If you’re only able to visit Disney World for a couple of days, we’ve got you. Our 2 days at Disney itinerary will help pack in several rides, attractions, and even some great meals. You can do A LOT in 2 days, and we will help you make the most out of your time there.
You don’t have to spend a week at Disney World to have a good time, and sometimes a weekend trip is exactly what you need! So follow our 2 days at Disney itinerary to plan a fun-filled couple of Disney days.
Getting to Disney World
For a quick 2 days at Disney World, flying would be the best option if you live far away. If you’re local, or semi-local, a drive wouldn’t be bad if it’s less than 6 hours or so. You don’t want to use up a lot of your time getting to Orlando and getting to Disney World, and you want to be sure that once you get there, you still have plenty of time to enjoy.
You have several options getting from the airport to your resort, and we recommend using Mears Connect, a private car, or even Uber. They’re the most reliable and affordable, and you can read about all your options in our transportation article.
Getting Around Disney World
One of the best things about Disney World is the amount of free transportation! There’s a bus system, boats, the Skyliner, and the Monorail. All of these are free to use, and will cut down on time and money, and are perfect for our 2 days at Disney itinerary. You don’t have to worry about renting a car and driving yourself back and forth, or spending more money for an Uber each time you want to go somewhere.
Disney transportation is a great benefit to staying on property, which brings us to…
Where to Stay for 2 Days at Disney
When planning your 2 days at Disney itinerary, I definitely recommend staying on Disney World property. Choosing a hotel that has free transportation to and from the parks will make your life so much easier, as well as it will cut down on the time you spend traveling.
I recommend picking hotels that are either on the Monorail or Skyliner loops. The hotels in these areas will have multiple transportation options, great food and accommodations, as well as some of them might even be in walking distance to a park!
The Monorail hotels are all close to Magic Kingdom, and have access to the Monorail – which will take you to Magic Kingdom, this Ticket and Transportation Center, the other hotels on the loop, and to EPCOT. These hotels are also all Deluxe Resorts, with deluxe accommodations as well as deluxe prices. We breakdown our favorite Monorail hotels here, and this should help you decide which is best for you.
The Skyliner hotels give you better access to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, and also give you a wider price range of hotels, with all three levels of Disney Resorts available along the Skyliner (Value, Moderate, and Deluxe). You’ll be able to visit two parks, multiple hotels, and the Disney Boardwalk via the Skyliner. We have our favorites here, and you can decide if these are right for your 2 days at Disney itinerary.
Day 1: Magic Kingdom
If you are planning just 2 days at Disney, I have to recommend going to Magic Kingdom. It’s the original park at Disney World, and it’s iconic. To me, it’s the most “Disney World” park you can go to.
Breakfast and Park Arrival
I suggest starting your day with a good breakfast at your hotel, and there’s options for everyone at all of the Disney Resorts. No shortage of sweet, savory, and even healthy options.
Have breakfast and then hop on the monorail or a bus to get to the park early – since you’re staying on property, take advantage of early entry, and spend a little time in the park before rope drop. You should be able to get in line for more popular rides at this time, like TRON, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Morning Plans
The best way to lay out your morning is take advantage of lower crowd levels thanks to early entry, and rope drop. Knock off as many popular rides as you can, and aim for rides with shorter lines. This is especially important if you didn’t get Genie+ – although when planning a 2 days at Disney itinerary, it might be beneficial to do so. You’ll get a lot more accomplished using it. You can learn more about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes here.
Lunch and the Afternoon
After catching a few rides, you might be getting hungry. I recommend grabbing lunch in the park, so that way you don’t lose any time. Some of my quick service favorites are Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, and Casey’s Corner.
For the afternoon, go ride some of the relaxing rides and catch the Festival of Fantasy parade. Ride Haunted Mansion, the Peoplemover, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean. If you decide to skip the parade, you can get in a few more rides while the crowds are watching it.
The afternoon is also a perfect time to grab a treat, like a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle or ice cream from Auntie Gravity’s or Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. A cold, sweet treat is always good, and perfect if you’re at Disney on a hot day.
Dinner
Just like for lunch, we suggest staying in the park for dinner. You can always choose another quick service restaurant to save even more time, but if you want to have a nicer dinner, you should opt for a table service restaurant. Some of our favorites are Skipper Canteen, the Plaza Restaurant, and The Crystal Palace – and you can read all of the best options here!
