Am I the only one who doesn't want to go early?

[airtime]

I hate getting up early. I love sleeping in! Nevertheless, at WDW I get up early and nap (or take it easy and enjoy non-busy aspects of the park) in the afternoon. Park touring is just so much more relaxed that way. When I wake up early, I think about how glad I'm going to be that I'm not standing in 45 minute lines in the afternoon, but instead enjoying a refreshing nap and a cool drink.

Tim, who finds that WDW gets the alarm clock ringing in his brain.

 

[pooch]

and I am going to TRY not to fight with everyone to get up!!! I've asked for a 10AM wake up call. DD will then take at least another hour to get ready to leave. So I'm planning on being at any given park no earlier than noon. Not interested in Dumbo or any Fantasyland attractions and hope to do the other MK biggies on EMH night. We're also going the week before Labor Day so hoping for smaller crowds. I'm not playing alarm clock nazi this time!!

Pooch

 

[minijeanie]

As much as we hate to get up early by the 3rd day...it is soo.sooo. worth it.
even if you do just a few hours, head back to hotel, nap and relax.

early morning is always so peaceful...

 

[BraveMom3]

We used to show up at the parks around 10:30 or 11:00 - of course children were much younger, therefore more complicated! The last couple of years we have managed to make it to the parks for opening, and it is so much better. We get there just a few minutes before official opening and get so much done before the crowds get crazy and the sun starts to broil our brains! It seems like by the middle of the day we are ready to head out and get a change of scenery. By that time we are comfortable with relaxing by the pool (myself with a much-deserved cocktail), or doing some other family entertainment.

 

[skiwee1]

We never get to the parks early. We wake up around 9:30 or whenever we feel like it. We seem to get up pretty late because we close the drapes very tightly to keep the light out. We have breakfast at the food court and then head to the pool for a couple hours. After that it is showers and then the park. We never get to the park before noon and we always get on everything we want.

 

[Syrreal]

I am not an early riser and neither is DH so we rarely get into the parks before 10 or 11. We still hit everything we want. As long as you stay pretty easy going you're fine

 

[TammyNC]

Our family is not an early morning family. We wake naturally, move slowly and are happy if we are at the parks by noon. We are never disappointed by what we accomplish during the day and are relaxed and enjoying our vacation. I think every family is different so I'm sure mornings work better for others. We did however rise early and stay up late for our first three trips to WDW. Thankfully DH saw that we were going to be coming back often and laid off of the comando tours.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We always get to the parks early, our son is a very early riser.

Plus going in August it means we can go at a cooler time of the day, it just works for us and we can return in the evening.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We never get up early to get to the parks when they first open. After all, we're on vacation! Seriously, our family prefers to wake up a little later and avoid all the lines at the food courts, all the lines at the buses, and all the lines at the theme parks. Even waking up just 1/2 hour later makes a huge difference in crowd patterns. Plus, we have gone to both WDW and DL enough times that we don't feel the urgency to see and do everything...we just go at our own pace.

 

[TinkGirl]

Our family's mantra is "we don't sleep in at Disney World--we can sleep at home!" We don't get there 45 minutes early, just as close to opening time as we can get there without getting stressed out about it. We love just walking on to all our favorites--especially in Fantasyland. I have a 13-year old boy still willing to ride in honeypots, and pirate ships, etc. as long as it's not a half-hour wait! We always hit a ride of our kid's choice first. Then we just make our way as we go. We're pretty relaxed about it. We do pick one day to sleep in. If you really can't get there in the morning, a good time for smaller lines is during parades, fireworks, and big shows like Fantasmic or the stunt show. I did find that we got stressed out about making our scheduled meals, so now I only make ADR's for dinner. We are usually so tired from a day in the parks, that my family is asleep by 11:00 p.m. That makes it not too hard to wake up at 7:00 a.m.

 

[Quinn222]

One thing to keep in mind is that there is nothing to do at MGM after Fatasmic, so don't let your kids plan on catching anything after. The park closes at seven when Fantasmic starts. You can shop after and that's it.

