What is your ideal trip length?

[tjkraz]

I'm curious to hear what others' think. What duration of trip do you normally find gives you the opportunity to see and do everything you want at WDW?

We planned on doing the Sunday to Thursday (night) thing, but I'm finding that one more night would really be beneficial. So, I guess my answer to this question would be 7 days / 6 nights.

[jiggerj]

Perfect timing for this question! We were just discussing this exact subject!

I feel that 5 nights 6 days gives us more than enough time to enjoy and unwind.. I enjoy multiple trips a year so prefer 2 6 day trips opposed to just one long one. And maybe just one quick trip sandwiched in between! :)

I dont try to jam everything in anymore cause I just know we will be back so with that in mind I am able to relax, sit back, look around and just enjoy.

Dh on the other hand says that he likes longer trips as it takes him 3 days to wind down from the flight!

[mssparrrow]

Hi,

5 days seems ideal for us.

[cobbler]

You know, we have taken 4 night trips, 5 night trips, 7 nights and 9 nights.

I really think between 7 and 9 for us works out good. I think we are still trying to find our niche in the vacation timing thing. Each trip had it's pros and cons.

I really would like to change it to doing the parks and still taking a day or 2 for downtime.

[PoohsPal]

We found 4 days to be too short. A week seems to be good for us (6 days/7 nights). I think foever would eb nice too, though. ;)

[Rozzie]

9 nights is our ideal. Of course we do shorter (our shortest coming up, 3 nights) but with 9, it really felt like a vacation. Resort lazy days do well with 9 nights and didn't feel like we were missing out. 3? Major commando! 7 is a good number also.

[JimC]

12 nights. Used to be 8 or 9 nights but we do things a bit slower now. Our shortest now would be 4 nights for highlights only.

[AFMom]

We really enjoyed having the 7 nights we had last time - got a day in the middle for a down day, one day was just the MNSSHP. We're planning for next Dec, and trying to plan for just 5 nights, and it's looking really short! We only go once a year - this will actually be 2 years in between, so the longer the better for us! Also - MIL and FIL who have only been to Epcot for 1 day are coming - and I really want to show them around. But boy - a 2 bdrm on a Fri night is a lot of points!

[mssparrrow]

We found 4 days to be too short. A week seems to be good for us (6 days/7 nights). I think foever would eb nice too, though. ;)

Carrie,

Forever would be WONDERFUL!!!!! :D

[TW1]

We too almost always do Sun - Thurs nite in a Studio. Its a point thing.

HHI is our home and we drive from Philly. And after five years, driving, 6 days in HHI and driving home is starting to feel too short.

While we can't really afford the points for longer trips, 5 nites is our minimum length, anything else is just not a vacation, its too quick.

On our last trip we combined visits to WDW, VB and HHI for a full two weeks. That may have been too long believe it or not.

Ideally we'd love 7 nights, so we started to think about paying cash for Fri & Sats, or moving to less expensive accomodations, etc. Whatever, the goal is to make it more than 5 nites.

[JohnNJ]

Before DVC we always stayed Saturday through the following Sunday to minimize vacation days from work/school. Also, the cost of flying is higher than it was, so we want to pack the maximum days in to each trip. We have added a Friday night a few times which was great for any early start on Saturday.

Now with DVC we've found that cutting out that first Saturday night really helps to conserve some points but we still stay through the next weekend. Sunday through Sunday would be my choice now.

John

[nono]

It always depends on how many trips in that year we will be having (and how long it has been since we've been to the World). On a year where there's two trips, we usually do a 6 day "warm up" trip and then a 9 day trip later in the year. The 6 day trip is usually just us, while the 9 day trip is usually an extended pack of DVC friends.

Back before there was even The Studios, I stayed 9 days in the world, and didn't feel like it was quite enough! :)

[DarthGoofy]

I think that 6 nights work best for us. I think your trip duration has alot to do with when you go. Six nights and seven days may not be enought in the middle of the summer, where the same time in January may find you asking "What now?"

[kathyseb]

I'm with Mssparrow-forever!!!!

But to be realistic, no matter how long we stay, ranges from a week to two weeks throughout the year, we are never ready to say goodbye.

