Poll:How many hours a day do you actually tour the parks?

[kaligal]

On full park days, we do 6+, but it is broken up between morning and evening.

Rather than taking a whole day off to rest, we take a couple mornings off...the ones after we stay late for Wishes or Illuminations. We'll take an afternoon off to just swim. So, those days, it would be less.

 

[KeroKero]

Since we don't have little ones yet, we basically go right from RD until they close with no breaks or naps in the afternoons. When we have kids that will obviously change.

 

[MedicGoofy]

I too didn't realize the resorts had pools

When my bro and I were younger, our parents and us would go from park opening to park closing, then crash for the night.

Now, my mom and I are the Disney fanatics and continue to travel there, and we are there for opening till closing. No breaks. We go hard core

 

[Tomh]

OK, here is my evil master plan to take over Walt Disney World

We go in August, it's hot, and the park hours are LONG. We've done all day at the parks many times, we've also done mid day breaks.

The first year we went, we tried the mid day breaks the first two days, didn't work out at all for us (we were a group of 7 that year, DW and I, our kids, and my mother and adult cousin), so the remainder of the trip, we stayed in the parks all day.

The following year, it was DW and I, and our two youngest kids, and we did all day in the park every day with no problem.

Last summer, in addition to our two youngest kids, we had one of our DD15's friends along. She didn't handle all day in the parks as well as our kids did, so several days we returned to the resort for a swim, or a nap (well, not so much on the napping, I tried to though), a little computer time, what ever, then went back to the park later in the day.

Now, here is how to plan things so that you can do EITHER at whim! I use Ridemax to make our touring plans, and LOVE it. I plug in our start time (rope drop) our meal times, shows / parades etc. then put in a wish list of rides and see what it spits out. I try to adjust each day so that we can finish our touring plan before lunch. Then, we have lunch, and have an option for the afternoon. We can either spend the afternoon in the park, shopping, watching shows, revisiting favorite attractions, what ever, OR we can go to the resort for a while, and then return to the park in time for supper, and the evening parade / fireworks.

Now I rarely do this at DHS, it is a one day park for us, and we tend to spend the whole day there to get everything in, and I don't take breaks on the AK day, since that is also a one day park for us, and the hours there are shorter. If we are going to take a mid day break, it usually happens on an MK day, or EPCOT day.

I hope this helps!

 

[disneychic2]

We usually are rope drop people and stay all day. But since it's usually just DH and I, and we've gone so much, we now play it by ear. If it's particularly hot in the afternoon, we'll go back to the resort and swim. Then go back to the parks. We always get park hoppers for that reason. This trip, our adult son is coming for the first time so we'll probably do rope drop until close every day. We want him to experience everything possible. (he had no desire to go as a kid or teen...FINALLY we get to show him what it's all about!)

As a pp said, what you should do will be dependent on so many factors, primarily if this is your first trip and if you have small children. Having a plan is essential, but you need to be prepared to be flexible too. Hope the replies you received help and that you have a magical trip!

 

[Minnesota!]

We tend to get up around 7, out of the room by 8. Be at the park by 830 or 9. Then stay for fireworks.

So - 10 hours+? We do take lots of breaks IN the park. Benches, long lunches, etc.

 

[imthatgirl]

We like to get there at rope drop, so 8am or 9 am depending on the day. We sty through lunch and leave maybe 2-3ish. They we head back to a park around 6 or 7ish and stay a few hours.

So maybe on average 10.

 

[stargazertechie]

During my winter trips it's rope drop to close (10-12 hours straight with EMH)

During my upcoming trip it will be rope drop-lunch (4-5 hrs) resort break, and then late afternoon to close (5-7 hours). So still 9-12 hours a day in the parks

One trip I did rope drop to close at MK for late evening EMHs. 18 hours straight in the MK. It was my last day and I didnt know when i would be back again... I've been back 5
times in the 3 years since then... But i would do it again!

 

[mpetti]

We normally go in August when it's very hot. So we try to get to the park early and do as much as possible and then have an early lunch at the park. Do a few more things then around 2 head back to the resort for a swim and rest. Then head back to the park around 5 and most times stay until closing. We will be doing that in 10 short days!!! Woo Hoo we are going to Disney World!!!

