Disney at a Relaxed Pace

[Shimmer73083]

Is this possible?


My girlfriend and I are going in September 2009 for a four night/five day trip and we want to make the most out of it without rushing around like maniacs.

We went in May over Memorial Day weekend in 2008 and rushed and rushed and rushed.

We know we want to hit all four parks and one water park so my question here is - does anyone have suggestions for taking on Disney World at a relaxed pace? :shrug:

We are staying at CSR and we are in our mid-twenties.

Thank you! :wave:

 

[wdwmomof3]

I wish I could help you but I always hit the ground running. :ROFLOL: We do come back to the resort in the afternoon to rest & relax before we go to a nice dinner, and then back to the parks. We have always been able to see and do everything that we have wanted to.

 

[Monty]

Use FastPass to reduce line waits, ride non-FP rides when the waits are low and be content to wander aimlessly between rides. It's amazing the details you catch when you relax.

WDW has so much to offer and see other than rides, shows and parades. Take in the Streetmospere acts and wander through shops and resorts and take in the theming. In September, crowds will probably be lighter than your May experience, so you'll be able to do as much with a lot less running around anyway.

Have a great time! :wave:

 

[Shimmer73083]

Thank you for your reply. We are in the same habit of hitting the ground running, too but we really want to make the most out of our time in Disney by taking things slower this time.

I forgot to mention, too, that we plan on taking the first flight out that morning, lol. We know that after we check in we are going to be hungry before going to the water park, then Downtown Disney.

See? We are packing everything in already! :hammer:

 

[Shimmer73083]

Use FastPass to reduce line waits, ride non-FP rides when the waits are low and be content to wander aimlessly between rides. It's amazing the details you catch when you relax.

Thanks, Monty! We usually take full advantage of the FP system especially for rides like TMM and Soarin'.

I think we just end up getting so excited that we just end up running around trying to see everything!

 

[unkadug]

If you try to see everything at four parks in five days, there is no way to do it at a relaxed pace.

My suggestion, cut out a park or two, or decide what your priorities are and stick to your plan.

 

[VT GAL]

I totally agree with unkadug!!! From the sound of your plans, you are going to be running before you get there!!!

We have changed our ways, and become more relaxed travelers to WDW...even with out 2 1/2 yo DD.

The thing we had to change was our mindset. We'll be back, so there is no need to rush by and through everything. It is amazing what you'll notice when you aren't rushing through it all. We loved to watch the fountain show in EPCOT (I can't wait to see it when the walls come down), ride the TTA a few times with our favorite treat, and just enjoy each other's company without any real interruptions.

I hope this helps and have a great trip!!!

Shelley

 

[Shimmer73083]

Neither of us are able to cut out a park because we both have different favorite parks! We were planning on spending three days in the parks to use up the rest of our park hopper tickets. We were going to spend a full day at MK as the last day.

The trick is prioritizing everything in the remainder of the three parks. Plus, not missing out on the fine restaurants in between!

Thank you for your suggestions!

I am very interested in seeing the little things at the parks. Do you have a list of things to look out for?

 

[TowerOfTerp]

September? When we went, weekdays were relaxed, weekend was considerably more busy.

 

[SchultzFamily]

Is this possible?


My girlfriend and I are going in September 2009 for a four night/five day trip and we want to make the most out of it without rushing around like maniacs.

We went in May over Memorial Day weekend in 2008 and rushed and rushed and rushed.

We know we want to hit all four parks and one water park so my question here is - does anyone have suggestions for taking on Disney World at a relaxed pace? :shrug:

We are staying at CSR and we are in our mid-twenties.

Thank you! :wave:

We have stayed at the CSR six of our last seven trips. You've picked a great resort and it is a very relaxing resort. This is what DH and I do (and we are 56 and 51 and we no longer travel with our boys--they are both in college). DH and I hit a park for rope drop or extra magic hours every morning. We stay until around 12:30 or 1:00 and then go back to the CSR for either a nap, swim or just chill time--laying in a hammock reading a book, having a cocktail, whatever. We go to dinner around 5:30 either at another resort or a park and then go to a park until closing time. We do this every day of our trip and it helps so that we don't totally exhaust ourselves. I also get a massage at the CSR halfway through the trip which really rejunevates (okay...I know that is spelled wrong) me for the rest of the trip.

 

[Philo]

Disney? Relaxed Pace? I've never heard these two things together??!?!

If it were me doing it then I would decide which park I'm going to on each day, make ADR's and then just see what happens. Wonder around, see and do stuff as you come across it and don't panic about X, Y and Z. If it's relaxed, your not going to do everything.

 

[DISMOM]

For our vacation in 2007 we hit the beach, now that was a relaxed pace......I was bored out of my mind. Disney and a wild fast vacation week kind of go hand in hand. ha.
My neice and her husband rent a boat one day and enjoy Bay Lake for a slower pace. They only hit the parks every other day and do 'slower' stuff in Orlando for more relaxation. Good luck.

