What's your minimum time in the Disney parks to justify going to Disney?

[Bete]

I have a situation where my group will be late risers and early to bed most days. Ages go from 5 to 81. We don't want to split up the group for the park time and the two oldest probably have the most endurance. Basically, I only see the afternoons available to go to the parks together; so, we will have about 5 hours each day. We will probably do a quick service lunch in the park in the afternoon, too. We may 2 out of 6 nights go back at night for fireworks and a few rides. We will use FP for at least 3 rides.

I'm having doubts that we will accomplish enough to make the cost of the trip worth it. Justifying short days in the parks is dragging me down. Afternoons have to be the busiest time to be in the parks. This will be a one and only Disney trip for this group. Can't really afford multiple trips. We will be onsite. Two in the group will be using offsite rental scooters because of distance factors in the parks. We need to go with 2 rooms.

So, would you go to Disney with short days? Or pick a different, easier vacation?

 

[tobikaye]

It depends on the ticket type. I feel like if I can get 4-5 hours in a park, I am willing to buy a one day ticket if I found myself in the area. If I am buying multiple day tickets to cover my stay, I may only spend 2-3 hours one day if that is all the time I feel like being in the park that day.

 

[Klayfish]

5-6 hours is often our normal day in WDW. Some days are longer, but many aren't. We often have days like you describe. Get to the parks around 10pm and are done around 3 or 4pm. Sometimes we'll go back at night, but definitely not all the time, not even half. We still get plenty done.

 

[Southernmiss]

I have a situation where my group will be late risers and early to bed most days. Ages go from 5 to 81. We don't want to split up the group for the park time and the two oldest probably have the most endurance. Basically, I only see the afternoons available to go to the parks together; so, we will have about 5 hours each day. We will probably do a quick service lunch in the park in the afternoon, too. We may 2 out of 6 nights go back at night for fireworks and a few rides. We will use FP for at least 3 rides.

I'm having doubts that we will accomplish enough to make the cost of the trip worth it. Justifying short days in the parks is dragging me down. Afternoons have to be the busiest time to be in the parks. This will be a one and only Disney trip for this group. Can't really afford multiple trips. We will be onsite. Two in the group will be using offsite rental scooters because of distance factors in the parks. We need to go with 2 rooms.

So, would you go to Disney with short days? Or pick a different, easier vacation?

With all kindness, have you discussed this trip with your granddaughter at all? Or do you only continue to ask on the Dis? You will not know your group until you talk to them.

 

[mom2rtk]

Honestly, if you continue having this many doubts about your ability to find value and enjoy the trip, you probably should reconsider.

 

[ArwenMarie]

You're asking about value, and there is no way to know what something is worth to you.

For some people, they wouldn't think 5 hours is worth it, for other folks, 5-6 hours would be a full day in the parks, some people even go less.

My rule about big purchases is that if I am questioning value, I probably shouldn't do it.

 

[ThistleMae]

If this is about spending family time together, I think 5 hours is way worth the trip! I mean how much do you have to do to put a price tag on it? Then I'd also say if you want to go back to see some of the shows, this could be optional for those who would like to. What I find though, is if you are all dining together at night, that will end the night. I really think its fine but if you are asking about justifying cost, I'm not sure how you value your time at Disney vs Family.

 

[disneyvoice]

We have days we are at the parks all day. We have days we are at the park 4 or 5 hours. We have days we only go to park for one or two rides and are there less than 2 hours. We have days we don't spend ANY time in the parks. In general I would say our most common day is arriving somewhere right around rope drop and leaving the park by around 3:00. We NEVER stay for the fireworks/evening shows anymore - we are too tired by that point. I have never felt the amount of time we spent in the parks was related to how valuable our trips have been.

We don't price our WDW trips by the hour.

