How long is too long at WDW?

[bryanb]

If I was staying in one place for five weeks, I would definitely have considered myself to have “lived” there. Haha.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We’re also from the Uk and our longest trip was 23 nights (split between Disney and universal) but even for me, 5 weeks at Disney alone would probably be too much. I get the not wanting to drive over there (we didn’t for most of our trips) but i’d Definitely look at splitting your time between Disney/universal/sea world and some non theme park stuff with a 4 or 5 week trip as there’s so much to see in Orlando alone, and you’ve got time to see it and do the Disney Parks justice. You could use uber to get around the local attractions cheaply and for the further away ones (Kennedy space centre, Busch Gardens etc) you can get tickets with transportation included.

Universal is as big a part of our trips as Disney is, and if you spent a few nights at their hotels you’d get the express pass thrown in. Not sure what tickets your getting but assuming it’s the 21 day Disney ticket, if you want more days than that to cover 4-5 weeks I guess buying universal tickets instead would be the same cost?

 

[Delirium]

Surprised at the number of people saying that 4-5 weeks is too long. For those that think so, I'm curious as to whether you would say 4-5 week at some 5 star resort on a tropical island would be too long.

Yes, there are significant differences between Disney and a tropical island. But, the point is that you are 'escaping' it all and forgetting the stresses of everyday life as long as you can get away with it. It's just my opinion, but I think Disney World is a great place to escape. And, the longer the trip, the easier it would be to truly escape.

Want to sleep in today and miss rope drop? No big deal. I have 4 more weeks to worry about that. Not sure how that much freedom in an environment with so much to offer would get old.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Surprised at the number of people saying that 4-5 weeks is too long. For those that think so, I'm curious as to whether you would say 4-5 week at some 5 star resort on a tropical island would be too long.

Yes, there are significant differences between Disney and a tropical island. But, the point is that you are 'escaping' it all and forgetting the stresses of everyday life as long as you can get away with it. It's just my opinion, but I think Disney World is a great place to escape. And, the longer the trip, the easier it would be to truly escape.

Want to sleep in today and miss rope drop? No big deal. I have 4 more weeks to worry about that. Not sure how that much freedom in an environment with so much to offer would get old.

Here, here!

 

[MHSweb79]

A large percentage of Americans have 2-3 weeks max vacation to work with per year so our perspective may be different. I would't want to blow all of my vacation days at a theme park so even 4 weeks seems crazy.

That said, if you will have a car there's plenty do do in Florida. The weather should be great.

The Halloween party is a lot of fun and I wouln't think the Christmas party would be worth staying an extra week for. But really, it's up to you.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

It's too long for me. We did 10 nights last trip at by the end I was ready to come home. It's just too much stimulation. Too many people, crowds, lines, hustle and bustle, etc. Next trip is 9 nights. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope it's the perfect length.

I personally don't think I would want to be away from home for 5 weeks. I start to miss my normalcy. I would miss my bed, my quiet Sunday morning with my hot tea on my couch catching up on my DVR. I would miss my home cooking. I would miss my friends and family since we do dinners and nights out with them weekly. I would miss my space since we just do onsite in a standard room.

 

[FastPasser.]

Not sure how that much freedom in an environment with so much to offer would get old.

If you're referring to Central Florida, it does get old, it's still mainly amusement parks.

 

[puffkins]

Since I live within the USA, I never stay longer than a week when I go to Walt Disney World. However, the OP is travelling from overseas and, for me, that makes a difference. If I were going to London/Paris, I would allocate at least two weeks...vacation time permitting. The OP may not just visit Disney but other Orlando attractions, the Space Coast for NASA or beaches, Tampa Bay, etc. That would take a bit of time.

 

[KenHutch]

More time at Disney is never to much. We stay for 9 to 12 days each trip and when the federal government finally kicks me to the curb I am planning on buying a condo in Orlando and get my 30K steps a day by picking a different park each day and going about every day. My teen claims this is so I can finally get FoP fast passes, go every day and I am bound to get lucky.

 

[WEDWDW]

However, the OP is travelling from overseas and, for me, that makes a difference.

AND,the KEY thing is they have NEVER been to WDW!

I remember my first trip to WDW and,after I was able to stop my jaw from dropping at what I was seeing,could have easily spent 5 weeks exploring that place at a leisurely pace!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Since I live within the USA, I never stay longer than a week when I go to Walt Disney World. However, the OP is travelling from overseas and, for me, that makes a difference. If I were going to London/Paris, I would allocate at least two weeks...vacation time permitting. The OP may not just visit Disney but other Orlando attractions, the Space Coast for NASA or beaches, Tampa Bay, etc. That would take a bit of time.

I would do 2-3 weeks in Europe because of the travel time but I would also hop around. Spain, France, Italy, London. It's on my bucket list.

I get the OP is coming from overseas so 4 weeks is normal. I just wouldn't spend it all at WDW or Florida for that matter. I would do LA, NYC, WDW, the beach, etc.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

AND,the KEY thing is they have NEVER been to WDW!

I remember my first trip to WDW and,after I was able to stop my jaw from dropping at what I was seeing could have easily spent 5 weeks exploring that place at a leisurely pace!

It's also worth noting that Food & Wine will be going on throughout their stay and for a week they will be staying at the Boardwalk.

 

[richmo]

5 weeks? Wow, I'm jealous! Going to an AP is definitely smart; I would do that even for 2 weeks, maybe even less for discounts, etc.

I've never stayed more than 9 days, which is 3 or 4 days longer than my usual. Before that trip, I was thinking that might be too long, but it wasn't. I found that I slowed my pace down - didn't worry about trying to jam as much into a day as I would with a shorter trip. It was far more relaxed and really enjoyable.

