Am I cheap or a kamikazee vacationer?

[crisi]

For me, it depends on what kind of vacation we are taking. But at Disney, we don't necessarily commando, but we don't dawdle either. We are at the parks by rope drop. We do usually, but not always take a mid day pool break, although now that the kids are older and less into the pools those have become less important. We eat a sit down dinner and if we have park stuff left to do, go to the parks.

We can do everything we want to do in about four days and are usually leaving parks early. After twenty years, I do not need to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Show Spectacular every time, or ride the Jungle Cruise.

If I'm in a big city, we have similarly packed days. After all, you went to San Francisco to see it - you can sleep in at home. Seeing it might include sitting at a cafe and strolling through Golden Gate Park or shopping along the wharf, but it does not include sitting in a hotel room or by a pool or shopping at the Gap.

Sitting around on vacation is for the beach or staying at home. If I want to sit next to a pool, I can do that a lot cheaper than at Disney. I can stay in hotels that are a lot nicer for a lot cheaper than Disney. So the only reason for Disney is the parks, they take as much time as they take and then we go somewhere else.

 

[donkeyandshrek]

I used to be that way, but after 10 years, I take a break in the afternoon.

This is me!

 

[loveysbydesign]

My husband just booked an extra day off at home for after our trip to "re-coup" .

We do all our vacations this way no matter the destination. We like to research, explore, sightsee and discover local things as best we can with the time we have. Go go go!

We're the same way! Although I do take afternoon breaks at WDW when we go during the hotter months

 

[msmama]

I used to be like that, but my 5 year old has slowed me down.

I actually like it better taking it slow. We are there at rope drop (he's an early riser) but usually back to the hotel by early evening at the latest. Now that he's a little older we can stay later, but usually with a nice long monorail ride, or maybe a couple of train rides around the MK. I also like the fact that he's not a thrill ride guy so I don't have to worry as much about fast passes and fitting in the headliner rides. He's happier on the People mover than on BTMRR!! And I'm happier waiting in fewer lines!

Now that I'm going at a slower pace, I have to say, a lot of the people running from ride to ride don't look like they're having much fun! (Not speaking of anyone here, but it seems to me most meltdowns I've seen in the parks are from the GO-GO-GO people).

 

[LimeCordial]

We all have different definitions it seems.

When I said we "Go go go", I didn't detail the fact that we take a late afternoon break/nap on vacation. We are seeing and doing 8-2 and 5-10. Hahaha.
Also, we don't run ragged but we definitely don't dawdle. I do up rough itineraries/maps. We let the kids stop and smell the roses but won't spend two hours at a pool or sandbox.

As for resting at home, what I'm assuming people mean is that they could take time off and vacation at home (sleep in, etc). A "staycation" if you will. I don't think there are many of us with the luxury to do that any old time .

 

[Dayton Flyer]

We are in line for RD usually 45-60 minutes prior, but run out of gas by dinnertime. Going on a trip starting this Sunday where we've got the FP+ going, and then dinner reservations around 7 each night to wrap up the day. Really looking forward to it!

 

[jazz0007]

My Dad was an airline pilot so we travelled a lot when I was growing up. He always taught us, "You can sleep when you're dead." LOL So yes, we are the same way!! Thankfully my husband is too even though they never took vacations when he was growing up! This is why we don't like to share our Disney vacations with others.....no one wants to get up early enough and it drives us nuts!

 

[eliza61]

We all have different definitions it seems.

When I said we "Go go go", I didn't detail the fact that we take a late afternoon break/nap on vacation. We are seeing and doing 8-2 and 5-10. Hahaha.
Also, we don't run ragged but we definitely don't dawdle. I do up rough itineraries/maps. We let the kids stop and smell the roses but won't spend two hours at a pool or sandbox.

As for resting at home, what I'm assuming people mean is that they could take time off and vacation at home (sleep in, etc). A "staycation" if you will. I don't think there are many of us with the luxury to do that any old time .

Lol, it's funny how different folks are. We stopped doing "staycations". Why? Because they always turn into "work cations". Every time we tried we ended up not relaxing but doing one of the 50 million things that seem to need to be done at home.

