is this too long?

[btsmom]

do you think 7 days/8 nights is too long for a one year old and a four year old at dw? is 6 days/7 nights long enough to see everything? we really cant decide what to do here. we arent planning on going to the water parks, just the main 4 parks and maybe downtown disney. thoughts??

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I think it totally depends on how you tour.

Yes, I think that 7 days of "commando" style touring from a.m. EMH to fireworks would exhaust many little ones, but 7 days of a few hour of park time, a character meal, and lots of splashing in the pool and other gentle activities, would suit most little ones fine. Or 5 days of almost-commando style with 2 "rest days" would probably work fine.

 

[Disney1976]

I wouldn't try to do everything, either. Even commando, without kids can be exhausting. I know it's tempting to squeeze it all in, but you will end up all miserable and exhausted by the time you get home! I'd try to hit the things you want to see, use FP as much as possible, and take advantage of EMH if staying on property to get the most out of your time.

 

[mama4]

We live near WDW and have gone for many weekend and up to 5 night trips. I think shorter trips tend to be more hectic than longer trips because we feel pressured to do as much as possible. Our upcoming trip is 7 nights/8 days and we have a more relaxed plan laid out. In fact, we will mostly avoid the parks on the weekends since they tend to be busier than weekdays.
We plan to do half days at two parks and only planned full days for Epcot and MK (and only if everyone is up for it) and if we HAVE to go back to a particular park we will still have time to do so. On our "downtimes", the kids will be able to play at their own pace around the condo like at home (we are staying offsite for the first time). Also, on our arrival and departure days- I have no solid plans because I don't want to feel rushed getting everyone unpacked/packed.
Like PP said- it will exhaust you to do a commando style tour but take it easy and I think your little ones will have a blast.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

I say no the reason I say this is b/c we tend to stay 8+ days and I feel like it gives us more time to take it slow we don't have to spend every minute in the parks mid day we can hang out at our resort swim and nap but still have plenty of time to do the things that we want in the parks.

 

[mom*to*2*princesses]

IMHO, with little kids that's a good length of time. You don't have to rush-rush-rush and you can take things at their pace and spend some very important "down time". That's crucial to having a Disney vacation that is enjoyable for everyone. At that age, you can't do commando touring and stay happy/healthy. For our first family trip with a kids aged 6 and 3 we were there for 7 nights/8 days. It was just right for us.

And having realistic expectations on your part is another key to having a good trip. You will never be able to do everything, it's just not possible in one trip! I don't know that it's even possible with multiple trips, but I'm willing to try.

Have fun!

 

[mom2jcc]

Last year we did 6 days/7 nights with our 13 month old twins. It worked out great and we were able to go back to the resort everyday for naps and not worry if we were going to fit everything in. We even ended our days with 5:00ADR's and back to the room for bedtime at 6:30-7pm. Our main goal was to keep them on the same schedule as at home. We have the same plan for this year.

 

[vicceja]

Nope, we usually spend 10 days at leat 2-3 trips per year. I think with the little ones its better to plan a longer vacation at Disney so that you will be able to head to the parks and when everyone is tired then they could relax and enjoy the resort for several hours before heading back out to the parks or till the next day. This way you are not rushing around trying to do everything at once - I never liked commando touring..hehe

 

[mytwotinks]

I say the younger the kids the longer the trip needs to be! Our first trip was w/ a 2 year old and we stayed 11 nights. It was great. We had enough days that we didn't feel like we had to drag her out till she was exhausted. We had enough time to take breaks and not feel like we had to fit everything in as fast as we could.

 

[kim_o]

My first trip was with a 21 month old and we went for 4.5 days and it was definitely too short. We never got to do the water parks or swim in the pool or really visit downtown disney. Plus everything else was squished in. So the longer you can go, the better.

 

[TJA]

The longer the trip, the better. With young kids, you will move slower than the normal pace. You will have naps, potties, diapers, etc., that consume a lot of time during each day. You may also be inclined to hop back to your resort for a mid-day break, which works out well if your trip is longer and you know you have time to relax.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Definately have to agree that the longer the trip the better. First year with DD we went 3 nights/4 days. In Sept, that was always plenty of time for DH and I to hit the highlights when we were alone. With the addition of DD, we didn't expect to do everything but we definately thought that we would accomplish more than we did. We didn't take into consideration that DD would want to ride every ride in MK about 3-4 times in a row! So last year we took her for 6 days/5 nights. It still wasn't enough time! While we covered most of the parks, we didn't have any downtime at the hotel at all. We are going to 9 days/8 nights this year just so we can have a day or two to relax at the hotel and give DD a break.

 

[DisneyPhD]

The longer the trip, the better. With young kids, you will move slower than the normal pace. You will have naps, potties, diapers, etc., that consume a lot of time during each day. You may also be inclined to hop back to your resort for a mid-day break, which works out well if your trip is longer and you know you have time to relax.

I agree. Also it give the kids some time to adjust and get used to things, breaking in time so to speak.

We took a road trip a few years ago (with my parents in 2 cars, why it took so long we were helping my father drive.) It was over 3 weeks to the outer banks NC and back with a number of stops along the way. It was a family reunion. We had a 11 month old and a 4 year old. That was too long. This should be just perfect.

 

[LAH LAH]

Just be prepared for breaks...If you go in with the attitude of GO GO GO it could be disastrous.

Have fun!!!

 

[tzolkin]

we have our first trip planned for 8nights/9days in may. our kids will have just turned 2, 4, and 9.

my logic for a longer trip:
i am very money conscious and i know if we went for a shorter time i would feel like we had to get our "money's worth" out of visiting the parks. once you get past 3 days there really isnt much of a price difference, so you're basically just paying for the hotel. i have convinced myself that all those extra days are "free", so i won't be concerned if we only spend a few hours at a park one day or if they just want to play in the pool or wander around. i'm hoping that the longer trip will let my DH & i be more relaxed while we're there instead of rushing the kids around trying to get things done.

 

[Colinsmom]

We had a wonderful trip in Dec 2007 with our 5yo and 22mo boys. It was 11 days long. We went slow and easy, and didn't push them past their limits. I'd do a trip of that length again in a heartbeat!

Note that even though we are Disney vets, and knew what we were doing, we still didn't see everything. Of course, some things (Mission Space for 5yo, Mexico boat ride for 22mo) we saw over and over and overa again, but they loved it. We didn't make any of the fireworks because the boys are early risers, but that's okay. We'll see the fireworks another time!

 

[karajeboo]

"Too long" at Disney? Is there such a thing????
Last time we went DD was 5 - we spent 6 nights and all three of us are very much commando style park goers. She did great - we went back 2 days for a swim and a nap to let her regroup - otherwise we were in the parks from open to close. With that being said, we did not do water parks, just the 4 parks, and we said it was absolutely perfect. We saw everything we wanted to see, and were able to hit many attractions more than once. This time we're going with a grand gathering that includes a 4 year old and 8 month old, so I'm sure we'll have to change our style a bit - but it sure will be tough to do!

 

[phillmolly]

I would say the longer the better, also I would really consider the water parks. You didn't say what time of year you are going but when we went in Sept of '07 we had the most fun at Typhoon Lagoon. My 9 month old niece loved it! She was out of her stroller the whole day and got to play in the water. They have a really nice lazy river that you can just float down. My nephew (4) also said that was his favorite park! He loved all the water slides! He is tall for his age so he got to go down all of them! Even the ones I wouldn't go on. The only thing he didn't like was the wave pool. Whatever you decide to do, have fun and take it easy. Remeber that you probally won't get to do everything you want to do but hopefully this won't be your only trip! Have fun and relax!!!