First-timers going on a couples trip- need advice for how much time to budget

Fethbone

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 8, 2019
My spouse and I will be going to WDW in late October/early November (we will be there over Halloween). We are in our early 30s, able-bodied with no kids, and the last time I was at WDW was 24 years ago, and my spouse has never been but is excited to finally go. Normally, I enjoy planning our vacations and don't really have any trouble with it, but looking for some advice as to how much time to budget for the parks considering our circumstances. So, I guess my question is two-fold:

- How much time should we budget for each park? I have heard the rule of thumb is a park a day. Does this apply to adults-only or more for families?

- As first-timers, should be just focus on taking it all in and having fun, or should we sign up for for special things like the after-hours admission, Halloween party, etc?

We plan to skip the water parks, so no worries about fitting those in. If we see a character we'd like to take a picture with, we will, but I can't see us doing a character meal or standing in line for an autograph. We like rides, but I don't see us trying to hit all the rides just for the sake of riding all the rides, and I do plan to get fast-passes. The Animal Kingdom wasn't open the last time I was there (not that time management had any meaning to me as a kid anyway), so even though I looked at the park overview, I really still don't have a good idea of how much time we'd spend there, especially considering we're not in to Avatar. I was also wondering if people think the park-hopper is worth the extra $60/day. On one hand, if it takes a whole day to get through a park, I don't see the need; but on the other hand, if the one park per day rule doesn't really apply to two adults with no kids to herd around and we find one area more interesting than the other, it might be worth it? The only planned dinner we have so far is at Victoria and Albert's, so don't need park access for that.

My vacation style could be described as, uh, manic, meaning I like to pack as much stuff into a day as a can, while my spouse prefers to be more laid-back. We will be staying at the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness so he can have more privacy during downtime, plus the kitchenette so we can make breakfast and store all our adult beverages.

I appreciate any input!
 
Welcome to the boards! One key in helping others gauge what advice to provide would be what do you like to do? Thrill rides? Park classics? All of the above?
 
- How much time should we budget for each park? I have heard the rule of thumb is a park a day. Does this apply to adults-only or more for families?
One day in each park is terrific for an adults only trip. The good thing is; if at any time you decide you've had enough you can just leave. No pressure from kids to stay and "do it one more time". If you find you don't like "Pandora" you can just take off and explore elsewhere. If you find you like it you can hang out a little longer.


- As first-timers, should be just focus on taking it all in and having fun, or should we sign up for for special things like the after-hours admission, Halloween party, etc?
Just focus on taking it all in. If you think this will be your one and only trip then the park hopper might be worth it. But if you think you may return someday there in no real need for hoppers. If you find you're done with a park by 3PM you don't need to rush to another park - head back to the Fort and relax with a drink on the deck.

Settle in to your spouses way and take it moment by moment. An adult only trip can be more about being together than packing in as much stuff as you can. So you miss a few rides; doesn't matter.
 
OP--The one thing in your thread that struck me was your comment that you're not into Avatar. Please do not let this keep you from booking a FP+ for Avatar Flight of Passage, which, imo (and the opinion of many many people who've experienced this ride), is the best ride in any park anywhere, not just at WDW. The first several times I rode it--and, warning, once you ride it you'll want to ride it over and over again--I hadn't seen Avatar and knew pretty much nothing about it. But not seeing the movie, not liking the movie, or even hating the movie, etc., etc., etc., in no way at all impact one's enjoyment of the ride, which requires no prior knowledge of the movie or story and, yeah, the ride is just spectacular. Amazing, really.

Since, at the moment (and this could change) one can book FP+s in advance at only one park per day, there's no need for you to buy park hoppers in advance of your trip. However, you can always upgrade your ticket once you're there if you find you do want to park hop.

You and your spouse might want to look over all 4 parks ahead of your FP+ booking day (60 days before arrival, since you're staying onsite) and decide on which rides are the most important to you. There are rides in all 4 parks that are difficult to get FP+s for and that have long standby lines. You should focus on getting FP+s for those rides. And also, since you haven't been in 24 years, do some boning up on the FP+ system. There's a helpful thread here in the Theme Parks board. I'll find it and post the link after I finish writing this.

