How Many Days Should YOU Spend in Disney World?

is there really such a thing as spending too much time in Disney World how many days do you need during your upcoming visit let's figure it out today on dfv guide [Music] hey everybody it's AJ for Disney food blog now when it comes to a Disney World vacation you don't want to cut your time too short and feel like you missed out on more things than you actually experienced but in the same breath you also don't want to drag your vacation out until you're scrambling to find what else to do with your quickly depleting vacation funds so today we're going to look into what's going to be the perfect amount of time in Disney World for you or if you want to put it in Goldilocks terms we're looking for a trip that's not too short not too long but just right let's start with the long weekend two to three days this is a good starting point for a lot of folks sometimes you just want to make a weekend out of a Disney World getaway because you need the escape and if you've got an extra day tacked on to your weekend like you will for Martin Luther King Day Labor Day President's Day that gives you one more day to travel and explore too so who's this length of a trip going to be good for automatically we gotta say that weekend getaways are best for folks who already have a feel for the lay of the land here and people who might be able to come back multiple times times throughout the year we're talking annual pass holders locals just the spontaneous couple who likes to find cheap Orlando flights on a Friday evening and those who've been to Disney World numerous times already have a pretty good feel for what a successful trip might look like for them and even when new things are added into the parks they still know enough about the Park's layout to navigate those newer editions with ease but let's say you're not a seasoned Pro and literally the only time you can make a trip out to Disney World this year will have to be on a two to three day weekend is that still a reasonable amount of time well it can be especially if you want to save money and not have to buy a week's worth of Park tickets and hotel stay and pricey Disney food this is also a good amount of time to spend between the parks for those who are wanting to test the Disney water so to speak if you were wanting to sample the parks to see if they live up to your expectations or not or if you wanted to bring a relative or friend to Disney who seems kind of hesitant about the whole Mickey Mouse situation a weekend getaway allows you to dip your toes in without having to commit to full-on Disney World vacation that way even if you or someone in your group doesn't end up liking Disney World which happens you'd be done in a day or two without having to drag things out any further that being said you will have to make some sacrifices just like the seasoned Pros also have to do with these short-term getaways for a weekend getaway you'll either have to choose only two to three of the parks to visit or Marathon all four parks with those park hopper add-ons which will allow you to jump from park to park after 2 pm Park Hoppers start at 65 dollars plus added on to the cost of your ticket just keep in mind that if you're wanting to do a weekend getaway for a cheaper trip that doesn't mean your trip is going to by any means be cheap weekend prices especially over a three-day weekend for tickets hotels and Disney add-ons like park hopper and Disney Genie plus do tend to spike upwards since the parks do get much busier on these days when many people are off work and out of school so you'll still need to plan out a solid budget that won't have you spending more money than you were wanting to Fork over during a short two to three day time frame now who's this not good for well if the this is your first time ever going to Disney World I'm not saying you can't go to the parks on the weekends by any means but if you're wanting like a full Disney Experience for your first ever trip you're not gonna get it in just two to three days again this type of trip is a good test the waters trip to see if you want to commit to something longer later on down the line and that's because a weekend trip does mean sacrifices so if you want to spend a full day in each of the parks that you visit you're only going to be able to pick a couple forcing you to leave out the other parks for a whole other trip in the hopeful future or if your main goal is to hit up all four Parks even with this limited amount of time thanks to the park hopper add-on that means you're really only going to get a small taste of what each of these places has to offer especially when it comes to epcot's World Showcase and Magic Kingdom's 20 plus rides so if you're someone who's a big time completionist and you're going to want to see all the best must-dos from each of the parks a weekend trip might not give you that opportunity you'll definitely be able to see some of the must-dos but not all of them now park hopping also means a lot lot of travel time between these Parks has to be factored into your day when it comes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot those are only a short Skyliner ride away from each other but if you're headed between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom well that could take an hour plus remember Disney World Isn't compact it's actually very spread out and the size of San Francisco so for those big Park jumps just beyond the safe side and factor in an extra 45 minutes of travel time between parks along with a limited amount of time to experience a lot of offerings in less than 48 hours these Parks can get crowded I mean when you put both