do you really have to get there first thing?

[disneyvirgins05]

everything I have read says to get there first thing but I know my dh will want to sleep in. He is on vacation so why wouldn't he? is this OK to get a late start or will I be burning myself as far as lines go etc.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It depends on what you want to do and when you are going. If you are going at a busy time and you plan to do it all, you will wind up standing in a lot of lines for a long time. By going first thing in the morning, you can ride Space Mt two or three times before the line gets too long. If you want to go on the slow loading rides like Dumbo, Peter Pan, etc, sleeping late will make these next to impossible during the summer months or around holidays. You could always make plans to meet up a bit later if you want to hit the parks running and he wants to sleep in a bit later.

 

[TDC Nala]

What time of year are you going?

Are you bringing kids? How old?

Are you a "park commando" or do you mind laid-back touring?

Staying on-site? Can you attend the evening magic hours?

 

[Mickeyhugger]

There's nothing wrong with your DH wanting to sleep late (sounds just like my DH, LOL!) However, WDW is not really a 'relaxing' vacation. (It's another extreme, it's energetic fast-paced fun.)

Yes, you do need to arrive first thing. (Unless you're going a slower time of year, i.e. November, January, first part of December.) If you must travel busier times of year, try to incorporate one (or more) 'rest days' into your itinerary so your family may 'sleep in.'

 

[disneyvirgins05]

my kids are 2 and 6 and we are staying @ animal kingdom. we want to sleep in, or at least my husband does. we would like to get to all we want to but not get up early. i heard animal kingdom is super far away from everything, especially magic kingdom.

 

[TDC Nala]

You'll want to do early mornings at MK with kids that age, especially at busy times. Fantasyland gets huge lines early and they last pretty much all day.

 

[lovethattink]

I have 2 night owls in my family. We've gone to the parks after a fairly late start. They just know that if they choose to sleep late, then they won't get to ride as many attractions. Using fast pass is a must, but during busy times, even the fast passes can all be handed out by noon. During slow times, arriving late isn't as bad. Once you get to the park, check the tips boards and head to whichever area has the least lines.

 

[cindy_k]

Its about a 15-20 minute bus ride to get to Magic Kingdom(MK) from AKL. And with MK, your best way to get there is the resort bus. (otherwise if you drive you have to go through the Ticket and Transportation Center and it takes longer.)

However I think MK is the one park where using Early Entry or being there when the gates open, really pays off.
If you have Young kids and you want to ride the rides in Fantasy Land without waiting on 30 minute to an Hour lines you really need to get there before the park opens. An Extra Magic Hour morning is perfect. You can go in and out of all the rides in Fantasy Land (Dumbo, Snow White, Peter Pan, Small World, Pooh, etc) in an 1 hour and a 1/2. Otherwise it can take hours to do the same rides.

Perhaps you can make a deal with your husband that you will only wake up early on the day you wish to go to Magic Kingdom.

I think with little kids, and the other parks (MGM, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT) it doesn't matter as much for Early mornings. At those parks its the thrill rides that gets people running in at 8:00am.

Have a good trip!
Cindy in NY

 

[disneyvirgins05]

small world and dumbo are both closed while we are there which is a bummer but now maybe worth it to sleep in?

 

[DisneyDar]

There's nothing wrong with your DH wanting to sleep late (sounds just like my DH, LOL!) However, WDW is not really a 'relaxing' vacation. (It's another extreme, it's energetic fast-paced fun.)

Yes, you do need to arrive first thing. (Unless you're going a slower time of year, i.e. November, January, first part of December.) If you must travel busier times of year, try to incorporate one (or more) 'rest days' into your itinerary so your family may 'sleep in.'

Disagree. You don't need to arrive first thing unless you are up for burning yourself out quickly. Vacation is all about enjoyment, not driving yourself crazy running around making sure you've seen it all. Read your guidebooks, and pace yourselves. Trust me, it is more enjoyable all the way around.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you're going to sleep in daily, try using fastpass for rides like Pooh and Peter Pan and visiting MK on weekdays (Tues-Thurs). If the kids can stay up, try the extra magic evening at MK.

I don't think you need to worry about any parks except MK unless it's peak season.

 

[cindy_k]

small world and dumbo are both closed while we are there which is a bummer but now maybe worth it to sleep in?

Oh he really doesn't like waking up. Sounds like my son.

Here's what's normally open during Extra Magic Hour mornings at MK:
Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Mad Tea Party
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan's Flight
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Space Mountain
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway

Disney will normally substitute other rides for these if one or two is down for rehab.
Check this website for which mornings EMH is running and other great Info: http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/emhour.htm

Have a good trip!
Cindy in NY

 

[Dopey Sharon]

If you and the kids don't want to sleep in, tell him which park you're going to and have him meet you there.

