Age Has Caught Up To Us,,,

[Cowboy Steve]

Hey Howdy Hey all!

So... has your trip planning evolved with age? Our days of staying in the parks from rope drop till they kick us out are over lol. So our trip planning is adjusting accordingly. Here are some of the changes we are going to make.

• Longer trips. Even if it means we can't come as often, we are going to extend our stays to 10+ days. This will take the pressure off thinking we have to cram as much into each day as possible, and allow us to enjoy a more relaxed pace during the stay. Since we enjoy the Christmas theming so much our trips have mostly been in December. More time on the trip will allow us to spend more time visiting the different resorts to see their decorations and such.
• Taking home with us. In 2018 we decided to try something different and stayed at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness. We rented an RV and stayed a little over a week. WOW! What a difference! Taking an RV allowed us to travel with 2 of our dogs (Papillons) which was awesome! Having the dogs with us forced us to take a break in the middle of the day and return to the trailer. We could relax at the campsite, take the dogs for a walk, even sneak a nap if we liked! Even though it wasn't our RV it still gave us a more relaxed/comfortable stay. For me it made sleeping much more restful.
• No more gorging. We scheduled our table service meals around being able to take any leftovers back to the trailer. I have yet to get a table service meal I could comfortably finish... As we all know the serving portions are very generous ('merica sized!). My generation is one where you were encouraged to 'clean your plate'... and that seems to have stuck with me. Then there is the psychological pressure we sometimes put on ourselves to make sure we 'get our money's worth' at meals. Regardless of how many times I told myself I wasn't going to make myself miserable... I would inevitably make myself miserable. Taking some 'home' with us made for a nice afternoon snack, and a more comfortable post meal park experience!

The change to RVing at Disney isn't without some of what I consider relatively mild drawbacks. The ones I can think of are:

• Travel Time. We live in NorthWest Ohio. The easiest route for us to take is I-75. The trip is long (16 hrs one way), but we broke it up into 2 days, driving the lion's share on the first day, with a 5-6 hour drive on day 2. I don't mind the drive so much... but it takes a little strategic planning to miss week-day rush hours in Cincinnati and Atlanta. On that first trip we got a later start than I wanted... and caught a little morning traffic around Cinci. But that late start meant we hit Atalanta around 5pm. Oof... I know it isn't popular with the wife, but the earlier we start the next trip, the better! I'm thinking... out the door by 4am!
• Travel Cost. Taking 'home' with you comes at a cost. We have a 2017 F-450 monstrosity - have horses, will travel! Our gooseneck trailer is around 35' and weighs around 15k lbs. I get around 10mpg towing the horse trailer. So, I figured a 7,000lbs RV wouldn't be nearly as bad... right? Um... wrong. I still got around 10mpg. At that time diesel was around $3.25/gal. You can do the math... lol. Cost us at least double what a couple airline tickets would have. I really didn't mind the cost - we budgeted for it. But it is a hit to the wallet.
• Weather weather weather. Since December is our preferred time to visit, weather can be an issue. It snows in Ohio in December. I have been caught in the snow and ice with the horse trailer... down to 25mph on the interstate is brutal! We usually don't get a lot of snow in early December, but the threat is always there. Worse, is if there is freezing rain and ice. I grew up driving in that crap so it isn't the end of the world. But man... talk about stress! Then there is the cold. Might have to drain the RV's water lines and tanks long before we hit the northern states on the return route. A complication... but not a deal breaker.
• Fort Wilderness is HUGE! If there was one consistent recommendation from the forum about staying at Fort Wilderness it was - rent a golf cart. And I understand why. The campground is so large it has it's own internal bus routes. 3 of them in fact! Like using Uber to travel between resorts, the golf cart is a major time saver. In fact, I would almost say it is a necessity. Cart rentals from Disney are expensive - you can rent one from an off property vendor for about 1/2 the cost. But, unless there is one of their units getting turned in on the day you arrive, you have to meet them off property and use their trailer to bring the cart into the campground. Then run the trailer back out to them. Turning in your cart is the same thing but in reverse. Have to go get their trailer, load the cart, and take it back. Now, for us it wasn't an issue. There was a cart turned in on the day we arrived, and someone was getting our cart on the day we left. But, what a pain this might be... Have to consider getting a fifth-wheel that has a hitch on the back so we can trailer our own cart! But... then I have to get a cart... and get a trailer...