 

[rsoxguy]

I would suggest that you make a short list of "must do" attractions and events at each park. Be sure to make those things the only mandatory hits each day, thus making the rest of the day a leisurely time of optional events.

 

[KeithVH]

I think a key factor is to realize, before you even leave, that you won't do everything. Part of the stress being there is thinking "I'm going to miss 'X'". You'll be able to better relax if you can bypass the Nemo show or B&B or give up entirely on Peter Pan:animwink: and not feel bad about it.

I think the tougher one would be food. Even one park/day would make it almost impossible for my family to catch every meal we want w/o exceptional planning. Are you scheduling eating around your parl schedule or vice-versa? Good luck with that one!

 

[betteratmk]

:lol: We never rush at Disney!! We sleep in til 8or9, have breakfast,maybe go for a swim, and are at the parks around 11 or so. We stop for and enjoy our meals and we always seem to get it all in! Now granted we skip Toontown but go to all the parks and all the attractions we want to see. Make a list of the stuff you really want to do. The things you would be dissappointed if you miss. Then relax and enjoy. Our DS is a ride maniac and is never disapponted by how much we fit in.:sohappy:

 

[durangojim]

We're fortunate that we have been able to go a couple times a year for the past 4 years so that we don't feel like we have to cram everything in. Usually we'll go to a park in the AM, stay for a couple of hours, get some fast passes and then come back to the resort for a nap/swim, and then back to a park in the evening for dinner and more rides. Makes it a much more enjoyable trip for us (wife and our 3 y/o and 10 month old). Although the last day usually becomes a cram day at the MK to tide us over for our next trip. Just try to make some priorities and I'll think you'll do fine. Have a great trip!

 

[marcriss]

We always make our dining plans first, then assign parks to days accordingly. We also usually do two different parks each day. This way if they're crowded on one day, we have a second morning or evening planned and we can be more relaxed.

But, as everyone suggested, make priorities and plan your fastpasses so that you can really max them out. We always grab Safari FP's first thing when we get to AK, then we go do something else (like Breakfast at Tusker house). When we're done we can hit the safari and skip one of the most tedious lines ever!

Careful planning in advance really helps. Also, before we had kids we used the buses and we anticipated wanting to grab a taxi here and there to give us more time at the parks.

September should be a great time, we used to go then and the parks were much less crowded. Have a great time!

 

[Disneyfanman]

We visit multiple times per year sometimes and so never feel rushed anymore. But when we first started going? I really don't know how we could have slowed down.

My wife, after a few commando visits, said that she loved the place but would never go back if we didn't stop the craziness. So we keep it to one park per day (Unless we had a special event or show that we wanted to get in), prioritized our time based on our preferences, and always have our ADRs well in advance (One sit down restaurant a day to relax). Everyone gets a chance to agree on the "must-sees" in advance. And then we take our time (planning smart use of ride windows and fast passes), see the shops, take pics, and enjoy the small touches that we always skipped in early years.

We always pop out the couple of big hitters first thing in every park so we are satisfied to have gotten in the E-Tickets, and then take our time. We never do more than two full days in a row without a rest activity on the third.

There are some attractions that just help keep the pace less frantic. Build in an afternoon on TSI. Carve out 1/2 day of shopping time in Epcot. Spend an evening at DTD.

It can be done.

 

[shmmrname]

It depends on your goals, and the timeframe you've created to achieve them. The longer the vacation is, the more relaxed it tends to be for us. Also, we try to give Epcot/MK multiple days, so that we never feel rushed. We know we'll be back, so we can just skip something if we aren't in the mood to wait or run around the park.

 

[disneygirl76]

Is this possible?


My girlfriend and I are going in September 2009 for a four night/five day trip and we want to make the most out of it without rushing around like maniacs.

We went in May over Memorial Day weekend in 2008 and rushed and rushed and rushed.

We know we want to hit all four parks and one water park so my question here is - does anyone have suggestions for taking on Disney World at a relaxed pace? :shrug:

We are staying at CSR and we are in our mid-twenties.

Thank you! :wave:

In my opinion - with a 5 day trip and a day at each park and a water park - it is going to be hard to take it at a slow pace but yes, it can be done. Plan really well and know exactly what you want to see and more importantly, what you are okay with skipping, and then yes, you can. If you try to ride it all and do it all, it's going to be fun fun fun, but rush rush rush! :lol: For my DH and I, we always split our days at the parks - so in the a.m., hit one, and then head to the resort to rest, freshen up, and then usually hit Epcot at night for dinner. We can do AK and DHS in 1/2 a day each - but that is b/c we skip a lot. For example - w/ the exception of Dinosaur, we skip all of DinoLand. And we either do Lion King or Nemo but not both. At DHS, we don't do a lot - just our few faves. We are usually done by 2 or 3 and get there when the parks open at both of these parks. For a water park, they close early, so of course, you can hit a park with EMH at night and still have a lot of time at that park. I think with a lot of planning - you can do it! :wave: