How do YOU do Disney?

[KimBean]

Who are the travelers? 4 of us
When do you go? nov-Dec
How many days? 7-10
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Have done both, love onsite.
Car or Disney transportation? CAR ALWAYS MY OWN CAR (we drive from ATL so not a biggie.)
Dining: plan (type) or OOP - done both. Only DDP if free.
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans? Rope drop to close. NO breaks. we always go in winter so pool isn't option. Touring plan.

 

[mdelano4]

First, I have to say, I love the question in this thread.

Who are the travelers? Me, DW, DS (21), DS (18) and DD (14)
When do you go? Almost always mid to late August. There are two reasons, first I have a 5 day event which I run and always ends the second Sunday in August. Second, the camps are done and the southern schools are back in session, so we have found the crowds to be a bit lighter.
How many days? 7 to 10
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? OnSite.
Car or Disney transportation? Car to the resort, then we park it and take Disney Transportation.
Dining: plan (type) or OOP - OOP since the kids got past the age for child's meal. Just don't usually eat all that food on the DDP.
Daily schedule: That's changed over the years. When kids were young, up and out early and go until we all dropped. Now DW and I go as early as we like and the kids meet us when they get up. Last few trips started coming back for mid-day dip in the pool. Used to leave a day for DTD, but now we just head over to DS as we like. We plan dinners around evening activities?

 

[loves to dive]

Who are the travelers?
When do you go?
How many days?
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
Car or Disney transportation?
Dining: plan (type) or OOP
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?

Travelers are either me solo or me and my adult son age 36.
I go twice a year, F&G and F&W. Last year also went the week before Christmas. My son usually goes to F&G with me, he went at Christmas.
How many days varies. Anywhere from 4 nights 5 days to 6 nights 7 days.
Onsite. Lately we have been doing split stays, 1 or 2 nights at a moderate (whichever is less) the rest at an Epcot deluxe.
Car, we drive down but we park the car and don't get in it again unless we are switching resorts or to go home. We use Disney transportation for everything else.
OOP
No schedule. We just get up when we get up, decide what park we are gong to that day and go. We both have APs but before my son had one he always had PHs. We make FPs while standing in lines. We may go back to the resort to rest mid - day or not. Obviously, go with the flow. We tend to eat a TS just about every day but don't make advance ADRs, just make them while walking around the parks. No evening plans although once per trip I must see Tink fly.

 

[jaychis]

I think the answers will depend on how often people go to DW, the number of times they have gone, how close they live, etc. Most of the time we freestyle our day with a couple of planned FastPasses. We have the luxury of not being pressured into an itinerary. As mentioned, it's a fun filled and pressure free way to spend our time.

Who are the travelers?
DW, DS, and me

When do you go?
Several times per month, we live about 30 minutes away

How many days?
We go one day at a time

Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
Offsite, we live close to DW

Car or Disney transportation?
Car (as AP's we get free parking)

Dining: plan (type) or OOP
For the majority of the time, we eat in the parks. We are annual passholders and get a discount.

Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?
It depends on what we want to do. Sometimes we go later in the day, or if it's the bust time of year we go early and then leave when the crowds pick up.

 

[Roxyfire]

Who are the travelers?
Me and my son (10)
When do you go?
Last time we went in October. Next time late May/early June. I think it would be less stressful to go during breaks. But I'm glad we got to experience the fall decorations and activities.
How many days?0
6-8 days, depending on price/days available.
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
On site for ease. I decide where we stay based on discounts available. This time I got a UOC for 30% off that included WL so I chose that, despite the construction. We also go to Universal and stay on site there.
Car or Disney transportation?
Plane to Orlando, Disney Transport. Uber anywhere else off site. I drive enough every day. Plus with what I'm paying to stay on site I'd rather use the transport, we are patient.
Dining: plan (type) or OOP - Last time we did Free Dining (regular DDP) but my son just doesn't eat enough to justify it. If we pay as we go, he can choose how much he wants to eat and less stress. I have a much better appetite and can eat whenever so it works out.
Daily schedule: So we are often on-the-go early and like to stay out late. I don't care for sitting around on vacation, I do that enough at home and work. I like getting to the parks before they open, have a midday meal or late breakfast, and stay as late as we can. This next time we will park hop a bit or go back to the resort if it's too hot. I like that MK is open fairly late most nights so we will take advantage of that as much as possible.

