What kind of Disney guest are you?

[NelleBelle]

We have a hard time adjusting to the 3-hr time change being from the west coast (don't know how the UK folks do it)! So over the many years of going, we've learned that taking red-eye flights allows us to get some sleep (and they're direct, too)! We tend to stay around 10-days each trip. We always head to a water park the morning we arrive (drop bags and head to TL) and as soon as the room is ready, return, take a much needed nap, and head to dinner at Epcot (will never forget the time we arrived, went to MK and tried to hop to Epcot for dinner only to find out I didn't book hoppers! DH was NOT happy). We tend to let our teens sleep in and meet us if we can't roust them out of bed. We usually do 3-days at Universal with evenings/nights back at WDW. Sleep in on some days with mornings at the pool and a park in the evening for rides/dinner. We've been so much that we don't feel the need to be up early anymore (it was easy when the kids were tiny and up early anyway).

We've found the best way for us to tour is after adjust to the time zone is to take a cruise first. Our first cruise, we hated seeing everyone taking ME off to the resorts so we said that from then on, we'd add time on to the parks after our cruise rather than make the sad trek to the airport, waiting for hours for our flight home!

 

[Disneyfreak Jen]

Usually, I rope drop every morning and stay until about 1, go back to resort to swim for a while. I get on the bus to go back to the parks around 4:30 and stay till around 9/10.

On arrival day I do it differently in that I always take the 6am out of Newark and land about 8:20, head to the resort to drop my carry on and go right to the parks. Lately I’ve been doing HS on day 1 from about 10:30am to 1, then hop to Epcot until dinner time and then head back to my resort and crash. I like doing HS day 1 because I feel like I can relax and take my time more. When I get to Epcot I do my 3 faves (SE, Soarin’, LWTL) and catch some shows in WS.

 

[Bpmorley]

20 years ago we were rope drop til park close, park to park for most of our trips. Since buying DVC and going more often, that's out the window now, especially when we have APs. We enjoy the resorts/pools more now. Make FPs for early afternoon, catch some rides, watch a show then back to the resort for lunch/dinner/pool. Maybe go back for a nighttime show. for a typical week vacation we may do 3-4 park days. The rest are at the resort or out and about in the area. There are some really cool bars/restaurants just outside the bubble

 

[jloucks]

Are you one that makes the rope drop and stays in the park or park hops all day until closing or do you come whenever you want to the parks and then go back to your resort to relax and then maybe comeback for dinner in the evening and the fireworks? How do you usually handle your days at Disney or do you mix it up?

I think for those who vacation at WDW and who are staying for an extended period of time like my family does for a week to 10 days or on a rare occasion even 2 weeks we usually mix it up. One day we might do a rope drop and go all day long and then the next day make it a pool and resort day and Disney Springs for dinner.

For Disneyland I guess maybe vacations are shorter and things just might be done different. I have never been to Disneyland California or any of the other Disneyland Parks in the world so I really don't know how long people stay there.

We mix it up. Sometimes we make rope drop, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we stay from open to close, sometimes we don't.

What we never ever do is just have a resort day. If we wanted to that we would go to Destin Florida or pretty much anyplace in Hawaii.

 

[JohnD]

The park reservation system really doesn't affect me that much. I tend to pre-plan and make dining reservations for which park I plan to be in on which day. So I look ahead at the park hours schedule to see if there is EMH, etc. Right now there is no EMH nor special events. So making a park reservation doesn't change up what I mostly do anyway.

 

[KikoKea]

Back in the day, we'd wear our teenager sons out with rope drop-to-closing days, cramming all we could into our once yearly 4-day trip. I remember last nights being 2am EMHs, getting back to the room about 2:45am, & up again at 5am to catch the 6am van service to the airport.

Now, as much older APs, DH and I roll out of bed after 10 or 11am (or later), and we make it to the parks after 2pm (or later). FP+s are never before 12n, and we plan time at the pool. We love the parks at night, our favorite time, but don't hesitate leaving if we feel like floating the hotel pool while listening to the MK fireworks. we enjoy it more, now that we take it slower and relax.

 

[Bpmorley]

Although I did plan on 4 long days later in August. Was taking my 12yo nephew. We will have to try next year

 

[Goofyernmost]

What kind of Disney Guest am I? Right now and in the immediate future I am an absent Guest!

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I mix it up. Over the years, I've done just about every possible combination of options: short/long-ish, RD/not RD/EMH, Just WDW or Uni/both/other FL, Hop/non-hop, Eat/stay offsite/onsite/combo of offsite/onsite.

I try to arrive near RD, but not before. I prefer very full days, limited sleep. For some reason, I love to see WDW at both sunrise and late at night from my hotel. I love a quiet cup of coffee in the AM before the rush starts! Love when MK is open past midnight! To me, waiting is waiting, so no arriving before the park opens unless a very new ride or something.

I sometimes do breaks, but they tend to be rushed: rush to feature pool for an hour, then rush to back out for dinner or FP, and close the park. Best part of WDW is being in a place where so much happens all at once!

I love split stays. I don't tend to park hop, except to get more park time ( Esp MK is open late).

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Granted I have tried these methods with my twins and step daughter And believe it or not they actually did an amazing job hanging though for the rest of the day, with breaks in between since they are 7... Having good walking shoes and planning out your entire trip to an extent is the Best way to see everything.

We adopted the Pirate code saying long ago - maybe even before the movie? Those who can't keep up WILL get left behind!" (Mind, we've never left any kids behind, but gladly leave adults to sleep longer.)

I also second good walking shoes! Bonus if they are also water tolerant! Especially for summer trips w/ the daily afternoon deluge!