 

[kiford]

We have days where we are there about 12 hours and others when we are there about 4-6. Sometimes we spend part of the day at Disney Springs and just do dinner at one of the parks (usually Epcot). For us, being on vacation and doing things together is sufficient - time spent actually in the parks is a bonus. It's why we eat TS for breakfast and dinner and take our time. We want to spend our time enjoying each other's company, not just doing attractions. When we go with one of our friends, she makes us stay in the parks for hours and hours but even then about 3-4 times a day we will end up spending a fair bit of time just sitting down somewhere having a drink or snack and talking for ages.

 

[KenHutch]

You might want to consider breaking up your group a little. In my case my daughters mother,stepfather and great aunt and uncle believe sleeping is what you do on vacation. So I schedule the fastpasses for after 11 when even they are there. We only do CS for lunch (saves time). I get up with my daughter and god-daughter well before rope drop. We schedule a meeting place. We do a TS for dinner and they all go back to the hotel to sleep while me and the girls stay to closing most nights. They get about 5-7 hours and are perfectly happy and we get all the hours we want without me figuring out how to get all of them dumped into the gators on the Safari.

 

[skyblue17]

I think the best plan at this point would be to talk to your family instead of talking about talking to your family and see where everyone lands on what they are willing to do and hoping to get out of the trip. Once you actually have that information, it might be helpful to ask for opinions as to how those preferences might best be utilized for a Disney trip but as long as you only have assumptions and generalizations, any advice others have is not going to help, since you don't know what the time frame you are working with is.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'd definitely still go. As long as I get to the park each day of my ticket, it's a success! Our family chooses 3 must do's each day. All the rest is gravy.

OP - don't over analyze this trip or try to over schedule. Just enjoy it for what it is. Expect and accept that plans are going to change last minute with a large group and a big age range.

 

[Alesia]

Honestly, Bete, I think you need to choose another destination. You're making me dread this trip and I'm not even going!

Please try to pick somewhere where your distain for your granddaughter will be less apparent - for her sake and for yours. Or maybe just skip the idea of vacationing with them at all.

The fact that you've been so many times, but you can't, just this one time, be more concerned with your family having a good time at their own pace than you are about "value" indicates that this trip is a disaster in the making.

And, fwiw, I prefer my trips to be 9 or 10 days of open-to-close fun. I like to get my money's worth, too. And that's why I'm not super keen on the idea of sharing my Disney trips with other people. But I do hope that someday I'll be blessed enough to have grandchildren, and I hope to be able to take them to WDW. And if that time comes, I hope that I can remember that people are more important than getting my money's worth.

 

[ktlm]

How many people are in your group? It does not seem feasible to me that the group will not split up at all for park time- that sounds like it would turn into a very stressful vacation for some. We made that mistake on our first couple of trips with our in-laws (not WDW) and they were not fun trips for anyone. We are fast paced doers and the in-laws are slow paced sitters. Once we realized the best way to travel was to let people meet for meals- be together when they wanted- but also up front make it clear that everyone was free to go their own way if they did not want to do the same things or do them at the same time, our trips were 100% better and we started having fun with them. We have had great WDW trips with the inlaws as well as with my Mom. They typically are with us when they are in the parks, but they will meet us there when they are ready in the morning, and go back to the resort without us to rest or end the day when they are tired. We have also gone to WDW with friends, and following the same "rules" have had a great time every trip.

I would suggest making 1 ADR a day for everyone (not pre-park opening breakfast as you have late risers and if you don't want ADRs just have a QS meeting place and time instead), and if everyone wants the same rides for their FPs to book those (or it may be that everyone books one or two FPs together and then does their own thing for the other). Outside of that, my plan would be that the early risers head to the park, and then the late risers can meet them when they are ready. You can stay together in the parks if it works for everyone, but if people want to split off for awhile, that is okay- no guilting anyone. Those who want breaks can leave and then come back and meet back up with the group. Your early to bed people can go back to the resort on their own, while the rest stay in the parks. I would not stress about the early risers riding something that the latecomers want to ride. We always just get in line with them and do it again-or if the latecomers are going to get in an hour long line for something we have already ridden, we might split off and meet back again unless we know they really wanted to ride that one with us at some point. We are typically open to close people and it has always worked great for everyone to just meet up with us when they are ready and come and go as they please. We don't have the stress of being stuck waiting for people in the morning or leaving early when we don't want to, and they don't have the stress of trying to be on our schedule or not having enough rest time.

