Changing focus of trips?

[rutgers1]

Anyone find the focus of their trips changing since becoming DVC members? I used to be all about the parks. Now I could care less. The parks are now something to do to pass the day. My focus during the planning stages is on resorts and food. If I am eating at Epcot, I assume I'll hit some rides. But I definitely don't plan the meals around which park I want to hit.

We're not there yet, but I actually can see us planning a trip in the not so distant future where we say on-site for a week and don't hit the parks at all. The intermediary step was spending a night there two weeks ago prior to leaving on the Disney Cruise. We flew in a day early and stayed at BLT so we could make sure we reached the bus in time. Although there was a momentary wish that we could run over and hop on a few rides, we felt as though seeing the fireworks from the bridge connecting the CR and BLT was enough Disney magic for the night.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We still plan on the parks, but we don't plan on hitting the parks first thing and staying most of the day. We come up with a plan that includes our dining ADRs and stuff we want to make sure we want to do. But we can toss that plan out the window if we want to.

 

[Havana]

Before DVC we were rope drop commando all the way. We just came down for the weekend and didn't go to the park until 11:30 for lunch reservations. We don't care much about the rides, but still love being in the parks for the atmosphere. We also enjoy spending more time enjoying the resort now.

 

[culli]

We still love the parks even with our adult only trips. Difference is our attitude more than anything. We love the APs and just wander into the parks and do a few things and if its busy we leave or just people watch. We have learned when to go and when to stay clear of the parks. The kids and which are 8, 5, 4, and an 10 month old actually have a similar attitude. They know we are coming back so they are actually laid back, well as much as kids can be at that age. By knowing when to go we can hit things pretty quick and get the must do things done in a few hours then kick back and just "cruise" through the rest of the day. We find our Disney vacations are actually relaxing and kicked back....people think we are nuts and that is impossible. We brought friends on an adult only trip and showed them how "we do it", they had a blast and now get it. Both of the Grandmas get it now too, and my Mom actually did a solo trip in Jan and brought my 4 year old on another. They had an awesome time.

 

[rutgers1]

We have learned when to go and when to stay clear of the parks. The kids and which are 8, 5, 4, and an 10 month old actually have a similar attitude. They know we are coming back so they are actually laid back, well as much as kids can be at that age.

That 10 month old is pretty mature. I'm not sure if I had such a great attitude about theme parks at that age!

 

[culli]

That 10 month old is pretty mature. I'm not sure if I had such a great attitude about theme parks at that age!

She will have been to Disney 4 times before she turns 1 - 5 times if you include my wife being pregnant with her!!!!!! And yes she is the one who cares the least about the parks

 

[arthur06]

We have never been "all about the parks". We enjoy the rides, the shows, the attractions and all else that goes with it. We enjoy a few rides per day, go at a leisurely pace and try to come home more refreshed then tired! I hear so many stories of I need a vacation after my vacation.

We enjoy the weather and the variety (Disney and non-Disney) of Central Florida. Our last trip was just as much about the pool and relaxation as it was the parks!

 

[supersuperwendy]

We haven't changed yet. I wondering when the day will come actually. We are still total park commandos. Maybe we'll relax someday in the future!

 

[culli]

We haven't changed yet. I wondering when the day will come actually. We are still total park commandos. Maybe we'll relax someday in the future!

You just made me tired

 

[dwelty]

My wife and I grew up in the shadow of the Disneyland Resort (I even worked there during college) and now live an hour and a half away. Since we can go there pretty much whenever we want for our Disney Parks fix, when we go to WDW we are there for the Resort Experience. The parks are a daily diversion, but we never spend the entire day there. The first couple of Florida trips we took were commando, because we were getting to know the Florida parks. Now we spend alot of time at the resorts swimmng with the kids (who feel the same way) and the majority of park time at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom, the parks that offer different experiences than we can get in California. I would say when we are not travelling with friends or family, we spend about 5 hours a day at parks. I don't thimk it would make finincial sense for us to invest in DVC if we were commando people. We would probably just stay at a value since we would just be using the room for sleeping.

 

[jekjones1558]

Parks are also secondary for us. But we like to stay at BWV so we feel like we are still part of the park magic. We have APs and I walk over for Illuminations or watch them and Wishes from our balcony. We rarely even do ADRs anymore. If we are near a WDW restaurant when we get hungry (we have a TIW card), we check to see if we can get in. If not, we eat offsite. There are few WDW restaurants that have outstanding food anymore.

 

[friends with mickey]

We haven't changed yet. I wondering when the day will come actually. We are still total park commandos. Maybe we'll relax someday in the future!

