Spending a week at Disney

[Kaadk]

Strange, it's been true for us every single time we've gone for years now. We have never gone over Christmas/New Years, maybe that's why.

Neither have we. We're typically there during Free Dining promotions. But, here's an example from our upcoming (hopefully) trip. Start date, Aug 29th, for a single adult, single park per day ticket:

4 Days: $437.50
5 Days: $476.68 (+39.18 inc.)
6 Days: $499.65 (+22.97 inc.)
7 Days: $519.31 (+19.66 inc.)
8 Days: $533.97 (+14.66 inc.)
9 Days: $545.28 (+11.31 inc.)
10 Days: $560.82 (+15.54 inc.)

So, in this case, adding that 10th day has a higher incremental cost than adding that 9th day would.

 

[IluvMGM]

We like to do at least 10 days, visiting each park at least twice.

 

[kniquy]

Having a whole week seems like a ton of time but really there is so much to do that is still never seems like enough time. With park hoppers it does open up options. Mornings in one park and evenings in another. The tactic of avoiding EMH parks is an option for you or hitting EMH and then hopping over to another park. EMH parks do tend to be busier because those with only day tickets will hit the EMH park to get more time out of their ticket. In the middle of your trip you may want to plan a sleep in day and not hit the parks until afternoon - Have some resort time and hit the pool.

Do make sure you buy tickets for your entire 7 days. I have seen people who have a long stay but only buy 4 days of tickets and then complain they can't get everything done. Each ticket at least gets you 3 FP to help make your planning easier. If your check out day has you leaving later in the day get a ticket for that day even if it means going into a park for 3 hours to get 3 rides done w/ FP. Even use your check in day -so you could have 8 days of park tickets and 24 FP options.

 

[AngieInOH]

When are you going? Are the park hours going to be short? If so I'd reconsider the park hoppers. When the parks close early it just doesn't give you a lot of time to hop.

That being said, I'd go to a park every day. No time for a down day. If possible I'd make sure I could visit a park on arrival day. Even if it's just a couple of hours. It allows you to utilize an extra day of fast passes. On arrival we always go into MK around 3:00-4:00 use 3 high priority FP, then snag more. Then watch the Fireworks. If you can afford it I'd do the dessert party. It's just a great kickoff to the first day.

 

[starry_solo]

I do 14-day trips and only park hopped once (this was when we did the Premier tickets that was good for coast-to-coast). The 2nd 14-day trip we did, we did 10-day tickets and relaxed for the first couple of days.

 

[dmband]

100% depends on the week imo
crowds very day to day in different parks on different days and weeks.
I would look at historical crowd calendars and take them with a grain of salt this far out, not knowing how cover will effect things

 

[KristenCH]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am a teacher so we will be going during spring break. I know it will be very crowded, but we have been many times (I used to be a cast member), so we aren't too concerned with trying to do everything. I am trying to get some ideas for planning a long trip, since we have not done that before.

 

[Shellyred8]

We are currently planning a trip for next year in which we will spend a whole week (Saturday-Saturday) at Disney World! We have never had that much time to spend at the parks before, so we are getting park hopper tickets. For anyone who has done this before, what has your itinerary looked like? I know everyone vacations differently but I would like to see some of your touring plans to get some ideas, please.

This is usually the length of time we do. We've been to WDW a lot, so we always do PH or AP's. We frequently start out in one park, take an afternoon break/nap, then go to a different park in the evening. It really all depends on what mood strikes us. Our arrival flight usually gets us to the resort by 1-2pm, so we usually grab a bite to eat when we arrive and then hit a park that evening. I really love the parks in the evening. Sometimes we will go to DS in the late morning and then go to one of the parks at night. Sometimes we go to a park in the morning and then DS in the evening.
We aren't huge rope-drop people, but on MK days, I do like to be there by 9am so we can get in a few rides before the lines start getting full. One trip we did BTMRR three times in a row because the wait was only 5 minutes! I discovered that three rides in a row was my limit!

We don't make a lot of ADR's either. Maybe only one or two per trip. We just enjoy the quick service locations.

When we start getting to the middle/end-ish of the trip, sometimes we don't feel like going to a park in the evening. Sometimes we will go do a round or two of mini-golf. Sometimes we will hang out at the resort and take in one of the movies on the lawn/beach/pool. Chances are that I've seen the movie they are showing, but I never get to watch a movie on the beach or by the pool at home!!

If we go at Christmas, we will usually take some time in an evening or two and go check out the decorations at the Deluxe resorts.

I have discovered that going for shorter trips now feels like I'm getting cheated!

Happy planning!

 

[Quin]

Depends in part on how many people you have/what ages, etc. We go for up to 2 weeks and always have hoppers, but it's just 2 of us now so we can be a bit more flexible. We are morning people so often start in an EMH morning park, then hop out just as the late bloomers arrive (eternal question: why do so many guests feel compelled to go to the EMH park after EMH hours are over? But they do. In droves.). If we are also doing a late night at another park we may go back to the resort for down time and a nap. Or we may hop to a different park for a lunch ADR, choosing to take time then for a leisurely lunch as our main meal, again picking up speed in the late afternoon as other folks are heading out for dinner. In warmer weather we often take a day or two for late resort breakfasts (....mmm....Boma.....) followed by a water park day and dinner at a different resort or at the Springs, but that may or may not be on your agenda for spring break week. It just breaks the trip up a little more.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am a teacher so we will be going during spring break. I know it will be very crowded, but we have been many times (I used to be a cast member), so we aren't too concerned with trying to do everything. I am trying to get some ideas for planning a long trip, since we have not done that before.

