How long do you typically stay?

[skadar2]

So far, nailing down the dates and the length of stay has been the most difficult decision in planning our big Disney 2008 adventure. I am considering a full 10 days at Disney, but my wife wants to cut it at 9.

I can't tell you how many people have expressed surprise at such a lengthy stay, saying things like "you will run out of things to do", or "won't you get bored of it?"

Americans are typically modest with their vacations, with 9 days typically being the absolute maximum (5 work days plus 2 weekends). I enjoy long vacations where you lose yourself in a new routine, but my wife claims that she gets anxious about wanting to come home.

How long do you typically stay?

[ibrowse17]

We like at least 5 days in the parks, but have stayed as long as two weeks on one trip. Generally our we go for a week at a time. Nine or ten days is not to long, and gives you time to build in a much needed off day.:thumbsup:

[Cinderelley]

I wonder if people who live farther away stay longer.

[dolphinmickey9170]

We usually do a nine day trip, but have stayed for 20 days in the past, going to other theme parks as well (shhhhh, don't tell), we are staying 9 days in may and we have a 14 day trip coming in Aug.

[Tygger7]

We have a 16 hour drive to WDW, so it's just not worth spending that much time driving to stay less than a week. Plus, we only go roughly every other year, so we like to make the most of our time.

We're going for 10 days in May because when we only stayed for 7 days in 2006, we still felt rushed and wished we had more down time in between parks. I like staying longer too because you can move at a more relaxed pace, and spend time doing "non-park" things too, such as going to the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, exploring other hotels, etc. Personally, it always takes me at least 3 or 4 days to wind down and start feeling like I'm on vacation.

Only problem is, that now we're up to 10 days, I know I won't want to stay any less than that from now on. Pretty soon, I'll be trying to figure out a way to spend a month there! :cloud9:

[DisneyorBust]

We stay for 8 days normally. With all of the different things to do at the WDW resort, theme parks, water parks, shopping, golf etc I could find something to do every day of a 10 day (or longer) trip.

[AuntDJ]

In the past, we have stayed for 5 nights and 6 days...however, this past trip (March) I felt rushed and didn't get to enjoy the afternoon pool breaks and last June it was so hot, I felt like I was running around just exhausted.

So this trip I have added 2 days for 7 nights and 8 days. As this trip gets closer I am so glad for the extra time....I love to go to Disney and get up early and get going, but I also love the laid back feeling of the afternoons off!

DJ

[January-2007]

I voted for 9 days. That's 9 full days. We stayed 13 nights in September and it was just too long. 9 full days let's us really get our full of the parks and allows time for relaxing too. As long as we know we'll be returning!

[#1donaldfan]

I suppose I voted incorrectly......we are on vacation longer than the 7 days I voted. We are just at Disney 7 days. I thought you were asking the typical amount of days spent at Disney, versus "actual" number of days spent on vacation. We need some time to unwind a bit, time to get back into the norm. With our 7 days at Disney, it's not really enough. If I could, I'd spend much, much more time there, but the money runs out before the fun and boredom hits. Your going 9 / 10 days, that's not really enough either.....stay longer, you'll wish you did....:mickey:

[SBETigg]

We seem to increase our time with every trip because even in slow times, there is always so much to do. Some of our friends do not understand it, either. They can easily see spending two weeks at a tropical island beach destination, but can't grasp why we could easily do two weeks at Disney and still not exhaust our entertainment possibilities. Most typically, our trips are ten days. Last time, it was eleven.

[irish1967]

We usually stay 3 nights/4 days.

That length of time allows us to do everything we want to do, stay at a deluxe and come back (almost) every year.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

:) Our first trip Jan. 1-6, 2003 was 6 nights, 7 days at All Star Movies

Our second trip was Dec. 25, 2005-Jan. 1, 2006 and was 7 nights, 8 days at Coronado Springs

Our next trip is Dec. 20-30, 2008, 10 nights, 11 days at Pop Century...