It will change the first time you (pick any ride or show for example) and realize that it is ok if you decide not to wait in line to do it because it will still be there to be enjoyed the next time you visit. Once this happens, believe it or not, you and your family will then start to enjoy Disney even more. You will start to notice all the details at every park, the sights. , the sounds, the smells, everything that Disney does so well for guests to enjoy. You will take the time to enjoy the ride or attraction you are experiencing rather than hurrying to get to the next one!
We have been coming as DVC members for almost 20 years now, and we enjoy it now as much as ever. How ever you enjoy it is what makes Disney great.

 

[ssawka]

We still hit the parks almost everyday, but we do it at a leisurely pace. We also leave the park at lunchtime and head back later. That's one of the reasons I love our "home". If we are at the MK at lunch time, it's just a 10 minute walk back to our villa. No need to stand in line for an hour for mediocre food. Just leave, get lunch at Contempo and relax for a few hours.

 

[DVC Mike]

Anyone find the focus of their trips changing since becoming DVC members? I used to be all about the parks. Now I could care less. The parks are now something to do to pass the day. My focus during the planning stages is on resorts and food. If I am eating at Epcot, I assume I'll hit some rides. But I definitely don't plan the meals around which park I want to hit.

Same here. I take it day by day, doing whatever I want to to, and the only thing that's planned are our dinners.

I still go to the parks, but mostly to walk around and see what catches my eye for photography.

I'll ride 1-2 attractions per trip.

 

[eporter66]

I agree with you. We joined in 2003 (pre DD7), and had loved Disney enough where we visited as a couple 3 times before joining. Although we loved the parks, we also golfed, relaxed and ate well

When we had our DD, we continued to vacation yearly. We took it slow, no dragging a kid through the parks, if she got tired or a little cranky, we would head back to the resort. Our usual is to get to the park early (we are early birds anyway - rarely sleep past 7), head back for lunch and put her down for a nap (the first few times anyway), and then go back later in the day. We spent a lot of time at the resorts just walking around with her, observing the beautiful landscaping, lots of pool time, and relaxing in a very comfortable 1 bedroom suite.

As DD has gotten older, we have been doing character breakfasts/meals, and she loved the rides, so our focus became the parks. Last October she was big enough for every ride except the Rockin' Rollercoaster. Although disappointed, she walked away with hope she would be tall enough this year. We spent a lot of time in AK observing the animals, and doing rides, I think it became her favorite park - at least last year. We also did Sea World for the first time which she loved (have not gone to Universal, trying to save that another year or two - give her another surprise). At the same time, she loves having a day or two just to go swimming at the resort, which we are fine with.

I do see our vacations changing, but I think we will always hit the parks to a certain extent. WDW for us is just a beautiful place to visit, it is maintained well, with beautiful areas for walking, biking, golfing etc... I love the parks, I admit I am a WDW junkie, but we continue to find new ways to enjoy WDW. No one believes me when I come back and say I had a relaxing vacation. We make sure to take things easy, I dont feel we miss much. We make sure our DD gets plenty of time to do as much as she wants or can do. I will say that now that we can do the rides together, it has given the parks new life. I do wish they would introduce a few new rides to the parks, but since we go every year, I guess some things seem old to us that most people have still never done.

I think we will always hit the parks to a certain degree, but honestly, we truly enjoy our vacation. No break neck pace for this family - DVC & WDW provides us with a great week every year that we enjoy as a family. I realize how lucky we are to be able to do this, and honestly, we see no signs of getting tired of it - I am already excited about booking new restaurants and making plans for this coming October.

My biggest concern is that as she is now getting older, it will be difficult to take her out of school. I have no desire to be in WDW in the summer or on the big break times - so I have to get creative, but I will figure something out!!

 

[rocketriter]

Our focus has certainly become less "commando," but the parks remain the center of attention for us. Even so, we're spending time on miniature golf, Cirque and similar "off center" activities that we'd never have considered before buying into DVC.

 

[wulfekamp]

We have changed big time. We started comando all the way. Now its hit the parks around 11 ride a few rides and eat eat eat. We love tring new places to eat.

 

[bbn1122]

We bought DVC not for the parks but for the service and top notch quality we would get on every vacation. We just had our first DVC stay and realized we will not need to by park hoppers for everyday we are there in the future. We loved just being at our resort (BLT) and in the future we will make sure we have at least 2-3 days to do anything but parks. We enjoyed the parks but there is so much more to WDW.

 

[DVCAmy]

We still are pretty park focused on our trips but find that each trip we relax more and more. We don't worry about any event or park and always stay flexible enough to change plans based on what everyone wants to do. The men play golf 1 day, the women go to the spa, we use the hotel pool more during the day and nothing is a must do. We can always do it next trip. To me it feels more like a vacation this way. I love it and as the family planner it makes my job easier each time.

Amy

 

[Presley]

I am much more relaxed about how we do things. Normally, I will have one thing that I want to do like watch a show or eat in a certain place. Other than that, I just go with the flow.

Having the membership also helps when new rides come out. If the wait is too long, I know for sure that I will be back some day, so I don't waste any time to see something I can see a year later or whenever.