We used to book 4- 5 day WDW trips, but we’ve changed to 7-day trips for two reasons. First, in this era of rampant flight delays and cancellations, a 4-day trip, say, can suddenly become a disappointingly short 3-day trip. And second, a member of my family is now somewhat disabled. So those rope-drop to fireworks days are just not an option anymore. A longer trip allows for flexibility regarding flight issues and for a slower pace in the parks, just right for us now.
We used to do 5 days, counting our fly in and fly out days. *Can* you do Disney World with two young kids by getting up at 3am on your first day for a flight, going rope drop to close every day, and flying out of MCO on the last day at 6? Yes (or at least you could back in 2020). Should you? Dear god, no. The most exhausting fun we've ever had and our hotels may have been a mattress on a stone floor for all we used the rooms. Our next trip is going to be as you suggest, longer with more time built in to enjoy the things we rushed past previously.
We did 18 days last year. Split between Coronado Springs and Animal Kingdom Lodge. 13 Park days, 2 water park days, and the other 3 resort/Disney Springs. We didn't leave the bubble once. It was very strange driving back out into the real world at the end! We will do the same next time, but only visit every 3 years.
I love the 4-5 day stint. The initial day is just relaxing in the hotel and going up to Disney Springs. The other days are pure park days, with full days for each park. That way, there's no rush and time to enjoy the visit.
We booked a 2 week vacation at Disney/Universal back in 2009 (first and only time we went), it was really fun. But at the end of 2 weeks we were ready to get back home. The whole preplanning/reservation schemes now a days makes it less exciting to go back. It was fun to randomly go and do things on a whim.
Our first trip was ten days. It was our son's 16th bday. He has autism and we had never been on a vacation. We got hooked on disney! Every trip since has been ten days, but then we only come every 2-3 years😊
We are going for 12 nights 13 days this year. We did it last summer and it was amazing. We did a resort day every few days to relax at the pool, sleep in a bit, and enjoy the resort amenities. We will be doing a split stay this year as well trying a few different Disney resorts. And longer stays let you pace individual days better and get to attractions and shows you didn't get to on a previous park day, without the rushed feeling of jumping from one ride to another. Extra park time to us means being able to sit and relax at the parks also and enjoy new food and snacks, also more time to stop and find those park Easter eggs also
@@angiedoe597we’re doing 13 nights this coming January and it’s a total of $13,000 between hotel (rented DVC points at Boulder ridge at wilderness lodge) and tickets for 5 people (14 day tickets thru Uk site, even Americans can buy them) and I’m budgeting $6000 for food (one sit down meal, one quick service meal and 2 snacks a day for five people).
There's definitely a way to balance both! Have you thought about hiring a travel agent? A travel agent would definitely be able to help you do both and stay on your budget, and you don't pay more to use one!
10 days/9 nights is our sweet spot. We did two trips of that length last year and they were wonderful. We got to visit all of the parks plus add extra days at our favorites. We also had time for resort days and shopping days.
This is actually very similar to what I have planned, 9 days & 8 nights, it just feels right to not be rushed and still have time to explore the resort/park and experience gift shops or whatever
10 years ago, I met a couple on the bus back to the hotel, and they said they go to WDW for 6 weeks every year. That seems like a good amount of time (if I could afford it)😊
My husband I did a 5 day 4 park trip (1 day of rest) the first time we went to Disney. We had a great time but spent more time exploring than riding. This time we are only doing 3 parks but plan to do more riding/exploring places we didn't get to fully enjoy!
Going for 9 days and two travel days. We’ve gone for 8 and 7 days, so this one will be super fun. With a toddler and kindergartener, it’s amazing to go as crazy or relaxed as we want. My kids have tons of energy and have never needed a resort day, so we definitely get our value out of these long trips!
If it's a slow day, you can cover the Magic Kingdom in a single long day if you go open to close & you're not bringing kids (speaking from experience). If it's busy or you have kids then plan on two days.
Coming down via RUclips later tonight.. I’m hoping to hit up all the attractions in all 4 parks and see Happily Ever After, Epcot Forever and Fantasmic within about 3 hours
For the weekend visitors including a visit to Epcot, they should also consider "quick" dining at the many food booths that are almost permanent with the long dates of Flower & Garden and Food & Wine events.
We do 10 days...actually 11. We get there usually in the late afternoon due to travel times. We stay on property starting that night and then have 10 full days in the park. We fly out late on day 10 so we usually hit Epcot on the last day. Enjoy some more food shopping etc. We like to do 3 days in MK, 3 days in HS, 3 days in EP, and 1 in AK. The Ak day we leave the park around 4 and go to Disney Springs for a night of food shopping there. We are grown ups so we hit all the top restaurants etc. With in a month of getting home I start to feel ready to go again. Even with all the world craziness going on I just love Disney. Walt wanted to build a place parents could go and act like kids. I highly recommend going in with a kids point of view. With out all the politics etc. I'll be there this year the day after Thanksgiving. See you there!
10 days is kind of the sweet spot for us. Typically we always like to check in on a early morning on a TGIF and check out on the dreaded Monday. But 10 days always gives us that satisfaction!
We are here now and we come every year. 7 park days with a day off in the middle is our sweet spot. We get park hoppers and stay at a value resort. Total with airfare cost us less than $2300 each (2 of us) and that includes food.
