Is it possible? A "relaxing" Disney vacation?

[lroger01]

If you can this summer at Hershey park, try and get your son on the roller coaster again. A lot of kids don't "like" their first ride. The adrenalin rush is a new and confusing feeling. If they haven't come off that first ride crying and in a panic, then a second ride will likely be "ok" and a third ride fun! Since your DH likes coasters, getting your son geared up for them now, will help him have fun with dad later - whether at Disney or Hershey.

Also, if you're son hasn't seen 3D movies - or has and hates them - I suggest getting a 3D book now. Find one that uses clear glasses (not the cheap red/blue cardboard ones). With that he can learn to enjoy 3D content at his own pace. Disney 3D movies (Philharmagic, Star Tours, Muppet Vision, and (potentially scary) It's Tough to be a Bug) can be a great way to have fun, take a rest, and get out of the heat.

You mentioned that you don't ride much. Many "rides" at Disney are really just walk through attractions where instead of walking you sit in a slow steady moving car or float in a boat. Know which rides are like that so you aren't sitting out unnecessarily. These rides are two numerous to list here but can be found in a good guidebook.

 

[OasterP]

You guys are really great - thank you! The one thing we will for sure plan ahead for is getting a Tusker House ADR. I will move my plans around based on what day I can get that - I only plan on one character meal, so I think that'll be it.

I will definitely ride some of the "rides" - I just won't ride some of the big ones, but have absolutely no trouble waiting for whoever in my family wants to ride.

We will definitely try our son out again at Hershey this year on both the roller coasters and the water rides (which he also hates). The first few times we went he "hated" the ferris wheel, and then all of a sudden it was one of his favorites. He bawled the entire time the first time and then not even two months later asked to ride it and was fine - such is the age. I want him to like rides - I loved them as a kid - my stomach can just no longer handle them in my "old" 34 years.

Thank you so much for all the tips! I think we'll most likely come up with a "plan" and then do our very best to keep it loose and not be disappointed if something doesn't work out or we don't get to ride something.

I just don't want to end up being like some of the people I see at Hershey who are screaming at their kid because they want to ride the train ride for the third time instead of seeing something else they planned. Totally not judging them - it's different for us b/c we go all the time - some of these people are one and done. I just don't want to end up doing that at Disney. We'll definitely go again but it won't be a yearly thing (sadly).

I love this board - so helpful!

 

[Rosebud123]

For my family, these are the necessary components for a relaxing WDW vacation:
- Do your research ahead of time
- Arrive 30 minutes before RD
- Fully understand and utilize FP (now FP+)
- Use a touring plan
- Either take a 4 hour break each park day, or do 3/4 days and leave the park at 3 or 4.
- Don't make too many ADRs
- Spend at least an hour or two relaxing by the pool each day
- Don't follow late nights with early mornings
- Don't try to cram too much in. Less is more!
- Take break days

We LOVE WDW, but we are not the type be in the park from 9am - midnight. We're happy with about 7 hours of park time each day. We love relaxing by the pool!

 

[Rosebud123]

I'm going to take a slightly different approach from the "Of course you can have a loose plan" advocates. They are right, of course. But only within reason. A "loose" approach is best accomplished when one has already "been there, done that" and has no high expectations for what they accomplish in a day. Or if one knows that one is going to be going back again and again in the future. But as you state above, while you do not have any "must do" rides yet, you expect that you will come up with some. So here is where I would verge away from the "of course you can" advice. If your list of "must do" rides includes those that do not develop long waits, then you an be as free as a bird. But if your "must do" rides for your four year old begin to include things like Enchanted Tales with Belle, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Toy Story Mania among others, it really does help to do some planning. That is, of course, if line minimization is at all a priority. If you don't mind sauntering in to a 50 minute line for each and every attraction, then you don't need any plan at all. Just get in the queue, and ride the ride. You might only get to ride 6 or 7 things in a day, as one poster noted above. Many people view that as a tough return on investment given how expensive WDW is. Others find it to be a perfect day. You have to choose.

Great post! ITA.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I don't think WDW is ever a relaxing vacation ...but it doesn't have to be stressful.

As long as you have enough time and make sure you don't run yourself ragged trying to do everything, it's all good. I like to make a list of no more than 5 must-dos in each park, for a week's trip let's say. Everything else is just a bonus.

Happy planning

 

[mickeynut1]

I agree with the "yes, it's possible" posters. The only thing we ever plan (and have ever planned in all of our Disney trips) is ADRs. All of our trips have been go-with-the-flow type trips as far as the parks were concerned as we just took everything as it came without planning our days. We ended up getting to the parks shortly after opening and stayed until closing, but that was only because we took our time touring the parks and our boys didn't want to leave, not because there were certain things we had to do and/or see. But we also took our time and had a few down days as we didn't do the parks every single day. To this day, we have never planned our park days ahead of time, we decide the morning of where we want to go and have never done rope drop. When we took our first trip, we had no idea we would return almost every year thereafter, so we didn't have that "we'll catch that next time" thinking....we did what we could and what we missed, we missed. With that said, I agree with others that the trip will be what you make it. If you want to take it slow and relax along the way, that's very doable; if you want to be park commandos and go, go, go, that is also doable. Either way, I'm sure you will have a great trip because you will do it the way YOU want to do it, not because you are trying to make your trip go the way others think it should go. Have a great time and enjoy .