[dlpmikki]

I wonder if people who live farther away stay longer.

I guess I count as further away! We normally go for 3 weeks or more each trip but we would not spend every day in the parks. We get great value for money on our Annual Passes, especially if we manage two trips in a 12 month period. :D

[A Mouse Fan]

We have stayed 7 nights and 8 days in the past but are bumping it up to 8 nights and 9 days in November. I am hoping to get some relaxation time in at the WL in the rocking chairs while I am there :cloud9:

[sassafras]

We usually stay 7-8 days, 10 was the longest. That said, we did meet one couple from Ireland that was staying at OKW for 6(!!!) weeks once!

[KAT1811]

We typically go anywhere from 10 - 15 days. We never get bored and there are more than enough things to keep us busy. We like going for an extended amount of time because we can take a day off from the parks every couple of days and either go to the pool or the water parks. That way we don't get burned out and the kids get some time to recharge. With our oldest DD getting older it is getting harder and harder to do the 14 nights/15 day vacations as she will miss too much school. Even with the school dilema we will always go for at least 10 nights. I say go for the longer trip and have fun!!! Whatever you decide, have a great trip!!!

[gauvin4]

The last trip (12/07), we stayed 9 days, but every trip before that was 8 day. I felt 9 days was just right for me.

[Pigtunia]

We have a 16 hour drive to WDW, so it's just not worth spending that much time driving to stay less than a week. Plus, we only go roughly every other year, so we like to make the most of our time.

We're going for 10 days in May because when we only stayed for 7 days in 2006, we still felt rushed and wished we had more down time in between parks. I like staying longer too because you can move at a more relaxed pace, and spend time doing "non-park" things too, such as going to the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, exploring other hotels, etc. Personally, it always takes me at least 3 or 4 days to wind down and start feeling like I'm on vacation.

Only problem is, that now we're up to 10 days, I know I won't want to stay any less than that from now on. Pretty soon, I'll be trying to figure out a way to spend a month there! :cloud9:

I TOTALLY agree ... we're a 2 1/2 hour flight away, and these were my sentiments EXACTLY!:mickey:

[mook3y]

I voted for 9 days. That's 9 full days. We stayed 13 nights in September and it was just too long. 9 full days let's us really get our full of the parks and allows time for relaxing too. As long as we know we'll be returning!

We too spent 13 days in September. We would have liked another couple days.

But, our kids are still little and we take a pretty slow pace. We didnt spend a full day in a park the whole trip. We also did Disneyquest, both water parks and stayed at 3 resorts and spent a fair amount of time at Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge, just checking out the resort, swimming, etc.

Now, 13 days of go go go go.... I don't think so. lol.:blush:

[Madame Leona]

I think 10 days is just about perfect. We have two small children and with 10 days in the parks, we can take our time and still see everything twice.

[BigRedDad]

If I had my choice, I would go for 10 days. They way I would break it up is 5 days at one resort and 5 days at another. This would provide a pleasant change. I would go parks for 2 days, then resort for a day and repeat. I would also find the different things to do besides the hustle and bustle of the parks. That is just me. My family would die being away that long.

[Tigger&Stitch]

I guess I count as further away!

Us too! :D

When we went for our honeymoon in 2006, we stayed 10 nights, and I didn't want to go home! It was a good amount of time, as we were able to go to all the parks (including both water parks) and Disneyquest AND do some resort hopping.

This time, since we'll be on a plane 20 hours each way, we'll be staying two weeks. Wish it could be longer, but we lose a day flying back!

We've planned out most of our time, but there are still a few things on our list we haven't scheduled into the days yet. :)

:tigger:

[sillyolbear]

We do four days/three nights and go three to four times a year thanks to a DVC membership.

Pre-DVC, we would go twice a year for three nights/four days and stay in a deluxe.

This year we'll go in February, April, and October with a another trip in August that will be two days tacked on to a wedding we're attending in Orlando.

