Too Many Days??

[motaei]

I know what you are thinking...."how can you have too many days at WDW?" Well, my family (from California) is going with another family (from Israel) & we are all first time WDW visitors - total 4 adults, 3 sons age 10 and DD8. The original plan was to arrive Friday evening & leave Thursday morning. This gave us 5 full days - a day for every park, plus a day for a water park (if good weather in December) & DQ. And the other DW was already commenting it was too much time (not big on Disney). Well her DH just told me that their flight from Israel is easier if they arrive on Thursday...a whole extra day. What do I do with the extra day?! (We don't golf) We are staying on site at CSR & will have no car. I can't change our departing date because it coincides with a cruise we are taking together after WDW. I'm already stressed because I am the designated vacation planner. Any suggestions?

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says...............................................All jokeing aside, you need ten days to "get" most of WDW.

Yes we did our first trip in seven days, and it was total commando style, and we did see 90% of what we wanted.

This place is about 48 square miles big!

If it is your first time, you need five days in the parks just to see 2/3 of it, and that is off season.

Too many days?

NOT ENOUGH DAYS.

Just to warn you, we did five days out of seven in the parks on our first trip, and, it was total commando, up at the crack of dawn, use every trick we know, stay late, etc. Bloody feet and eating in line, no real meals. OK not quite that bad!

The average traveler will be lucky to see 2/3 of WDW in five days, and that is if they read these boards! Good luck.

 

[jordanyosh]

Cindy,

I agree with Disnee. I am going again in 2004 with 2 friends that haven't been before. I recommend the minimum amount of days for first timers to be 7 full days and I think that is pushing it. We are going to 8 nights/9 days. It CAN be done in fewer,but you have to do a little planning beforehand to ensure balance between activitiy and relaxation.

Some folks don't get Disney and that's fine. Everyone has their idea of what a vacation should look like. If the other DW isn't big on Disney, you may want to look into all the other things that Disney has to offer other than theme parks. The GF has a great spa. There is Cirque de Soleil at DTD. You may look into a fireworks cruise or if that's too expensive, you may want to rent a pontoon boat at one of MK resorts like the Poly and cruise around the lake for an hour. Go Miniature golfing at one of 3 courses at WDW.

With 6 full days, you can have a free day where you can revisit a favorite park or parks. Some insights...if you plan right, AK can be done in less than a full day. That is, assuming you don't want to do everything in the park. We did Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Trail, Kali River Rapids 2x, Majarajah Jungle Trek, Primeval Whirl 2x, Dinosaur and It's Tough to Be a Bug in 5 hours. WS is open til 9 every night. Do one park in the AM;rest;do Epcot WS in the PM.

I could go on and on..........good luck. if you have anymore ???, you know where to come

 

[swilphil]

I would use the extra day somewhere in the middle of the trip just to relax by the pool, visit some of the other resorts, and/or do a special meal--Hoop De Doo or Luau. If you have park hopper passes and want to play it by ear based on weather, you also have several options for nice meals at many of the deluxe resorts. The kids also might like one of the character meals offered at resorts. Grand Floridian has some sort of Pirate Cruise that kids can take, too.

 

[motaei]

miniture golf...I hadn't thought of that. We do have Cirque tickets for Tuesday night. The kids are past character meals. I am hoping the weather is nice that week so we can enjoy the pool and water park. I am getting the UHP, so that is not an issue.

I forgot to mention, we've all done DL & they've even done Disney Paris (but with bad memories due to rain).

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says...........................................Did I mention 48 square miles? lol

Lets put it this way, get a map of EPCOT, look at the World Showcase and see the lake in the middle. Disneyland would fit in the lake!!!

Katella to main gate DL 5 minute walk. Mid price Resorts to MK, 10-15 minutes bus ride to TTC for another 5 to 10 minute ride to get to the gates.

A long time ago someone asked how long it would take to walk from All Stars to MK. The answer is two HOURS if you don't stop!

Like walking from DL to Knott's Berry Farm with much nicer scenery!

A little advice. Get the legs in shape, you will be walking miles and miles and miles and miles (sounds like The Who), and miles.
Oh yeah!

 

[tjkraz]

Personally, I would hit each park once on the first 4 days of your trip, and then "play it by ear" for the rest of the stay. There are a lot of factors that may contribute to you NOT doing something that you plan on the day you hit a particular park:

- Long lines / No FastPass / Inconvenient FP return time

- Maintenance Closure

- Weather (especially parades, shows)

- Someone gets sick / aliens attack / ???

Honestly if you only plan one day for each park, you're either going to miss a few things that you want to see, or your itinerary is going to control your vacation. If you get yourself convinced that you only have one opportunity to do ____, then you'll be a lot less receptive to skipping an attraction that it may make sense to skip.

Keep a running list (mental or otherwise) of all of the attractions that you miss the first time around. Also make note of any that your party would like to do again. Then you can spend your last day or two getting back to the parks that you want to "re-do" and fill in the gaps.

It sounds like you've got a pretty large party to satisfy during this trip. A little flexibility may go a long way given the different tastes in rides / attractions that is likely.

Also, don't discount the benefits of WDW transportation. Since you're saying on-site, it is very easy to move around. Don't be afraid to go to Epcot to ride Test Track and Mission: Space again, then jump on the monorail to hit a few MK attractions.