The hard-to-get FP+s are:
DAK: Avatar Flight of Passage (at the 60-day window, you will probably want to aim for a FP+ for this ride on day 60+2 or 60+3)
DHS: Slinky Dog Dash (this is currently the hardest-to-get FP+) but even Toy Story Mania isn't an easy get right now, although it's nowhere near as difficult as SDD, and once Star Wars opens, no one may care at all about Toy Story Land
MK: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Epcot: a toss-up among Test Track, Soarin', and Frozen Ever After. Many people rope-drop Soarin' and have their FP+ for Test Track. To me, Frozen isn't worth wasting a FP+ on, but if you're a big Frozen fan, you might disagree. BTW, none of these FP+s are as difficult to get as SDD, FoP, or 7DMT. They are the biggies.

How much time should you budget for each park? That's entirely your decision, and you might not know the answer to this yourself until you experience each of the parks. It's all about what you and your spouse will enjoy, prefer, and want to experience and reexperience. Only you can decide that.

I've been going to WDW for many years and my current favorite park is Animal Kingdom. I love the safari ride and often go on it 2 or 3 times in the same day, since you can see different animals at different times of day and each safari is different. But this might not be interesting to you and your spouse. You may want to ride all the coasters at MK over and over again. It's a very individual thing. Since you don't have children you're traveling with, that just means there are fewer people to weigh in on what their favorites are.

Update with links:
FastPass+ FAQs: https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/
FP+ Addendum, including refresh strategies: https://www.disboards.com/threads/f...al-tier-1-booking-anytime-fps-cl-fps.3538258/
These threads are long, because people ask questions, but the first few posts lay out all the info you need . . . and of course you can ask questions too!

Have a great trip!
 


Yep...Flight of Passage is so worth it. Best ride in any park in the world!

You may also want to consider joining the Star Wars madness. It will take getting up super early for 6am Extra Extra Magic Hours. But may be worth it just to say you were there.

Would either of you feel it would be a shame to go home and report that no, you didn't ride in the Millenium Falcon because it was too busy? I don't do mornings and I'm not a massive fangirl. Mildly interested is more like it. I am going in December and can't wait to see the new Star Wars land and ride all the rides! But if u choose to avoid the madness, that's ok too.
 
I travel from BC, Canada so I always like to go on a bit longer trip as it is a lot of hours sitting on a plane and the flights are costly. I want to make the most of my trip. That being said - this is what I would do if it was my first trip:

- I would plan on 6 park days. One at each park and two to repeat your favourite parks. Once you buy a multiple day ticket, the price for each additional day goes down. I plan on doing 2-3 days in the parks, always starting at rope drop and then I take a rest day. The rest day, you could sleep in, have a nice breakfast, then either go to Disney Springs for a look around or catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom and tour some resorts. Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Polynesian are all on the loop. Then, get to bed early and get ready for a few more days of madness.

I would book all my fast passes and then just a couple of ADR’s. You will already be a bit “scheduled” do to your fastpasses so I don’t want an ADR every day. I can eat at home but there is nothing like the parks where I live. But, if you guys are foodies, you may want more ADR’s. Yu could also book an ADR for your rest day.

As for Avatar, I did see the movie, I could be described as a bit of a “treehugger”, but even if I didn’t like the movie, I would love Pandora. Flight of Passage s just the best! I also really enjoyed the Navi River Journey. So beautiful. Try to eat at Satu’li Canteen. So good and fairly healthy.

Most importantly, take two good pairs of walking shoes/sandals. Trade off if necessary from one day to the next. Drink lots of water.

If its been awhile since I have visited, I buy The Unofficial Guide to WDW. I like to read it to get myself excited too! :love:
 
OP--The one thing in your thread that struck me was your comment that you're not into Avatar. Please do not let this keep you from booking a FP+ for Avatar Flight of Passage, which, imo (and the opinion of many many people who've experienced this ride), is the best ride in any park anywhere, not just at WDW. The first several times I rode it--and, warning, once you ride it you'll want to ride it over and over again--I hadn't seen Avatar and knew pretty much nothing about it. But not seeing the movie, not liking the movie, or even hating the movie, etc., etc., etc., in no way at all impact one's enjoyment of the ride, which requires no prior knowledge of the movie or story and, yeah, the ride is just spectacular. Amazing, really.

