Do parks more leisurely?

[dreamersempire]

I've had this nagging thought lately, and its probably indicative of my age, but here it is. I'm turning 50 in a few weeks, I've been to WDW about a dozen times. Every time I go I seemed to get caught up with going on as many rides as I possibly can. If I can squeeze in one more Soarin or Test Track or Expedition Everest, I seem to feel compelled to go on it.

Then I get back and wonder, why didn't I just spend some time tooling around Epcot, taking pictures or just staring at all the incredible things there. Or why didn't I do the underground tour at Epcot? Now if I go with my family my options are much more limited, but even when I went with people more my age it seems like I do the parks in the same old way.

Anyone else feel that? Or better yet, change your park strategy to be more leisurely?

 

[bitohoney]

I guess it all depends on how long I'm there or when I went last. I like to have 2 days per park which gives me plenty of time to sit on a bench and have a snack and people watch, and still do almost every attraction.

 

[wdwmickey]

I did this on my trip in March. My girls HS music department went and of course they chose to go the week before Easter. So I planned for crazy crowds (which I never saw except at late EMH in DHS) yes it was crowded,but, managble with a plan. Anyway, I had 4 days to myself and I just went at a leisurely pace, saw what I wanted stopped to take pictures etc. I had the most wonderful time--I watched the Dapper Dans, the Main Street Philharmonic Marching band, the early morning performance of the "Trolley Song" dancers, went to all of the films in World showcase, enjoyed people watching, etc In fact my laid back attitude rubbed off on my teens and they even slowed down and enjoyed the extra Disney magic that isn't found on the rides. While we were waiting for Spectromagic my 16 year old DD spent that time entertaining the children sitting next to us and giving their mom "tips" on what she thought the kids would enjoy. And both girls decided to get their hair cut at the barbershop (best haircut they've gotten in a long time ). So long story short--we loved taking a more laid back approch to touring, but, most days we still arrived by rope drop & took an afternoon break.

 

[LindaR]

Our "strategy" depends on the time of year we go. If we go during a busy time (say....spring break/Easter week) we don't want to stand in long lines (especially when we've been and just walked on a ride with no wait) so we just do the parks in the early morning and then leave by 11 (when the mass crowds are entering!) and go do stuff like mini-golf, or spa treatments, or sunbathe by the pool, or go off-site.

We like to change it up a bit. Keeps the desire to go to the parks high. For example, we are leaving in a month. We haven't been to WDW since Jan 08. (Jan 09 was a trip to Paris, including DLP). Well, we are anxious to "revisit" everything, so that means more time in the parks than usual.

I know people who tour "commando" each and every time they go. I guess its just what you WANT to do......and what makes you happy

 

[PictureJumpr]

My abrupt (and now permanent) shift from park commando to leisure lover came when my then-boyfriend declined to join me on a trip.

Me: Why don't you want to go? It'll be a lot of fun, you'll love it!
Him: Really? Because you don't seem to love it. You come home more tired, stressed, grumpy, generally p-ed off than when you leave. This is a vacation?

Talk about your personal epiphanies. He was right.

He's not around any more, but there are still no more park commando gotta-get-to-the-fastpass-line, up for rope drop, go-go-go-GO WDW trips for me.

And it's sooooo much better.

I think it's easier to become a leisure lover at WDW when you are an unattached/childless adult (like me), or a childless couple, or a more mature family (as in, no little kids and no just-starting-out financial issues). At this point, I couldn't care less if I ride something or how many times - because I know I am coming right back when I get ready to and can do it then. I can sit on a bench facing the castle at 1 in the morning during EMH and eat my dole whip in peace, without calculating how many more rides I can get in before they throw me out of the park at 3am. I can stop and take or sketch pictures of something I find interesting without fretting over missing the 3:15 show or hovering at the FP entrance to turn mine in at the dot of 5:05. I can sit and have a drink in a resort bar without obsessing over what I could be doing if I was in the park right then. I take tours - the very bane of the commando (the lost park hours! the horror! ).

