Frequent Visitors: What is ok for you to skip now?

[scoobygrl79]

I guess I'm just being nosey about the habits of my fellow Disboard members, who like me, are fortunate enough to have made multiple visits. Have you felt comfortable skipping things yet? I feel like I would PROBABLY enjoy my touring much more if I'd just do an Elsa and Let it Go...but I'm always too chicken to give up attractions/rides that aren't our favorites. The biggest fear I think I have is "what if something happens to where a member of my family or I never make it back?" or "what if said ride/attraction closes down before I make it back and I wanted to experience it one more time?". So then, like the weenie that I am, get scared last minute and end up dragging us down by investing time towards things none of us care about. Gosh, I'm so weak! Anybody like me out there? And to those who have successfully let go of the junk that is sucking precious time out of your trip, which attractions are they?

 

[hakepb]

We go yearly (DVC), and take it slow in the parks, so we have a "have fuj with the family" mindset more than a "conquer the park at all costs" mindset.
We kinda keep priority rankings in mind, and it's no big deal to miss a low priority attraction. In a few years, a missed attraction becomes more of a, let's do ... this year since it's been a while.

Some of our lower ones are large time commitments like Ellen, Animal Kingdom train.. for a while CoP was a low priority. I guess with summer trips we enjoy that air-conditioned break more.

 

[Shanti]

I guess I'm just being nosey about the habits of my fellow Disboard members, who like me, are fortunate enough to have made multiple visits. Have you felt comfortable skipping things yet? I feel like I would PROBABLY enjoy my touring much more if I'd just do an Elsa and Let it Go...but I'm always too chicken to give up attractions/rides that aren't our favorites. The biggest fear I think I have is "what if something happens to where a member of my family or I never make it back?" or "what if said ride/attraction closes down before I make it back and I wanted to experience it one more time?". So then, like the weenie that I am, get scared last minute and end up dragging us down by investing time towards things none of us care about. Gosh, I'm so weak! Anybody like me out there? And to those who have successfully let go of the junk that is sucking precious time out of your trip, which attractions are they?

We don't need to do every theme park during every trip. I think one of the advantages of doing short, frequent trips is that you feel freer to only focus on what really appeals to you at that time, instead of needing to do it all. We know we'll be coming back. This can result in a more enjoyable trip. We also don't need to do every fireworks show. We typically do one fireworks show per trip now.

 

[Keels]

Unless I have FP+s for MK, I'm not stepping foot in there. I've done everything I need to do in "Strollerville" and I'm pretty OK with that. If I do have FP+s (and it's usually just one, maybe two), I make sure that I also have a meal or something at the Contemporary to warrant paying for Valet Parking there so I can park there and just walk. I hate relying on Disney transportation for ANYTHING.

I also spend more time touring resorts, Boardwalk and Disney Springs and less time in the actual parks. I love hotel bars, and I love Disney hotel bars more! Plus, you get to meet a lot of great CMs this way that you know you'll see again and again.

 

[Westcoastwild]

you know...most of the ones I don't consider necessary, like amigos, are always done if it's hot anyway. That is I don't ride because of the attraction, I ride because of the weather.


But if I had to pick something, my top three would be:

Tomorrowland. Space mountain is the only one I go for and it always seems to break down.

Shows and character meets. I just don't care. I love fireworks, and illuminations, but I never repeat anything else. I don't meet characters either. I know that's popular with a lot of people, but I thought it was awkward at 10 and just a waste of time now.

Shopping. I like the specialty art, and I always look at Hm and pirates shirts. But the only thing I consistently buy are pins. Over the cheap souvenir thing. Just takes up space and gathers dust.

 

[Keels]

I love fireworks, and illuminations, but I never repeat anything else.

It's awesome that you mention Illuminations, because I'll usually show up to Epcot 45 minutes or so before Illuminations, grab a cocktail and head to my favorite spot to watch - and I'll do that two-four times a week during my longer stays.

My husband will ask if the ending changed or something ... nope, I just like it. That's what I want to spend my time doing at 9 p.m. at night.

