For those who are not morning people for the parks, I need your help.

[Nebraska_Disney]

I read too fast sometimes, I read this as for those who are not mooning people in the parks

Reply of the year and made me laugh out loud......I sure hope you are not MOONING people in the parks!

 

[LSUmiss]

I'm even thinking we should maybe take turns with one day as rope drop and the next day whenever mom wants to start. That would be another approach.

I'm really not locked into one way. I do think it would be easier on everyone to probably have the same start time each day.

Maybe, mom will be happy to stay back and join us later.

I may even talk to our daughter first about it all and get some input from my granddaughter's mom. They live very close to one another.

I asked if she sleeps late b/c she stays up late usually b/c it may take care of itself. She many be so tired after the first day that she goes to sleep earlier & is up earlier.

 

[OhhBother]

In response to how much do I “have to do” to get value from my Disney trip: On more than one occasion, we’ve gone to Disney for a week and not set foot in the parks. We enjoy the resort amenities and just relaxing.

My DH and I just got back from a trip last week. On some days, we didn’t even use all three of our FPs. We enjoyed relaxing,the Christmas vibe and great meals. Most importantly, we enjoyed being able to spend time with one another without the distraction of our demanding jobs, etc.

I know this type of touring probably seems shocking to some people. But it works for us. And on trips when we’re taking a larger group of family or friends, we build our schedule around their wants and needs. We go to Disney 3-4 times a year. For some of the folks who go with us, it’s one and done. So I want them to have a great vacation on their terms. That might mean rope drop, or it might mean nighttime EMH. The joy for us is seeing our friends and family experience Disney magic as they choose to experience it.

 

[J and R's mom]

BACKGROUND:

• We have two DD (now ages 14 and 13). They have been going with us to WDW (at least once a year, if not more) since the youngest was 1 year old. And BOY have our touring strategies changed over that time!

• DH and I are NOT early morning people by nature. Never have been. Neither are our DDs (not now anyway--being teenagers and all). Yes. We all get up early for school and work....blah, blah, blah...but when given a chance, we will try to sleep in some (ESPECIALLY on vacation...even a DISNEY vacation ).

• We have done Rope Drop a few times over the years with the girls. None of us choose that option now nor have we ever felt the value of it out-weighed the cost for our family . We tended to poop out way too early in the day...not to mention the case of the crankies that came our way...When we found ourselves pushing two sleeping kids around the park in strollers, we knew it was time to re-think our strategy.

• To be fair, we tend to arrive at the parks between 9:00am-10:00am (so that may still fall under "early risers" for some...including your granddaughter...).

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION:

• YES! There is MUCH magic and to be found even if you arrive at the parks in the afternoon! Realizing this SAVED our WDW trips for our family. We LOVE having a more laid-back and relaxed approach...and FP+ and ADRs help A LOT with this.

• Your great-grandkids (and grandkids) WILL NOT KNOW what they are "missing"...so it WILL NOT MATTER if they miss something this time around...even if it is their one and only time to go to Disney. What counts the most is that they enjoy the attractions and little things that they DO experience. If that means only three FPs a day (which it won't...you WILL be able to do way more attractions and parades and shows and street performances than that), that will be okay. We learned early on that unexpected things come up but made the best memories. For example, my then 8yr old entered herself in the resort pool's hula-hoop contest while DH and I watched from the lounge chairs. Little did I know she was such a good hula-hooper (I CANNOT get that darn thing to go around me more that two times in a row). She ended up WINNING the contest. She had SO MUCH FUN and it's still one of her favorite memories. The kicker is...we were NOT "SCHEDULED" to be at the pool at that time and certainly not for that long. But we went with it and are VERY glad we did.

• There are SO MANY things to do around the resorts as well. Many offer marshmallow roasting, Movies Under the Stars, and fireworks viewing. One would think that watching a movie that they have seen a DOZEN times already would hold NO interest to my kiddos. BUT...something about watching that same movie outside at a Disney resort is something they LOVE to do. (Disclaimer here---they sometimes only watch around 30mins of the movie before wanting to do something else...but still...)

