WDW - 1st trip- How long?

[Madhattermad]

Hi,

I'm going to book for WDW next year, is 5 days long enough? If not what would you recommend? Happy to have some suggestions on how to split the days also.

Thanks

K.

 

[disneywarriorprincess]

I'd have 6 days in the parks and like arrival day just relax at the pool and go to downtown disney. We usually do 2 days mk, 2 days epcot, 1 day ak, 1 day hs. And we usually take a 2 hour break sometime during the day as well to not get exhausted.

 

[tomatecerise]

We where 8 days but first day was half because we flight from Canada. The last day we quit at 8am. It was too short! We rest often because i am disabled and there are tons of things we missed. We want to return in november for 10 days with water park.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We tend to do 5-6 nights, but arriving on a very early flight, leaving on the last flight out. So a typical stay would look like:

Day 1: Flight lands around 9-10, check in at resort, go to MK by about noon. Stay until dinner at park or close by. Back to the resort to settle for the night (been a long day with an early flight!)

Day 2: Epcot -- all day.

Day 3: AK all day -- relax at resort for the evening, since AK closes early.

Day 4: MK -- all day, maybe a break in the afternoon.

Day 5: HS. If we're not there for the whole day, add in DTD.

Day 6: Check out, leave bags at resort, head to MK. Back to resort to catch bus for airport.

That's our five-night schedule. If we have an extra day, we'll make HS more of a full day. Add in a day just for DTD/relaxing at resort, mini golf, visiting resorts, etc., etc., with maybe a park just for the evening. That's what we're doing this year and adding an extra evening at Epcot.

For a first trip, there's so much you want to see that it's easy to spend a full day in any one park. Now we can skip some of the shows/rides and make a couple of them a little bit shorter days.

 

[minnie mum]

For a first trip, I think 6 full park days are a minimum. Make it a whole week if possible. I agree with a PP that 2 MK days, 2 Epcot days and one day each for AK and DHS are the bare requirements for a first timer. Add a day off in the middle to recharge and enjoy your resort or explore non park options like water parks or DTD.

 

[MataHari22]

For me, my minimum is 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day AK and 1 day HS. I also do not go to the parks on my arrival day or departure day. I'm too exhausted when I arrive and I usually leave too early on departure day to do so. Some people don't mind doing that, and have a half day at a park, and do that instead of two days. I also do not do any water parks or resort time, and since Downtown Disney has all that construction, I have been skipping that as well. I used to do that after I was done with AK. Or, for a tiny bit before my second MK or Epcot days. For me, park time why I'm going, so that's what my focus is. With that time frame, we are able to see pretty much everything we want to, and maybe ride a few of our favs twice.

 

[lizard1]

I think you should look at what you want to accomplish and then go from there. You will never get everything done you want, but having some idea about what you want to do/not do will help with the amount of time needed. For instance, in Epcot, if you just want to ride the rides you might only need a half day. If you want to really explore what the countries have to offer, you might need 2+ days. Some of what you can accomplish might also depend on your travelling party- a group of only adults may be able to skip Winnie-the-Pooh and Barnstormer whereas those may be must-dos for a group with children. We just came back from a two week trip and didn't do half of the things I wanted to do.

 

[davper]

• Go for what you an afford
• Don't try to see everything
• Succumb to the realization that you will be back, many times
• Plan to take it slow. Don't go commando in attempt to get your money's worth. You want to have down time.

My first time as an adult, I went for one day. Then I came for 3, then a week. I am now up to 2 weeks. Trips to the happiest place on earth are always too short. At this rate, I will buy a house outside the gate and go daily.

 

[tink9702]

Ideally with younger children - at least 6 park days (2MK, 2E, 1DHS, 1AK)
All adults/teens - 4 or 5 park days (don't need 2 days at MK IMHO)

consider adding extra days for Universal, water parks or relaxing as well.

 

[Accident]

Any trip is going to be great and 5 days is better than 4. If you can do more, I would recommend it. It was mentioned before but the best thing you can possibly do is have time to rest and not try to do it all.

 

[FunkyDuckToo]

We love 2 days at each park and 1 day at AK...with a day at resort/dtd...8. For a 1st time trip I would add more days if you can afford it...if not, that is okay because just like previous people have said...you WILL return! Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[JenSop]

Honestly, 5 days is just barely scratching the surface. Just go in knowing that it will be a basic "highlights" trip and plan your priorities carefully, as there will be a lot you don't see or do.

I've pretty much been going to Disney every year since I was a little girl in the mid-80s, so for me, it almost feels like a second home. But when I took my fiance for HIS first visit in 2013, it was only for five days and I warned him in advance that it would just be a little "intro to DIsney" trip. He thought I was crazy. By the end of day 5, he was saying that we need at least 8-9 days from now on each time we go. Last year we went for 9 days, this year we're going for 9 days. Haha! Seriously, though, for as long as I've been going, I STILL haven't seen and done everything at Disney - I try to fit in a few new things each trip, BUT there are so many old favorites that I simply can't miss that take up a lot of time as well. (This is why I have DVC!)

