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

[kittyab]

I would go with separate schedules. Maybe have dome dining reservations together. You can spend lots of time together at the resort & Disney Springs. I am not a crack of dawn person myself but by 8 am I am in the shower getting ready to go. But I don't expect other people to be on my schedule.

 

[kittyab]

I was raised to get value and that includes vacation. If you want to sleep in then stay home and do it. I want to share this experience with the great grandkids, but if there's going to be poor value doing the trip then I start thinking about college funds and such. We can do another outing that may not be as great, but at least then the extra money saved could go towards their college funds. I can have special memories with the great grandkids in other places besides Disney World. I still very much want to bring them to Disney World, but not to go there and sleep all day. It's only a week; so, what's the big deal with mom getting to the parks earlier? I really believe it's mom standing in our way to getting to the parks early. The great grandkids will want mom there; so, it's not up to them, either. Of course, I want the great grandkids to see as much as possible. Getting to the parks late will hinder that goal. There are 6 of us on this trip and I would say it's only mom that wants to get up late, but in this case she would trump us all.

Most people here would agree that the best value of doing Disney is to be in the parks early. I'm in that group and that's why I'm having a tough time here. I'm convinced we need a family discussion. Maybe, it won't be as bad as I think.

What I'm trying to accomplish here is get the non-rope droppers to chime in that they manage to get good value and how they do it. I don't see us ever being in the park pass 9 pm even with an afternoon nap.

We dont do rope drop. We use fast passes, and when it gets later on in the park we will try to get on some rides.

 

[North of Mouse]

We will have discussions about a Disney trip. My biggest fear is a late morning start and quitting late afternoons at the parks. Then, our window of opportunity will be the afternoon only in the parks. Not sure it's worth it under those circumstances. In that case, I think we will be better off going somewhere else. It will be up to them to decide. I just want honest answers on their part as to whether they can handle a Disney trip. It's not for everyone. Our granddaughter has been there as a teenager; so, she should be able to decide whether or not she wants to do it.

I'm going into this with an open mind, but it might not be enough. The dynamics are really tough, here. Some people are just more passive and a homebody.

Agree totally!

 

[married2mm]

I am not a morning person at all
But in wdw I transform with magical super powers and rd is where I want to be

This is a total 180 from our first few trips..
Happily rolled up in the afternoon
Happily stood in long lines
Didn't know what we were missing & loved every second of just soaking in the magic.

 

[Colleen27]

I think you're probably worrying more than you need to. A couple of 5yos at Disney World aren't going to let Mom sleep in! Been there, done that!

That said... My older two are teens/young adults now so we've REALLY gotten away from rope drop-based strategies. FP+ was built for this! It is so nice to be able to roll into the parks with no morning drama, knowing that we've got ride times already set for the most potentially problematic rides. I'm working on the FP booking plan for our next trip and most days look like this: DD9 & I get up when we get up, which will probably involve at least one rope drop and one early character breakfast. DS20, his SO, and DD16 catch up with us in time for our lunch ADR, usually around 11:30. All our FPs are for between lunch and dinner. Then we have a nice meal, catch the evening shows, and do lower demand attractions. We're also hitting a couple of evening EMH and maybe a Disney After Hours night to get more night-owl time in the parks.

This has the potential to work out even better for you, because your g-grands are likely too young or too small for at least some of the headliners. For us, there are some tougher choices - RnR or TSM, for example - but when the kids were 5 that would have been a no-brainer because two of the three were either too short or too scared for RnR at 5.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Will your family joining you fly in from another time zone? This could help lessen the blow of the early mornings?

If they are coming from any other time zone in the USA, the early mornings will feel even earlier for them. For example, 7AM on the east coast is 4AM on the west coast.

 

[Aflyingbuttress]

Thanks, Aflyingbuttress, for having my back. You got what I was trying to say.

BTW, we surprised my parents with the cruise on Christmas Eve. My mom and dad both cried. It was an incredible moment. We then spent part of Christmas Day planning out excursions and activities. Can't wait til April 22 when we fly to Rome!

That sounds lovely. How exciting. My husband and I were just talking about taking my parents on a cruise. It sounds great.

 

[rdaky]

We will have discussions about a Disney trip. My biggest fear is a late morning start and quitting late afternoons at the parks. Then, our window of opportunity will be the afternoon only in the parks. Not sure it's worth it under those circumstances. In that case, I think we will be better off going somewhere else. It will be up to them to decide. I just want honest answers on their part as to whether they can handle a Disney trip. It's not for everyone.

While I agree that Disney is not for everyone. I actually have friends who HATE Disney *GASP!!* but related to how people do their Disney trip, it can be for everyone, and people can choose to do it, and actually have a fabulous time, in many different ways. My in-laws don't do Disney often, but when they do, they sleep in until about 8, go have a nice sit down breakfast, and don't get to the park until around 11. And they don't stay until late at night, either. But they would tell you that they had a great time!

There is not a RIGHT way to do Disney. There are more effective ways to do things if you want to see as much as possible, but I know so many people who go, and even those once in a lifetime people, who treat it like a relaxing vacation, maybe only ride half of the rides, and don't come home feeling like they didn't get their money's worth. If you're going to expect the family to do it your way, then it's probably not a good idea to go. You're going to be frustrated, they're going to be frustrated, and it's going to ruin what could have been a nice trip.

And really, how awful is it if you're only there from 11-4? That's still 5 hours! Which is still a long time for many people, especially children and for people who aren't used to going, going, going at an amusement park. My children look forward to the resort pool just as much as the rides. So there is something to be said for being able to relax a bit, too (and I'm saying this as someone who does rope drop, so I do understand where you are coming from)

 

[wellesleyprincess]

I think my biggest fear is mom will want a late start in the afternoon and then call it quits early evening after dinner. That leaves a very small window for the parks and it's the peak hours of the day for most people; so, it will be the most crowded. I think her happiness will come from watching TV or being on her phone more than being in the parks. She's not sickly, but she's very passive about everything. I don't have a passive bone in my body. Hence, this is the conflict I'm facing with this Disney trip.

WOW! It sounds like you really don't approve of your granddaughter and her life choices. Do you know why she picks her schedule? It may actually be selfless, but you certainly seem to imply she's selfish, lazy, and passive who wouldn't give you the "value" you deserve.

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.

You do realize that may not be what the kids want to do, right? Is this about you or the great-grandkids and granddaughter or you? Because I can tell you my 5 year old nephew would want to ride the monorail all day and not care about fastpasses. My niece would want to stop for character greetings even if they weren't on the schedule. Are you going to let them do that or are they wasting your "value" then too?

So far, this isn't sounding like a vacation but an obligation for the mom who must please you to prove she is worth the "value" you paid. It may be this is one of the few times that mom would get to relax and be off duty, but nope she needs to stick to your schedule or it isn't "worth" it. Definitely doesn't sound like you want an actual trip/vacation for her, but only for you.

Sorry, but this entire thing seems like someone who doesn't think the person they are bringing is worthy because they won't do exactly what they want and I'd hate to think one of my grandparents whom I loved unconditionally talked about me like this online.

 

[Bete]

WOW! It sounds like you really don't approve of your granddaughter and her life choices. Do you know why she picks her schedule? It may actually be selfless, but you certainly seem to imply she's selfish, lazy, and passive who wouldn't give you the "value" you deserve.



You do realize that may not be what the kids want to do, right? Is this about you or the great-grandkids and granddaughter or you? Because I can tell you my 5 year old nephew would want to ride the monorail all day and not care about fastpasses. My niece would want to stop for character greetings even if they weren't on the schedule. Are you going to let them do that or are they wasting your "value" then too?

So far, this isn't sounding like a vacation but an obligation for the mom who must please you to prove she is worth the "value" you paid. It may be this is one of the few times that mom would get to relax and be off duty, but nope she needs to stick to your schedule or it isn't "worth" it. Definitely doesn't sound like you want an actual trip/vacation for her, but only for you.

Sorry, but this entire thing seems like someone who doesn't think the person they are bringing is worthy because they won't do exactly what they want and I'd hate to think one of my grandparents whom I loved unconditionally talked about me like this online.

I posted and I was giving an honest evaluation of the family situation. This is why I was asking for suggestions from those who don't do mornings at the park. I know there's more than one way to enjoy Disney.

Also, this may not be a destination that is a good choice for us under our circumstances. It is what it is. I'm trying to get ideas that I can discuss with the family before making a final decision about going to Disney. I really think our great grandsons would love it, but mom not so much. I'm hoping we can come to terms with this so we can make it a happy and good trip. I just feel there are some barriers that may be too hard to overcome. I'm truly looking for some options to share; so, we can decide together. We can do a different vacation that might suit mom better, if we can't make Disney work.

We will take a vacation together. It just hasn't been decided if Disney can work for us. I don't want to find out at Disney that it was a mistake.

 

[disneylover102]

You should get FP+ as early in the day and plenty in advance as you can (even if that means starting at 11 or 1, just do them as early as you can). You MAY be able to reserve a later FP+ depending on how crowded it is. You should be able to see shows and take advantage of any single rider lines during that time. Try to explain to them that a lot more will be done in the morning and night but this is the best you can do in the middle of the day.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

My husband and kids (4 and 1) also struggle with early mornings on vacation (especially after late nights). But I "force" them and they really appreciate it in the long run.

Maybe show her some pictures of Fantasyland at 8 am versus noon? And the spreadsheet showing average wait times in the morning versus the afternoon? Some people don't really understand how big a difference it makes. Knowing we can spend a lot less time stuck in line and ride a lot more is enough motivation to get my family out of bed!

On your end, maybe compromise by having some early mornings and some later starts? And maybe plan one rest day in the middle? I'm sympathetic because I would hate to spend all that money and then only get to a few rides per day. I know people say that it's about "making memories" so just go at a leisurely pace. However, I find that if we do late starts that my group gets so annoyed by how long the lines are for everything that people get crabby and we don't have as much fun. So we have a more "magical" time if we just "suck it up" and do the early wake up.

Like I said, maybe if you lay out all the info for her she might surprise you by realizing the value in waking up early?

 

[LSUmiss]

My husband and kids (4 and 1) also struggle with early mornings on vacation (especially after late nights). But I "force" them and they really appreciate it in the long run.

Maybe show her some pictures of Fantasyland at 8 am versus noon? And the spreadsheet showing average wait times in the morning versus the afternoon? Some people don't really understand how big a difference it makes. Knowing we can spend a lot less time stuck in line and ride a lot more is enough motivation to get my family out of bed!

On your end, maybe compromise by having some early mornings and some later starts? And maybe plan one rest day in the middle? I'm sympathetic because I would hate to spend all that money and then only get to a few rides per day. I know people say that it's about "making memories" so just go at a leisurely pace. However, I find that if we do late starts that my group gets so annoyed by how long the lines are for everything that people get crabby and we don't have as much fun. So we have a more "magical" time if we just "suck it up" and do the early wake up.

Like I said, maybe if you lay out all the info for her she might surprise you by realizing the value in waking up early?

But, it’s also very possible to sleep in a little & efficiently use FP+ & get just as much done. Maybe a compromise of late morning like 10 or 11 & using FP+.

 

[Bete]

My husband and kids (4 and 1) also struggle with early mornings on vacation (especially after late nights). But I "force" them and they really appreciate it in the long run.

