Tips for a laid back trip

[rajak73]

This trip I've decided I don't want to come home needing a vacation from the vacation. Of course my kids are going to want to go on rides BUT we've always ran from ride to ride. My kids have no idea there are parades in Disney Shocking I know!! I want to do some shows and I've seen people drawing characters. I'm not sure where the drawing is located. Suggestions for a fun and relaxing trip. Must see shows or other hidden gems. TIA

Stroll down main street to the uptown jewelers, turn right in the alley, go all the way to the end and look up at the windows, one is open slightly and the window says Piano and Vocal lessons. Just stay and wait for the piano and vocal to start. Stay long enough to listen to them getting progressively better. So much to take in without running from ride to ride.
One other suggestion for a laid back trip.....stay off the FP+ discussions/arguments!

 

[JamiLeigh]

We are pushing for a more relaxed trip as well this October. DH and I have been 3 times as a couple before kids and took the kids 2 years ago on a long weekend. My mom is also going this time around. We decided to stay 8 days and take things slow. I'm a little worried how tired my kids will get 8 days away from home but we plan to take at least a day and half away from the parks.

 

[rajak73]

We are pushing for a more relaxed trip as well this October. DH and I have been 3 times as a couple before kids and took the kids 2 years ago on a long weekend. My mom is also going this time around. We decided to stay 8 days and take things slow. I'm a little worried how tired my kids will get 8 days away from home but we plan to take at least a day and half away from the parks.

We stayed 14 days at Ft Wilderness, now granted it's just me and DW. Had 6 day passes so we didn't have to commando anytime. (that's not my id.ea of vacation). Relaxed trip? Couple across from us at Ft wilderness, Mom and Adult son, we got to talking one evening, how did they decide what park to go to, went to bus stop, whatever park bus showed up first is the park they went to. They were having a blast. Just enjoy yourself.

 

[jmassey1samchi]

being a fl resident, and living close, we have done Disney countless times over the years. we now have 2 kids, 8 and 16, and we have done all the rides plenty. now, we only go during the quieter times of year, and we normally don't even go into the parks until after 3:00pm or so. we try to take advantage of the resorts during the day(pools, activities) so that we are well rested to stay at the parks until close (or late). if you have kids that aren't too young, they can usually hang pretty well if they haven't been going full steam all day. we find you can get a lot more done in less time at the parks after dark. and do pay attention to all the surroundings, stores, shows, lights. it really is an amazing place if you slow down long enough to take it in!
not seeing everything is, for us, what keeps us wanting to come back.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Here are our "secrets:"

1. Stay at a resort where we can hang out and relax.
2. Only spend part of the day at a park. Plan plenty of time at the resort.
3. Make sure there are no back-to-back late nights and early mornings.
4. We only do rope drop one time on a trip. No alarm needed any other morning.
5. Don't do everything. For example, on our upcoming trip, we have one partial day at Epcot. We are planning to stay on the east side of the park, so Test Track is out.
6. Factor a couple of cab rides into the budget. Being able to just catch a cab instead of waiting for the bus made a real difference to us a few times in the past.

 

[PixieT78]

Last time we went we did major commando style (DH and I only) - there for rope drop or very shortly thereafter and stayed as long as possible, hitting the evening shows almost every night. for example, our first day we did rope drop at Animal Kingdom and then evening EMH at MK. By the 6th day, we were absolutely exhausted and ended up back in our hotel room at 5pm with pizza and watching tv instead of at the MSEP parade and fireworks.

This time we're definitely trying to take a more laid-back approach. We are going for longer (and even added an additional day onto it shortly after booking) and are flying overnight to keep the travel time down. We're doing a shorter first day that we'll play by ear based on how we feel. We're sleeping in our second day and not doing too late of a dinner. We've got another day that will just be a half day at the parks and are planning to leave the parks in the afternoon on at least a couple of days to rest. Hopefully this helps!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Next trip we are doing a split stay. 5 nights at each resort. We will have a rest day at each resort to just enjoy our resort. I'm also leaving a few evenings open to do what we want. Hit a park, hit a lounge, an adult date night??

It will be my SO's first trip. He's never been. He's looking forward to it a lot but I know if it's just commando go go go go he won't want to go back. He will be exhausted. So mixing it up will be our best bet. I know he will love having a Lapu Lapu and just lounging by the pool one evening after MK.

I'm also going to cut back on dinner ADR's since my kids don't like having rigid plans. Food isn't a priority to them. They also LOVE pool time. They prefer to stay at the pool or explore the parks in the evening.