 

[jann1033]

one day per park ,in my opin. is not enough. there is always something you want to go on again and with that many going , mutiply that by 8. in addition, since you are human, you can not keep up the frantic pace day after day after day after day that you have to if you want to come close to seeing every thing in just the major 4 parks in the same amount of days ... physically impossible due to waits, need for bathroom breaks, food, the bear necessities.. unless you are going in a very dead time...we do that now( see what we want to in 1 day but always go back another day too) but that is because we now skip stuff we don't care to go on and go in value season..a lot of times that isn't so much an option with first time people, especially with a larger group with varying tastes. so.... filling your days will not be your problem (imo)

 

[Eeyore2003]

We've only always had the time to spend 4 night and 5 days. I would LOVE to have more!!! We are taking my brother and family for thier first trip to DW in July and area again only spending 4 nights and 5 days. I'm a big believer in the early rise, but definitely an afternoon break, so there are TONS of things we still haven't been able to fit in.

In talking with my brother about July my ideal would be 6 days. One for each park, one for DQ and shopping at Downtown Disney (just a kind of "easy" day) and one for one of the water parks. That would really be nice!!!! Well, I only got the 4 night 5 day deal again and I'm desparately trying to see what the best is that I can do "in July", "with a break" and still stay relaxed. Will be a challenge and I'm only looking at hitting headliners. SOOOOO take it easy!!! Have fun!!! Enjoy all the time you have!!! You're soooooo lucky!!!!

Keep reading the board to find out extra things to do---enjoy your favorite park "again" and look for hidden Mickey's. Or make a list of the "Disney Secrets" and have people look for them while they walk around. There's just sooooooo much!!! Most of all just RELAX and take it all in. You will find lots of "little things" by watching the boards.

 

[gtrist4life]

If you can afford it, it's probably good that you have another day. In addition to the other suggestions, don't forget about the Boardwalk/Swan/Dolphin areas and their great restaurants. They are close to one of the minature golf courses too.

Peace G4L

 

[goofy4tink]

My first visit to WDW was for 4 nights/5 days. Next visit was for 7 nights/8 days. Visit last Aug.....8 nights/9 days!! I'm actually trying to plan a visit in Aug.'05 of 13 days. I can't seem to get enough WDW. Anyway.....I would agree with all the other posters. Save that extra day for doing something you either missed doing the first time around or something you loved so much you have to do it again. We always have been in the parks at least twice each visit. I try to be in one park in the morning and then a different park after lunch. It usually works that MK is a morning park if it closes early in the evening. MGM and Epcot WS are late in the day parks. AK is a morning park. But, remember...nothing is etched in stone. Do what works for your group. ANd have fun!!!!

 

[ktglads]

How about using a day to go over to Islands of Adventure or Universal? If the boys like rollercoasters, IoA is the best place in Orlando to go, with the Hulk and Dueling Dragons. Spiderman is an awesome ride as well. This may help break up the Disney time for the people who are not too keen on spending a ton of time there. MiB may appeal to the boys more than Buzz Lightyear (personally, I prefer MiB).
You mustn't also forget time to go shopping! Maybe the DWs could take a day without the kids and hang out at Downtown Disney while everyone else is at DisneyQuest.

Just some options to give out in case someone goes into Disney overload.

 

[HM]

I totally agree with the post I've quoted below. Use your first days to do the four parks and then use the last two days to redo favorites or catch things you miss. Skip the water parks and do Disney Quest one night early on in the trip (in case everyone wants to go again another night). Use the pool at your resort for relaxing after the parks (be sure to use the hot tubs). Read lots of guidebooks and make sure you ask everyone in the group what their one main thing is in each park and make sure you get those done.

-HM

Originally posted by tjkraz
Personally, I would hit each park once on the first 4 days of your trip, and then "play it by ear" for the rest of the stay. There are a lot of factors that may contribute to you NOT doing something that you plan on the day you hit a particular park:

- Long lines / No FastPass / Inconvenient FP return time

- Maintenance Closure

- Weather (especially parades, shows)

- Someone gets sick / aliens attack / ???

Honestly if you only plan one day for each park, you're either going to miss a few things that you want to see, or your itinerary is going to control your vacation. If you get yourself convinced that you only have one opportunity to do ____, then you'll be a lot less receptive to skipping an attraction that it may make sense to skip.

Keep a running list (mental or otherwise) of all of the attractions that you miss the first time around. Also make note of any that your party would like to do again. Then you can spend your last day or two getting back to the parks that you want to "re-do" and fill in the gaps.

It sounds like you've got a pretty large party to satisfy during this trip. A little flexibility may go a long way given the different tastes in rides / attractions that is likely.

Also, don't discount the benefits of WDW transportation. Since you're saying on-site, it is very easy to move around. Don't be afraid to go to Epcot to ride Test Track and Mission: Space again, then jump on the monorail to hit a few MK attractions.

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

It looks like you are going in december. Don't forget about all the christmas decorations at the different resorts that you may want to visit.

 

[donna in Oz]

We just returned on Monday from an 11-day stay using 7-day hoppers.

We ended up spending 2 days at the MK, 1 day at the Studios, 1 day at the AK, and 3 days at EPCOT (1 at Future World, and 2 days at the WS: loved the Food & Wine Festival ! )

This gave us time to breathe and to avoid the "commando" routine. I totally agree with the others: No such thing as Too Much Time!!!

On our other days, we visited Downtown Disney, saw Cirque du Soleil, played miniature golf, went to the Hoop De Doo, rented water mice, visited resorts, spent an evening at Pleasure Island, and went to MNSSHP. All Disney entertainment.

 

[motaei]

Thanks for all of the feedback! Also, yesterday, I finally got around to watching my WDW DVD that they sent me. Although these boards are great, a picture says a thousand words! (WAY different than DL!) I am getting more & more excited about this trip. It sounds as if the "extra" day that I was afraid of will give extra time for my friends to recover from jet-lag & allow a more leisure pace while we are there.

I will now be greatful for the extra day instead of dreading it.


I am going to send the DVD to our friends so that maybe the DW can feel better about the extra day too.