the most magical for our 3 yr. old. Of course, everyone had a great time. But I wish my older two could have experienced it sooner.

 

[cjstarr]

Here is the web site to order customized maps this site also shows you all the attractions at the parks.
Hope this helps!!!

https://secure.disney.go.com/wdw/myVacation/customizedMaps/index?id=CustomizedMapsFlashPage

Almost forgot, you will need to set up a free account and log in to save and retrive your maps.
Mine have already been mailed to me.

 

[asktriplets]

you guys are going to have a GREAT time, and if you can see it all in a week with 2 little ones, you aren't "seeing" it the right way!

we're on trip #8 with our 3 because it is SO MUCH FUN to explore and experience with them...the majority of our time WASN'T spent on rides at 2 and 3. here is a cut and paste of mine from a previous post (the poster was asking about her schedule with her preschooler):

---------------------
the other great thing about your plan is that you have SO much built in time to explore and play. your daughter's age is perfect for really soaking up the magic and it is SO easy for kids to find their own joy...as so many others in this post and others have mentioned, the fun of taking preschoolers is seeing what makes THEM happy (and so often, it is not the rides!)...it's the monorail rides, and finding jewels imbedded in the cement (in the oasis at AK and near magic carpets in MK), and seeing the fiber optic lights in the cement and light posts in epcot (near innoventions), and watching the staged show in front of the castle, and trying on silly hats in stores, and chasing lizards (at the resorts), and pooh's playground in fantasyland, and trying to catch the jumping fountains (near the imagination pavillion in epcot), and watching the kids dance to music they recognize, and seeing their faces light up when they see Mickey Mouse, etc etc.

i don't recall seeing world showcase on your to do list in epcot. some of the exhibits were fine for my kids at 3.5 yo, but i found that my kids LOVE exploring back there....dancing to the bands, watching the model train next to germany, running in the garden maze in UK, finding fun architecture in norway, learning how to say "hi" in different languages from CMs, everything in the mexican pavillion (and now they have the new ride there with the donald duck/3 caballeros), finding fountains in italy/france/morocco, poking in and out of shops, running up and down the steps (when empty, of course) in italy, etc. we also like to walk "around the world" and get desserts from a bunch of different countries. there are also the kidcot stations where kids can color/collect masks, but i use those as a "last resort"..they use permenant markers and my kids get plenty of coloring time at home!!
---------
have a great time,

 

[t_catt11]

We've been for a ten day trip and a nine day trip, stayed onsite both times, and never came close to being bored in the parks. We've made it to Downtown Disney once for about two hours, that's it.

Still so much we haven't done!

 

[Matt'nMeg'sMom]

Don't fear! You'll wish you had more time! When we book those "6 day/7 night" packages, we don't even have time for the water parks! We go from rope-drop to the last kiss goodnight, and then we go back the next day to see, try, find, and taste the things we missed the day before.

It's an extravaganza and it would take months to explore it all.

 

[stopher1]

1) It's NOT too early to too soon...there was a marketing campaign a few years back that I just loved and keep repeating over and over again to anyone that will listen - it basically said "Take them while the magic's still real!" ... how true can that be. The little ones just get so entrhalled (usually) with the characters, the environments - everything...but lots of the older ones do too (like me and many, many more!)

2) Is there enough to do - definitely. The time of year you're going will help you determine whether or not you can do "a lot", do "some" or not much - basically referring to crowd levels here. The more popular times (Easter/Spring Break, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc) tend to mean you'll be doing "some" in the parks. But WDW is so much more than "just" the 4 parks and the water parks. There are just so many other activities, events and things to do there. We've been many times, and still haven't "done it all". There are lots of things that my family "must do" each visit, and then there are so many other things that we do on occasion, and many things we haven't even experienced yet. But that's one of the joys of going AGAIN. (7 months til our next visit. (though I wish it were sooner)

 

[MousekaMaddi]

We took our 18 month old daughter and EVERYONE told us it was tooooooo soon, she had a blast and we cried over her expression every day, it was so magical that we went 8 trips since and she is 5 GO and take lots of pictures. The memories will be priceless.

 

[Trina7020]

I feel better now!


We are going May 31st - June 6.... I am a teacher and we are leaving the DAY school gets out. We are hoping to beat some of the June rush by going early, but I don't know how bad it will be! lol

We are not afraid of the heat! We are in Texas so It won't be 70 degrees at home either!

 

[SunKat]

Let me put it this way, I have been to Disney 9 times and I still haven't seen everything. Of course, this is the best excuse to keep going!

Same here. We've been to Disney six times and a few of those times we've stayed for ten days. We still haven't seen everything!

To the OP, five days is probably the minimum amount of time you need just to cover the basics of the parks. Don't forget, besides the rides you need to make time for the parades, shows and other entertainment. Add to that travel time, standing in lines, shopping, meals, and some pool time and you have filled your five days!! Every Disney vacation just seems to fly by too fast.