Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
3
How Long to Stay
This chapter addresses the decision-making process for how long to stay at Walt Disney
World. Guests planning to return enjoy the ability to ease into visiting the theme parks with
shorter trips of four or so days, knowing they can catch missed attractions and experiences
in the future. Those planning once-in-a-lifetime style vacations are best served pushing their
length of stay to eight or nine days. This affords the opportunity to enjoy much of the best
of Walt Disney World, and also allows a mixture of longer days in the theme parks tempered
by more relaxing downtime back at the resort. Shorter stays are often rewarding and enjoy-
able for everyone involved, but the limited time necessitates skipping key experiences and
requires a more ambitious schedule with fewer opportunities to relax.
We'll first cover the basics: budgets, time, and the ages of the kids. Then, in the next sec-
tion, we'll address the importance of taking time away from the parks to relax, followed by
a section about allocating time for an “only” trip.
Budgets, Time Available, and Ages of the Kids
Most prospective guests will choose a length of stay based on three primary factors: budget,
time constraints, and kids' ages. Mom might only be able to get a Monday through Wed-
nesday off work, necessitating a shorter five-day trip that begins with travel early Saturday
and ends with travel late Wednesday. A budget might be stretched too thin for a seven-night
stay at a moderate resort, but work with fewer nights at a value (Chapter 5 explains the dif-
ference between “moderates” and “values”.) A family with very young kids may find that a
delightful trip lasts only three or four days.
The good news is that guests with a wide range of budgets and trip lengths can thoroughly
enjoy their visits. The bad news is that, like most things, (within reason) more is better.
A longer trip means more relaxing, more theme park visits, more Mickey ice cream bars,
and, ultimately, more flexibility. Longer trips also have lower per-day costs. Most travel
costs are fixed regardless of how many days you spend in Orlando. If airfare and related
costs are $1500, the per-day travel cost on a five-day vacation is $300. On a ten-day trip,
the per-day travel cost drops in half, to only $150 per day. Second, adding the fifth to tenth
day on your Disney World theme park ticket is only an additional $10.65 (including tax) per
day. A four-day child base ticket costs $304 with tax. That's $76 per day. An eight-day child
base ticket costs $346 with tax. That's just $43 per day. Of course, days five through eight
come with other costs like dining, souvenirs, and lodging, but one long stay is often much
less expensive than two shorter stays.
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