Is it possible to have a relaxing vacation

Yes it is possible. We did it for the first time with our sons the same age last year. 3 things I would advise.

1: As other have said you can't do it all in 7 days so don't try. This doesn't mean you can't do a lot but don't expect to do everything at all the parks, eat at 7 different resorts and hit all the shops in Downtown Disney and still be relaxed. Just not possible.

2: Have some sort of plan as to what you want to do and when you would like to do it. Many folk will advise just waking up and doing what every you feel like but with kids that age you should have some idea of what you want to do. In particular make ADR's for the popular places if you want to go there and have an idea about what counter places you would or would not like to go to. (For example in the WS I think the American Pavillion is the only CS place with Air Conditioning. In August that made the decision for us.).

3: Accept that you may have to chuck the plan out the window 5 minutes into a day. While having a plan helps don't become driven by the plan. For us it was the realization that our 6 year old son wasn't going to go on any dark ride that was the least bit scary. We went from riding POTC, HM and such to riding Peter Pan more times that I care to think about.

One other thing I would reccomend is taking a look at Tour Guide Mike. We used it and one thing that he emphasises is how to have a relaxing resort experience. We used his advice for our 7 night trip with our sons 6 & 8 at the time and saw quite a bit but also did have the relaxing resort vacation experience he talks about.

Good luck with your trip.

Edited to add: One other thought. Keep your expectations of the "Magic" in check. Sometimes people expect too much from WDW and no matter what they get disappointed and then upset and there goes the relaxing vacation. Don't sweat it if things don't go the way you expect them to.
 
We went this past May on our first disney trip with our 6 year old daughter. We have a wonderful relaxing time. We went to bed around 10 every night and we only set the alarm the first and last day . My daughter got us up around 9 every day. We would get ready have a bite to eat on the run to the bus and then take our time. We didnt get to do everything but oh well that is why there is always next time. Also I learnt what I would want to do again and other stuff I would say no way too. We were able to go back to the room a few days and relax in the afternoon , swim in the pool some afternoons and evenings . I was afraid when they said you would need a vacation after this vacation we wouldnt have . WE really enjoyed ourself and we are looking forward to going back this Dec.
Diane
 
We went for 8 days, 7 nights in August with 2 & 3 1/2 year olds. It actually was less rushed and stressful than I thought it would be. Not terribly relaxing, but with kids that age NOTHING ever is.

We are early risers, so we were at the parks for opening or early entry. We went at the end of August when attendence is down. We never waited more than 5 minutes in a line before noon. Ate a relaxing lunch, made sure the misting fans were filled with cold water, and then went back to the room by 2 for naps and then used the pool on occasion. Made sure that everyone was rested and hydrated then headed back to the parks.

There were a few things that we missed that I was a little disappointed about, but we will be back in a year or two. By then the kids will be a bit older and not be on a rigid schedule and NEED naps. I think that if you keep everything flexible, it's much more relaxing.

ReneeA
 
Pedler said:
One other thing I would reccomend is taking a look at Tour Guide Mike. We used it and one thing that he emphasises is how to have a relaxing resort experience. We used his advice for our 7 night trip with our sons 6 & 8 at the time and saw quite a bit but also did have the relaxing resort vacation experience he talks about.

Good luck with your trip.

I agree. I joined TourGuideMike and the advice he gives is so informative! With it I'm confident that it WILL be a relaxing, non-commando experience for us first timers! Plus he gives you a money back guarantee, so how can you lose? Love that TGM!
 

Yes-it is possible and I too 'Like Mike"--I endorse the TourGuide Mike approach for a relaxing vacation which hits all the important highlights...
 
The 5 of us (Mom, Dad, DD9, DS8 & DD7 went for the first time last July. Stayed at POR for 8 days. We did not see & do everything we wanted but we decided we would enjoy the things that we did experience and not worry about the things we didn't. It was the best family vacation we ever had! You should not ask someone else if you can relax and enjoy your time there. That is up to you! Good Luck.
 
We just got back from 8 nights/9 days. Would I call our vacation relaxing? Probably not. Would I call it hectic and exhausting? Not that either. We were in the middle somewhere.

One of the great things about DW is that there are so many different ways to experience it. We (DH, DD8, DS5 & I) usuallly went to a park in the morning. We went back to resort (AS Sports) for a break as soon as someone got tired (a few times it was DH :teeth: ), then went to a different park in afternoon/evening. Our group had a tendency to "overload" if we did the same park all day.

We took off one day in the middle and did DQuest in late AM, lunch at Planet Hollywood, and swam in afternoon. We took off another afternoon to swim.

That seemed to work for us, anyway. We saw almost everything we wanted to.
 
It's very possible. However if your main focus is the theme parks ( which it is for most visitors ) the trick is to forget about being there at park opening and staying until after the fireworks. A few hours of park time in the morning, followed by some time spent with a leisurely lunch and some relaxation at your resort, followed by a couple of hours of park time after dinner can make for a very relaxing vacation.

Generally, the more time spent in the parks, the more hectic your vacation will be. But if park time is the primary reason for going to WDW in the first place, just try to take lots of breaks at the parks themselves and do your best to avoid rushing from one attraction to the next all day long.

Have a great trip!
 
IMO the more comfortable you are at WDW, the more relaxing the trip. The only way to be comfortable is to be a relatively frequent return guest. As a first-, second-timer, you are so anxious to experience as much as you can, I think it is stressful. Worth it, but stressful.

After doing both many times, I believe it is waaay more relaxing to stay onsite, and not have to worry about transportation times, finding restaurants, parking, etc.
 








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