 

[Planogirl]

Who are the travelers?
DS and I usually, sometimes DH went.

When do you go?
Varies but February and December most often.

How many days?
It averaged out to about a week but we spend fewer days and visit other area attractions nowadays.

Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
Both. We originally stayed at the Polynesian but changed to Moderates and even Budget a few times. We also stayed in several offsite hotels. It's all good.

Car or Disney transportation?
Car usually.

Dining: plan (type) or OOP
OOP. The dining plans never worked for us.

Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?
We tried to hit rope drop, take a midday break of some kind and return in the evening. We had kind of a loose touring plan which was in our heads since we went so often. We don't have much interest in pools.

We don't get all caught up in having to see it all. We go to certain favorites and otherwise just play around.

 

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

Great thread, OP! Every single trip has been SO different for me, I don't really have a set way of doing things - I love trying out different strategies or just changing up my speed! I'll also include my Disneyland visits because why not. But in general...

Who are the travelers?
I'm the only consistent person! Mostly I go with close friends, except one trip to WDW with Dad, cousin and uncle, and 2 trips to Disneyland with Father, Mother, Aunt(and also a close friend!)
When do you go?
Whenever my schedule and finances allow it! I haven't gone at the same time of year yet. I've gone end of August, Beginning of May, Mid April, and early October. at Disneyland I've been in August and September. I would like to try all different times of year, this year I will be heading with BFF and her Fiance in late November to experience a Disney Christmas!
How many days?
Always a week, 7-8 days besides my first trip(We only did 4 days and I learned that it was nowhere near enough!). I've never been on ANY vacation longer than a week other than when I went to Europe. I would love to do Disney for 10 days, I think that amount sounds perfect, but scheduling and finances have yet to allow it.

For Disneyland, 3-4 days. I could stay longer but I think between 5 and 7 days would be enough. 3 to 4 days is still a lot of time to get stuff done there!
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
ONSITE!! I would sooner put off a Disney World trip for later to save for onsite. The total immersion is a huge factor for me, and planning and getting around is so convenient. The hotels are so fantastic and are just as essential to my vacation as the parks.
I love Value and Deluxe, Value for the outrageous themes and prices. I can't say enough about how much I like the hokey over the top themes hahaha. I also love Deluxe, the location is fantastic and you just feel all the energy of the parks all around you. I also have expensive taste for a person with no money! I like to feel pampered and I like the extra amenities. I would like to try staying in every single resort at some point, though admittedly the Moderates don't appeal to me. I don't really get the point. Tried POR a couple years back and wasn't impressed. I do want to stay at CSR at some point, maybe after all the construction is done!

I have only stayed onsite at DLR but I don't think it's as necessary there. I love the hotels there and will probably continue to stay in them, but if I lived closer to DLR and could go more often I would probably be more flexible.
Car or Disney transportation?
DISNEY TRANSPORTATION! I don't get all the Disney Bus haters on these boards, I love those magical buses. Maybe i've been lucky too, but I've never had to wait too long for a bus except at park closing, which is to be expected. The boats and the MONORAIL OF COURSE!! I drove my car to Florida for our POR trip, but I just parked the car and didn't look at it til the end of the trip. I may try to do this again for my upcoming trip. It was nice being able to buy souvenirs and not have to worry about whether it would fit in my luggage or would be contraband. But I have no interest in driving on a Disney Vacation.

