How do I slow things down for us?

[la79al]

We went to WDW last year and are planning another trip for next year. It will be the second time the children go. Last year we did 5 days at WDW and a couple more days in Florida. By the end of the WDW part, we were exhausted and we didn't even get to the WS or the water parks. Tonight in class I was really bored (when is this semester going to end????) so I started trying to plan days for next years trip. We are staying on property and getting the dining plan. The kids and I are getting to Florida a few days ahead of time but DH is flying in on (hopefully) the morning of our first day. Here is what I have so far....
Saturday-pick up DH from airport-take care of luggage, etc-lunch at CRT and spend the day in MK
Sunday-WS and dinner at Teppenyaki
Monday-AK and dinner at O'Hanas
Tuesday-MGM and dinner at Sci-Fi, DTD after dinner
Wednesday-MK and dinner at Chef Mickey's
Thursday-FW and dinner at Coral Reef
Friday-water park, park catch up, souvenir shopping
Saturday-a few rides and then leaving for home

My concern is, as I look at this list, that we are again going to be exhausted by the end of our trip. I am considering dropping the water park but I don't know if it is fair for the kids to know about them and not get to go again. I have a feeling no one in my family will be willing to return to our room for any kind of rest and the kids have already told me we need to do fireworks every night. So with these ideas being out, I am looking for other ideas for us to not be exhausted by the end of vacation. Any help would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[DW Goofy]

What hotel are you staying at? All the deluxe resorts have boat rentals. I took my grandson, 8yrs., on the little mouse motorboat. Let him drive and he loved it. Then they have beaches you can lay out on while the kids play in the water or even the pools are plenty of fun for most kids. That's about as relaxing as I can think of for you. Good luck!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I started planning my trip tonight too.

Your plan looks great, however, I would try to spend one whole day at Epcot instead of 2. WS doesn't open until 11:00 am so you would have the morning to do FW and then have plenty of time to enjoy WS. If you get to the park at opening (especially on a Morning EMH ) and utilize fastpass you should get to do everthing. Most people are heading to soarin so get a fast pass and head to TT & MS. Then do Crush at the Living seas and by that time the new ride will be operating too. If you don't get to do everything in one day, then go back for a 1/2 day thursday and eat at the coral reef for lunch. That would then free up Thursday afternoon for rest and relaxation(and you will need it by then). Actually you may need it by Tuesday.

Also, If you are going when the park closes early, wishes and fantasmic are also early so you can get back to the room at a decent time. We went Presidents Week and wishes started at 10:00 which was way too late for my kids, but we did manage to see it and actually stayed until 11:00 one night because every ride was pretty much walk on, but we did go back for naps the next afternoon. However, if you are going when the park closes late, take the break in the afternoon.

About DTD, I'd probably do it the day you do the water park and make the day at MGM an early day since Fantasmic is usually at 7 or 7;30.

Oh yeah, I'd also rent a stroller(especially at Epcot & AK)(I wouldn't at MGM or MK as its smaller). It saves on the kids. I have an 8 yo and 5 yo and they loved the stroller. We rented a single and they took turns.

 

[pepe of ohio]

by just glancing at it, you seem to be jumping from a park to a place to eat across town. We eat our breakfast either in the park or our resort, return to resort for down time and have dinner in the area of our afternoon park. Spending alot of time being suspended in the Disney transportation system getting to one resturant to another park wastes alot of Disney time. DTD, well for kids, can't really say. To us, our kids are grown, its just a walk through, DQ is a waste of time and money, quick lunch at Captain Jacks and a few shops and we're back to the resort. Water parks, those are tough to stay at a whole day but you paid to get in and to get your monies worth .....
Long ago, when our kids were young, we did the commando thing, circling off the map of what we done and coming home tired and needing another vacation from the Disney vacation. Those days are gone, we appreciate the property more now casually strolling all the parks and resorts at a slow pace. What we don't see will be seen on another trip. Relax, sit in the parks and look at the archetecture, landscaping mechanics of Disney but above all, enjoy yourself.

 

[Leota]

I agree that I'd do DTD after your Water Park, not your MGM day if you're planning on Fantasmic. It takes awhile just to GET to DTD (Transpo there & back is the worst)

There is nothing inherently wrong with your schedule for a non-hopping trip to WDW. I think you need to adjust your Touring Mentality if you are too tired & want to do things differently. Maybe going in with the attitude "If I miss it this time, I'll see it the next" and also "Break Time is MY call" "Vacation is for all of us. Vacation can be relaxing"

There are lots of ways for you to get some down time without actually napping (although we always rather insisted on that for our DS). You can rent boats at any resort marina, whether you are staying there or not. Lounging by the pool is always great. Kids love pool time. Having a nice, relaxing meal. Taking a break in the resort room, even if the kids don't actually sleep - plug them into a Disney show & close your eyes for 20 minutes. Each Park has a longer show that you can sit & enjoy. Example - Hall of Presidents in MK is a great place for a nap. Likewise, Impressions du France is a nice, cool, comfortable spot to put your feet up.

Good Luck

 

[Skylarr29]

It is really hard to just take it slow trust be I know.... I use to be totally comando until hubby said I have to take it easy, My only advice is just to try and relax and "go with the flow" as hard as it is. You will have a much mor eenjoyable vacation if you sit back and just let the fun and magic happen. I also reccomend an afternoon break everyday... either for napping or swimming, tv watching... whatever. Then everyone is refreshed and ready to go again for night time activities!!

