Although I am a Disney fan and have visited the parks many times over the past few years, I still find visiting to be a bit overwhelming. With four theme parks, two water parks, Disney Springs, and countless hotels, there’s so much to see and do.
Even with a longer vacation, it can be challenging to plan a trip that includes all of your must-dos. If you only have two days to visit, it will be even more difficult. But, even if you only have two days to visit Walt Disney World, you’ll need to be more thoughtful in your planning.
This post offers our best tips for how to visit Walt Disney World in two days.
Disclosure: I’ve been on some complimentary and discounted trips to Walt Disney World, but have also paid my own way. This post contains affiliate links and a purchase/click through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no cost to you.
When booking your Walt Disney World vacation, consider purchasing through our affiliate Get Away Today. They offer great prices on tickets and can book many hotels.
How To Visit Disney World In 2 Days
Set Your Expectations
If you want to visit Disney World over two days, it’s important to set your expectations properly. There is no way that you can see and do everything. These are large, busy parks, with many rides, shows, shops, and restaurants.
Understand that while you won’t be able to see everything that the parks offer, you can still have a great time over these two days. You aren’t meant to see everything at Disney in one visit, regardless of how long you have.
Get the Right Tickets
When you purchase Walt Disney World tickets, you’ll see that there are a variety of options to choose from. In addition to the number of days, you’ll also be able to choose to add on the park hopper option and the two water parks.
For your two-day visit, you’ll need to decide if you want to see all four theme parks, or would prefer to prioritize two parks. Before making this decision, you can look at the attractions offered at each park and decide which ones are best for your vacation. While my family loves EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (if we have to choose two parks), you may prefer to visit the Magic Kingdom if you are first-time guests or you have little children.
If you do want to visit all four theme parks over the two days, you will need to be very thoughtful in your visit. You’ll also need to get a park hopper ticket. That’s the only way that you’ll be able to visit more than one park per day. The park hopper is added to every day of your multi-day ticket.
Know that you won’t be able to see everything in the parks, and set expectations with your family. Young kids may be confused about why they must leave a park (especially the Magic Kingdom) if they haven’t seen everything.
Plan Two Full Days
For this short trip, it’s a good idea to plan for two long days. While you will be tired, it’s the best option for seeing and doing as much as possible.
We recommend starting at rope drop which is the Disney way of saying right at the park opening. The rope that the cast members hold blocking the entrance is past security, the turnstiles, and the park entrance, so you want to arrive before the posted opening time in the early morning.
It’s also a good idea to check the park calendar. Sometimes there are special events, like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party, which can cause the park to close earlier. Guests need a separate ticket to these events.
Consider Genie+, Individual Lightning Lane, and Virtual Queues
Genie+ is an add-on that can be purchased separately. While it’s completely optional, Genie+ can be a great way to save time, because you’ll be given a time window to return to an attraction and go through the lightning lane.
At Walt Disney World, Genie+ can be added at midnight on the day of your visit. Pricing varies based on demand, and Genie+ can and does sell out. Once you have Genie+ on your ticket, you can reserve your first lightning lane at 7 am.
Lightning lanes are available at popular attractions at each park. However, the most popular attractions utilize the individual lightning lane system, which is separate from Genie+. The individual lightning lane is a separate cost and is available to purchase individually.
Currently, the individual lightning lane is available for several attractions. These include:
- TRON (the Magic Kingdom)
- Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train (the Magic Kingdom)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT)
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
- Avatar: Flight of Passage (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
You may also want to take advantage of the free Disney Genie system. The Disney Genie (without the +) is a free system that can also be helpful when trying to maximize your time. With the Disney Genie, you’ll input all of your preferred experiences and the system will help determine the best times to visit those experiences.
The virtual queue system is another free way to maximize your time. This is currently available for two attractions, TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
With Virtual Queue, you’ll go online at a specific time and request a virtual queue position. Then, you can return to the attraction when your boarding group is called. While you aren’t guaranteed short wait times, you likely won’t see long lines.
Currently, virtual queues open at 7 am and again at 1 pm. You must be in the park where the ride is located to access the 1 pm virtual queue. You can’t choose your return window, you’ll just be assigned a boarding group number.
Regardless of which of these options you choose, it’s important to make a plan. Look at the lists of attractions, and talk with your family in advance to determine what you’ll want to do for your two-day trip to Walt Disney World.
Utilize Mobile Ordering and Quick Service Dining
Walt Disney World offers so many great restaurants, including some fantastic character dining experiences. However, for a two-day trip, you may consider skipping these.
Of course, if your child has a favorite character, or if you want to experience one of these restaurants, then you absolutely should do that. However, you can save time and money by choosing instead to eat at quick-service restaurants.
The Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app offers mobile ordering, which you should use. With mobile ordering, you will skip the ordering queue and instead order and pay on the app. You’ll get a return time, and can just go to the mobile order area and pick up your food.
Must-Visit Rides
Everyone’s list of must-visit rides and attractions is going to vary, but we have some of the most popular rides (and our favorite attractions):
- TRON
- it’s a small world
- Space Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- The Haunted Mansion
- Pirates of the Caribbean
EPCOT
- Frozen Ever After
- Test Track (temporarily closing in summer 2024)
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Toy Story Midway Mania
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- The Rock N Roller Coaster (currently closed for refurbishment)
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Expedition Everest
- DINOSAUR!
- Flight of Passage
- Kali River Rapids
Stay Nearby
For your two-day Walt Disney World experience, it can be beneficial to stay on the property. Not only will you be nearby, but you’ll also be able to take advantage of early entry.
Guests of on-property hotels (as well as a few other, nearby hotels), can enter the parks 30 minutes before other guests. This can give you a big advantage in riding a few attractions before the lines get longer.
Have you visited Walt Disney World over two days?
