Am I vacationing wrong? Lol

[Fizban]

In comparison to some here I guess I would be considered a newbie- but I have been 10+ times, 5 of those pretty consistently over the past 6 years.

That being said I keep reading others plans and questions and everyone being there at RD and so on and I begin to question if I've been doing this Disney thing wrong this whole time. I have two little ones. My dh, myself, and my kids are definitely more the type to burn the midnight oil than to rise at the crack of dawn. We have never been at a park for RD and even have a breakfast reservation at our hotel the first day at 9:20! ( I can hear the collective gasps from all you early birds out there!) Other than parades, FPs, and firework shows I can't imagine being so regimented.

So am I the only one to take more of a leisurely approach to Disney? We have never not gotten to do something or had a bad time because of it so I guess there's no wrong way to go about it. But it got me wondering if I was the only odd ball there lol

-Kristen

No you are doing it RIGHT! Right because you seem to like to do it that way. My wife and I take it very leisurely when we go on our trips. When our adult daughters are with us we go a little more commando. Right is all a frame of mind.

 

[ErinCat]

I like Disney planning. It is like a hobby. LOL I do not do it because I have to, but because I think it is fun to imagine the different scenarios. I am a college professor and researcher. So I like researching and organizing. When we get there I have plans because I want to have an answer when my husband says, "Ok, which way do we turn?" "What next?" For my husband, who works at a hospital and has to make serious decisions all day long, the fun is NOT making any decisions. We do rope drop or early ADRs because my son wakes at 6AM pretty consistently and my perpetually hungry daughter loves a good breakfast buffet. But he is becoming an adolescent and might need more sleep. So things may change...

Also there is a whole thread about how many rides are better after dark. Your more relaxed schedule gives you the advantage of saving your energy.

 

[danceintherain]

I like Rope Drop. DH does not. For the time being, the kids get up in time to get there anyway, so I get to do Disney how I like it. When they are older, we'll do it DH's way.

Ultimately, when you go frequently, the need for Rope Drop does decrease some. Even for our upcoming trip, I only have one day that Rope Drop is non-negotiable. It's our DHS day, and DS is finally old enough to do Jedi Training Academy. Luckily, DH wants him to do it as much as I do (he wasn't so excited about meeting Tinkerbell during our last trip). That in combination with DHS being his favorite park, I think he'll be supportive.
For our other days, we could probably get there later and not have too many problems. I do intend to try for Rope Drop, especially for our Magic Kingdom day, but we already have FPs for some things, so that makes me more comfortable.

 

[anneboleyn]

I come from a family of night owls. We all enjoy sleeping in and staying up late any chance we get. For the big family trip to the World this October, I have been assigned the position of "Travel Agent" since I am the Disney enthusiast of the family (well, my DD8 is one as well, and although I would love to see how an 8 year old would plan a Disney trip, I think it is best left in my somewhat more mature hands). I brought up the RD option to my family recently, and I was basically shamed in to silence haha. So we will be burning the midnight oil right there with ya

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Then maybe you should share your secrets on how you're able to accomplish what they do without any planning!!

Easy - travel to WDW during the slow weeks. No planning necessary - just show up and have fun.

 

[wdwpracticalprincess]

Oct will be our first family, multi-gen trip, so I am self-appointed planner (mainly because I like the research aspect). RD appeals to me because DD is an early riser and I like the idea of getting a jump on the crowds. Plus I really want to avoid the standing around "where-do-we-go-next" paralysis. I have plans down to the minute but am prepared to jettison it all if we're not having fun.

 

[Roxyfire]

I like Rope Drop. DH does not. For the time being, the kids get up in time to get there anyway, so I get to do Disney how I like it. When they are older, we'll do it DH's way.

Ultimately, when you go frequently, the need for Rope Drop does decrease some. Even for our upcoming trip, I only have one day that Rope Drop is non-negotiable. It's our DHS day, and DS is finally old enough to do Jedi Training Academy. Luckily, DH wants him to do it as much as I do (he wasn't so excited about meeting Tinkerbell during our last trip). That in combination with DHS being his favorite park, I think he'll be supportive.
For our other days, we could probably get there later and not have too many problems. I do intend to try for Rope Drop, especially for our Magic Kingdom day, but we already have FPs for some things, so that makes me more comfortable.

Ultimately, I think Jedi Training Academy will be our biggest must do as well. Normally I'm a sleep in type of person but when it comes to vacation I like to get up early and get as much done as possible. I'm at the point where I'm not going to tell my son that he could go on stage, just so there's no disappointment in case we don't get there fast enough to sign up. Is there a fairly good chance of getting him into the show if we are there at RD and completely ignore the other attractions until we sort that out?

 

[jacksgirl]

We're definitely night owls! I like the "idea" of rope drop, and I keep saying we'll do it one day, but we don't. That said, I like the way we do it. We usually make it to the parks around 9:30 or 10:00, do fun stuff til dinner ADRs, then catch the nighttime fireworks, or go to DTD and find some music (I'm a musician, so this is a must lol). I like not having to rush everyone out the door in the morning. If I do try to rush them, it makes for a grumpy day for everyone. However, I do enjoy the planning. I just plan our ADRs, FP+s, etc. later in the day. As one PP said, the reason my husband loves Disney is because he doesn't have to make any decisions. Nobody is arguing over where we're going to eat, what we're going to ride, which show we're going to see... We already know. And because we pay for everything (including DDP) in advance, he doesn't have to think about the cost either.