• Be prepared for the possibility (probability most likely) that what you THINK the great-grand kids will like or want to do...may turn out to be something they have no interest in at all (my youngest HATES fireworks--and Disney is when we first realized that--not fun times). And neither of them wanted to ride Dumbo. They loved Triceratops Spin (AK) and Aladdin's Carpet ride (MK). Go figure. But no Dumbo for them. And DO NOT underestimate the importance of POOL TIME to 5 year olds (assuming the weather is reasonable). You might have a revolt on your hands if they do not get to visit the pool several times on the trip.

• Be prepared for the unexpected and then be flexible enough to GO WITH IT. About three years ago I had our evening MK plans all mapped out. As we entered MK and proceeded down Main Street to our destinations, the girls spotted some kids staring at something in the store windows. Upon further inspection (and inquiries from me), we learned about the Sorcerer's scavenger hunt thing around MK. They both really wanted to do it...BUT I had PLANS...However, they won. Country Bear Jamboree and my other "plans" could wait. They had a really good time and I'm glad we did it. It made us stop and see things we had never really paid attention to before.

• YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. PERIOD. But you can still have a good trip. And she might even surprise you...and herself...once she gets there.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm just curious, how does she sleep so late with two little kids? Don't they get up for school? Or is it just because it is vacation

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

I have 2 teenagers and we've been to Disney many times. We are not morning people but are late people. We rarely get to the parks prior to noon and we have a great time. We do stay until closing most of the time and we grab lunch on our way to the park. I realize this isn't ideal for most but for us it works best. In my opinion it's a vacation for everyone so sleeping in is part of relaxing for my kids since they have to be up early for school all of the time. We've also been to Disney enough that we don't feel the need to do everything every single day. Our trips are also a week long so we hit some of the parks twice and go to the beach one day. We love going to the special events like parties, smaller crowds and it's open late. I've never even seen a rope drop and we still accomplish everything we want to do.

 

[mom2rtk]

@Bete, I'm curious when you say the granddaughter is used to sleeping late, how late is that? I can't imagine a stay at home mom to 2 young children being able to sleep all that late every day.

 

[Bete]

She might get up for fixing cereal for everyone and then it's back to bed for a morning nap. She has two brothers, who are close by, that babysit quite a lot. They are both single. They do odd jobs; so, their schedules are flexible.

@Bete, I'm curious when you say the granddaughter is used to sleeping late, how late is that? I can't imagine a stay at home mom to 2 young children being able to sleep all that late every day.

 

[Southernmiss]

She might get up for fixing cereal for everyone and then it's back to bed for a morning nap. She has two brothers, who are close by, that babysit quite a lot. They are both single. They do odd jobs; so, their schedules are flexible.

Is she a night owl by nature?

 

[Allison]

Honestly, I don't see this as a good idea for your family. You clearly don't agree with some aspects of how your granddaughter does things. This sounds like it could be a disaster.

Good luck with it all. I wish you the best.

 

[dreiwhit]

My wife and daughter are night owls, and my son and I are morning persons.

While at Disney, my wife and daughter get up early and we get to the parks at RD. My son and I will stay out later as well.

It makes for long days, but we get everything we want done, and then some!

 

[mjkacmom]

Personally don't see any problem with sitting around the resort in the am and relaxing and maybe having a swim, have a big lunch and then put the kids down for a nap and then hit the parks. Choose FPs for the attractions that are most important, wing the rest and don't plan on a big sit down dinner to take up your time. You won't be able to go on every attraction but the good thing is you will be able to stay later and enjoy the night time attractions such as fireworks. Sometimes it's nice to just go with the flow, walk around and take in the sights, and have the kids do some activities like the Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot for example.

Why in the world would 5/6 year olds need a nap after spending a morning at the pool? On our last trip, we rope dropped every morning, and our almost 5 year olds didn’t nap at all. Most kids are done napping by 3.

 

[mombrontrent]

Why in the world would 5/6 year olds need a nap after spending a morning at the pool? On our last trip, we rope dropped every morning, and our almost 5 year olds didn’t nap at all. Most kids are done napping by 3.