 

[bryanb]

Yes, I now feel comfortable not going hard from morning til closing. I can enjoy the parks in a relaxed way. Like @Keels, I'm also perfectly happy grabbing a drink and just hanging out in the atmosphere, whether it's at Illuminations or on the Boardwalk or admiring nightfall at Animal Kingdom. The theme parks are much less about checking off rides and more about the theme.

 

[Westcoastwild]

It's awesome that you mention Illuminations, because I'll usually show up to Epcot 45 minutes or so before Illuminations, grab a cocktail and head to my favorite spot to watch - and I'll do that two-four times a week during my longer stays.

My husband will ask if the ending changed or something ... nope, I just like it. That's what I want to spend my time doing at 9 p.m. at night.

LOL. Yes!! Grand mariner slush and twilight stroll among the torches.

Sadly, that may be the real reason why I upgrade to a hopper

 

[Keels]

Yes, I now feel comfortable not going hard from morning til closing. I can enjoy the parks in a relaxed way. Like @Keels, I'm also perfectly happy grabbing a drink and just hanging out in the atmosphere, whether it's at Illuminations or on the Boardwalk or admiring nightfall at Animal Kingdom. The theme parks are much less about checking off rides and more about the theme.

If you ever want to mix it up - grab a bloody mary or mimosa at Dawa Bar and sit on the benches to see one of the first sets by the Harambe Drummers. It's an AWESOME way to start a day - it's still cool in the morning, so the sun feels nice!

I love that being a frequent visitor allows you to truly feel the immersion as it was intended.

 

[Keels]

LOL. Yes!! Grand mariner slush and twilight stroll among the torches.

Sadly, that may be the real reason why I upgrade to a hopper

My favorite spot to watch has two fireworks launches from it - and I love seeing newbies unaware that fireworks are shooting from there.

#WeGoOn

 

[Westcoastwild]

If you ever want to mix it up - grab a bloody mary or mimosa at Dawa Bar and sit on the benches to see one of the first sets by the Harambe Drummers. It's an AWESOME way to start a day - it's still cool in the morning, so the sun feels nice!

I love that being a frequent visitor allows you to truly feel the immersion as it was intended.

Where are these bloody Mary's?? I'm assuming this is AK? I must know. I don't even think I went into the Dawa bar (unless it's a stand?)

 

[Keels]

Where are these bloody Mary's?? I'm assuming this is AK? I must know. I don't even think I went into the Dawa bar (unless it's a stand?)

Yes!! Dawa Bar in the Harambe Market (you pass it heading to the Safari - it's on your left)! They open between 9-10 a.m., depending on the season. The Bloody Mary is spicy and AWESOME. Last year, they had a Watermelon Mimosa that was outstanding. And the drummers are out there every 30 minutes and it's such a cool experience. Probably my favorite morning "welcome" show.

ETA: I think it serves as a waiting area for Tusker House too, though I've never been to Tusker House.

 

[Mickeymouseisking]

We don't get to go often, but still there are rides we skip for lack of time. Even though we can't go every year, we still (at least try ) to have the attitude that while rides are important, taking it easy and enjoying the park together is important too (if not more important).

We've skipped:
EPCOT: Universe of Energy, The Circle of Life, all the movies in WS, deep exploration of WS pavilions and some of the entertainment there.
DHS: Star Tours, Indiana Jones
MK: Stitch, the whole Storybook Circus area, Tom Sawyer's Island, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tiki Room. Possibly CoP, but I'm not sure about that one.
AK: Rafiki's conservation station and last trip (3 years ago) we skipped Kali River Rapids, but only because we were there in November and it was way too cold for us to get wet and we didn't want to chance it with ponchos.

