Is 13 days enough to enjoy Disney, Universal and Legoland?

[Lightus]

You'll have time to do everything. Plan to go in Winter/early spring if you can. Summer in Florida can legitimately ruin your trip.

If you really stretch it out you'll get:
Animal Kingdom - 1 day
EPCOT - 1 day
Hollywood Studios - 1 day
Magic Kingdom - 1 or 2 days
Universal - 1 day
Islands of Adventure - 1 day
Legoland - 1 day

You're going to be so burnt out by day 4 though. I did 4 parks in 4 days before and by the end I was skipping rides etc just because I didn't want to walk back across the park.


If you really are committed to that many days I'd include some days just to explore the city/state or chill at the hotel.

Edit - woops this has been covered. On your off days you could go to the beach for a day or two if you don't mind driving.

 

[The Albatross]

Yes, absolutely.

I had never thought Legoland was a destination to go to, unless you're looking for things to do, but IMO, like a 7 day vacation is enough time to reasonably get most interesting stuff done at Disney/Universal/Orlando especially if you plan it out. 13 days is plenty of time to relax and have pool days/chill out/bad weather days too IMO.

If you're staying on Disney property, depending on where you stay you can also end up having a park as a kind of "home base." I've only gone to Disney twice in about... ~12 years or so, but last two times I stayed I stayed at the Boardwalk which is hooked onto the back part of Epcot, and one of the Animal Kingdom resorts. And so I went to Epcot a ton last time, we'd basically go to to dinner or get drinks at epcot every night, or in the morning I'd get up and walk to the Starbucks there for coffee, etc. So I might have only gone to epcot to do rides and stuff like one day, but was at that park every day getting drinks, dinner, hanging out, etc. Was a good way to do it IMO.

IMO, Universal kinda sucks but I know some people really like it. I'm unimpressed by it. Some of the rides are really fun, but last time I went in 2019 or so I thought there was way too much emphasis on VR-like rides, or the ones with the screens.

 

[PandaShake]

Years ago, friend and I spent a day each for each Disney park and Universal. Saw everything with plenty of time to go back on favorite rides. We had a week so 15 days is plenty. My flat feet went super numb.

 

[Yoss]

Check out the Theme Park OT, they know their stuff: https://www.resetera.com/threads/theme-parks-roller-coasters-ot-imagineering-101.4014/

 

[Bigkrev]

You'll have time to do everything. Plan to go in Winter/early spring if you can. Summer in Florida can legitimately ruin your trip.

If you really stretch it out you'll get:
Animal Kingdom - 1 day
EPCOT - 1 day
Hollywood Studios - 1 day
Magic Kingdom - 1 or 2 days
Universal - 1 day
Islands of Adventure - 1 day
Legoland - 1 day

You're going to be so burnt out by day 4 though. I did 4 parks in 4 days before and by the end I was skipping rides etc just because I didn't want to walk back across the park.


If you really are committed to that many days I'd include some days just to explore the city/state or chill at the hotel.

Edit - woops this has been covered. On your off days you could go to the beach for a day or two if you don't mind driving.

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Unless you are a gigantic Harry Potter fan and want to spend a ton of time looking at that stuff, you can easily do both Universal parks in 1 day, ESPECIALLY if you buy the Fastpass

 

[Shigs]

Does anyone have intel on Disney Park meal plans?

My wife's parents are taking us and our 2-year old to Disney (Florida) I think December 28 through January 3 this year/next year.

I guess my FIL talked to an agent and they don't have the meal plans now due to COVID. Are those going to come back at some point?

anything in particular I should know having a 3-year old there (he'll be almost 3 in December)? also is it CRAZY during New Years crowd wise? or it's most crowded during the summer months?

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I went to DCA two weeks ago. It's considered the slowest period right now and it's STILL crowded. As far as meal plans go, try to eat AROUND the park. Have breakfast at a fast food joint and the same with dinner. Pym's kitchen has some fun items kids would love. A giant pretzel. A giant chicken patty on a tiny bun. A huge meatball with tiny pasta you eat with a tiny spoon. Disneyland itself has tons of great restaurants that I can't really recommend one over the other.

If you stay in Anaheim for four days, check out Knotts Berry Farm. Tickets are cheap and it's fun!

 

[Mesoian]

That's way too much time.

Last time I went to disney world, I did World, both parks at universal and sea world in 8 days. The other 6 I spent hanging around downtown Orlando, going to random arcades, water parks and night clubs.

