How do I take it easy at Disney?

[Schlek]

We have been to Disney now quite a few times and still love going to the parks but we are trying to figure out how to slow down and relax more while we are there. What are some of your best tips or ideas to be better at taking it easy while at Disney World?

 

[Wayland10]

It sounds counterintuitive, but I schedule downtime. 1-5 pm, downtime. Pool and fruity drink. 5 pm, shower and get ready for dinner reservation. It helps me to feel like I’m not missing out- I’m sticking to the plan!

 

[mort1331]

Once you know you will be back again,,then you realize that you don't need to get it all done this time. Stroll a little slower, take note of what is done and why it was done,,,95% have no idea. Each park has additional activities to do that take you off a different path. IE. EPCOT has a map to get a flag from each country. MK has cards you get at the firehall and a map to where those cards can be used.
Explore the different resorts and what they have to offer instead of a park day. Many things at the campground to do.

 

[mom2rtk]

You have to go back more often. If I'm missing things I can't get back to do later, then my FOMO is worse than my fatigue.

 

[fla4fun]

We have been to Disney now quite a few times and still love going to the parks but we are trying to figure out how to slow down and relax more while we are there. What are some of your best tips or ideas to be better at taking it easy while at Disney World?

Buy one less ticket day than your trip length and have a down day in the middle of your trip. Use it to sleep in, hang at the pool, visit resorts, maybe have an early night.

Otherwise, you just have to let go of your expectations and allow the day to unfold. Only make plans for the items that you absolutely must experience. Don’t stare at your phone Forget about FOMO. It isn’t about squeezing in every single activity and restaurant. It’s about picking and choosing only those things which will give you the most joy. Sometimes that’s staying for the parade and fireworks and sometimes it’s an early night at your resort watching a fun movie under the stars. It’s not a competition.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

We park hop every day, and use the hopping time to take an offsite lunch each afternoon. Everyone seems to enjoy getting out of the parks for a couple of hours

Our lunch time is usually around the same time that several of the the headliner attractions drop additional lightening lines so we also use that time to get some good ones lined up for the evening park.

 

[zdad59]

We're a little older now so we don't power visit the parks. A few things we do....

• We stroll, not power walk. We'll get there but at our own pace.
• We plan to enjoy the pre-shows and the lines associated with them.
• We will sit on a bench and people watch.
• As other have said we plan 2-3 hours of down time every day. We make a point of staying a WDW property near a park. Next trip is at Beach Club. We go back to the hotel to nap or hot tub, and close our eyes for a bit.

 

[Mommb]

Go to shows, even if they aren’t starting immediately and require waiting.

Look at the exhibits in World Showcase and Animal Kingdom.

Even if you don’t want to wait in line for characters, stop and watch them interact with people, especially kids, who have waited in line.

My husband keeps telling me that once I have seen everything at WDW, he won’t ever go back with me, so I make sure on each trip there is something I don’t get around to doing. (I don’t think he’s serious, but just in case…)

 

[RivGirl]

Schedule at least one rest day.
Don’t rope drop.
Leave the parks at dinner time, enjoy a resort stroll or movie or hot tub, and go to bed “early.”
Schedule a table service meal in the middle of the day.
Enjoy shows, short films, and walk throughs as much as, or more than, rides.
Watch fireworks from somewhere outside the parks.

If you’re on Instagram, I recommend following @dintroverts for “quiet” Disney content.

 

[MartyParty]

Buy one less ticket day than your trip length and have a down day in the middle of your trip. Use it to sleep in, hang at the pool, visit resorts, maybe have an early night.

Otherwise, you just have to let go of your expectations and allow the day to unfold. Only make plans for the items that you absolutely must experience. Don’t stare at your phone Forget about FOMO. It isn’t about squeezing in every single activity and restaurant. It’s about picking and choosing only those things which will give you the most joy. Sometimes that’s staying for the parade and fireworks and sometimes it’s an early night at your resort watching a fun movie under the stars. It’s not a competition.

Yep, this is what we do as well. If it's hitting all four parks for four days each, we'll schedule a down day half way between. Sleep in, go to the pool, Downtown Disney, etc. Sometimes we'll also tack on a down day for the last day making it four days in the parks and two days at the resort or Disney area.

As for park days, we're fortunate enough to stay at Bay Lake Tower. On Magic Kingdom days, we'll go in the morning and come back around lunch time or shortly after. Have lunch and dinner in the room or resort. Maybe even relax at the pool. Head back that evening for some rides but return to Bay Lake to watch the fireworks there. That's gets us away from the crowds and late night rush to exit the parks.

Similar for Hollywood Studios. I prefer the bright lights and such at night. Will skip the morning rush and head to Hollywood Studios later afternoon. First stop will probably be an early dinner in the park while it's still hot outside. Probably around 2pm'ish to 3pm. Then hit the park till closing time watching Fantastic.

Animal Kingdom usually is a half day park for us. We'll go early but usually later afternoon we're ready to head out to our resort home, the pool, or Downtown Disney.

EPCOT is our full day if we can make it. We might give it a late morning start. Just depends on how we're feeling and if it's park day #1 or #4.

Ultimately just comes down to planning breaks. The full tilt one in our family is wifey. She wants to go from open to close no matter what. We have to get her on board with the down time or we rotate through leaving one with her while the rest of us head back to the resort. She's our go go go girl!

 

[kanerf]

Purchasing Lightning Lane Multi-Pass can help. That way you know what rides you will do and when and don't have to rush to get in a line.