I'd personally recommend 7-8 days for a first timer or, like me, someone who goes once about every 5 years. Also for someone who gets down to business (rides all day long as much as they can). I want to do mostly every ride, eat at all of the best spots, see most of the parades, etc. 2 full days can be spent in both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. 1 day each for Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. 1 resort/Disney Springs day and, at least for first timers, an extra day to fall back on. It was a perfect trip. With meticulous planning we did absolutely everything in all 4 parks and had down time (at least on our Magic Kingdom and Epcot days). It was helpful for us to only stay at a DW hotel for one night. It made it even more magical and saved us a lot of money. (:
The absolute best way to do a Disney trip, if it is in your budget, is to start your first day with a VIP tour. That way you get to ride all of the most popular rides on the first day. The next 2 or 3 days you can go at a much slower pace. I did the math and my 7 hour VIP tour allowed us to do the same amount of rides as it would normally take us 30 hours. Also, we got to ride all of the best rides which you'll never get to ride in one day. The VIP when we went was $4,200 for the group plus tip which is normally what you pay for an hour on the tour.
We just visited from the UK for the first time ever and did 2 weeks 1st June -> we had rest days organised in our schedule and stopped outside away from Disney so drove in each day. We visited all the parks twice inc both universal and volcano bay. Absolutely loved it didn’t feel to rushed, but it was still busy and exhausting. Plan to revisit when the next universal parks opens in a few years.
We will be there mid July. 6 days. Arrive Sunday(pool day) Monday ,Tuesday parks, Wednesday resort day/pool/rest/shopping/Thursday Friday parks. Saturday leave.
"There is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done". Spend as many days in WDW as you want. Manage your expectations. Do something new and something familiar. Enjoy the time you have.
Son and I have 12 days coming up: 5 days park hopper, 1 day "Not so scary party" .. split stay: 4 nights CS, 2 nights Bay Towers, 3 nights Poly, 2 nights Wilderness Lodge ... seems a little long to me but those dates worked our for free plane tickets and gives us 5 down days to chill, play golf and swim .
We have increased our days each year....FOMO being the biggest reason. We started at 4...then 5 with park hoppers, now 6.... when you are only able to visit the most magical place once a year- potential missed opportunities due to weather or mechanics are very real.
5 days works for my family. One day to fly there, 2 days at 2 parks (no park hopping, but using Genie + and rope drop), one break day for pool time and shopping, and the last day for flying back home. Perfect.
I book 6-7 days and now stay at the Dolphin….reasons for us are#1..cost…#2…Epcot is walkable where we love …it’s easier for us elders to make week easier and not rush rush ….get 4 day one park with one rest day between,,,,the other 2 days are what I consider travel days where u check in and check out…Lastly after years of going First week of Dec it seems everyone else discovered that great time so now end of January for lower crowds…..
My wife and I usually go for 7 nights. Arrival day is at Disney Springs. Then 2 park days. A resort day to recover. 2 more park days to complete the set. And a last resort day to recover before the drive/flight home. A nice balance between rest and gogogogo
Going in September again. Twelve nights with eight days at the parks. We keep the weekend free and do Disney Springs. Also one off day the second week to use pool and do laundry. 😂 can’t wait.
Thank you for the detailed info on time frame stays. My wife and I are pulling our 5th wheel from Ca. to Fl. in the end of Jan. next year. staying at the Fort Wilderness Campground. We are seniors looking for a 10 day park experience. You're breakdown has helped us tremendously. Thank you again.
We're doing a 9 day trip in August and one of our days will be a VIP tour. We're taking my husband's grandma with us. She's never been to Disney world before, so we are going to try to make it the best trip ever.
I’ve done a 5 day, a 7 day, 9 day and this year I going to be doing a 10 day in December. 7 full days in the parks, 2 “travel” days, and then 1 day to explore some of the resorts because I love Christmas decorations. This will also be my younger sister’s first trip, my other sister’s and I’s first trip during the winter holidays.
I went for 7 days, not including the day to get there and to get back. I went to Magic Kingdom, then I went to the Star Wars Hotel for the two day stay. Then I went to Hollywood studios after the hotel experience. After that I went to Epcot, and the next day I actually spent a day in universal. Lastly, I went to Animal Kingdom to finish off all the Disney parks. It was extremely fun, however I did have to switch locations (like hotels and stuff) three times.
Great video - my sweet spot is 6 nights. Arrive on Sunday and leave Saturday. 1 park per day on a weekday - possible half days on Sunday and Saturday depending on flights. 1 full extra day and then a rest day at home before having to go work on Monday.
hey AJ, could you please do another 'new and improved' Disney World packing list video soon? We went last year in June and have another holiday planned for August 2025. its still a little over 2 years away, but packing is one of my favourite parts of the trip! of course i wont be packing until probably July 2025 but i love watching all these Disney videos to get me hyped and excited for our next trip!
If you're from CA, 3 full days (one park per day) should do it because most of the major WDW Studios attractions are at the Disneyland Resort, so you can skip that park. Then again, an extra day to rent the mini-speed boats & explore (& eat at) the Animal Kingdom Lodge & visit the Wilderness Lodge is worth it to me. Spend the rest of the week at the less stressful & more up-to-date Universal Orlando resort. But better yet: 1. Go to Paris & spend two or nights at Disneyland Paris (skip the studios park there -- the only bad Disney park) and spend the rest of the time in Paris. 2. Visit Japan's 2 great Disney parks in 2 days and then visit Osaka, Kyoto, & Tokyo. 3. Come out to California: Disneyland, 3 working studios in L.A. in addition to U. Hollywood (Paramount, Sony, & Warner Bros), the Getty Museums, SF, Yosemite, San Diego, a variety of beaches, tour Stanford, UCLA, USD, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, Cal Tech &/or other universities before they start or while they're in middle school. Not too early to plant big, inspirational pictures in their growing brains. & take Highway 1 from Santa Barbara to the Bay Area. 4. Drive around Lake Erie in a week: A. Land in Cleveland & visit its free art museum & Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame B. Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio -- arguably the best non-Disney/Universal park in America C. Shakespeare fest in Stratford, Canada, then D. Niagara Falls & then back to Cleveland. 5. Take your kids to Washington, D. C. & maybe (for 2 or 3 days) Philadelphia. Jump start their success in AP U.S. History.