Disneyland, this question is irrelevant. Everything is in walking distance of each other, though the monorail is always fun and worth a ride(though it's honestly totally unnecessary). I actually enjoy the monorail in Disneyland a lot more as a ride, the views you get are SO cool, and as of 2015, you could still ride in the front with the driver! It's way less of a big deal there, if you want to ride in the front you just ask and hop in.
Dining: plan (type) or OO
I have done OOP for all but one trip, we got QS free dining. I loved it! Not having to budget for food and having all those extra snack credits was awesome. I am considering doing DP for this trip. Not sure if I would go for regular DP as it has gotten so expensive(though I do have some TS i'm dying to try), but QS I would consider. I love to eat and not having to think about food money makes the trip so much more relaxing.
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?
I am a morning person, and like to do RD most days with maybe two days to sleep in and take a break. I like to do a few days where I'm at the park open to close, but definitely have learned that I need a couple days of NOT doing that so I don't burn out. But yeah I can do the parks all day most days no problem. The days I don't RD we usually hang out at our wonderful resort or do Disney Springs or something, then do a park in the late afternoon into the evening.

I HATE midday breaks and park hopping. Both are huge time wasters to me. The amount of time to travel back and forth makes no sense to me when I could take a break in a nice restaurant. I do LOVE the well themed restaurants, don't need to do one every day but I do like a few per trip, usually on the days we go open to close because, again, I HATE MIDDAY BREAKS!! And park hopping just seems overstimulating. When I am in a park I want to enjoy it as much as possible and appreciate the little things. i tried park hopping from AK to DHS last time and just felt burnt out when I got to DHS. Did one ride, shopped a bit then just went back to the resort to relax. Felt like I wasted an afternoon. The only time I have utilized a midday break was staying at CR in August 2010, we would bounce back and forth between CR and MK. I would do that again because you're not actually leaving the area at all, LOVED the location of CR.

I have never dedicated a whole day to my resort. I never travel with kids so I don't need a WHOLE DAY in the pool. I usually take a half hour dip or something. I love spending time at my hotels, but over the course of a week spending a few mornings or evenings there has been enough time to explore everything.

 

[DizDaD7]

Who are the travelers? ME DW & DS & DD
When do you go? Varies , but mostly summer & Jersey Week
How many days? 7 as a minimum but as much as 11
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? 1 time offsite,(Big house in Kissimmee) Never again! then started out with values, slowly moved to mods, then bought & currently stay with DVC Villas
Car or Disney transportation? Always Disney Transportation, even when we've driven to Florida(3x's) I let WDW do the work.lol
Dining: plan (type) or OOP Did FD 3 x's back with the mods & 1 value, Now we've gotten AP's 3 times & have done TIW
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?
And I'm sure their are other things that can be shared that I'm not thinking of! Mostly RD. But do have set resort days built in as well. Mid day breaks some times. Pool days are generally when we have mid days & also the resort days. In terms of touring plan, you kinda have to, with FP+... After that we wing it. Not really a Park Hopper. Usually do TS meals most of the nights. Evening plans consist of either pool, Community Hall, or Sometimes nights back at a park.

 

[DreamRunner1]

Who are the travelers? DH and myself
When do you go? Ends up being about once a month.
How many days? 2-3 days (quick 3 day weekends usually), sometimes it's 5 but rarely since we go so often.
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Always onsite. Once or twice a year is Deluxe, everything else is moderate (hard to go down a level when you get used to Deluxe!)
Car or Disney transportation? Disney Transportation
Dining: plan (type) or OOP
OOP always. Being just 2 of us, the DDP is usually more expensive and too much food for us. Besides, DDP doesn't included adult beverages
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?
Usually a random mix of both. We like going for RD sometimes but also love having a leisurely morning. Will randomly come back for pool time and then go back for dinner/firworks. Try to make at least one firework show a trip. Since we go so often, we will focus on 1 or 2 parks each time so we can enjoy them more.

 

[Parker Clan]

Great question! I'm always interested to read how others tour and get new ideas, I've learned a lot on here!