[princessjojo]

Our first family trip we stayed 8 days, our last we stayed 9 days. Our coming trip, we will be there 10 full days. But I like not rushing around and letting the boys sleep-in in the morning. If we miss something, we just catch it on a later date. I think this length will work just right for us. I can't wait. Then we can work in a day or so for rest and pool time as well.

[Miss Mouse]

I didn't vote in the poll, since I can't say what is typical for us, as this will be our first trip.

We are going in August for our honeymoon. It will be our first trip to WDW and we probably won't be going back any time soon - we live in Western Canada, and flights to Florida are quite expensive. So we've been saving in anticipation of this special trip, and we've racked up enough AirMiles to pay for both our flight. We're going to make the absolute most of our trip - we'll be there for three full weeks!

Hopefully we don't run out of things to do!

[KAT1811]

We are going in August for our honeymoon. It will be our first trip to WDW and we probably won't be going back any time soon . . . we'll be there for three full weeks!

Hopefully we don't run out of things to do!

:congrats: Congratulations!!! Enjoy your first trip to WDW!!! :cloud9: What a wonderful time in your life to experience WDW. :bride: :groom:

Three weeks?! I'm SO jealous!!! :yes: There are so many things to do I'm fairly certain that you won't run out of things to do, especially being first timers! Ask a lot of questions here, these people are truly WDW experts. :pixie:

Once again congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!! DH and I are celebrating our anniversary on Thursday! :yay: :high5: How time flies!!!

[wdwnomad]

I voted for 8 days. I think that gave my family enough time to see everything we wanted to see. In 2005, we stayed 6 days and that was way too rushed. In 2006 and 2007, we bumped it up to 8 days and thought it worked out really well. Of course, there were things we missed but we will be back. This year we are going for 9 days. We are thinking of adding in a water park day.

[DDuck66]

We usually plan 2 one week vacations during the year, but since we live close by, we do A LOT of one day weekend trips. We are about an hour away and it is great to go to the parks around opening, spend all day having a blast, and be in our own bed that night. I guess that next I have to work on moving right next door to Orlando or Kissimee.

[disneycouple2004]

We go for at least 8 days every year..of course there are times we stay 10 days or more..and during the summer sometimes 4 to 6 weeks..depending on family etc...:D

[Bri]

We go for 7 nights 8 days. We make sure we get there before noon on the first day so we still have a good portion of the day to do stuff. There are only 2 of us so i'm sure it's harder with children. We do get to do every park and DTD but we don't get to sit by the pool and relax. We will have to do a 8 or 9 night 10 day trip soon to get some time to relax!

[Magic Smiles]

First trip in 2000 was for 7 nights - WAY TOO SHORT.
Second trip in 2005 we stayed for 14 nights - still to short.
Third trip in 2006 was for 20 nights - this was perfect. We had lots of time to do Disney. We always stay on sight, but do venture out of WDW to shop,visit the other parks (Universal Studios, IOA, Sea World, and Busch Gardens) a day at the beach, and a day usually at VANS skatepark.
Our last trip in Dec 07 was for 16 nights. This was plenty as the weather wasn't as hot as in Apr / May when we usually go, so didn't really spend much time at the water parks or around the resort pool.
Even with these long visits, there is still so much that we have not done. As we pay so much for airfare coming from Canada, the longer we stay the cheaper the vacation per day becomes.

[Disney Doll]

We always do 6 days- 5 park days and a rest day. I'd love to do more, but with DH and I both working full time it's just too difficult to take off for more than a week at a time.

[BeccaO]

This trip we did 9 full days in the parks, and it was just enough so that we did not feel rushed. It also was not too much that we felt over-whelmed!!! I think the next time we go, we will plan a day at home before going back to the normal routine. We got back Sunday evening and had to return to work on Monday morn.:(

[Dakota Rose]

Never long enough is my answer!

[TTA Metroliner]

We always stay 6 days. One day for each of the four main parks, one day to shop at Downtown Disney and resort hop for special events, and one day to park hop and hit our favorite attractions one more time.