We have visited Disney World 13 times since 2008. We have always stayed at the Fort Wilderness Campground in both the cabins and our camper and have had a wonderful time staying there every time. We usually spent 7 to 10 days there. We tired one year staying 14 days and that was too long for us. Twelve of our vacations since 2011 have been taking our Handicapped Granddaughter with us and not buying tickets for our entire stay. We usually plan 1 to 3 down days without going to the parks depending how long we stay and just encase there is bad weather. We usually plan each day by ear on what we are going to do and how long we are going to stay at each park. We celebrated our Handicapped Granddaughters 16th Birthday at the campground in our camper this past February. We will be staying at the Fort Wilderness Campground again in February 2024 in our camper for 10 days celebrating our Handicapped Granddaughters 17th Birthday and our 45 Wedding Anniversary..
Due to my flying schedule, my go-to trip is almost always Thursday night to Sunday evening. We do this once a month sometimes twice. We can do everything we want to do in that time frame including time for relaxing. So I completely agree with your opinion is for the 2-3 days type of people every once in a while we will do 5-7 day trips
My daughter and I went in June 2018 for the 1st time, kind of spontaneous. We were there 9 days. Time enough to visit each park atleast twice. We had the BEST time EVER!! We have not been able to get back due to COVID coming in and then changes in my work schedule but I definitely have a whole plan lined up. Disney Cruise for Christmas this year, back to Disney World during Spring Break 2024 and Universal Studios for the Summer. Then we anticipate going to Epic Universe 2025. We are too excited, well she doesn't know anything so I'm excited and I'm also a good secret keeper with some good scavenger hunts lined up too LOL
Going on a solo trip in November of this year ( 2023) this will be my fourth time ever going to Disney world. For a solo trip, I think a 3 day trip is the perfect length. Also, being solo has the perks like single rider lines which help with time management.
We are going for 12 days next summer. Did 9 days two years ago and it was wonderful…but we still had a stroller for our kiddos. Being the first year without a stroller, we wanted plenty of resort days built in so they could recharge and be ready to walk again!
Our rule of thumb was 2-days per park with optional 1 day per water park for planning a trip. That was ten years ago. These days we can't afford Disney World.
Just to add an example. We go for 10 days. 5 days parks. 2 water parks. 2 resort/springs days. It's awesome but I know I'm way fortunate to be able to do so. It leaves days to rest your feet.
I have a trip in August coming up which is 7 days total - 2 travel days + 5 FULL days, but only 4 park days with 1 rest day in the middle of the week to shop, resort hop, swim, whatever. It helps that I'm not interested in fancy dining and am staying in a value resort, so I'm not looking to set aside extra time for any add-ons. In the past I've taken LOOONG trips with 7-8 park days and it just got me so burnt out! If you're all about the restaurants and/or spending extra time at the pool, then more time is a plus.
The longest WDW trip I’ve had was about 10 days, and that wasn’t long enough. I’m planning two full weeks when I retire in 6 years. One week will be by myself, then my wife will join me for the second week since a week is about all she can manage and I’ll get all the rushing out of my system by the time she arrives.
If travelling from overseas (like really travelling - Australia), maximise your time. We did a 14 day trip with park hopper plus tacked on days to cover for Universal and NASA. The key then is when to travel to avoid those US peak period holidays. We went late September / early October and it was perfect.
Planning a 16 night solo trip celebrating turning 30 next year, going to have the first day as a hotel and shopping day to get over jet lag then 14 park days (travelling from the uk) with lots of resort mornings/afternoons so I don’t face burnout 😂
We're going for 17 days in January of 2024. At the beginning of 2022, we went for three weeks and that was just a bit too long. For us, the long cross country trip to reach Florida means our sweet spot is usually around 13-14 days.
My mom and I just did a five day trip with a full park day each day. We rope dropped to close everyday, and we were exhausted(I’m a runner; I was struggling, but my mom was literally dying) and felt rushed the whole time. I’m in the process of planning a 10 day trip for us for November 2025. I’m set to graduate from community college in July of 2025, and I want to experience Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party as we did Mickey’s Not So Scary this last time. I’m thinking 2 park days for Epcot, 2 park days for Hollywood, 1 park day for Animal Kingdom, 1 full day at Magic kingdom, and a Christmas party day with three rest days in between. I want to try Morimoto Asia, Chef De France, and Storybook Dining. We did Homecoming, Via Napoli, Hollywood and Vine, Boma, and Be Our Guest this last time. I was honestly disappointed in Homecoming; I liked Be Our Guest, but you should be able to meet the Beast for the price. The food was just ok, and I wouldn’t do it again.
I'm taking 14 days. Every time I come home I always realize that I missed something. 3 days in each park plus mickeys not so scary Halloween party and a chill day.
Been to the World twice, once solo once with adult friends, and I think I have an idea as to how much I want to do next time. Nine days, getting in on Tuesday: Travel/Arrival day, Magic Kingdom two days, EPCOT two days, resort/chill day, park-hop Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, resort/Disney Springs day, travel home day. I’m DVC, so that helps with the budget.
