How I plan two weeks at Disney without needing another holiday afterwards!
No two weeks at Disney are ever the same.
That’s one of the things I love about it. The time of year, park hours, special events, where you’re staying, who you’re travelling with and, frankly, how tired you are can completely change how you approach a Disney holiday.
So this is the basic framework I use for a 14-night Disney-only holiday, primarily staying on Disney property. It can absolutely be adapted if you’re staying off-site, although you won’t have access to some of the Disney resort perks and transport options.
The biggest thing I’ve learned after years of doing Disney is that you don’t need to spend every waking hour in a park to get value from your holiday.
My aim is to see as much as we want to see, take advantage of the quieter times, enjoy the resorts and still come home feeling like we had a holiday.
So, this is roughly how I’d do it.
Day 1 – Arrival Day
If you’ve had an early enough flight, you might get some park time on arrival day.
We always try to get ourselves onto Florida time as quickly as possible.
If it’s Monday thru Thursday, I’d be tempted by EPCOT. It’s a lovely place to ease yourself into the holiday. We might wander around the aquarium, have some snacks and find somewhere to watch the fireworks before heading back to the resort.
If it’s Friday to Sunday, I’d probably choose Hollywood Studios instead. Grab something to eat, soak up the atmosphere and, if the schedule works, watch Fantasmic!
Yes, you’ll be exhausted. The objective today isn’t to tick things off a list.
It’s simply: We’re in Florida. We’re at Disney. Let’s get this holiday started!
Day 2 – Your First Full Disney Day
For our first full day, if it’s Tuesday to Friday, we’ll generally choose Magic Kingdom.
If it’s Saturday or Sunday, Animal Kingdom is usually our choice.
And I always like to take advantage of early entry on that first full day.
Why? Because you’ll probably be awake before the sun anyway thanks to the time difference!
Get up, get out and make the most of that early-morning energy.
One of the biggest advantages of staying on Disney property is how easy it is to get around. This is where staying on-site really starts to pay off for me.
You can change your mind.
Day 3 – Slow Down
Today we’re going to take our foot off the accelerator and now it’s time to recover. Your feet will thank you!
If it’s a weekend, this would be a great water park day.
If it’s a weekday, I’d go for a later start at EPCOT and spend some time exploring World Showcase without trying to conquer the whole park.
Don’t underestimate an evening at your resort. The resorts are far too good to simply use as somewhere to sleep.
There is no such thing as a bad Disney resort, in my opinion, and spending a few hours around the pool, having dinner and wandering around your hotel can be one of the nicest parts of the holiday.
Day 4 – Full Park day
If you did Animal Kingdom on Day 2, today is your Magic Kingdom day.
If you did Magic Kingdom first, swap them around.
Again, I’d use early entry if you’re feeling fresh. But don’t feel that you have to.
If you need a lie-in, have a lie-in.
If you’ve had a resort afternoon yesterday, you might be ready for another big park day.
If you’ve got tired children, don’t force it.
Disney isn’t going anywhere.
And believe me, three hours in a park with happy kids is better than eight hours of tears and whining.
Just saying!
Day 5 – EPCOT Day
Today is our proper EPCOT day unless it’s a Saturday or Sunday (in which case choose Hollywood studios)
One of my favourite ways to approach EPCOT is to think of it as two parks in one.
You’ve got the attractions and experiences around the front of the park and then you’ve got World Showcase.
And please don’t just walk around World Showcase looking at the big landmarks.
Go into the pavilions.
The amount of detail in each country is incredible and it’s very easy to walk straight past it.
Take your time, Have a look around, Eat something, Drink something. Be like Alice
Enjoy it, its wonderland!
Day 6 – Hollywood Studios
Today is Hollywood Studios day. (Unless you did it yesterday – in which case Epcot or AK if its still a weekend)
If you came here on arrival day, today is the perfect opportunity to get there nice and early and tackle the things you missed.
HS can get very busy in the middle of the day, so I actually prefer to split it across the holiday.
We might visit early one day and then return another evening or just break up the day with some resort time. You could even break up your day with a trip on the skyliner to visit the resorts and the boardwalk area or even catch the boat. Let your energy level decide!
That’s the beauty of a two-week Disney holiday.
Day 7 – A more relaxed day
We’re halfway through the holiday and it’s time for another breather, if needed. I always factor them in and see how we feel on the day.
This could be:
- A water park day
- Disney Springs
- A pool day
- A resort-hopping day
One of my favourite things to do is a resort-hopping day.
Refillable mug in hand, obviously.
The monorail resorts are an easy place to start, but you can also use the boats around Disney Springs to explore some of the resorts. And if you head over to Port Orleans French Quarter…Beignets. You’re welcome.
Day 8 – Park Hopping
If you haven’t already embraced park hopping, now is the time. We park hop a lot.
Some of our favourite combinations include:
Animal Kingdom → Magic Kingdom
Spend the afternoon at Animal Kingdom and then head to Magic Kingdom for the evening and fireworks.
Magic Kingdom → EPCOT
Take the monorail between the two. Easy.
EPCOT → Hollywood Studios You’ve got the Skyliner or the Friendship Boats.
And this is one of the reasons I love staying on-site.
Disney transportation is part of the fun.
The best thing about being on property is the ease of starting the day in one park and ending in another. This is good if you arrive and the crowd levels are too much, go to another park! Or maybe there is just a few things you want to do in one park, get it done and switch it out!
Day 9 – More park hopping!
This is one of my favourite days to simply let the family choose.
Sometimes we even play what we call bus stop lottery.
We go to the bus stop, get on the first bus that arrives and see where the day takes us.