That's why Disney is our "relaxing" vacation.
Now I totally admit having a dvc takes some of the pressure off. Like Cristi, if we go one year and don't do TSM or Soarin, it's no big loss because there is a good probability we'll be back relatively soon.
I'm also a "meander" by nature. I love London and Paris because you can walk those cities for hours and see interesting stuff.

I have gone to MK and spent 5 hours without ever going on a ride. Most people would complain about the cost of the park ticket if they did that.

 

[TravelMommy]

I admit, I am a reformed park commando, in my youth I could go from rope drop to park closing. Not so much these days. We go at a relaxed pace, allow everyone to plan our days and if we are tired, we take a break. These days it is all about fun, and we like it that way (and ps, kiddos still say the thing they like best: The Hotel pool, really??? omg!!!)

 

[CathiVee]

Yes this is us too!!! Mom and I always said it was a too much of a waste to go back and nap. We usually do hotel and pool exploration when we get back at like 11pm lol

 

[rebbyparker]

I remember being in the park last April, this time with extended family (brother and family, sister and family) and somehow all the men and older boys plus my brother's wife and my son took off and went to ride TOT. Which left my sister and I with 10 children, all sitting around, waiting for them. Not a problem until 1.5 hours later, no one answering texts, we have no idea where they are or when they'll be back. I finally got a little steamed and we took all the kids to the HISTK playground. When the guys showed up 2.5 hours later and let us know that the line was too long for TOT and they actually rode the RnR, several of the children with us pointed out that they wanted to ride the RnR and were not happy. I was SO mad by this point, that I told them we would be splitting up for the rest of the week. I told them "THIS, THISs I could do at home, sitting around, doing nothing, waiting. And I could do it for FREE." Needless to say, I didn't waste anymore time during that vacation. I get that different people have different vacation styles, but I had planned and we used FP and I made sure the children with us got to do and see everything they wanted to see.

 

[hsmamato2]

haha...so what if you are either of those things,OP? you're having fun! We used to vacation at WDW that way, we'd go yearly,and drag ourselves out EARLY till LATE daily,for at least a week (babies sleep in strollers lol) I have so many memories of strong coffee in the mornings just to keep going..... But now that we're older,we tend to enjoy things slower (sorry teen kids lol) now none of us get up early on vacation unless there's a really specific reason... we still tend to do long days, but they are slow....like lazy stops for snacking, just watching stuff....really just taking it slowly.... I feel like either way we still see what we want to see.....and we take an entire day off parks just to hang out and do not much also.....

 

[englishteacha]

Before having our daughter we were Park Commandos. Now, it will be a while before we go on a theme park vacation, but I anticipate that we will go at her pace when the time comes. I hope to go to Disney when she's 3 or 4, but my husband wants to wait till she's 4 or 5. Either way, we decided to wait till she's out of diapers.

We were at the parks from open till close, doing everything we could. By our 3rd day, however, we planned a "down" day where we either did something not-Disney, or did a partial day somewhere.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I don't think there is any thing as a "normal" vacation.

Sorry but what you described for my family is not a vacation. My family would seriously revolt if we had to vacation like that.

+1

With a shift-worker, a teenager (who plays three sports and has his own part time job), and both DH and I working extra jobs on the side, our day-to-day life is organized chaos. Our vacations are designed to be peaceful, relaxing, and spontaneous.

Our very first trip to Florida was a go-go-go Disney vacation where we lived by crowd calendars, park openings, and ADR's. While it was fun, we arrived home exhausted. And no one was itching to go back to all that structure.

It personally works better for us to have flexibility, relaxation and crowd-free excursions built into our park days. While other families find their memorable moments in the Disney frenzy, we tend to find them elsewhere. Its not bad, its not good....its just what works for us. Its also why we don't like to vacation with other families. This way, we don't have to give up our vacation style to ensure someone else gets the kind of holiday they're seeking. Its also why the SeaWorld parks tend to be a better fit for us. Less super-planning required months in advance, less panic when we decide to switch things up a little.