Who are the travelers? Me and DH
When do you go? August. He works three jobs & it's the only time we can go
How many days? Typically 3 at Universal & 7 at the World
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? On site, last five years CBR, last summer Grand Floridian for our Honeymoon and we got an amazing deal again so staying there this August
Car or Disney transportation? We always drive down from CT every summer
Dining: plan (type) or OOP: Always OOP
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans? Pretty close to RD, always a mid day break in August, back to parks at night. Definitely lots of pool time in the afternoon and at night. We do a TS every dinner. Some TS lunches, some breakfast. We always see Hoop dee doo each year.
We also build in a rest day or two, without parks, just to re-energize. We're pretty laid back so the vacations are very chill

 

[mernin]

Who are the travelers? DH, DD9, DD4 and I (one trip before kids, one trip with just 1 DD & Grandparents), two trips with both DD)
When do you go? It's been different each time - Mar 2005, Sept 2012, Dec 2015, Feb 2017.
How many days? From 3-10 days
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? 2 offsite, 2 onsite - CSR with a convention and AKV/PVB on rented DVC points
Car or Disney transportation? Offsite a car (obviously) and onsite Disney transport
Dining: plan (type) or OOP usually OOP but did DDP this past trip for first time and liked it
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? Rope drop
mid day breaks? Offsite usually no. Last trip we did on 1 day. Most days we stay through till dinner and head out.
pool days? Long trips yes (10 day had 2), short no
touring plan or go with the flow? We make a plan but don't follow it strictly.
park hop? Always have but thinking we don't necessarily need it
meals? Usually breakfast in room or Character PPO, dinner TS, lunch QS
evening plans? Sometimes fireworks, but often leave around dinner.

 

[Oneanne]

Travelers: About half the time I'm going solo, the other half is split between being a tour guide for Siblings/family or meeting up with Disney Friends.

How often/When: I've lost count, but I think I'm probably up to about 40 trips, going all the way back to the early 90's. I started with one trip per year, always in the Spring, but have since been just about every time of year as well. May 2015 to May 2016 I had an AP and did four trips on it. I've been twice now during the Christmas holiday season and have to say I don't love it... I'm from the Pacific North West and am genetically programmed for cold/dark/damp weather at that time of year. I've been several times in the fall for F&W and do love that. This year I'm going once, in November and will be meeting up with friends.

Days: Varies, but usually between 5 to 7 days.

Onsite always/only: I have to stay in the bubble. I'm usually at POP, love the price and location, but also love POFQ.

Disney Transport: Don't want to have to think about self-navigating and usually have pretty good bus karma.

Dining Plan: Twice, once free and once paid for... way too much food so now OOP only.

Daily Schedule: Coming from the west coast, the time change is in my favor and I have no problem getting up early, so I'm usually at the park at RD or shortly thereafter. I partake in early EMH, but usually not the late ones. I always take a mid-day break for a nice nap and freshen up. I always get PH and more often than not evenings are spent wandering around WS in EPCOT. I love being in the parks after dark, but rarely close a park. I'll only do ADR's for half of my trip days, as I've found that I don't like committing to a meal schedule all days. I do my FP+ mid-mornings and leave the afternoons/evenings open. Every trip I have favorite must-do's but also try several new things... and after 40 trips there are still new things. I avoid parades as much as possible, I actually find them kind of tortuous, except for BTY. I like to do a tour every other trip or so. A couple trips ago I did the four-parks-one-day challenge, had a blast and will do it again soon: with the new premium/express transportation getting to/from the parks will be much faster, so I'll add some criteria to want I want to accomplish in each park. I rarely do character meet-and-greets but do do one character meal per trip. My favorite park character is Chip, we have a thing going so I always make a point of seeking him out.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