I purposely travel to WDW in off-peak times, so I don't think twice about crowd level ratings or FP return times. One of the last trips I was on (November 2009) I didn't pull a single fastpass the whole 8 days I was there. Not because I was boycotting, but because I was just wandering around and didn't really care if I had to wait in a 10-minute line to get on something.

 

[trekker93]

I am in the minority in my family because they like to "power" through the areas and take on as may rides as possible. I have reached the point where i don't do as many rides and get more enjoyment out of taking pictures, talking to other people, shopping at Epcot, etc..There just comes a time when you realize how lucky you are to be down there and to just take it in every day!

 

[palavra]

I'm right there with you! While I really enjoyed our week long Thanksgiving trip this past year, it did seem that we were rushing round too much. Since it was our first trip to all four parks, we wanted to make sure we saw and did certain things. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I look forward to going back and taking things much more slowly.

 

[shalom]

I'm turning 50 in a few weeks,

It's early, so let me be the first to welcome to the half century mark.

If I can squeeze in one more Soarin or Test Track or Expedition Everest, I seem to feel compelled to go on it.

Why do you feel compelled? Is it because you know you'll enjoy it, or is it the "last chance, so I'm going to do it" kind of mentality? Because feeling a bit driven to do things you love is one thing, it's a form of motivation that gets you going in the right direction, but feeling driven to do things because you "have" to is just another form of guilt. Is it that you need that extra push any more, or is it that you're trying to conform to a self image that isn't "you" anymore?

Then I get back and wonder, why didn't I just spend some time tooling around Epcot, taking pictures or just staring at all the incredible things there. Or why didn't I do the underground tour at Epcot?

For some people, commando style is all about "What if I miss something good?" So maybe you're just starting to direct those commando energies in a slightly different direction. It may be you're not enjoying the same things as much, or it may be you're just starting to recognize you're missing out on something else, or maybe it's a combination of the two. IMHO, you should honor those wonderings and try a slower pace for a day or two, or a park or two, or whatever fits your schedule.

Maybe for part of one day you could deliberately plan to see some more show-like things, like the trolley parade on Main Street or Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial in Adventureland. See how it works for you. Problem with that approach, of course, is that you might end up with a whole list of live events you want to check out, and instead of racing from one side of the park to the other for rides, you're racing from one side of the park to the other for events.

Or you could just deliberately not do any ride for an hour and just wander the park and see how that goes. You may discover that slowing down isn't for you, but you'll never know until you give it a shot.

 

[MNTwinsMom]

One suggestion for slowing down is to look around for Hidden Mickey's or other "secrets". I recently bought the book "Hidden Secrets of WDW" and would love to spend several days touring the parks looking at all the things described in the book. If you don't want to buy a book there is a thread on the boards somewhere for "your best secret".

Another suggestion is to do your "must dos" right away in the morning then spend your afternoon or evening back in the parks but make the effort to do the lesser known attractions or just tour the gardens, shops and other areas (countries in WS, Main Street, Streets of America at DHS) you usually cruise by on your way to the next attraction.

 

[vettechick99]

First off, PictureJumpr, you are an excellent writer! I very much enjoyed your post.

Now, to the OP. Welcome to the club! You have finally realized what very few do: Disney is better experienced at a leisurely pace.

We learned to take it easy before we had DD and that has helped us be better Disney parents. We don't push our daughter to do too much, stay up too late, or go on rides that might not suit her. By doing that, we all have a nice time. But we do see a whole lot less. In fact, when we went to Epcot last March afternoon we did exactly one ride: Spaceship Earth. We ended up walking around the WS, getting some food, and just enjoying the atmosphere. Stayed about 2 or 3 hours tops. Some people might have freaked out over that, but we know we'll be back. At least if I have anything to do with it.

Now it does help if you book a lengthier vacation. We are going for 7 nights this next trip and I know going in that if I make it to each park only once, I'll be ok with that.

Happy early Birthday!

