Losing sleep for Disney

[DisneyMama409]

We leave later Friday night 2:30 am for our flight out to Disney ...actually the flight leaves at 6:25 am but travel time etc.

Anyway I went through a Disney Depression but now my excitement level dramatically increased this week and im so excited I cant stand it. Im losing sleep! I find myself staying up to atleast 12:00 am just to look at my cell phone calendar so I can SEE that im actually a day closer....AND im waking up ultra early like 6:30 am ish and I usually get my dd off on her school bus and go back to sleep until 9:00 am or so BUT now I actually STAY awake because im too excited to sleep. Im waking up like this but I cant help but feel sleep deprived I know by the time Thursday night gets here Im going to be totally excited but burned out! How will i possibly sleep Thursday night?!?! I already know im going to be up until 12:00 A.M something again....Is this normal ? Staying up later and not really sleeping the closer you get to the trip? My eyes are so heavy right now but Im determined to stay awake...just so the day slips by faster I feel so wired , geeked out and sleep deprived


Friday night what should I do...My kiddos usually dont go to bed until 9:30 pm ...I know if i tell dd were going to Disney that night she will NOT sleep ..Since I have to wake her up at around 2:00 am to dress /get ready for plane etc...I dunno should I put the kiddos to bed WAY earlier. I know my kids are going to be awake the WHOLE entire time...plane everything ...and we get to Orlando at 9:30 am and have a full day scheduled ....so they will be awake for soooo long. I know when we get to POP there is no way they are going to nap or sleep or anything of that sort.....

So Friday when the kiddos come home from school...Should I feed them dinner really early like 5:00 pm and put them to bed by 6:00 pm and wake them up at 2:00 am so they have alot of hours of sleep ??Or should i put them to bed at thier usual bedtime of 9:00 pm and just let them stay awake from 2:00 am on ....i just feel like they will be off balance if i put them to bed at thier usual time and wake them up at 2:00 am

Ayiyiyi Im yawning and im so sleepy but i cant help it

 

[serene56]

wow--2:30 for a 6:30 flight. How far is your airport and when does it open?

I did the mistake once and thought I had to be at the airport 2 hours before my 6:30 flight-- to find out the airport doesnt even open for check in until 5:30- what a wasted hour that was.


what are you plans when you arrive in Disney this flight day>?

 

[DisneyMama409]

wow--2:30 for a 6:30 flight. How far is your airport and when does it open?

I did the mistake once and thought I had to be at the airport 2 hours before my 6:30 flight-- to find out the airport doesnt even open for check in until 5:30- what a wasted hour that was.


what are you plans when you arrive in Disney this flight day>?

Well we live near a major airport...JFK so they have flights leaving out 24/7. We have to make travel plans still...My mom still doesnt know if she's going to drive and park her car OR if we're going to travel there on the bus and subway train..or get two taxis....Eithier way the LATEST we will have to leave is 2:00 am to get there by 3:00 am and if we take the subway trains/bus we will definetly have to leave a little bit before 2:00 am just to make sure we arent late for our flight. I have no problems chilling out in JFK until our flight leaves...we will all be super excited . We'll buy some food /let the kids run around and chill out

 

[DisneyMama409]

Im excited for the whole experience...flying is new to me so i will probaly relish having an extra hour or two before boarding just to walk around and soak everything in .Im getting myself wired up again just thinking about it !

 

[DISNEY CRAZY 69]

I get the same feelings as you...you can not help it...enjoy have fun--you can sleep when you get home.

 

[owenbyd]

My thoughts (I have a two boys: 7 and a just-turned-5-year-old boy) for OUR trip is to 'plan' a crash and burn for my entire family

The boys want to leave before dawn for the day-long drive from NC to Fla, the first night is in Kissimmee with early entry planned for the next morning.

The WHOLE FAMILY has already lost sleep out of pure excitement and we are still 3+ weeks away!

I plan to hit the parks hard on that first morning then head back for rest that afternoon. Honestly, I don't think it will 'hit' us until Day 2 at the parks so we are planning some hardcore SWW activities that day and then feeling around for what will be best after lunch ressies.

When it does finally hit, there is nothing better than those super dark disney curtains, air conditioning and the feeling of being at the best place on earth....to totally zonk you out and refresh you with a dead-to-the-world nap until everyone get up and moving again!

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

This sounds like a blast! Why dont you tell the kids you have a suprise for them and you will have to get up early in the morning to leave- just dont tell them what you are doing. This way you can have them get to bed a little earlier - say 7:00ish and get a decent nights rest. If you plan well and have their clothes already out(maybe hidden in your room) you can get them up last, throw them together and get out the door. Either way I know the ups and downs of going to Disney. We are usally super excited unless we start to think about all the money it cost to go!

Have a blast!

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

When it does finally hit, there is nothing better than those super dark disney curtains, air conditioning and the feeling of being at the best place on earth....to totally zonk you out and refresh you with a dead-to-the-world nap until everyone get up and moving again!

Ahhh yes!! We have a 3 year old so i totally know that feeling!. Its wonderful to sneak back to the room and crash for a while when the baby naps knowing its warm and sunny just outside the room and when you wake up the parks are just a short car ride, bus trip, or monorail ride away!

 

[shyjade]

We leave the house by 4am to catch our 6:30am flights to Disney. I can tell you from my own personal experience, you will probably be BEAT that first night at Disney. We always plan an early TS dinner and early to bed the first night, then up bright & early to hit the MK at rope drop.

I would think trying to put your kids to bed at 6pm might be a bit difficult; chances are they won't be tired yet so it would probably be a waste of time. This is what I would do after an early dinner...dim the lights, put on a Disney movie and let them get some quiet downtime while watching a movie or two. This would also give you time to finish any last minute packing (although I suggest getting the bulk of it done 2 days before your trip).

Also, why not let the kiddies sleep in their traveling clothes? I did this once when my DD was young and she thought it was so cool to wake up, go potty, brush her teeth and out the door to the airport. I always bring a snack for her for our early morning travels (for the car ride) and we get breakfast at the airport once we're both fully awake. I also keep a comfy blanket in the back seat for her to snuggle into on the dark car ride to the airport (over 1 hour from our house).

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I do the same thing, even after 10+ trips. Usually the week before the trip I have a hard time sleeping or I wake up early and go thru plans in my head for each day. Last year for our trip I had to work all day then we drove all night and arrived mid morning and hit the parks. When all was said and done I was up close to 40 hours, I was exhausted but I didn't have a problem sleeping that night! I was fine and back to normal the next day. That was just us and not our kids though and I dont know if I could do that again since I now work day shift and have gotten used to getting an appopriate amount of sleep.

Lucky for us our flights now are in the late afternoon early evening so no worry of getting to airport in the early morning. That always adds extra stress on for me b/c I am so afraid we will miss our flight.

 

[DisneyMama409]

You guys are keeping me excited! I gtg now I have to shop for Disney ...grab some tshirts and plane toys for the kids...The work never ends does it! Everyday i think of something else i should get for the trip.