Walking at Walt Disney World- it’s no joke!
By: Anna Trosper
May 7, 2024
So, you are thinking of going to Disney World. Sounds fun, right? It is and it will be, but you must be ready for it!
Seriously, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to walking at Walt Disney World – from walking around the theme parks (which can put easily put 9 to 10 miles daily on your feet or more) to walking around the Disney Resort Areas, and even walking between the resorts and the parks.
Walt Disney World is the name of the entire Florida resort property covering over 27 thousand acres, which encompasses the four theme parks, two water parks, resort hotels and shopping and entertainment venues, as well as conservation areas and waterways. There is a lot to see and do here and a lot of walking to see it!
A LOT OF WALKING!
So, I am going to break this up into a few different posts.
Preparation is Key
No, I don’t mean what to pack, picking out your outfits, booking dining, or…well, you know all that goes into planning a magical trip! I can help you with all those details!
Fitness preparation- You may be an avid runner, but that in no way assures you’re in perfect shape for the 10 to 14-hour days of being mostly on your feet on a Disney World vacation.
In the months prior to your vacation, add in lots of walking (several, hour-long plus walks a week), strengthening your core, and keeping your back and legs loose with stretching or yoga. Long days of walking many miles (6 to 10 miles of walking per day) in the parks and lots of standing can wear on your lower half!
Shoes
I’ve seen it all at Disney! Everything from flip-flops to huge wedge heels or stilettos.
Please just don’t!
Because of the amount of time you will be spending on your feet (6 to 9 miles a day or more) you want good, broken-in, comfortable, supportive shoes. Get new shoes, a pair of running, walking, or cross-fit shoes about a month before your trip. You do not want to be breaking them in during your vacation! The newer gel or memory foam models are especially good.
Walking Around Disney World’s Theme Parks
As I mentioned, you can put a lot of miles on your feet while walking around Walt Disney World’s theme parks!
Here are some trivia statistics on theme park sizes and the volume of walking walkways:
Walt Disney World Parks Ranked by Size
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 540 Acres
EPCOT – 300 Acres
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 135 Acres
Magic Kingdom – 107 Acres
Note: Lots of Animal Kingdom’s size (almost half) is wide open nature areas for the animals to roam (the Kilimanjaro Safari and other areas) and is not walkable by guests.
Walt Disney World Parks Ranked by Miles of Walkways
EPCOT – 4.85 Miles
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 2.88 Miles
Magic Kingdom – 2.71 Miles
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 1.68 Miles
Walking Distances computed with Google Earth measurements.
Note: it all depends on how you walk the parks as to how many miles you will walk. Each park is set up differently and I will go over that in my next post. I recommend knowing where you are going to start in each park and working your way around. Try not to go back and forth across the parks- that is only going to add miles onto your feet.
It is fun at the end of the day (or night) to check my phone and see how many steps or miles I walked for the day. Make sure to track your steps also. This is one way you won’t feel so bad for eating that extra Dole Whip or cupcake!
As you can see from just this, you will be walking a lot – so be prepared. You don’t want sore feet to spoil your Walt Disney World trip, do you? Make sure to follow along with me as my next blog will be on each park.
I would be happy to help you plan a very magical trip and help you with all the details. Contact me at annat@wishesfamilytravel.com and you can follow me on Facebook.