Gillian,
Thanks for asking your question to planDisney!
Yes, you can stay at a Disney Resort Hotel a different number of days than the number of theme park days that you may want to enjoy. As a matter of fact, I recommend it!
On our family trips we will come for a 6-night stay, visiting the parks for only 4 or 5 days. We always fit a day in the middle of our vacation to do non-park activities. We spend a day mostly by the pool, relaxing, connecting, and recharging for the second part of the trip. Some afternoons we will go shopping at
Disney Springs, or perhaps go resort hopping. We always finish up with a fun dinner at one of the resort hotel restaurants, like the
Whispering Canyon Cafe or
'Ohana.
When you are booking a trip on the website, start by picking your overall hotel dates, your resort, and indicating you want a room and ticket package. That is when you can select your number of theme park days, as well as any options you may want to select, like park hopping.
BONUS TIPThere are so many amazing things to do at Walt Disney World beyond the theme parks. Consider a day at one of the water parks.
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is a personal favorite. There are slides for just about any age and activity level, and the restaurants offer a nice variety of choices. It can easily fill a day of your trip!
Please feel free to
write me back directly if you have any follow-up questions.
Have a Magical Vacation!
Doug