Since, at the moment (and this could change) one can book FP+s in advance at only one park per day, there's no need for you to buy park hoppers in advance of your trip. However, you can always upgrade your ticket once you're there if you find you do want to park hop.

You and your spouse might want to look over all 4 parks ahead of your FP+ booking day (60 days before arrival, since you're staying onsite) and decide on which rides are the most important to you. There are rides in all 4 parks that are difficult to get FP+s for and that have long standby lines. You should focus on getting FP+s for those rides. And also, since you haven't been in 24 years, do some boning up on the FP+ system. There's a helpful thread here in the Theme Parks board. I'll find it and post the link after I finish writing this.

The hard-to-get FP+s are:
DAK: Avatar Flight of Passage (at the 60-day window, you will probably want to aim for a FP+ for this ride on day 60+2 or 60+3)
DHS: Slinky Dog Dash (this is currently the hardest-to-get FP+) but even Toy Story Mania isn't an easy get right now, although it's nowhere near as difficult as SDD, and once Star Wars opens, no one may care at all about Toy Story Land
MK: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Epcot: a toss-up among Test Track, Soarin', and Frozen Ever After. Many people rope-drop Soarin' and have their FP+ for Test Track. To me, Frozen isn't worth wasting a FP+ on, but if you're a big Frozen fan, you might disagree. BTW, none of these FP+s are as difficult to get as SDD, FoP, or 7DMT. They are the biggies.

How much time should you budget for each park? That's entirely your decision, and you might not know the answer to this yourself until you experience each of the parks. It's all about what you and your spouse will enjoy, prefer, and want to experience and reexperience. Only you can decide that.

I've been going to WDW for many years and my current favorite park is Animal Kingdom. I love the safari ride and often go on it 2 or 3 times in the same day, since you can see different animals at different times of day and each safari is different. But this might not be interesting to you and your spouse. You may want to ride all the coasters at MK over and over again. It's a very individual thing. Since you don't have children you're traveling with, that just means there are fewer people to weigh in on what their favorites are.


Have a great trip!

Thank you for the detailed reply. Thank you for stressing that I read up on the FP system- everyone I know is just like "Oh yeah it's great" but I haven't really looked into how to really work it to best advantage. I will definitely do so. Since posting, I have read that Flight of Passage is a must-do ride whether or not you like Avatar, so we'll definitely be checking that out. There are some nostalgic rides I'd like to do, like Small World and such, but definitely I think our ride focus will be more on the thrill-ride type of rides.

I am actually really looking forward to checking out Animal Kingdom!!! I remember reading about it opening when I was a kid and being so bummed I missed it. I saw the safari and was intrigued.
 


It really is all dependent on you and your likes and dislikes but in general, I think one park per day is good + one day to go back and do your favorites. I really like park hoppers but I don't consider them necessary. Some adults really like to end the day with dinner and drinks at Epcot. It might be helpful to look at menus and see if this might be something you'd be interested in doing. If so, hoppers for you! Also, the park hopper is $60 on a one day ticket. If you choose a longer ticket the price goes down on a per day cost. For example the 5 day ticket hopper cost if $80 total for the 5 days.
 
Flight of Passage is so worth it. Best ride in any park in the world!

You may also want to consider joining the Star Wars madness. It will take getting up super early for 6am Extra Extra Magic Hours. But may be worth it just to say you were there.

Would either of you feel it would be a shame to go home and report that no, you didn't ride in the Millenium Falcon because it was too busy? I don't do mornings and I'm not a massive fangirl. Mildly interested is more like it. I am going in December and can't wait to see the new Star Wars land and ride all the rides! But if u choose to avoid the madness, that's ok too.[/QUOTE]
We both love Star Wars, but I think it really depends just how insane it will be. Even though Oct/Nov is seems to be a relatively slower season, I imagine it will still be pretty crazy. If they have after-hours offerings for Galaxy's Edge, we will probably spring for that, but even The Millennium Falcon couldn't get my spouse up and at the park at 6AM (me...maybe?). We'd have better luck just trying to stay up all night.
 
