When planning a Disney World vacation, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is how LONG of a stay you need to experience all that you want.
While sometimes quick trips are ideal — especially if you’re only wanting to experience one or two parks — sometimes it makes sense to spend multiple days at each park to truly experience all that each park has to offer. So, how many days at Disney World is the perfect amount for you and your crew? Let’s talk about it!
We asked our readers to share with us the LONGEST amount of time they’ve ever spent at Disney World, and many shared some insight on why that amount of time was ideal for them. The most common answer made even OUR jaws drop.
It’s not uncommon for many of our readers to spend anywhere between 12 and 21 days at Disney World! While we think it’s AWESOME that a ton of you have been able to experience Disney in that way, it simply might not be attainable for a first-time visitor. So, based on the reasoning given behind those super long stays, we’ve come up with a length-of-stay strategy for both first-time and seasoned visitors.
As you might already know, Disney parks are filled with so many rides and shows that are considered “must-dos” for many. It’s also no secret that some of these experiences are more popular than others, resulting in longer waits. Parks like Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have several popular attractions known for their long waits, which might make some people consider spending multiple days at those theme parks.
Considering this, we think anywhere from 6 to 8 days is a great length of stay for a first-time visitor hoping to experience EVERYTHING that the theme parks have to offer. This way, you won’t be rushed and you can take the time to actually enjoy and remember these experiences.
We’ve come up with a sample schedule at Disney to show the ways in which you can experience each park more than once without being rushed — assuming you purchase Park Hopper tickets. Of course, each of these can be swapped out for the parks of your choosing, but this has worked well for some of us in the past, and similar schedules seem to work great for our readers.
Day 1
Magic Kingdom all day to welcome you to Disney (Try to score virtual queue or a Lightning Lane for TRON on this morning)
Day 2
Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the morning, Park Hop to EPCOT for the evening
Day 3
Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the morning, Park Hop to Magic Kingdom for the evening
Day 4
Rest day at the hotel, water park, or shopping day at Disney Springs
Day 5
Animal Kingdom in the morning (Try to get a Lightning Lane for Flight of Passage), Park Hop to Hollywood Studios in the evening (great time to catch Fantasmic!)
Day 6
EPCOT in the morning (Try to score virtual queue or Lightning Lane for Guardians this morning), Park Hop to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the evening. Animal Kingdom closes the earliest, so call it an early night or Park Hop again to a park of your choosing!
Day 7
Hollywood Studios all day (Option to score Lightning Lanes for Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, and other fan-favorite rides that tend to stay busy)
Day 8
Split the day between your two favorite parks for your last day!
It’s totally possible to experience all you want at Disney while remaining relaxed. Splitting the days between less busy parks is a great way to do this, even if you stay for a shorter amount of time and go to two parks every day — returning to each throughout your trip.
And there you have it! Six days might be all really you need, but adding the extra two will allow you just a bit more wiggle room. If you’re planning a trip to Disney World, make sure to follow along because we share all of the best tips, tricks, and advice — whether it comes from the team here at AE or from our readers! Oh, and click the link below for more great Disney World itineraries.
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What is the longest amount of time you’ve ever spent at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
For us, staying 10 days and 9 nights is the best because we lose 1 day travelling. That gives us 2 days in each park and a free day to relax, go to Disney Springs or visit other resorts. The pace is less hectic and waiting in line is not such a huge concern. We take breaks out of the park after a full morning, many times having lunch at some of the resorts where it is quiet. We have time to explore and find hidden pathways and head back to the park in the afternoon. We are annual passholders and have been coming since the late 1970’s so by much trial and error we have found what works best for us.