locals and out of town guests in the Parks together you've got a mighty busy day ahead of you and a whole bunch of lines so if you're not too keen on giant crowds or you at least want some wiggle room in your schedule just in case you need to escape the overcrowding for a bit then just a weekend getaway isn't going to cut it and let's not forget there are other parts of Disney World too other than just the parks you've got two water parks multiple hotels a full Disney Springs shopping district and tons of extra activities you could possibly fit into a longer trip but more than likely you're gonna have to sacrifice those in the wake of a weekend getaway okay so if this is you if a weekend getaway is your jam here's your plan of attack rely on fast food yep Disney's got a ton of great sit-down restaurant offerings but those table Service locations do take an hour or so to fully experience so if you want to spend less time eating and more time exploring those theme park fast food offerings are going to be your best bet especially if you plan on mobile ordering your meals through the My Disney Experience app now don't worry you're in the right place eating fast food at Disney World doesn't mean you're gonna have to rely on chicken tenders and dry hamburgers and puffy Pizza the whole time the Parks have some great fast food offerings with unique and flavorful entrees we've got a whole video covering our favorite fast food across Disney World but just to list off a few for now we tend to gravitate towards places like Columbia Harbor House and Magic Kingdom Backlot Express and Disney's Hollywood Studios and ABC commissary they've really upped their game on their menu over there in Hollywood Studios satuli canteen in Animal Kingdom and sunshine seasons in Epcot now the second step in your plan of attack break up the park hopping you don't have to cram in all four Parks into just one day if you've got two days Park hop between two parks each day Hollywood Studios and Epcot are a breeze to hop between and even though Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom aren't quite as close together you can accomplish a lot during a morning in Animal Kingdom and finishing off your day in Magic Kingdom to see happily ever after at night next tip consider Disney Genie plus so Disney Genie plus is a premium service it's going to give you the ability to bypass some of the longest attraction lines in the parks in exchange for much shorter lines called lightning Lanes there's a lot to this feature that you're going to want to study up on before making the purchase one way or another but what I can say about it right now is that it can be a great way to experience more rides in just a couple days time than you'd normally be able to do without it alright you're also going to want to stay in a hotel with speedy park access if you can some Disney World hotels are going to be closer to the parks you're planning on hitting up when it comes to Hollywood Studios and Epcot having direct Skyliner access within steps of your hotel room can be a game changer so being able to stay at a hotel like Art of Animation Pop Century Caribbean Beach or the Riviera is going to get you to both of these parks in no time Epcot area resorts like yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk Inn are also within walking distance of epcot's international Gateway aka the back side of the park and within walking distance to Hollywood Studios but you can always take Epcot Skyliner over to the Hollywood Studios park instead if you want to save yourself some extra time or take the boat if you want to have a super chill situation meanwhile parks on the monorail Loop like Disney's Polynesian Village the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa will take you right up to the front Gates of Magic Kingdom you can even walk to the park from these hotels disclaimer though these resorts are pricey that may not be as big a deal if you're only planning on staying a couple of nights but if you're one wanting to save money the All-Star resorts still aren't a bad idea to turn to not only do they have complementary shuttle services to each of the parks but they'll also still give you early theme park entry which is available for all Disney hotel guests and will get you into any of the parks on any day 30 minutes before they open for everyone else now the buses can get rather stopped up so you'll want to get out to these Resort bus stops about 20 to 30 minutes earlier than early theme park entry starts just to make sure you can get over to the parks on time and actually use that privilege Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels are also solid alternatives to those disney-owned Deluxe Resorts this one and dolphin are owned by Marriott but partner alongside Disney to give their guests Deluxe Resort perks at moderate prices and best of all this one in Dolphin are also within walking distance to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios alas when it comes to traveling to Magic Kingdom from either of these hotels watch out the shuttles for Swan and Dolphin will not pick you up and drop you off at the front gate of the park they'll take you to the transportation and Ticket Center mean meaning you'll either have to take a ferry or monorail the rest of the way okay next up the Disney Park marathon four to six days okay gang let's take this next Disney World vacation One Park day at a time who's this gonna be good for well so maybe you don't want to just spend a weekend in Disney World and you don't really want to commit to a full week either that's okay let's settle on the four to six day trip a four to six day Disney World trip is still