You should have some nice hours, at least! A big plus for going during holidays.

 

[NH-to-FL]

DW and I made many 7 day trips to WDW over the years. We found that length to be right for us. We always got Hoppers but then we stayed at the Boardwalk so the easy access to Epcot made it a frequent evening destination no matter where we were during the day. Over the years we developed a pattern for our visits. We would visit Epcot in the late afternoon or evening on the day of our arrival. Being on site we head out early in the mornings to whatever park had Morning Magic Hours. We would take an early afternoon break back at the hotel and then decide what to do in the evening. We would have a sleep in morning midway through our visit. We would usually head offsite and do some food shopping to restock our room during our rest day and then decide what to do in the evening. It usually involved wandering over to Epcot and strolling the World. What we would do on the day of departure would depend on how early our flight was. If it was later we would pack, check out, drop off our luggage with the concierge, and visit a park for a few hours in the morning.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[dachsie]

I am planning a Sat to Sat trip in Dec. When I arrive I usually go to DS to shop and eat. On Sunday I am starting at MK then hopping to EP for the Festival food booths. Mon, plan to do HS in am and EP in PM, Tues will do AK then EP. Wed will be EP then MK. Thurs will be rest day, do some resort hopping and then the MVMCP. Friday will be MK, and Sat will leave, may go to DS in am if my flight is later. Am only planning a few ADRs.

 

[Melodious]

Sounds like a great trip! Because weekends can be the busiest, we often plan to be at parks less on those days. So when we arrive on a Saturday, we may only bar hop around the resorts and have a nice dinner that night. We use park hoppers to go back to Epcot for dinners a lot, finishing off nights with a walk around the World Showcase. We also use park hoppers to go to MK at night because it's too much to be there all day. I'm a big fan of the parks at night so I might like to go to an evening extra magic hours, but wouldn't want to be at that park all day. With a longer trip, I also really like exploring the deluxe resorts.

 

[fancyfox823]

We always do PH, this last trip we went with a big family group and ate in Epcot every night. We hit HS/MK multiple days, but most days we would actually hit 3 parks. We've been there so many times that if things get too crowded, or we're just not into it we can go somewhere else. I don't think I'd be able to stand doing single park per day tickets, it would drive me crazy! I like the freedom of coming and going as we please.

 

[JenBush]

We usually do week long trips. We like to have a non-park day on our arrival day, rent a car or Uber to the Disney outlets, go to the grocery store to pick up snacks for the hotel room, and spend the evening at Disney Springs. We get 5 day base tickets knowing we can upgrade to park hoppers or add a day if we need(but we usually don’t find a need to upgrade). We have a rest day mid week where we can sleep in/hang out at the pool/rent boats/play in the arcade/resort hop and then have a nice dinner somewhere. Departure day is also a non park day for us, depending on when our flight is we might schedule an ADR breakfast/brunch or hang out at the resort and pick up last minute souvenirs in gift shop before the magical express back to the airport.

 

[Gehrig1B]

We do 8-10 day trips and the hoppers make all the difference for us. It depends on how you like to visit. We can make all our ADRs without having to worry about which park we are in each day. All we do is decide on a morning park and make FPs there generally. We usually stay at an MK resort and often finish the evening there, after dining at Epcot.

A typical day might by DHS in the morning, back to the resort when crowds get heavy, off to Epcot for an early evening ADR then monorail to the resort or to MK for fireworks. We also try to make it to each park once for evening activities.

We stay pretty flexible just planning the morning and the ADR and wing it based upon available FPs. Hoppers make it so much easier. Our last Christmas/NYE trip we visited MK 8 times over 12 days, Epcot 6 times.

We never do a non-park day and even go to the parks on arrival day and departure day depending on flight times. Our rests come in the afternoons.

 

[tobikaye]

I am not an extreme planner, except is specific situations. When I do plan, I try to only plan 4-6 hours of my day and leave the other half open for spontaneity. If I know I want to watch fireworks at a park one day, I plan the evening hours. If I know I want to rope drop a specific park, I plan that morning to early afternoon.

FYI: On the days, I plan the afternoon, I might make FP+ earlier in the day somewhere else, but I usually change those as I go that day or just before.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Whether we go as a family or adults only we typically go to parks early and make FP for the morning. We have only stayed 3-5 nights so never had to take a dedicated rest day. We like to go back to the resort and rest, regroup, pool, lunch/snacks etc. We always have PH tix so we can go out again in the afternoon or evening and get dinner and score add'l FP - that usually determines where we go. We have stayed at BWI so typically its Epcot or HS in the eves. We get tickets for the entire stay, including arrival and departure days as we always try to get in early and schedule a late return flight.

 

[TravelandLeisure]

In the past we have done either 6 or 7 nights with 7-day tickets. I generally like to go to a park everyday, even if it’s just a few hours. The cost to add extra days is so minimal, I figure why not (and that’s 3 more fast passes). Some days we will rope drop and leave for the afternoon/evening, and others we will arrive in the afternoon and stay through the night. We also have only gotten Park hoppers once (as part of a FD package), and find we really don’t need them.

My goal for my next trip is 8 nights.

 

[mousiemom]

we always do at least 7 nights, our 1st night we check in, either go to the Poly to watch fireworks on the beach or disney springs, every tues we go to universal studios, (if you don't go there, take an off day from parks, and go monorail hopping to resorts, play putt putt, go to disney springs). we usually go to favorite parks twice. we go to disney springs at least twice during the week to eat and shop. i love riding the boat taxi from DS to Port Orleans