How many hours can you go before you can't take it anymore?

[LUVMICKEY]

We used to always take a little break after about 6 hours and go back to the resort for a couple of hours and then back to the park for the evening. However, for the past 2 years, we've stayed in the park from opening till closing. If it's really hot, I have a hard time doing that but DH dosen't. I may handle it a little different if the weather is a little cooler. Like some of the other posters have said, everyones, I've had enough for a while level is different, even at different times. I guess you just have to test yourself to see where your, I've had enough for a little while level is.

 

[*Fantasia*]

from open or early EMH up until 11am-noon, then lunch time and head back to our resort for a nap and swim. then head back to the park from at 5pm up until half hour before the park closes unless we are doing the night EMH.

 

[micksterlee]

We usually do open to close at the parks, we figure we can rest at home why waste good park time.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

You definitely can't go by me. I opened and closed Epcot 5 months pregnant and still felt okay (no break). That's 12 hrs. plus an additional hour each way for travel. When we took our 12 month old we always closed down the parks, as well. We're WDW Commandos!

1) I throw in the white towel.
2) I kneel before superior performance.
3) If we get five hours, we feel it is a major accomplishment.


NOTE: The only exception is trying to keep up with the grandkids. When they come down to visit the parks, minutes blend into hours, hours into days. When they finally leave, our minds, eyes and bodies are a blur.

 

[laceemouse]

I take it one day at a time. More than once we've gotten to the parks at 9am and didn't get back to the room til midnight. I know alot of people swear by hotel/pool breaks, but for me, I think it's a big pain to go all the way back to the hotel and then back out to the parks again, but I'm not into commando touring so I try to take breaks in the park, sit awhile on a bench, a nice long lunch, that kind of thing. We do go back to the room sometimes for a break, but more often than not, if we do that we don't wind up going back to the parks. Even when we took my 3 year old nephew I think we only went back for a break one day, my nephew just took a couple short stroller naps and was raring to go.

Me too! I think even park hopping is a big time waster. Once we are in a park we have no desire to leave until we have seen and done all we wanted to see and do. We rarely get there at opening, but at least by mid-morning and then we stay until closing most days. We have been with all ages of kids and still did that.

 

[i<3Disney]

I would say 5 hours...head back to the resort for some rest, and then ready to go for the night

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We have done park open to park close - 8am to midnight! That's sixteen hours! One trip we came pretty close to keeping that up for three days solid (16hrs, then 15 on two subsequent days), On the fourth and fifth days we slept in until about 10, took an afternoon swim break, and then went again until midnight. During vacation times, MK is often open until midnight, so we'd hit one park, have dinner, then head over to MK to close it.

It does help if you have at least one sit down meal per day, and at least take a short sit down break to eat our quck service meals (When we eat around WS, we sometimes forget to sit down, so that gets a little more brutal.) park hopping also affords a short break, assuming you get a seat on the bus.

On other trips we have only managed 14 hour days, including time for breakfast (So I'm counting going to Chef Mickey's for 10 am as starting the day at 10am). One trip we managed to get a fastpass that was timed at 1:30am, I'm not sure about that one, I think it was EMH hours. We didn't need it to get on the ride, so I saved it.

Incidentally, we do this with family in tow. Sometimes the goup had been as small as three adults, but more often it has been a group of eight or nine, with at least three kids. My mom can't always go that many hours, but she usually does pretty well keeping up. She sits out the bigger rollercoasters, so that gives her extra sit down time.

Our family gets a real rush walking into the MK at around 8:30 when lots of other people are leaving. We're the ones skipping down Main Street headed towards BTMRR. We're all real night owls, so it's just the mornings that are a little rough. WE do sometimes take afternoon breaks, but they usually consist of going for a 45minute swim, then hopping in the shower, then heading to dinner and back to a park. If there are young ones along, they may take a nap during this two hour stretch (bus-pool-shower-bus), but not always.

