Reality check: Amount you walk at WDW

[RBrooksC]

I know it is said over and over again how much one walks when in WDW, I have never really seen any details other than it's "a lot." When my wife and I spent a couple of days in WDW a few weeks ago I had on my Fitbit and tracked everything.

On Friday, we did nothing but explore the WDW property. We did no theme parks. We had breakfast in the morning at Kona, then explore the Poly, GF, and Art of Animation where we stayed. We went to the pool, then saw AKL, went to the outlets and walked around DTD. We spent time sitting in the car, while eating, at the pool, and while watching a movie. Then we went to the BW, walked to Beaches & Cream, then back to the BW for our car. How much did we walk that day?
11.89 miles, 25001 steps, with a duration of 7:15 total.

The next day we were able to get a one day park-hopper and went to the MK in the morning and were there until 2 PM. We did as many attractions as we could and we sat down to eat at Be Our Guest. Then we went back to the car and went to DHS. We stayed there until about 6. We then went back to the hotel, ate dinner and were in bed by 9 due to our flight being really early the next day. How much did we walk that day?
11.59 miles, 24279 steps, with a duration of 7:39

The amount of walking you do on a vacation like this is incredible. You don't realize it until you track it. Make sure you are ready with comfortable shoes and, if you can, acclimate yourself to it by walking or running before you go.

 

[OKW Lover]

Wow. That's a lot of walking.

All that extra walking means I can have another Dole Whip.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I used to hear that on average people walk 5-7 miles a day at WDW, don't know where that came from, but I would see it mentioned on the boards from time to time. I did the tracking thing one trip and we were around 10 miles a day. One day was 9 miles, one day was 12 (Epcot day) Of course it isn't a consistent 12 mile walk, but still it IS alot of walking. I don't think most people have any idea the mileage they put in at Disney.

 

[RBrooksC]

Just to be clear, while this was a weekend trip, it was never intended to be a whirlwind trip.

We actually wanted to slow down and relax some. We wanted to take our time and enjoy the resorts, and other things WDW has to offer.

And on that day we still went over 11 miles.

No, it isn't like running a 1/2 marathon as the distance is covered over an extended period of time, but to give an idea of normal distances, during normal day I will walk anywhere from 3-5 miles. I more than doubled my normal walking when in WDW. And this was with taking our time and not trying to do everything.

One can only imagine what it is for those who commando tour or who are there trying to as much as they can in the shortest amount of time.

 

[wiigirl]

Woah!

 

[collins316]

I've thought about getting a fit bit, or similar something, to track my walking.
Is there a way to turn it off when you go on rides, so it isnt counting that as more activity?
I had a cheap pedomiter that counted steps for me while I was driving, just from hitting bumps.

 

[RBrooksC]

It is pretty good at not counting things that aren't walk/running. When I drive it "sometimes" picks up it but many times when I look at my stats, the time I ride in my car is blank.

And there is not a way to turn it off. The only time I didn't wear it was on the RnRC and I had my wife carry it.

So, yes, in that regard it is a little off but nothing that would be statistically significant.

 

[disneydad78]

I believe it. When I get back to the room, my feet KILL me.

 

[PixieDustD]

I feel like you are correct. I never seem to gain any of the "vacation weight" while in WDW or DL.

 

[Bellamouse]

I tried to tell someone on another thread that we walk at least 10 miles a day at Disney and they didn't believe me. We don't wear a pedometer, but figured it out just based on the distance around the World Showcase at Epcot (1.2 miles?) And on a typical Food and Wine Fest Day, we go around easily 4 or 5 times. Add to that going into the pavilions, then going around the other side of the park which we do in the morning plus to and from the parking lot and then walking around our resort and hitting the hot tub, etc., we figured it's an easy 10 miles. So thanks for validating what we already figured to be true. We don't gain weight at Disney either, although we're not huge eaters to begin with, but we do splurge on vacation!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Thanks for the reality check. I'm doing the Dopey Challenge in January (48.6 miles in 4 days) and I have to remember that if I'm even going to go into the parks after any of the races, the primary goal is to be sitting.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I believe it. When I get back to the room, my feet KILL me.

And my lower back.

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

Fantastic info! Thanks for this post!!!

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

I remember one trip that I used a pedometer. I clocked 8 miles of one of my average days walking around Epcot.

 

[Svhadden]

Used a pedometer on one of our trips about 4 years ago, and our average was 9-13 miles/day. We're park commandos, so were there from rope drop till lights out, but I was still surprised at the distances.

 

[Disney Commando]

Makes me wonder, I've never had a meter, vut maybe this year I might get one, with a average day being 14-16 hrs with a 2 park per day minimum it's got to up there

 

[kim532]

I completely believe it. I love every second in the park, but I wear out around mid-day. I think my body is in shock. I need the afternoon breaks just as much as my children do.

I now know to start my trip training a little harder.

Kim

 

[disneydad78]

And my lower back.

x2.

 

[SA mom]

I always started walking a month or so prior to our trips so my body (mostly legs and feet) wouldn't be so worn out. Last year, I just kept walking after our Disneyland trip. I now walk 3-4 miles a day.

On that note, it's time to queue up a Podcast and hit the road!

 

[skier_pete]

DW started using a pedometer - and tracked 29,000 steps - or she said about 13 miles - during one day at DLR earlier this month.

Most data I've seen says a "full" day at Disney is usually between 9 and 13 miles of walking. I would consider that "a lot" for a typical american that rarely gets off her/his couch/office chair. (Walking 18 holes of golf is typically about 6 miles of walking.)