Letting my family sleep in as opposed to "Rise & Shine!!"

[Memph1s]

We mix it up but go light on the EE and being there at rope drop. Mid day cold showers and thermostats set very low make for wonderful mid day naps. We try our best to avoid the huge crowds. The whole point is to get home recharged and relaxed not stressed out from a more hectic pace than work and home.

 

[MELSMICE]

We definitely mix it up. One or 2 days in the parks (with mid-day breaks) & then a day of sleeping in & just hanging by the pool. Also, don't forget that a day at a water park is a lot of fun.

What kind of passes do you have? This can make a big difference. If you are planning to do even a few things in the parks every day then you may want to consider an Annual Pass. After entering the parks for 8 days it is a better value than even getting a 7-day pass. Of course, with a 7-day hopper you get water parks & with a regular AP you don't get water parks. Only Premium AP's include water parks. The AP's are great though for being flexible. There's nothing like entering the park for an hour or 2 & not feeling that you have "wasted a day" on your pass.

Have a great time planning & I definitely recommend mid-day breaks & a few down days. It will make your vacation so much more enjoyable.

P.S. I live in Lancaster, NY. Are you any relation to a Chris Drews?

 

[eleanor]

We bought AP this time and were there 2 weeks. It made quite a difference to our park timing. When you can go in and out every day you sure relax alot more.

 

[cindala]

Well, I am of the mind that I only get to Disney once a year, and I don't want to miss out on anything, so I don't care to sleep late.

But, we all usually sleep until around 8am, then go to the parks for a regular opening (only 1 EE in our plans), do some rides and attractions, and have breakfast about 10:30am., then head back to the resort about 12:30pm. The first few years we did get up at 6am many days, but we gave that up in favor of our new schedule.

Not having breakfast before we leave the resort saves time, and lets us sleep a bit later. It also gives us the incentive to get to the park, and try other places to grab a bite. We love the ABC Commissary in MGM, the Electric Umbrella in Epcot, and the Main Street Bakery in MK. I've also heard that the Wonders of Life Building in EPcot has some good choices for breakfast.

We also take an afternoon break at the pool each day, and you can always catch a nap there too. I just can't see sleeping until 11am in WDW!! Too much to see and do. I'd rather make the sacrifice for one week.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Sleeping in a morning or two is a good idea. However...................

On our trip last May we did things a little differently. We have always been the early risers. Up around 6, wake the kids at 6:30, get to that PS and finish breakfast before the park opens or be there for the start of Extra Magic Hour. We always liked the early start, get a lot done, head back for a rest and swim after about 3 or 4 hours in a park, then back to a park in the evening. We have done WDW that way on more than 20 trips over the past 12 years. It has always worked very well, even if there was a little mild grumpiness first thing in the am. In May I had the intinerary all set to do the same. Priority seatings in place, alarms set, wake up calls requested, but it all went out the window. Seeing as the DW is usually the first one up and rouses the rest of us, our plan fell apart a little given that she is six months pregnant and was tired. What happened each day is that we let the kids sleep until they woke up, and we slept in as well.

So what did we think of it? Well, we'll be going back to our early riser mode come December (as best we can with three kids, one of them being a three month old ). We found that getting to the parks late (we usually hit the parks around 10:30 each morning after breakfast) made it hard to get things done in the usual pleasant and efficient manner we were used to. It took us longer to get things done, and we found ourselves in the parks until at least 4:00 each day without a break. That cut into swimming time, wreaked havok with naps, and made for pretty cranky people by the late afternoon. IMHO, being in the parks for more than 4 hours at a time without a break (which the late riser mode kind of requires), especially during the hottest part of the day, is too much - at least for our family.

I agree that sleeping in a morning or two after a late night is a good thing, but as a general plan it didn't work very well for us. We missed the short lines of the first two hours the parks are open. We missed the refreshing time at the pool or having the kids nap during the hottest part of the day. We missed our relaxing evenings in the parks after everyone was rested, showered, and changed. While we didn't miss that initial morning crankiness having to get out of that oh! so comfortable bed early, we would have loved to have not been cranky and tired all afternoon, running around trying to play catch up, and trying to fit everything into a shorter day.

Of course, what works for us may not be good for others. Good luck with the planning and have a great trip.

 

[clutter]

We don't go in the heat and crowds for the same reason. We do better without a break, but with a later start. However, after doing 3 days in May, during the summer preview (mid-90s temp, 96% humidity), I can see why people do the early morning stuff. Just couldn't live with my dd if we tried!!

 

[Suedrews]

Melsmice, I live in Town of Tonawanda & our last name is Andrews....my husband's nickname is drews.....

I love these boards because it opens us all up to the many different ways families live & play.....you never really know where a thread will take you! Thanks! P.S. I have the FTP so we have the UPH....