• Who are the travelers?
  It's always at least me and someone else, usually my husband. The last two trips were attempted solo trips, but someone tagged along. A co-worker for my Jan 2016 trip and my mother for my Sept 2016 trip. Those were great trips! I only just started going more frequently since my wedding trip in 2014.
• When do you go?
  If I only go once a year, I will always choose September/October. I will do my best to make sure I go to at least MNSSHP so I can see my favorite fireworks show, Hallowishes. It's just my husband and I so we are able to go whenever we feel like it and our jobs don't have us on a set schedule (I work 3 customer service/retail jobs [Of course Nov/Dec are blacked out] and he works in HVAC). Otherwise I try to go with May. Crowds and weather are my biggest factors so holidays/breaks are the times of year I avoid.
• How many days?
  I'd like to stay forever, but I try to go for roughly a week. It mostly depends on budget.
• Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
  Definitely onsite. Resort level isn't a big concern for me, but it usually factors in how long I can stay. I try to stick with a mod (POFQ specifically), but if I can get an excellent deal on a deluxe, I'll gladly stay there no questions asked!
• Car or Disney transportation?
  I'm perfectly fine with using Disney transportation!
• Dining: plan (type) or OOP
  Since there's usually only two of us, OOP is preferred. We don't eat a ton.
• Daily schedule: If my husband is going, we will check crowd calendars to plan our park days. We are mostly go with the flow, but will make some FP+ selections beforehand. Mainly park open to close or park hop depending on the parks. Usually we don't park hop on MK days. It really depends on the mood we're in. Most stuff isn't set in stone unless we're attending MNSSHP. I like to do at least one park a day even if it's just a few hours, but I won't complain if we do non-park stuff for a day. It usually changes every trip. We just do whatever we feel like.

 

[GPC0321]

I just returned to Disney last year after a 17 year hiatus, so I don't really have a "style" of Disneying down yet. But I foresee many more trips in the future, so I'll answer accordingly.

Who are the travelers? Currently me and my 70+ year old parents. They went last year and will go this year. But I don't see them having too many more Disney trips in them. I would like to do some solo trips and some trips with other Disney-loving friends of mine in the future!

When do you go? Last year was Easter, this year will be just before Christmas. Summer seem likely for the next several years as I'm a teacher and that's the easiest time to have off. But I definitely have to get to Food and Wine some fall too...in fact I know a friend that would LOVE to do that. I need to plan that trip!

How many days? Did 5 nights last time, only doing 3 nights this time. I'd stay longer, but I have horses and dogs at home, and I hate leaving the responsibility of caring for them for too long on someone else. I'll say 4 nights is my ideal.

Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Onsite for sure. That's part of the draw to WDW for me. Stayed moderate in the past, but going deluxe (renting DVC) in December and feel sure I will have a hard time taking a step back down once I've gone deluxe. Plus, I really want to experience all the different deluxe resorts.

Car or Disney transportation? Disney. Kind of like the onsite resort, it's just part of the experience to me.

Dining: plan (type) or OOP: I don't have enough experience with the dining plans to discount them totally, but I found the QSDP to be a headache and a waste of money, so I'd say I lean OOP. I like the "idea" of the dining plan...getting everything paid for up front, but I don't like worrying about keeping track of credits and getting my money's worth, etc. once I'm there.

Daily schedule:
RD or sleep in? Neither. Get up fairly early, take time getting ready, get breakfast, and head on out. No rushing, but no laying around either.
mid day breaks? If we're tired and/or want a swim
pool days? No, we don't stay long enough Pool comes at mid day break if we take one
touring plan or go with the flow? A little of both. Schedule some FP+ and then see where the day takes us.
park hop? Definitely. I like the freedom.
meals? Last time was all quick service. This time will probably be TS breakfast, light lunch or snack, and TS dinner. Though during any Epcot festival, I'm down for hitting kiosks for good eats when the mood strikes.
evening plans? Nighttime shows/fireworks! One of my main priorities at Disney!

 

[LCoulter]

Who are the travelers? Me, DH, DD9
When do you go? Between Oct-Dec usually
How many days? At least 7 but I'm always trying to squeeze in 1-3 days extra
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Always on-site and since I'm DVC, stay in a one Bedroom villa, prior to DVC, we stayed in moderate
Car or Disney transportation? Car
Dining: plan (type) or OOP always OOP, eat most meals on site, eat some meals in room and off site too

Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? RD most days, or shortly after mid day breaks? Yes, always, to nap or go to movie or pool or DS pool days? Sometimes…DH hates the pool touring plan or go with the flow? I go with a general plan that is flexible, unfortunately I find fast passes make flexibility more of a challenge park hop? We always get hoppers and usually hop to different park in the evening meals? Typically, we eat breakfast in the room or on the go, we hate dining in AK and DHS so we will go off site or to DS on those days, we are most likely to eat a lunch at Epcot and MK evening plans? MK, sometimes fireworks, Epcot

 

[glassslippergirl]

So how do you and your family do Disney?