 

[rlovew]

If you want them to slow down and take a break during the day than plan on getting parkhoppers and move from one park to another by utilizing EMH in the morning and planning ADR at a different park. This will give you at least a little while for down time as you will have to wait for a bus and then sit on the bus on your way to your next destination, you could also give them the excuse to go back and change shoes for the evening and get to the hotel for an hour between parks.

 

[traciedee]

I know what you mean about being exhausted. Here are a couple of things that I have read on this board and others that have been repeated over and over.

Go at rope drop you can get more accomplished early in the am with less crowds and less waiting in lines.

Take breaks in the afternoon. If your kids don't want actual break time, try our plan. I have teens and we are heading to the water parks for a couple of hours in the afternoons to cool down. If we are up early we have planned a lite evening. Beaches & Cream for the kitchen sink and walk on the boardwalk or DisneyQuest at DownTown Disney for a couple of hours.

Have fun

 

[seashoreCM]

1. Walk more slowly.

2. You don't have to go back to the resort to rest. You can sit on a bench in a park and enjoy the view.

3. If you go to DTD at night, make that your last activity. Do not return to a park, that trip is very time consuming.

4. If you don't finish everything you wanted to do in a park, accept the fact you originally guessed wrong and planned too much for that day, and come back the next day, the next week or the next year.

DIsney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[eliza61]

I'll repeat what one of the other "dissers" said, Slow Down. What is the phrase heard in the Caribbean "No worries mon" When you go to the parks don't focus on riding every single ride, take time to stroll and take in the atmosphere. (I know with small kids, that's next to impossible ) On our last vacation, my family and I made it a point of sitting down on a bench or a railing after each ride we went on. We found ourselves comparing the attraction and the decorations along the line and laughing about some thing funny we saw, this prevented us from rushing from one end of the park to another.

 

[fun2bmomof3]

I have to agree with the other posters; just slow down. Walk slower, take a closer look at everything as you walk by. It is amazing the little details you miss when you rush through in order to try to fit everything in. And those little details can sometimes make the trip more memorable than being able to do everything.

Now as far as the waterparks go... my kids would have a fit if we didn't get to do a waterpark at least one day of our trip. They LOVE them and I gotta admit I do too. But we often times we don't stay all day. By late afternoon we go back to the resort clean up and head to DTD for dinnerand shopping. I would not recommend going to the parks, because for us that is way too exhausting.
I would also just spend the day at MGM. Even if you don't want to see fantasmic, when the park closes you could use that time to go back and relax and swim at the resort. My kids love the resort pools as much as the parks.

Maybe make a list of things you feel you don't want to miss. Make those things a priority and plan to do the rest next trip. Because let me tell you it is impossible to do everything. We have been 4 times and we still feel we haven't done it all yet. Because there is a ton of things beyond the parks. If you start investigating all the things each resort offers, water parks, minature golf, etc; it is amazing.

 

[Feralpeg]

Well, you can either try to do everything in a short period of time and be exhausted or, you can take your time and really enjoy those things you do get to do. To really do everything at WDW, you would need a couple of weeks. Even then, it can be tough depending on the time of year. I believe in quality, not quantity. Good luck!

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Personally I found the waterpark day to be relaxing. I would put it in the middle of my trip. I would also do DTD on the waterpark day. Your ADR's look good to me.

 

[KJHawley]

Last year we did 5 days at WDW and a couple more days in Florida.

Roy Walley: Roy; can I call you Roy? Have you even driven your whole family cross-country?
Roy Walley: Oh, hell yes. Once I drove all of them to Florida. The smell coming out of the back seat was terrible.
Clark Griswald: I know that smell, Roy; but what if you had driven all that way and Florida was closed?
Roy Walley: Closed? Uh, they don't close Florida.

 

[Kasmir]

Hi, La79al!

I PROMISED my family that I wouldn't over-plan this trip. It just so happens that I'm notorious for that! It's a running joke in our family.

Anyway, for every day that we're in the theme parks all day, we're taking a day off the next day - going to a water park, swimming and taking it easy, etc.

We always come back from every "vacation" exhausted because we try to do everything. I'm just going to go with the flow this time...

So I guess that the way we'll slow down is by forcing ourselves to fit some relaxation in.

The beauty of not seeing everything is that it gives you something to look forward to next time! (or that's what I'm trying to tell myself!)

For what it's worth, I hope that helps...

Have fun!

Sheila

 

[Ava]

I agree the person who said they find the waterpark day relaxing. It doesn't take a whole day to do all the slides at a waterpark, and there are relaxing things to do as well - the "lazy river" in both parks, and TL has a beach area. I usually plan the morning/early afternoon at the waterpark, then go back to the hotel to shower & change for dinner. Have dinner in DTD or in one of the resorts. If you put this day in the middle of your trip, it could give your family the break they need to be able to spend the last half of your trip finishing up the parks.

 

[LBKMAMA]

we've been for the past two years the first week of Dec. and I to tried to fit everything in...this year we are doing the park hopper and taking a day off in the middle to relax at pool or take kids mini golf...I'll try and plan a character dining for that night at hotel. My kids were just exhausted last year and everyone was real cranky and that is no fun when you are spending this much money. I figure if we get to the park late one or two morning, but have smiles on our faces we'll be better off. Good luck!