 

[BagOLaughs]

Go for ever and never leave

Just to give you an idea of how much stuff there is to do at WDW. My BF and myself spent two whole weeks in Disney. Disney resort, Disney theme parks. We didn't leave the property and we still didn't see and do it all.

 

[charmed59]

If you love Disney, 5 days is not enough. If you aren't a Disney fan, 5 days will be way too much. I found Disney to be quite frustrating when I was staying at AK and had to rely on buses and did not have ADRs set for all dinners before I showed up. (And this was during what was considered a slow time of year.)

When I stayed at the BLT, had ADRs for every evening, and did not rely on buses, I found it much better, but I still was happy to head off to see elsewhere in Florida after 3 days.

The key is planning way ahead to ensure you have a place to eat meals and if you are into attractions to make sure you get Fps for the attractions you want. If you don't really care about which attractions you see, I find it much more relaxing to wander and walk into the attractions that you feel like seeing at that time.

 

[Accident]

I think the biggest risk with any tight schedule is mother nature. Rain that stops some show or parade that's your must do and no alternative time you can try to see it. Although if you've never seen it, there is a rain parade that can replace the afternoon parade in MK I finally got to see it for the first time on the last trip there.

 

[Minnie-Maniac]

I guess things can get done at all 4 Parks in 5 days, but you will have to be moving fast everyday. My family has never stayed less than 7 days and most of our trips are two weeks long which gives us time to chill at the pool and just shop at DTD.

 

[andiraye]

A few questions. How old are the people in your party? Is this a once in a lifetime trip, or if you decide you like it could you come back a few more times? How do you feel about amusement parks generally? And how much do you like or love the classic Disney movies and fantasy movie and book franchises like Star Wars, The Hobbit, Avatar, etc. (all of these are not represented in the parks but I think fantasy lovers get more out of the theming generally)?

I ask, because I think most people on these boards, including me, will say longer is better but my "regular" friends often find they hit their limit after a day or two or three and are ok picking and choosing activities. Some of them basically tolerate the experience for their kids' sake. So I'm trying to gauge whether (a) your group would in fact like a longer trip and (b) whether this is your only shot to do Disney.

IMO there is no "right" number of days, only a right number of days for your group. I have a friend who is staying at the Contemporary and visiting MK for one day, which seems crazy to me. But then I also have an uncle who retired to Orlando to be near WDW, which also sounds crazy to some.

 

[raddisneyfan]

Loaded question. Who's going--how many? Family with kids, young kids? Adults and teens only? Also, what kind of person are you and the majority of people going--A types? Also, what time are you getting there and when are you leaving--do you mean 5 full days? Also, when are you going? Busier times will make a difference to your plans.

My opinion--5 days just adults--1 MK, 2 EP, 1 AK, 1 HS. Adults with teens, 2 MK, 1 EP, 1 HS, 1 AK (or 2 EP and skip AK). Adults with young kids, 3 MK, 1 AK, 1 HS. I think kids and teens would prefer AK (kids) and HS (teens) over EP, but again, you are the better judge of the folks you a going with. EP is more educational than say HS, so if you want that for the young ones that you are traveling with, then add to EP. For me, usually traveling with adults or solo, but have been with kids too, I go to MK 2 days, EP 2 days, HS 1 day (but can skip if necessary) and AK 1 day. Lately, I've been going longer and longer--last time 9 days, went 2 full MK, 2 full EP, 1 full HS, and 1 full AK, spent all of the extra time at EP (if I had been traveling with kids, would have spent more at MK).

Just my 2 cents--Disney gets the rest!

 

[quagmire0]

I think the previous two posters hit the nail on the head. Really depends on who's in your party and how much you like Disney. As a family with 3 kids going on 4, we like to do 7 nights. We get into the airport, drive straight for MK for the rest of the day, then it's another day of MK, 2 days of Epcot, 1 day of AK and 1 day of HS. It's a hectic pace and not for everyone. I'd say that if you can financially stay for a week, do it. Nothing is saying you have to go to Disney every day (and you may not want to). There are plenty of well-priced resorts to stay at in the area with pools and other amenities. Epcot is really the one park where 2 days is probably best though. There's a lot of ground to cover and a lot to look at, and it's better appreciated if you can split it up.

 

[Eandbmom]

It's really hard to say, but I will give you our plans.
Family of 4, 2 adults, 1 teen, 1 tween. Last year we did 7 nights. Got there early headed right to Epcot and spent the day. Also did a half day of Epcot (our favorite park) on departure day. Day 2 was 1/2 day at HS 1/2 at MK. Day 3 MK. Day 4 1/2 day AK 1/2 day Epcot. Day 5 pool day. Day 6 1/2 day HS 1/2 day Epcot. Day 7 MK.
Next year's trip is 8 nights because we wanted more time. We wanted 10 nights but couldn't swing it. Good luck!