gonna give you enough time to spend full days in all four Parks so you'll still be able to accomplish those major must Do's on your list without committing to a week-long getaway if you're planning on spending six days in Disney World this can be a better option for those who are traveling with kids that way you can plan a couple break days between Park visits to rest and recoup before getting back out there and the six day trip also gives you one or two days back at home before you had to head back to work or the kids back to school to kind of let you decompress a little bit but if you don't want to plan a whole lot of down time then the extra days that you have on your trip can also be when you tack on those extra experiences like a shopping day at Disney Springs or a day hopping around the different hotels if you plan on just doing four days of just parks with no down time in between make sure you're taking plenty of breaks throughout the days and staying hydrated four days maybe just the right amount of time to see every Park but it can also be quite the Endeavor when you don't have any down time to help break things up or get extra rest okay who's this not gonna be good for well four days in Disney World may be enough time to spend a day in every single Park but what if you're wanting even more time or at very least a safety net with just one day to explore each Park you're relying on a lot of factors to work out perfectly every time which means the rides would never go down the weather would be picture perfect and if your whole group wouldn't get totally wiped out by mid to early afternoon having just one or two extra safety net days plugged into your itinerary just in case you need to go back and experience a few things you might have missed the first time around could end up taking some of that unnecessary stress off your shoulders as you hope and pray things work out flawlessly for four days straight because when it comes to family vacation the ability to be flexible when things go Askew is super important and having an extra day or two can help out with that that being said if you're planning on coming back to Disney World later in the year like maybe for a big ride opening or the holiday season then the pressure to get everything done in one visit might not be as pressing Ergo you might not need extra days in fact you might want to pull it back to a weekend getaway instead so you can have some vacation days for that bigger end of the year visit as far as those who are thinking about spending six days in Disney World you might change your mind if you're planning on sharing a single standard hotel room with your family of four why is that well because you might be driving each other up a wall by the end of your trip standard rooms for each of the Disney Resorts might be the cheapest options available but there's a reason for that they're very limited in space they also only have one bathroom for everyone to share so by the time your oldest kid is called dibs on the shower for the fourth night in a row making your youngest have a full-on meltdown the whole Resort Living Concept might not be as fun for everyone anymore but you know you some of y'all are perfectly comfortable with sharing small spaces for a long time with your family and others of us not so much alright so here's our plan of attack here's how to rock a four to six day Disney World visit and still preserve that Disney Magic for you and your family pick a resort with a nice pool if you're planning on a six day getaway so you can take advantage of at least one to two break days then you're probably gonna want a nice spacious resort with plenty of activities and best of all an awesome pool to take advantage of especially if you're going to Disney World in the summer the moderate Resorts like Coronado Springs grandestino Tower Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside and the Fort Wilderness cabins have good options in terms of daily activities and dining and of course pool offerings and because they're not Deluxe Resorts you'll likely be paying hundreds of dollars less per night to stay in these ones for the most affordable Disney Resort options with the most room for your entire crew look into the Fort Wilderness cabins or Disney's All-Star Music family suites typically these bigger Hotel options will keep your family from feeling like they're on top of each other the entire vacation they'll also give you some kitchen space in case you want to prep your own meals Fort Wilderness will even give you a private outdoor deck while the All-Star Music Suites will give you not just one but two bathrooms okay you're still going to want to consider getting a park hopper ticket so let's say you've got four days to accomplish all four Parks but you still want to factor in a break day too because we're not kidding when we say four straight days in Disney World is a marathon if that's the case then you still might want to consider getting a park hopper for at least one of those days that way you can spend maybe two full days in the Parks you know you'll need the most time in and you can park hop between the other two that you think you'll be able to accomplish a whole lot faster then you'll have one extra free day during your trip to use however you'd like like sleeping in for instance that's what I like to do on break days but you do you now you also might want to make resume reasons for a couple of sit-down meals don't want to use the park hopping strategy no problem but you're still going to want to make sure you're listening to your body as well as the other members of your group when you're constantly hitting up Park after Park just make