Maybe show her some pictures of Fantasyland at 8 am versus noon? And the spreadsheet showing average wait times in the morning versus the afternoon? Some people don't really understand how big a difference it makes. Knowing we can spend a lot less time stuck in line and ride a lot more is enough motivation to get my family out of bed!

On your end, maybe compromise by having some early mornings and some later starts? And maybe plan one rest day in the middle? I'm sympathetic because I would hate to spend all that money and then only get to a few rides per day. I know people say that it's about "making memories" so just go at a leisurely pace. However, I find that if we do late starts that my group gets so annoyed by how long the lines are for everything that people get crabby and we don't have as much fun. So we have a more "magical" time if we just "suck it up" and do the early wake up.

Like I said, maybe if you lay out all the info for her she might surprise you by realizing the value in waking up early?

I like the idea of showing a comparison of wait times for rides at different times of the day.

 

[jods]

We are far from rope droppers. The only rd we ever made was for HS for jedi training sign ups. My family likes to sleep. I'm usually the first one up. My 13yo is usually up right after. He likes to lounge around though. My family would br miserable with your touring style. I could easily go all day but not them. 2 summers ago MK was open until 11. They wanted to swim om our first park day. I had to rearrange fp and we didn't get to the park until 5. We stayed until 11 and got a ton done. Many of the rides were walk ons towards the end of the night. JC, pirates, aladin etc. We also got on splash pretty quickly. They also like to take their time looking at things as we walk by. You can have a magical time even without getting up early. I think a compromise would be great. A mix of early and later starts. Whatever you decide have fun and enjoy the great grand kids.

 

[alliecat523]

We don’t RD. Did it once and hated it. Just not for us. We pick our must do FP rides and watch the wait times for the rest. You can have a enjoyable trip this way but you also need to make sure you have reasonable expectations.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Speak to your daughter and make a compromise. My husband and I are like that, he likes to sleep late but I like to get there earlier and we compromise and get to the parks around 10ish though I try as hard as I can to get there 9 and sometimes it works hehe, sometimes we don't get there til a little later, bc that's what you do in relationships of any kind you make compromises. But I do get what you mean when you say if you get there too late it's almost not worth the price, between the crowds, etc., you end up missing so much, rushing, getting stressed, etc. Explain how you feel.

 

[grossmansr]

"What I'm trying to accomplish here is get the non-rope droppers to chime in that they manage to get good value and how they do it. I don't see us ever being in the park pass 9 pm even with an afternoon nap."

I'm skipping ahead to respond to this. I've been a long time disney goer. As a child, my family never did rope-drop. We always got to the parks between 11 and 2 and stayed until we got tired. Sometimes that was until the fireworks, but sometimes it was only after a few hours. We spent most of our vacation time enjoying the resort - swimming, walking around, eating, exploring, etc. My parents are laid-back like that.

As an adult (and the one paying for the vacation), I've been much more concerned with squeezing every bit of value out of our trips. I totally understand your perspective on this. I'm a HUUUUGE disney fan and I get so excited about sharing it all with hubby and the kids. The past few years I spent doing the rope-drop thing and following every bit of advice found on this forum, dragging everyone around on my value-maximizing schedule. And we got so much done! But the thing is..... as it turns out, my family doesn't really enjoy this touring style. My parents are still laid-back and much older now. My husband wakes up at the crack of dawn every day for work and would much rather take his time in the morning. My kids, are, of course, kids, with varying degrees of stamina (2, 6, 10, and 13). Last years trip was the breaking point. I finally realized that if I was going to be more concerned with "getting enough done" to justify the expense, than actually enjoying the moment, then we might as well not go to Disney anymore.

And so we're not going this year. And everyone else is happy about just going to the beach. And I'm sad. I shouldn't have pushed everyone. I miss Disney! I talked to hubs and we're planning a trip for next year. But I'm taking a serious chill pill. Here's our new plan. We're going to take a longer vacation - 2 weeks instead of 1 - but we're only going to the parks for a few hours a day max. We will use our 3 FPs each day and that's it! The rest of the time we will spend relaxing. Eating. Napping. Swimming. Riding the monorail. Walking around the resorts and taking pictures. Taking in the scenery.