It sounds ridiculous. It’s also brilliant.
Day 10 – The Day of Dreams: The Four Park Challenge!
Okay.
This is where things get serious.
It’s Four Park Challenge Day.
This is a family tradition for us and, if you’re ready for it, it’s one of the most fun days of the holiday.
The rules are simple.
Start at whichever park opens earliest and get there for rope drop.
Then make your way through all four parks, finishing at whichever park closes latest.
And here’s the important bit:
Everyone gets to choose ONE thing to do in each park.
It can be a ride. A show. A character meet. A snack. A drink. A meal, Anything!
Once everyone has done their thing, you move on.
Our route tends to be something like:
Animal Kingdom → Hollywood Studios → EPCOT → Magic Kingdom
You might get roughly three hours in each park, depending on park hours and transportation.
And yes, it’s a ridiculous day.
And yes, we love it.
Day 11 – Restore the Batteries
After Four Park Challenge Day, you have earned a lie-in.
Spend the morning at the resort.
Go swimming.
Have a slow breakfast.
Do some laundry.
Read a book.
Whatever you fancy.
Then, later in the day, choose your evening park and go back to finish off any must-dos.
This is why I think two weeks at Disney is such a luxury.
You don’t have to cram everything into five days.
Day 12 – Another Park-Hopping Adventure
If you’ve been following along, by now you’ve probably got the hang of park hopping.
Today, I’d deliberately mix up the transportation.
If you used the monorail last time, take a boat.
Use the Skyliner.
And explore some of the resorts while you’re at it.
You can take the boat from Magic Kingdom over to Wilderness Lodge, which is a beautiful resort to explore.
And if you find yourself at Animal Kingdom, jump on the bus over to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
You can spend ages looking at the animals on the savannah and exploring the incredible African-inspired art throughout the resort.
And if you happen to find yourself at The Mara…Zebra Domes.
Another one of my Disney essentials.
Day 13 – Choose Your Favourite
We’re getting towards the end now.
And this is the point where I’d stop trying to follow an itinerary.
You’ve had two weeks.
You’ve seen a lot.
So today, choose your favourite. Its strange but each trip for us, has given us a different favourite. But for us its Usually Epcot or Animal Kingdom.
Is there something you haven’t done in EPCOT?
Did Magic Kingdom still have things on your list?
Did you discover that your children actually prefer Animal Kingdom?
Go back to the park you love.
We usually come back to the resort in the middle of the afternoon.
I send the family to the pool while I start packing, sort the laundry and generally begin the horrible process of admitting that the holiday is nearly over.
Then we head back to the park for the evening.
And stay until chuck-out time.
Holding back tears.
Day 14 – The Long Goodbye
Checkout day.
This is traditionally a resort day for us. We never go to a park on checkout day, even if we have a late flight.
And sometimes it’s actually the longest amount of time we spend properly enjoying the resort.
Have breakfast.
Swim.
Wander.
Take photographs.
Sit somewhere and soak it all in.
Don’t rush.
You’ve got nowhere you need to be.
Well…
Apart from the airport eventually.
It’s basically one long kiss goodbye to the magic.
And then it’s time to go home.
My Top Tips for a 14-Day Disney Holiday
As a general rule, we tend to avoid Magic Kingdom from Friday through Monday, unless there’s a special event or party affecting the crowd patterns. EPCOT and Disney Springs can also be particularly busy at weekends. Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and waterparks are best done at weekends, so you can maximise your time at Epcot and Magic through the week.
If you’re lucky enough to be staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort or another resort eligible for Extended Evening Theme Park Entry, this is a day to plan around that perk. The schedule and eligible parks can change, so always check the current Disney information for your dates. But if you have access to extended evening hours, don’t sleep on it.
You don’t need early entry every day, Early entry is a nice perk. But it isn’t compulsory. I’d much rather arrive at a park well-rested than drag everyone out of bed at 6am every morning because I feel like I have to “get my money’s worth”.
Don’t automatically buy Lightning Lane For a two-week holiday, you have something that a four-day visitor doesn’t have: TIME. Unless you’re travelling during an exceptionally busy period (Easter, Halloween and Christmas), you may find that you can experience everything you want without paying for Lightning Lane products every day.
Explore the resorts. Honestly, this is one of my biggest tips. The hotels aren’t cheap. Use them! Go and see them. Have a drink. Wonder at the theming. Explore the gardens. Take the boats. Ride the monorail. Have a snack. The resorts are part of the Disney experience.
And finally… listen to your body This might be my most important tip of all.
The best value you can get from your Disney ticket isn’t measured in the number of rides you’ve managed to squeeze into a day. (although I have been tempted!) It’s measured in how much you enjoyed the day. If you’re exhausted, go back to the hotel. If the kids (or you!) have had enough, go swimming. If everyone is miserable, stop.
My kids have loved the pool days just as much as the park days.
Two weeks at Disney means you have the luxury of time, but I guarantee there will still be things you missed. But fear not, you can think about remortgaging on the flight home because, you will be coming back!
So that’s my basic 14-day Disney itinerary!
It’s not designed to be followed religiously.
It’s a framework.
Swap days around.
Move parks.
Add pool days.
Take things out.
Sleep in.
Eat something delicious.
Ride the Skyliner just because you can.
And, occasionally, play bus stop lottery and see where you end up.
Because for me, that’s what a Disney holiday is about.
Not seeing absolutely everything.
It’s having enough time to enjoy the magic without needing another holiday to recover from it.
In future posts I’ll be sharing our Disney must-dos, what we pack, and what we eat and drink in the magic.
So stay tuned…
and stay magical. ✨
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