So what are your thoughts and suggestions?

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Hey Howdy Hey all!

So... has your trip planning evolved with age? Our days of staying in the parks from rope drop till they kick us out are over lol. So our trip planning is adjusting accordingly. Here are some of the changes we are going to make.

• Longer trips. Even if it means we can't come as often, we are going to extend our stays to 10+ days. This will take the pressure off thinking we have to cram as much into each day as possible, and allow us to enjoy a more relaxed pace during the stay. Since we enjoy the Christmas theming so much our trips have mostly been in December. More time on the trip will allow us to spend more time visiting the different resorts to see their decorations and such.
• Taking home with us. In 2018 we decided to try something different and stayed at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness. We rented an RV and stayed a little over a week. WOW! What a difference! Taking an RV allowed us to travel with 2 of our dogs (Papillons) which was awesome! Having the dogs with us forced us to take a break in the middle of the day and return to the trailer. We could relax at the campsite, take the dogs for a walk, even sneak a nap if we liked! Even though it wasn't our RV it still gave us a more relaxed/comfortable stay. For me it made sleeping much more restful.
• No more gorging. We scheduled our table service meals around being able to take any leftovers back to the trailer. I have yet to get a table service meal I could comfortably finish... As we all know the serving portions are very generous ('merica sized!). My generation is one where you were encouraged to 'clean your plate'... and that seems to have stuck with me. Then there is the psychological pressure we sometimes put on ourselves to make sure we 'get our money's worth' at meals. Regardless of how many times I told myself I wasn't going to make myself miserable... I would inevitably make myself miserable. Taking some 'home' with us made for a nice afternoon snack, and a more comfortable post meal park experience!

The change to RVing at Disney isn't without some of what I consider relatively mild drawbacks. The ones I can think of are:

• Travel Time. We live in NorthWest Ohio. The easiest route for us to take is I-75. The trip is long (16 hrs one way), but we broke it up into 2 days, driving the lion's share on the first day, with a 5-6 hour drive on day 2. I don't mind the drive so much... but it takes a little strategic planning to miss week-day rush hours in Cincinnati and Atlanta. On that first trip we got a later start than I wanted... and caught a little morning traffic around Cinci. But that late start meant we hit Atalanta around 5pm. Oof... I know it isn't popular with the wife, but the earlier we start the next trip, the better! I'm thinking... out the door by 4am!
• Travel Cost. Taking 'home' with you comes at a cost. We have a 2017 F-450 monstrosity - have horses, will travel! Our gooseneck trailer is around 35' and weighs around 15k lbs. I get around 10mpg towing the horse trailer. So, I figured a 7,000lbs RV wouldn't be nearly as bad... right? Um... wrong. I still got around 10mpg. At that time diesel was around $3.25/gal. You can do the math... lol. Cost us at least double what a couple airline tickets would have. I really didn't mind the cost - we budgeted for it. But it is a hit to the wallet.
• Weather weather weather. Since December is our preferred time to visit, weather can be an issue. It snows in Ohio in December. I have been caught in the snow and ice with the horse trailer... down to 25mph on the interstate is brutal! We usually don't get a lot of snow in early December, but the threat is always there. Worse, is if there is freezing rain and ice. I grew up driving in that crap so it isn't the end of the world. But man... talk about stress! Then there is the cold. Might have to drain the RV's water lines and tanks long before we hit the northern states on the return route. A complication... but not a deal breaker.
• Fort Wilderness is HUGE! If there was one consistent recommendation from the forum about staying at Fort Wilderness it was - rent a golf cart. And I understand why. The campground is so large it has it's own internal bus routes. 3 of them in fact! Like using Uber to travel between resorts, the golf cart is a major time saver. In fact, I would almost say it is a necessity. Cart rentals from Disney are expensive - you can rent one from an off property vendor for about 1/2 the cost. But, unless there is one of their units getting turned in on the day you arrive, you have to meet them off property and use their trailer to bring the cart into the campground. Then run the trailer back out to them. Turning in your cart is the same thing but in reverse. Have to go get their trailer, load the cart, and take it back. Now, for us it wasn't an issue. There was a cart turned in on the day we arrived, and someone was getting our cart on the day we left. But, what a pain this might be... Have to consider getting a fifth-wheel that has a hitch on the back so we can trailer our own cart! But... then I have to get a cart... and get a trailer...

