We recently returned from a quick weekend Disney World trip with our 4-year-old daughter. It was a somewhat spur of the moment trip, hence the short duration. Despite having only three days to experience Disney World, we were able to fit a lot in and had an amazing first trip to Disney!
We’re sharing our detailed itinerary below to show you how you can maximize your time and budget with only one weekend at Disney World!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase something after clicking one of these links, we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Where to stay
With only a weekend at Disney World, you’ll want to stay somewhere close and convenient. Obviously, staying on-site is the most convenient since you’ll save time getting to and from the parks. However, it can also be quite costly.
If you’re on more of a budget, there are many affordable options off-site that are still a lot of fun and not too far away. Since we had a car and wanted to save a bit of money, we chose to stay off-site. We were able to get around easily on our own schedule and didn’t mind the little bit of extra travel time.
On-site: Walt Disney World Dolphin
The Dolphin is an excellent option if you want to stay on-site and have access to early entry. Epcot is only a 15-minute walk away, or you can take the water taxi, and the Disney Boardwalk is only a 7-minute walk.
Off-site: Marriott’s Grande Vista
We chose to stay at the Grande Vista and despite being off-site, it was still an excellent choice for our family. Our room had a full kitchen which allowed us to save money by making some meals at the hotel. The resort also has many great pools, a kid’s playground, and even a golf course. And parking is free!
Weekend Disney World Trip Itinerary
We arrived late on a Thursday night and left early Monday morning, leaving us with a full three days at Disney World. This was our daughter’s first Disney trip and we wanted to make it special for her without it being rushed and overwhelming. We planned this weekend itinerary around her being able to experience as much as possible in three days at Disney while still getting enough rest as well.
Day 1: Disney Springs
We like to take it fairly easy on our first day day so that our daughter can acclimate to the new destination and time zone, and recover from the long journey to get there.
Morning
Enjoy a slow morning and relax by the pool.
We were all tired from a long day of flying, so we slept in a bit, then grabbed some groceries and other necessities at the nearby Target.
Tip: Target is the best place to buy affordable Disney gear!! We bought our Disney shirts and Disney ears there and they were so much cheaper than the Disney stores.
Afternoon
Continue the relaxing pace by having lunch at the hotel. We chose to make something easy in our hotel room with the groceries we just bought since we had a full kitchen. However, lunch by the pool looked awesome as well.
We then enjoyed the pool for a few hours, followed by the fun kids playground at our hotel.
Evening
Head over to Disney Springs, the awesome outdoor shopping mall full of restaurants, shops, and live entertainment!
You’ll find the world’s largest Disney store here so be prepared to spend some time exploring this massive store. If you collect Starbucks mugs like I do, they have a number of specialty mugs for sale. And if you’re still looking for some Disney World attire, they have tons!
Right across from the Disney store is the Waterside Stage where you can catch daily live music and events.
Other Disney Springs attractions include Aerophile, a helium-balloon ride ($29.99/adult age 10+, $24.99/child age 3-9), and the Marketplace Carousel ($5/ride).
Night
Make sure you enjoy some of the delicious food available at Disney Springs! There are tons of fun options, and if you’re traveling with a dino-loving kid, be sure to make a dinner reservation at T-Rex!
For dessert, you must try Gideon’s Bakehouse! There’s always a line-up, but it moves fairly quickly and it’s worth it!
The cookies are massive and delicious. Also, the prices are surprisingly not too bad (eg. $6/cookie, $9/cake slice).
After Disney Springs, call it an early night so you can conserve all your energy for the big day tomorrow!
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
Today’s the big day!
We opted to only buy 1-day park tickets and try to fit everything into one day. However, if you’d like to go at a more leisurely pace, or see more than one park, you can spread today’s itinerary across days two and three.
We personally felt Magic Kingdom was the best park to visit for our quick weekend Disney World trip since it had the most kid-friendly rides for our daughter. So, that’s where we headed!
Morning
Wake up early and purchase Genie+. We really felt having Genie+ allowed us to fit as much as possible into one day without our child getting burnt out.
To make the most of your day, head to Magic Kingdom for rope drop (aka opening time). It’s so nice to experience the park at this “quieter” time. Other than the initial rope drop rush, the first two hours exploring Magic Kingdom were nice and quiet with short wait times. We were actually able to walk onto a few rides using just the standby lines!