 

[MrNelson]

By myself

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Legoland is more of a kid-oriented theme park. If you want you could substitute it with a trip to SeaWorld. It's not as flashy as the Disney or Universal but they've got some of the best roller coasters in Orlando.

As far as non-theme park ideas, I don't really have ideas for Orlando specifically, but if you're renting a car you're only an hour and a half to two hours away from either coast. You could take a trip to a beach, go check out Kennedy Space Center, or if you want to visit a non-Orlando theme park, head over to Tampa and check out Busch Gardens.

 

[Lightus]

Unless you are a gigantic Harry Potter fan and want to spend a ton of time looking at that stuff, you can easily do both Universal parks in 1 day, ESPECIALLY if you buy the Fastpass

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I would say it depends on how much you want to do and how long the lines are (which is why I mentioned specifically if you want to stretch it and do everything). I go fairly often and typically do both parks in less than a day, but I also skip most of the rides and the lines have been pretty short lately when I've gone.

I agree you'd really have to be straining to find stuff to fill the day but it's still possible.

 

[smocaine]

I read that you're going single.
That means you can take the single riders queue at some parks, reducing time even more.
My mate and I went to Universal over Christmas (busy period), used mix of single riders and normal queue.
One day for each park. Went on each ride (including Harry Potter ones), some multiple times over. I think I rode Velocicoaster (best ride ever) five or six times over lol, Hogwarts Castle one twice, etc... so, one day was enough for each park. Lego will be a one-day fare. Didn't go to Disney on this trip, but can't imagine it'll pad out 10 days. Might as well take your time though -- I don't like crunching multiple parks into the same day. I like hanging out in the parks, it's not all about ticking off rides.
If you feet can bare it, the parks are open long too. We stayed from open to close. Velocicoaster was, again, awesome at night. We went in Winter so obvs it got dark earlier than Summer. When are you going?
Single riders was ESPECIALLY quick in the studios, like sub-5 min queue times for Mummy, Transformers, etc... Gringots was like 20 mins.

 

[bombermouse]

At most I would give Disney 2 days, Universal and LEGO 1 day each. 13 days just at those parks is a nightmare to me personally. Spend the money you would save from not going the entire 13 days on the fast pass systems.

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This! Seems like more than enough. I don't know what your idea of theme parks are but you'll be spending 80% of your time standing in line.

 

[Senator Toadstool]

ugh yes

 

[jackie daytona]

If you're set on spending that long, I would do 2 days at each Disney Park, 2 days at Universal, and a day at Legoland.

Maybe add an extra day at Magic Kingdom. Honestly if the days are already set, just stretch it out and don't rush around the parks.

As others have said, though, 15 days is really too much.

 

[Lexad]

I'll actually stay 15 days, but not counting the fly days. I was planning to do this trip in 2020 but we all know what happened lol

My plan is to go next year so there's lots of time to plan, but need to set the dates soon and how this forum has an American majority thought it would be ok to ask.

It's a international trip to me, so no idea when I'll be back there.

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Big distinction. Are we talking California or Florida?

 

[Landy828]

We covered 4 parks nearly front to back in 7 days.

We were EXHAUSTED by the end. 🤣

I could barely walk by day 6. We had the kids (and grandparents) on 6 of the 7 days. We spent 1 day as a chill/relax day right in the middle. Just the pool and hanging out at the house we rented. We spent 1 day on our own (wife and I) basically just hanging out in Galaxy's Edge. Great time there together riding/doing everything possible and even grabbing drinks and a snack together just relaxing in Oga's Cantina. Did it all, bought light sabers, all the collectible restaurant trinkets, etc.

13 should be MORE than enough.

 

[Serule]

Disney World : one day at each park + one day at Disney Springs, possibly add a second day at Magic Kingdom. Think about non-park activities between park days because you will be walking A LOT and may want the rest.

 

[GameOver]

WDW is 4 parks and two water parks. I would say 5 days for Disney(4 parks + Disney Springs)

Universal is 2 parks and 1 water park. 3 days for Universal

1 day for Legoland.

8 days so far and you can spent a whole day in Universal City Walk which will put you at 9 days

 

[Ivy Veritas]

As everyone else has said, you don't need that much time. I'd probably do 3-4 days at Disney and 1 at each of the others (but I'm not familiar with the Florida version of Universal Studios).