 

[debbiedoo]

You are on vacation!!! Sleep in and make the most of it!!!

 

[scoutsmom99]

I used to feel like I had to wake up and do everything on Disney vacations, but my last couple of trips I have really relaxed and started sleeping in and getting to the parks around 11:00 or so and it has been grand and very relaxing. If I don't get to something during a specfic trip I will just save it for next time. I know not everyone can make frequent trips to WDW...so I would look at a Guidebook and decide on some must do/sees at each park and do those. Depending what time of year your travel is in it can be very stressful to do it all...so I say sleep in You don't want to have to take a vacation from your vacation. Also I stayed at AKL in Oct and I did not think/feel it was that far away from everything! I would say MK was about a 20min ride.

 

[nataliesdaddy]

yeah I would say you should get there first thing - especially with little ones -but then it depends on when you go - if it is off season then go whenever - if it is a high time like xmas or easter then yeah you want to be there first first thing because it will be a zoo by noonish - at which time you can leave and take naps or go swim or whatever.

It would be nice if we could do Disney at a more relaxed pace - but if your kid wants to get a bunch done then you will need to be there early - My kid loves thrill rides now and some of the thrill rides will have fastpass times of 8 that evening by 11 and be entirely sold out by noon (depends on season and day)

But since you have a 6 year old - if you want to sleep in then do the character thing with your kids - you can meet the characters all over the place like chef mickeys, crystal palace, etc. And the kids will love that !! My daughter was 6 the first I took her to WDW and we had no plan - that was ok because she just wanted to get autographs and pictures of her with everyone - which is a good thing because the lines were very very long (went for xmas).

There is a great show over at AK. Pocahontas, great show - kids get preferential seating in front. IF you are one of the first two families there... or first two kids there then your 6 year old may be taken back stage before the show and get to meet the animals and meet pocahontas and then they get to introduce the show (my kid and the other kid that got to do this were in hog heaven!!) And Camp Minnie MIckey (or whatever it is called) is over at AK also.

Also at the MK there is a show with Belle from Beauty and the Beast that a lot of people don't know about. You have to check the times when you get to the park - but Belle will "read" the kids the beauty and the beast story and the kids get to participate in the play. Kind of lame for an older kid like 12 but for a 6 year old its perfect.

Lots of good things you can do if you show up late in the day - just don't show up late to the show!!

 

[Connor&Cody'sMom]

We like to get up early when we are at WDW. We just like getting the early start and beating the crowds. We get to eat breakfast before the resturants get packed (we would be eating by 7:30), get on the buses before there are lines, and getting to the parks and riding several rides before things start picking up. We noticed rides like Splash Mountain, Space Mountain have 5/10/15 minutes waits when we arrive early, but a couple hours later the wait would be 75 minutes. You just get a lot more fit into your day. After lunch when the parks would get crowded, we'd go back to our hotel for a break, then head to our PS for an early dinner. We were always in bed by 10 so we could be up in the morning again. That's just the way we like to spend our WDW vacation. Everyone is different.

 

[232271]

some great advice from all. My hubby just said maybe we should skip Early Mornings, but we are going Easter week!! So thanks to you I am going to convince him (after he reads your thoughts) that doing this would be a huge mistake.

happy days all!!

 

[happyatdisney]

My thoughts about whether you really need to get there early depend on your family's "style". Will you all be upset if you miss seeing things that are important to you? If you are there when it is hot, will standing in line for a long time cause your family (little ones) to melt down? Or, are you a "take it as it comes" kind of group? Reading the responses to your post, you can see there are "different strokes for different folks"!

My family has been a get up and go early family. Our first visit was when my DD was 7, and it was in June. She (and we ) had a long list of things we wanted to see, and we knew if we wanted to get them done, we had to go early. Plus, DH hates the hot, humid weather, so we wanted to be done at the park by lunch, and be back at the resort for pool/relax time in the afternoon. Also, my DD did not do well later at night, so our time to do rides etc. late in the evening was limited.


Now, she is a teenager, and getting up early is a challenge Our last visit was during Christmas week, and we knew again that if we wanted to do anything at all we had to get there early. We did not always succeed this time, but that was ok, since we as a family had much lower expectations. Sleeping in was a trade-off that was worth it to us.

In short, if your expectations are to get tons of things done, and your family will be upset if you don't, then you may need to get up early on at least a few days. If you don't mind missing out on some things, then by all means, take it slow, and enjoy!
Either way, you will love your first trip!

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

It depends on when you're going. I went the week before Thanksgiving and we got to the parks at about 10:00 every day. It was GREAT. The crowds weren't bad at all.