Here's my advice. If this is a one time trip, they will never know all the cool stuff the are missing. They will only know about the cool stuff they see. So pick, like, a few cool things and focus on that. And it WILL be worth the money because it's awesome to just BE at Disney.

Edited to add: I don't know your granddaughter, but I understand the "tired mom" thing. Maybe offer a compromise: one rope drop day in exchange for a mom's day off the next day. Just give her the whole next day to sleep and recover in her room. Alone. While everyone else goes to the park. That actually sounds like heaven to me, and I'm the biggest Disney fan I know.

 

[Amanda999]

No way are 5 year olds sleeping in late at WDW (or anywhere). Unless they have a nanny in a separate hotel room, that means mom and dad are getting up too.

 

[happymommy]

"What I'm trying to accomplish here is get the non-rope droppers to chime in that they manage to get good value and how they do it. I don't see us ever being in the park pass 9 pm even with an afternoon nap."

I'm skipping ahead to respond to this. I've been a long time disney goer. As a child, my family never did rope-drop. We always got to the parks between 11 and 2 and stayed until we got tired. Sometimes that was until the fireworks, but sometimes it was only after a few hours. We spent most of our vacation time enjoying the resort - swimming, walking around, eating, exploring, etc. My parents are laid-back like that.

As an adult (and the one paying for the vacation), I've been much more concerned with squeezing every bit of value out of our trips. I totally understand your perspective on this. I'm a HUUUUGE disney fan and I get so excited about sharing it all with hubby and the kids. The past few years I spent doing the rope-drop thing and following every bit of advice found on this forum, dragging everyone around on my value-maximizing schedule. And we got so much done! But the thing is..... as it turns out, my family doesn't really enjoy this touring style. My parents are still laid-back and much older now. My husband wakes up at the crack of dawn every day for work and would much rather take his time in the morning. My kids, are, of course, kids, with varying degrees of stamina (2, 6, 10, and 13). Last years trip was the breaking point. I finally realized that if I was going to be more concerned with "getting enough done" to justify the expense, than actually enjoying the moment, then we might as well not go to Disney anymore.

And so we're not going this year. And everyone else is happy about just going to the beach. And I'm sad. I shouldn't have pushed everyone. I miss Disney! I talked to hubs and we're planning a trip for next year. But I'm taking a serious chill pill. Here's our new plan. We're going to take a longer vacation - 2 weeks instead of 1 - but we're only going to the parks for a few hours a day max. We will use our 3 FPs each day and that's it! The rest of the time we will spend relaxing. Eating. Napping. Swimming. Riding the monorail. Walking around the resorts and taking pictures. Taking in the scenery.

Here's my advice. If this is a one time trip, they will never know all the cool stuff the are missing. They will only know about the cool stuff they see. So pick, like, a few cool things and focus on that. And it WILL be worth the money because it's awesome to just BE at Disney.

Edited to add: I don't know your granddaughter, but I understand the "tired mom" thing. Maybe offer a compromise: one rope drop day in exchange for a mom's day off the next day. Just give her the whole next day to sleep and recover in her room. Alone. While everyone else goes to the park. That actually sounds like heaven to me, and I'm the biggest Disney fan I know.

What we do at Disney is what you grew up doing. Get up, enjoy our coffee and the fact that we don't HAVE TO get dressed and going right away, like normal life. Drink coffee, maybe eat a bite, shower, then get going when we feel like it. Do a few rides or shows, then chill by the afternoon with a few adult beverages (for us, not the kids, LOL) while the kids often napped in the stroller or played in the pool with us watching.

It's vacation. Some folks go go go, but "value" is if you actually just enjoyed it, not if you rode every single ride.