Here now.....some thoughts about our trip...

[edk35]

I do agree with what you say, but for me, right now, I need to hit some attractions! Gosh, Muppets in 3D comes to mind for some reason.

We skipped our usual May vacation and loaded up for December with a 12 night stay. Don't like waiting this long in between much needed vacations.

I LOVE the parks in the colder/cooler months. We can get a lot done without burn out. Some of my fave trips were in Jan.

Tomorrow the guys are hitting the water park and dd and I are going to EC to do the NOT so popular attractions. The stuff most people bypass. Plus we need TO HIT MOUSEGEARS AGAIN. Today the guys were with us and I felt rushed.

 

[edk35]

I can't imagine that we would ever go to WDW and not go to the parks. We just have too much fun at the parks. But we never spend the whole day there and its pretty rare that we bother to get there for the rope drop.

But the split stays can be an issue especially if your stays are less than 2 days at any one place. Its just too much packing/unpacking. Its much easier to just stay put than to move around. We just got back from Vero and thoroughly enjoyed SPENDING 6 NIGHTS IN ONE ROOM.

We have never NOT gone to the parks. That would be hard too.... however I think we could have easily done about 5 park days out of 9 on this part of our trip. We are looking forward to Vero too. The kids want to SLEEP in and veg at the beach and pool. I am thinking if we love it..we will book a week there next summer or try HHI for a week. If we do a split..we will do 5 Vero and 5 WDW.

 

[edk35]

Interesting posts...

We have also loved doing split stays - just check out my signature! We have enjoyed them because kids love swimming in different pools (pool hopping is a pain with young kids), and we love being closer to parks. In the past, it's been rare that our rooms have not been ready at check-in, this trip though, that was not the case, and it made us very crabby and cost us precious time as we had to go back and grocery shop.

We love going to the parks everyday, but we are far from commando. We sometimes have walked into Epcot for 1 hour, or gone to MK for 2 hours, and then back to rest/swim. Having APs is great for this type of touring. For us, the problem has been with my hubby the past few years wanting to make our trips bigger and better! This has caused issues because he has switched resorts, added nights, upgrades, etc. that were not necessary. This trip we had several issues with some of his bright ideas, and it caused friction between us all.

We had a heart to heart talk last night about why we joined DVC, and he is finally realizing that he has to slow down. If we have 50 years of WDW vacations ahead of us, why do we have to do it all each trip? We have stayed almost everywhere on property, so now, it's time to chill out at 1 or at most 2 resorts, and be done with it!

We do go for 11-13 days each summer as we drive from Canada, and I'm a teacher, so we find that limiting to 1 vacation is more financially sound, and easier on us. We always have our own car, so we can drive as well. Hubby hasn't wanted to drive much the past few years, so we've been split staying based on what parks we are visiting. Worked for a time, but not anymore.

It's interesting to read all of the replies about this subject. For us, we can't imagine doing Disney without the parks (our kids are still young), but since we joined DVC, we limit our hours there, and this works splendidly in the stifling heat as it keeps us rested and refreshed, plus, we like to park hop, and this makes it easier for us as well.

There are so many ways for families to enjoy DVC! Tiger

In the summer it is too hot to stay much longer than about 1:00 or at least for us. Then we will head back some days around 7. When we used to go in Nov. and Jan. it was so much easier to spend more time in the parks because the temps were so much better. In the summer the kids want to hit the water parks and pools. I love all the fun activities they do at the resorts. We enjoy those too.

We slowed down a lot with park touring once joining DVC but I am seeing new patterns as our kids get older. We have a blast just going out to eat too. We lead such busy lives with the ages of our kids and hubby travels a lot too. It is hard for all of us to be together for daily meals so it is nice to eat together every single day while on vacation.

Looking very forward to VERO. I will keep you posted.

