One Week May Be Too Long

Raineman

Well-Known Member
I am currently at WDW, day 7 of an 8 day stay. We have been at the parks for 6 straight days, and at this point, I am thinking that a week may be too long, as I am starting to get a bit burned out. I know that taking a day away from the parks a couple of days ago would have been a good idea, but there are so many things that annoy me now after having been here almost a week-crying/screaming kids, dodging the constant stream of double-wide strollers, the literally hundreds of high school tour groups that have rolled in the past few days, the constantly crowded buses, etc. These things were there at the start of our week, but I didn't notice them. Now - ugh. I would definitely advise anyone staying for a week or more to get that "day off" from the parks (at least one), to relax and refresh, and to give those aching feet a break.
 

bethram

Well-Known Member
We were there for eight days at the end of November/beginning of December and had the same thought on our eighth day. It was one too many. We did take a "half day" in the middle that may have helped.
 
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Sweet Melissa

Well-Known Member
I have spent as many as 15 consecutive days in Walt Disney World without needing an "off" day. Then again, I've also had four night trips where at the end I've thought, "yeah, I'm ready to go home." I think I started getting a lot more enjoyment out of our long visits when I realized that I didn't want to pound the pavement from open to close every day. Touring in "commando mode" is way more likely to wear on me than a lengthy visit. It's ok to sleep in, miss rope drop, skip a dining reservation, leave midday, or just wander around for a while without rushing from attraction to attraction. But I can't go totally in the other direction, either. I couldn't just take a pool day or veg in our hotel room. I'd be bored, and my husband would be downright stir-crazy.
 
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CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
but there are so many things that annoy me now after having been here almost a week-crying/screaming kids, dodging the constant stream of double-wide strollers, the literally hundreds of high school tour groups that have rolled in the past few days, the constantly crowded buses, etc.
What did you really expect - wide open, empty parks and you being first in line for everything ?
We go for two weeks every time we visit - we plan our park visits and our days off to ensure that we don't have the same feelings towards our holiday like you're experiencing.
Failing to plan is planning to fail
 
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DarthVader

Sith Lord
We have a 8 night, 9 day stay and I'm so looking forward to it. I have most of our itinerary planned out and we have a fairly packed schedule. Since we're going during a particuarly busy time (April vacation), I think we'll attack the parks in segments (for a lack of a better term). What I mean is we'll only focus on part of MK for one day, and then another day, we'll return and do another part. I figured that will help us feel rushed trying to squeeze everything in, especially when the wait times will be long.
 
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Raineman

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What did you really expect - wide open, empty parks and you being first in line for everything ?
We go for two weeks every time we visit - we plan our park visits and our days off to ensure that we don't have the same feelings towards our holiday like you're experiencing.
Failing to plan is planning to fail
It's not the planning aspect that we failed at-the plan we put together worked out very well, and we have actually been able to avoid long lines for the most part. It's just that the minor annoyances start to accumulate after a few days, and the "every day, all day" approach at the parks is definitely not one we will include in our plans again. I've had a great time here, but I will be ready to go home tomorrow. The next time we are here, my daughter will be a teenager, and maybe we can take more time to explore and take everything in, which we have done a little bit and was pretty relaxing.
 
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DisneyDukie

Member
We came to this same realization several years ago, when we took our oldest for her first visit. We were there 7 days, spent every day (usually, all day) in the parks, and the pictures from the last day and a half feature our almost 4-year-old sleeping on her dad's shoulder at every opportunity. We've gone back for shorter (5-day and 3-day) visits since, but those weren't enough.

We're going back this year for another long (8 day/7 night) trip, but our itinerary includes plenty of half-days in the park and mornings or evenings at our hotel, Disney Springs, etc as well!
 
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TARDIS

Well-Known Member
I have to say towards the end of all my trips my patience starts to drop and things start bugging me. I think it's just tiredness hitting and my "people meter" being full lol. Doesn't stop me from going back several times a year though:p. One thing I do when that happens is take a break from the parks/pool and stay in one night, grab some food and chill away from it all.
 
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belledream

Well-Known Member
We can never really get enough. Revisiting parks, doing the old favorites, and then taking the time to just appreciate sights and sounds (other than the crowds) and visit nearby resorts for some relaxation and food!
 
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ninjaprincesst

Well-Known Member
We always go for 9 days and I always wish we had longer. I would love to have a full two weeks so we could do more, maybe even find time to go to Disney Springs or have time for the pool .
 