I am fortunate to have a job that allows remote work and I have an Annual Pass…so I have booked a “working” trip in September 7 days. Work days, I’ll start the day working, then will finish the day in the parks, “spirngs,” or just enjoying my resort (booked at AKL). Looking so much forward to it!! AJ, thank you for the pointers on these differnet length trips!! I’m looking at booking a 5 day trip later with my parents.
IF you do the shorter trips do them early in the week please. Arrive on sunday or monday and leave on thursday or Friday for example. In that way you cut the bissy weekend days and can have more fun with less crowds. J.
I did a 5 day 4 night trip recently in May and did parks 4 days in a row and by the 3rd day i was exhausted and did not enjoy Epcot (my one i was looking foward to the most) at all. This time in January i am doing a 6 day, 5 night and do 2 parks, hotel day, then 2 day parks. Should be better this time
i do 7 days, before they revamped HS it was 3 day park hopper, now i do 4 days. last year was my 1st trip since covid so i decided to do 2 weeks just in orlando, 1 week at universal and 1 at disney, could have probably made it half a week at universal and 1 1/2 weeks at disney. But enjoyable non the less and it was 1st time at universal so wasnt sure what to expect
We go for about a week. It seems to be enough time for our annual trip.We do 3 of the parks, Magic kingdom, two Epcot days and animal kingdom or Hollywood.We are going in November this year. The heat of the summer became too much.
I like spending 4 days 1 is getting there and relaxing and the 2 parks on the next 2 days (1 park in the morning and 1 park in the afternoon) 4th day is packing and leaving
I’ve been in the last category since 2015. My first Disney park was Disneyland, so I go once a year a switch between California and Orlando. In my case is because I live in another country, so besides park tickets and hotel reservations; I have to also think about the airline tickets and of course Universal parks. I also take time to visit other local attractions or go a few days to Las Vegas.
I've maxed our Magic Kingdom when my children were little, amd dont like crowds, so now I go for 4 weekdays - 2 in Epcot, 1 in Animal Kingdom, and one at Universal.
We usually try to do seven this year we did six which was enough essentially. But I would love to one day be able to do nine. Nine days would give me at least six days in the parks to do everything I want to do in the parks without having to do rope, drop till close, and a few days of just hanging out at the hotel and relaxing and enjoying myself. I always need a few days to unwind to start to be able to enjoy myself and then at the end of the Disney trip I am just cramming things in and wishing I had planned better or different.
Clearwater is more like 2-3 hours and I don't recommend it. If you wanna go to a west coast beach, check out other beaches in the same area that's closer to St Pete.
We usually do 14 nights (we live in the uk). We’ve done 10 days before but wouldn’t do any less personally without feeling rushed to try to do everything. Our short answer though is the more days we can afford the more we do 😂
6 days back in May. 5 days at the parks, 1 day to lounge at the resort and go to Disney springs. Felt like it was a pretty perfect amount, although maybe a few extra days for some time at universal would be cool too
We used to book 4- 5 day WDW trips, but we’ve changed to 7-day trips for two reasons. First, in this era of rampant flight delays and cancellations, a 4-day trip, say, can suddenly become a disappointingly short 3-day trip. And second, a member of my family is now somewhat disabled. So those rope-drop to fireworks days are just not an option anymore. A longer trip allows for flexibility regarding flight issues and for a slower pace in the parks, just right for us now.
We used to do 5 days, counting our fly in and fly out days. *Can* you do Disney World with two young kids by getting up at 3am on your first day for a flight, going rope drop to close every day, and flying out of MCO on the last day at 6? Yes (or at least you could back in 2020). Should you? Dear god, no. The most exhausting fun we've ever had and our hotels may have been a mattress on a stone floor for all we used the rooms.
Our next trip is going to be as you suggest, longer with more time built in to enjoy the things we rushed past previously.
Consider a ten day which allows added days at Universal!
So glad I live 1 1/2 hrs south of wdw
@@TopTierKnees make a list of rides you want too ride a too priority. We have yet too ride some rides . Just eat too long
@RLucas3000 we actually just booked an 8 day trip including universal (express passes to let us hit all the rides in just two days) for January 😁
We did 18 days last year. Split between Coronado Springs and Animal Kingdom Lodge. 13 Park days, 2 water park days, and the other 3 resort/Disney Springs. We didn't leave the bubble once. It was very strange driving back out into the real world at the end!
We will do the same next time, but only visit every 3 years.
I’m jealous!
Jeez! How much did that cost?
Wow! Sounds like a dream! What was the total cost of this trip?
Some people have jobs
I love the 4-5 day stint. The initial day is just relaxing in the hotel and going up to Disney Springs. The other days are pure park days, with full days for each park. That way, there's no rush and time to enjoy the visit.
We booked a 2 week vacation at Disney/Universal back in 2009 (first and only time we went), it was really fun. But at the end of 2 weeks we were ready to get back home. The whole preplanning/reservation schemes now a days makes it less exciting to go back. It was fun to randomly go and do things on a whim.
Our first trip was ten days. It was our son's 16th bday. He has autism and we had never been on a vacation. We got hooked on disney! Every trip since has been ten days, but then we only come every 2-3 years😊
10 damn days
We are going for 12 nights 13 days this year. We did it last summer and it was amazing. We did a resort day every few days to relax at the pool, sleep in a bit, and enjoy the resort amenities. We will be doing a split stay this year as well trying a few different Disney resorts. And longer stays let you pace individual days better and get to attractions and shows you didn't get to on a previous park day, without the rushed feeling of jumping from one ride to another. Extra park time to us means being able to sit and relax at the parks also and enjoy new food and snacks, also more time to stop and find those park Easter eggs also
How much does this duration of a trip cost?