So what are your thoughts and suggestions?

Like you, we have had to adjust our plans with age. However, we are much older than you, LOL.
We have been doing the 9 or 10 day trips for a while, and it is really nice not to have to rush around to get everything done. We take the time to visit the parks and check out what there is to see, not ride, specifically. We still love the rides, and don't shy away from RNR or TOT or others, but find we like to people watch while resting, check out things other than rides. We usually do a Universal 2 day while at WDW too, which breaks it up a bit. We go alot slower than we used to, so it takes more time to do a "normal " day.
We have never used an RV, but it sounds nice.
We don't do the DP, and find we eat alot less than we used to. Sometime we eat one meal a day and a snack later. Or I eat alot of kids meals, which are the right size for me. We've also saved money without the DP. I wonder if disney will bring it back?
We are originally from Columbus, but never drove down to disney, always fly. Now, from N. Mn. we fly with a connector flight each way. It's much easier and probably would cost about the same, and less wear and tear.
I can't think of much else we do different.
But I would like to stay offsite in a condo and go to other places in Florida. There is so much to see and do, so that's on my bucket list.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Weve always booked 10 and mostly 14 day trips just so we could get more in. When retirement comes I'm looking forward to even longer stays. We still get up early and stay late. Every trip we add a different tour or restaurant or event to do so each trip is different. At times we take a day off site to explore what Orlando has to offer. It is more relaxing knowing that if you dont get something done in one day, youll have another to go back for. Because weve been before we can be more selective and walk around more, taking a more leisurely vacation. I'm no longer in a rush getting from one attraction to the next. I enjoy scoping out the little nuances in the buildings and seeking out the hidden themed things that are around. I'm conversing more with the CM's and the street characters... hopefully they will come back. And weve also visited many of the other resorts to see the differences in themes and shops. At the end of the day I'm seeing more aches in the feet and legs so I head for the hot tubs. I'm bringing a heating pad and ice pack along on our trip.... that was never before items in my packing list.
Ive become more selective in the souvenirs I buy. My Disney room and wall space in our house is pretty full.
We still eat meals the way weve always done... resort breakfast, light snack at noon, TS meal for dinner. I have cut down on the total snack items I get in the parks and at the resort food courts. My weight has as I age become harder to keep in check.
All together I guess the biggest change is taking more time to just enjoy more of whats around us. Theres just not that urgency that there once was.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

You bring up an excellent point - one that my wife is keen on. She LOVES to walk through all the shops in the parks. That isn't something our family ever really did on our trips (first trip was in 1972). We would hit a store or two towards the end of a trip to buy some souvenirs and such. Every trip we tried to cram as much into the trip as possible - usually because of the length of the visit. But I have grown to enjoy moseying around window shopping! We both love to people watch as well.

One trip we tried not using the DP - I had budgeted X number of dollars for meals figuring we would get a much better bang for our buck. But, old habits die hard... and the wife would consistently order the cheapest items on the menu. Even though I showed her she could order anything she wanted and we'd still be way under the cost of the DP she just couldn't do it. So now we almost always get the DP so we can be guilt free ordering whatever we want off the menu. Silly... I know... but works for her!

One of our trips we will definitely spend a few days at Universal. I have been there since the 2 Harry Potter expansions went in. Maybe with the longer trips we can fit in some excursions outside of Disney. We really enjoyed the RV experience. We already do that - just with horses. Our horse trailer has living quarters, so we spend weekends away from home trail riding and competing. Nice thing about camping without the horses - heck of a lot less work...