 

[edk35]

This! I forgot to mention it in my response above. We only have 360 points (just added on 7 months ago, so we only had 300 for the last few years), so hubby wanted to conserve points and stay elsewhere for 1st night too. We've stayed off-site @ Marriotts, Hiltons or Downtown Disney, or on-site @ cash Disney resorts. It just doesn't make sense to me, as we've spent $40,000 on DVC - why give Disney anymore cash?

This trip, he insisted I cancel SSR for 1st night, and we found a good deal @ Downtown Disney Regal Sun Resort, and we hated it. Crazy $16.00/day resort fee for stuff we didn't use, and the resort is deceiving. We were in some outside tower room, that was dark, lack of security and so convoluted that you couldn't find your room! Never again...

We drive, so we can leave at such a time that we get in by 4:00 or 5:00 the 1st night, and begin our stay. We need to get settled in, or we feel all discombobulated.

It's amazing how we have been DVC members for 6 years now, but we are still learning too!

Tiger

I think the road trip discombobulated me. LOL Plus I have this NEED TO ADD MORE DAYS....STAY LONGER...S T R E T C H IT OUT...like your dh. I have to STOP this nonsense. We should have done 7 nights at SSR and then our Vero days.

 

[Tiger926]

In the summer it is too hot to stay much longer than about 1:00 or at least for us. Then we will head back some days around 7. When we used to go in Nov. and Jan. it was so much easier to spend more time in the parks because the temps were so much better. In the summer the kids want to hit the water parks and pools. I love all the fun activities they do at the resorts. We enjoy those too.

We slowed down a lot with park touring once joining DVC but I am seeing new patterns as our kids get older. We have a blast just going out to eat too. We lead such busy lives with the ages of our kids and hubby travels a lot too. It is hard for all of us to be together for daily meals so it is nice to eat together every single day while on vacation.

Looking very forward to VERO. I will keep you posted.

Looking forward to hearing how you like Vero. It was 1 week today that we arrived at Vero, and we are missing it very much! My DD7 has been talking about it a lot, and the baby, who just turned 3, has been talking about the beach and the ocean for days now!

Tiger

 

[kikiq]

We do still go to the parks almost every day of our trips, but it's no longer a full day thing or "see the whole park" thing. Now we head out early to do specific things and then head back to the resort for a chill. Then we often either go back to a park or to a resort for dinner and maybe catch one of the night time shows. My favorite time to tour world showcase is in the evening prior to Illuminations. We find visiting the other resorts to be as much fun as the parks too. Both Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge could be destinations on themselves anyway.

This is pretty much how we do our trips now. We're leaving in 9 days and my DH told me NOT to plan anything.

My SIL is so in love with SSR that she told me the other day that she didn't need to go to the parks every day when we go on our next big family trip (in 2 years). She likes to hang out at the pool, read and then more pool time. One of her favorite times was visiting AKL and sitting in a rocking chair and reading.

 

[BeesKnees]

We make notes of things never to do again because it is easy to forget. For instance, we made the mistake last year of planning the hoop de doo on our first night. We wanted to do something different and we have almost done the show many times of the last 10 years but never actually got around to it.

We were too tired to enjoy it. Note to self: Do not make firm plans on the night of arrival.

We stopped doing split stays after the second time. Some people love it. We hate it. We hated wdw+vero. It was too much for one trip. I'd love to go back to vero again but I will not do another combination trip.

Most of our stays are 50 percent park days now. We never try to do every park in a single trip anymore either. We usually focus on one or two so we can hit our targets at a casual pace. If you have never taken time at a park to picks spots and just sit for a nice long spell and take it all in you are missing out on one of the attractions.

Trial and error is what it takes and it takes many trips to hone your knowledge. For instance, our favorite lunch spot is on a pontoon boat with a picnic basket. It isn't cheap but there is just no beating it. We always feel cheated if the weather doesn't permit it. We love going to see a movie when we are there. I know it sounds stupid but we hardly ever have time when we are home. It is a regular event now when we go.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

We make notes of things never to do again because it is easy to forget. For instance, we made the mistake last year of planning the hoop de doo on our first night. We wanted to do something different and we have almost done the show many times of the last 10 years but never actually got around to it.