 

[ReneeA]

My kids and I are all early risers, while DH is not. He lets me run the show while we are at Disney...so we do EMH mornings almost everyday. However, then we go back to the resort and hang out at the pool and take naps. We don't usually stay for evening EMH since the parks are packed and I would rather not fight that many people.

I have found to go with your body's natural rhythm and stick to your normal schedule and that's best for everyone.

 

[skiingwife]

We were at the parks 20 minutes before opening on all days except one. On the days we were there early, we walked right on the big rides, used fastpass to the max (at one point I was holding 5 sets of fastpasses) and it was easy and relaxing to walk through the parks. By noon or 1:00 of our MK days, we'd done pretty much everything and were ready to go just as the crowds were getting heavy. On the one day we didn't arrive early (I think we arrived around noon), standby lines were huge, fastpass returns were late in the afternoon, and it was crowded. We decided that even though it's hard to get up early, we prefer no waiting in lines. The one thing about the fastpass system is that early in the morning, you can get your next set of fastpasses pretty quickly, whereas by afternoon the next set is not available for 2 hours. For example, when I got my fastpasses at RNR at 9:00, the return time was 9:20, so that meant at 9:20 I could get another set. The return time for those was around 10, which is when I got the next set. But by afternoon, it's 2 hours before the next set is available.

So unless riding the big rides isn't something you're interested in, I would go early.

 

[RescueRanger]

We always go to the morning EMH and at park opening. We are able to get all of our riding done before the crowds arrive. When the rest of the people start meandering in, we are done and are heading for our resort for an afternoon break. That's where we relax and laugh about all the people waiting in long lines in the hottest part of the day. We then go back to a park later in the afternoon/early evening. The early bird gets the worm.

 

[IvyandLace]

DH and I are definitely NOT morning people...if anyone likes a good sleep-in, that would be us! However, our last two vacations to WDW took place in late July/early August, and if anything will convince you to "get up and go" early, it's the crowds and the HEAT!! We found out by experience that as hard as it was to hear that alarm clock in the mornings, it was so worth it to be able to not only enjoy the cooler temps and lower crowds but also to be *done* with a park around lunch and be able to be leaving to rest, eat, and swim when it seemed like *millions* of people were just getting there!! Amazing! DH and I were always amazed at the amount of people that arrived between 11am-1pm and were always so pleased to be leaving for some *relaxation* instead of standing in long lines packed in with thousands of other sweaty hot people! There ARE some days when we do sleep in (especially after a late night at Pleasure Island), but we never go to the parks-we'll do Dowtown Disney, Disneyquest, resort hop, or swim at our resort. You can almost always count on a downpour every afternoon in the summer so after that, we decide on water park or theme park...or both! It just really makes for a more relaxed vacation for us...and we always manage plenty of naps and floats in the pool and don't come home "sleep-deprived."

IVY

 

[disneyjunkie]

We were at the parks 20 minutes before opening on all days except one. On the days we were there early, we walked right on the big rides, used fastpass to the max (at one point I was holding 5 sets of fastpasses) and it was easy and relaxing to walk through the parks. By noon or 1:00 of our MK days, we'd done pretty much everything and were ready to go just as the crowds were getting heavy. On the one day we didn't arrive early (I think we arrived around noon), standby lines were huge, fastpass returns were late in the afternoon, and it was crowded. We decided that even though it's hard to get up early, we prefer no waiting in lines. The one thing about the fastpass system is that early in the morning, you can get your next set of fastpasses pretty quickly, whereas by afternoon the next set is not available for 2 hours. For example, when I got my fastpasses at RNR at 9:00, the return time was 9:20, so that meant at 9:20 I could get another set. The return time for those was around 10, which is when I got the next set. But by afternoon, it's 2 hours before the next set is available.

So unless riding the big rides isn't something you're interested in, I would go early.

I have had the same experience with FP and EMH.

 

[disneynewbee]

When we went I fully intended to get to the parks by park opening but after a day I realized that I would rather get there when we get there and have happy kids then the grumps we were dragging around when we got them up early. The only ride that I would say had a rediculous line was Dumbo. We waited in line forever for a ride that lasted a minute or two. Next time we will skip it or get to it early.

