flipadeeflop
Active Member
open to close unless it's a waterpark combo day!
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How long do you stay in the parks on a given day?
- Thread starter mergatroid
- Start date
HouCuseChickie
Well-Known Member
Back in the day (i.e. pre kids) we did open to close (well, except for my dad's years when he'd have us cut out before fireworks to avoid a large crowd exiting 
), but now- we do open until about 1 or 2pm. We try and time things around EMH (since we don't current hop w/the girls), so we'll come back around dinner- do some kind of TS - and then play in the parks a little bit longer before heading to bed early enough to rise early again in the AM.
), but now- we do open until about 1 or 2pm. We try and time things around EMH (since we don't current hop w/the girls), so we'll come back around dinner- do some kind of TS - and then play in the parks a little bit longer before heading to bed early enough to rise early again in the AM.
Walt Disney1955
Well-Known Member
I've never been at a park for rope drop. I am usually 30-60 minutes after that maximum. However, I'll stay until close. Disney is expensive, plus I don't go every year and if I can ride things multiple times I will. You also don't want to miss the fireworks at the end of the night. I am usually one of the last people to walk on the ferry at night.
Samoht
Member
We generally get to the park at opening and take a break mid afternoon for a few hours. Most of the time we go to MK or Epcot after resting because they are the easiest to travel to on the monorail. At AK and DHS we stay and do most of the attractions before leaving. I have 2 small kids (6 and 8) so they get tired and irritable after too much walking and heat. BY the way, leaving tomorrow for our week at the happiest place on earth.
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
Open to close. Always.
mickeysshoes
Well-Known Member
We do rope drop in the AM and stay till mid afternoon. Return for some downtime or swin then head back out for dinner and a little more park time. Our days of GO, GO, GO are long over. I got tired of feeling like I need a vacation from our vacation when we kept longer hours. We feel there is more to WDW than just the parks!
disney magic 06
Well-Known Member
We always arrive for rope drop or very soon afterwards, this is our favourite time of day in the parks before the queues build and the sun gets too fierce! We stay until around 3 or 4 o'clock when we return to our hotel pool, beach or balcony to relax. We usually head out for the evening around 7, depending on where we are eating.
We don't often do evening magic hours as they seem extremely busy, are we missing out by leaving to early?
We don't often do evening magic hours as they seem extremely busy, are we missing out by leaving to early?
disney_yeti
New Member
because of the rest of my family, I only go open to close when we're staying at a hotel. All of the other times I go its usually around opening to 4 pm.
If we're doing a waterpark we arrive at it for 9.30am (for the 10am opening) and stay till 3pmish before usually heading off for an AMC movie followed by a nearby Sizzler or Hooters meal
IowaHawks7
Well-Known Member
We usually get there around 9:30/10 and stay until about an hour to half an hour before park close to beat traffic.
powlessfamily4
Well-Known Member
We usually book 7 or 8 days and stay on property, having said that, we still rarely take an afternoon break. We go open to close.
ArtieJim
Well-Known Member
We don't rush to get there early, since we are on vacation after all we like to wake up when we wake up. We do usually get a wake up call though, no later than 10am and will usually get to the parks by 11:30 and then stay until we've had our fill for the day. It really all depends on how much we want to do in a given day.
If I had to put an average on it I'd probably say we spend about six hours a day in the parks.
If I had to put an average on it I'd probably say we spend about six hours a day in the parks.
David S.
Member
Open-close, getting there BEFORE rope drop and lingering in the parks as long as possible after closing!
Even when there as a "seasonal resident", I still love my open to close rope drop days!
Since I consider all 4 parks "full day" parks, I never run out of things to do at the park I started at, and never get bored. When the park I do "open to close" at closes, I like to park hop to another open park (usually MK) until that park closes. I park hop to Disney after a full day at Sea World and Busch Gardens as well, as MK and sometimes Epcot usually have later hours.
My "record" for longest single-day park hop was visiting Wild Adventures in Valdosta Georgia, which closed at 8 or 9 PM during their December Christmas event. On my drive to WDW, I did an open-close at Wild Adventures, and drove the approximately 200 miles to WDW, making it into MK before the 1 AM closing!
If I am doing a "full day" at a park, I like to get there for the Welcome Show/Rope Drop, or else I feel like I missed something, like missing the first scene in a movie or first song on an album. I love the feeling of "opening the park" and seeing it come to life, getting a "walk-on" on my first several attractions of the day.
