Does anyone else sleep in at Disney???

[aal]

I would prefer to sleep late, but when WDW has crowds, it is so much better to get to the park at opening. We tried it both ways last week. We were tired from traveling so we slept in our first full day, and then spent a lot of time in line. The next three mornings we were at the parks at or near opening and it made a huge difference in what we were able to do. The only way the early plan works for us is to leave the park by 1:30 for an afternoon break -- I'm happy to leave those crowds behind!

 

[mdoc]

Not us. We like to get to the parks at opening - we get more accomplished that way. There may be one day of a disney vacation when we sleep in, but it's usually a non-park day when we're hanging out at Fort Wilderness. We're used to getting up early and don't want to get out of the routine.

 

[dizluvr71]

We are late starters. Partly because we are from the west coast and getting the kids to adjust to the time change is hard. We usually arrive at the parks around 10 to 11 and we usually let the kids dictate when it is time to head back. We've never been to a park at opening, though next trip DH and I might squeeze one morning with just the two of us and let the kids sleep. At least then I can say I have been.

 

[anitame]

We are also West Coasters. There's no way I'm getting up at 4am my time to be in the parks at opening. We do much better heading in around lunch time and staying until closing. We also go in May so huge crowds aren't a big factor.

 

[Sleepy]

Geez, what type of jobs do some of you have that you can schedule 10 day to two week vacations? We're lucky to wiggle 4-5 day vacations, often tacked onto a weekend! Just like to know where I sign up for such jobs!

Your local military recruiting office. However, those vacations are few and far between due to deployments, etc. (this will be our first in 5 years). We make the best of it and go all out when we get the chance.

 

[Ghost]

I have a very good bed at home, if I want to sleep I'll stay at home

Personal opinion of course. The thing is that I come all the way from Belgium and am addicted to Disney. I want to see the parks and the Disney Magic, sleeping in is missing hours at the magic... Once I come home from a Disney trip I can sleep in at home to catch up on lost sleep....

Paying all that money to be at the world and then stay in bed... nah, that I can do at home

(this is a personal opinion so no hate mail please )

 

[eab]

My sister and I slept in every morning except for when we went to breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. We are not morning people. WE sleep in, have coffee or pop in her case, get to the park by 11:00 and we don't leave until it closes. The extra evening hours are better for us than the morning.

 

[ScarletFire]

When at home, my family is out the door by 7am. If I sleep til 8am, I've slept in. By Disney standards, we're early risers. We don't do EMH but we're at the parks by rope drop. The parks in the morings are so nice, clean, and uncrowded.

 

[disneyphanatic1911]

Does anyone else sleep in at Disney???

I don't

 

[SleepingBeauty79]

I am with some of you -sleeping late is part of the vacation - DH would disagree. He is up at 6:00 and usually sitting on the balcony reading a paper by the time my eyes open. We try to get to the parks by nine to make a full day of it but we are not beating the doors down. We also stay seven days so we are not trying to cram lots of things in in a little bit of time.

 

[Lorelai]

Being early to bed & early to rise at home, we pretty much keep the same routine at Disney. At home we're usually up at 6 or 6:30, at Disney we sleep until maybe 7.

We love being in the park during the morning - it is so easy to just casually walk from ride to ride with little or no wait. Then when the crowds start to gather later in the day, we break for lunch and just stroll around and check out some of the less popular (ie: crowded) attractions.

But truthfully, any time of day is a great time to be in the World!

 

[Showe]

we get up early two days out of 10-14 day trip. that is for our trip to MK and Epcot. Otherwise, we get up when we wake up...usually by 9. after all it is vacation.

 

[sara74]

I was a naturally early riser as a kid (and unfortunately it seems my own kids got that gene from me!) On my one trip to WDW as a 12 year old I was so excited I could hardly sleep! And then somehow, my family let me sleep until 10 AM! I cried because I was so disappointed that I had slept several hours later than normal!

So on this trip (28 days!) I am sure if the toddler doesn't wake us at his typical 5:20 then I will have to get up and start making just enough noise to wake him!!! This may sound crazy too, but I can't imagine how the kids would fare getting back into their normal routines after 10 days of sleeping in at Disney - so I hope we'll keep our normal early schedule.

vhoffman - Dentists, we can get away when we want since we both practice in a group/partnership - not with each other- however, it is unpaid vacation, so when I do talk DH into going away I make the most of it!