I travel from BC, Canada so I always like to go on a bit longer trip as it is a lot of hours sitting on a plane and the flights are costly. I want to make the most of my trip. That being said - this is what I would do if it was my first trip:

- I would plan on 6 park days. One at each park and two to repeat your favourite parks. Once you buy a multiple day ticket, the price for each additional day goes down. I plan on doing 2-3 days in the parks, always starting at rope drop and then I take a rest day. The rest day, you could sleep in, have a nice breakfast, then either go to Disney Springs for a look around or catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom and tour some resorts. Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Polynesian are all on the loop. Then, get to bed early and get ready for a few more days of madness.

I would book all my fast passes and then just a couple of ADR’s. You will already be a bit “scheduled” do to your fastpasses so I don’t want an ADR every day. I can eat at home but there is nothing like the parks where I live. But, if you guys are foodies, you may want more ADR’s. Yu could also book an ADR for your rest day.

As for Avatar, I did see the movie, I could be described as a bit of a “treehugger”, but even if I didn’t like the movie, I would love Pandora. Flight of Passage s just the best! I also really enjoyed the Navi River Journey. So beautiful. Try to eat at Satu’li Canteen. So good and fairly healthy.

Most importantly, take two good pairs of walking shoes/sandals. Trade off if necessary from one day to the next. Drink lots of water.

If its been awhile since I have visited, I buy The Unofficial Guide to WDW. I like to read it to get myself excited too! :love:


We are doing a combo trip to also see the wizards at That Other Park for 1-2 days, so unfortunately we can't spend six days just at WDW. I have been waffling on whether to add another full day to our stay at WDW, and I think I will. If nothing else, I can still explore and the spouse can wipe out and relax at the cabin for an afternoon. Or just end up with all the other grown-ups stumbling around Epcot. :)
 
Thank you for the detailed reply. Thank you for stressing that I read up on the FP system- everyone I know is just like "Oh yeah it's great" but I haven't really looked into how to really work it to best advantage. I will definitely do so. Since posting, I have read that Flight of Passage is a must-do ride whether or not you like Avatar, so we'll definitely be checking that out. There are some nostalgic rides I'd like to do, like Small World and such, but definitely I think our ride focus will be more on the thrill-ride type of rides.

I am actually really looking forward to checking out Animal Kingdom!!! I remember reading about it opening when I was a kid and being so bummed I missed it. I saw the safari and was intrigued.

You are very welcome. I'm just back from a week-long trip and being on the boards today is a nice way of fighting off the post-vacation letdown.

Animal Kingdom is a gorgeous park. Just taking in the landscaping and array of animals, some of them just native Floridian species, like ibises, who hang out at the park, could easily take up hours and hours if you were into that sort of thing. If you can, try to have your Animal Kingdom day be one where the park is open late, since it's really fantastic there after dark . . . and may I here mention that Pandora after dark is just astounding. BTW, besides touting Flight of Passage (again, I guess!), I also really love Na'vi River Journey, which is certainly not a thrill ride at all but it's just beautiful and serene. But use your tier-one FP+ for FoP and catch Na'vi when the lines are short.

One other hint about Animal Kingdom, and this may be true of other parks as well, but I have direct experience of this at DAK: the closer it gets to park closing, the more exaggerated the posted standby wait times become. For example, a couple of nights ago maybe about 30 minutes before park closing, the posted wait time for Na'vi was 60 minutes. We waited in line for 13 minutes. I've had similar experiences at Flight of Passage near park closing (in case you want to ride it again)--posted wait time of 120 minutes and actual wait time of maybe 40 minutes, max. These examples aren't always the case, but it's worth checking out anyway.

Have a great trip--and have fun planning it! I love the planning part but the being-there part is even more awesome.
 
I also like to visit the wizards at that other park as well. Love the theming and I read all my DD’s books! I agree with everyone’s views of Animal Kingdom. AK and Epcot are my two fav parks right now.

