The Early Bird Versus The Night Owl...

[real mad hatter]

Now after five visits to WDW and spending 56 days in total, enjoying the magic in the parks, I've yet to stay out after midnight.....Shock eh!!....I love getting up early in the morning..Around 6.30 am, that's when my day starts...I've filmed the three of us, on the bus, heading to MK, and we were the only passengers..That's in July by the way...But I'am curious to know what other people prefer..Getting up early or lying in, and staying late in the parks, burning that midnight oil..What are you.?..The early bird or the night owl.?...If anyone says both, then please tell me what pills you are taking.? ....

 

[Uncle Remus]

No pills here but yeah, my wife and I are both. It's normal for us to be at Hollywood Studios at rope drop to ride our favorite rides there then hangout at Epcot for the rest of the day and then finish up at the Magic Kingdom the nights they stay open until 1 am and beyond. The nights that Magic Kingdom closes "early" we stay until close at Epcot then finish up at Jelly Rolls.

 

[hellowonderland]

Both! I love getting to the parks early because they're so quiet, but I also love the nights when all the action is happening! Plus the parks just look so beautiful in the evenings.

On this trip in Dec, we plan to be in HS by 8:30am (leaving our rental home in FL at 6am) and finish off the evening at the Xmas Party in MK until midnight. And the next day, Epcot as early as is humanly possible until Illuminations and beyond.

 

[pixiesteno]

I would prefer to be at the parks at rope drop; however, DH is one of the people who can actually sleep in. I on the other hand am usually awake around 6:30 to 7 am. So I try my best to quietly get my breakfast and just read or wander around FWC until he gets up. Now, when we go we will usually spend the morning and then break in the afternoon for a swim and relax time. We will then go back to the parks and spend the evening.
As an aside, the one time that I got to travel to WDW solo for a couple of days I was almost to the MK and would have seen the opening show, but DH called my cell phone and wanted to talk. As he was at work and I didn't want to rub it in that I was at WDW, I sat on a bench overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon and talked with him. I figure on our next trip I am just going to say, "hey, if I am up I am heading over to rope drop at the MK, join me when you get around."

 

[MKCP 1985]

At home, I am more of an early bird but at Disney World, the parks are great at night so we stay out later. Getting ready for a full day and night in the parks usually means taking time to eat a hearty breakfast so we tend to get there a little after the parks open, but within the first hour of operations.

I would say that makes me "both."

 

[DRC68]

Hurts to even think about it now...when I did a solo trip back around '92, I had a few nights of closing down Pleasure Island and being at the parks for rope drop and do it all again. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!? Oh yeah, I turned 22 on that trip. Now it makes sense.

 

[MKCP 1985]

the one time that I got to travel to WDW solo for a couple of days I was almost to the MK and would have seen the opening show, but DH called my cell phone and wanted to talk. As he was at work and I didn't want to rub it in that I was at WDW, I sat on a bench overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon and talked with him.

Voicemail - there are benches inside the park, too, where you can call him back after the opening show!

 

[scoobygirl39541]

Night owl completely lol We could easily stay at the parks until 3am then head to downtown Disney for a late night snack (if only DTD was open 24 hours lol). However, good luck getting us up by 11am! I've never been up early enough to make a rope drop in the 12 years I've been going lol

 

[jw24]

Funny. Normally, I'm not a morning person. But when it comes to Disney parks, however, that's the only thing I think is worth getting up for. People rave so much about rope drops at the MK but for me, it's beating the crowds and getting the first hands on Fastpasses because all of the FPs will probably be out by nighttime. That'll change with FP+ but I still maintain the notion that the early bird gets the worm and the odds for me getting on my favorite rides without having to fret about the crowds are way better in the morning as opposed to night.

 

[draybook]

Both. We close the park and I'm up at 5 to make sure we get going on time. Then again I'm lucky to get 5 hours of sleep per night at home. Drill Sergeant said we'd get all the sleep we need when we're dead.