sure everyone's energy levels aren't running dangerously low after all four days straight of walking 20 000 steps and the heat will take a toll on you no matter what your age you can always force your group to sit in the AC and get a bite to eat by making an advanced dining reservation for one of your meals during your Park days it can be tricky narrowing down your options to just one table service restaurant since there are so many to choose from in every Park but that's why we've got our three-part dfb guide to Walt Disney World dining up on dfbstore.com right now so you can have extra help making those tough decisions learn about all our recommendations which do change by the way and make the best choices for your family because it's super customizable just remember to type in the code YouTube for extra savings on your purchase if you head over to dfbstore.com and grab anything but before you head over there a few table service with recommendations you can find in that guide include dfb favorites like Liberty Tree Tavern and the Plaza Inn in Magic Kingdom Rose and Crown and Epcot Nomad lounge and Animal Kingdom which is a lounge not a table service meal but you can also order a bunch of table service options in there and it's super chill and we love it and Hollywood Brown Derby and Hollywood Studios okay ready for the next version of your Disney World trip the 7 to 10 day take it all in version we're not sprinting through Disney World this time nor are we marathoning our way through each of the parks nope this time we're taking an ultra marathon for an ultra Orlando getaway packed into seven to ten days so who's this good for this is gonna be for folks who want to plan a week's worth of Disney World vacationing which means they're gonna have their cake and eat it too yeah you want to see everything the Parks have to offer but you also want to guarantee breaks and safety net opportunities for your trip too a week-long Disney vacation is also preferable for those who've never been to Disney and are still learning how to navigate around the parks or those who are not planning on coming back anytime soon Disney is quite the investment in time and funds so if this is going to be your one and only Disney trip for the next 10 odd years and you want to make the most out of it then this might be the trip for you if you're hitting up the parks around the holiday season like Thanksgiving week and the week after Christmas having more days in the Parks can be super beneficial since these times are typically when Disney sees their highest crowd levels throughout the year so even the rides that are normally Walk-Ons can see 45 plus minute weights all day long and if you're waiting 70 minutes for Grand Fiesta tour in epcot's Mexico that is a very busy day and that's what happens the week after Christmas now this isn't to scare you away from visiting Disney World during the holidays or anything the Parks really are gorgeous and all decked out around this time of year with plenty of fun seasonal offerings that you wouldn't be able to experience at any other time plus very long park hours which can be very good what I am saying is that you may not want to be in the park all day long with those kind of crowd levels so having some extra time to explore can help you Pace things out that way you can hit up the parks early in the morning with your early theme park entry bow out for a bit in the afternoon when crowd levels are at their highest and return in the evening for shorter ride lines and nighttime fireworks and yeah you wash rinse and repeat so who is this not good for this 7 to 10 day trip well I don't need to tell you this but a week in Disney is a lot of time to be in the most magical place on earth now I trust that you'll be able to fill that time but depending on how many vacation days you're allotted each year a week Plus in Disney World might gobble up a lot of the vacation time you've earned and if you used all those vacation days at the beginning of January and February for that epic Disney World trip then you're gonna have to really stretch out the meager remains of what vacation days you have left for the rest of the year which could be more stress than it's worth also if you're traveling with a baby seven plus days maybe too many depending on who you are and it could be too stressful for you bringing your newest family member to Disney World is a ton of fun not to mention those who are under three don't need a park ticket you can just bring them on in however even with the extra break days you can factor into a week-long Disney getaway this can still be hard on a family who's trying to get your baby into a daily routine back home because Disney World Vacations are anything but routine so having a few days of fun in Disney World with the whole fam may be a better way to test the waters of vacationing with a new kid while still giving you the chance to go back home and return to a regular routine just a few days later you might also find that honestly a week in Disney World is simply too many days I know you're you're shocked but it's true if you're visiting around a slower time of year like the middle of January or back to school season and you're planning on purchasing Disney Genie plus as well as using your Resort benefits like early theme park entry or extended evening hours for deluxe Resort guests then you might only need the four to six days in Disney World to see it all which in turn could help you save money on more Park tickets more hotel stays and more expensive food so what's our plan of attack for seven to ten days well that's a commitment so can you do it of course you can Pace things out you've got time