Evening Plans
After a delicious dinner, you have so many options to make the most of day 1 on your 2 days at Disney itinerary. You can watch Starlight, the nighttime parade, or catch Happily Ever After, the fireworks show. If you’ve been to Disney World several times and have already seen these – or have no desire to do so – then this is the PERFECT time to go ride more rides!
Lines get shorter during parades and fireworks, and you will be able to get on some of the more popular rides like Peter Pan’s Flight, TRON, and Big Thunder Mountain or Space Mountain. Some of these can be hard to get on during the busy hours of the day, and nighttime is a great time to get in some more rides.
Stay until park close if you can, so that you don’t lose out on any time! Then head back to your resort, get some sleep and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!
Day 2: EPCOT
If you’re planning a 2 days at Disney itinerary, EPCOT is an easy choice for Day 2. There’s great food, great shows and rides, and if you’re lucky enough to be visiting during a festival, you will be able to get A LOT accomplished. It’s also my pick for day 2 because if you’re staying on the Monorail or Skyliner loop, it will be easy to get to, and that proximity will save you a lot of time.
Breakfast and Park Arrival
Like day 1, have breakfast at your hotel and then hop on the Monorail or Skyliner and make your way to EPCOT. Staying near the Disney Boardwalk? Walk on over and enter through the International Gateway to be right at World Showcase – you will enter here on the Skyliner as well.
Make sure to take advantage of early entry and head straight to Test Track, Ratatouille, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Frozen Ever After. These are the most popular rides, and you want to get in line for whichever one of these you want to ride the most first. It’s a great way to start your day, and you’ll experience the shortest wait times early in the morning.
Morning Plans
After riding your most sought after ride, head over to some of those other popular rides that have shorter waits. Take advantage of early entry and rope drop to get on as much as you can, and when it starts to get busy, head to some of the other attractions – shows in World Showcase, the aquarium inside of The Seas, or rides like Living with the Land and Soarin’.
Like with day 1, I recommend getting Genie+ for this short trip. It will make riding a lot of rides in a short amount of time so much easier, and we have suggestions and strategy at EPCOT for you here.
Lunch and the Afternoon
EPCOT has so many fantastic options for lunch, and you don’t need to leave the park to have a great meal. If you want good quick service, try Connections Eatery, La Cantina de San Angel, or Sunshine Seasons. And if you’re visiting during a food festival, this is the perfect time to grab some bites from multiple food booths. You’ll be able to try multiple things and you can walk around and enjoy the festival instead of sitting down for a full meal.
After lunch, go see some of the shows in World Showcase, like in Canada, France, and China. You can also watch the outside entertainment like the drummers in Japan, and Mariachi Cobre in Mexico. Check wait times too, and see if there’s any short waits – or use your Lightning Lanes if you have some planned!
The afternoon is also a great time to do a little souvenir shopping, and check out the different shops around World Showcase. There’s so many cool things to look at and take home, and you’ll be able to find some of the most unique souvenirs here.
Dinner
Just like with lunch, you have unlimited options for a great meal for dinner. EPCOT has some of the best food in Disney World. You can opt for quick service, but if you want a great dinner, table service is the way to go here. Teppan Edo, Rose & Crown, and Garden Grill are all delicious and worth taking some time out to enjoy. There’s so many other great choices too, and we have all of our favorite restaurants here.
Evening Plans
After dinner, you can take this time to do more shopping, ride some more rides, and watch the nighttime show, Luminous. If nighttime shows aren’t your thing, or you’ve seen it before, go ride some of those popular rides! Test Track is fun and beautiful at night, and Ratatouille tends to have shorter lines during the fireworks as well.
Stay until park closing again tonight – you want to make the most of your 2 days at Disney! Ride as much as you can, grab a late night snack or dessert, and say goodbye to Spaceship Earth when she’s all glowing and lit up at night.
We hope that our 2 days at Disney itinerary has given you some great ideas for a short trip, and has inspired you to take a little trip soon! Of course this is just a guideline, and you can plug in your favorite rides and restaurants in, or even go to different parks!
Have you done a 2 day trip before? Did you love it? And how did you spend your time? Let us know in the comments!
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