[gopherit]

And after five years, driving, 6 days in HHI and driving home is starting to feel too short.


If I drove for 5 years, I'd DEFINITELY stay longer than 6 days. ;)


Anyhooo... we started out with the idea we would only do the SUn-Thurs thing, and it held us for a while, but then we went and wrecked the whole plan by staying 6 days on a trip... then we tried 7... then 9... last trip was 13! Now, 13 was a bit of a stretch, purely from the standpoint of getting a good pet sitter to care for our critters while we were gone. I doubt we can do that length again for a awhile, since we are starting to have some elderly pets that need special attention. We tried 6 nts this summer at HHI (because Sat nt pts are too dang costly, LOL!) and that was quite nice, really. But once we start talkin' WDW, it just doesn't seem like we can make the trip last less than a week at the VERY least, and 9 is more like the norm! This summer we hope to go to US/IOA for 4 nts, then move to OKW for 7. That will make it an 11 night trip. Not as nice as 13... but none too shabby! We drive down over the course of 2 days, then drive back, usually pit-stopping to see some of my family scattered en route, so it's imperative to make the destination more than just a quick pit-stop!

Perhaps if we ever fly to WDW, we can make it a quicker trip... but I doubt it.

We're spoiled! (And I hate to pack/unpack! :yuck: )

[gracelrm]

When going to WDW, we usually stay 7 nights. This year we stayed at POR and used AP rates (out of points!) and stayed 7 nights. We just couldn't leave, so we added one night at CR (what a treat!) Usually we do shorter trips to HH or VB, not because we don't want to stay longer, they are just planned over school vacations and we don't have quite as long to stay. I think ideally, I'd love to stay 10 days. Our kids still want to do everything in the parks and we could do everything and still have a few days of down time. Our problem is, we can't save enough points to do this!

[Colorado Belle]

Well, I haven't really thought about this so much for Disney, but I sure have an opinion on this re cruising.

I've never taken less than a 7 day cruse and I know I wouldn't like it....the 7 day cruise is rushed enough. I've done a 10, a 12 and recently an 18....and 18 nights was PERFECT (tho in truth I coulda done another week or two).

In the old days, Disney was almost always an 'add-on' to doing other things 'back east'. So we'd visit family in S.C. and then chill in Disney for 3 or 4 nights.
Once, when my DD was a baby, we stayed a week and that was heaven.

Now, with DVC, I like the idea of SUn-THurs on points. Then I usually try to visit friends in Tampa for the weekends on either side and just chill with them.

Then this last trip, I bought an annual pass, so for this year I can take more time to smell the roses, and drink the margarita in my room or by the pool! I'm too cheap to use points on the weekends...but for me staying the first and last night in a cheapie motel isn't really a problem...and getting a getaway week from RCI for less than a one night stay is also a good deal and one I might do again and then combine that with a SUn-Thurs....oweee, almost two weeks at DIsney!

[CRSNDSNY]

Our idea is 8 days, 7 nights. :flowerfor

[jaysue]

We are finding that 8-9 days seem to work best and allow us a measured pace and still be able to have a complete experience

cheers
jaysue

:birthdayc :birthdayc :birthdayc

[PolyColleen]

I like 9 or 10 nights. (especially in the heat when we move slowly). I don't usually have enough points for that long, but I get great deals on the Moderate resorts and we start there. Saves lots of points and gives the kiddos a shot at a new pool... Last summer we did 4 at PO-FQ and then moved to BCV. When we moved I knew I still had a lot of nights to go so I didn't mind packing up and relocating. I have found that when we stay that long, I get to do pretty much everything I hoped to, and I feel OK about heading home when it is time. We also drive 1,000 miles so I like to make it worth it. :)

My parents are about to move to The Villages, a retirement community about 60 miles from Mickey. This will change how we visit Florida. We'll probably do 7 nights at WDW then a few with the grandparents. If I need more Mickey I can do daytrips from their place, no points! It will help me stretch the points I have.

[SueOKW]

9 nights - it takes so much work for our whole crew to get packed and down there, etc... I really feel that 10 days is great...

of course.. by day 10 we wish we had stayed longer!! We've only been able to do that many days twice... the rest are 7 nights... this year it's just 6 due to scheduling issues... :sosad: