Days per Park/Destination

[scritchell]

All,
After being on these forums for just over a week and reading through all the posts, and advice (Thanks for all those that have helped)
I have a rough guide to 'how many days i would need at each park' to do everything....

Magic Kingdom - 2 days to see all
Animal Kingdom - 2
Blizzard Beach - 1
Epcot - 1
Hollywood Studios - 1
Typhoon Lagoon -1
Universal Studios - 2
Universal Islands of Adventure - 2
Volcano Bay - 1
Sea World - 1
Aquatica - 1
Busch Gardens - 1
I-Drive 360 - 1
Kennedy Space Centre - 1
Discovery Cove - 1
Legoland Florida - 1
Legoland Waterpark - 1

Total of 21 days

So, along with a planned rest day every week during my 3 week stay (i will need it as well as my 7yo), that totals 24 days.......as we will only be there for 21 days (20 with arrival/departure) can anyone give some well needed advice/thoughts please? I am planning of visiting some of the WDW parks in the evenings to cover some things we don't do/miss

TYIA

 

[scritchell]

I mean a resort/hotel on the beach in easy walking distance to attractions, and the ocean out front. You could take an Amtrak or an Uber depending on where you wanted to go. Most likely, it wouldn’t cost any more than what your current itinerary is. You both may actually love having the downtime/less crowds after 2 weeks in Orlando.

park shaving- you don’t need 2 days at AK, IoA, or Universal

we want to do EVERYTHING in every park tho, all the rides and shows?
thats why i put 2 days?

 

[LAKid53]

Since you are striking attractions off your list that are out of the Orlando area, I would bump up Universal's Volcano Bay to 2 days. We didn't get to ride every slide we want. And water parks can be more exhausting than other park. I agree with others, 1 Day each for the other Universal parks is sufficient.

I'd do Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, Universal's Volcano Bay and Discovery Cove as the water parks.

Also note that the Kennedy Space Center is on the east coast of Florida, near Titusville. It's about an hour's drive on the Beeline Expressway, a toll road.

This is the schedule I'd recommend:

Magic Kingdom - 2 days
Epcot - 2 days
Animal Kingdom - 1 day
Hollywood Studios - 1 day
Typhoon Lagoon - 1 day
Universal Studios - 1 day
Islands of Adventure - 1 day
Volcano Bay - 2 days
Sea World - 1 day
Discover Cove - 1 day

And the others...

I would do some research on Kennedy Space Center. I don't know how the tours are scheduled, but you wouldn't want to show up after an hour's drive, only to find out you have to wait a couple of hours.

And for those Disney parks you are devoting two days to? Don't do them back to back.

 

[Minnie Mum]

You're going in the summer, right? Have you been to Florida in the summer before? After looking at your first post, my first thought was that somebody was going to end up sick or in the hospital from heat exhaustion. 6 days a week out in that heat every afternoon! Mad dogs and Englishmen...

And here's the thing - you say you want to see EVERYTHING at every park. But there are going to be attractions at every park that just don't hold interest for either or both of you. What's the point of going on a ride you (or your son) aren't interested in, just to tick off a box on some checklist?

The pace you would have to maintain to achieve what you want is, IMO, unsustainable, and after a few days would become an endurance race rather than an enjoyable vacation. Not to mention the expense of what you're proposing.

For offsite parks, have a look at Mears transport. I believe they have shuttles from Disney resorts to some of them. Uber will likely be cheaper to parks IN Orlando. Look at Grayline Tours for transport only or packages to the Kennedy Space Center.

 

[LAKid53]

You're going in the summer, right? Have you been to Florida in the summer before? After looking at your first post, my first thought was that somebody was going to end up sick or in the hospital from heat exhaustion. 6 days a week out in that heat every afternoon! Mad dogs and Englishmen...

And here's the thing - you say you want to see EVERYTHING at every park. But there are going to be attractions at every park that just don't hold interest for either or both of you. What's the point of going on a ride you (or your son) aren't interested in, just to tick off a box on some checklist?

The pace you would have to maintain to achieve what you want is, IMO, unsustainable, and after a few days would become an endurance race rather than an enjoyable vacation. Not to mention the expense of what you're proposing.

For offsite parks, have a look at Mears transport. I believe they have shuttles from Disney resorts to some of them. Uber will likely be cheaper to parks IN Orlando. Look at Grayline Tours for transport only or packages to the Kennedy Space Center.

^^This

 

[scritchell]

You're going in the summer, right? Have you been to Florida in the summer before? After looking at your first post, my first thought was that somebody was going to end up sick or in the hospital from heat exhaustion. 6 days a week out in that heat every afternoon! Mad dogs and Englishmen...

And here's the thing - you say you want to see EVERYTHING at every park. But there are going to be attractions at every park that just don't hold interest for either or both of you. What's the point of going on a ride you (or your son) aren't interested in, just to tick off a box on some checklist?

The pace you would have to maintain to achieve what you want is, IMO, unsustainable, and after a few days would become an endurance race rather than an enjoyable vacation. Not to mention the expense of what you're proposing.