The important thing is to take time off. If you're not used to being on your feet all day long every day, five to six days in a row will kill you. Even three in a row would be excessive. (I think, somehow, waiting in lines puts more stress on your feet than walking around.)

If you're already used to being on your feet all day long every day, you'll handle it better. My best trip to Disney (California) was when I was working a very physical job, and the walking and standing wasn't any trouble.

 

[SweetBellic]

Good god I would be dying of boredom spending so much time at amusement parks. Mix it up and drive down to Miami or the keys or something!

 

[TheAggroCraig]

13 days is an absurd amount of time, but given the circumstances I get it, my only advice is to take a break day or two in the middle somewhere and just check out resorts or something low key.

Disney I think you'd need at most 5-6 days for the parks to do everything attraction related, food you'd need a lot more time
Universal is at most 2 days
Legoland I have no idea but can't imagine it'd require more than 1-2 days

 

[Tater]

Seriously disappointed at the lack of love for the Kennedy Space Center here.

 

[WillRobBanks]

If you're a huge parks fan, you could spend 7-8 days easy at WDW, especially if not in the parks open - close, and if you include time for Disney Springs or the water parks. Universal could easily be 3 days in the parks plus a day for Volcano Bay / Citywalk. I haven't been to Legoland FL (just Florida and California) but that's probably just a day unless you have young kids that will want to do repeats.

For WDW, just make a good plan in advance. Dining reservations can be made 60 days (+ length of stay if on-site) and the desirable ones book up fast.

 

[Rodney McKay]

Having moved to San Diego pretty recently, I've gotten a good sense of this with Disneyland and Universal. I've gone to both a few times the last 4 years or so.

Universal Hollywood if you have the fast pass (whatever they call it) you can do basically everything in a day. The only thing I didn't do was the studio tour, but my partner and I were able to do every ride at least once, and we did the cool Harry Potter one twice.

Disneyland, 2 days is pretty much the minimum, if you count California Adventure 3 is probably a comfortable amount of time.
I did a two day visit with park hopping and there were definitely a few rides I didn't have the chance to do, even with the fast pass (this was earlier last year).

 

[Darknight]

Having moved to San Diego pretty recently, I've gotten a good sense of this with Disneyland and Universal.

Universal Hollywood if you have the fast pass (whatever they call it) you can do basically everything in a day. The only thing I didn't do was the studio tour, but my partner and I were able to do every ride at least once, and we did the cool Harry Potter one twice.

Disneyland, 2 days is pretty much the minimum, if you count California Adventure 3 is probably a comfortable amount of time.
I did a two day visit with park hopping and there were definitely a few rides I didn't have the chance to do, even with the fast pass (this was earlier last year).

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OP is going to Orlando.

 

[Xtortion]

Four days at Disney World (one for each park), two days at Universal (one for each park), and one day at Legoland. If you like big roller coasters I would also recommend one day each at Busch Gardens Tampa (about an hour drive from Orlando, give or take), and SeaWorld. Disney also has two water parks, and Universal and SeaWorld also have one water park each if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[NPVinny]

Probably May

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Have fun dying in the heat and humidity.

But actually seriously, have fun!

 

[BasilZero]

TIL of Legoland

I would take 5-7 days for Disney world

 

[Rodney McKay]

OP is going to Orlando.

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Oh, forgot Florida had a Legoland too.

 

[Parthenios]

My recommendation would be 0 days because screw spending tourism dollars in Florida while DeSantis is turning it into a hellhole.

This is really the only argument my wife and I ever have lol

13 days is a ton for these things, you have time for other cool stuff like NASA and the beach.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Go down to Miami for part of the trip

 

[RowdyReverb]

With that much time you can do the extra stuff at Disney like golf (if you play) and the two water parks

 

[Linkie3]

I have a similar trip planned for coming April. But I will travel with a group of friends. I read that early April can be very busy, so I aspect that we need at least 6 days to do all the disney stuff, 2 days at universal, 1 or 2 days at one of the water parks, one day Sea World and some off days for going to the mall and just relax at the villa.

 

[onyx]

13 days at those parks sounds like a horror movie to me. That should be plenty of time to enjoy just about everything in one trip. Hope you have a ton of energy.

 

[Ottaro]

I say one day per park, and minimum one or two extra days afterwards to revisit whichever park you want before you leave.
You'll want some extra time to ride attractions that you missed because you ran out of time or they were broken down, or attractions that you really loved and want to experience again.

