Going early vs staying late.....

[Melora]

OK, we are going in August and I want to avoid the hot afternoons as much as possible.....

BUT we are from the west coast so getting up early and hitting the parks for rope drop is really hard since it means getting up at about 4 AM our time. (Even if we ARE at Disney, kids don't do real well later in the day after being woken up at that hour)

So here is my question... has anyone every slept in and gone to the parks for say lunch ressies (we have them every day for around 1 PM) then took the afternoon very leisurely (lots of indoor stuff until it cools off) and stayed late so you could enjoy the evenings?

We can easily do the later nights even with younger kids because even if we stay at the parks until midnight its only 9PM our time. I'm wondering if I should skip mornings altogether since if we do stay late it will be hard to get up anyway in the AM.

I figure this way we can stay on our own schedule (we are all morning people, but again, not 4 in morning). Anyone ever done this?

 

[WDWCPAlumni]

In your case, skip mornings all together.......why drag yourself around!
Go in at lunch time, you could even eat the very latest breakfast and call it lunch.
I say go to which ever park had night hours the night before you go.
So many of the people who went late at night, wont go to that park the next morning or afternoon.
Skip the park that has night hours, it will be crowded by the time you arrive.

It isnt the way I do it, but if it works for you better, good luck!

 

[Tink888]

I say go later. To get that far off of your regular schedule will only make everyone miserable. We've always gone around 10:30 and stayed until closing. It's tends to cool down a little in the evenings and it's so nice seeing the parks at night.

 

[moon]

OK, we are going in August and I want to avoid the hot afternoons as much as possible.....

BUT we are from the west coast so getting up early and hitting the parks for rope drop is really hard since it means getting up at about 4 AM our time. (Even if we ARE at Disney, kids don't do real well later in the day after being woken up at that hour)

So here is my question... has anyone every slept in and gone to the parks for say lunch ressies (we have them every day for around 1 PM) then took the afternoon very leisurely (lots of indoor stuff until it cools off) and stayed late so you could enjoy the evenings?

We can easily do the later nights even with younger kids because even if we stay at the parks until midnight its only 9PM our time. I'm wondering if I should skip mornings altogether since if we do stay late it will be hard to get up anyway in the AM.

I figure this way we can stay on our own schedule (we are all morning people, but again, not 4 in morning). Anyone ever done this?

I've never done mornings at Disney. I'm on vacation, and I want to sleep in, darn it My family and I have rarely arrived at any park before 11 AM. We do indoor stuff -like you said- during the afternoon and stay until park closing.

Yes, we're bad disers! We go to whatever park has evening EMH, and never take hotel breaks, but it works great for us!

We've never traveled with children, so that may make a difference; but knowing how I was a a child I would have hated to be woken up early, just to leave the park for the afternoon. But hey, maybe I was a weird kid

 

[dougsmom98]

I couldn't do it because I am someone that has to be there at park opening, but I think your plan might work. I am from the North and not used to heat. When we went in the summer, I was miserable during the day while the sun was out. It was more bearable for me between 4:30ish and closing. We actually would go from park opening until noon and then take a break until 4:30 or 5 pm and stay until close. The first day we tried to stay through all afternoon, but between 1-3 the crowds and the heat was miserable, so I think your idea of lunch and then taking it easy is good.

 

[noladave]

the only time you will have very small lines for the popular rides is at opening, and EMH opening at that. Sure, there are some exceptions, and you might luck into something, but for the most part, that's the rule.

If you wait until the late evenings, that's one of the most crowded times, especially in the summer - everyone else is doing the same thing - staying cool in the heat, and then heading out to the parks at night.

Part of the answer to your question is - what are your expectations? I know my kids want to ride the rides over and over again, and the only way you can really do that is to get up early and hit the parks before they get crowded. you can easily do EE or Space Mountain twice before the crowds hit. The only other time the lines are that way, especially late in the summer, is night EMH when you can stay up until 1am or 2am, the crowds will start to thin out.

if your objective is to just enjoy Disney, and to not hit every ride (attraction) multiple times, then what you want to do is fine. Hey, it's Disney, have fun!

 

[parkgate]

I think mornings are way overrated on here. The crowds do tend to thin out very late at night anyway.

 

[CarnotaurDad]

The biggest thing lost by not going in the mornings is the possibility of either not getting a FP to the "hot" ride or resigning yourself to waiting an hour or more for that ride.

This year, at DHS, that ride is TSM. I cannot believe how quickly the FP machine runs out. We are talking 11 AM or earlier and they are all gone for the rest of the day. Your wait in line will very between 60 - 110 minutes no matter when you try (even right before park closing).

However, in general, your strategy is sound and will work. I would also encourage (based on the schedule) NOT to skip the EMH nights. If you are going to be awake anyways, and that park is open later than the others, why not take advantage of it?

 

[Melora]

We are WDW veterans for the most part and really enjoy just relaxing our way through the days. We do have one person going with us this time that has never been to WDW though.

I think my only worry is what others have pointed out... missing out on fastpasses. I REALLY want to ride TSM so I will have to see if maybe the day we are going there to try to get there early.

 

[CarnotaurDad]

Melora, I think you hit it on the head.

If you want to guarantee going on TSM without at least a 60 minute wait (and usually longer), Fast Pass is the way to go. Getting that fast pass means having to wake up and be at the park by around 9:30 - 10 AM or so (not rope drop, but early).

As an aside, part of what makes TSM so great is that EVERYONE in the family can enjoy it. Oh, and it's a fantastic experience (IMHO) to boot. I love Everest, ToT, Mission:Space and others, but I know they are not "family" rides. TSM definitely is a family ride, in the truest sense of the word. Thus, the immediate rush on FP for it.

 

[disnut8]

We never get up early. My husband wakes up to an alarm seven days a week when he's at home and I am not making him do that on vacation. We sleep until we wake up (or until the neighbors wake us). We're usually at a park between 10:00 and noon. We can always get FastPasses for Soarin' and Test Track but the times are usually for after dinner. Everything is manageable for us.

And it makes both of us happy which is what you really want on a vacation.

 

[DznyDreamz]

Count my family in as late arrivers!! Like others have said, I am a slave to my alarm clock week after week and the last thing I want to do is be up at 6am on my vacation. Sure its probably less busy first thing in the morning, but since we haven't experienced it, we have no frame of reference to know what we are "missing".