Three nights/four days too little time for WDW?

[jacobwill62009]

Is three nights too short to go to WDW? We are going to Gulf Shores for a week, while my parents rent a home (they will be there for two weeks) and I would like to cut our visit in Gelf Shores short to go to WDW for 3 nights (4 full days) before we drive back up to Wisconsin. We have a 4 year old son and 2 year old son. I realize this is not the norm, but I am thinking as long as we are only an 8 hour drive away, why not?!!!

 

[Disn3y]

Well there are four parks, you wouldn't get to see everything the parks have to offer, but limited time at the parks is better then no time at the parks!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

We did Disney in 4 days over Spring Break. We didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but with the crowd levels being so low right now, I can almost promise that you'll see what you want to see.

We took our 2.5 yr old and 6 mo baby (at the time) and we did as much as we could. I did do park hopper (but that is only b/c I wanted to spend 2 days at MK. We split a day between DHS and EP. A lot of people say there is more to do at DHS, but I really felt like we wasted time there with the age of our kids.

I would highly recommend grabbing a guide book and seeing what each park has to offer. That way you can decide if you even want to attempt all four parks. Check the park hours and use them to your advantage and you'll have a nice trip.

Good luck!

 

[Singinglizzie]

No matter how much time I spend at WDW, my trip is always too short! If all you can carve out is 4 days, 3 nights, you can make it work. You may however want to just choose just 2 or 3 parks. I love all the parks, so it's tough for me to suggest only 2, but given the ages of your kids I would choose Magic Kingdom for 1 day, and Animal Kingdom for the 2nd day. I would take a day off in between so that you don't get too tired and would spend the "middle" day at my resort in the pool, then would go to Downtown Disney and eat at the T-rex restaurant, which would be very cool for your 4 year old.. Disney prices out the park tickets, so if you buy 3 days, you might as well buy 4 days - so keep that in mind too! If you must have a third park day, I would choose Disney's Hollywood Studios, and I would either skip Epcot or make it a half day park - given your kids ages (Note Epcot is one of my favorite parks - but it is better for older kids & adults). I would also recommend purchasing the Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World. The 2009 edition allows you to go to their website and you can access touring plans and crowd level information available only to those who purchase the book - well worth the $20 bucks to buy. You can then customize a park touring plan so that you can get a sense of how much you can do in one day. You can't see it all, so selectively choose the attractions you and your kids like best. Best advice is to have a plan but do the parks leisurely, so you dont get too tired. On my last trip with my kids 9 & 14, we tried this and we still got tired and cranky! It sounds like you will have a car, so you might be able to take advantage of the Disney resorts that are not on the monorail! Have fun planning your trip.

 

[brandylouwho]

I hate to go for less than a week (and ten days seems to be my magic number) but I would go for 3 nights/4 full days if that is all I could get. Four days is enough for one park each day. Or you could consider skipping a park or two and concentrating on the other parks.

Even with 10 days we never did "everything" we just took things at a slower pace.

I'd read up on the parks (here and grab a guidebook) and sort of rank the attractions as must see, would like to see, could skip (an excuse to return in a few years).

 

[Metro West]

 

[2Tiggies]

I say go for it! No matter how long you stay, it's never long enough. Also, as your kids are quite young, not everything will be to their liking. I agree with the poster who suggested that you perhaps pick two parks and make them work for you. It all boils down to keeping your expectations realistic. I was there in April for 16 days (yes, seriously, in Disney!) and still wished we could have had more time when we left. I am a single parent with one young child. In spite of our long stay there, I had no option of doing something I liked that didn't appeal to DD as there was no-one else to take her. Having said that, we had a magical time, did about half of what we could have achieved in that time, but we have some of the happiest memories of our lives. And guess what, we are going back next year and we'll try some different things next time. I would take the opportunity and go for it. The only pressure on us on vacation is the pressure we put on ourselves. With some careful planning you can achieve A LOT. Gather as much information as you can, pick what you think you would enjoy best and concentrate on those things. Just remember to allow some flexibility into your plans. If you decide to go, have a great trip. I would love to hear all about it afterwards!

 

[Jenngoofys]

Is three nights too short to go to WDW? We are going to Gulf Shores for a week, while my parents rent a home (they will be there for two weeks) and I would like to cut our visit in Gelf Shores short to go to WDW for 3 nights (4 full days) before we drive back up to Wisconsin. We have a 4 year old son and 2 year old son. I realize this is not the norm, but I am thinking as long as we are only an 8 hour drive away, why not?!!!

For people who love Disney any time there is short. But if this is your first trip you will probably think so soon too lol. Four days Three nights will work for your family. Just look at the park hours and plan your days accordingly. I would suggest a stroller for both kids that way they dont tire out so early and when they do they can nap in the stroller and you and your husband can take turns on the rides "parent swap". If you want more information or help planning send me a Message.

 

[diamondpixienc]

I agree w/ the previous posts. With a little research and planning it can certainly work. Also, if you are unable to get your hands on a guide book allearsnet.com and (the Dis board of course) are an excellent source of info. Finally, if meeting characters are important you might want to try to squeeze in at least 1 character meal to ensure that you get to see at least some of your favorites on your trip. Either way your family will have a magical time.

 

[MKismylaughingplace]

We did a 4 day trip a few years ago and it went by way too fast. This could be because we are used to spending at least 7 days, but even 7 days seem to go by fast for us. Another thing to consider, which others have mentioned, is that there are 4 parks. Do you want to see them all or are you mainly focused on one or two specific parks? If you want to experience each park, you will probably need more time. Also, have you been there before? If not, you will probably want to experience everything at each park. We have been there so many times we know which attractions we like and which we would rather skip. If a shorter trip is the only option, and you do want to go to all 4 parks, you could always get the park hopper and do a half day at one park and then hop to another one for the rest of the day. Probably best to do this between AK, HS, or Epcot though. Magic Kingdom has so much to do you will want at least 1 full day, if not 2.

 

[siskaren]

This thread is from 6 years ago.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Moved to the Theme Parks Forum