@@angiedoe597we’re doing 13 nights this coming January and it’s a total of $13,000 between hotel (rented DVC points at Boulder ridge at wilderness lodge) and tickets for 5 people (14 day tickets thru Uk site, even Americans can buy them) and I’m budgeting $6000 for food (one sit down meal, one quick service meal and 2 snacks a day for five people).
I would like to divide my time between Disney and universal
Unless you have unlimited budget it’s probably best to do separate trips, one for each. The more days you buy the cheaper each day is.
There's definitely a way to balance both!
Have you thought about hiring a travel agent? A travel agent would definitely be able to help you do both and stay on your budget, and you don't pay more to use one!
I am doing that in August. It's doable universal has alot of deals
I’m doing it in September. 3 days in Universal staying at their Aventura resort and then 10 days at Pop Century to cover Disney 😊
That’s doable me and my family have just booked a 2 week vacation (from the uk) we are doing both but no water parks. Travel agent is your best bet xx
10 days/9 nights is our sweet spot. We did two trips of that length last year and they were wonderful. We got to visit all of the parks plus add extra days at our favorites. We also had time for resort days and shopping days.
This is actually very similar to what I have planned, 9 days & 8 nights, it just feels right to not be rushed and still have time to explore the resort/park and experience gift shops or whatever
10 years ago, I met a couple on the bus back to the hotel, and they said they go to WDW for 6 weeks every year. That seems like a good amount of time (if I could afford it)😊
I guarantee at the end of it I would still be like we need one more day.
My husband I did a 5 day 4 park trip (1 day of rest) the first time we went to Disney. We had a great time but spent more time exploring than riding. This time we are only doing 3 parks but plan to do more riding/exploring places we didn't get to fully enjoy!
Going for 9 days and two travel days. We’ve gone for 8 and 7 days, so this one will be super fun. With a toddler and kindergartener, it’s amazing to go as crazy or relaxed as we want. My kids have tons of energy and have never needed a resort day, so we definitely get our value out of these long trips!
I’m gonna be going this December for 6 days. 4 of those days will be park days. 1 day for each park. Leaving back to Canada on day 6
I’m going in August. It’s been 22 years since I’ve been and my daughters first trip. Thanks for your videos
If it's a slow day, you can cover the Magic Kingdom in a single long day if you go open to close & you're not bringing kids (speaking from experience). If it's busy or you have kids then plan on two days.
Coming down via RUclips later tonight.. I’m hoping to hit up all the attractions in all 4 parks and see Happily Ever After, Epcot Forever and Fantasmic within about 3 hours
For the weekend visitors including a visit to Epcot, they should also consider "quick" dining at the many food booths that are almost permanent with the long dates of Flower & Garden and Food & Wine events.
We do 10 days...actually 11. We get there usually in the late afternoon due to travel times. We stay on property starting that night and then have 10 full days in the park. We fly out late on day 10 so we usually hit Epcot on the last day. Enjoy some more food shopping etc. We like to do 3 days in MK, 3 days in HS, 3 days in EP, and 1 in AK. The Ak day we leave the park around 4 and go to Disney Springs for a night of food shopping there. We are grown ups so we hit all the top restaurants etc. With in a month of getting home I start to feel ready to go again. Even with all the world craziness going on I just love Disney. Walt wanted to build a place parents could go and act like kids. I highly recommend going in with a kids point of view. With out all the politics etc. I'll be there this year the day after Thanksgiving. See you there!
As many as possible! 😃😍 Happy Monday, y’all! 🎩🥂🖤
10 days is kind of the sweet spot for us. Typically we always like to check in on a early morning on a TGIF and check out on the dreaded Monday. But 10 days always gives us that satisfaction!
We are here now and we come every year. 7 park days with a day off in the middle is our sweet spot. We get park hoppers and stay at a value resort. Total with airfare cost us less than $2300 each (2 of us) and that includes food.
Yesterday I literally just added yet another day to my Disney vacation!! 😂 And I can’t wait! 😍
Been waiting for todays post 🎉
I'd personally recommend 7-8 days for a first timer or, like me, someone who goes once about every 5 years. Also for someone who gets down to business (rides all day long as much as they can). I want to do mostly every ride, eat at all of the best spots, see most of the parades, etc. 2 full days can be spent in both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. 1 day each for Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. 1 resort/Disney Springs day and, at least for first timers, an extra day to fall back on. It was a perfect trip. With meticulous planning we did absolutely everything in all 4 parks and had down time (at least on our Magic Kingdom and Epcot days). It was helpful for us to only stay at a DW hotel for one night. It made it even more magical and saved us a lot of money. (:
I found the best option when my mother and I stayed at swan and dolphin was just walking over to the boardwalk and taking the disney bus from there
The absolute best way to do a Disney trip, if it is in your budget, is to start your first day with a VIP tour. That way you get to ride all of the most popular rides on the first day. The next 2 or 3 days you can go at a much slower pace. I did the math and my 7 hour VIP tour allowed us to do the same amount of rides as it would normally take us 30 hours. Also, we got to ride all of the best rides which you'll never get to ride in one day. The VIP when we went was $4,200 for the group plus tip which is normally what you pay for an hour on the tour.
