So, you’ve decided on your first trip to Walt Disney World. Congratulations! One of the top destinations in the world, not only for Disney addicts, but anyone looking for a good time with shows, amusements, and entertainment for anyone. But how long should you go for?
How long should I go for for my first trip?
Florida is a long way from Ireland, however you get there, and it costs a lot to get there, and stay there… so you will need to take how long you are there for into account. For your first time at Walt Disney World, we’d recommend at least ten days, with the optimum amount being fourteen days, or two full weeks. Here’s why.
There is more to do than you can imagine.
Even with meticulous planning, you won’t see everything in every park at Walt Disney world, do every attraction and show, find every secret, and so on. This is because the parks operate on returns; your first time will be magic, but so will your second, your third, and so on.
So prioritising is a must. Decide what parks, rides, and shows are most important to you. Many people also just go to Magic Kingdom for one or two days only, as of course this is the main park in Walt Disney World. But there are four main parks, two water parks, mini golf, Disney Springs, 27 on site hotels each with their own draw…. you can see what we mean. There is a lot to do.
Do I do all four main parks on my first trip?
Simple answer is yes. Buy a 7, 14, or 21 day pass, with Park Hopper. This will allow you to move between parks freely and as you wish. It allows you to experience all the parks and not feel like you missed out on anything. For the first trip to Walt Disney World, you want to see World Showcase at EPCOT; you want to see Pandora and the safari at Animal Kingdom, you want to see Toy Story land and of course the new Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios. If its hot, you might want a few hours at the water park. If you like mini golf (like we do!), the courses at Walt Disney World are amongst the best we have ever played. So, get a Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus ticket!
Do I need multiple days at each of the parks?
Again, simple answer is yes. There is a lot more than one days worth of activities and entertainment in each park. This means that you should be looking at spending a few days of your trip at each park, or park hopping between different parks on particular days. For example, we’ve done Hollywood Studios first thing in the morning, took a break in our hotel in the mid afternoon, and then off to Magic Kingdom for some night time rides, the fireworks, and because of how easy it is to get around, it just works!
What is a good itinerary for parks and park hopping?
There is no ‘perfect’ itinerary. Because of the likes of dining reservations, FastPass+, and crowds at different times of the year, any advice for a rigid plan is difficult to say. Instead, we’ll give you our advice for how many days to spend at each park during a 14 day (two week) period.
Our two week suggestion:
- Magic Kingdom – Three full days or more.
- EPCOT – Two full days or more
- Hollywood Studios – Two full days or more
- Animal Kingdom – Two full days or more
- Water Parks – Half day
- Disney Springs– Two half days
- Rest days – One or Two days, in the middle and towards the end.
- Off site trip (Outlets, NASA, other parks, etc) – One day or more.
- Travel to/from airport – depending on your flight time there or home, you may get an extra half a day to experience a park, or go down to Disney Springs for food or last minute purchases.
Of course, this is just a simple suggestion. You may not want that many days in particular parks, and you should take FastPass reservations into account when making a plan; you may want to see other theme parks or attractions in Florida, and extending your trip even further just may not be on the cards. We say, do your research, work out what parks are your priority.
Plan to be flexible.
But overall, we heavily, heavily advise being flexible. If you are feeling the heat, take a break. If the kids are having a meltdown, go back to a hotel. This is why the park hopper and multi day tickets are a must, because they don’t put pressure on anything.
Disney From Ireland 