[DonLefNY]

Our normal stay with the kids along is now 7 days.

If it's just the the wife and I, then we normally stay 4 days.

We have had two 14 days stays as our longest though.

[vamaggie]

Never long enough is my answer!

Ditto for me!!! We have gone 3 times (01, 04 & 07) and each time for 5 nights/6 days. DH really hates (and that's putting it mildly) crowds and we have kids in school so we go when they have a long weekend and take them out for a day or 2. I'm sure we have not seen/done all there is to do but we go with the attitude of "We're going to do what we want/can and enjoy every minute of it". We do take some time for down time but try to hit all the parks.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

We try to stay for 10 nights. That way we can see almost everything. A couple years ago we went for 6 nights and felt rushed and missed a lot of things we wanted to see.

[Soul_Power]

When my boyfriend and I went on our first trip to WDW last summer, we thought that 8 days would be enough - WE WERE WRONG! Even after 8 days there's still a lot that we didn't see.

Next time we go, I'm hoping to stay for AT LEAST 10 days. (I'm begging him to take me as a college graduation present - wish me luck! :D)

[Rodders]

I wonder if people who live farther away stay longer.


I guess I count as further away! We normally go for 3 weeks or more each trip but we would not spend every day in the parks. We get great value for money on our Annual Passes, especially if we manage two trips in a 12 month period. :D

I think that most Brits would stay for 2 weeks as a minimum. We do 2 weeks and I have NEVER been bored, not even for a moment!! :mickey: During a 2 weeks trip even waiting for a bus is exciting. The atmosphere of the place never wears thin for me and my DW. :mickey:

[applecore72]

Well, I would have to say that about 3 weeks would be good enough for me. On our next trip we will stay 16 nights and I know I will feel that it's too short.

We fly over from Sweden so we don't go that often - maybe one trip every two or three years.

[KylesMom]

In 2000, we stayed for 8 days. We've upped that to 15 days the past several years, and still shed tears when it's time to leave. There's so many things we haven't done, I think I could easily spend 30 days at a time there! :mickey:

[teambricker04]

I must say that I am jealous of anyone that gets to go for 10+ days!!! We are going (hopefully) for two weeks or so this summer and then again for a long weekend in September (Just DH and I!).

We usually go for long weekends. Life has happened so we haven't been as often as we would like. We have done about two long weekends, maybe four days at most at the parks. This last trip we became passholders so we can plan to go more!

[MickeyMousse]

My DH refuses to stay any less than 9 days! He just feels like a week isn't enough and the extra 2 days actually makes it feel like more of a vacation. :confused: I just nod and make the reservations............

[4277]

We have never stayed longer than 7 days but sure would love to someday.

[caryrae]

We mostly stay for 7 days since it is just my wife and I most of the time we can get through the parks pretty easily. We have stayed for 10 days once and 2 weeks once. I tell ya though it seems the longer you stay the harder it is to make the car go to the airport.:)

[rj]

We typically stay 7 full days, which usually means 8 nights. It allows us to take our time while at the parks and revisit the shows and rides that we like the most.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

I guess I count as further away! We normally go for 3 weeks or more each trip but we would not spend every day in the parks. We get great value for money on our Annual Passes, especially if we manage two trips in a 12 month period. :D

That is a GREAT point Mikki!! We always time our trips to get at least two trips out of our APs. We got a bit carried away last time and managed to squeeze 4 trips into the 365 days. :blush:

Our usual trip is about 10 - 11 days if we drive and 8 - 9 if we fly. In June we will be flying down on a Monday afternoon and return the following Tuesday night, so we will have 7 full days and 2 partials.
Depending on where our daughter ends up going to college next fall we are going to sneak in another trip either just before Christmas or over New Years.
No better way to ring in the New Year than with the Mouse!!:cloud9:

[5fromabove]