For offsite parks, have a look at Mears transport. I believe they have shuttles from Disney resorts to some of them. Uber will likely be cheaper to parks IN Orlando. Look at Grayline Tours for transport only or packages to the Kennedy Space Center.

Hi, Thanks for this, its a great help
How hot will it be?
Maybe we may need to rethink then
Maybe in the afternoons see some shows? Out of the heat?

 

[LeighM]

Hi, Thanks for this, its a great help
How hot will it be?
Maybe we may need to rethink then
Maybe in the afternoons see some shows? Out of the heat?

Even in October it can feel like trying to breath with a plastic bag over your head while you're baking in a hot oven. It's not so much the heat but the humidity. That's especially true for those that aren't used to it. It's important to go slowly, take breaks in the AC, and especially keep yourself hydrated!!! I'm used to heat and humidity but still take afternoon breaks during the hottest part of the afternoon when at WDW.

 

[21stamps]

Hi, Thanks for this, its a great help
How hot will it be?
Maybe we may need to rethink then
Maybe in the afternoons see some shows? Out of the heat?

Hot and Humid.. very humid.

I’m not a fan of people generalizing kids together, so take my following advice with a grain of salt..

I have an extremely active and overscheduled 7 year old. He’s currently playing 2 sports multiple days per week. Last month it was 3. He gets up for soccer at 6am on Sundays and plays twice on that day, several hours apart. We’re constantly running from a sporting event to a cub scouts event or a school event, in our little bit of free time we are always at a zoo, museum, amusement park, trampoline park etc.

He would be the perfect candidate for a trip like yours.

But, he would be burnt out quickly with that itinerary.

I learned the hard way that downtime is very important in a vacation. For our mental health and the mental health/attitude of our children.
I learned that when scheduling everything that I “know he will love it! We have to do EVERYTHING!!”, I actually made things not as enjoyable as they could/should have been.

I’m just saying this parent to parent, and I don’t know your child, so I could be completely wrong.. but knowing my past mistakes, I feel compelled to at least tell a parent about them and hope to maybe save them from the same.

 

[scritchell]

Even in October it can feel like trying to breath with a plastic bag over your head while you're baking in a hot oven. It's not so much the heat but the humidity. That's especially true for those that aren't used to it. It's important to go slowly, take breaks in the AC, and especially keep yourself hydrated!!! I'm used to heat and humidity but still take afternoon breaks during the hottest part of the afternoon when at WDW.

Can you suggest any areas inside the parks for breaks or activities?

 

[LeighM]

Can you suggest any areas inside the parks for breaks or activities?

We actually like going back to our resort for our breaks. It helps to control our annoyance at the crowds in the parks and allows us to recharge. And save our feet because they do start to hurt by day 3 even with the best and most comfortable pair of shoes. We do so much walking at WDW and sometimes it's just nice to relax in our room watching Disney cartoons. Or take a nap lol. Every park has theaters and shopping that give you a break in the AC. Also, you can schedule your table services lunches during the hottest part of afternoon.

 

[LAKid53]

Hi, Thanks for this, its a great help
How hot will it be?
Maybe we may need to rethink then
Maybe in the afternoons see some shows? Out of the heat?

Mid to upper 90s Fahrenheit. Humidity in the 60-75% range. Sun, lots of sun. You'll need to take breaks to cool off - indoor attractions with air conditioning are very popular in the summer. Drink water throughout the day, wear plenty of sunscreen. Wear light colored loose fitting clothing, sunglasses and hats. It will rain many afternoons. But usually for about 15-30 minutes. And then it's even steamier. You're not going to be used to this climate and I would strongly recommend returning to your hotel room early afternoon for a cooling swim and a nap, especially for your son. Heat exhaustion is a real possibility for individuals not familiar or accustomed to Florida summers. I've visited the UK in the summer. There were days I was glad I brought my peacoat, especially up in Scotland.

We are much closer to the equator than you are.

 

[KaliSplash]

I second the motion on Epcot. You need 2 days for that. And you can certainly handle Universal in 3 days and perhaps 2, as others have mentioned.

 

[NelleBelle]

I'm not sure you'll need 2 days at each Universal park. I've always done 1 at each, and found this about enough to do the vast majority of attractions. I'd also take one of the Animal Kingdom days off and add it to Epcot.

Agreed! Also, not sure how tall your 7yo is, but Universal has a lot of big thrill rides that he may not meet the height restriction for (or want to ride...I can't even get my kids to ride all of those rides over there yet)! Or, if your 7yo does meet ht requirements and like big thrill rides, he may find LegoLand boring. We took our kids there when they were under 5 (and could ride just about everything). Even though my kids love Legos, if we took them to Legoland now, they would be bored out their minds. But you now your kid Definitely build in time for rest/downtime or for repeats at WDW if Park Hopping. And summer is extremely hot and humid (typically with afternoon thunderstorms). Have a great trip!

