At the beginning of your Walt Disney World planning process, one question might come that will change every decision you make: How many days do I need to enjoy the parks? It’s a tricky question and one that has a multitude of factors, not least of which is your available time and budget. Even so, those two elements don’t dictate the trip you might take. A longer stay might require a value resort rather than moderate, or you might be able to realign your dates to make sure of a weekend on either end of the working days. There is a way around just about everything; the starting point is understanding the goal.
If you plan on visiting all four of the major theme parks in Disney’s Orlando home, I would recommend having at least one full day in each location. Ideally, if this is your first trip or you have not visited in a while, I would like to have a fifth day up my sleeve to have a second day in Magic Kingdom. Adding in a rest day in the middle to explore Disney Springs or try out the water parks, that’s six days on the property without counting your arrival and departure dates.
Image: disneyworld.go.com
When booking trips like Walt Disney World, where there is so much to do, I like to add in some extra time with the weekends to make the most of my time away from work and the kids missing school. By incorporating the weekend on either side into your trip, you get maximum travel time on minimum leave. Those five work days you’ll be missing, score you nine full days, if you can, from Saturday through to Sunday on the following weekend. Keeping your park time limited to the weekdays can be helpful, often avoiding the weekend annual passholder crowds that visit routinely outside of school and work days.
For guests who are short on time and have visited the parks before or had the opportunity to enjoy Disneyland in the past, I would highly recommend sticking to the parts of Walt Disney World that have a distinct point of difference. When short on time and passing through, I like to visit EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a priority, as I find them to be the most unique compared to my usual time in Disneyland.
If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Walt Disney World, let us know what your itinerary looks like and how many days you prefer to spend in each of the parks.
Zoë Wood is a travel writer from Sydney, Australia. Since her first visit to Disneyland at the age of 6, she has spent her years frequently visiting Disney Parks and traveling around the world.
Join Zoë as she lets you in on all the tips, tricks, anecdotes, and embarrassments that arise from her family adventures.
