Hiya, Shelly! Welcome to planDisney!
I'm so excited to see you here with such a fun planning question, and I'm even more excited to see you have a magical adventure at the Most Magical Place on Earth just around the riverbend! There's never a bad day to visit a
Walt Disney World theme park, but let's chat about maximizing your magic.
Typically, I start my planning by checking out the park hours for each park on each day. If the goal is to spend as much time in the parks as possible, I choose my days according to which park opens early or stays open later. Sometimes, the park hours vary a bit from day to day, so check out the
Hours & Events Calendar on the Walt Disney World website or the park hours on the home page of your My Disney Experience app to plan out your visits. For example, as of now, on Sunday, March 16, 2025, Magic Kingdom is open until 9:00 p.m., but it is open until 10:00 p.m. on the other nights of your visit. So, for an extra hour of magic, you'll want to avoid visiting Magic Kingdom on Sunday, March 16th.
If you're staying at a
Disney Deluxe Resort and don't have park hopper tickets, another thing to consider is which parks are offering
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours on which nights. During your vacation dates, it looks like Extended Evening Hours are offered at EPCOT on Monday and Magic Kingdom on Wednesday. If that is a perk you can take advantage of, I'd plan to visit those parks on those days for an extra
two hours of nighttime fun.
One thing I always consider when planning my park days is if there is a festival taking place at EPCOT. The
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival will be in full bloom during your visit, and with the beautiful gardens and topiaries and delicious food and drink options, this festival is fantastic and very popular. On weekends, the locals usually flood into EPCOT to enjoy the fest, so you may want to visit EPCOT during the week.
Lastly, don't count out a visit to Animal Kingdom just yet! Animal Kingdom typically opens earlier than the other parks, so even if you only have a half-day to visit, you can get a lot done in one magical morning! However, if your half-day is in the evening, choose a park that is open later. Magic maximized!
I hope this helps, Shelly, and I hope you all have the best three and a half days EVER! Please feel free to stop by any time with any questions you may have along the way. You've got a friend in planDisney!
See ya real soon,
Mandy