 

[hayles77]

Here are our "secrets:" 1. Stay at a resort where we can hang out and relax. 2. Only spend part of the day at a park. Plan plenty of time at the resort. 3. Make sure there are no back-to-back late nights and early mornings. 4. We only do rope drop one time on a trip. No alarm needed any other morning. 5. Don't do everything. For example, on our upcoming trip, we have one partial day at Epcot. We are planning to stay on the east side of the park, so Test Track is out. 6. Factor a couple of cab rides into the budget. Being able to just catch a cab instead of waiting for the bus made a real difference to us a few times in the past.

Can you recommend a cab company? Are cabs easy to come by without booking? Thx

 

[lroger01]

I suggest you give the 3/4 day plan a shot. Assuming you have at least 7 days, do the following:

Days 1-3 are 3/4 days starting with rope drop - 1 day at MK, AK, and Epcot. Stay until you've had enough whether that is lunchtime or early evening. Once you leave the park, you're done with parks for the day. Spend the rest of the day doing whatever you FEEL like doing. Avoid having ADR's during those evenings.

Day 4 is a transition day. Go for rope drop to DHS, but take a break after lunch. Come back around dinnertime and enjoy the evening - staying as late as you want.

Days 5 - 6 are for evening fun. Sleep in as late as you want, enjoy the pool or other fun, and when ready head to MK or Epcot and stay late.

If you have more time, sprinkle in some waterpark, Disney Quest, or DTD days.

With this plan you get 4 rope drops followed by 3 evenings (no AK evening) - or about 1.5 to 2 days in each park except AK. You also get 3 free time evenings and 2 slow-start mornings to relax and recover from all the park fun.

 

[IWannaBuildASnowman]

Even for chill days, I would recommend is making ADRs for lunch. Trudging around trying to find a place to eat is torture and an epic buzzkill.

 

[Groomer Gal]

Can you recommend a cab company? Are cabs easy to come by without booking? Thx

If you are staying onsite...no problem....they are everywhere!

This is a terrific tip and one that we have used a few times. I don't want to spend an hour+ going from my resort to another resort for dinner. (Having to take a bus to a park first then switching buses)

Last year we headed to 1900 PF straight from Animal Kingdom and then took a taxi back to our resort after dinner. $20 well spent!!

 

[wisblue]

It is so refreshing to see a thread with people talking about how enjoyable a trip to WDW can be without feeling like you have to rack up X number of rides in order to feel like you are getting your value out of the trip.

I get the most value out of our visits by combining recreation, entertainment, and relaxation, and spending all day rushing around a park doesn't do that for us.

Some people wonder why we keep going to WDW and tell me that we must have already done everything there is to do. I like to respond that I enjoy the resort more because of how I FEEL when I am there than what I DO when I am there.

Our tip for a laid back trip is the same as what others here have said. Be sure to build in time to relax at the resort or somewhere away from the parks. If you're an early riser like us, go to a park early to get your ride and attraction fix before the standby lines get too long, then take a break in the middle of the day when the parks are most crowded. Make your FP+ reservations in the evening so you can enjoy 3 major attractions around your dinner plans and whatever late night entertainment you want to enjoy.

If you aren't an early riser, FP+ will allow you to enjoy your favorite attractions later in the day (afternoon or evening) without facing long standby lines.

 

[soniam]

If you are going during the Flower festival or Food & Wine, I think those would be great ways to slow down and relax. A nice margarita from La Cava doesn't hurt either

 

[GatorMama]

Balance. You need balance. And it will be different for everyone.

Our last weeklong trip, 3 days in DH was fed up with my planning rope drop every morning. And I was irritated that he and his mom didn't take me seriously about being AT RD and how much it could impact our day.

I agreed to back off. He chose to relax and sleep in the next morning, meandering into DHS an hour after opening. About an hour into our hour and 45 min wait to get onto TSMM (no fast passes early enough in the day left by then and our ONLY Adr was at Epcot that night), he said he wouldn't complain about RD ever again. By the end of that day, we were so tired. Twice as tired as the days we had gotten up early to be at the parks 30 minutes before they opened.

We've had two tiny trips since then (for MNSSHP) and we understand more about what the others in the group need to have the best vacation possible. Tonight we were discussing how involved he'd like to be in our planning for the upcoming trip (Sept). He basically told me we can RD every day as long as there is time built in for the pool. He doesn't want to have GO somewhere every day. We know we don't want any obligations AT ALL the day after MNSSHP. We will probably make a dinner ressie somewhere, but probably at another monorail resort so we aren't packing up for a long day. I didn't even SEE the pool at our last weeklong stay resort. I am going eat UP the time at the new Poly pool though!

