Hi
My family and I are planning a trip to disneyworld next year does anybody have any suggestions on how long we should spend at disney theme parks we are going for seven days with another family any advice is greatly appreciated thank you....

We spent 8 days a couple of years ago. My roommate thought I was insane to have planned out what park to do on what day. I took recommendations from three different sources about the crowds and what parks were traditionally crowded on which days. It was a very helpful tool. The spreadsheet might have put it over the edge.

Anyway, We used a couple of travel books, one about Disney specifically and one about Orlando to plan and I got some info from Disney.com

We had just gone to Universal in LA before, but I'm sorry we didn't go to Islands of Adventure.

Have a good time and enjoy

A lot depends how old your kids are, how much swim time you would like, and how much downtime you would like. Also, when you are going, if in the summer, it is more crowded, the parks are open later, but the heat will really take a toll.

If you stay in the parks all day, 4 parks in 4 days is doable, but you still won't get to everything. If you want to take a midday break at the hotel, for naps or a little swimming, I would suggest minimum 5 days. If you want to go to a WDW waterpark then 6 days. Definately get parkhopper tickets, then you can go to 1 park in the morning and take a break at the hotel, then another park in the evening.

We were there in June with our 2 yr old. We had 5 days and it was not enough, but we couldn't take advantage of later hours in the parks with him. And we skipped all the roller coasters etc.

There is lots of info at www.disboards.com all about WDW and other Orlando sites, Universal & SeaWorld.

We really loved WDW, it just got hot. Have a great vacation!

When we were there two years ago we allowed 2 days for Epcot, 2 days for Magic Kingdom, 1 day each for Animal Kingdom and MGM, and STILL didn't see everything.

It really depends on what time of year you go. I live in Orlando and the parks and Orlando are pretty empty right now - I've done three Disney parks in one day at this time of year since there are no lines. If you're talking about the summer, though, you're looking at long lines, extreme heat, and one park per day at most!

You must go to Universal Studios,each park is a full day. You will not be disappointed. We spilt out time at both places.

We went last summer and passed 4 days. One day for each park and an evening in Blizzard beach.

We are great Disneyland Paris fans, but in Disneyworld I got mad: to much to see and to do. If you want to see everything, 4 days is not enough.
But more than 4 days and you will get sick!!!

My experience has been a bit different. Last year we went (husband & wife and 3 kids aged 3, 6 & 9) during the off season. I didn't feel we needed to see every single ride and attraction in order to enjoy a day at a park. I found that doing 4 parks in 4 days was too much - by the last park, my kids were tired of yet another Lion King show. We would have been better off hanging out by the pool the last day.

Some agreement with above poster - you can't see everything, even in a week, nor should you try to. Consider how long before you get Mouse-out, how long you really want to spend with another family (even really close friends get tiresome after 24 hours a day together after a while).

Spend a lot of time over coffee or wine before you go discussing with other family how they imagine the trip flowing. Avoid deciding while in Florida whether to hit parks really early, spend day, go back to hotel, meals (real restaurants or fast food), etc.

ZERO - Take the $$ & take your family someplace educational. Skip the crap.

My favorite family vacation was the week we spent at Disney (I was 15, sister 13). We stayed on-site and had a blast, ok there was a lot less back then (14 yrs ago). We did parks in the morning, came back to the pool in afternoon, then evening in the parks. That way yuo can split up the parks and not feel like your rushing to each ride. Epcot has the best fireworks today, but back then we found it pretty boring park and didn't stay long. We had the play 5 days, visit 2 water parks pass. So 2 of the days we spent the day at one of the water parks. One night we went off-site and saw Arabien Nights dinner show which was great. I don't think fitting in Universal would have worked, too much. Sea World is a great 1 day park if you want a Disney Break. Have a blast!

Hi, I've come back from 2 weeks in Orlando. I felt 1 day per park is just about right. It really depends as each park offers differnt things. We had fast passes, therefore did not have to queue. Otherwise you can spend up to 45 mins waiting for a ride.

We took our 4 children there several years ago when our youngest was 3, others were 5, 8 and 11 years old.
We spent two days at the park, then had booked a condo on the beach for 7 days.
On the ride home, all the kids could talk about was the time at the beach, just relaxing, playing, hanging out. I asked them what they thought of Disney, their response was, "it was nice, but we wish we could have had more days at the beach."
I truly think that Disney is geared more for older teens and adults.

When my husband, 15 year old daughter and I went to Orlando last winter, we all found that the two Universal parks held more appeal for us now than the Disney parks. They just seemed fresher. For thrill rides, don't miss Islands of Adventure, one of the two Universal parks.

I took my kids a couple years ago when they were 5&7 y.o. We had 3 day parkhopper passes (not available to the general public -- we were there to see AAU B-ball at Wide World of Sports Complex and the offer was only for AAU families). We saw 3 parks pretty much in the 3 days. What I found most helpful for going to Disney with little kids was to plan it so you take a day off in between and relax by the pool or do something else in the area (a waterpark perhaps). I think a 4 day pass with a day off in between each day spent at the park would be the perfect mix of fun for the kids and relaxing for the whole family.

2 seconds is plenty