 

[yensid67]

Hi, thanks for the info
Would 1 day at each Universal be enough for us to do EVERYTHING, including shows etc?
I've heard Epcot is a 1 dayer, as there isn't enough for 2?
I've never been obviously so all feedback is helpful
TYIA

Universal= 2 Day PARK to PARK ticket
Add 2nd Day to Epcot...Do Future World one day, and take a break, 2nd day do World Showcase This will give you time back at the hotel for some pool time and exploring there!

 

[yensid67]

It depends on where you stay and if you'll park hop. We stay on property and quite often go to a park for a few hours in the morning, go back to the hotel and chill by the pool mid-afternoon, and then head to a park in the evening.

As noted by another poster, I know your son loves waterparks but 6 including Discovery Cove is rather a lot to do. I'd keep maybe 3 of them; pick one of the Disney ones, then go with Volcano Bay and Discovery Cove.

Definitely KEEP Discovery Cove...I think your son(as well as yourself) will remember swimming with the Dolphins for a lifetime!

Didn't you say you were staying on property at Art of Animation? Or All Star Music or Sports? Wherever you stay on property you definitely want to spend the rest days around the resort and explore and spend time in the pool! It will justify the cost of being on property to off property!

Make sure you seek out the Photographers for Memory Maker, that will give you professional looking pics....since its enclosed in your package deal! Taking those rest days will be good idea. When you are in the parks, make sure you and the little one has a good night sleep the night before. Don't plan one exhausting day back to back, your son will have other plans! I would do every other day for ALL your parks and resting the other days! Don't stress if plans don't go the way you have them plan. Go to the park that day and go with the flow...remember you are on vacation! I told you this was the best place to come for advice...now looks at all the friends you have made!

 

[Swissmiss]

You've gotten some great advice from other posters but one thing I noticed hasn't been mentioned: jet lag. Between the long flight and the time difference in the beginning you are likely to be up and ready to go hours before whatever park you have planned to visit opens and by late afternoon you'll feel like someone removed your batteries. The humidity will just make this worse.

And until you are there it is difficult to imagine the size/distance between locations (especially if you are thinking about DLP when imagining) and how this will add to exhaustion by the end of each day.

Someone has mentioned to you to look into reading something like the Unofficial Guide; I second that and also suggest you look at the Touring Plans website. Some of their content requires a paid membership (a discount is offered if you have the Unofficial Guide) but their is lots of fabulous free content like on their Blog section.

 

[Nemo14]

I’m glad that others have mentioned the heat and humidity as well as the jet lag to you. I think we all understand how you want to make this a super vacation for your son, but you’re really packing way too much into this trip. Remember the saying that less is more. You’ll both have a lot more fun and happier memories if you take out about a third of all those places you have listed and just plan to enjoy the others."

 

[scritchell]

Mid to upper 90s Fahrenheit. Humidity in the 60-75% range. Sun, lots of sun. You'll need to take breaks to cool off - indoor attractions with air conditioning are very popular in the summer. Drink water throughout the day, wear plenty of sunscreen. Wear light colored loose fitting clothing, sunglasses and hats. It will rain many afternoons. But usually for about 15-30 minutes. And then it's even steamier. You're not going to be used to this climate and I would strongly recommend returning to your hotel room early afternoon for a cooling swim and a nap, especially for your son. Heat exhaustion is a real possibility for individuals not familiar or accustomed to Florida summers. I've visited the UK in the summer. There were days I was glad I brought my peacoat, especially up in Scotland.

We are much closer to the equator than you are.

Thank you - can you suggest any indoor activities

 

[LAKid53]

Thank you - can you suggest any indoor activities

Several attractions at the parks are indoors and air conditioned to give you a break:

Magic Kingdom - Carousel of Progress, Mickey's Philharmonic, It's a Small World, Hall of Presidents

Animal Kingdom - Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo

Epcot - Frozen Ever After (Norway), the ride in Mexico, Living with the Land.

The shows (Lion King, Nemo, Hall of Presidents) last about 20-25 minutes. The rides, anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

If you have not done so, go to the app store for your mobile device and download the Disney World app. Not only will it show all your tickets and reservations at Walt Disney World (hotel room, dining and fastpasses), it has a map of each park reflecting ride location and information and wait times.

 

[scritchell]

Several attractions at the parks are indoors and air conditioned to give you a break:

Magic Kingdom - Carousel of Progress, Mickey's Philharmonic, It's a Small World, Hall of Presidents

Animal Kingdom - Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo

Epcot - Frozen Ever After (Norway), the ride in Mexico, Living with the Land.

The shows (Lion King, Nemo, Hall of Presidents) last about 20-25 minutes. The rides, anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

If you have not done so, go to the app store for your mobile device and download the Disney World app. Not only will it show all your tickets and reservations at Walt Disney World (hotel room, dining and fastpasses), it has a map of each park reflecting ride location and information and wait times.

Superb - thank you so much
The shows, what are they? like mini musicals?

 

[LAKid53]

Superb - thank you so much
The shows, what are they? like mini musicals?

Hall of Presidents is not a mini-musical. Both Lion King and Nemo are. Nemo is a retelling of the movie. Very imaginative - don't want to give it away. Your son will enjoy both Lion King and Nemo.