The Early Bird Versus The Night Owl...

[zurgandfriend]

I tend to be an early bird up at the crack of dawn and out and about. I'm usually back to the room by 11pm but I have stayed past midnight for special events such as MVMCP. Taking a nap in the afternoon is the key. That and the fact I'm in the world of course.

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

I prefer going first thing in the morning and staying until close, but taking a nap midday. Midday is usually the hottest and busiest time of day.

 

[LucyK]

We're both! We always close the parks and head on to DTD for a late night walk around. Next day we're up at six in the morning to be there for rope drop.

Our secret is taking breaks during the hottest (and more crowded) part of the day, 2-6pm. I can honestly say I only ever saw the 3 o'clock parade once! We normally have lunch around 1pm and leave back to the resort right after. We sleep for a couple of hours, take a shower and we're fresh, rested and ready to take over the world... I mean, to tour the parks till the odd hours of the mornings again. Next day, rinse and repeat!

The only park we usually don't do that is at AK because of the short hours, that is the only day we turn in early after a trip to DTD. And it'll change after AK gets that beautiful night time show.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

We usually visit Disney in the Fall, and love the crisper mornings, but like the crisp evenings too! LOL We actually are usually up around 7:00 - 7:30, but don't rush for rope drop. If we have ADRs for breakfast, I usually make them for 10:30 or later. (This year I did break with tradition and booked Crystal Palace for 9:50) By 11:00pm we're hitting the beds and sleep HARD LOL

 

[bethymouse]

We do extra magic hours mornings , so we're early birds ( my boys like to get to bed early believe it or not- they poop out!). We get everything done before the crowds around noon, then go back to the resort and relax at the pool. Occasionally we're night owls, if we decide to sleep in, but that's only if MK is open really late.

 

[WDW 3]

Night owls! Prefer to take it easy in the morning!

 

[kfergdisney]

I tend to get my 2nd (or 3rd) wind at 11pm, so I am a night owl, but, on vacations, I tend to get up way too early because I am too excited! Of course, by the 3rd day of getting up early and going to bed late, I am exhausted, but it is sooo worth it!
Now, I am going to WDW in 30 days (WOO HOO) and my friend who is accompanying me tends to sleep in. She is known to not get out of bed on Saturdays until noon...or later. My one goal for this trip is to make rope drop at MK. I've never done that before! We will have a couple of days in the parks before we go to MK so hopefully we can get this accomplished!
WDW is awesome at night!

 

[KCheatle]

Right now, we are definitely "early birds." We have two little ones who are up at 6:45-7:00 am every day! Basically, we're twiddling our thumbs waiting for the parks to open! We head back to the hotel around 1-2pm for nap time, and then head back around dinner time. But, even with naps we only make it until about 10. The latest we've ever made it was 11. That was bad, though, because it doesn't matter how late the kids go to bed. They're still up at 7 the next morning, and it meant we had a long (i.e., crabby) day.

When they get older, I assume we'll be more of "late owls." But, personally, I love the parks first thing in the morning. I love pictures with no one else in them, and the feeling that you "own the place." We get a lot accomplished between 9-11 am!

 

[luv]

I was at rope drops unless I'd stayed late for fireworks, MNSSHP, etc. If I stayed out late, I slept in.

At first, I tried to get through taking long naps and we were able to do both that way, but it just seemed easier to switch to sleeping in after later nights.

There were also days where I'd schedule park time just for the mrning and do pool in the afternoon.

 

[jayhawkmickey]

We only get to go every two years soooo, both. Rope drop to close and then sometimes DTD or another park till it closes. You can sleep when youre dead, this is Disney!

 

[JillC LI]

Rope drop every single day. Attack the Parks all day nonstop. Back to the resort and in bed around 11ish. The only exception was when we attended MNSSHP and stayed til almost midnight. That said, we have never been to WDW between April and September so those super-late EMH were not available.

 

[Maelstrom Troll]

We are definitely both. We are almost always at rope drop and usually stay out to about midnight depending on the park. We usually go on a relaxing vacay and a disney trip a year. When we are at the parks, we are on our feet hitting it hard and loving every minute!!

 

[R W B]

The girlfriend and I are true night owls. When we go and it's just us, we try to make it in the parks by 10-11am. When we go with we parents they get us up earlier so were in the parks by 9ish most of the time.

Only time I made a rope drop was when I was younger and went with my older brother and his family and they made me get up early lol.

 

[Jenna]

I have only ever made rope drop once and it was a concerted effort on my part to see what all the fuss was about at MK with the opening show (I didn't actually know there was a morning show until I started posting on here).
I have to say we are probably more night owls than early birds, I like the atmosphere in the parks as the night is falling and it's a whole different place in the dark Hopefully over the course of my year working there I'll get the chance to experience plenty of early mornings and late nights

 

[reptar77]

We are neither. We usually sleep in a little and get to the parks around 10am. We will stay for a couple hours then go back to the resort for nap or pool time. Back at the parks for a couple hours around 4-5pm then we usually have a signature dinning resi around 8-9pm.
On the rare occasion we will close a park or go to EMH.

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

The DW and I are the night owls. I love to stay out late and love all the lights and attractions. I have been to the parks in the AM but prefer to be eating breakfast first thing instead of trying to be in the parks. We use to always go to PI in DTD when it was there and had a really fun times there. I do miss that. I love always ending our night coming in from DTD followed by a swim in the quiet pools in PORs

 

[tor29c]

Sleeping until 6:00 AM is late for me so I never see midnight (not even on New Years Eve!) At home I'm in bed before the toddlers go in at night. Staying up until 9:00 will be the best I can do, even in Disney.

 

[CheshireCat12]

We get up early to get to rope drop (or arrive soon thereafter). Late afternoon we are back at our resort for a break and rest/swim. Then we go out for dinner and late night in the parks (especially MK and Epcot). The latest I've ever been in the parks is about 2:00 AM. If you have never done late night, you are missing a lot- it is quieter since a lot of people will not stay so late. Many rides are practically walk-ons. The lights are pretty. Do it!

 

[abeachchick]

I am a night owl.
I like to relax in the morning and would never consider rushing around to get to rope drop.
Usually don't get back to the room until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning....no naps or breaks throughout the day.
It takes me a little while to get going in the a.m., but once I do, I don't stop.

 

[awoogala]

We always get there 10 minutes after rope drop because all those people make me crazy.. except for the one time.. when we were the rope drop family. lol