 

[trinchick]

We are go-go-go travelers in general. But that's our personality at home, as well. We just like to keep moving.

Last trip to Disney, we tried to take the afternoon break, but that actually felt more stressful. Relying on Disney transportation to get us back to the resort, then wrestling kids into bathing suits, playing in the pool with one eye on the clock and dinner ADRs in the back of our minds, then back out of bathing suits, then back on the buses to make our dinner reservations. Whew! Not so relaxing at all.

Part of our problem is we could plan to leave at 1:00, but then we'd say, "Oh look, there's hardly any line at the Haunted Mansion. Let's take advantage of that and enjoy one more thing before we leave the park." Then of course, our 1:00 leave time becomes 1:45, and the snowball starts rolling.

This next trip, we're trying another tactic. We're going to stay off property in a condo. Still hit rope drop and chug through the day until dinnertime. Then we'll leave the parks to either pick up some takeout or grill in the condo. Relaxing will be done in the evening. We think. Except when we do fireworks. Or there's a short line for meeting a character. Or the shops look tempting as we stroll out of the park. Or...

 

[Lady V]

The first time we took the kids we were like that. Very commando style. We were all exhausted and honestly kinda grumpy by the end. Now I am the exact opposite--once I went for 3 weeks and only went into parks maybe 10 the 21 days. I also REALLY enjoy my resort and all it has to offer. With DVC I want to enjoy every detail of my resort. Actually, we have stayed at the values as well and I like to take time and explore those as well because they are so fun! For me, I have certain things I do every trip--(Chef Mickeys, Carousel of Progress,,,etc...), and then I just have fun and know that I'll be back soon so there is no need to be commando. I do think having DVC is what has made me calm down. If it was a once in a lifetime I would be commando for sure! (We also always see the fireworks at MK and Epcot)--and we also have just as many pool days as park days!!

 

[worm761]

We like to be fairly active. Even at home. Weekends are always filled with things to do. I am not a lay on the beach kind of person. We are up early because 6am is sleeping in for us. DD is usually up by 7 though the teen could sleep all day I am sure.

At Disney we usually hit park opening simply because we are up and ready to go. We used to close the parks out too but DD came along. She is only 3 so we had to go back to the room around 8 or 9 for her to go to bed. We are not run from one ride to the next tourists though. We just do what we feel like doing. The most I plan is dinner reservations. And since we usually have seasonal passes, we can hop to wherever dinner is.

Other vacations are more planned. I like to go and see and do. I do not like to sit by a pool or beach.

 

[Anthony1971]

Sorry No planning for us.. No ADR's sometimes we go to a park based on which bus comes first....
We go to the parks 2-3 times a trip -- every other day at the most and not on the first or last day... we are there at rope drop and stay most of the day.
Disney has FAR more to do than just parks including just relaxing at the resort.... it is a vacation... for us a vacation includes = time to relax... there are a number of times we did not get off a cruise ship in port because we had seen the island enough times before.... best hours of a vacation for us...
We pay for a resort we enjoy the resort...otherwise sleep in a tent...

 

[Crystal824]

We used to be that way, but then we had a baby. We have taken the baby with us 4 times so far. While she naps in the stroller, we usually can't both open and close the parks with her (at least not yet).

 

[momof1princess]

when we travel, we go wide-open, full-on, non-stop. if i want to lay around and do nothing, i can do that at home for free. i plan, i know where we'll be and when, what we're going to do, etc. it's just how we roll.

we vacationed with DSIL, DBIL and my in-laws in 2010, and it was a NIGHTMARE! DSIL & DBIL invited us on the trip, and, when we got there, they had NOTHING planned! we're sitting in the condo looking at each other going "what are we going to do?". Luckily, DBIL had brought his laptop, and we could look at websites that would suggest places to go, things to see, and restaurants we might like. without that, the trip would've been a total disaster. we still spent too much time laying around the condo, but DSIL and DBIL seemed to really be enjoying themselves. different strokes for different folks, i guess.

i understand that our way doesn't work for everyone, but we really do enjoy it, especially at WDW.