What does your typical trip look like?

[TheDailyMoo]

My family has been going to Disney parks since WDW opened in 1971 - originally driving down from NJ, before moving to Florida where we went multiple times a year. Since the early 80s when my mother married my stepfather, he had his own tradition of going to Disney 3 times a year, twice for conventions and once for renting a cabin at Fort Wilderness - so those became regular family trips. Because we went so often, we were never into the rope-drop, hit-every-ride-every-trip tempo.

When I bought into DVC in 1996, I didn't change my family's traditional style - if anything, it allowed me to add in more relax time and more evening time outside of the parks to enjoy. I never do breakfasts at restaurants or parks - I cook breakfast in the villa. First day up and checking in, I usually do a couple of hours at DHS, or just do Disney Springs. Then the next 3 days are park days - one each for MK, AK, and Epcot. I'll typically hit the parks between 11am and 1pm...and tend to take the longer routes to get there - rather than bussing direct to the park, I'll often go to another nearby resort, do a little wandering, then walk into the resort from there (or take a boat). I often leave parks before they close since I've seen all the parades and firework shows a thousand times - instead, I can beat the rush for the exits by walking to a nearby resort and taking that bus to Disney Springs where I may hit a bar or two, listen to some live music, etc. before heading back to my villa.

I don't do Lightning Lanes or pay for any priority access, special member access, etc - I just check out the standby lines - if they're reasonable, I will hit that ride, and if they're not, I'll skip it for another time. I'll enjoy walk-through exhibits, educational exhibits, nature exhibits, etc and take my time. I'll stop to listen to street performers and shows. I tend to just snack for lunches - or maybe a quick serve - and splurge on dinners at moderate or signature table-service restaurants, with cocktails, coffee after, etc.

Wow so Welcome Home has a very different meaning for you at Disney! Most of your core memories center around DW I bet! Very cool to be that much a part of it...and vice versa.

Now we can go in at our leisure. Sometimes just to get a coffee or to ride one ride. So it's definitely a lot more relaxed since DVC.

This is probably the biggest change...besides going a lot more often. Especially when staying at one of the near park resorts. When I'm on Crescent Lake I'll leave the family sleeping to walk over to Epcot or HS and rope drop one ride, grab a breakfast Ronto wrap or something and walk back as everyone else comes pouring in for the day. DVC led to AP and that combo is really what changed the game.

 

[juliebee]

We used to be more open-to-close park warriors, but have really enjoyed taking a less hectic pace now. Even though it's just my husband and I, we routinely take a mid-day nap break or sleep in. We didn't use to do that since we felt the need to cram every bit of fun into the trip. Now we are more relaxed about it and those mid-day naps help my husband have a good attitude and make us actually feel like we rested on vacation too.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

This is probably the biggest change...besides going a lot more often. Especially when staying at one of the near park resorts. When I'm on Crescent Lake I'll leave the family sleeping to walk over to Epcot or HS and rope drop one ride, grab a breakfast Ronto wrap or something and walk back as everyone else comes pouring in for the day. DVC led to AP and that combo is really what changed the game.

Yep, sometimes we will just walk through the park and night to look at the lights.

 

[NVDISFamily]

Buying DVC really forces the "we will be back" mindset and gives you a different perspective on how you approach the trips.

For WDW - Like to go for 2+ weeks (14 or 15 nights). With some of that time at Universal during the last two trips. More nights at WDW but the magic of staying at their high end resorts and the unlimited express passes is a great detour and you also get the magic of getting back into the bubble twice on one trip.

At least one day or a total of 1 day (perhaps split between two half days) is spent shopping. We have become big fans of the character warehouse outlet stores.

Hit up a few local off property food spots.

Gives enough time for 8 park days but they aren't full days 99% of the time. Lots of time at the pool or relaxing. Also only did the waterpark one half day during our last trip but we really enjoyed it and plan to spend more time there on future trips.

Our WDW trips also have the benefit of being able to have a lot of things we don't have to do there as we can do them during our more frequent trips to Disneyland.