 

[gillep]

I can't help you justify value, as everyone is very different in that regard. I do highly suggest that you consider relaxing on the idea that everyone needs to do everything together, and move as a monolithic group. In taking a few different groups to Disney, I have found that everyone seems to have a much better time if people are allowed to get ready at their own pace, and make it to the parks when it works best for them. That isn't to say that you can't schedule some things that everyone is expected to be on time for (agreed upon in advance). but day in day out, this can be pretty unrealistic and can cause issues with resentment, for both the people being rushed, and those who feel like they are being held back.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Your money will go a LOT further elsewhere if this is just an excuse to gather family...

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I guess I don't understand what you mean by the word "accomplish"? We've been to WDW countless times, but we always have to adjust touring and expectations based on who we are traveling with. I could go, go, go all day long, but DS10 can only handle so much park time and my DH can handle even less, so when the three of us travel together, I deliberately pick about 3 to 4 ride must-do's and then balance the park time out with nice meals, an evening at the Boardwalk, a movie at DS, pool time, etc. One of our favorite memories from our last trip a few weeks ago was simply hanging out at Nomad Lounge and trying everything on the small plates menu. When we took my sister two years ago (who hadn't been in 25 years), we focused on things we knew she would really enjoy (including, to DS's chagrin, two princess meals!) Everyone gets to do a little bit of what we like to do, everyone stays rested and happy and we all really enjoy our time together. I would suggest reflecting on what the purpose of this particular trip is and seeing if you think you can accomplish that at WDW. If not, yes, definitely consider another destination. If you think this will be the children's only shot at going to WDW, I would probably do it, but just adjust your typical touring plan to accommodate the kids.

 

[Minnesota!]

0. We do a lot of no-park vacations to WDW.

If we have tickets, we typically go for about 3 hours in the morning, then 3-4 hours at night (depending on park close...typically have a dinner around 6 then go to a park after).

As others have said, you seem to be going into this trip with a chip on your shoulder. I would either look to not go at all, or break up the groups based on how they want to tour.

Grab the kids in the morning to go with you and your husband. Let the parents sleep in. Tell them you have dinner at Xp.m., and if they can meet you before that for park time...fantastic!

 

[grossmansr]

For a 1 day ticket I would say 8 hours minimum. A two day ticket would be the same, 8 hours each day. For a 3 day ticket it would drop to 6-7 hours each day. A four day ticket, 5-6 hours each day. 5 day ticket would be a 4-5 hour minimum. 6 day, 4 hours. 7 day, 3 hours. 8+, 1-3 hours would do it.

Not sure why, but these are the numbers off the top of my head that would personally make me feel comfortable. There is no math or science behind the numbers. Just gut feeling. Lol.

Heck, if I had an annual pass I would be happy to stroll main street for 30 minutes, eat an ice cream on the lawn before the castle, and leave. Ah, the dream...

 

[tlmadden73]

For me .. it is 8-10 hours.

There is just so much to do at each park, I just can't imagine being there any less frankly.

But then again, I've never been on one of these epic-long WDW vacations (7+ days) where you can "leisurely" experience the parks every day. Even though I've had 10-day no expiration tickets, and going with preschoolers, I still feel doing 8+ hours.
Even my last trip (with a 4 year old and a 5 month old) we still did that with no issues.

I'm more of a go frequently and just go 2-3 park days (at least while my children are younger) and 8-10 hours IN the parks seems to work pretty well for such a short stay.