We do the same thing. We also evaluate everything we packed. After our first trip home in the spring, we decided we didn't need to bring quite as much.

Our next trip, we're getting a rental car for the very first time. We'll see how that goes.

 

[kritter]

Your going to love Vero. We just came back from ten days @ SSR and seven @ Vero Beach!!

 

[edk35]

We make notes of things never to do again because it is easy to forget. For instance, we made the mistake last year of planning the hoop de doo on our first night. We wanted to do something different and we have almost done the show many times of the last 10 years but never actually got around to it.

We were too tired to enjoy it. Note to self: Do not make firm plans on the night of arrival.

We stopped doing split stays after the second time. Some people love it. We hate it. We hated wdw+vero. It was too much for one trip. I'd love to go back to vero again but I will not do another combination trip.

Most of our stays are 50 percent park days now. We never try to do every park in a single trip anymore either. We usually focus on one or two so we can hit our targets at a casual pace. If you have never taken time at a park to picks spots and just sit for a nice long spell and take it all in you are missing out on one of the attractions.

Trial and error is what it takes and it takes many trips to hone your knowledge. For instance, our favorite lunch spot is on a pontoon boat with a picnic basket. It isn't cheap but there is just no beating it. We always feel cheated if the weather doesn't permit it. We love going to see a movie when we are there. I know it sounds stupid but we hardly ever have time when we are home. It is a regular event now when we go.

One of our best trips was July 08....we stayed a long time 2 weeks but the first 8 days were slow, here and there attractions, enjoying DTD, paddle boats, sea raycers and we took out a Boston Whaler. We had a lot of down time and it was great. Then when we moved over to BCV we had a busier time with our friends but it was fun. We hung out at the pool, walked to HS and EC...it was not as relaxed but it was a great time. I think being with family and friends is what is so important......it makes your vacations more memorable.

 

[edk35]

We make notes of things never to do again because it is easy to forget. For instance, we made the mistake last year of planning the hoop de doo on our first night. We wanted to do something different and we have almost done the show many times of the last 10 years but never actually got around to it.

We were too tired to enjoy it. Note to self: Do not make firm plans on the night of arrival.

We stopped doing split stays after the second time. Some people love it. We hate it. We hated wdw+vero. It was too much for one trip. I'd love to go back to vero again but I will not do another combination trip.

Most of our stays are 50 percent park days now. We never try to do every park in a single trip anymore either. We usually focus on one or two so we can hit our targets at a casual pace. If you have never taken time at a park to picks spots and just sit for a nice long spell and take it all in you are missing out on one of the attractions.

Trial and error is what it takes and it takes many trips to hone your knowledge. For instance, our favorite lunch spot is on a pontoon boat with a picnic basket. It isn't cheap but there is just no beating it. We always feel cheated if the weather doesn't permit it. We love going to see a movie when we are there. I know it sounds stupid but we hardly ever have time when we are home. It is a regular event now when we go.

A good friend of mine (a dis board member too) told me about how she keeps a journal on her Disney trips to help her remember stuff for her scrapbook. Well I started doing that and LOVE IT. I keep very detailed entries and it is fun to look back and see WHAT WORKED AND WHAT DIDN'T. I should have read my past journals to REMEMBER stuff that didn't work out too well. ONE being ADDING MORE NIGHTS AND trying to get in as much as possible.....I HAVE TO LET THAT THEORY GOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 

[edk35]

Looking forward to hearing how you like Vero. It was 1 week today that we arrived at Vero, and we are missing it very much! My DD7 has been talking about it a lot, and the baby, who just turned 3, has been talking about the beach and the ocean for days now!

Tiger

I was telling the kids about you earlier and they all want to know how far into Canada do you live and which route do you take to Florida. I guessed that you didn't live that far into Canada.

 

[Tiger926]

I was telling the kids about you earlier and they all want to know how far into Canada do you live and which route do you take to Florida. I guessed that you didn't live that far into Canada.