So,
5~6 days for Disney World
3 days for Universal
Skip Legoland.

I guarantee, the best parts of your trip will be the times when you can slow down and not worry about missing out on stuff. That's what the extra days are for and they will undoubtedly be your favorites. Just walking around and relaxing without a care in the world is the best. Most people don't stay long enough to reach that point though. They try to squeeze too much in four days and get out.

I'm a big fan of these places though, so I could easily spend 13 days there. There's so much to do there if you end up really loving this crap. I'm a sucker for it, so 13 days is probably my ideal tbh.
I could spend an entire day just checking out all of the resorts.

 

[Rapscallion]

Lego land seems out of the question if you're going alone, also they tend to much more geared towards kids.

I'd give 5 days to Disney at least. 1 for each park and then a extra in case you want to return to one, go to the water parks, or just chill on property.

Never been to Universal Orlando so I can't comment.

 

[Rosebud]

Have fun dying in the heat and humidity.

But actually seriously, have fun!

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I'm Brazilian, I'm used to it

But seriously, would earlier be better?

 

[Feign]

More than enough time. Disney World is not a bad place to be with extra time. Disneyland has the better ride quantity and often quality, (It's no secret that the Haunted Mansion in Florida is better.) but the atmosphere in Orlando is something you can't get in Anaheim where there's no getting around you're in the middle of a city. Spend some time in Epcot just walking around the world showcase and just soaking in the atmosphere. Most people rush to get as much done in a day as possible. If you can avoid that, you'll have a much better experience overall.

 

[theme park joe]

Orlando

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Way more than enough. I'd say even if you take your time and factor in Legoland is in Tampa, not Orlando, 10 days would be more than enough.

Arrival Day (shopping, rest, etc)
MK - two days
Epcot/DHS/DAK - one day each
Break
USF/IOA - one day each
Break
Legoland - probably closer to half a day
Leave

I'd also throw a break in the WDW days just to keep yourself refreshed.

 

[Holyoneturtle]

As someone who goes every year to Orlando I think it'll work out just fine. The only park I have 0 information on is Lego land since it's mostly for small children. But here are some tips/information that I hope will help you.

Disney has 4 parks 6 if you count the water parks. If you use a day for each park you can do it. I wouldn't spend all day in the park if I were you because for you this would be a marathon and you really got to think about foot power here. Regular parks are usually open till 11pm. Water parks usually close earlier. Try to get there before it opens and hit up these rides first as they're very popular and usually have long wait times.

Animal kingdom: avatar flight of passage, alternatively there's the safari which also gets a long line but avatar is better imo.
Hollywood studios: smugglers run/rise of the resistance. These are new so they get filled up fast. You'll have to pick one and wait in a very long line for the other. Or maybe you'll get lucky if you go on a weekday.
Epcot: dont think any ride here gets crazy long here so enjoy.
Magic kingdom: space mountain may or may not have a long line. My experience hasn't been too bad.
Cant reccomend any tips for the water parks since I've never been.

Maybe do 2 parks and feel out how you're feet are doing and possibly taking a day for relaxation or half a day at Disney park instead.

Universal studios has 2 parks, 3 if you count the water park. Again you could take a day for each park and this one can actually be done in less than the full day. If done correctly and if you get there as soon as the parks open you can finish each park by around 5-7 pm. The water park can be done even faster but it could vary. These parks close at 9ish except for the water park. I think that one closes at 6. I'll reiterate, think about your foot power you're not going to be able to do Disney and universal day after day. My big tip for this is that parks are designed in a circle and I would advise you to follow it and get on rides as you go. If you want to hit up the rides that get a long line first then I would recommend going to rip ride rocket or the escape from gringotts for universal studios. These lines get really long especially escape from gringotts. For islands of adventure go to the velociraptor ride, any of the harry potter rides, and the hulk. I dont think the hulk will be that long of a ride since the velociraptor ride is brand new and everyone is trying to get on that. Volcano bay is awesome and has a queue system for rides that usually works out fine.

No info on Lego land but I assume it can be done in a day as well. Maybe someone else can give tips on this.

If you want more tips or have questions feel free to dm me. I'd love for you to maximize your time in Orlando.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

We did 10 days on campus at Disney World, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, +both water parks and it was the perfect amount of time TBH. It was very leisurely, with time spent wherever we wanted between the parks and also Downtown Disney. Anytime not in a park was pretty much all poolside at our resort. 10/10 experience and the best family vacation we have ever had.

