5 Days in Orlando: First-Timer Itinerary
Five days in Orlando means both resorts, not one: three days at Walt Disney World’s four gates, then two at Universal Orlando starting with the new Epic Universe. Need less time, the 2-day or 3-day versions stick to one resort. Want more, the 6-day and 7-day itineraries add a rest day and Kennedy Space Center.
Book these before you go
- Hotel near your first resort: check rates on Booking.com
- Walt Disney World tickets: compare dated options on GetYourGuide
- Universal Orlando tickets, including Epic Universe: compare dated options on Viator
- SeaWorld Orlando tickets, if Day 5 becomes your lighter day: check current pricing on GetYourGuide
| Day | Focus | Rough one-day ticket cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Magic Kingdom | $159-209 |
| Day 2 | EPCOT | $139-199 |
| Day 3 | Animal Kingdom, then Hollywood Studios | $119-184 and $149-204 |
| Day 4 | Universal Studios Florida | from $124 |
| Day 5 | Islands of Adventure plus Epic Universe, or a lighter SeaWorld day | roughly $138-174, or $70-90 at SeaWorld |
Day 1: Magic Kingdom, the Classic Start
Get to the gate before opening. Magic Kingdom’s six themed lands fill in fast, and headliners like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle Run run long standby lines by mid-morning. A one-day, one-park ticket here runs roughly $159-209 depending on your date, the priciest of Disney’s four gates; confirm the exact figure at disneyworld.disney.go.com before you buy. FastPass and Genie+ are both gone, replaced in July 2024 by the paid Lightning Lane Multi Pass (roughly $17-45 per person per day) and Lightning Lane Single Pass for individual headliners like TRON. Stay through the Happily Ever After fireworks before heading back to your hotel.
Day 2: EPCOT, World Showcase at Your Own Pace
Spend the morning at World Celebration around Spaceship Earth, then move to World Showcase in the afternoon, eleven country pavilions circling a lagoon. Eat your way around the loop rather than locking in one big reservation, a few small plates per country beats a single sit-down meal here. Ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure while the standby lines are still short. EPCOT’s one-day ticket runs roughly $139-199, usually Disney’s cheapest gate.
Day 3: Finishing Disney, Animal Kingdom Then Hollywood Studios
Two Disney gates in one day is possible with the Park Hopper ticket option, and Day 3 is the day to use it. Animal Kingdom opens earliest and its animals are most active before midday, so start there for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Avatar Flight of Passage, then hop over to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon and evening, where Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance hold up well under evening light. Animal Kingdom tickets run roughly $119-184, consistently Disney’s least expensive gate; Hollywood Studios runs roughly $149-204. Close the day at Disney Springs, free to enter and park, for dinner at The Polite Pig or a food truck instead of another resort reservation.
Day 4: Switching Resorts, Universal Studios Florida
The second resort starts here, and it’s a genuine change of pace after three Disney days. Start with Harry Potter and Escape from Gringotts and Revenge of the Mummy before the standby line stretches past an hour. One-day Universal Studios Florida tickets run from roughly $124; confirm current pricing at universalorlando.com since it moves by date. Universal Express, the resort’s own paid skip-the-line pass, swings widely by demand, commonly $120-380 for a single park single day, so check the price before you commit. Close the day at CityWalk, free to enter, for dinner at The Cowfish or Toothsome Chocolate Emporium.
Day 5: Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe, or a Lighter Day
Ride The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure early, then spend the afternoon in Epic Universe, Universal’s new third gate that opened in May 2025 with five themed lands including Super Nintendo World and the Ministry of Magic. A park-to-park ticket covering both gates in one day runs roughly $138-174 depending on date. Five straight park days is a real pace, so if Day 5 needs to be lighter, swap it for SeaWorld and Aquatica (one-day tickets from roughly $70-90, check current pricing at seaworld.com ) or an evening at ICON Park riding The Wheel, Orlando’s 400-foot observation wheel, from roughly $32-36.
Is 5 Days Enough for Both Disney and Universal?
Yes, for a first pass at both resorts, though not at a relaxed pace on every gate. Three Disney days cover all four gates, one of them doubled up with a Park Hopper ticket, and two Universal days cover Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and a first taste of Epic Universe. It moves briskly compared with the 7-day itinerary , which adds a rest day and more breathing room.
Do You Need a Rental Car for All 5 Days?
Only if you’re changing hotels between resorts, otherwise rideshare covers it fine. Disney and Universal each run free internal transport within their own property, but nothing connects the two resorts to each other, they sit roughly 20-30 minutes apart in different directions. Budget that drive time, plus the trip from the airport, into your Day 1 and Day 4 arrivals specifically.
Should You Buy Lightning Lane or Universal Express for This Trip?
It depends on your dates, not a blanket yes. During summer, holidays, or spring break, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Universal Express genuinely save hours at the busiest parks, Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure especially. During quieter stretches, roughly mid-January through mid-February or September into early October, standby lines run short enough that the extra cost buys little. Save Single Pass or Express spending for one true headliner per park rather than buying it broadly across all five days.
Where to Stay for a Two-Resort Trip
Splitting hotels, one near Disney for the first three nights and one near Universal or International Drive for the last two, cuts drive time but means packing up mid-trip. Basing yourself centrally along International Drive instead adds a consistent 20-30 minute drive to both resorts but skips the move entirely. Our Orlando guide and Orlando areas breakdown cover Lake Buena Vista, International Drive, and the budget-friendly Kissimmee corridor in more depth.
Getting to Orlando: MCO, Drive Times, and Why You Need Wheels
Land at Orlando International Airport (MCO), Florida’s busiest and the 7th-busiest in the US, and rent a car or set up rideshare immediately. Walt Disney World sits in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, roughly 25 miles and 30-45 minutes southwest of downtown; Universal’s International Drive corridor is closer, roughly 13-14 miles and 19-30 minutes out. Neither resort is anywhere near downtown Orlando, and no train or bus line connects MCO to either one. Self-parking runs $35 a day at Disney and $30 at Universal’s main complex, waived if you’re staying at that resort’s own on-site hotel. Check current transportation options at visitorlando.com .
Tips and Essentials for a 5-Day Trip
Currency is the US dollar throughout. International visitors from one of the 42 Visa Waiver countries need an ESTA, not a full visa, for stays under 90 days; the fee rose to $40.27 as of January 2026, so apply only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov and skip any third-party site charging more. US domestic flyers should confirm their ID is REAL ID-compliant, standard licenses without that marking face extra screening time and a $45 fee at TSA checkpoints. Pack sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, and a rain layer regardless of season, afternoon thunderstorms are a near-daily fact of Florida summer, not a rare inconvenience.
Buy every park ticket online before you fly. Gate-price walk-ups run noticeably higher than the same date booked in advance, and across five days and two resorts, that difference covers a full extra day of Lightning Lane or Universal Express.