And I also love the nightime atmosphere of the parks, seeing the uncrowded SECOND MK night parade, and getting walk-ons on attractions right before closing!
If I am tired after multiple full days and need more sleep, or don't have the full day available, I don't mind sometimes doing an evening visit starting at around 6 PM. These feel more like a park-hop, and there is no pretention of having a "complete" visit. So I see the fireworks, parade, and a few favorites.
And I think that hits on why I still like to do full days, even when I lived in the area seasonally. When I do short visits, I always tend to gravitate to my favorites, skipping my second and third tier of attractions that I still enjoy. Full days give me time to give my second and third tier attractions some visits on a regular basis.
As far as half-days or partial days, I am much more likely to do a half-day in the second half of the day, because once I open a park in the morning, I NEVER want to leave! (although I have done so occasionally due to special events I wanted to experience happening at two parks on the same day).
I know a lot of people get tired doing full days and like to take a midday break. I guess I'm lucky in that this rarely happens to me, and when it does, I find taking a short nap in one of the air-conditioned indoor theatres usually does the trick and gives me a second wind, and is much easier than leaving the park and coming back.
Even when there as a "seasonal resident", I still love my open to close rope drop days!
Since I consider all 4 parks "full day" parks, I never run out of things to do at the park I started at, and never get bored. When the park I do "open to close" at closes, I like to park hop to another open park (usually MK) until that park closes. I park hop to Disney after a full day at Sea World and Busch Gardens as well, as MK and sometimes Epcot usually have later hours.
My "record" for longest single-day park hop was visiting Wild Adventures in Valdosta Georgia, which closed at 8 or 9 PM during their December Christmas event. On my drive to WDW, I did an open-close at Wild Adventures, and drove the approximately 200 miles to WDW, making it into MK before the 1 AM closing!
If I am doing a "full day" at a park, I like to get there for the Welcome Show/Rope Drop, or else I feel like I missed something, like missing the first scene in a movie or first song on an album. I love the feeling of "opening the park" and seeing it come to life, getting a "walk-on" on my first several attractions of the day.
And I also love the nightime atmosphere of the parks, seeing the uncrowded SECOND MK night parade, and getting walk-ons on attractions right before closing!
If I am tired after multiple full days and need more sleep, or don't have the full day available, I don't mind sometimes doing an evening visit starting at around 6 PM. These feel more like a park-hop, and there is no pretention of having a "complete" visit. So I see the fireworks, parade, and a few favorites.
And I think that hits on why I still like to do full days, even when I lived in the area seasonally. When I do short visits, I always tend to gravitate to my favorites, skipping my second and third tier of attractions that I still enjoy. Full days give me time to give my second and third tier attractions some visits on a regular basis.
As far as half-days or partial days, I am much more likely to do a half-day in the second half of the day, because once I open a park in the morning, I NEVER want to leave! (although I have done so occasionally due to special events I wanted to experience happening at two parks on the same day).
I know a lot of people get tired doing full days and like to take a midday break. I guess I'm lucky in that this rarely happens to me, and when it does, I find taking a short nap in one of the air-conditioned indoor theatres usually does the trick and gives me a second wind, and is much easier than leaving the park and coming back.
patricia27
Member
Time in the Parks
We don`t ever spend a whole day in a park. We will go for opening to MK when we want to do Splash Mountain. We go for opening at the Studios when we want to ride Star Wars and the Toy Story ride. We always drive to AK and get for the opening to go on the Safari. We have the Vacation Club, so go back to the resort for a swim and light salad lunch--as we always go in the summer, we like to avoid the mid day sun. Mid afternoon we`ll go to a park, have an evening meal there and see a parade/fireworks!! Except for AK we use the Disney buses.
We don`t ever spend a whole day in a park. We will go for opening to MK when we want to do Splash Mountain. We go for opening at the Studios when we want to ride Star Wars and the Toy Story ride. We always drive to AK and get for the opening to go on the Safari. We have the Vacation Club, so go back to the resort for a swim and light salad lunch--as we always go in the summer, we like to avoid the mid day sun. Mid afternoon we`ll go to a park, have an evening meal there and see a parade/fireworks!! Except for AK we use the Disney buses.
figment's bud
New Member
Usually go from opening(or close to it) til close. If we are staying there for a week or more we will take the afternoon off some days to rest up.