How long do you typically stay in the parks each day?

[minnie-mouse]

I am trying to figure how how long we will be in the parks all day. We have two children 6 and 8 and usually we stay at a monorail resort so on previous trips we just left the park and went back to resort to take a break. This next trip will be in a moderate resort and most likely drive to parks. We like to get there around 9 or 10am, but is it absurd of me to think that we will last all day until fireworks? Or will I be totally burning the kids out? I just think it is a lot of time wasted to leave park and drive back to our resort for 2 hours, no? Help.

[c&d]

I wouldn't plan on spending an entire day at the parks, you'll all be exhausted. When DS was younger we would get up go to the parks come back to the resort for several hours (3-4 hrs). We would have lunch in the food court, hang at the pool, nap and then go back to the park. We also did not necessarily go to the park we were at in the morning.

Even when we have our car, we always take the bus when we are down. I really don't want to have to focus on driving and finding a parking place. I want to put my brain in park.

[TexansInNY]

We just go with the flow based on how the kids are doing - just flexible and go with the flow. Also depends on park hopper, etc. Maybe rest and head out somewhere else for fireworks (or same park) etc.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

You could try alternating days like doing Animal Kingdom and making that a half day and then doing MK and try to stay for the fireworks and see how it goes....but really I think it would depend on your kids. If you think they'll need a mid day break then that's what you should do.

[MOJoe]

It depends on what time of the year. For Spring Break trips, when the weather is warm during the day and cool at night, we have no problem staying all day at the parks. But for our June trips, we are too stressed by the heat. An afternoon break is absolutely necessary.

[faline]

Occasionally, we will stay in a park throughout an entire day and into the evening. When we were younger, this might happen more often. When my daughter was in that age range, she did fairly well if we had a really long day but it's certainly something we couldnt do day after day without breaks.

These days we don't usually have kids with us when we visit the parks but we still like to take breaks and relax at our resort. Typically, we might return to our resort around 2 or 3 - maybe swim or relax and potentially return to a park in the evening.

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks for all your input. The only problem is a lot of the dinners we are planning are TS meals at one of the 3 monorail resorts? So my initial thought was get to MK at 9-10am, then after 3pm parade head over to Poly/Grand Floridian/or CR to browse in gift shops, relax in lobbies/take pictures, then have a sit down dinner at one, relax on beach at Poly or GF then after that head back to MK for evening of more rides then fireworks. Still too much? I don't want to burn the kdis out on the 1st day as you all said.

[disneymomma2010]

My boys are 8 and we have been every year but one since they were 3. To afford wdw we only have 4 days of parks and no park hoppers. An example of our mk days is ts breakfast around 9 or 10:00am, usually at Ohana and then head to the park and stay all day until fireworks are over. We are exhausted by the time we make it back to our (moderate) resort yes! But we do it. The boys also have always used strollers so that always helps. It is doable but I have definately wanted to try to get there at opening, play till lunch, go back to room for break, and then head back to the park for the evening. I just haven't been able to talk my husband into that approach yet. He thinks he will miss out on something.

[joonyer]

On our first few WDW trips as a family (Our boys were 9 & 6 on our first trip), we were park commandos and spent as much time as possible in the parks. Out boys were full of energy and the magic kept them going. our first trip was a Memorial Day week and at least one park was open til late every night. We had hoppers and water park passes. Our schedule was typically get to our park of choice at park opening. Yes, it means having to get up early on vacation, but the excitement of being at WDW made it easy. We'd stay at the park until after we had lunch. Then head back to the hotel, change and go to a water park for 3-hours until supper time. DW & I would mostly relax on the beach or the lazy river at the water park while the kids went full speed ahead on the slides. Then we'd head back to the hotel and either have supper there at the food court, or at a restaurant at our evening park where we'd usually stay until closing. Then the next day we'd do it all over again. We were exhausted by the end of our week, but we had a blast. We felt like we had to come back home and go back to work to rest up from vacation. Our boys never got tired or cranky in the parks, they were having too much fun, but they slept really good at night! DW and I were younger then, but it was still an effort to go, go, go. We ate all we wanted and still lost weight that week!