 

[EmmaAndQuinnsMommy]

A few problems that many people don't realize until they finally get there and I see in your schedule.

Allow at least 1 hour travel time to anywhere on Disney from anywhere on Disney unless it's something on the monorail to something else on the monorail. Even from your room at the Epcot resort area to MGM takes on the average 45 minutes by boat. When we took my brother and family for thier first time they were very surprised at the size of the Disney complex. I usually allow 1-1 1/2 just to be sure esp if it's a dinner reservation. If you have a car, you can cut that somewhat, but still have to be careful in planning.

If you want to sit on the curb for Spectromagic, people begin sitting down 1-2 hours ahead of the parade. You just gotta watch and grab and spot when people start sitting down.

For example, a day like you have planned for Friday, will probably run like this with your plan
10:00 1900 Park Fair character meal
11:00-11:30 finished with breakfast
11:30-12:00 monorail to Epcot
3:00 I'm not positive about "from park TO DD", but I think you''ll have to go to a resort, then from the resort to DD. I don't think there are direct busses from the parks to Downtown Disney. This will take you at LEAST 1 hour and I actually think the fastest might be the bus to OKW, they are the first bus stop and usually have pretty good service, then from OKW take the bus to Downtown Disney so....
4:00 (if you're very lucky) Arrive at Downtown Disney, lunch at Earl of Sandwich
5:00 I know the busses do not run from Downtown Disney to the parks, so you will definitely have to take a bus to a resort and then back to Epcot.
6:00-6:30 back at Epcot for a couple hours
8:30 Back to Downtown Disney via resort again
9:30 Arrive back at Downtown Disney, eat at Wolfgang Puck

I see this problem for allot of your days. You need to count for travel time and if you want to do Dumbo and the Safari esp. Dumbo without a long line, I'd be there before the gates open. The Safari at least has FP. If you don't really care what you get done and what you don't get done and just take your time, your way will work. You're planning May sometime right??? Realize that the first Friday in May is Grad Night at MK.

If your kids are little, they may not care what they get in. I've gone both and off season and during season are two very different ball games. Also, you have no time for relaxing by the pool etc. If your kids are little, they'll appreciate that. It will be hotter than you think in May and sometimes that's hard on kids. My niece went the last two summers with us and lasted about 4 hours max in the parks and then just needed a refresher break. She actually liked her pool time just as much as the parks.

If you want to just relax and do as many rides you get in, I think it's OK except for the travel time problem.

I did the travel map thingies for all of the travelling and it had Epcot to Saratoga Springs, then to DD as 33 mins. (Also could do Epcot to Boardwalk Inn to DD for 44 mins). Maybe the lunch at DD is a bad idea. I had thought about that ... but there was NOTHING I could find for us to eat at Epcot. It is tricky for us as we are vegetarians so I have to find grilled cheese or mac and cheese for my kids most of the time! hehe! There is a direct bus from Epcot to DD, but that is 61 mins. also.

I have definitely planned for breaks. I figure most days we will come back and hang out at the resort mid-day to swim or relax (maybe after eating). I will definitely just see how the kids are doing. They are 3 and 7 so I KNOW they will get tired. I just really think we will be able to do what we want to do in the time we are at each park because we won't be riding 'big' rides for the most part. Just kid stuff and maybe Space Mountain or BTMRR. At the other parks, I mostly plan on shows and such because I know most of that won't work for my kids since they are still little. At AK I am mostly interested in the safari. Probably won't do Dinosaur because it is scary, etc. The travelling does have me worried, as far as the moving all around here and there! I may rethink that Epcot Day. I just don't feel like we need that much time there either since the kids are small. I went when I was 12 and didn't really like it. I know some people say it is their kids favorites, I just can't picture my 3yo being too entertained! Oh, and I had to get rid of my pool day because DD coulnd't miss an extra day of school. =( Anyone else get a threatening truancy letter about family vacations this year? We have never even taken her out, but I guess a lot of people do because they warned us up front! (I am doing it anyway, 5 days)

Thanks so much for all of the help!! You guys are the best!