 

[LOL!]

Easy - travel to WDW during the slow weeks. No planning necessary - just show up and have fun.

Are there even slow weeks anymore, though?

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We've been to WDW at least as many times as you have and we only made RD once and it was because our DDs were doing the YES program and HAD to be there before park opening. (And even then, it was just me and the girls there for RD -- DH and DS slept in and met us at the park later). We definitely enjoy late nights way more. I used to stress about getting there for RD but finally let it go a few years ago and I've been happier and less stressed since then.

 

[smiths02]

We are a Rope Drop family because, while it is a little early, we can't stay out late with our kids (well, not for more than one or two nights on vacation).
I'm like msmama, we went in 2009, 2011, and 2015. I've seen Wishes once (from Pirates and Pals) and Illuminations once. My DH has never seen Illuminations or Fantasmic.
With our trip in 2009 and 2015, we had toddlers...so rope drop or am EMH were especially important because our only park time was likely to be in the morning before lunch.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Nope, we are the same way! My kids do better late at night, then getting up early in the morning. We are far better off staying at the parks late at night and sleeping in the next day than rope drop. My daughter thinks getting up at 9:00 is early. I can not think of worse torture than trying to get my family out the door before 10am.

On our last trip there were days we didn't leave until 11 am. Our touring style is typically sleep until we wake up. Then we hit the parks and stay until late at night. Sometimes we get a little earlier start and take a midday break. But we are by no means a rope drop family which is fine by me!

 

[Robo]

I'll say that what these boards do offer is examples of how others have found ways to improve their own days at WDW.
And, just like a map that shows unknown (to some guests) ways of getting from one location to another,
the techniques found by others... of timing and use of FP, etc...
can be enlightening to those who simply didn't know before.

 

[100AcreWood]

I'm a total planner. But I don't like waking up early on vacation. I'll skip rope drop any day in order for the kids to still be awake during Illuminations.

We actually did rope drop once at EPCOT and to be honest I thought "I got up for this?" We stood in line waiting to be let in, had fun exploring a nearly empty park but then had to wait until 11am for the rest of the park to open.

 

[abouley]

Do what works best for your family! We are morning people and much prefer to get an early start on the day and beat the crowds. We sleep in as late as possible by having stuff ready the night before, waking the kids at the last minute and eating on the go.

As far as planning, I like to plan however I try to do my planning for the morning and leave after lunch open to play it by ear. Having a bit of a plan actually makes the days less stressful to me. When we're hungry there's nothing worse than trying to all agree on a restaurant and then find a huge line! I feel like the potential for weather is throwing a wrench into my planning this time so trying to leave room in my plan for change.

 

[aretha30]

I don't think there is a wrong way to do your vacation! You do Disney the way it works for your family, don't change what isn't broken! We do what works for us and we modify as our boys get older. Don't let anyone convince you that you have to do RD just because they do. It's your vacation, do what makes you happy

 

[Crystal824]

We usually do RD because our kids will be up anyway. However, we will sleep in on one or two days especially if we stay out for the night time shows. There really is not right or wrong way to do Disney.

 

[Accident]

I go the leisurely approach to WDW and love it. It works for us, sounds like it works for you. The only things I've really changed in recent visits (besides doing them more frequent) is some tours since I'm in a financial spot that I can do them, a little more in tune with what else is happening on property and longer even more leisurely trips where it's ok to have to come back to a park another time.

 

[PrincessJen09]

I come from a family of night owls. We all enjoy sleeping in and staying up late any chance we get. For the big family trip to the World this October, I have been assigned the position of "Travel Agent" since I am the Disney enthusiast of the family (well, my DD8 is one as well, and although I would love to see how an 8 year old would plan a Disney trip, I think it is best left in my somewhat more mature hands). I brought up the RD option to my family recently, and I was basically shamed in to silence haha. So we will be burning the midnight oil right there with ya

I actually have been my family's "Travel Agent" since I was about 8. We got the Disney for Kids by Kids book and I would make lists with everyone;s vote if they wanted to see it. There wasn't a dining plan back then, so I didn't have to worry about that, but you would surprised at how well a kid could plan a Disney trip!

 

[Minnesota!]

Easy - travel to WDW during the slow weeks. No planning necessary - just show up and have fun.

FWIW - we went in March, over spring break, this year, with very, very, very little plans (outside of ADR's a few days) and we were able to do and see everything..

We are a "both" family. We are up by 530-6 on vacation, and back in bed by 1130-12. My entire family requires very little sleep. So, we do RD and then close the park, often hanging out in the park until it is nearly empty...nothing like sitting on a bench, in the dark, listening to the park music, in the FL moonlight...through the palm trees.

When we get back to the resort, we grab a dessert, a few cocktails, and sit poolside for a while. Then, retire to the room, for showers and cartoons.

There is no "wrong way". There is just the way that works for each traveling party.