 

[iluvhawaii]

Seems that folks either see themselves as commando or leisurely. I think you can combine them--it's not an either/or. We do parks in a somewhat commando-style in the am. There for rope drop w/ strategy for fastpasses to get the most thrill rides and must-do's in. Then, usually during lunch, we decide if there's anything else we "have" to do that afternoon/evening. Maybe we grab another fastpass and then twiddle some time away waiting for the time to pass. Maybe we just hang out and ride any ride that doesn't have a long queue. Maybe we go back to the resort for some pool time. The key is that leisurely doesn't mean aimlessly. We still have a plan (though it is a little looser and flexible) so we never feel like we're "wasting" time. You may not be able to just "let it happen" without planning because something will always fill the space. But you can make a plan to spend additional time at WS for example (maybe while you're waiting with your Soarin fastpass in hand). Maybe you'll surprise yourself, like we did, and find that you're having such a nice time that you're willing to give up your fastpass to continue your stroll. Or maybe not, and you'll discover you ARE much happier rushing to fit in more rides. Either way, there's no right or wrong way to do it--it's all good. It's easy to look back and want to change things in hindsight. The key is, while you were doing it, did you enjoy it? Was it fun? If so, allow yourself to do it whatever way you want and don't have any regrets about it later...

 

[Taja]

I grew up at Disneyland during the era of ticket books, so my touring style tends to be a bit more leisurely. We always went to the park from opening (8 a.m.) until closing (midnight or 1 a.m.), so our tickets had to last the entire day! *LOL* That taught me a lot about actually enjoying the atmosphere and not just concentrating on the attractions!

That said, sometimes I semi-commando the WDW parks, getting in favourite or new attractions as early as possible, then slowing down later in the day--or on subsequent visits to the same park. We usually visit WDW for 10 or 11 nights--it just isn't worth traveling for a much shorter visit from the western US. We have to schedule a full travel day on both ends of our WDW visit.

 

[Micca]

I was the commando tourist so many times until I felt assured I'd be returning many, many times. When DW finally agreed to DVC I knew I would be fine. I'm ok now because WDW is literally our 2nd home.

 

[dd50]

I always like to go through the parks leisurely. I like the whole experience not just rides. I like to look at different things and seems I always see something that I never saw before. My teens on the other hand want to go from one side to the other and back again. Now we all have cell phones. If I don't get to do something I think that there is always next time. I do enjoy getting there at rope drop tho but I don't struggle getting up.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I am a leisure, relaxed visitor. My trips are almost all solo, though do meet up with folks from here while there. My last two trips I did hardly any rides, but thoroughly enjoyed myself. ON my trip coming up next week, 7 days, all I have planned so far is one night at La Nouba and one tour.

 

[lustergirl]

As each trip passes and a new one trip comes along we slow down and enjoy leisure time more often. I like to see by the pool and have a nice margarita and enjoy people watching.

 

[Doc CW]

We've taken it more leisurely on our recent trips. We dont get up early, we get up when we get up, we sometimes dont go into a park and just hangout at the resort enjoying the amenities. It is much more enjoyable for us to do this and we enjoy it much more just relaxing than to go commando and run to everything like we used to.

 

[wdw71]

We were more laid back last year and it was the best trip ever!!! We did get up early everyday but we did not run from attraction to attraction and we did take a break everyday heading back to the parks at night. It was great for my husband and myself and the kids were better for it. We took the attitude "we will be back" and we came home feeling more relaxed rather than needing a vacation after our vacation like we usually do.

 

[dreamersempire]

There were so many good responses in here I don't know where to start. Thanks for the good suggestions and helping examine why I'm feeling that way. A few of you ended up there alone and that sounds like a great way to do it exactly like you want to.

 

[sharadoc]

We've always been pretty laid back, but we're going to try to be a little more scheduled next time. We found that we missed some things we wanted to do because we "wandered" a lot. We still have a great time doing that, but we want to try having a basic outline/list of everything we want to do.

We're fine with either way, but we're working on finding the best of both worlds that works for us.