to explore Disney World the way you really want to so use it wisely instead of spending four back-to-back days in the Parks interweave breaks in between those visits so you're not completely spent halfway through vacation and don't forget there's more to Orlando than just Disney World with all those extra days you may want to take time to explore outside the bubble too head over to Universal Studios or SeaWorld or Legoland or even take an hour drive out to Clearwater Beach and Lounge the day away this is especially important to keep in mind if you're not planning on returning to the Orlando area anytime soon and you've saved some extra money in your vacation budget for those extra experiences you can also try a split stay for those who aren't familiar with a split today this is basically when you stay in one Disney hotel for a certain amount of time then transfer over to a different Disney hotel for the remainder of your trip what we've done in the past is stayed in one of Disney's value resorts for the majority of our trip then when we're getting to the tail end of our time will transfer over to a bougier deluxe Resort just to end things on a high note without having to pay Deluxe Resort prices for our entire seven plus day visit if you're planning on splitting your stay between Disney Resorts Disney will even transport your luggage between hotels for you you can drop off your luggage at Bell services in the morning when you check out then by the time you're done exploring and are ready to hit the hay in your new room all your stuff will already be delivered to your new hotel which is amazing and it's a perk that a lot of people don't realize on the flip side of things you may be looking to save as much money as you can during this Orlando stay since you'll have been there for a long time and well you'd still like to have money at the end of your trip and if that's the case staying off Disney property might be your best bet even better than Disney's value Resorts Disney's partnered with over 40 different Good Neighbor hotels in the surrounding area to help you save money on your hotel stay while also still having access to similar Disney Resort benefits depending on which hotel you choose now many of these hotels are not only more affordable but they'll also be more spacious for bigger families some even have continental breakfast for free so you can have a free meal to start each day to browse the different Good Neighbor options you can check out the Good Neighbor Hotel website to see which ones might be the best fit for you and as you browse keep an eye on the distance each hotel is from the parks what the transportation and shuttle services look like and if early theme park entry is included with your stay alright now we're to the long haul vacationer 14 days two weeks may seem like an excessive amount of time for a Disney World vacation but when it comes to those who are visiting from overseas this will definitely give you a good chunk of time to explore every nook and cranny of Disney World and only have to pay those flight costs once just keep in mind the following things one the maximum number of Park days you can purchase for an extended Disney World trip is 10. after that you're reaching annual pass territory that being said there is a 14-day ticket deal specifically for guests traveling from the UK if you or someone who'll be part of your group is traveling overseas from somewhere other than the UK Disney suggests that you contact the UK team directly via phone at zero eight hundred one six nine zero seven three zero that way they can help you figure out if this 14 day ticket can be applied to your trip as well two this may be a good time to check out nearby vrbos or airbnbs they may not provide you with the same type of Disney Resort benefits but you will be able to rent a full house with tons of room at a cheaper price than what Disney's going to be able to offer you for a two-week stay just be sure to read the reviews before you book and don't be afraid to reach out to a travel agent for help on finding the best deals for your extended trip we love the folks over at Small World Vacations they know everything about this stuff they have booked for residents from overseas many many many many many times so they know all the specifics and the ticket deals and the different dining programs and all of that so definitely touch base with Small World Vacations those agents are a hundred percent free for you to use so if you want to reach out for a quote I've got their info down in the description description below so y'all the best Disney World trip ever is calling out to you no matter how much time and how many days you plan on spending in the most magical place on Earth you can still maximize that time to get everything done that you want to get done within your allotted amount of time and money so make sure to keep checking back in with us we're going to continue to give those Disney World maximizing strategies that you can plug into your upcoming trip don't forget to check out our secrets videos too if you do have a little extra time to wander around the parks you're going to find a lot of those cool things and it's really fun to see thanks for listening everyone and thanks for watching as always this is AJ for Disney food blog and we'll see you real soon

Channel: DFBGuide

Views: 90,990

Keywords: disneyfood, disney, disney world, disneyland, disneyvideo, disneyvacation, food, disney parks, disney travel, disney tips, disney guides, disney planning, disney trip, disney how to, disney vlog, disney vlogger

Id: 5-PhGEHq_5k

Length: 24min 1sec (1441 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 26 2023