Tip: Pack lots of snacks. We bought a bunch at Target the previous day to bring along with us. Saves you money at the parks!
Afternoon
Lunch time and throughout the afternoon is when Disney World starts to feel very busy and crowded.
To make it through, strategically schedule your lightning lanes during this time. We picked some indooor rides so that we would be out of the heat during the hottest time of the day.
If you can, push your lunch to early or mid-afternoon so that you avoid the busy lunch crowds. We sat down for lunch around 1:45pm, which seemed to be a less busy time.
For our detailed, ride-by-ride itinerary, check out our Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary with Kids !
After lunch, we ticked off some of the less popular/less busy attractions, such as Pete’s Silly Sideshow and the Winnie the Pooh and Tigger meet and greet. Then it was time for a sweet, refreshing treat!
Evening
By now, your energy may be fading, or you may get a second wind (like our daughter did, although that may have been because of the ice cream lol).
Now is the time to decide whether you’d like to stay for the fireworks, take advantage of shorter ride queues during fireworks time, or just head back to your hotel. Main Street and the area in front of the castle get super packed prior to fireworks time so you’ll want to avoid the area unless you are planning to watch them. If so, find a good viewing spot at least 1 to 1.5 hours in advance and remain there until the fireworks begin.
Our daughter has a lot of sensory sensitivities so she wanted to skip the fireworks. We therefore took advantage of the shorter standby lines and enjoyed some more rides. It’s a small world only had a 10-minute standby wait!
When it’s time to call it a night, make sure you consider the hoards of people all trying to exit at the same time after the fireworks end. Either stick around and go on some more rides, or duck out early to avoid the worst of the crowds. Considering it was already a long day for our daughter, we chose the latter.
Day 3: Character Dining
After a very eventful day at Disney World, enjoy a bit more of a relaxing day today while still experiencing that Disney magic. If your child has Disney character dining on their bucketlist, today is the perfect day to do it!
While there are a number of popular character dining experiences within the Disney World parks, you of course need a park ticket to access them. With only limited time at Disney World, we suggest opting to do one of the dining experiences outside of the park instead so that it doesn’t take up your valuable park time.
By opting for a character dining experience at one of the Disney Resorts instead, you can extend the Disney magic for another day without having to pay for another day at the park! Even if you are not staying at a Disney resort, you are able to access the restaurants as a visitor.
Morning
Since our daughter absolutely loves Minnie Mouse, we booked the character dining breakfast at Cape May Cafe, located at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. Cape May Cafe features Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast which is perfect for anyone who loves Minnie Mouse, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. We highly recommend it!
The breakfast runs until 11:30am so you can choose a later reservation and enjoy a leisurely morning at your hotel. After a long day at Disney World the previous day, we enjoyed a bit of a later wake up and sat down for our breakfast reservation at 11:00am.
Our daughter loved getting to interact with all the characters, dance with them, and get their autographs. It was an excellent way to extend her Disney World experience without having to return to the park for a second day.
Afternoon
After breakfast, enjoy a stroll along the beach and boardwalk outside of Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
Then, enjoy one last relaxing afternoon by the hotel pool to wind down your weekend Disney World trip.
Honestly, our daughter enjoyed the hotel pools almost as much as she enjoyed Magic Kingdom! And while we were at the pool, Daddy got to enjoy the hotel’s golf course!
Evening
For your last night at Disney World, head back to Disney Springs for a lively dinner or stay in for a casual dinner at your hotel.
Considering we had a very early morning flight the next day, we chose the latter and enjoyed making dinner in our hotel room (which also helped us save money!)
All-in-all, we felt like this itinerary made the most of our three days at Disney World. It felt like the perfect balance of staying on a budget while still getting to experience the Disney magic each and every day (and not be exhausted by the end of it all!)
Read our full Privacy Policy and Affiliate Disclosure Statement.
You might also like:
Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary with Kids – Make the Most of Your Visit!
Review: Grande Vista Golf Club Orlando
Tips for Taking Kids to Disney World with Sensory Issues
Pin this Weekend Disney World Trip Itinerary!
Leave a reply