SLOWING DOWN at Disney

[catne]

need one more button...for some of both

Depends on the vacation...when it's just DH & me, and we're going for the 2nd trip to WDW in a year, it's definitely a laid-back, smell the roses trip.

When we're going with DD, who has been there a couple of times in recent years, we go pretty strong/all scheduled in the mornings to maximise EMH. But the rest of the day, afternoon & evening, is all smell the roses time.

When we're going with someone who hasn't been in years & years, and probably won't go again for years & years...then it's go-go-go to try & get every possible thing in.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We are a sit back and smell the roses family!

Our children have learned the saying - "There is no need to run or push past others. As long as Disney lets you into the line there is a spot on the ride or in the show for you. You do not need to push all the way to the front of the room or the line."

We have learned by hanging behind until others have left the audience or entered the room there are sometimes some really neat things to see and hear. Usually the show does not end until the door gets ready to close for the next performance. We have sat and watched the gorillas play and chase each other for 20-30 minutes. We talked about social groups and social order within the groups. People miss many of WDWs nuances and details in rushing through things.

 

[SoScary'09]

Well, the last time I was at the parks was as a kid (maybe 12 years ago). Back then our grandparents were with us, so we could only rush so much. They lived in Florida and every year or so we'd come down and go. Typical 'my grandparents live close to Disney' sort of thing

Now that I'm planning our own trip as an adult, I think I'm gonna make sure we take it easy. We've only got four days to do everything we want, but I'm gonna try to make sure nobody stresses out. As my first real vacation in close to two years, I'd best take advantage of it and take it easy for once.

 

[HGD24]

We like to take our time and if we don't get to see a show or ride a ride - no worries, we can try to get back later in the week or just skip it altogether. It's VACATION - a time to relax and enjoy each other's company.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We go at busy times of year, so if we don't get there early and use fast passes, we will end up spending our entire vacation standing in a line. So we do rush to get there in the morning, rush to do our favorite attractions early, and run all over the park collecting fastpasses. Once we've done the biggies and the park starts to fill up, we slow down. We go to Disney enough that we don't have to do everything on every trip, which helps.

Same here. We rush for the first 2 hours or so, but after that we're ahead of the bottlenecks and have our FPs, so we slow down.

Next trip we're definitely programming an off day, too.

 

[LowesChevy]

We do both actually. The first couple days we get there, we rush to get Fastpasses and go on the more popular thrill rides. We may go for an EMH morning, but after that it is smooth sailing. We head back to the room midday to swim, explore the resorts or relax a bit before hitting the parks again.

 

[Luvamouse]

We are a sit back and smell the roses family!

Our children have learned the saying - "There is no need to run or push past others. As long as Disney lets you into the line there is a spot on the ride or in the show for you. You do not need to push all the way to the front of the room or the line."

Wow..I am going to use that line. When we have people pass us in an unsafe area (driving of course ) or fly past us when we are already over the speed limit, I always tell my kids, "If they are in that much of a hurry, they should have started earlier." They hate people who cut or run us over trying to get in line, and they will both love your quote too! If only everyone understood that!

Thanks for a simple philosophy.

 

[sitkamom]

This april will be our 2nd trip ever, and we can only plan on visiting every 2-3 years. We live in Alaska and generally live a more relaxed and outdoor lifestyle. But I find when we visit the "lower 48", I tend to speed things up and really try to take in as much as I can because it's so different than our daily life. Hence Disneyworld soothes my cravings for extra stimulation! We can always relax when we get home!

 

[bytheblood]

Well, not all of us are "conditioned" like that. I hate that rushing crap. To me, it ruins the vacation. The only time we really rush is if we have an ADR or our FP time is going to expire (which is really a non-issue).

 

[siki00]

We usually go with the whole family and it is always rushed. This time around its just my husband and I going. I'm looking forward to touring the parks at a different pace.

 

[dvcdisney]

We used to rush all the time. But now that we visit more often and for longer periods of time, we take our time. It is definitely a whole new different vacation when you take the time to "smell the roses".

 

[mickeyluv'r]

It depends. We rush in the sense of long days. Also, there are key times to 'rush' like getting to a show on time. There are other times to slow down: a nice meal, taking in the queue of an attraction, or appreciating the landscaping.

WE 'rush' in the sense of being efficient. There are lots of things that can be done smartly like consulting a times guide while riding on the bus. Too often I see folks get off the bus, THEN start consulting their park map or times guide. They just aren't thinking. I don't know if that's 'rushing,' but we try to maximize our time in that regard.

In the past, we tried to have a non-park weekend, and it didn't work past day one. We rode the monorail, swam and ended up at DTD.
Day two we went to a park.

On our most recent trip, we had a very enjoyable, successful, non-park day. our main stay was a 'free-dining' package at Pop, but airfare to go a day early was so much less it almost covered the cost of a concierge room at AKL. It was quite a nice way to start a stay! We couldn't go to a park (though technically we could have since I have an extra set of tickets...). The 'forced' downtime countered all our pre-trip/airport stress. AKL has many activities to keep guests busy, including the view of the savannah from our room.
The extra bonus of concierge was that they confirmed all our ADR's for us and gave us a complete printout - not just the night we were at AKL - but our entire trip.

 

[bubba73]

I rush a lot. Mainly due to the fact of how much the tickets really cost. I want to make sure that I get my money's worth. Plus there is so much to do and so little time.

 

[marsrunner]

I don't believe in smalling roses. They are too small as it is.
Seriously, though, it depends. I rush when I first get there to make sure I get to my favorite attractions, then slow down after a bit. Plus it depends on what the crowds are like.
Of course, to me, stopping and smelling the roses would mostly involve riding Tower of Terror over and over and over and over...

 

[RockNRollerGator]

Of course, to me, stopping and smelling the roses would mostly involve riding Tower of Terror over and over and over and over...

Of, for sure. I assure you, there are roses on Tower of Terror, but they aren't very potent, so you may have to ride about a dozen times before you can pick up their smell.

 

[Rora]

I like to do both. We like to slow down and just enjoy ourselves but we also like to rush to rides if a line is short or just "go go go!" so we can see everything. It really depends on the park, our mood and how much time we have.

 

[valentina]

I used to always rush, but the past few years we've been going at a much slower pace as my family takes longer vacations now. Also, we used to just feel like there's only rides at Disney. Now we appreciate all of Disney. However, we find that when we go with more of my family (my sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews), we're going a bit faster than it would be if it was just me and the rents.

 

[*Seanaci*]

We take our time mostly.

Though this year, one evening/night, my mom, sister, and myself are leaving my dad, my hubby and my 1 year old son in the hotel room and going to MK to ride everything we can as quickly as we can.

 

[winterman]

We rushed all the time on our first few trips to WDW. Then we discovered how much more enjoyable it is to slow down. We still rush some, usually just during the first hour or two after a park opens. You can get so much done then. We see our 'E ticket' attractions early and then don't have to rush around. We also build in more non-park days into our schedule.