Who are the travelers?

Me, DH, DS4

When do you go?

We aren't particular. We live 3 hours away and WDW is one of our go-tos for a weekend getaway. Last year, we visited for a few days in July and Veteran's Day weekend in Nov. This year, we are going Easter week and may go again in Oct.

How many days?

Mostly long weekends, 1-3 days.

Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?

Offsite

Car or Disney transportation?

Always car, though we enjoy our trips on the monorail

Dining: plan (type) or OOP

No DDP. TS dining is time consuming. We may do one TS per trip. The rest is CS or offsite take out that we bring back to our hotel room.

Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?

We've tried almost everything. Commando all-day is my favorite but not feasible with a little one. I would have us waiting for RD every morning, but my night owl family will have none of that. DH prefers to sleep late and stay in parks late. This coming trip, we plan to make more effort to hit RD, leave by 1 for a break, and return late afternoon/early evening. We only park hop during F&W so we can eat dinner at Epcot booths each evening.

What makes our next trip special (we try to make each trip unique):

The goal of this trip is to see Wishes multiple times to say good-bye, so we hope afternoon breaks will help with late nights. DS and I will, for the first time ever, have a pool day on this trip when DH takes a day to go to Star Wars Celebration, also in town that week. We will be MK-centric this trip, focusing all 3 park days on MK because we always leave WDW saying we wish we had more time in MK to do ---( changes every time). Though I usually plan one dining experience, there will be no ADRs this trip to keep the plan loose. At least once, we plan to make a meal of snacks. It just sort of happened once when we rode rides until we were starving, stopped at some snack carts in a row, bought popcorn, ice cream, and a pretzel and shared them. I think it was DS favorite "meal" of all-time.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Who are the travelers? Usually myself, DH, and DS. DS is now 22 and we've been taking him since he was 6. He's a Disney kid for sure!
How many days? 7-10
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Onsite and Moderate for the last several years at CSR
Car or Disney transportation? Disney all the way!
Dining: plan (type) or OOP: Normally Deluxe Dining Plan-my guys are eaters!
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? RD
mid day breaks? YES
pool days? Pool at mid day break
touring plan or go with the flow? combination of both-a loose plan that has some wiggle room.
park hop? Sometimes, especially for meals
meals? On DxDP, normally a breakfast and dinner or lunch and dinner, just 2 a day.
evening plans? Wishes, F!, and can't wait to try AK for the first time at night. We are not Illumination fans, so we like Disney Springs on one night as well.

 

[mshanson3121]

I'll stick my answers in your quote, based on our upcoming 2018 trip

I was reading another thread about how someone plans their days at Disney and a few others shared how theirs days looked, and it got me curious about how different people experience Disney World?

So how do you and your family do Disney?

Some questions to get it started:

Who are the travelers? Me, DH and our two children who will be 11 and 8
When do you go? Summer, either June or August and right now looking like August
How many days? 12-14 nights
Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Off-site rental home
Car or Disney transportation? Car, we drive down from Canada
Dining: plan (type) or OOP? We'll spend a whopping $200ish on groceries for the trip and make our own meals. We will probably splurge on one dining experience, right now thinking the ROL breakfast at Tusker House.
Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans? Almost all of the above? lol. We like to mix up rope drop, evening, afternoon breaks, rest days etc... We try to pair a late night with a rest day. No park hopping, see above re: meals, and for touring plan basically just our FP+ and then go with the flow. So, for an example, off the top of my head, this would be a potential schedule for our trip, if we just stay 12 nights:

Day 1: arrive around 4 pm
Day 2: rest during the morning, and then head into Epcot in the afternoon, stay for IllumiNations.
Day 3: rest
Day 4: MK, rope drop, stay for the day, leaving after the parade
Day 5: AK, rope drop, afternoon break, go back for evening/ROL
Day 6: rest
Day 7: Lego Land, rope drop, stay till supper time
Day 8: HS, rope drop, afternoon break, then go back for evening for Star Wars fireworks
Day 9: rest
Day 10: Go back to either HS or AK, rope drop, stay till sometime in the afternoon
Day 11: MK, rope drop, afternoon break, go back for evening, fireworks etc...
Day 12: rest/pack etc...

