Help for first time visit!

[neworleans_ray]

my husband will be going with me and my family in January! He is having reservations of staying in parks for >6-8 hours. We are planning a on sat-sat trip with US on Sunday, half day of Disney Monday, and rope drop Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is rest day. When I mentioned Epcot day as 9-9pm, he states he couldn't do 12 hours. I mentioned going to off property house in afternoon and go back to park. He is a diabetic and overweight and states his sugar spikes will make him grumpy. Any advice to make it comfortable for everyone?? I told him we will take it easy and rest through the day. He wants to see the countries.

Thanks!

 

[Missyrose]

Honestly? My best advice is to believe him when he says he doesn't want to stay in the parks for that long. You cannot see everything, so why make the trip a march through the parks? Plan to take afternoon breaks. And go through the menus online and maybe pick a few TS restaurants at which there's plenty for him to eat and will give you a break from touring.

 

[RedOne3781]

I would plan a table service meal at a place like Garden Grill or Corral Reef (both in Future World) during the hottest part of the day.
Then do things like Universe of Energy (long ride, well air conditioned) and other indoor attractions at Epcot while it is super hot out before heading to World Showcase to watch some shows and Illuminations at
night.
That way he can take breaks from walking in the heat without having to venture back to your off site location.
I would also not put off the rest day until your last full day there but instead move it more towards the middle of your trip to give you guys a chance to
catch your breath and relax before your last few park days.

My mom has some heat/ mobility longevity issues. We go every summer during mid to late August when it is super hot.
Below is an example of our touring schedule (this is our roughly our schedule for
this year. Maybe it will help you figure out how to optimize yours:

Day 1 (arrival day) Magic Kingdom from 5pm - close.
Sit down dinner

Day 2: go to a park from rope drop til around 1. Relax at resort. Sit down dinner. Go to park from 5-close

Day 3: no park in am, sit down late lunch/early dinner. Park from 3-close

Day 4 this would be our rest day if we were staying for a week. Since we are doing three nights in Daytona this year after WDW we are doing three half days (day 1, day 3) instead: open one park, leave around 1, relax have early dinner, go to a park from 5-close

Day 5: half day at Disney, leave for Daytona around 3 pm.

Reality it 12 hours in that heat can be difficult for someone with any sort of medical issue that is effected by temperature. Yet at the same time, you don't want to look back on your trip and feel like you didn't get enough park time in. Midday breaks are key. Even if the break is a long attraction like Hall of Presidents or Universe of Energy instead of going back to your house.

 

[Klayfish]

Pretty much all of the parks have rides that will allow you breaks to sit and relax. Since you're going in January, heat shouldn't be an issue. It'll be more just the physical demand of walking around the parks. Use the rides to your advantage, so you can sit and take some breaks. Have a nice relaxed pace lunch or dinner, which will also allow you to rest.

 

[dreiwhit]

When we went to WDW back in March, it was the first visit for my two kids, ages 13 and 8. Neither are big walkers, but they made it through 12 hour days with minimal complaints. My wife and I did too and i'm overweight and suffer from hypoglycemia. IMHO, at Disney it doesn't seem like you've been walking that long. If you don't look at your watch, the time passes quickly.

I would recommend taking frequent breaks. Rides are a good way to do this. Also, plan a lunch hour at a TS or QS restaurant, or even bring your own lunch. But find a place where you can sit for an hour and rest. I will even slip my shoes off under the table to let my feet take a break.

And if he needs to take more breaks, he can always wait on a bench outside of a ride or one of the countries while you go on the ride, look around, go shopping, etc.

 

[sharonabe]

As a FIRST visitor, I assume he's basing his expectations on his experience at other amusement parks. Disney is so different from any of them. A 12 hr day at Disney just doesn't feel the same as 12 hrs somewhere else. Many, many attractions at all the parks are longer than the 2-3 min rides at other amusement parks. And there are LOADS of places to just sit and take a break. PLUS you've wisely chosen January which gives you cooler temps and lower crowds. That in itself will make your trip even more enjoyable and easier for him to make it through the day.