I live in Southwestern Ontario, which is the most southern part of Canada. It is also the most humid, so the entire time we were at WDW, it was hotter at home than in Disney! It does not always happen that way, but sometime it does. Our summer weather is usually the same as Disney, but the sun isn`t as extreme, so you feel the beating sun a bit more in Disney. Our winters are not bad at all - this year we had just a tiny bit of snow.

If we were to drive straight through, it would take approx. 19 hours to get to WDW. We never drive straight, as my hubby does all of the driving, so we always stop for 1 night, somewhere along the way. So, we drive down and back on the I-75 through Detroit. But, being that we left from Vero, we took the I-95 for the 1st time, and that was interesting. It connected us back on the I-75 though, and hubby loved it as we bypassed really heavy areas of traffic. Lots of accicdents on I-95 though.

We have flown and driven, but have driven way more. Hubby does not like to fly, and toddler has ear tubes, so flying is off for awhile, but the past 2 driving trips - March and last week - were great for us. Love having our own car!

Have a great day, Tiger

 

[edk35]

Thanks .... we were just curious. We take I-95 all the way. We are south of Baltimore/north of D.C. close to Annapolis MD. If you drive straight through it takes about 14 hours if all goes well.


Well today my dd and I are going to DTD to use another 20% off coupon at WOD. Did you use any of those?? They were always at the bottom of the receipts when we got counter service. We used one yesterday at Mouse Gears in EC. The guys headed to BB and I think they are attempting to go to TL too. They already did that water park but it is their fave.

So a laid back NON park day for us I think. Unless we try and go somewhere tonight. Tomorrow we head to Vero. Can't wait to report back on Vero.

We have had a nice time here at WDW. We have lucked out with little rain and not too scorching temps. The hottest day TO ME was last Monday the 12th. With the way we go to a park at opening (or within 30 min. of opening) and get out by 1:00ish....we avoid the major heat. Then we sometimes headed back out around 6:30/7:00. That is the only way to really DO SUMMERS at DISNEY.

 

[rentayenta]

Great insights OP.


I am currently in the early planning stages of our 11 day December 2011 trip and am thinking we'll only need 6 day hoppers. We really want to enjoy our resort and have some much needed downtime. We have decided to have some non-park days- hopefully December will lend itself to some decent pool time and golf time and maybe even a water park. Our itin will look something like this based on this year's park/EMH:

Monday 12/12- arrive, no parks
Tuesday 12/13- parks
Wednesday 12/14- parks
Thursday 12/15- no parks
Friday 12/16- parks
Saturday 12/17- no parks
Sunday 12/18- parks
Monday 12/19- parks
Tuesday 12/20- no parks and first night of Hanukkah so I'd like to have a nice dinner- wonder if one of the WDW restaurants can make a decent kosher meal?
Wednesday 12/21- parks and DD's bday- she'll want a character meal for sure!
Thursday 12/22- no parks, depart

 

[BeesKnees]

A good friend of mine (a dis board member too) told me about how she keeps a journal on her Disney trips to help her remember stuff for her scrapbook. Well I started doing that and LOVE IT. I keep very detailed entries and it is fun to look back and see WHAT WORKED AND WHAT DIDN'T. I should have read my past journals to REMEMBER stuff that didn't work out too well. ONE being ADDING MORE NIGHTS AND trying to get in as much as possible.....I HAVE TO LET THAT THEORY GOOOOOOOOOOOO.

We ALWAYS take a passporter now. ALWAYS. It is the best 17 bucks (from Amazon) you can spend. Not only does it help you remember what you like and don't like it helps distinguish the vacations. When you go so often they run together and it makes it harder to remember specific vacations.

When we get home we transfer the important things we have learned to our vacation planning spreadsheet. This spreadsheet keeps up with our points, has packing lists, pre-trip to-do lists, proposed budget and itinerary for the current and next trip, owner's locker inventory with expiration dates where applicable, lists of helpful websites with usernames/passwords, and important notes. One of our pre-trip to-do items is to read our notes.