I'd love to do 10 nights at Disney but 5 nights/6 days is already $7400 at a value resort!! (Art of Animation Suite)
Not to mention food!
How much are art of animation suites?! I'm doing 7 days 6 nights at a one bedroom at wilderness lodge for 7600.
We just visited from the UK for the first time ever and did 2 weeks 1st June -> we had rest days organised in our schedule and stopped outside away from Disney so drove in each day. We visited all the parks twice inc both universal and volcano bay. Absolutely loved it didn’t feel to rushed, but it was still busy and exhausting. Plan to revisit when the next universal parks opens in a few years.
what a waste of time and money.
@@peterzin8979How is it a waste if they loved it? Also they could be rich.
At least 8
We are doing 7nights/8 days later this year. 5 park days with a rest day in the middle plus of course the arrival and departure day and can’t wait.
We will be there mid July. 6 days. Arrive Sunday(pool day) Monday ,Tuesday parks, Wednesday resort day/pool/rest/shopping/Thursday Friday parks. Saturday leave.
We’ll be there 12 days in September for my sons 4th Birthday 🎉😁
"There is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done". Spend as many days in WDW as you want. Manage your expectations. Do something new and something familiar. Enjoy the time you have.
Yall should do a video on how long and cost to literally do everything Disney. Eat restaurant... Each hotel... Etc
Son and I have 12 days coming up: 5 days park hopper, 1 day "Not so scary party" .. split stay: 4 nights CS, 2 nights Bay Towers, 3 nights Poly, 2 nights Wilderness Lodge ... seems a little long to me but those dates worked our for free plane tickets and gives us 5 down days to chill, play golf and swim .
We have increased our days each year....FOMO being the biggest reason. We started at 4...then 5 with park hoppers, now 6.... when you are only able to visit the most magical place once a year- potential missed opportunities due to weather or mechanics are very real.
My next disney trip is going to be at the end of September beginning of October for 2 weeks. I found that this amount of time is perfect for me.
It's the great quality and informative provided in videos like this that makes this my favorite RUclips channel
We mix it up a lot. Some times we do 3 days and park hop. Most the time we do 4-5 days and take our time
5 days works for my family. One day to fly there, 2 days at 2 parks (no park hopping, but using Genie + and rope drop), one break day for pool time and shopping, and the last day for flying back home. Perfect.
The crowds are massive going 3 day weekends. You'll spend most of your time in LONG lines!
yesss thank you. i’m going tomorrow
I book 6-7 days and now stay at the Dolphin….reasons for us are#1..cost…#2…Epcot is walkable where we love …it’s easier for us elders to make week easier and not rush rush ….get 4 day one park with one rest day between,,,,the other 2 days are what I consider travel days where u check in and check out…Lastly after years of going First week of Dec it seems everyone else discovered that great time so now end of January for lower crowds…..
5 day marathon! No break days! Go, go, go! When the budget means this is a once in forever splurge, make the most of it! LOL
Just got back! 4 days for driving traveling, 4 days 1 park per day is was a marathon!
My wife and I usually go for 7 nights. Arrival day is at Disney Springs. Then 2 park days. A resort day to recover. 2 more park days to complete the set. And a last resort day to recover before the drive/flight home. A nice balance between rest and gogogogo
We're doing 8 day: 2 travel days, 4 park days, two resort/Orlando days.
Going in September again. Twelve nights with eight days at the parks. We keep the weekend free and do Disney Springs. Also one off day the second week to use pool and do laundry. 😂 can’t wait.
Thank you for the detailed info on time frame stays. My wife and I are pulling our 5th wheel from Ca. to Fl. in the end of Jan. next year. staying at the Fort Wilderness Campground. We are seniors looking for a 10 day park experience. You're breakdown has helped us tremendously. Thank you again.
We're doing a 9 day trip in August and one of our days will be a VIP tour. We're taking my husband's grandma with us. She's never been to Disney world before, so we are going to try to make it the best trip ever.
Coming down in 12 days and doing 5 days in the parks with parkhopper! Last time in 2018 we did 6 park days with no parkhopper and it worked out great.
I’ve done a 5 day, a 7 day, 9 day and this year I going to be doing a 10 day in December. 7 full days in the parks, 2 “travel” days, and then 1 day to explore some of the resorts because I love Christmas decorations. This will also be my younger sister’s first trip, my other sister’s and I’s first trip during the winter holidays.
I went for 7 days, not including the day to get there and to get back. I went to Magic Kingdom, then I went to the Star Wars Hotel for the two day stay. Then I went to Hollywood studios after the hotel experience. After that I went to Epcot, and the next day I actually spent a day in universal. Lastly, I went to Animal Kingdom to finish off all the Disney parks. It was extremely fun, however I did have to switch locations (like hotels and stuff) three times.
You got a chance to stay on the Galactic Starcruiser?! I really wanted to do that, I know I would’ve loved it. Tell me honestly, was it worth it?
@@parkerwalker5128 it was definitely worth it!
Can you do a series of Videos that are a certain budget based. Like do Disney for under 2K, 5K, like a king ect?
Great video - my sweet spot is 6 nights. Arrive on Sunday and leave Saturday. 1 park per day on a weekday - possible half days on Sunday and Saturday depending on flights. 1 full extra day and then a rest day at home before having to go work on Monday.
I plan a travel day, a day at each park, an extra day to do what I did get to do at each park, then leave. So a 6 night trip
A couple of years ago, we did 5 days of parks, no rest. So this year we are planning 6 park days and a rest day. Hoping that will fit my group better.