[epceddie]

We like to be at a park when it opens and get our favorites out of the way. Then, we like to find a nice spot and soak up the sun, people watch, and catch the parades, We're usually good for about four hours and then we head back to the resort for lunch and swimming. If we feel like it, we'll head back to the park about 5:30 p.m. We don't spend as much time in the parks as we used to. We're DVC members and we enjoy taking advantage of the pool-hopping perk that lets us visit different resorts.

[Gregandmel]

We are a family of 4 with 2 kids (now ages 11 & 20) and have taken 2 trips back in 2008 & 2010 (and can't wait to get back!!!)

We have done the same thing both times and it works 100% for us because we all go at the same pace. We get to the parks about 30 minutes before opening, have a plan on what we want to ride/do/see and are at the parks until around 3pm or so. We enjoy getting back to our resort (stayed at WL first time and POFQ second time) and resting, swimming, relaxing, having a leisurely dinner and getting to bed early so we are ready to go the next day. For us, having 5-6 hours of R & R really does the trick for us. I know that we don't get done nearly the amount of things that other families can get done in one day, but it makes it really enjoyable for us without overdoing it.

Mid-week, we have a "down day" where we sleep in and hit Downtown Disney. This is the day that we will go back to MK around 6 or 7pm to ride some rides and stay for the fireworks show. The one time on our first trip that we tried to go to the park, go back to the resort, then go back to the park again for the fireworks, it was just too long of a day. (for us)

Everyone has a different pace & speed that works for them. But I've seen too many kids that are being "pushed" to see and do it all which leads to tears and frustration. Disney is one of those places that it's EASY to overdo it. So.....best advice is to leave plenty of room for R & R ..... our philosophy is that whatever we don't get to see and do......just gives us a reason to come back!

[CuteAsMinnie]

I wouldn't plan on spending an entire day at the parks, you'll all be exhausted. When DS was younger we would get up go to the parks come back to the resort for several hours (3-4 hrs). We would have lunch in the food court, hang at the pool, nap and then go back to the park. We also did not necessarily go to the park we were at in the morning.

Even when we have our car, we always take the bus when we are down. I really don't want to have to focus on driving and finding a parking place. I want to put my brain in park.

Agreed 100%

[Dopey's Girl]

I couldn't go all day without a break midday. I love taking the bus back to the resort for a break. Sometimes we nap, other times we hang by the pool and read. But we always take out shoes off and relax for at least a bit. Even if you aren't tired the first day, you don want to burn everyone out on vacation!

[LVT]

I require a nap, and my family does not argue (anymore).

[PETE FROM NYC]

Back in the good old days, when DW and I had better health, we would do the entire day from morning til closing.
Once we left Epcot so late, when we went out the gate, we said there is our car.

[tinkman]

We have tried it alot of different ways, but we found the best for us was to try to be there early, rope drop if possible, then around noon/1:00pm go back to the resort for lunch/swim/nap/relax for a couple hours. We would either eat dinner at the resort or we'd have adrs somewhere, then head to a park for the evening. It was so much easier to make it to the end of the night when we had that mid-day break. Yea, it takes time to travel back and forth, but it is worth it to us. PS: this only works for parks when they are open late...9pm or later. Never works good for AK.

[AllDisney]

I think it depends on your children. When we first took our daughter she was 3 1/2 and she went all day without a break. We were at the parks at pretty much opening and stayed until closing.

Our friends took their grandchildren & each day left the parks around 1:00PM so the youngest one could nap. The oldest (9) would go swimming with Grandad while Grandma stayed in the room while the little one (4) took her nap

[January-2007]

Now that we have a two year old our park days last about 4 hours. It's a lot of stimulation for a little kid. We'll see next time how long he can hang in there. Just follow your children's cues and you'll do just find, don't overthink it and don't push anybody to go-go-go and you'll do fine.

[minnie-mouse]

Thanks everyone. I think we will stick with the plan of taking a break around before dinner time then returning to park for fireworks.

[gottaluvtink]

When we go, we go! We are at the parks at opening, and we are there until they close. We have done this since our kids were small, and never had a problem. When they were in strollers, we just let them sleep in the stroller. We would find a nice spot, and just sit and people watch while they slept. We have been going now for 15 consecutive years. The kids are now 16, 17, and 18, and they still love going and wouldn't think of leaving the parks for a minute! We can always rest at home!