 

[Richards070712]

My wife and I have intentions of being early birds, but we never make it. Usually in the parks by 8:30 or 9:00am.
But we always stay until the parks close, especially MK, because of how "magical" everything is at night.(Plus no sun beating down on you)

 

[Gabe1]

Think we made it a good 15 years straight without ever coming close to a rope drop, minus one day right after AK opened and they opened early, there wasn't air conditioning and it was a hot May.

My kids were able to stay up real late as long as they could sleep in. We'd hit Dixie QS around 10am. Go back to the room get our act together and we'd hit the parks about 12 or 1pm. But as the kids aged we would alternate.
Get up early, open a park then close a park as late as 3am but not go into the park the next day till around 4pm. That late day we'd sleep in and hit the pools, eat an early dinner at POR QS and head off to the parks for 6 hours or so. When it is hot, the parks often would thin out by then.

Disney was simpler then, no FPs to get there for, ADRs were not booked 180 day out. Yeah a few lines would be long here and there but it was one line and it moved unlike the queues of today. I can't imagine when my kids were young trying to book FP+s long before we left for a vacation.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

We always go for rope drop at AK and HS. But we often split Epcot and Magic Kingdom into multiple days allowing us to relax and sleep in on those days!

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Both - I am a fit young male, and have no problem surviving on just caffeine. If I'm traveling solo, I'm usually in the parks rope drop to park close. And if I am with others, they are usually of the same mentality, or at least close.

But if I had to pick just one, I'd go for night owl. There's something very beautiful about the parks at night - I think every single element in the park looks better at night. Yes, it's awesome being one of the first people there in the clean morning air, but the night is just magical

 

[Kevin_W]

We've typically been both on different days (travelling with a toddler we couldn't burn the candle on both ends). But I've enjoyed the nights more. We were the crazy ones with a 3-year-old in the park until 1AM closing one night!

This summer we went to Disneyland and did both, but that was made possible by easy hotel access for afternoon naps.

 

[Roo Bear]

Oh I wish I was either!!! If we get up early one day it's quite often a later start the next!! I just wish I could stay up past midnight but I am really not a night owl, as all my family & friends will tell you! I am not that great at getting up early either, but will always make an exception when I am at Disney. The mornings can be quite magical - last time when we were at POR in October 2010 it was just lovely walking over to get breakfast in the food court with the mist rising on the river. Any good tips for burning the candle at both ends let me know please as it's exactly 365 days till our next trip.

 

[real mad hatter]

Night owl completely lol We could easily stay at the parks until 3am then head to downtown Disney for a late night snack (if only DTD was open 24 hours lol). However, good luck getting us up by 11am! I've never been up early enough to make a rope drop in the 12 years I've been going lol

 

[wendysue]

Think we made it a good 15 years straight without ever coming close to a rope drop, minus one day right after AK opened and they opened early, there wasn't air conditioning and it was a hot May.

My kids were able to stay up real late as long as they could sleep in. We'd hit Dixie QS around 10am. Go back to the room get our act together and we'd hit the parks about 12 or 1pm. But as the kids aged we would alternate.
Get up early, open a park then close a park as late as 3am but not go into the park the next day till around 4pm. That late day we'd sleep in and hit the pools, eat an early dinner at POR QS and head off to the parks for 6 hours or so. When it is hot, the parks often would thin out by then.

Disney was simpler then, no FPs to get there for, ADRs were not booked 180 day out. Yeah a few lines would be long here and there but it was one line and it moved unlike the queues of today. I can't imagine when my kids were young trying to book FP+s long before we left for a vacation.

Ahhh...love that last paragraph.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I variate from day to day...Sometimes I want to get there early, Sometimes I like to get in have dinner do a few rides and people watch as they close down where I'm the last of the 123 guest left in the park. And then there's my nooner mode as to where I'm so lazy I don't know what I'm going to do which has me laying in my bed reading on the net. Which leads me to going to Downtown Disney and going shopping,eating or a rousing game at Disneyquest..

 

[James122]

I'm most definitely a night owl. I prefer to sleep in, so I'm rarely in the parks before 10:30. I've actually never even been to rope drop (gasp!). Plus I love being in the parks at night, it makes for a great atmosphere.