 

[Nancyg56]

We are early risers, but we didn't try to open the parks. We like top enjoy coffee, and a bite to eat. then hot the road. We did have a little one with us who is a night owl, and a late riser so it would not have been productive to change her routine. We never felt as though we were missing out though, because we enjoyed every minute, and for a Princess' first visit, she was enchanted with all of the magic. We actually were poster children: "How to fail the UG Touring Plans Final Exam."

 

[JulielovesDisney]

We NEVER wake up until 8 or 9. Then we relax and eat a leisurely breakfast and shower. Sometimes we'll eat lunch, then head out to the parks. We'll usually leave the room for the day around 11am or 12pm. We've been to WDW 12 times (13 in August) so we've done everything in the parks already, so there's really no need for us to wake up early and rush to see everything.

 

[Lowillian]

We are early risers. We love the early morning at the resort and the parks. We leave the parks just after lunch to go back and take a nap, then go out again for dinner and EMHs.

 

[LOLA2]

At home we usually rise around 6:30 to get ready for work, though we are not morning people and love to sleep till 8:30 on weekends. Being down at Disney I usually get up at 7:30 hop inthe shower for 10 minutes then wake up husband and he gets ready while I get kids dressed. Usually kids are eating breakfast and we are about to hit the door at 8:30 trying to be at parks around 9:00. I would love to sleep later but I also love the big rides and have come to know over the years if you get to the park at opening you can hit 2-3 big rides with little wait before it gets crowded at 10:00. After 10:00 there are lines that only get longer and longer. My family would rather get up a little earlier than stand in line for an hour. We can usually hit both TOT and RNRC by 9:30 and then are so relieved because we have the big ones out of the way and can slow down and relax at that point. My in-laws hate that I usher them out of the house, but I think I start getting anxiety attacks when it hits 8:30 and they are still sitting there drinking there coffee and I get paraniod about all the hundreds of people they are letting pass us in line by doing that. Yeah I guess I'm commando for the first two hours then I take it easy.

 

[Golliwobbler]

We are early risers. We love the early morning at the resort and the parks. We leave the parks just after lunch to go back and take a nap, then go out again for dinner and EMHs.

Exact-o-mundo...get up an' go! The parks are normally empty and you have your way until 10-10:30...one to two hours of bliss...we did Space Mountain 5 times one morning before anyone showed up.

Then, rather than fighting crowds at mid-day, have lunch and saunter down Main Street (or wherever you are) to get back to the hotel or pool, have a margarita by the pool while the kids play, and get going again around 3 or 3:30 to go to park #2, hit rides and get an early dinner, look for the dinner lull when lines drop, then target the later show and fireworks...

What a lovely day!

 

[dzneelvr]

Ever since the DS and DD turned teens and we moved our weeks to June/July, we definitely adjusted our days and have done the World "upside down" for several years. The schedule works just fine for us and we get to do all the repeats and front of the lines in the hour before the parks close. DH and I still wake up by 8, but we have a leisurely breakfast, read the papers, relax by the pool, etc. kids wake up(usually I'm the alarm clock) by 10 so they can eat and be ready to leave for our park of the day to arrive by noon. We have dining reservations waiting for us around 1:30 and we party until the parks close. Shop a bit and hit the sack around 1am or so. When we went off season, there isn't that much time in the parks so we did get up early and then to bed by 10. I think it's key to find what works for your family and also what allows you to experience the parks in the way you want. For us, it's afternoon and evening--we leave the mornings to the families with small children (been there/done that for many years)

 

[maddhatir]

We did it both ways as well. It really depended on how many Kir Royales were consumed in France the night before

Kir Royales!!! I am with you-- they are YUMMY! I HAVE to stop in france for one.....or two.....it depends on how many times we do "the world showcase loop"!

DH refuses to set an alarm clock when we are on vacation! I would like to get an early start- but i have to compromise-- after all it is HIS vacation too.

However, In sept- i did beg him to do the MK opening with me.....he agreed...oh yeah-- and one more early day honey.......for the EPCOT Segway tour!
so i broke it to him gently that we only have to set our alarm for 2 of the 7 days we are there......

i even got a late flight out (5pm) on our last day- just so he does not to get up too early....