 

[BlueFairy]

It is so refreshing to see a thread with people talking about how enjoyable a trip to WDW can be without feeling like you have to rack up X number of rides in order to feel like you are getting your value out of the trip. I get the most value out of our visits by combining recreation, entertainment, and relaxation, and spending all day rushing around a park doesn't do that for us. Some people wonder why we keep going to WDW and tell me that we must have already done everything there is to do. I like to respond that I enjoy the resort more because of how I FEEL when I am there than what I DO when I am there. Our tip for a laid back trip is the same as what others here have said. Be sure to build in time to relax at the resort or somewhere away from the parks. If you're an early riser like us, go to a park early to get your ride and attraction fix before the standby lines get too long, then take a break in the middle of the day when the parks are most crowded. Make your FP+ reservations in the evening so you can enjoy 3 major attractions around your dinner plans and whatever late night entertainment you want to enjoy. If you aren't an early riser, FP+ will allow you to enjoy your favorite attractions later in the day (afternoon or evening) without facing long standby lines.

Just have to say I like the way you think. I have had these same conversations with DH and others recently and people don't seem to get it. Can't wait to go back and try this approach again.

 

[ThistleMae]

Just have to say I like the way you think. I have had these same conversations with DH and others recently and people don't seem to get it. Can't wait to go back and try this approach again.

I completely agree. I actually like to swim first thing in the morning, enjoying the pool when it's almost completely empty, sipping on a cup of tea. Then off to the bus, which is also early, since I got up early and had an easy morning. I then go to lunch and back to the resort for more leisurely swimming. There really are so many ways to break up the busy days at the parks. This is just one of them. Sometimes I just go to Epcot for lunch and to stroll around for a bit. Go on a couple rides then go to dinner and to the fireworks at night. It's all good!

 

[Monykalyn]

Yep, there's so much to see and do. Especially with young kids, it's such a great place to be that you don't have to be powering thru rides all the time. Many of our best memories have little to do w the rides at all and are whatever interesting things the kids happened to find to do.

I would suggest doing the quests. Whether it's P&F at Epcot, Wilderness Explorer at AK, or the Pirate and Princess quests at MK, do them. They are awesome for kids and get them to look at the things they would otherwise run past and never know existed! But keep in mind you can get caught up spending hours on these.

I second the quests! We did commando type alternating with slow/off days last trip and it worked well-even though the "commando" basically meant rope drop for us. The kids got to pick their must do things (gave a kids tour book to them to look through) for our family vacation-worked well and was easier for everyone to be patient knowing that everyone was going to (eventually) get to what they wanted lol.
This year we are going specifically for SWW so not planning a whole lot with other parks-probably hit some faves, then move offsite and catch up with friends (and a visit to US).

 

[IndianaRRT]

These are my people!

I love the planning phase of our trips, but I realized after our first trip in 2007 that we couldn't do it all. (In my defense, it was the first time I'd ever been to Disney, and I didn't know if I'd ever get to go back. I was on a mission.) Our 2010 trip was much more chill. We had priorities, but we made sure we went to what we really loved. Having teenagers helped us slow down too since they could not care less about the "crack of dawn". Our March/April trip this year was a total surprise for me (gift from DH for my 40th birthday), so here's my plan:

--Dole Whip. Priority One for DH
--Rope Drop on one morning. I don't even care which park--I just love the feeling of walking in to the magic first thing.
--One character breakfast because it's my birthday, and I want to eat with Mickey
--Eating somewhere--anywhere--on the BoardWalk because it's my favorite area at WDW
--Using the FP+ wisely to get to the rides that I love
--Taking in the Florida sun with my DH and (mostly) grown children on a trip I never thought I would get to take that DH worked his booty off to make happen. Everything else is icing on the proverbial cake

 

[njmom76]

We are also planning a more laid back trip this year. 14 days at BC so of course lots of pool time. My kids love the water so that works for us. I have quite a few ADRs planned, but we enjoy sit down meals. I do have a schedule, but a lot of it says pool/downtime!

 

[Kristina4109]

My parents never took us to any shows or parades or firework presentations. To them, parade and firework time is prime time to get on rides without a long wait. With my family, I LOVE taking time to watch parades and shows and fireworks!