Any free evenings will be spent just enjoying some R&R after our time in the park. The rental home has a private 24' pool, so we really enjoy that. More than likely on one of our rest days, we would head into Old Town. Might also take an afternoon and go visit Fort Wilderness - see the animals, do a trail ride, etc... Would love to do HDDR again, but will depend on $$$ at the time. But really, we aren't people who want to spend every waking minute in the parks, or *doing* something every day. We really enjoy having down days where we do nothing but lounge around the pool.


And I'm sure their are other things that can be shared that I'm not thinking of!

Thanks for sharing

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Who are the travelers? DH, me, DD22, DS20 and this summer DD's boyfriend for his first trip to WDW

When do you go? Have gone July for kids b'days the last few years, Sept/Oct for F&W (just DH & I) and Christmas/New Years as a family twice

How many days? Typically 8 days but going for 10 this summer

Onsite/offsite? Resort Level? Onsite. Our favorite is BC or another Deluxe but enjoyed our stay at CSR also.

Car or Disney transportation? Usually rental car because we fly to Orlando. Have used Magical Express and it worked well.

Dining: plan (type) or OOP? OOP. Did dining plan once and it was too much food!

Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? Rarely do RD but almost alway stay until close. mid day breaks? Not usually. pool days? Never take a full day off from the parks. touring plan or go with the flow? A mix. We have a rough plan but adjust as necessary. park hop? Almost every day. meals?A mix of TS, QS and club snacks. evening plans? Usually lots of rides and watch the fireworks.

This summer I hope to try a more relaxed time since we are bringing someone else with us. Don't want to scare off the newbie by go, go, going! We are used to filling most of our time but want to enjoy the resorts more this time and maybe feel like we relaxed a little on our vacation.

 

[karly05]

Who are the travelers?
Me. I just had my 6th Annual Solo Trip last month.

When do you go?
February before Pres Day weekend, or April after the Easter frenzy has cleared. i can't really take major vacation time from work in the fall, or I would look at that season.

How many days?
7 nights / 6 full park days. I usually don't get in much before 3 pm on arrival day and leave early on departure day.

Onsite/offsite? Resort Level?
ALWAYS Onsite. I've stayed at all 3 levels: BC, Poly, POFQ, POP. I love love love POFQ. I stayed at POP this year to save $$ and liked it, but POFQ is my WDW "home."

Car or Disney transportation?
Totally Disney transportation. Call me crazy, I really don't mind the buses.

Dining: plan (type) or OOP
OOP. I like the freedom of eating just what I want, and the DP doesn't really make economic sense for me.


Daily schedule: RD or sleep in? mid day breaks? pool days? touring plan or go with the flow? park hop? meals? evening plans?
I'm a morning person, so usually make rope drops. I am not a night owl, so it's kind of a chore for me to do evenings, even in February when shows are early.
I'm a Park Junkie; don't care about the pool, and quit bothering with DTD (now Disney Springs) a few years ago because to me it was just a waste of good park time (that's just me).
I will say I'm not as young as I used to be, and I'm finally learning to take an occasional mid-day break, or one morning off, but I'd always hit a park for at least part of the day.
I always have a Park Hopper. I may not use it every day, but I like the flexibility, and I always spend my last day hopping to do things I missed earlier or redo some favorites. One year I did the 4 Parks in 1Day thing and had a blast.
I used to plan a lot more, but the more I go, the more I go with the flow. I have my FPs, and I have a plan of attack for the first part of the day, but once I get my priorities done, I'm more play-by-ear. That is a BIG advantage of going solo.
I love food and always have some ADRs and food priorities. I will Park hop for food.
I like the crowd calendars at easyWDW. I don't generally do am EMH, and never evening. I always want to follow the recommended "best" days for MK.

Great thread!