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MissingDisney

Well-Known Member
A Disney vacation is so much more than the parks to us. It's visiting resorts, even the ones we will never afford to be able to stay at, getting a snack there and exploring, lounging around, taking boat rides here and there, spending time at the Boardwalk and surrounding area, taking a stroll, renting bikes, making time to see the entertainment offered around the resorts and hotels in the evening, campfires, movies, going to AKL to see the animals on the Savannah while eating zebra domes, etc. I can only ride Space Mountain and Test Track and see the IJSS and FotLK so many times. Don't get me wrong, love the parks but there is so much more to experience and these slow down times have actually provided the best Disney family memories for us.
 
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wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
I am currently at WDW, day 7 of an 8 day stay. We have been at the parks for 6 straight days, and at this point, I am thinking that a week may be too long, as I am starting to get a bit burned out. I know that taking a day away from the parks a couple of days ago would have been a good idea, but there are so many things that annoy me now after having been here almost a week-crying/screaming kids, dodging the constant stream of double-wide strollers, the literally hundreds of high school tour groups that have rolled in the past few days, the constantly crowded buses, etc. These things were there at the start of our week, but I didn't notice them. Now - ugh. I would definitely advise anyone staying for a week or more to get that "day off" from the parks (at least one), to relax and refresh, and to give those aching feet a break.
I never had problem as you are having and I went to WDW multiple times in my life starting back when I was a teenager back in the early 1990's.

When I go to WDW, I usually go longer than you do and it is at a time even hotter than you are going right now. Despite all of that, I never got burned out at all.

The catch is I don't spend all day in a park. I take a afternoon breaks at the WDW hotel I stay it and I actually take my time enjoy myself when I am when I am at a WDW theme park. I have a history of leg problems in the past outside of WDW that shows its ugly head for no reason at any time including my knees. The afternoon breaks actually make my legs makes my feel fresh when I get back to a Disney theme park later that day.

The other thing is a Disney Vacation to me is more than going to WDW theme parks. I love visiting resorts that I don't stay and I also go to Disney Springs. I spend a couple days each trip not at a WDW theme park.
 
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DarthVader

Sith Lord
Our trips consist of 14 nights. We take one full day off midway through and several early out of the park days to which we catch an early dinner offsite and a then enjoy a restful evening.
That's a good idea, I just talked it over with the wife and I think we're going to plan a resort day in the middle of the week to just decompress from the daily craziness that we get at the parks.
 
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CastleBound

Well-Known Member
I did a 7 day a few years ago and made sure to plan in a day off in the middle of the trip. It consisted of waking up a little later, visiting the Wilderness Lodge, renting the small speed boats, having dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and walking around DTD. I think it helps break up the trip and let you see other parts of the property. I'd always recommend renting boats and checking out the other resorts.
 
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Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
We go for a week, and although we don't take a day off in the middle, we do take the middle of each day (3-4 hours) and take a nap/swim break away from the parks, which I think helps.

I get it, though, OP. The strollers are annoying, no doubt, and I find myself cursing them by the end of the week, too. "Stroller abuse" is rampant -- by which I do not mean people with tired toddlers or babies who legitimately need a stroller (so please, parents of little ones or kids who have a physical disability that necessitates a stroller, please don't think I'm talking about you -- I was once in your shoes). I'm talking about the people who shove around ginormous strollers as if they are battering rams designed to cut through crowds, without concern for the physical safety of others around them (my 70-year-old father ended up with a deep, bleeding gash in the back of his ankle on our last visit, thanks to a careless stroller operator who didn't even bother to apologize after ramming him three separate times), and for no apparent purpose except to avoid having to carry their own ridiculously oversized park bags and purchases, or to coddle half-grown older children who are fully capable of walking. Ditto for tour groups, although we try to choose dates when they are less likely to be visiting, and steer clear of them when we encounter them.

Still, as annoying as these types can be, we find that by structuring our days to include rope drop arrivals, long afternoon breaks, and slightly later evenings, we avoid them as much as possible. Stroller abusers and tour groups tend to be cumbersome, slow-moving, and prone to late arrivals and early departures, and kids tend to be at their whiniest and melt-downiest in the middle of the afternoon when they're hot and tired, so confining your heavy-duty park touring time to the early morning and late afternoon/evening is a nice way to avoid many of them. At the end of the day, these folks are part of the Disney experience, like it or not, and the best thing to do is just grin and bear it, and focus on the larger picture. The only thing about it that we can control is our own attitude. :)
 
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Seanual757

Well-Known Member
Yep I am staying a week in 13 days we will be breaking our days up to relax at the pool :) This will be our 3rd year in a row doing Spring Break for a week, I agree and I advise to take a day off every 2 days to relax and regroup.
 
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DisneyFans4Life

Well-Known Member
You have to plan off days in the mix. Personally, I could do 2 or 3 weeks at Disney and not get burned out. I'd be spending time at the pool, or Disney Springs and wouldn't come close to doing a full day at the parks. Then again...I'm also a Disney freak...so there's never too much for me haha.
 
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