With a trip as long as yours, I don't think I'd want to stay onsite for that length of time. I'd be more inclined to rent a villa near Disney (there's loads of them) to give yourself a little more space to live in, make sure I have a vehicle to get outside the Disney bubble (other theme parks, a day trip to Kennedy Space Center - maybe watch a Disney cruise leave the port (or maybe even take a cruise, if you like), have some beach days, etc.), eat some meals outside Disney (and there are lots of them).

Have fun!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Surprised at the number of people saying that 4-5 weeks is too long. For those that think so, I'm curious as to whether you would say 4-5 week at some 5 star resort on a tropical island would be too long.

Just answering for myself - if I had to stay on site at the resort, YES - way too long. I get a lot of vacation time and I love WDW. But I know that I need some variety. To follow your analogy - when we go to Hawaii, we don't stay on one island for the entire trip for this reason. I can't imagine staying at one resort property for the entire trip.

 

[Klayfish]

This will be our 4th summer in a row doing a 17 day trip. We would stay an entire month if my job would let me. DW and the kids are off all summer. We hit the parks pretty much every day, but certainly not all day. One day may be 7 hours in the parks, but the next is only 3. We stay offsite, so we also get to enjoy relaxing at "home", almost like a staycation.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

My husband says 4 days is too much for him. I figure I could go for 2 weeks and be happy but that would be including a few days beach time, some time at Universal, SeaWorld and I've always wanted to do one of the swamp tours on one of those cool swamp boats.

I'd also check out the Orlando Eye and do some outlet shopping. For 4 weeks I'd be throwing in a 3 day cruise too. (I've never cruised so for me the short one would be better to try it)

I've been to the Christmas Party quite a bit and while it's fun to experience I don't know that I would add an extra week just for that.

 

[Smittolis]

It's all a case of what individuals like to do, how much time do you like to absorb the little things, the details of the architecture, the elegance of the fauna and grounds.

From my experience, having more time allows you to experience all of the facets of the experience. While there will always be an element of 'rush' just because of the number of people there and timelines, fast passes etc. Being there for a prolonged period of time really takes the psychological edge off and for my family at least allows us to really absorb and enjoy the experience. That said, we find with really young kids 2 weeks / 20 days is the optimum. The reason I say this is because if we stayed any longer we would need 15 suitcases to bring back the toys and stuffed animals! haha...

What I really loved about our last long trip was the ability to go into the parks not to ride rides but to be able to go into every store, check out the details of the landscapes and really take in the monumental effort Disney puts in to all aspects of the its production. Obviously the kids want to do things, but we found that by doing all the 'must haves' in the early part of the trip, we cruised the rest of the trip and did what we wanted when we wanted.

How long is too long is probably not the right question, how deep is your wallet probably more apt! lol

 

[sullyfam]

We usually go for 8 days. This year we are bumping it up to 9 days. I think my personal max would be in the 10-14 day range. That goes for any vacation though, not just Disney. There's no place like home!

If you are used to vacationing for 4 weeks than I'm sure it's going to be no big deal to you. I would recommend switching up your resorts as those hotel rooms can get cramped and dreary after about a week. I would also recommend as others suggested, doing non-park days to hang out at your resort, checking out the many other things to see and do in Florida besides Disney.

In terms of adding a 5th week just for the Christmas party, I wouldn't. Yes, the party is great and you get to experience the parade and fireworks and some unique meet and greets, but everything else I would imagine you would have already seen and done at Magic Kingdom by that point over the course of 4 weeks.

 

[tucky]

It's enough, but it's also never enough, right? You just have to be very intentional in what you do. Take time to review all your options. It's definitely doable in 4-5.

Oh wow. Thanks. I wasn't thinking of doing a lot of planning, but after coming on these boards I see people asking really detailed questions about everything. We haven't chosen the hotel yet but will do that. I will probably buy the fastpass and make the reservations in advance. To be honest since its our first trip we don't really have many expectations, so maybe it's more about exploring the place and figuring out everything that's there. I know there are four parks so we can maybe spend one day in each one this time.

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

OP here again, and another thank you for all the replies! This has given me a huge amount to think about.

I totally understand that most people, especially in the US, don’t get enough vacation leave from work to make this feasible. It’s certainly a nice problem to have, I will admit - this is a “big” vacation for us, celebrating a round-number birthday for both of us. We do usually go overseas for 4 weeks at a time, but I really have no idea what to expect at WDW, so I’m not sure how overwhelmed we will be.

We had not planned to go to Universal, purely because my husband has epilepsy and so many of the rides have seizure warnings. I saw a YouTube video about the Orlando Eye complex and that looks fun - additionally, there seems to be transport to Legoland from there. I’m also very interested in the manatees! As mentioned, my husband would like to go to NASA. It does sound like we can do most of these without a car, but I maybe shouldn’t be quite so adamant that I won’t hire a car. @Tiki_Sara, thank you so much for the info about driving in the US - that’s great to hear!

@tucky, this will be my first trip too, so I’m not sure how much use I can be. I will say that we have 2 friends coming to meet us, both for 5 days, and I think we can make it work so that they will see and do plenty. I do know that we were told that the hotels are filling up quickly for October, but obviously we were looking for a lot longer than you. Table service reservations can be made 180 days in advance, but if you don’t care about that then you don’t need to worry. It does seem that you will have the best time if you do a little bit of planning, even if it’s just picking your FastPass options so that you can go on some of the headliner attractions. I lurked on this forum for several months before I joined recently, and there are lots of people who really get a lot of pleasure out of the planning, but there have been threads about how little planning can you get away with. Touring Plans has a good planning checklist, and there is lots of info on this site, both in the articles and on the forums. I don’t think you need to have a rigid minute-by-minute plan, but spending a little time becoming familiar with the basics might be helpful. Good luck - I hope you have an amazing trip!