 

[maramarrie]

First, it depends on if the kids are with us or not. They have favorites and haven't learned to "let it go." However, there are several things we don't even consider waiting for if we don't have FP+. We have skipped Peter Pan on a couple trips because I refuse to wait in a 110 minute line for a ride we know all too well. We pretty much skip character meals now, unless we're just really in the mood to get our favorite breakfast at Crystal Palace (assuming there would be availability when we make our last minute plans anyhow). I can skip Fantasyland, or MK all together if we aren't with the kids. When the hubs and I go for runDisney, particularly during F&W, we don't usually go beyond Epcot and DHS. We really just take it easy and do what we're in the mood for. Whatever we miss, we miss; then figure, "maybe we'll get it next time."

 

[caliope]

We don't have any must do's and we skip many, many things. It really depends on our mood and what interests us in the moment. Recently, we've been doing park-focused trips (MK only while staying at Poly; EP/HS only while staying at BC) and we don't think about the other parks. But even then, we don't do "everything" in the parks we are going to. We FP+ our favorites, catch other attractions with minimal waits, and otherwise just enjoy the atmosphere. We don't view our time at WDW as needing to be stressful in any way, shape, or form. If something is down, or we miss it, oh well. We find happiness in the attractions we are able to see and do. It is, after all, a vacation.

 

[poodledogs55]

I can skip any and all of the parades and fireworks/nighttime shows (at least without a dining/fastpass package). I just have no desire to waste 45 minutes sitting around to get a decent spot or being huddled around all the crowds. I also prefer character meals to meet and greets. In both scenarios, I think that's time better spent on rides. I can also skip DHS altogether. I know these opinions probably aren't super popular, but that's ok because I like that everyone can go to Disney and have completely different experiences!!

 

[Klayfish]

We go fairly often now, but we've never been the "we must do it all" types. That's not to say that we don't try to get a lot done, because we do, but we're not big time planners. We wing it a lot. So for us, instead of things we're OK with missing, it's more accurate to say there are things we want to do every trip. Start at MK, that's a must. Get to the water parks if it's a summer trip is a must. Certain rides like Splash, RnR, EE, Small World, Pirates, etc...are must do rides for us. The rest are "if we get to them, great...if we don't, OK".

 

[jedi jen]

We skip Fantasmic. Too crowded for us.

 

[Miss Frankie J]

For me because Ive been so many times I lost count I started a more chill approach to touring since the crowds keep increasing. I think it started in 2014 when I decided to start skipping some stuff. I was the type who went to each park and spent ALL DAY in the parks so we can do/ride everything. This led to being tired, cranky and more arguing. Now I skip what we arent feeling that particular trip so we have something to look forward to next year.

Things we skip depending on our mood:
MK- peter pan's flight, small world, Jungle cruise, Prince carousel
EP- Ellen, Figment, canada movie (Forgot the name)
AK- Dinosaur, Rafiki planet watch
HS- the whole park (Due to the overall lack in interest)

 

[IndianaRRT]

If I had written a trip report about our most recent trip (we came back on 6/5), it would have been titled, "How I Got Plenty of Sleep at WDW and Still Had Fun". We skipped a lot of things we've seen or done before. Granted, we have 3 more trips planned between 1/2018 and 3/2019--Lord willing--so we have opportunities to do things we skipped, but we got tired of being so exhausted in our favorite place. Now, brace yourself, because...we...umm...didn't ride Frozen Ever After.... (Don't make me hand over my MagicBand. Hear me out.) Don't get me wrong--we love Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and the whole gang just as much as any empty-nesters, but we just didn't want to get in that line. Instead, we listened to the band in the Canada pavilion and strolled through the shops in England. At MK, we never do Stitch's Great Escape. We've seen Indiana Jones at HS before, so we skipped that because it doesn't change. AK was a little different for us this time because we arrived on Pandora's opening weekend. We expected it to be brutal, but so many people were *just* in Pandora that the rest of AK was pretty reasonable. At one point, the standby line for EE was 10 min and we got to ride it multiple times. Things we were comfortable skipping like Tough to be a Bug and Primeval Whirl weren't too bad. Overall, we chose to see fireworks from resorts most of the time, so transportation was much easier. They were just as beautiful from the Poly as the are on Main Street.

Don't get put too much pressure on yourself--it's a vacation! I like to think that Walt didn't intend for me to need a vacation from my vacation.