Steps in the Parks

Everyone knows that when you go to Disney, you walk A LOT. But how much do you really walk when you are in the parks? Well, I did an experiment to see how many steps I really would get while visiting Disneyland® Resort AND Walt Disney World® Resort.

The average American walks between 5,000 – 7,000 steps per day. However, 10,000 steps per days is recommended by a number of activity researchers. This is the equivalent of approximately 5 miles per day per person. 10,000 steps a dayhas proven time and time again to be a good marker for being moderately active and achieving the minimum amount of physical activity recommended each day.

My first trip was to Disneyland® Resort and we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. We walked to and from the parks through Downtown Disney. If you have ever been there and stayed on property, you know that you do not need transportation. Everything is so close together that walking is the easiest option.

Day 1: We flew across the country from Charleston, SC to Orange Country, CA. Shuttled to the Disneyland Hotel then off to the parks! We got the park hopper ticket, so we were able to go to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventures each day. 14,900 steps! (7 almost 8 miles)

Day 2: Disneyland and California Adventures – ALL DAY. My hubby and I actually cut out early to grab an adult dinner while grandma and ‘papa’ watched the kids. 19,361 steps (9.5 miles)

Day 3: We had an afternoon flight and breakfast with Goofy and Friends before departing. I was still able to rack up 16,221 ( 8 miles) steps while walking in the airports from SNA to CHS.

My trip to Walt Disney World® Resort was just a few months later. I ventured into the parks with my daughters sans hubby for three days! #girlstrip

Day 1: Animal Kingdom for 3 hours, back to the Contemporary then off to the Magic Kingdom for lunch at Be Our Guest. We left the park at approximately 10:00pm (we tried to shut the park down). 19,245 steps. (9.5 miles)

Day 2: Princess Day! We spent the entire day at Epcot enjoying all of the countries and the amazing food. 20,207 steps. (10 miles!!!)

Day 3: Hollywood Studios: This was a shorter day and we got a late start. We had breakfast at Chef Mickey before taking the shuttle over to Hollywood Studios for the day. 18,044 steps. (9 miles)

As you can see it was VERY easy to hit my 10K/day at the Disney Parks.

There are a few websites that you can check for maps of miles around the parks.

Fun Fact: If you were to walk the perimeter of all 4 Disney parks at Walt Disney World® Resort , it would equal about 8.51 miles/13.69 KM.

Our suggestions:

Get a FitBit or a Garmin (that’s what I have), apple watch, etc. and start tracking your steps before you head to Disney. If you are only walking about 3,000-5,000 steps per day, start trying to increase that number to 8,000. If you are at 5,000 – 8,000 steps, start walking an additional 2 miles a day leading up to your Disney vacation. This way you will not be wiped out when you arrive at the parks and will be able to fully enjoy the experience.

Shoes:

You really want to be prepared for LOTS of steps when you get to Disney with comfortable walking shoes. Make sure that the shoes you are taking to Disney are well broken in. Never buy a new pair of shoes for Disney. You will be walking a lot and your feet need to work the shoes in before going. About a month before you leave, get your walking shoes. Wear them all the time before you leave to break them in. This way your shoes will be ready!!

Water: The final piece of the walking pyramid is Water. Water, H2O, aqua, agua, whatever you call it. You need lots and lots of water. One of the reasons so many people are dragging at the parks is because they are dehydrated!! Most American’s don’t drink enough water as it is. When you are adding those extra steps in the parks, you really will need the extra water to stay hydrated.

Written by Elizabeth Murphey, The Mouse Experts Director of Operations