 

[loves to dive]

As always, I'm going to go against the crowd and say play it by ear. Don't over schedule and if he gets tired of being in the park, either everyone go back to the room or let him go back and rest and come back later and pick ya'll up. I'm assuming since you are off site, you have a car of some sort. Not for nothing but I don't think we have ever since the very first time we went, stayed in any park for an entire 8 hour stretch at a time. We don't do the rigid schedule everyone else does and just go with the flow, if I'm tired or my son got tired when he was young or my mother when she was with us, we just took a break. We never had an entire day when we didn't go to a park, we might get up late and go for a few hours and go back for a swim and then back to a park or get up early and go to a park until someone said enough and we would head back. Don't push him to do something he doesn't want to, it's his vacation too.

 

[maryandtyson]

Have you considered staying on site? It makes it much easier to take breaks, so you might consider it. You want it to be a fun time, so don't push him to do something he isn't comfortable with. I'd rather have a wonderful 4 hours than a miserable 12 hours.

Good luck!

 

[glassslippergirl]

I was going to suggest that you don't always have to stay together. If you and the kids want to stay in the park, and he wants to rest, he can go back to the hotel for a few hours. Chances are that with your rigorous schedule, everyone will want a few afternoon breaks, so he won't always be going alone.

I would suggest doing as much as you can early in the morning when everyone feels rested. Schedule FPs for late morning or very early afternoon; then, head to lunch, after which the crowd can be surveyed for the desire to break. For meals, to the extent that you can (he is an adult who will do what he is going to do) try to encourage healthier options that don't lead to huge sugar spikes. For example, at counter service places, all plates are listed as meals that come with fries, but he can save a few dollars and a lot of starch by just ordering the sandwich with no side. Maybe order a large salad for the family to share instead.

I highly recommend coming back for evening entertainment if you break in the afternoon. Nighttime fireworks really make WDW special. Maybe make dinner ADRs that will encourage him to come back. Again, check out menus beforehand and encourage healthy choices. You can note dietary restrictions on your ADR request. Most side dishes can be substituted for something healthier.

 

[Klayfish]

As always, I'm going to go against the crowd and say play it by ear. Don't over schedule and if he gets tired of being in the park, either everyone go back to the room or let him go back and rest and come back later and pick ya'll up. I'm assuming since you are off site, you have a car of some sort. Not for nothing but I don't think we have ever since the very first time we went, stayed in any park for an entire 8 hour stretch at a time. We don't do the rigid schedule everyone else does and just go with the flow, if I'm tired or my son got tired when he was young or my mother when she was with us, we just took a break. We never had an entire day when we didn't go to a park, we might get up late and go for a few hours and go back for a swim and then back to a park or get up early and go to a park until someone said enough and we would head back. Don't push him to do something he doesn't want to, it's his vacation too.

Nope, not against the crowd. That's how we do it too. We have a "schedule", but it's not completely rigid. I'd say it's more loosely followed as a general concept. We try to map it out so we visit different parks and have good variety. Of course we have to stick to some kind of schedule because of FP+, but even those we tend to alter fairly frequently. But we tend to go with the flow. If we're tired, we'll just say "Time to go" and head back to the house for dinner or relaxing at the pool. We normally don't do 8 hours at one park, only on occasion. Typically it's 4-6 hours, then move on to something else, or if we're really tired, call it a day.

 

[gap2368]

my husband will be going with me and my family in January! He is having reservations of staying in parks for >6-8 hours. We are planning a on sat-sat trip with US on Sunday, half day of Disney Monday, and rope drop Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is rest day. When I mentioned Epcot day as 9-9pm, he states he couldn't do 12 hours. I mentioned going to off property house in afternoon and go back to park. He is a diabetic and overweight and states his sugar spikes will make him grumpy. Any advice to make it comfortable for everyone?? I told him we will take it easy and rest through the day. He wants to see the countries.

Thanks!

Take it slow
Maybe have a nice sit down meal do that he can have a break
I would stay on site so if he need to rest he can drive or take the buss back there are pools at all the resorts so he can go swimming
He would sit in the shade and people watch
Maybe get him an ECV he dose not need to use it all the time he can park it and walk some.

 

[neworleans_ray]

Thank you all for the advice! We are using it in making plans.