What time does your family wake up at Disney?

[conandrob240]

Mix. About half the days we get up early and do rope drop or close. The other days, we sleep in and have a leisurely day.

 

[themouseforme]

there's something, hm, ..... desperate, about rope drop that is repulsive to gentry.

 

[DougEMG]

We're from the west coast, so have a 3 hour time difference. If we get to the park by noon, it's a good day. My daughter keeps promising to get up early for rope drop, but no luck so far. The FP+ actually encourages us to sleep in since I've usually booked them for 1, 2 and 3.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

The only time we set an alarm is if we have an ADR for breakfast. The other days really depend on how late we stayed in the parks the night before. While we like to maximize our time in the parks, we also listen our bodies. It's not much of a vacation if the kids are dead tired and cranky all day. We take at least one morning "off" to sleep in and relax at the resort until lunch time.

 

[LSUfan4444]

While we like to maximize our time in the parks, we also listen our bodies. It's not much of a vacation if the kids are dead tired and cranky all day.

Just noting that this is exactly the same reason ALOT of people choose to wake up early. One of the other benefits to hitting the parks early as to late is it offers flexibility.

Both strategies can be effective, and risky to attempt both, but the earlier you tour you generally have more flexibility simply because you have more hours to work with.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

I wake up at 6:00 AM to run, enjoy breakfast, and parks with non-existent lines. Waking up that early may not sound like vacation to some, but standing in lines for things I don't have to doesn't sound like vacation to me.

Besides, due to my work schedule, even if I wanted to sleep in my internal clock usually won't let me.

 

[RMulieri]

We are early risers no matter what..Sleeping in for us is 630-7am..So it is no big deal for us

 

[Sharpdisney]

I must be the only one that needs an hour just to get ready myself, not counting getting breakfast. .

Nope, you aren't the only one.

I have a DH and DS so they can be ready (when they are in the mood!) in 3 minutes. Not so much for me...

I will be up at at 'em before everyone at this trip so I can put myself together, and then rouse everyone else and help get them moving.

 

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

We are in the same boat as those who have posted that WDW is really not a restful vacation at all. We usually get up early during the first few days of the trip and then end up sleeping in and staying out late by the end of it. I do agree that you can the most done by far if you're at a park when it opens or right after. You can still get a lot done at night but in our experience it's got to be one of the really late night EMH (after midnight) to see a big difference in crowds..

If we want a restful vacation, we take the family on a cruise or head to the Caribbean for a week. WDW is usually go, go, go!

 

[disneynutz]

Never been to rope drop, try to get into a park at least a few times during our stay, usually get up around 10:00 AM depending on what we feel like doing.

Disney doesn't change much and what we don't do this trip, we can do the next.

Bill

 

[Rai's Mommy]

My DD14 and I always wake early at Disney and stay at the parks until closing, even when that means 2 am. Honestly don't know how we do it. We definitely like sleeping in at home but can't take the idea of missing park time, especially EMH time.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I see so many people going for rope drop and I was just wondering...what time do you and your family wake up while on vacation at Disney. It doesn't seem much of a vacation if you are setting an alarm for 6 am everyday!

We are always up 5 to 6 AM, always ready for the first boat or bus of the day to wherever we are heading.

AKK

 

[seelyt2]

The adults get up at 6:30 to make breakfast in our villa, and the kids get up at 7/7:20ish if we want to make the park opening at 9. DS17 even does this....he's not thrilled about it but he does it.

We generally don't do AM-EMH unless he specifically wants to (not often.)

 

[Jfsag123]

Everyone in my family is naturally an early riser - except me! However, I push myself to get up for RD at WDW and am out of bed by 7/7:30. The excitement of what I'm getting up for helps with my motivation.

We are also commando open-closers, and so take advantage of the later nights, which is prime time for me. My kids are happy to nap in the stroller and then get right back to it. This time with staying at BLT, we are planning to actually return to the room for a bit for a real nap on our MK days. We'll see how that goes...

 

[MommyMK]

My internal everyday clock wakes me at......11:30 am, at Disney I start waking up at 4:30 and asking myself is it morning yet? Repeat every hour till my kids wake up. At Disney we tend towards later nights so we never set an alarm, I let the kids sleep as late as they can. The more sleep they get, the less cranky they are. We tend to wake up around 8-9 and get to a park around 10-11. It kills the commando in me, but it's really best for the family.

This year we made rope drop at MK for the first time since my oldest was born, probably 10 trips and Space Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Small World and Pirates were all down in that first hour. So much for first hour advantage! We just kept going from one ride to the next and they all were closed! And of course that pushed waits way up at the others.

 

[karen1987]

It depends on what we did the night before, but we'll try and get to the parks for EMH/rope drop if we can. We find it best for beating the crowds and heat!

 

[TmrwSpdwy]

Between 5 and 6am.

I like to walk around the resort at sunrise and get some coffee and such.

Then off to the park no later than 7.

 

[ScrampShopper]

We are not morning people, and only ever try to make rope drop for DHS so we can do TSMM multiple times. You will never catch us at an AM EMH, we do stay out at night at whichever park is open the latest. DD4 is flexible and does fine no matter what times we work with, as long as she gets some pool time! Her new brother is not as flexible and is going to mess with my preferred times when we take him for his 1st trip at 7 months old. Maybe the baby can persuade DH to get up early, and I might finally get to see the opening show at MK! FP+ is also making me want to do rope drop so we can ride Soarin' and TT in one day without ridiculous wait times, but we will see what happens when we are actually there.

 

[SoarinSC]

Early risers..so typically 6 am on park days. Besides loving rope drop...love saying good morning to fellow early risers and CMs on the way to Animation Hall..catching an early breakfast before the masses wake...so quiet and peaceful On days off, wake up the same time and veg in bed a bit watching the morning news..usually I'll go grab takeout omelets and coffee and bring them back to the room for us to eat.

 

[Zooshoveller]

I am not a morning person. I loathe my alarm clock. It takes me a long time to become fully coherent. On vacations, I sleep as late as I can. Except at Disney. I'm too excited to sleep! I wake up as early as I need to depending on the day's schedule.