Disneyland - shorter trips usually 3 to 4 nights but we do have the occasional 5 to 6 night stay. Will most days only spend about 6 to 8 hours in the parks if it's a park focused day. Hit it hard for rope drop, leave by 11am, get back into the park around 6 or 7pm and close it down. Family comes and visits and we go eat somewhere on property or near the resort. Sometimes even sneak up the road to the 3rd gate - Knotts Berry Farm.

 

[zackiedawg]

Wow so Welcome Home has a very different meaning for you at Disney! Most of your core memories center around DW I bet! Very cool to be that much a part of it...and vice versa.

Quite true - I definitely have tight ties with WDW and lots of memories - I was almost 4 when we went in the opening year - it was early November and the park had only been open a month. I was too young to remember where we stayed, but we didn't have much money so it wasn't at the two Disney hotels - we were in some motor inn in Orlando (all the hotels in Kissimmee and Hotel Plaza Blvd didn't exist back then).

I can say that I've been to a Disney park every year of my life and it's true - and I did have a few trips to Disneyland in the early to mid-80s when my father moved to California and I'd visit him there. But there was a 4 year period when I did not go to Disney World at all - I moved to California myself from 1990-1994, and during those years, I was driving down to Disneyland probably 10-20 days a year - just day trips, never staying in a hotel there since it was just under an hour drive. I kept my streak alive of never missing a Disney park, but for those 4 years, it was Disneyland instead of Disney World.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

With DVC 24 years. We do less park time, more resort time Also don't do park hoppers anymore. I don't like all the planning for LL, ADR, etc....and being on the phone.

 

[beccasmom]

The other big change is wanting 1BRs now. This caught me by surprise and changed our original strategy. We thought we’d mostly book studios which can be competitive, and that makes home priority very useful. 7 month availability is much easier to book 1BRs than studios so home priority has become less important to us.

I always smile when a fellow member posts this. The minimum point purchase when we became members in 1992 was 230. I remember thinking that studios were more than enough room and we’d be in the park all day anyway, so why “waste” the points on a larger unit? Ha! There was no going back…

 

[zackiedawg]

When I first bought Boardwalk, my points purchase was based on being able to stay about 2 total weeks in a 2-bedroom villa. The idea was to occasionally stay in studios, or 1-bedroom villas, and occasionally stay at OKW which was cheaper - and as more DVC resorts came along, I would pick and choose the points in cheaper seasons and smaller villas to spread out my points to cover up to 4 weeks a year. As points have risen over the years, and as family changed, I stopped getting 2 bedroom villas very often, but also ended up not using studios often - settling in on 1-bedrooms the most - and now, my points will get me about 20 days a year always in 1-beroom villas, spread out between two of the lowest point seasons, 1 middle season, and one higher-priced season, with a mix of mid-priced resorts or views (Boardwalk Preferred, Boulder Ridge), and some cheaper resorts (SSR, OKW, Cabins at Fort Wilderness). Occasionally, I may hit my points if I do a few extra days here and there, and I'll book stays at cheaper resorts to make up for it - and other times I'll have points to roll over - but I never like to borrow points. That original purchase of 440 points at $63PP has more than paid for itself since 1996.

 

[bakerworld]

DVC was a 'wake up' for us to all that was available in WDW. At first we kept to our routine because it was... routine (parks, pool/nap break, parks). Over the years we instituted changes, some inspired by Disney, and some as the realization sunk in that we didn't need to do every thing because we were returning in a few months. We started spending me time socializing and investigating all the resort/park amenities. Very little we do resembles our '90's family vacations. Now we usually don't bother with the parks until mid-day and we stopped ADR's. We visit Disney Springs a lot, which before I viewed as 'shopping', as now it's entertainment. I wish we spent more evening hours in the parks but age has me in bed by 9 (so annoying). In our 50's we were going about every other month but since retirement we go about 3 times a year for a week. So over the years means less park time, less rides when in the parks and early to bed.