Exactly, my son napped until ages two, my girls were three. Even at Disney after age 4 we never did strollers either so there was no snoozing in the stroller and my kids could make it until after the fireworks with no nap.
But we also don’t wake up at the crack of dawn to hit rope drop.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think the trip could work as long as there were no pre-set expectations. Not easy to do on a Disney trip. You would really have to just take each day as it comes and see what happens. Maybe even start off with a minimal number of ticket days and add as you go.

 

[KittyKitty]

We are early bird ppl too. We have a hard time waiting for ppl to get up and get ready. My mind is thinking,"I'm missing the best time at the park". So I finally decided we would go to the parks when we are ready, and meet up with them when they get to the park. It may mean FPs are later in the day, but can at least go on rides that they may not like. The parents may want to stay later than you, and that's ok too. You can go back to resort and relax, or hang out with your Great Grandson.

I don't see if you are staying onsite or not. If not, then get 2 cars to travel to WDW.

AND Have a wonderful time!

 

[lancermom]

Okay, let's go another way. Knowing you are doing a Disney World trip are you satisfied to just get your three fastpasses done in a day or do you expect to do more? Forget about the time of day you are there. How much park time is enough for you to consider you had a successful Disney vacation? I have never gone to Disney with the idea of just being at the resort most of the day. I prefer going some place else if that's the case. I can understand having some downtime, but not all week.

I do appreciate everyone's insights. I can tell it's hard to find a middle ground, here.

I actually just started another thread asking everyone to vote when they first arrive to a Disney park. You may want to cast your vote. Thank-you.

For my family, a successful Disney vacation (or any vacation for that matter), is one where everyone enjoyed themselves. Simple. We don't measure that in hours, time in a park, money spent, etc. There is no number attached to it. Our vacations are not regimented, we don't keep schedules (unless we are on a cruise or other vacation, and have a tour scheduled). We make sure everyone gets a say in what we want to do. That is how we create a successful vacation.

It's not hard to find a middle ground, you just have to want to do so. You haven't even asked the woman if she wants a trip (and I would not want one with strings attached or a pricetag held over my head), and you are already assuming she will make a mess of things.

 

[Sparkly]

For my family, a successful Disney vacation (or any vacation for that matter), is one where everyone enjoyed themselves. Simple. We don't measure that in hours, time in a park, money spent, etc. There is no number attached to it. Our vacations are not regimented, we don't keep schedules (unless we are on a cruise or other vacation, and have a tour scheduled). We make sure everyone gets a say in what we want to do. That is how we create a successful vacation.

It's not hard to find a middle ground, you just have to want to do so. You haven't even asked the woman if she wants a trip (and I would not want one with strings attached or a pricetag held over my head), and you are already assuming she will make a mess of things.

Hear hear! My favourite Disney trips have been ones where we relaxed and enjoyed the moment, and getting to enjoy the beautiful Disney resort we're staying at too.

 

[Bete]

I'm listening. I will get my laid back hat to wear on this trip.

A few wonderful moments are better than none.

 

[Jules76126]

I totally feel you. We like to hit the parks in the morning, head back to the resort around lunchtime and swim and then back in the evening. One time we went with a group that arrived after 11 to 12 every day. I hated It. Felt like we were missing out on so much. Agreeed that I would not do disney that way in the future. However i went to disney many time as a kid with my Nana and i have fabulous memories of those trips that i would not change for the world. Luckily she is still with us so hopefully we can do another trip in the future.

 

[figmentedfollies]

I'm even thinking we should maybe take turns with one day as rope drop and the next day whenever mom wants to start. That would be another approach.

I'm really not locked into one way. I do think it would be easier on everyone to probably have the same start time each day.

Maybe, mom will be happy to stay back and join us later.

I may even talk to our daughter first about it all and get some input from my granddaughter's mom. They live very close to one another.

Alternating is definitely a great strategy and if you can talk to your daughter to get some ideas on how to broach the subject and/or research on what would be a successful compromise for everyone involved.

Would making a breakfast ADR be of any use? Sometimes it's a lot easier (for me) to know that I have an event such as a meal to get me up and going in the morning.