This article is your complete guide to figuring out how many days you need at Disney World! From my experience selling tickets at Magic Kingdom park, most families will need 6 – 7 days to see everything that Disney World has to offer, which includes spending a full day at each of the four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom even though many may recommend only a half day at some of the parks! You should also plan one full-day trip to a Disney water park, and an evening or two is enough time at Disney Springs.
So, if you’d like to learn more about how many days you should spend at Disney World, keep reading.
SPECIAL NOTE: If you need help picking the best time to visit Walt Disney World for your next vacation, check out our Disney crowd calendar!
When wondering how many days to stay at Disney World, our recommendation is to give yourself at least 6 – 7 days for your Disney trip. While you can enjoy a long weekend at Disney World, you won’t be able to experience it all. Disney World comprises four main theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. They also have two amazing water parks and the shopping and dining district, Disney Springs. For this reason, we feel that six to seven days is a good amount of time simply to visit one of these theme parks on their day. Which typically you can’t achieve in a shorter trip!
We also recommend giving yourself two full days at Magic Kingdom Park, especially if you are visiting with young kids below the age of 10. Now, of course, this won’t give you much time to relax and enjoy all of the amazing benefits that come from booking a stay at one of the Disney World hotels.
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When you’re breaking it down by how many days to spend at each Disney World park, we always recommend spending at least two full days at Magic Kingdom, one day at EPCOT, one day at Hollywood Studios, and a single day at Animal Kingdom. This is especially true for families on a Walt Disney World vacation with young children or first-time visitors to Walt Disney World. Families with older children or who have previously visited might be better suited with a Disney World park hopper option ticket, allowing them to mix and match how they spend their days in the parks.
We always recommend to spend two full days at Magic Kingdom Park. This is especially true for families visiting Disney World with small children, as Magic Kingdom has over twenty rides and attractions within the park, which do not include minimum height requirements. On top of that, there are also over thirty Disney World character meet and greets, as well as afternoon parades and the nighttime fireworks show. It’s also important to note that Magic Kingdom Park is by far the most visited theme park in all of Central Florida, so it can have higher than normal crowds, which might make it challenging to get everything done in one day as well.
EPCOT is one of the tougher parks to figure out as it is almost always hosting one of the very popular festivals. However, we always recommend a full day at EPCOT for families visiting with younger children or for first-time visitors to the parks. You will see that with the right game plan and possibly upgrading to the Lightning Lane, it’s possible to be done with all of the rides and attractions in EPCOT by 3:00 – 4:00 PM.
However, this would not include taking advantage of World Showcase. So, for guests who are specifically looking to take advantage of every ride at EPCOT, like Test Track, as well as eat and drink their way around the World Showcase, we would typically recommend two full days. This is especially true when it comes to the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, as it would be impossible to eat and drink everything within one day.
The Disney vacation planners at The Park Prodigy always recommend one full day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Still, it also depends entirely on what is most important to you when visiting. For example, for families who are looking to take advantage of everything Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge has to offer, you might consider a day and a half. This will allow you to enjoy the added experiences found in the Droid Depot and everything else the land has to offer. You will also see that although Disney’s Hollywood Studios only has nine major attractions. They are all extremely popular rides like Runaway Railway! This park is also home to Fantasmic. So, for that reason, it’s one of our favorite parks to double down on when we are visiting Disney World with park hopper tickets.
We generally recommend dedicating one full day when visiting Animal Kingdom Park. With a well-crafted game plan and upgrading to use the individual lightning lane, guests can effortlessly experience all the major attractions, including Avatar Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Expedition Everest. This schedule also allows ample time to enjoy live performances such as the Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo – The Musical. It’s also important to note that Animal Kingdom will typically close easier than the other Disney World theme parks, so for that reason, it’s one of our favorite parks to start our days at when we plan to park hop.
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From our experience, we would give ourselves five full days to visit all four of the main Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, including Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. As discussed, the main reason is we would almost always give first-time visitors to Disney World or families visiting Disney with younger children two full days to see and do everything that Magic Kingdom Park has to offer. We also feel like families with younger children will need some extra time to take advantage of all of the Disney World character meet and greets spread throughout the four Disney World parks. We would also say that families with older children can upgrade and take advantage of the Disney World park hopper ticket and can spend their fifth day visiting some of their favorite attractions at all of the Disney World parks.