Enjoy your vacation
 
One day in each park is terrific for an adults only trip. The good thing is; if at any time you decide you've had enough you can just leave. No pressure from kids to stay and "do it one more time". If you find you don't like "Pandora" you can just take off and explore elsewhere. If you find you like it you can hang out a little longer.



Just focus on taking it all in. If you think this will be your one and only trip then the park hopper might be worth it. But if you think you may return someday there in no real need for hoppers. If you find you're done with a park by 3PM you don't need to rush to another park - head back to the Fort and relax with a drink on the deck.

Settle in to your spouses way and take it moment by moment. An adult only trip can be more about being together than packing in as much stuff as you can. So you miss a few rides; doesn't matter.
Thanks for the advice. I'm glad the consensus is pretty flexible about the park hopper. A couple IRL people I know were like, "It's a MUST.", but I wasn't really sure. Sometimes I really need to just focus on getting over my FOMO and take a breather to enjoy the moment. :)
 
It really is all dependent on you and your likes and dislikes but in general, I think one park per day is good + one day to go back and do your favorites. I really like park hoppers but I don't consider them necessary. Some adults really like to end the day with dinner and drinks at Epcot. It might be helpful to look at menus and see if this might be something you'd be interested in doing. If so, hoppers for you! Also, the park hopper is $60 on a one day ticket. If you choose a longer ticket the price goes down on a per day cost. For example the 5 day ticket hopper cost if $80 total for the 5 days.
Yeah, in the meantime I have seen that the park-hopper is more cost-effective the more days you get. Our "big" ADR is going to be Victoria and Alberts, and comparing menus from the various resorts vs. the parks is a whole other day's work.
 
Yeah, in the meantime I have seen that the park-hopper is more cost-effective the more days you get. Our "big" ADR is going to be Victoria and Alberts, and comparing menus from the various resorts vs. the parks is a whole other day's work.

I would suggest planning out your days first. THEN decide of u will add the hopper. Or add it while u are there if u want it. I like it but just as happy without it. Useful on a super short trip, not always necessary on a longer trip.
 
I would do a day at each park. I used to have to have hoppers and I found that they only made me antsy to use them to try and get my monies worth and I never took my time to stop and smell the roses. Ever since I started skipping the hopper option, I found myself enjoying the parks so much more because I wasn't focused on what time I needed to leave in order to maximize my time at the next park, travel time etc...Do one park and instead of going commando, relax in the fact that you have all day and if you want to just sit on a bench and people watch for a bit, you can and you're not going to have that sense of panic that you're wasting valuable time. You'll get to all of the rides and shows that look interesting to you and you won't feel stressed. I typically just start at the beginning of the park and make a loop, riding each ride as I get to it, unless the line is ridiculous, then I come back. You'll want to look around Pandora just to see how Disney did it, and Flight of Passage is well worth it and I couldn't care less about Avatar. Now I've never been able to get a fastpass for that ride so I wouldn't expect you to either, but what we did was hop in line no matter what time they have posted at 5 minutes till closing time. They have to let you in right up until closing and they will have an ungodly wait time posted to discourage people from getting in line. Ours said over 2 hour wait. I thought there was absolutely NO WAY they were going to keep this park open for 2 hours after closing so we figured we would get in line and if it really was that long we would just exit. It ended up being about 40 minutes and we were so glad we did that! It was super cool and not to be missed. Remember....stop and smell the roses!
 
Only advice I can give is.. atleast schedule 3 fastpases a day at 60 days and don't over do it while you are there. With it being just 2 of you most places will prolly have reservations available day before. But if there is a place you neeeed than book it asap at 180 days . Since it's the first time as an adult and an other adult u can take it as slow or fast as you want. Doing fp refresh is awesome but can make you never stop and you feet will hate you. Hah. Have fun OP!
 
I totally agree with all the comments about slowing down and enjoying the details. When I stopped trying to cram in as much as possible in a day it became much more like - a vacation. Pick three things to target with fast passes and let the rest of the day flow based on your interests and the lines. If want to go to the Halloween party you can enter the Magic Kingdom as early as 4PM using your party ticket instead of a general admission day. So you can have a relaxing morning, go to Disney Springs etc and still have up to 8 hours in the park.
 

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