How Many Days Do You Need For Disney World?
I suggest going to Disney World with the attitude of not having to do it all as it’s hard to fit it all in one day. To experience all the park attractions would take 2-4 days for each park. But if you plan on going to experience each park, pick your favorites and develop a plan, it’s less stressful and everyone has a good time. Just plan according to your budget and what’s comfortable to fit your needs. Each park has a lot to offer like rides for all ages, shows, food, parades, and photo spots.
Which brings me to each world. Before I dive into each world, every park has its own maps right after you enter. They have lots of language variations so be sure to pick the map with your language preference.
The first world that we visited was Epcot.
At Epcot, the rides are not crazy. They are great for little kids. The International houses for the foodie towards the back of the park are amazing. They have so much culture. The portions of food you get are small so you can sample from lots of countries.
Our favorite food spot in Epcot was the Spiced Road Table in Morocco.
It fits in both my husband’s food plan and our palate, as well as being able to sit inside. You do not need a reservation for this place as we just walked up and they were able to sit us down next to a window which gives you a nice view.
Remember the portions are smaller than a stand-alone restaurant, so be sure to order different variations and eat it family style so everyone can have a little taste and get full.
During the food and wine festival, they had flights of beer and tequila.
This park can be used as a good first day, chill day, or rest day.
We chose to use it as our first day so we could eat lots and know that we would walk it off during the rest of the week.
Some notes to remember are that the rides Remy and Frozen had the longest wait times. So that might be something to consider using Disney Genie Plus for early on in the day. The reservations for these rides do go quickly and the later you wait on Disney Genie Plus, you run the risk of not being able to reserve at all. Or have it be your first go-to ride if you are not opting for Disney Genie Plus.
The next park on our itinerary was Magic Kingdom.
When you arrive at the parking lot to pay, go into the right lanes because it funnels into 3 parking attendants versus the middle lanes. The middle lanes move slower. Parking costs are different in each world and genie plus service prices are different by day and park.
It takes 20 minutes from the parking lot to the park entrance.
This is the most popular park out of all of them. This world is on an island. So once you park you take a tram to the entrance to take either the monorail or the ferry. We took the monorail in and the ferry back so I can time it for you. This time does not include the line to the ride, but the lines were moving pretty quickly.
The time for the train was 5 minutes and 21 seconds to get to Magic Kingdom.
The ferry took 6 minutes from departure to the parking lot.
The thing to see is if there is a line for the monorail and no line for the ferry, then it comes out to be about the same or maybe even a little quicker.
Once you are in, the park is crazy busy. You can only book 1 lightning lane at a time so you are bound to wait in line for some rides.
If you can plan ahead where you book 1 lightening lane then stand in line for a shorter wait time check in for your ride and book another lightening lane you are in good shape. Don’t wait until you finish the ride and then book another ride.
The Disney Genie Plus app will inform you when you can book another ride close to the top. It’ll say something like when you can book and give you a time.
Due to the amounts of people attending this park, the lightning lane bookings can jump by 3 hours difference or more.
The other choice is to just not get Disney Genie Plus and just wait in line the entire time and not worry about planning ahead.
The show at Cinderella Castle was amazing.
A pro tip of being in front is you see the castle really well. No one is in front of you and the con is the children might not be tall enough to see the entire castle and pillars. Which my children really didn’t seem to mind. There is so much going on during the show, that I don’t think you can truly watch everything anyway. To get up front it’s best to be there at least 45 minutes ahead of time. The pros of being farther back from the castle are you can see more of the fireworks and the outskirt pillars. The con is if you have a taller person in front of you, you might have to carry or lift your child up to be able to see the entire time.
As for food, we noticed that the restaurants were buffets and if you are on a low-carb food plan, there is not much to eat there. For example, we were checking out some menus and the only thing we were able to eat would have been the rotisserie chicken. It was one price for everyone. If you are able to eat with no food plan, then I suggest making an appointment so you don’t have to wait long. These places get filled up fast. What we ended up doing was going to the cafes where they had a variety of food to choose from. That way, those on the food plan can stay on their plan and those that were not, can choose from the entire menu.
Our third day was spent at Animal Kingdom.
When you arrive and go over the bridge towards Asia right before the bridge ends at the big tree,
you will see a small structure awning to the right where the children can become an explorer and pick up a passport/workbook. It gives them tasks to do throughout the park and I especially like all the educational lessons we learn on the way. The kids like receiving the sticker badges along the way too. Some of the destinations you go to, I don’t think we would ever have found them without the book.
If you like a little spice, try the rib tips inside of Asia at Yak and Yeti Cafe.
For those who like thrill rides, the Expedition Everest ride is the way to go.
If you want to experience a cool ride, I recommend the Avatar Way of the Water ride for sure.
The Killimonjoro safari ride was awesome to see live animals.
Last but not least, the last day we spent was at Hollywood Studios!
In the morning, the rise of the resistance ride was a long wait. But I noticed in the evening all of the Star Wars ride's wait times were considerably less than the morning or no wait times at all. The Star Tours - The Adventure Continue ride had little to no wait times all day long.
The food inside Star Wars was pretty good. We just went right after the Smugglers Run ride. Around the Smugglers Run and Rise Of The Resistance rides, it seems they had lots of gift shops and dining options. They had a few different selections that both adults and children would enjoy.
It can get crowded there with limited seating available. If you are not alone, I highly suggest having one person order while the other finds a place to sit.
The rides you are definitely going to want to use Disney Genie Plus are the Slinky Dog Ride, Tower of Terror, and Rock n Coaster. Slinky Dog is by far the slowest-moving ride out of the entire week!
Embark on a magical Disney journey tailored to your pace! Remember, it's not about doing it all but savoring the moments. Whether you opt for Disney Genie Plus or embrace the thrill of waiting, each park has its wonders.
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