 

[NPVinny]

I'm Brazilian, I'm used to it

But seriously, would earlier be better?

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Just to give an idea, last year 29 of the days in May were either 80s or 90s for highs. If you can swing April, last year only 20 of the days were in the 80s (none in the 90s).

 

[Genesius]

Most people are thoroughly good with 2-3 days in Disney. Bearing in mind you will actively bleed money the entire time you're in the park.

 

[vixolus]

Absolutely enough time. Disney you can give 5-6 days for repeat park visits (we usually do two magic kingdoms) and universal you can do two days, one at each park to not feel rushed. Never been to Lego land.

 

[Ray Purchase]

Get up early.

And run like the wind for the Harry Potter ride.

 

[HiLife]

You can hit all the rides you want to in one day. One day per amusement park was more than enough for me.

But 3 amusement parks? Sheesh. Your feet are about to be tore the fuck up from either standing in line or walking on that concrete all day.

 

[Pizza Dog]

My wife and I spent 12 days in Orlando in December 2017 - we're from the UK so it was something we can't do often and it was great not to have to rush to do all the things we wanted and just take it all in. We got passes to WDW and Universal, spent more time in Disney (mainly because of all the different parks) but had 2-3 days at Universal, a day at the Universal water park, went to the Kennedy space center and took a day to shop at the downtown Disney area, the outlet malls etc. All good fun, would happily do the same again although maybe some of the novelty will have worn off second time around. It really depends on how much you like theme parks (and walking) as to how much you can stand but for me it was nice to know every day we could just go ride rollercoasters and not have to think about what to do that day.

Couple of tips - not sure if it's changed now but when we went the Disney app let us book slots on 3 rides a day which we tried to plan out in advance (you can also book more on the day as you use them but only have 3 at a time). Some of the big rides like the Avatar one had slots become available during the day at roughly the same time so it's worth checking! You can also book meals at the restaurants the same way.

We said it was our honeymoon when we went (we'd got married a few months earlier and had a honeymoon but were treating this as a honeymoon part 2) and got badges to wear which got us a few free bits and a private carriage on the Hogwarts Express (lol)

Single rider queues are your friend. If it's just the two of you the chances are you'll end up on the same ride when you do the single rider and the queues are soooooo much shorter.

Hope you have fun!

 

[Tavernade]

I'd do six days at WDW personally, one for each theme park and then two bonus days. That way you don't have to rush and have back-ups in case you miss something or want to experience it again. Skip Disney Springs outside of if it's late and you want food.

 

[NekoFever]

also is it CRAZY during New Years crowd wise? or it's most crowded during the summer months?

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It was years ago that I went after Christmas a few times, but from what I remember NYE is insanely busy but otherwise the week after Christmas is one of the better times to go.

Things might have changed, though. It was way busier in general when I went last year compared to when I was a kid.

 

[Zippedpinhead]

13 days total? I'm just going to assume this is Florida and not California. California add in an overnight stay for Legoland because it is over two hours away from LA (and in that traffic could be far more).

Orlando -
Well legoland is a one day park, no question Its also a fair bit away from Orlando (pretty much halfway between Tampa and Orlando) Really fun, but much more for the little kids than even teenagers and adults. Still lots of fun to be had. (1 day)

Disney though, I'm going to Disney for 8 days soon, with no plans for any water parks. This is two days at most parks which should be enough if you plan well enough (which my family is). (9 Days total)

Universal is the wildcard here. If you have a small group, and can shell out the double cost of their fast wait system you can essentially do both parks in a day. But you are RUNNING EVERYWHERE, and really doing nothing but rides. one park a day (but really its two both park tickets so you can ride the Hogwarts Express) and a day at the water park (its amazing).

That puts you at 12 days estimated with one more day "available" which you will honestly want a break day for either driving to the beach (I recommend New Smyrna Beach about 1hr 15 minutes away) or just staying at your hotel (assuming you are at a resort) You can do more like visit NASA at Cape Canaveral (similar to Lego Land its a whole day when you include the transportation) but that is already a VERY busy schedule.

Completely doable, with you seeing and doing everything you want, But you need to plan it

 

[kIdMuScLe]

That seems fine. We just came back from Disney world and that was a 6 day trip. You can do animal kingdom and Epcot at the same day since Epcot is more like walk around, drink and eat and AK closes early like 6 or 7pm depending on the day. There's water parks too and definitely do rest days like every 3rd day lol.