Like you, we have had to adjust our plans with age. However, we are much older than you, LOL.
We have been doing the 9 or 10 day trips for a while, and it is really nice not to have to rush around to get everything done. We take the time to visit the parks and check out what there is to see, not ride, specifically. We still love the rides, and don't shy away from RNR or TOT or others, but find we like to people watch while resting, check out things other than rides. We usually do a Universal 2 day while at WDW too, which breaks it up a bit. We go alot slower than we used to, so it takes more time to do a "normal " day.
We have never used an RV, but it sounds nice.
We don't do the DP, and find we eat alot less than we used to. Sometime we eat one meal a day and a snack later. Or I eat alot of kids meals, which are the right size for me. We've also saved money without the DP. I wonder if disney will bring it back?
We are originally from Columbus, but never drove down to disney, always fly. Now, from N. Mn. we fly with a connector flight each way. It's much easier and probably would cost about the same, and less wear and tear.
I can't think of much else we do different.
But I would like to stay offsite in a condo and go to other places in Florida. There is so much to see and do, so that's on my bucket list.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Weve always booked 10 and mostly 14 day trips just so we could get more in. When retirement comes I'm looking forward to even longer stays. We still get up early and stay late. Every trip we add a different tour or restaurant or event to do so each trip is different. At times we take a day off site to explore what Orlando has to offer. It is more relaxing knowing that if you dont get something done in one day, youll have another to go back for. Because weve been before we can be more selective and walk around more, taking a more leisurely vacation. I'm no longer in a rush getting from one attraction to the next. I enjoy scoping out the little nuances in the buildings and seeking out the hidden themed things that are around. I'm conversing more with the CM's and the street characters... hopefully they will come back. And weve also visited many of the other resorts to see the differences in themes and shops. At the end of the day I'm seeing more aches in the feet and legs so I head for the hot tubs. I'm bringing a heating pad and ice pack along on our trip.... that was never before items in my packing list.
Ive become more selective in the souvenirs I buy. My Disney room and wall space in our house is pretty full.
We still eat meals the way weve always done... resort breakfast, light snack at noon, TS meal for dinner. I have cut down on the total snack items I get in the parks and at the resort food courts. My weight has as I age become harder to keep in check.
All together I guess the biggest change is taking more time to just enjoy more of whats around us. Theres just not that urgency that there once was.

Exactly! I'm seeing things I have never really noticed before... and enjoy looking at the level of detail in the theming. We are doing some of the tours as well. I did the 'keys to the kingdom' tour years ago and just loved it! Couple trips ago we did the elephant excursion at AK. It was worth every penny! And it is definitely overpriced... but we love doing the MVMCP and some of the dessert parties.

Recently finances have allowed us to extend our visits. We did a short trip in October 2019 because we wanted to check out the Halloween theming and party (doesn't compare to Christmas time IMO... ). Other than that, trips have been trending longer and longer.

I too enjoy interacting with the CMs and performers. I worked for 15 years at a huge amusement park here in Ohio (I worked in the safety department). Thinking when we do the hard retirement I might like to maybe work at Disney. Gotta be something there I could be good at... lol

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Exactly! I'm seeing things I have never really noticed before... and enjoy looking at the level of detail in the theming. We are doing some of the tours as well. I did the 'keys to the kingdom' tour years ago and just loved it! Couple trips ago we did the elephant excursion at AK. It was worth every penny! And it is definitely overpriced... but we love doing the MVMCP and some of the dessert parties.

Recently finances have allowed us to extend our visits. We did a short trip in October 2019 because we wanted to check out the Halloween theming and party (doesn't compare to Christmas time IMO... ). Other than that, trips have been trending longer and longer.

