Tips for going from Die-Hard Early Risers to Taking It Easy

[pumpkinfish]

So, every visit to disney, DH and I (no kiddies yet for us) always get so excited (like every trip is a first visit) and get up early to be at a park for opening ceremonies, EMH, or shortly after. I have been lurking around the resort boards reading about taking your time and enjoying the vacation. I would really like to do this! But we can't seem to break the mold/habit/love of getting up early every morning during our trip. And the thing is, we always stay for at least 5 nights so it isn't like we have to rush! We also visit about once a year.
Even in DL this past February, we were there for a week with only DL and DCA to go between and we were there at park opening every day.
A few nights during our trips we head to PI and go to The Advnture's Club until midnight...and yet we still get up early.

I would love to hear from those of you who converted yourselves from going full steam every morning, to chillaxin and maybe *gasp* walking into a park around noon. How did you do it? I know DH and I will need baby-steps. I honestly don't know if DH is even prepared for not hitting the parks first thing in the morning. But I know I am. Ideas?

 

[lisareneeo]

I would like to know too. Mainly for my husband. Every trip I say we are going to sleep in and relax. We have converted a little but when we get there my husband just gets soooo excited and doesn't want to miss a thing. We too go every year (sometimes more) and stay for anywhere from 5-9 nights.

One thing I have done(relates to the evening hours) is that I will stay back at the resort and let the kids swim, watch T.V and my husband will go out to a park for a few hours on his own.

If he just had this much energy at home (LOL)

Help!!!

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

We stay at the BCVs and have been known to walk around cresent lake. So we end up walking past the shops at the boardwalk and then stopping at the boardwalk bakery for something chocolatey and yummy and then heading to Epcot or back to the villa and car and off to another park. The walk is very quiet and very relaxing. HTH

 

[PrincessTrisha]

My recommendation would be to stay with your early morning park entry, BUT leave the park and go back to your hotel for a later lunch (say 1:30 ish) and then enjoy your hotel ammenities - play at the pool, visit the hotel beach, check out the arcarde, have a nap, catch a little Oprah (hey, when I am working I never get to see daytime tv). Or take a spa treatment or whatever catches your fancy.

It's the best of both worlds - you get lots done in the parks in the early a.m. but you get to feel like you are on a relaxing vacation in the afternoon.

We usually then have dinner and pick a park for fireworks.

 

[stevelamb121]

Me and dw tend to get up early to hit the parks, but will take a day off and do something else after about 2 days. Coming from the uk we normally stay 14 to 21 nights.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I would say enjoy it while you can. If you do choose to have children, your pace will become much slower and it's a lot harder to get out the door to watch the park open. We haven't seen it happen yet though we keep saying "next time we'll get there earlier!" knowing it probably won't happen til our kids are grown and we go without them!

 

[ntsammy5]

I blame it all on Epcot and PI. It was easy to sleep in after that....

 

[wilde_oscar]

so much to see and so little time, we go once a year, for 10 days and lemme tell ya, that is still not enough time to get everything in. We are early risers at home anyway. We get up and get to a park at opening, we stay in the parks till close, a couple nights we hit adventure club. Why slow down, I enjoy trying to see everything, do everything. We are not commando to the point of falling down tired, but we are on the go 16+ hours a day while we are there.

 

[LaDolce]

I'm a big fan of the split day, too. We start early, then head back to our resort for lunch. We lay around the pool, take a nap, then head back to a park for dinner and more rides. We particularly like to stroll around Epcot's World Showcase in the evening, if we're looking for something more relaxing. Another thing we like to do is have dinner out at another Disney hotel and then drive around to check out the other hotels (where we might want to stay in the future, or just 'cause we're nosy). It's fun and a lot more relaxing.

 

[Mickeys_n_me]

I agree with the above posters advice about starting out by breaking in the afternoon. You do get so much more done in the mornings, that sleeping in will not help your overall vacation, just make you wait in more lines in the end.

But breaking after lunch, relaxing by the pool, enjoying the resorts then possible heading back for a nighttime show or late dinner ressies will make you feel as though you actually are on vacation!
I used to be a "rope drop - kiss good night" tourer (I literally never saw the hotels with the sun out) until a couple of years ago when I went with a friend who forced me to relax. After coming home and feeling as though I actually had a relaxing vacation (I never thought that possible at WDW) I will never go back to commando again!

 

[disneydiva2007]

I used to take my time and this last trip in Aug/Sept we did the exact opposite - mostly by necessity. On our previous trips we would wake up later and arrive at the parks about 11:00 or 11:30am. Then spend the rest of the day in the parks. It wasn't a bad plan and we had alot of fun - but this trip in Aug/Sept - my DH had a hernia operation and we decided to get there for rope drop trying to avoid the later crowds, as one of the TP suggested and wow what a difference! We would arrive for Rope Drop and hit all the major rides b/f any significant lines formed.....by about 10:30 or 11 we had done pretty much the major rides and then cruised the rest of the day. Usually at about 3 or 4 we would head back to our vacation home and chill in the pool. It was by far more relaxing IMO then our other way of touring WDW - and I think when we return in Nov - we will be doing it this way again!

