Hi Sheila,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! It's wonderful to hEAR from you again!
I must say...nine full days at "The Most Magical Place on Earth" sounds practically perfect in every way. I think you'll LOVE having plenty of time to soak up the magic and fun all around the Walt Disney World Resort. The theme parks are full of fun character greeting opportunities, parades, shows, and attractions, but you'll be pleased to find that there are LOTS of other wonderful things to do, too. My family loves relaxing around our
Disney Resort hotel, participating in all of the fun activities (be sure to ask for a recreation calendar when you arrive!), touring the other Resort hotels to see all the immersive details, experiencing the magic of
Disney Springs, visiting
Disney's BoardWalk in the evening, and
tasting all the yummy Disney foods along the way.
The
time period for which tickets are valid varies based on how many days are on the tickets. With a five-day
theme park ticket, you'll be able to enjoy those five days at any point within an eight-day window. As long as you're not planning to visit a theme park on the day that you arrive and the day you head back home, you'll be fine. Just be careful to select a start date that covers all the dates you'd like to visit the theme parks. If you find that you need that usage window stretched a little, you can add the Flexible Date option to your tickets, and that will allow you to begin using your tickets at any point prior to their expiration date
and they'll be good for 14 days from their first use, regardless of the number of days on them. Other than being mindful of the expiration date, theme park days never need to be consecutive, so feel free to schedule your visit however it works best for you!
Please feel free to keep your great questions coming, Sheila, as we're always here and happy to help. I hope you have a blast
planning your trip and that all your Disney dreams come true!
Missy