I too enjoy interacting with the CMs and performers. I worked for 15 years at a huge amusement park here in Ohio (I worked in the safety department). Thinking when we do the hard retirement I might like to maybe work at Disney. Gotta be something there I could be good at... lol

Can I ask what amusement park you worked at? We always went to Cedar Point, long before it got to be a "thing" with the coasters and all. I wouldn't know it now, it seems so large. I remember people used to stay out of Lake Erie because there was raw sewage being pumped into the beach area. You could see the huge sewage pipe easily. I kind of laugh now about the resort and beach, which I am sure is now all cleaned up! Have never been to Kings Island.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Can I ask what amusement park you worked at? We always went to Cedar Point, long before it got to be a "thing" with the coasters and all. I wouldn't know it now, it seems so large. I remember people used to stay out of Lake Erie because there was raw sewage being pumped into the beach area. You could see the huge sewage pipe easily. I kind of laugh now about the resort and beach, which I am sure is now all cleaned up! Have never been to Kings Island.

It was Cedar Point! And yes... it has cleaned up pretty well lol. Has turned into quite the property for sure! Working in the Safety department was a blast! Loved spending my summers working up there.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Hey Howdy Hey all!

So... has your trip planning evolved with age? Our days of staying in the parks from rope drop till they kick us out are over lol. So our trip planning is adjusting accordingly. Here are some of the changes we are going to make.

• Longer trips. Even if it means we can't come as often, we are going to extend our stays to 10+ days. This will take the pressure off thinking we have to cram as much into each day as possible, and allow us to enjoy a more relaxed pace during the stay. Since we enjoy the Christmas theming so much our trips have mostly been in December. More time on the trip will allow us to spend more time visiting the different resorts to see their decorations and such.
• Taking home with us. In 2018 we decided to try something different and stayed at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness. We rented an RV and stayed a little over a week. WOW! What a difference! Taking an RV allowed us to travel with 2 of our dogs (Papillons) which was awesome! Having the dogs with us forced us to take a break in the middle of the day and return to the trailer. We could relax at the campsite, take the dogs for a walk, even sneak a nap if we liked! Even though it wasn't our RV it still gave us a more relaxed/comfortable stay. For me it made sleeping much more restful.
• No more gorging. We scheduled our table service meals around being able to take any leftovers back to the trailer. I have yet to get a table service meal I could comfortably finish... As we all know the serving portions are very generous ('merica sized!). My generation is one where you were encouraged to 'clean your plate'... and that seems to have stuck with me. Then there is the psychological pressure we sometimes put on ourselves to make sure we 'get our money's worth' at meals. Regardless of how many times I told myself I wasn't going to make myself miserable... I would inevitably make myself miserable. Taking some 'home' with us made for a nice afternoon snack, and a more comfortable post meal park experience!

The change to RVing at Disney isn't without some of what I consider relatively mild drawbacks. The ones I can think of are:

• Travel Time. We live in NorthWest Ohio. The easiest route for us to take is I-75. The trip is long (16 hrs one way), but we broke it up into 2 days, driving the lion's share on the first day, with a 5-6 hour drive on day 2. I don't mind the drive so much... but it takes a little strategic planning to miss week-day rush hours in Cincinnati and Atlanta. On that first trip we got a later start than I wanted... and caught a little morning traffic around Cinci. But that late start meant we hit Atalanta around 5pm. Oof... I know it isn't popular with the wife, but the earlier we start the next trip, the better! I'm thinking... out the door by 4am!
• Travel Cost. Taking 'home' with you comes at a cost. We have a 2017 F-450 monstrosity - have horses, will travel! Our gooseneck trailer is around 35' and weighs around 15k lbs. I get around 10mpg towing the horse trailer. So, I figured a 7,000lbs RV wouldn't be nearly as bad... right? Um... wrong. I still got around 10mpg. At that time diesel was around $3.25/gal. You can do the math... lol. Cost us at least double what a couple airline tickets would have. I really didn't mind the cost - we budgeted for it. But it is a hit to the wallet.
• Weather weather weather. Since December is our preferred time to visit, weather can be an issue. It snows in Ohio in December. I have been caught in the snow and ice with the horse trailer... down to 25mph on the interstate is brutal! We usually don't get a lot of snow in early December, but the threat is always there. Worse, is if there is freezing rain and ice. I grew up driving in that crap so it isn't the end of the world. But man... talk about stress! Then there is the cold. Might have to drain the RV's water lines and tanks long before we hit the northern states on the return route. A complication... but not a deal breaker.
• Fort Wilderness is HUGE! If there was one consistent recommendation from the forum about staying at Fort Wilderness it was - rent a golf cart. And I understand why. The campground is so large it has it's own internal bus routes. 3 of them in fact! Like using Uber to travel between resorts, the golf cart is a major time saver. In fact, I would almost say it is a necessity. Cart rentals from Disney are expensive - you can rent one from an off property vendor for about 1/2 the cost. But, unless there is one of their units getting turned in on the day you arrive, you have to meet them off property and use their trailer to bring the cart into the campground. Then run the trailer back out to them. Turning in your cart is the same thing but in reverse. Have to go get their trailer, load the cart, and take it back. Now, for us it wasn't an issue. There was a cart turned in on the day we arrived, and someone was getting our cart on the day we left. But, what a pain this might be... Have to consider getting a fifth-wheel that has a hitch on the back so we can trailer our own cart! But... then I have to get a cart... and get a trailer...