You can do all Disney parks in 4 days. We’ve done all four parks in one weekend with park hoppers. Although, it wasn’t the full experience in each park. But one day in each park with the understanding that you’ll probably be very tired without any off days can be done. Anything less than 4 days for all four parks, you’re going to have to start sacrificing attractions or experiences.
As you can see above, we just outlined five jammed-packed days and haven’t touched on the two Disney water parks or Disney Springs. We feel seven days to experience Walt Disney World should be your minimum stay, especially if you plan on visiting the two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach) and Disney Springs. The extra day or two between parks will make your trip much more relaxing. Most guests love relaxing at the Disney World resorts and taking a whole day for just Disney pools! Walt Disney World has some of the best resorts in the country that offer fun and exciting activities like Movies Under the Stars, boat rentals, and more. There is nothing like taking a break between busy theme park days and relaxing and refreshing.
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A: If you’re planning an adults-only trip to Disney World—which can be incredibly fun—you might be pondering how many days adults should spend in Disney. We recommend at least two days for an adults-only Disney World adventure. Why two days? We’ve found that Epcot alone can quickly fill an entire day, especially if you’re keen on exploring the World Showcase and partaking in the ‘drink around the world’ experience. This park offers a unique blend of cultural experiences, fine dining, and entertainment that adults often appreciate.
Adding a second day to your itinerary allows you to experience that quintessential Disney magic at the Magic Kingdom or unleash your inner Star Wars fan at Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios. So, when considering how long to stay at Disney World, especially for an adults-only trip, two days offer a good balance between leisure and excitement. But let’s not forget, the question of how many days you need in Disney World can vary greatly depending on your interests. Whether it’s the thrill rides, the culinary experiences, or the myriad of shows and parades, Disney World has a lot to offer that can’t always be condensed into a short trip.
A: We’re big fans of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, and based on our experience, you can accomplish a lot with just one day at each water park. That said, if your primary objective is relaxation rather than ticking off a list of attractions, you could easily extend your stay to more than one day, particularly at Typhoon Lagoon, which offers a serene tropical atmosphere perfect for unwinding.
So, don’t overlook the water parks when calculating how many days in Disney World you’ll need for your trip. They offer a different kind of Disney magic, one that’s more laid-back but no less enchanting. Whether you’re a thrill-seeker looking to conquer every water slide or someone who wants to float along a lazy river, these parks have something for everyone. Therefore, while one day might be sufficient for a whirlwind tour, additional days would allow for a more leisurely and comprehensive experience.
A: Another question you might be pondering is, is seven days at Disney too much? To answer this, let’s consider what Disney World encompasses: four main theme parks, two Disney Water parks, a shopping district, and over thirty Disney World hotels offering diverse dining options. Given this extensive array of attractions and activities, seven days at Disney is far from excessive. It may not be sufficient to experience all that Disney World has to offer fully.
To put it another way, how many days Disney World indeed requires for a comprehensive experience remains debatable. However, our consistent answer is that a week offers a well-balanced time frame for a fulfilling and magical Disney experience.
A: Although you might have seen videos on YouTube of guests visiting all four Disney World theme parks in one day, it’s simply not enough. Guests might be able to visit one of the four main Disney World theme parks in one day. But for parks like The Magic Kingdom, it might be stretch and an extremely long day.
A: On average, it will be almost impossible to visit Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios in one day and get on every ride. The Magic Kingdom theme park alone is one of the most popular theme parks, and our suggestion would be to plan two full days to see it all! Hollywood Studios is also a full-day event, especially if you are trying to see all of the main attractions, including Toy Story Land and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
A: We recommend planning for at least six full days if you are trying to see Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando. This would allow you one full day at each of the four Disney theme parks and two full days at Universal Orlando.
Our Disney World Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.
Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be sure to speak with a Disney World Travel Agent for the most recent deals and promotions. The Park Prodigy will provide a Free Quote for all Disney World Vacation Packages. The Park Prodigy can also help you save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets, and we offer promotional discounts for special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets. If you’re brand new to Disney vacation planning, we recommend our Walt Disney World Planning Page! Learn more about Disney hotels by reading our Walt Disney World Hotels Review page.
Don’t forget to check out our wonderful friends over at Theme Park Today, as well!