Surviving the Time Difference!

[maliboomer]

Does anyone have any tips so I can have the easiest transition without the jet lag when I go to WDW? Will it be easy to get up the next morning and go flat out in the parks, or should I have my spare day then to get used to it?

Very confused. Help! Thanks in advance...

 

[Claire L]

Going westbound ie to Florida is alot easier than eastbound ie coming home. Going west means you get extra hours in the day you travel there. Although after travelling you could be very tired it will still be early and after a good nights sleep you should be up at your normal time or infact earlier and ready to hit the parks But you may tire easy and find you need to either have a rest in the afternoon or have an early night.

Claire

 

[tink too]

Never experienced jet lag in Florida - it's once you get home that's the problem!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

You will be very tired after both flights, they are very long days.
However, it is worse on the return flight home , certainly is for most people anyway especially if like me you cannot sleep on the plane.

I would just see how you feel on your first morning out there, I don't think a full day at the parks is advisable but we are all different, we just tend to have a nice morning at Universal and just relax or do some shopping in the afternoon.
It can of course depend on what time of the year you are going too, if you are a little tired and visit (like us) during the summer months you may want to just take things easy for a day and just get used to the heat etc

We are not one's for having solid plans for every day and would only change when we get out there - I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Principessa1284]

I don't live in the UK, but I've been to Europe a few times, and the flight from there back to the US isn't bad at all. Unless you have an early morning flight (leaving 6:00am there, arriving in FL around 10:00am or something similar), i don't recommend sleeping on the plane - just try to get a good nights sleep the night before (you know, if there is such a thing the night before a long overseas flight!).

It's the flight from US - Europe that REALLY messed me up. Our first day there, i had been up for 40 hours or so before we went to bed (didn't have the option to sleep - i was with a tour group). But you'll be home.. just make sure you allow yourself an extra day before you go back to work or school!

 

[Amyrlin]

As already said, going east to west is easy and you will probablty have a good day, no jjet lag. Coming back allow yourself a day to recover.

 

[Scottish-Helen]

Set your watch to Florida time as soon as you get on the plane. When you get there don't go to bed too early, go out for a meal or to Downtown Disney for a few hours. We normally go to Seaworld on our first day as it is a much more relaxed park than any of the Disney or Universal parks. On our last trip to the US I also bought some Melatonin tablets from Walgreens and I found these to really help, you take a couple of tablets half an hour before you want to go to bed and they help reset your body clock. I've heard they don't work for everyone though.

As most people have said though it's more when you return to the UK that it really affects you.

 

[susieh]

My advice would be to force yourselves to stay up when you get there as long as you can. Try not to go to bed before 10pm Orlando time (yes I know that is 3am here!!). You will then sleep in later the next morning and more or less have no jet lag.

When you come home try and do the same thing - much much harder though.

This is the advice we were given and we now always follow it as much as we are able.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Yes, as soon as you get onto the plane, set your watchy for the local time at your destination, then try to run the day at that time.

 

[Cyrano]

Good thread guys, which I have saved for future reference

 

[Laurafoster]

I always set my watch to florida time when i gewt on the plane and then try to stay up to atleast 9am or 10am (depends how much sleep you like) but try to go to bed at whatever time you would in the UK, its the easiest way to adjust. Then dont have a too hectic day the next day and you should be fine!

 

[maureen4200040]

On my last trip in September 05, we arrived in Orlando at 6.30pm and I stayed awake until after 12pm that night. I was up the following morning at around 7am, but I have to admit for a couple of nights after arriving I was in bed by 8pm. Jetlag always catches up with me.


Maureen4200040

 

[jtlover]

This might sound funny but it really works - drink orange juice during the flight and beforehand as this really helps with jetlag!

 

[disneyholic family]

getting up in the morning in Orlando is never a problem (since your body wants to be up already, given that if you were in the UK, you'd have been up for hours), but we do tend to go to sleep early at night when we're there. Not a problem since it's so important to be at the parks early.

We always plan to do things at night, but rarely actually do them because we're too tired. We usually end up going out late only 1 or 2 nights during our visit. The latest we stay up is for the various fireworks, then back to the hotel where we have a bite to eat and then off to bed.