In our notes you might find things like:

Do not plan events for the night of arrival
Boatwright's at Port Orleans is very noisy.
Stop trying to eat at Ohana's the food is overcooked every time.
The bath balls from the basin store are not worth the money, get the milk bath instead.
etc.

 

[vicki_c]

I think the road trip discombobulated me. LOL Plus I have this NEED TO ADD MORE DAYS....STAY LONGER...S T R E T C H IT OUT...like your dh. I have to STOP this nonsense. We should have done 7 nights at SSR and then our Vero days.

I totally agree with what you posted and your "lightbulb" moment - but this approach above is SO me. Once we have a trip planned, I cannot help but add a day at the beginning ("let's leave the day before, honey") and add a night to the end, or two ("well, we're driving, so why not?"). That is how we ended up with a stay like this: 1 night WL, 8 nights BCV, 1 night BC Resort, 2 nights BCV! The originally planned vacation was the 8 nights BCV!

I don't know if I will ever change that tendency, because once I'm there - I just want to stay longer!

 

[ajf1007]

I love all of the tidbits I'm learing in this post! Usually it's just my DH and I on our trips and we totally take the slowest route possible through the vacation. We usually sleep in until we feel like it, then go hit the pool for a bit and hit the parks in the late afternoon, early evening. I've found that my need for snails pace and doing whatever whenever only aides in my relaxation.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the parks but I also LOVE to lay by a pool, have a drink and read a book. Because of our work schedules we're forced to only take one week at a time and usually we take one week in June with the rest of the family (parents and siblings) and then take a week mid-late September for just us. The first few times we went to WDW we were total commando's but I have found that there are so many other things to see and do as well that the parks aren't a necessity every day.

 

[edk35]

We ALWAYS take a passporter now. ALWAYS. It is the best 17 bucks (from Amazon) you can spend. Not only does it help you remember what you like and don't like it helps distinguish the vacations. When you go so often they run together and it makes it harder to remember specific vacations.

When we get home we transfer the important things we have learned to our vacation planning spreadsheet. This spreadsheet keeps up with our points, has packing lists, pre-trip to-do lists, proposed budget and itinerary for the current and next trip, owner's locker inventory with expiration dates where applicable, lists of helpful websites with usernames/passwords, and important notes. One of our pre-trip to-do items is to read our notes.

In our notes you might find things like:

Do not plan events for the night of arrival
Boatwright's at Port Orleans is very noisy.
Stop trying to eat at Ohana's the food is overcooked every time.
The bath balls from the basin store are not worth the money, get the milk bath instead.
etc.

GREAT IDEAS. I should have gotten my journal out and read about last summer's three way split. I didn't like it. So this summer I not only do it again...BUT I SPLIT 4 TIMES.

 

[edk35]

I totally agree with what you posted and your "lightbulb" moment - but this approach above is SO me. Once we have a trip planned, I cannot help but add a day at the beginning ("let's leave the day before, honey") and add a night to the end, or two ("well, we're driving, so why not?"). That is how we ended up with a stay like this: 1 night WL, 8 nights BCV, 1 night BC Resort, 2 nights BCV! The originally planned vacation was the 8 nights BCV!

I don't know if I will ever change that tendency, because once I'm there - I just want to stay longer!

I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone SHOOT ME NOW!!!! I told my dh the other night PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T AGREE WITH ME WHEN WE PLAN THE NEXT TRIP. He always agrees with me. He needs to remind me about the past two summers so I REMEMBER THOSE LIGHT BULB MOMENTS. I love WDW..... but this trip...I am actually ready to head to Vero. My dd and I slept in...went to DTD for about 3 hours today...shopped and had lunch. The guys all went to Blizzard Beach and are now playing pool down in the lounge next to Turf Club. We are not even going to a park on our last day here. We head out tomorrow to Vero and we are all ready to try something new.

My dd who is almost 20 and has now been to WDW 17 trip....said that her ideal trip would be to do a park every other day or 3 or 4 days out of a week long trip. Sounds good to me.