So what are your thoughts and suggestions?

This mirrors so much of how we have changed as well. The longer trips is probably our largest change. We really enjoy being able to schedule FP#, get to the park about an hour before our first scheduled FP and then hit a few available attractions when we are able to schedule our additional FPs while in the park.

It just makes it a much more enjoyable relaxing experience.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

I’m not at that stage yet, so can’t really give much feedback on most of this, but I did have one idea. Can you just rent the RV in Florida so you don’t have to drive it all the way down and back?

That could be an option. But the nice thing about RVing from home is we can stock the trailer with whatever stuff we want to take without having to worry about restrictions or limits (within reason). We can pack as many clothes for as many weather conditions as needed! Plus, I really like the drive in the sense that we have a couple days to decompress from the normal everyday rat race stresses... Believe it or not I was less tired arriving in the bubble when we drove. The last day of driving is about the same amount of time (or less) as we would have to dedicate to flying anyway... and we are kinda traveling more comfortably with our own vehicle and having the dogs with us. We live 90 mins from 4 major airports (DTW, CLE, CMH, and CAK). So a typical trip to Disney is a 90 min drive to the airport, arriving 45-60 mins before the flight, 2 1/2 hour flight to Orlando, then 2+hours to get to the resort via the DME bus. Assuming we do all the traveling in the same day it can easily be an 8+ hour travel day. To make it easier on us for early morning flights we many times would stay overnight at a local hotel. So that adds another 1/2 day to the traveling.

Now don't get me wrong... I found the DME experience awesome every time we used it! If you are going to fly, that service makes the best of the situation (hopefully once we get past this pandemic and things return to something close to normal, the DME with luggage delivery returns). For shorter trips it is perfect! But for 10+ days... I'm really loving the RV experience.

 

[MMFanCipher]

We LOVE camping at the Fort! We try to stay in the 900 loop. It is near the pool, Settlement and camp fire. We usually just walk to the
beach. The travel down is a little painful. It takes 2 to 3 days.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

We LOVE camping at the Fort! We try to stay in the 900 loop. It is near the pool, Settlement and camp fire. We usually just walk to the
beach. The travel down is a little painful. It takes 2 to 3 days.

The first trip we just took what we could get... Learned the hard way how far in advance we could make reservations lol. The Dec 2021 trip we were able to get a Preferred Campsite for the entire trip. Have to research what loops that covers and maybe look at someplace specific. I wish I could remember which loop we were in last time... it was kinda perfect! Our trailer backed up to a drainage ditch (I guess that is what it was) that ran the length of the loop, and then some. Gave us lots of grass to walks the dogs (watching out for 'gators of course)... lol. There was a tent/pop up camping loop on the other side of the ditch. Only bad thing was it was quite a ways from the dog park... we rented a cart but it was still a haul.