Maryann

 

[LUVMICKEY]

We are always at one of the parks first thing in the morning. If we are there during the summer months we will take a little break in the afternoon to head back to the resort for a little swim. But after that, it's back to the park we go and to dinner. And that isn't an everyday occurance. Most of the time we don't even leave the park till after dinner.

 

[ars0525]

We go commando style with no kids. At hotel bus stop 1 hour before park RD & gone 10-12 hours minimum. Only time we come back back for a nap is evening emh at MK--then we take a few hours in the afternoon to chill before going back so we can make it to close.

We also go in October so no summer heat or high crowds to worry about.

 

[Sorsha]

We get there around rope drop and don't leave until the park closes.

We're hard core.

This is us. We never leave the parks unless someone is sick, or unless we have a hard ticketed event in the evening like MNSSHP or MVMCP - then we might leave and go have a rest or a swim in the afternoon.

We do, however, often park-hop. Start out the morning in one park, leave, go have a late lunch or an early dinner at a resort hotel restaurant, and finish up the evening in a different park. So I guess you could count that as sort of an afternoon break.

But we NEVER just go back to the hotel and sit there and look at eachother - good grief no - that would be laughable.

 

[Colleen27]

We don't take breaks unless we're doing an evening EMH or hard-ticket event that will keep us in the park past 10 or so. At the times of year we go the park hours are really too short to accommodate mid-day breaks and the weather isn't so hot that we need to get out of the heat, plus breaks don't really work with my kids' personalities. They're too go-go-go, don't want to leave the parks to rest and then don't want to leave the pool to go back to the park. It is better for us to do long park days with a resort day in the middle of the trip to break things up a bit.

 

[aleshad01]

On our last trip we would get to the parks around 9:30am and then we stayed at the parks till close or real close to closing time.

 

[Brian Noble]

Your poll doens't really accurately capture your question. Folks who take a break (or don't go open-close) could easily still be in the parks a total of 6 or more hours.

For example, we either do "morning-break-evening" days, or "3/4 days". On an MBE day, we'll be there for rope drop, leave about 1:30 or 2 (4.5ish hours), return about 5:30, and stay until closing (another 3.5 hours) for a total of 8-8.5. On a 3/4 day, we will usually spend about 7 hours in a park at one stretch, either open to midafternoon, or early afternoon to close.

I'm in halfway decent shape these days---I run about 25-30 miles per week---and this is about my limit. I could stay later, but after a while more isn't more fun, it's just more.

 

[Schmoodle]

Wow, I am impressed. I had no idea so many were commando. I admire the stamina. I think being in the parks all day would kill me. Unless I were alone and could just sit and people watch and sip a drink. Even then, though...
Even my teens like a mid-day break.

 

[pigletto]

When it's just DH and myself- All day. But with our 7 and 1 year old- We take breaks halfway through the day for a rest. And even with the rest, we don't keep them out until 1 am... Usually 9/10 at the latest.

This is our strategy as well. We hit rope drop every morning so we can't stay until 1am at night or we wouldn't get up the next day.
And because most of our trips have been August or September when it's HOT .. a break in the middle of the day is necessary for us.

 

[miralys]

Depends on when and why I am going. I almost always arrive at rope drop, but some days I will stick it out to closing and other days I will leave early. If I plan to see late parades or fireworks, I will either arrive later in the day or take a quick nap/break in the middle of the day.

 

[nessz79]

We RD until lunch then we have lunch in the park before heading back for a nap/swim in the pool then we head back to the park for dinner and the night time activities.

Us as well. Only if the park has short hours do we stay past lunch. Then, we usually stay until mid to late afternoon and call it a day.

 

[mom2rtk]

Wow, I am impressed. I had no idea so many were commando. I admire the stamina. I think being in the parks all day would kill me. Unless I were alone and could just sit and people watch and sip a drink. Even then, though...
Even my teens like a mid-day break.

We only do commando when it's just my daughter and me. We sit and watch parades, fireworks, shows etc. It's amazing how few rides you can do in a 12 hour day. And as much as I like rides, I love the other stuff more!