That's my favorite way to do Disney World...😊 5 park days w a break day in the middle somewhere.
hey AJ, could you please do another 'new and improved' Disney World packing list video soon? We went last year in June and have another holiday planned for August 2025. its still a little over 2 years away, but packing is one of my favourite parts of the trip! of course i wont be packing until probably July 2025 but i love watching all these Disney videos to get me hyped and excited for our next trip!
If you're from CA, 3 full days (one park per day) should do it because most of the major WDW Studios attractions are at the Disneyland Resort, so you can skip that park. Then again, an extra day to rent the mini-speed boats & explore (& eat at) the Animal Kingdom Lodge & visit the Wilderness Lodge is worth it to me. Spend the rest of the week at the less stressful & more up-to-date Universal Orlando resort.
But better yet:
1. Go to Paris & spend two or nights at Disneyland Paris (skip the studios park there -- the only bad Disney park) and spend the rest of the time in Paris.
2. Visit Japan's 2 great Disney parks in 2 days and then visit Osaka, Kyoto, & Tokyo.
3. Come out to California:
Disneyland, 3 working studios in L.A. in addition to U. Hollywood (Paramount, Sony, & Warner Bros), the Getty Museums,
SF,
Yosemite,
San Diego,
a variety of beaches,
tour Stanford, UCLA, USD, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, Cal Tech &/or other universities
before they start or while they're in middle school. Not too early to plant big, inspirational pictures in their growing brains.
& take Highway 1 from Santa Barbara to the Bay Area.
4. Drive around Lake Erie in a week:
A. Land in Cleveland & visit its free art museum & Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame
B. Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio -- arguably the best non-Disney/Universal park in America
C. Shakespeare fest in Stratford, Canada, then
D. Niagara Falls & then back to Cleveland.
5. Take your kids to Washington, D. C. & maybe (for 2 or 3 days) Philadelphia. Jump start their success in AP U.S. History.
We have visited Disney World 13 times since 2008. We have always stayed at the Fort Wilderness Campground in both the cabins and our camper and have had a wonderful time staying there every time. We usually spent 7 to 10 days there. We tired one year staying 14 days and that was too long for us. Twelve of our vacations since 2011 have been taking our Handicapped Granddaughter with us and not buying tickets for our entire stay. We usually plan 1 to 3 down days without going to the parks depending how long we stay and just encase there is bad weather. We usually plan each day by ear on what we are going to do and how long we are going to stay at each park. We celebrated our Handicapped Granddaughters 16th Birthday at the campground in our camper this past February. We will be staying at the Fort Wilderness Campground again in February 2024 in our camper for 10 days celebrating our Handicapped Granddaughters 17th Birthday and our 45 Wedding Anniversary..
Due to my flying schedule, my go-to trip is almost always Thursday night to Sunday evening. We do this once a month sometimes twice. We can do everything we want to do in that time frame including time for relaxing. So I completely agree with your opinion is for the 2-3 days type of people every once in a while we will do 5-7 day trips
My daughter and I went in June 2018 for the 1st time, kind of spontaneous. We were there 9 days. Time enough to visit each park atleast twice. We had the BEST time EVER!! We have not been able to get back due to COVID coming in and then changes in my work schedule but I definitely have a whole plan lined up. Disney Cruise for Christmas this year, back to Disney World during Spring Break 2024 and Universal Studios for the Summer. Then we anticipate going to Epic Universe 2025. We are too excited, well she doesn't know anything so I'm excited and I'm also a good secret keeper with some good scavenger hunts lined up too LOL
Going on a solo trip in November of this year ( 2023) this will be my fourth time ever going to Disney world. For a solo trip, I think a 3 day trip is the perfect length. Also, being solo has the perks like single rider lines which help with time management.
Stay forever there is no logical reason too leave😊
We are going for 12 days next summer. Did 9 days two years ago and it was wonderful…but we still had a stroller for our kiddos. Being the first year without a stroller, we wanted plenty of resort days built in so they could recharge and be ready to walk again!
Our rule of thumb was 2-days per park with optional 1 day per water park for planning a trip. That was ten years ago. These days we can't afford Disney World.
Honestly, MK alone seems like a four day park. I can't imagine trying to cram all four parks into just one weekend.
Just to add an example. We go for 10 days. 5 days parks. 2 water parks. 2 resort/springs days. It's awesome but I know I'm way fortunate to be able to do so. It leaves days to rest your feet.
I have a trip in August coming up which is 7 days total - 2 travel days + 5 FULL days, but only 4 park days with 1 rest day in the middle of the week to shop, resort hop, swim, whatever. It helps that I'm not interested in fancy dining and am staying in a value resort, so I'm not looking to set aside extra time for any add-ons. In the past I've taken LOOONG trips with 7-8 park days and it just got me so burnt out! If you're all about the restaurants and/or spending extra time at the pool, then more time is a plus.
The longest WDW trip I’ve had was about 10 days, and that wasn’t long enough.
I’m planning two full weeks when I retire in 6 years. One week will be by myself, then my wife will join me for the second week since a week is about all she can manage and I’ll get all the rushing out of my system by the time she arrives.
If travelling from overseas (like really travelling - Australia), maximise your time. We did a 14 day trip with park hopper plus tacked on days to cover for Universal and NASA.
The key then is when to travel to avoid those US peak period holidays.
We went late September / early October and it was perfect.
8 days in august at riviera!!
