How do you do WDW?

[Mickey91]

For my *700th* post, I am wondering how you guys do WDW? Do you wake up early and go hard all day and collapse in bed after midnight? Do you sleep in and then go at it all day? Do you get up early then take a mid afternoon break and go back out til the parks close? Or, do you go early and come back by dinner and relax at the resort, etc. for the rest of the evening?

I have 76 Days left until we leave for WDW! Thanks for keeping me company and helping me pass the time! You guys are great!

[True Disney Fan]

Got to admit, we did not know how to limit, time or control ourselves for the first visit. We were the early risers,stay all day people and collapsing at night ones. It took a few times to start calming and getting into the mode of what to do.

The World of Disney is such an adventure, it can overwhelm anyone. We now go,enjoy, break, go back and enjoy more until usually closing. We take intermittant rest breaks while in the parks which helps alot.

The whole thing is to have fun and not overdo to become too tired and (let's admit,grumpy).
Afterall, Disney Has the MAGIC to enjoy..

[DDuck66]

It used to be up early go all day and collapse in the bedroom sometime after midnight. But as we have moved closer (hour away), we are spending more time just having fun. It is nice to be able to say, if we do not get it done we can come back next weekend.

[tink2006]

We are not a morning family We take our time in the mornings and usually do not arrive at the parks until 10 or so. We also take an afternoon break to swim etc. We head back to the parks for ADR's and stay until closing. It seems the more we go to the World, the more relaxed we are about having to see/do everything. We know, if we miss it this time, we will just get it next trip. When we go back to the parks in the late afternoons, we can't help but notice the commando families that have been there all day...the one's with children that are in "melt down" mode and short tempers . I always think, it just is not worth it for us. Not much quality time if you are too tired and cranky to enjoy your family.

[DizNee143]

i do that parks umm i gues syou can say my own way..
when e wake up and get dressed and ready to go..thats when we leave..and when we get tired or whatever..thats when we go back to the room...depends on the day and what not..it changes all the time!!

[Disneyfamilyoffive]

We love Disney the whole adventure, we are big Fort Wilderness fans, we get up eat, go the the park if we feel like it if not then we go fishing, biking, riding around on the cart, swimming, and even Horse back riding. But like someone else said in an earlier post it is all about having fun and enjoying your family. And yes we do live close enough that we are there at least five times a year if not more for long weekends and one eight day trip at the beginning of summer.

[Lizzie]

We do it different every day. Some days commando some days we sleep in. Depends on what we have already done and how we are feeling. But for the first time our trip will be determinded by the mood of the kids next trip.

[SBETigg]

We mix it up. We're a family of four, two adults, two teens. Waking the teens up early every morning just won't work for us. We usually wake up in time to get to a park within a half hour of opening, take a midday break, then go late at a second park and stay up late. Some days we take a morning off from the parks and go late. Other days, we get up early and take an evening off from parks to explore other things. It's better for us to not be rigid and see where the mood takes us... except for keeping those ADRs. I make the ADRs and schedule around them to an extent, but not to structured craziness.

[sleepingbooty]

I guess we're in the majority. Midday break works best for us since our kids are little. They don't nap, but just getting out of the parks and spending downtime at the pool helps perk everybody up.

[dolphinmickey9170]

I voted for up early, go all day; but if we have our DGD, we take a mid-day slowdown just for her. But I like to go go go, whether we are in a park, resort hopping, or shopping, go go go!!



42 and 168 more days!!

[mrsgaribaldi]

We get up so late I'm .
For the meet in Oct we will have to get up early. We've been to Disney World about 15 or more times and have never been at a park for its opening

We get up late, go to a park, go back to the hotel for a nap, go out for the rest of the night.

[Dreamer7080]

We don't do early. I go to Disney to relax s0 there is no way I would wake up as early, or earlier, than I do when I'm home for work and class. Plus, this way I'm not so tired once night comes around and I can enjoy the parks or DTD at night, my favorite time to be there.

[c&d]

I voted other. We sleep in usually until around 10 or so. Then we slowly get up and make it to the food court. Sometimes we'll head over to the parks other times we'll just hang at the pool. Our dinner reservations tend to coincide with extra magic hours so we'll head over to the parks before dinner and then hang out until they close. For our son there is nothing than staying in the parks until 1 or 2 am. In all the times we've gone I don't think we've ever made a park opening.

[NJMan66]

I voted other. We sleep in usually until around 10 or so. Then we slowly get up and make it to the food court. Sometimes we'll head over to the parks other times we'll just hang at the pool. Our dinner reservations tend to coincide with extra magic hours so we'll head over to the parks before dinner and then hang out until they close. For our son there is nothing than staying in the parks until 1 or 2 am. In all the times we've gone I don't think we've ever made a park opening.

Thank god someone else is like me out there. My family likes to hang out at the hotel till after lunch and head to the parks late and stay until close. Or just hang out at the pool all day and then catch some fireworks (meaning going to the parks at around 7PM). Then we just sleep in and get up when we (our kids) feel like it.

[dog-ears]

I voted other also.

We get up about the same time we get up at home - 7 ish so time to get breakfast and still make park openings. We take time for sit-down lunch and dinner. We pretty much go with our energy level - if we feel like we need to go back to the resort for a nap (DH does this since he works nights) then we do. If one person is taking a nap, the other is free to do whatever they want - we just agree on a time to meet up. We're don't stay out real late - rarely past 11.

The key to this approach is to plan enough days so that you get to see everything and still be able to have rest stops and full night's sleep.

OK, LOL, just call us dull and sensible!!

[milhouse]

It will probably change as the kids get bigger. With three little ones this May, we stuck to similar hours all week.

Up around 8:30. Eat a quick breakfast in the room. At the park around 10-11am. Lunch around 12 - 1:30 depending if we have early or late dinner reservations. Stay all day. Back to the room around 10pm. Quick dip in the pool at 10:30.

[BD]

Since we always go in January (small crowds) we get to the park at opening and take our time. MK is the only park that takes us a full day and we have dinner in the park at close to closing. That time of year closing is usually 7:00 anyway. If we're at other parks, which we can do in less than a day, we hop between them.

The key to all this is the relatively small January crowds. There's not many long lines.
BD

[mickey&missy]

With us, it depends on what we have planned that day.

We learned our first trip with the kids that ADR's for breakfast were hard on us. I can't stand having to rush out the door This past trip we only did one, next trip we probably won't do any.

I'm a morning person and tend to wakeup between 5:30 and 6. My kids and DH can sleep until 8 or later.We usually end up in a park around 9 or 9:30. I really enjoyed that early morning time this past trip. I can't tell you how peaceful and relaxing the grounds at WL are to take a walk in early in the morning. Sunrise over Bay Lake is beautiful!

My kids love to swim so taking an afternoon break is great, plus it gives them extra energy for a night of fireworks etc! But, we've never closed a park or done the comando thing. Its just to much for us. We prefer to go laid back and enjoy!

[LarryBoy]

Our son, age 6, is still an early riser. So we usually get going pretty early and make it to the parks close to opening. We are however, and will always be, big fans of the mid-day break. This is especially important if we go in the summer. Even though DS doesn't nap anymore you can't beat a dip in the pool and a hop in the shower. We were doing breaks even before child. We always head back for dinner, and usually close the park. Unless they are staying open really late.

[DawsonAR]

We get up early and go all day until around 5 or 6 pm then the kids to bed early. We found this works better for our kids. This keeps them more on the regular school time schedule at home.