Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to stay at Disney World too long. I have heard many stories from people who travel from overseas to spend weeks at a time in Florida. While that sounds fun and exciting, be warned that burnout is real, and you can get tired of being on vacation. The first time we went to Disney World around the holidays, we kept adding days and ended up with somewhere around nine or ten.
At first, that may sound wonderful, but that was the most exhausting vacation ever and by the end, everyone was ready to go home. Disney World visitors could spend weeks exploring the parks, resorts, and other activities on property. However, it is important to strategically plan the number of days you want to stay. Most people tend to visit for about one week, depending on how much time they have off work. Let’s take an in-depth look at how many days you need to get the most out of a Disney World vacation.
Planning a Vacation
Before booking a trip, I always print out a blank calendar to help strategize my trip. I fill in which days I intend to visit each park and also write down ideas for dining and other activities we plan on doing. At this time, I would also recommend thinking about how many days you will have off of work, how long it will take to get to the parks (flying or driving), and if you want to go anywhere else on the trip.
After figuring out the basics, it is time to break down how much time to spend at each park. Some people will find that they need more or less time at various parks, and many visitors like to plan on spending a day at their resort or Disney Springs. Next, we will go through an overview of how long most people spend at each park.
How Many Days at Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom may not be the biggest park acreage wise, but it does have the most attractions. Therefore, I always recommend planning more than one day at Magic Kingdom if possible. I personally spend at least two full days at Magic Kingdom in the course of a week. However, I do get Park Hopper, so I won’t stay for the entire day. Instead, I usually go to one park in the morning and a different one in the evening to change the scenery.
With all of that in mind, if you only have one day to spend at Disney World, Magic Kingdom is where you want to go. Similarly, if you have three or four days, then consider doing one park per day and skip Park Hopper. In these scenarios, I would plan on trying to stay from park opening to park closing to get on all of the major attractions and shows.
How Many Days at EPCOT
EPCOT is a very popular park for adults as the World Showcase offers one of the most unique theme park experiences. However, younger children may get bored here. I normally spend one day at EPCOT on a five-day trip, but sometimes, I go back an extra evening to see a couple of other shows. In contrast, some people do spend a full two days in the park, but that really isn’t necessary. You will easily get to all of the major attractions and see most shows in a single day.
How Many Days at Hollywood Studios
A lot of people consider Hollywood Studios a half-day park, and they aren’t wrong. However, it has always been the one park I find myself going back to the most. It has a nice lineup of thrill rides and, of course, is home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I would plan on spending one full day at Hollywood Studios since lines get very long, and the shows quickly eat up your day. If you’ve done everything, then you can always leave early, but most people can spend an entire day in the park.
How Many Days at Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom is the one park that I cannot spend an entire day at. The latest I’ve stayed at Animal Kingdom (from park opening) was around 4:30. That was on my first trip, and Animal Kingdom had an afternoon parade back then. I’ve gone to the park a couple of times in the afternoon, and it is very nice. Crowds tend to be light, and it is much cooler in the evening. Speaking of heat, Animal Kingdom always feels hot thanks to the “rainforest affect.” The simple explanation is that the plants actually raise the humidity level, so even though parts of the park are shady, it still feels like an oven.
The biggest problem is that there are only a few air-conditioned areas within the park to cool off. If you do want to stay for an entire day, plan on taking a break or having a meal at one of the park’s table service restaurants. Regardless of how you plan to tackle Animal Kingdom, you shouldn’t need more than a full day to see everything.
Total Park Days
If you’ve been keeping track, I recommend spending one day at each park except for Magic Kingdom. That means you would need about five days to comfortably experience the park. I tend to recommend six days for people visiting for the first time. The extra day provides a little wiggle room for an off day, which we will get to in a minute.
With five days in the park, you can take the remainder of your Animal Kingdom day to spend an extra late evening in EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Similarly, a second Magic Kingdom day isn’t essential, but you could also spend part of the day at the hotel or going back to another park. While I’ve talked about spending days in a park, you can split your day. As previously mentioned, I nearly always go to two parks in a day. That wastes some time, but I tend to get bored walking around one park. Switching parks also gives me a chance to stop and eat at one of the onsite hotels.
Extra Days for Water Parks, Hotels, and Downtown Disney
In addition to the five days you should go to the park, consider adding extra days to visit other attractions on Disney property. For instance, guests visiting at Christmas time should go hotel hopping to see the decorations at the three monorail resorts. I highly suggest visiting Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge, as those are some of the most impressive hotels on property. Going to Disney World involves a lot of walking, and the extreme heat takes a toll. Therefore, many people decide to add a day to simply relax and sleep late.
Outside of the hotels are two on-site water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. You can easily spend a day at both water parks (only one is open at a time on most days). Of course, you can also spend the day at your resort’s pool or venture to Downtown Disney for added entertainment, shopping, and dining options. Disney Springs is open much later than the parks, so even if you don’t want to waste an entire day, you can stop by after spending the day in the theme parks.
Splitting a Disney Trip With Other Destinations
Now to address the elephant in the room. Many people traveling to Disney World are now choosing to split their trips with other destinations like Universal. Doing so isn’t a problem, but you may need to take a day or two off of your Disney trip to fit within your allotted time off.
Universal Orlando really requires two days to see everything, but three is ideal. Universal also has an impressive water park called Volcano Bay that you may wan to visit. If you want to experience the two parks and water parks you will need three days. At that point I would consider switching from a Disney to a Universal hotel to make getting around easier. In the worst-case scenario, you could get on all of the major rides at the two parks in one day if that is all you have.
There are plenty of other experiences in Florida that you could spend days visiting. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens are very popular and you could spend a day at each. Similarly, Legoland is great for people with young children. Being in Florida, you also have beaches to explore, or you could even book a cruise.
I sometimes add a day or two to my Disney World trip to visit Universal. However, I tend to book separate trips when I want to experience other Florida theme parks. For instance, I recently visited Universal, Legoland, and Busch Gardens on a five-day trip. I love Disney World, but I feel that visiting takes so many days that it is difficult to combine it with other parks.