 

[Eeyore2003]

We've stayed at SSR, I had thought of that one too. I really can't imagine doing that in 33 minutes. For one thing does that take into account the amount of time for walking out to the bus stop (Epcot is huge and with two little kids will on the average, best scenario take you 10 minutes to get to your bus stop and then you wait for a bus also??? That's completely random. You can also walk from SSR to DTD, which is what they might be counting on. I don't know, but in planning, I guess I would never allow myself that little time for anywhere to anywhere except on the monorail much less a double connection. Also, unless I'm really really mistaken, I don't think busses go from DTD to any parks. They used to, but since people used to park at DTD and then go to parks, I think they cut that out. If I'm wrong, someone feel free to correct me on that.

I looked it up for you and all of these restaurants in World Showcase have at least one vegetarian entree, also, 99% I think have mac and cheese. My niece had it almost every meal when we took her in November. I would really agree with the person who suggested doing what you want at Epcot, taking your break, and then going over to DTD for shopping and dinner. In MK even the kids rides get busy quick, esp. Dumbo, Pooh and Peter Pan. Same thing at AK with the safari, but not as quickly as the kids rides at MK, but it looks like you have accounted for those two parks.

When my boys were that young, they loved getting autographs as did my neice, esp the year she went with us at age 7. Your kids may also love doing that. Then you also don't have to worry about rides.

Just be prepared to adjust and I think the travel times in the book sound "under the best of circumstances". One time it took us 1 1/2 hours to get from the CR to Blizzard Beach, now granted that's one of the worst connections as the busses that go out that way usually make several stops in the area, but it was mostly the waiting time for the busses, awful. That was only once though, but I'd never count on getting anywhere to anywhere in 30 minutes. perhaps driving time, but not including waiting and walking to and from places.

The same for Boardwalk, we've stayed at both the Beach Club and the Boardwalk Inn and Villa, it takes 30 minutes to just do the boat ride, that's not including waiting for a boat to come, 15 to 20 walking, although I've never done that,then you have to walk through the Boardwalk out to the bus stop totally minimum 1-2 blocks walking, up a stairway, unless you know that the elevator is inside around and in a corner. Then wait for a DTD bus and drive to DTD and walk to your restaurant. I'm really logically not sure how someone did that in 45 minutes, that's really walking fast, and making absolutely perfect connections and knowing exactly where you're going. Because of all this bus mess for DTD, we usually drive.

There also 3 stops at DTD one at each section, so you should really know which section your restaurant is in or you'll also do allot more walking. Earl of Sandwich is in the Marketplace and depending on which Wolfgang Puck you're going to, one is in the Marketplace and one at West Side, opposite sides of DTD. Here's those menus for Epcot. I guess I really recommend that route, we usually get done what we want at Epcot by 1 or 2. Then we usually go back another evening for walking around World Showcase allot more (we love that) and Illuminations... Well, can you tell it's a very boring Saturday night!!! LOL

I think the best solution for you is to do it the way you want, find out if it works, adjust when your there if you feel the need, and then you'll know for the NEXT time you get to go!!! FUN!!! Just be aware that the Disney Complex is MUCH bigger than you think. We took my brother and family to DTD for McDonalds and we had to get our AP's their first evening at Disney, they were stunned at the size of just DTD and they were only in the Marketplace. They just pictured everything kind of near each other, which it isn't at all. That's really the biggest problem I see about your plan, I've seen the times in the UG and I think they're really under best circumstances or maybe just driving time, I don't know. This has REALLY gotten long!!! Have fun planning!!!

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_cdf.htm

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_itl.htm

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_lcl.htm

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_morl.htm

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_rcl.htm

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/men_crl.htm

 

[Fionasmommy]

We definitely aren't morning people, but i'm glad I read this because I'd never even considered the heat in the morning versus the afternoon! Now I think it will be worth getting up early to get on Dumbo, Peter Pan, etc. before the sun gets really hot. I'm so glad I found this board - the information I've gotten here is priceless!