Staying offsite and going into the parks late morning

[crusoe2]

We've always tried to be at the parks at opening time, whether we were staying onsite or off. But we got really tired of this our last trip so I'm leaning towards just going with our natural inclination which is to stay up late and sleep in. (Yeah, we're lazy like that.) We're going the second week of June (4th-11th) and probably will stay at Windsor Hills so we won't have the EMH perk. I'd love to hear tips from other folks who like to sleep in and hit the parks later in the day - especially folks who have stayed offsite. And, just for the sake of clarity, "staying up late" means not getting back from the parks till about 11 or 12 at night. I don't think we'd ever hold out till 1 or 2 in the morning, even with a late start.

 

[swilshire]

The parks may not even be open all that late in early June. I'd definitely check into that.

We've done this with slow teens, but we usually get to do a lot less and I don't really recommend it. When we arrive early, we knock out the high points quickly and then ramble for a while. We don't normally stay all day long, though we may leave and return for evening fireworks or show.

Sheila

 

[mtmbyck]

Bad idea. We go early and leave at around 1pm to swim, etc...and when we come back at around 5pm we are lucky to get on 2 or 3 more things - crowds are about 10 times what they are at 11am!

To solve your issue, we do not ever do 2 park days in a row and we rarely do all 4 on a vacation or we HOP in one day to see our favourites (but we are spoiled enough to have been many times).

June is also much hotter so earlier day would be nore enjoyable to travel around??

Even on nights when parks are open until 11, the lines are an hour, fastpasses are gone and there are an awful lot of tired and grumpy kids around!!

 

[olivia's mommy]

You definitely run the risk of missing out on FP. We arrived "late" to DHS last year and there were no FP to TSM and very late ones for ToT. We were very disappointed. I guess if parks are open late and you plan to stay there all day, it may not be that bad. But for a park that closes at 5 or 7, it might not be worth it. You could always try it one day and see how it turns out and another day try going early, coming home for a swim/rest/nap and go back for the evening.

We have little kids so it's hard to stay out too late (littlest one will be 15 mths when we go back) and our parents are coming with us and they are all EARLY risers so I know we'll be going early, coming home for a rest and going back on certain nights. We also want to stay at WH so have fun!!

 

[Brian Noble]

I don't know that it matters to be offsite in such a situation. If you're late, you're late. You'll park a bit farther from the gate, but the trams are prompt.

I would only do this if you are okay with skipping some of the real headliners (or are willing to wait for them.) You might want to mix it up a bit, and have a few early mornings mixed in with a few late nights, so you sleep in every other day.

 

[Detailor]

I think if that was the plan for a first-timer then the result would be disappointing. But if you've made multiple trips and know which attractions you want to see and rides you want to do then I don't think this is a bad plan.

As others have said, you'll probably experience long waits for the more popular things and, of course, it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the crowds will be greater as the morning gets later, but knowing all that and tempering expectations should serve you well.

You might want to consider one early day if you find that you're not able to ride some of your favorites because of the later starts (edited to add: apologies to Brian Noble for seemingly just repeating this thought - I didn't read your post before I wrote this).

I, for one, don't think going when you want to go and then taking it at your pace is ever a bad idea.

Dick Taylor

 

[Meteora]

To solve your issue, we do not ever do 2 park days in a row and we rarely do all 4 on a vacation or we HOP in one day to see our favourites (but we are spoiled enough to have been many times).

I would agree with this tactic. We stay offsite for a week and do 2 or 3 Disney days. Those mornings we get up early, head out early, and come back on the afternoon for naps and swim time. This includes my sister, who normally sleeps until 1 or 2 pm when she doesn't have classes in the morning. The other days we sleep in as late as we want. You CAN get to the parks later and still have fun, but it's going to limit what you can do. If you do decide to do that, I'd say head straight for the FPs and see if there are any left for your most-desired attraction. Then check the ride board, find the shortest lines, and bring a few things to entertain everyone while you wait.

 

[mareed]

In addition to the negatives that have already been stated, you'll also sit in heavier, slower traffic in the morning.