 

[miksilver]

I would say if you and your DH are happy with the way you are vacationing right now then there is no need to change styles.

Now, my DH is a "we're on vacation and you need to slow down" type of vacationer and he is pushing me to go less commando style. I worked on it last trip and sometimes found that I did have to calm down at times and remember that WDW is not going away next year and I can (and will) return. It's tough to break the habit. Also for me going for the first time with my 2yoDD did slow me down no matter what -- even if I can push a stroller really, really fast...

 

[JzeroT1437]

My biggest problem is that I naturally wake up super early (around 6:30), but am traveling with a woman who likes to sleep until 11-12ish.

Looks like I'll be packing some swimming trunks and sleeping pills next week. The wine festival will probably play a part too.

 

[ucancallmeflower]

7 days till WDW

I am goin' to RELAX and take it SLOWER this time..........
RELAX RELAX RELAX
SLOWER SLOWER SLOWER

( Do you think I can do it? )

 

[brightspark]

This is all very interesting reading. I am currently planning our end of November trip, and trying to persuade dh to slow down. We've been to WDW together 3 times and if we don't have to wait in long queues dh tends to see that as an opportunity to do everything again, rather than to spend some time chillin' at the hotel.

This trip I'm doing lots of planning, and that includes some time out of the parks... especially when it's most hot and busy - the afternoons! Convincing dh is going to be the tricky part, but I'm working on it...

 

[Disneyfanfour]

We've always done the early rise til closing thing, but we do take a couple of days to hang out somewhere in our trip. For us, it's the expense and time. We only get to come to the World every other year, and we're coming from Oregon. So, to take it easy isn't an option yet. We have two DDs that are pre-teens now, but they still LOVE to go, go, go! No complaints from them yet, so I guess we'll keep it up. Have fun and don't let yourself not relax, but do it when it feels right.

 

[pumpkinfish]

Wow! What wonderful responses! Thanks to everyone for posting their ideas and thoughts. Where to start...

ruadisneyfan2, I very much agree with you. I know this is something we are able to do and might as well take advantage of this time in our lives minus children. that is a primary reason we enjoy going to Disney now...because we can and we know that once children enter the picture, it becomes a whole different ballgame!

And it's funny, because I am always an early riser (hello! did you see I was awake at 4:30 this morning?! lol) but DH loves sleeping in! The only time this changes for him is at Disney! He is up and at 'em right along with me (until he hears Stitch's voice and then )!

maybe it would be different if we stayed in Deluxe resorts? I was thinking that in 2 trips, we might be ready for the slow down. We pretty much love our Mods (POFQ mainly ) but I can start saving for AKL or WL or Dh's fave Poly for that trip after next. They say that the deluxe resorts allow you to not rush off to the parks and to hang back and enjoy the amenities that you have paid for. I especially look forward to this with WL and AKL!

I guess we are kind of set in our ways now?? We are over commando touring (we figured it wasn't for us any longer after the 2nd visit together when we realized we were going to keep returning!) and don't necessarily go to the parks to pack in all the rides. We spend a great deal of time sitting on a bench and people-watching, or taking in a show. But it is hard for us to break that habit of instantly getting up and heading to a park first thing. It feels like we are wired only for that.

That is why I am leaning towards a deluxe...so it will force us to slow down...being it will be so new and exciting to us. It will make us want to hang out at the resort more.

But anyways, enough of my ramblings. Anyone else want to chime in?

 

[Dawn414]

I have 2 vacation modes...go go go (DISNEY) and hakuna matata (relaxing like a beach vacation). Because there is just SO MUCH MORE you can get done by showing up before the park opens (i'm usually there 30-45 minutes before), it's worth it to rise and shine a little earlier. I also think it depends on what time of the year you are going. Going mid-January can probably afford getting up later and seeing stuff versus getting up late in July. We have 4-year old twins and have done Disney both with them and without. To a previous poster's point. The pace is MUCH faster when it's just two adults, but even with the small ones, we're still there before opening. We crank out FantasyLand by 11am and that includes riding things twice.

GOOD LUCK!
Dawn MCG

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We ( DD and myself) still love getting up early and hitting the parks we like to take it easy during the heat of the day and relax at the waterpark or resort.We also do the late nights as well with no camando type have to get to every ride right now. Just stoll around hit what we want to hit.

Now DW she likes to sleep in and meet up with us later in the day.She also goes back to the room late at night sometimes as well. This works great for us.

I'm telling you there's nothing like laying in the lazy river for a few hours straight.

 

[llrjerseygirl]

Before my last trip, I would always stroll into the parks a few hours after opening (I just can't be a morning person, even in Disney!)... On my last trip, my DF and I got up early, hit the parks a little after opening, and rested once it got too hot/crowded. We then went back (usually to a different park) after a nap or swimming in the pool. It worked out GREAT, and I definitely plan to keep touring that way!

The other thing is, I don't know how much staying a Deluxe will slow you down...I stayed at the Carribean Beach, which was my first time staying a Moderate, and although I did enjoy looking at everything, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I should be in the park. That doesn't stop me from wanting to try out WL and the Poly, of course.