On our last trip we had 9 park days and the one before that we had 6. We really enjoyed not having to rush through the parks to be able to see everything we wanted to (yet, somehow, we didn't even come close to seeing everything we wanted to---guess that's part of the magic~we HAVE to go back ;) ). We padded it with travel days and fit some pool time in too. It was great. Our next trip will be 6 or 7 full days plus travel. Our DS-7 last night asked if we could go for a month LOL...I don't think you could ever tire of the countless things to do at the World. :cloud9:

[aurorafan]

Oct. was our first family trip and we went for 4 nights/5 days (if you count the 2 half days on arrival and departure), which gave us 3 days for the parks. We each made a list of our top 3 attractions in each park and left out MGM Studios (with a promise to go there first the next time ;)). With lots of research and planning on my part we managed to see everything on everyone's "must" list and still have time for a pool break each day :).

This year we're leaving on Sunday and coming back Friday (last time was Mon.-Fri.), so 5 nights/6 days, again counting the 1/2 day arrival and departure. We come home on Friday because we all need that extra time to decompress before resuming normal lives ;).

As they get older and we have to move our visits to summer/school holiday times to minimize loss of school days, I'm hoping we'll be able to work in longer stays. I'd love to stay for 10 days sometime--what a dream! :cloud9:

[Sylvia]

Most of my trips, whether by myself, with family, or with friends, are typically 14-16 days long.

The longest trip was a few years ago when my Mother and I spent 21 days at the Caribbean Beach Resort. We spent many days relaxing and didn't go to a theme park every day. I remember one day we planned dinner at the 50s Prime Time and decided we really didn't want to spend the whole day at the Studios. We headed over in time to see the afternoon parade, followed by dinner, and headed back to the CBR to enjoy EPCOT's fireworks later that evening.

We have purchased annual passes for almost 20 years, and even if we only take one WDW trip, we definitely get our money's worth.

:mickey:

[RAIDER]

We stay over in Florida for two weeks every year :cloud9::thumbsup::mickey:

[mouseketeer mom]

This trip we did 9 full days in the parks, and it was just enough so that we did not feel rushed. It also was not too much that we felt over-whelmed!!! I think the next time we go, we will plan a day at home before going back to the normal routine. We got back Sunday evening and had to return to work on Monday morn.:(

We definitley plan a day at home before going back to our normal routine. We usually arrive home on a Saturday. We spend Sunday unpacking, washing, settling in, getting things ready for school the next day and taking a big breath!
We like to stay a minimum of 8 nights..9 if we are lucky, and we like to split resorts..like 2 different vacations in one!

[GrmGrninGost]

We usually stay 9 days because it's all I can fit in with one weeks vacation! :mickey:

[Hull-onian]

That was a good poll question. We stay between seven and nine days. If Sea World or Universal is included, then we stay extra.:thumbsup:

[PinKy]

We generally go for about 8-9 days depending on our schedule. We tried to go for 10 this year but couldn't fit it in. On our shorter trips we have gone for 5/6 nights and that was way WAY too short. We felt like we missed a lot. I think 9 days is about right for us - but everyone's different. We take a pretty slow pace.

[MissT]

Our vacations to FL are 11 days with 4-5 at Disney. DH is dragged kicking and screaming like a 2 yo girl. Keeping him watered and fed for more than 4 days is too much work for me. That is why, DD & I are going for 8 days this Feb & 3 with DH, DD & I in April. DD & I get 2 trips, DH gets 1 & everyone stays happy. :thumbsup:

[bmj721]

We stayed 14 days in 2005 with the whole family. It was good, but a little long. In 2007 I went with a coworker for 5 days. That was relaxing with no kids or husband, yet seemed too short. This time we are going for 10 nights/11 days in December. I think 10 days is the best, because it allows time at home to regroup before returning to work afterwards. Also, for us, we don't do parks the days of arrival or departure. So, that allows 8 days for whatever we plan.
Have a great time however long you choose.
:mickey: