How Many Days Should You Stay at Disneyland

Planning a visit to the Disneyland Resort can take a lot of time and consideration. From planning travel details to a meal schedule, there is almost no end to the things one can plan for when designing their Disneyland vacation. One of the first decisions to be made when planning a trip to Disneyland of course, is to decide how many days your group will actually spend within the parks of the Disneyland Resort. While Southern California locals often just drive down to Disneyland Resort for the day, those coming in from out of town, nearly always choose to purchase multi-day park passes. If you're trying to decide how many days to spend at Disneyland during your vacation, the following information may prove helpful!

There are pros and cons to any length of stay at the Disneyland Resort, and the following guidelines, based on the 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 day park hoppers currently available, may help you decide what length of stay best suits your group.

2 Days - If you can visit Disneyland during a time of year that isn't overwhelmingly busy, and are planning not to visit California Adventure during your trip, then you may find that 2 days grants you enough time to do most of the things you want to while inside the park. A shorter visit means less money spent on park tickets, as well as fewer days taken off of work. If you need (or want) to keep your Disneyland visit down to 2 days, but also care a lot about being able to ride most of the rides and maybe a show or parade as well, it's best to consider purchasing a subscription to RideMax. This program allows you to create an itinerary for your days inside Disneyland, scheduling you for rides at times of the day when the lines for specific attractions are at their shortest. It's a valuable tool if you want to keep your Disneyland visit short.

If you want to visit both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks and still only take 2 days to do it, just be prepared for the reality that you likely will have to save some attractions and shows for your next visit.

3 Days - 3 days will likely better suit your needs, particularly if you are planning to spend some time in both parks. It is often possible to make it onto all the attractions you want to at California Adventure in just one day, especially if you're willing to arrive at opening and utilize the Fast Pass system. That still leaves you 2 full days for Disneyland, and 3 days will allow you to maintain a less stressful pace, which is particularly important if you will have children in your group.

4 Days - For families or groups who will be visiting the Disneyland Resort during a really busy time, 4 days might be your best choice. Even if you must leave the parks for a few hours in the middle of the day to rest at your hotel or grab a meal off Disney property, 4 days will almost always grant you enough time to do everything you wanted to do while in the parks. On the other hand, 4 days may feel like too many if you're traveling with young children, and more days in the parks also mean more money spent on meals during your visit. But if there are no children under 5 in your group, and 4 days worth of meals at the parks are within your budget, then this amount of time will grant you the luxury of being able to do just about everything you were hoping to while still maintaining a more leisurely pace.

5 days - If you really love to be at the Disneyland Resort, then 5 days can feel like a perfect amount of time. You will have the opportunity to visit favorite attractions multiple times, and even catch some shows or parades that you might not have time for if you were visiting for fewer days. Just keep in mind that 5 days can feel like overkill for those who merely enjoy the Disneyland Resort (as opposed to those who would move in permanently today if given the opportunity). Additionally, a 5 day visit might become more work than fun if you will have particularly young children in your group. It can become exhausting to deal with diapers, strollers, bottles, nursing, naps, baby food, and baby fussiness for 5 whole days at Disneyland.

6 Days - A 6 day visit to the Disneyland Resort is probably best suited to diehards and those traveling with either no children, or children who are least 5 years old. 6 days may be just what you're looking for though, especially if you are traveling from far away. There's no doubt that 6 days will afford you plenty of time to visit favorite attractions over and over, as well as catch any shows or parades your group is interested in. Still, many would find 6 days at the Disneyland Resort to be just too many.

To summarize, when planning your length of stay at the Disneyland Resort, be sure to consider your budget, your degree of tolerance for the Disneyland Resort parks, and the age of any children who will be traveling in your group.