How Much Should You Really Try to Do in a Disney World Day?

Sometimes, you might feel like you are falling behind on your Disney World trip when comparing yourself to others.

Someone was already standing at the park entrance before you woke up. Someone else rode six attractions before lunch. A video online promises the “perfect” touring strategy with your itinerary planned to every minute. .

Suddenly, you're looking at your own perfectly enjoyable day wondering whether you've accomplished enough.

But "enough" according to whom? At the end of the day, it only has to be enough for you and your travel party. To help you decide what works best for you and your family, Plan Upon A Star has a few guideposts and reflections below.

One Park Per Day Is A Good Accomplishment

There is nothing wrong with spending an entire day in one park. In fact, for many families, one park per day is a very good rule of thumb.

One park per day gives you time to explore without constantly thinking about where you need to go next. You can experience attractions, have a sit-down meal, notice the details around you, and even take a break without feeling like you're losing time traveling to another park.

It can also help with the pace of the vacation as a whole. Disney World days can be long. Trying to fit multiple parks into every day may sound exciting when you're planning from home, but it can feel very different after several days of early mornings, lots of walking, and late nights.

There may be days when you want to experience two parks. There may even be days when you leave a park earlier than expected and spend the rest of the afternoon at your hotel. It is important to plan in advance, but the ultimate guide is how you are feeling in the moment when you are in the park.

You don't have to visit multiple parks in a day for the day to feel full.

Giving one park your full attention can be enough.

Two Parks In A Day is Possible Depending on Your Plan and Travel Party

There are also plenty of times when visiting two parks in one day (known as "park hopping") can make sense, too. The important question isn't simply whether you can visit two parks. It's whether doing so fits the kind of day you want to have.

Some combinations are particularly convenient because of transportation. EPCOT and Magic Kingdom are connected by Monorail transportation, while EPCOT and Hollywood Studios can be connected using the Disney Skyliner or Friendship boat transportation.

Animal Kingdom can also work well as the first part of a two-park day for some families as it is usually the first park to open. You might spend your morning in Animal Kingdom and then explore a second park in the afternoon or evening. If doing so, you could even spend the middle of the day back at the resort, resting and recharging before your next adventure.

But, changing parks takes time. You have to leave one park, travel to another, and enter again. Disney World has excellent and efficient transportation, but it still takes time. It is important to factor in travel time between theme parks if you are considering multiple parks in a day.

And depending on your travel party, that transition may be energizing -- or it may be exactly the thing that makes the day feel rushed or hectic.

Park hopping should give you more possibilities, not more pressure.

If two parks fit naturally into your day, that's wonderful. If everyone is having a great time where they already are, you don't need to leave simply because the itinerary says you can.

A Park Day Isn't a Scorecard

Attractions are part of why we go to Disney World. Of course we want to experience as many as possible. Planning can help you spend less time waiting and more time enjoying them.

But the number of attractions you experience is not the score of your vacation.

A family that rides fifteen attractions hasn't necessarily had a better day than a family that rides eight. Maybe that second family rode the one they really liked another time. Maybe they had a long lunch together. Maybe the kids spent an hour in the pool that afternoon. Maybe they stopped because something unexpected caught their attention and that turned out to be a highlight of their day.

Decide What Would Make the Day Feel Successful

Before each park day, identify a few things that really matter.

Not fifteen. Maybe three.

If those experiences happen, you've already protected the most important parts of the day. Everything else can become a bonus.

This changes the feeling of the day from:

“Look at everything we haven't done.”

to:

“We did the things we most wanted to do -- and look at everything else we got to experience, too.”

That's a very different vacation.

Leave Room for Being There

A Disney World park isn't simply a container full of attractions.

There are details, performers, food, conversations, and unexpected moments happening between them.

If every minute is spent rushing toward the next reservation or attraction, it's possible to see an enormous amount of Disney World without really noticing and feeling much of it.

Efficiency is useful. It just shouldn't become the purpose of the day.

Pay Attention to Your People

Sometimes, the itinerary says keep going, but your family says otherwise.

Someone is tired. Someone is hungry. Someone would really like to swim. That's important information.

The plan exists to help your family have a better vacation. Your family does not exist to complete the plan.

Before You Start Planning...

For each park day, finish this sentence:

“If we experience these three things today, I'll feel good about the day.”

Then, write down three things. You've just identified your priorities.

Everything beyond them? That's where the day gets to surprise you.

Plan Your Trip. Make Lifelong Memories.