Planning a 16 night solo trip celebrating turning 30 next year, going to have the first day as a hotel and shopping day to get over jet lag then 14 park days (travelling from the uk) with lots of resort mornings/afternoons so I don’t face burnout 😂
two in Magic Kingdom, Two in Hollywood, one for Animal Kingdom, one for Epcot, one for a day to rest in between.
Good discussion of options.
We're going for 17 days in January of 2024. At the beginning of 2022, we went for three weeks and that was just a bit too long. For us, the long cross country trip to reach Florida means our sweet spot is usually around 13-14 days.
My mom and I just did a five day trip with a full park day each day. We rope dropped to close everyday, and we were exhausted(I’m a runner; I was struggling, but my mom was literally dying) and felt rushed the whole time. I’m in the process of planning a 10 day trip for us for November 2025. I’m set to graduate from community college in July of 2025, and I want to experience Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party as we did Mickey’s Not So Scary this last time. I’m thinking 2 park days for Epcot, 2 park days for Hollywood, 1 park day for Animal Kingdom, 1 full day at Magic kingdom, and a Christmas party day with three rest days in between. I want to try Morimoto Asia, Chef De France, and Storybook Dining. We did Homecoming, Via Napoli, Hollywood and Vine, Boma, and Be Our Guest this last time. I was honestly disappointed in Homecoming; I liked Be Our Guest, but you should be able to meet the Beast for the price. The food was just ok, and I wouldn’t do it again.
Thanks AJ, we love you!!! lol
23 days is our record! Cabins at the fort!
I'm taking 14 days. Every time I come home I always realize that I missed something. 3 days in each park plus mickeys not so scary Halloween party and a chill day.
I love your videos!
We tend to do a 7-11 day visit. Some parks we repeat but there is a day or 2 where we spend in Disney Springs!
Been to the World twice, once solo once with adult friends, and I think I have an idea as to how much I want to do next time. Nine days, getting in on Tuesday: Travel/Arrival day, Magic Kingdom two days, EPCOT two days, resort/chill day, park-hop Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, resort/Disney Springs day, travel home day. I’m DVC, so that helps with the budget.
Just don't forget to pay your annual dues... 😁
I am fortunate to have a job that allows remote work and I have an Annual Pass…so I have booked a “working” trip in September 7 days. Work days, I’ll start the day working, then will finish the day in the parks, “spirngs,” or just enjoying my resort (booked at AKL). Looking so much forward to it!! AJ, thank you for the pointers on these differnet length trips!! I’m looking at booking a 5 day trip later with my parents.
IF you do the shorter trips do them early in the week please. Arrive on sunday or monday and leave on thursday or Friday for example. In that way you cut the bissy weekend days and can have more fun with less crowds. J.
There's nothing like just taking a couple days to resort hop, eat all the signature dining you can afford to, and see where the wind takes you.
I did a 5 day 4 night trip recently in May and did parks 4 days in a row and by the 3rd day i was exhausted and did not enjoy Epcot (my one i was looking foward to the most) at all. This time in January i am doing a 6 day, 5 night and do 2 parks, hotel day, then 2 day parks. Should be better this time
i do 7 days, before they revamped HS it was 3 day park hopper, now i do 4 days. last year was my 1st trip since covid so i decided to do 2 weeks just in orlando, 1 week at universal and 1 at disney, could have probably made it half a week at universal and 1 1/2 weeks at disney. But enjoyable non the less and it was 1st time at universal so wasnt sure what to expect
We go for about a week. It seems to be enough time for our annual trip.We do 3 of the parks, Magic kingdom, two Epcot days and animal kingdom or Hollywood.We are going in November this year. The heat of the summer became too much.
Nice to know this!
I like spending 4 days
1 is getting there and relaxing
and the 2 parks on the next 2 days (1 park in the morning and 1 park in the afternoon)
4th day is packing and leaving
Man! I keep forgetting about split stays! Gotta try this out sometime. Thanks for the reminder!
I think it's a good way to sample a resorts, and decide on your favorites.
I’ve been in the last category since 2015. My first Disney park was Disneyland, so I go once a year a switch between California and Orlando. In my case is because I live in another country, so besides park tickets and hotel reservations; I have to also think about the airline tickets and of course Universal parks.
I also take time to visit other local attractions or go a few days to Las Vegas.
A weekend getaway would be fine if your splitting between Disney and universal studios
I've maxed our Magic Kingdom when my children were little, amd dont like crowds, so now I go for 4 weekdays - 2 in Epcot, 1 in Animal Kingdom, and one at Universal.
We usually try to do seven this year we did six which was enough essentially. But I would love to one day be able to do nine. Nine days would give me at least six days in the parks to do everything I want to do in the parks without having to do rope, drop till close, and a few days of just hanging out at the hotel and relaxing and enjoying myself. I always need a few days to unwind to start to be able to enjoy myself and then at the end of the Disney trip I am just cramming things in and wishing I had planned better or different.
Clearwater is more like 2-3 hours and I don't recommend it. If you wanna go to a west coast beach, check out other beaches in the same area that's closer to St Pete.
My dad and I are vacationing for a total of 7 days with 4 days in the Parks with Hoppers, and a resort day in-between the park days
6 days is perfect 6 nights 5 days seems we see everything we want and not have to rush every day.
We usually do 14 nights (we live in the uk). We’ve done 10 days before but wouldn’t do any less personally without feeling rushed to try to do everything. Our short answer though is the more days we can afford the more we do 😂
6 days back in May. 5 days at the parks, 1 day to lounge at the resort and go to Disney springs. Felt like it was a pretty perfect amount, although maybe a few extra days for some time at universal would be cool too