Another critical stategy we employ after a long day, is to take a dip in the hot tub. If ever we get back before 1am, we most certainly try to soak our legs. At swim time, the kids hop in the pool while the adults squeeze in alittle hot tub soaking.
On our last trip, we didn't quite make it until the 3am MK close on our last night. We quit around 1:45, the adults could have kept going, but the kids were done at that point. Usually on the last day in particular, the adreniline kicks in, and everyone wants to hit everything one last time.
So to answer your question, we rarely hit that point at WDW, except that we aren't always able to be at the park gate at 9am. After a full week (Sometimes we only go for five days), we are pretty tired though.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We're of the 4 to 5 hour morning people and back to the resort for swimming and lunch and going to another park in the evening around 5 pm. We've been to WDW over 38 visits and always stay at least 9 nights. We always treat ourselves to a deluxe resort for the atmosphere and ambiance and for the money we're paying we thoroughly enjoy all the ammenities at the resort. It's our vacation, we like to unwind and relax. We have AP's and popping into a park for a lunch or a few hours is no problem, there is so much to see and do on Disney property besides the parks. We experience alittle of everything there is to offer, staying in a park from opening to closing is too much, even at a leisurely pace, a park and all it has to offer doesn't take a complete day. Doing a marathon day and coming back to a resort to shower and crash then repeating it again the next day does not sound like a relaxing vacation to me, but if you're only staying 3-4 nights, you got to do what you have to, I guess.

 

[Brian Noble]

We'll go about 4-5 hours, take a break, and come back. OR, we'll go 6-8, but then be done for the day. We *can* go longer, but we get to diminishing returns at that point.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Do you think its easier at MGM since your sitting at the shows most of the day?

 

[deltachi8]

I have park stamina, I can go all day and night! Heck, I wish Epcot was open 24 hours....

They key is pacing yourself, taking a seat on a bench every so often and enjoying the view.

 

[RoyalCinderella]

Hey, I'm with deltachi8! On this past Christmas Day/Night in the MK, we arrived at 8am and I stayed until they made me go home at 4am the next morning. So, my record for staying in the MK, enjoying the castle, eating Christmas dinner at Cinderella's castle, and riding the peoplemover and Buzz until I was dizzy would have to be 20, yes, 20 hours! The most magical 20 hours of my life so far! What a blast, and I'd do it over again in a minute.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We also go and go. We have an 8yo DS and 3 yo DD.

Just returned from a 10 night stay. 6 days at the park plus the MNSSHP. Opened the park everytime we went and closed it every day but once.

 

[CindyAnn]

I think the heat really wears us down. Since we often travel in November/December/January, I think we can go longer because the heat isn't dragging us down, but I also agree that the crowds are tiring, too. Like others, we play it by ear, to some extent, and if we don't leave the park we'd still plan some very low energy things for a few hours in the afternoon.

Since we will be travelling as a party of 9 this year, I've planned longer days (with an afternoon break) alternating with shorter days (ending around 5:00 p.m.) without a break.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I agree. We took a short weekend trip in May - not when we usually go - and it was unseasonably hot, even for Florida. By mid-afternoon, we needed a break from the sweat. We went back to the pool, and then we were ready to return tot he parks in the evening. But if we had pushed outselves to stay in the park when it was so hot and crowded, we would have burned out earlier. Still, I can't really imagine spending an evening at WDW, and just sitting in the room. The few times we've gone at off times, when the parks closed by nine...we ended up in the pool. I much prefer going until midnight!

 

[Daydreamer]

Typical for us is about 5 hours then the kids absolutely have to have a break and a little down time. However, I once did the 19 straight hours. We hit a breakfast at Epcot at 9:00 am. Around midday the younger kids wanted to head to the MK to see the afternoon parade, so I grabbed them and to the monorail we went. The older kids and most grown-ups headed back to the resort for some downtime. About the time the little guys were winding down the cell phone rang. My oldest daughter and my niece wanted to hit EMH at the MK and guess who was volunteered to stay with them. Around 3:30 the next morning we finally hit the bus back to the resort, though I don't remember much from that ride. Amazingly we managed to start the next day with a 9:00 am seating at the Crystal Palace for breakfast. I guess you just seem to find that extra energy when you're having such a magical time.