I was wondering for all of you that have visited one of the Walt Disney Theme Parks, do you stay there from opening until closing, without leaving, or do you leave to either take a break or go back later? My family loves Florida and go about 2x/year. My friend travels ocassionly and insists she get her moneys worth by not even stopping to eat until leaving the park closing time. She states she would not want to go back again for many years as it would lose its "magic".
I felt somewhat insulted as we stay for a few hours and then have had enough, only sometimes going back later. I feel the park will always be there and never hate going back, it is always "magic" for me. Opinions please

By Mrln05 on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 11:31 am:

I can't imagine anyone getting tired of Disney World. It's one of my husband and I's most favorite places. I wish we could get there more often. The last time we were able to go we stayed right in the park. It was great. We could take their bus everywhere.

I remember that we wanted to get our money's worth out of it so we tried to squeeze as much in as possible. Really tiring. We did take a break one afternoon and that helped a lot.

Next time we go, we're going to be a little more layed back about it to enjoy it more. Maybe not try to see everything. Maybe pick and choose what to see. It is a magical place.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 12:52 pm:

We went this past November and bought park hopping tickets. We found the kids (5 & 7) were petered out by lunch time. It worked well to return to the hotel after lunch to relax by the pool for a few hours and then go back to a park after dinner. With kids it's just too much to GO GO GO all day. The "magic" is lost with hot, tired, hungry and grumpy kids! We loved the convenience of park hopper tickets because we could come and go as we pleased and hop from park to park if we wanted.

By Jackie on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 01:04 pm:

Well I just made my 11th trip there this past May.. We have it down to a science LOL MY kids are pros at it.
We get their right before park opening.. Ride as many rides, or do shows as much as we can.. Around 1pm or so(give or take an hr)we head back to hotel, for a swim and some rest time.We find someplace cheap to eat for dinner, and head back to the park, usually we do one park in the morning and one in the evening.. My kids have been there quite a bit, so they have their favorite things, and we usually let them pick what we will do next.
I was never one for staying from morning until night..But, thats how some families do it and love it. Not me!

By Tink on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 01:08 pm:

I agree with Trina. We went this spring and got there as soon as the park opened (less crowded and cooler) and left at 1 for lunch, naps, pool, etc and then went back at 4 or 5 for the evening. We saved $ by only eating dinner in the park and the kids enjoyed it more because they were less tired and overstimulated. Hopper passes are definitely worth the money! Different strokes for different folks.

By Children03 on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 04:15 pm:

I just went a week ago to Disney World with my children ages, 4, 3, & 14 months. It was extremely hot and very tiring. You usually have to wait in lines anywhere from 45 min. to 2 hours. We would get there at 9:00 and stay until about 1 and go back to our condo and eat lunch and then go for a swim, take naps and then head back around 6:00. My children whined a lot and we tried to just take as much water as possible with us. It would be smart to take a small cooler in a stroller. Also, I purchased this water bottle with a fan on it at the Eckerd Drug Store down there for $12.00 - that was the best investment. It kept us cool while waiting in long lines. We all loved it. You can purchase one at the park but they are about $18.00- $20.00. Epcot was nice because there is a lot more shade and a lot of the rides are indoor. I have to be completely honest with you, my kids were not very impressed with it. I think they have more fun at Six Flags. Maybe it is there age, but this is what they said "We are going back to Disney World today, but we already went there yesterday" That was only our 2nd day there. Most of the rides in Magical Kingdom are for toddlers. I thought they would have been crazy about it. We still have 1 day passes and I don't think we really want to go back. That is just us though.

By Sunny on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 04:23 pm:

It sounds like Disney has already lost some it's magic on your friend.

We have been twice and are planning another trip for next year. It is impossible for a family traveling with little ones to arrive at the opening and stay until closing. It's too much for a lot of adults, too! If your friend has read any of the guide books, they all suggest breaking up the day with a nap or a swim. Leaving for a few hours helps to re-energize you and gives you a chance to regroup. It also helps to slow you down and take it all in. The one thing about Disney World, and this is something that my family doesn't quite get, is that there is always something new to discover and, if you're too tired or irritable from trying to see it all, you'll miss it.

By Melissa on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 04:55 pm:

People are either disney people or they are not.
We've been a bunch and like Jackie have it down to a science. We never stay all day, that is suicide if you ask me. That right there is probably why Disney has lost some magic for your friend. They sound like the kind of people who don't read or plan and then wonder why they were exhausted and hot waiting in long lines. We have been 4 times with Lexi who is 6 and by good planning and using early entry we have never waited more than 10 minutes to do anything. Don't be insulted about your friend just be glad you are smarter.

By Lorebunde on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 05:43 pm:

Yes, I was just saying that to my husband this morning about the guide books saying to take a break. I have known this woman since we were 4 yrs old and she is the type that whatever you do she does it better or the right way! She has even been known to say to me "yes, Disney is not really for kids" or It's too bad you can't do as much because of the Kids". No, she does not have any children. Even if I didnt have children, I don't think I would stay from morn/till night. She makes them sound like such a hindrance and that I miss so much by bringing them. Needless to say she can drive me crazy!

By Debbie on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 06:02 pm:

We have been to Disney several times the last few years and we are planning to go again in Aug. I have two boys(6 & 3 yrs. old) My dks start to get tired around noon, so we always take breaks. We go early when the parks open and then head back to the hotel around noon. We swim and take a nap and then head back to the park around 5 or 6pm. We usually only go for about 3 or 4 days at a time. However, one time we went for a full week, so we took one day to just swim and hang out at the hotel. It just really puzzles me why some people don't take breaks, especially those with small children. I just hate to see small children having meltdowns in the late afternoon. You know they are just tired and hot. I agree that you are either a Disney person or you are not. We happen to really love Disney. Since we have been several times, we don't find it tiring at all. We always stay on property at one of the resorts that has monorail access. We spent time at the parks and lots of time swimming and relaxing by the pool.

By Melana on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 01:06 am:

what's an estimate of what it costs for like 3 days there? I wouldn't mind planning a trip, in about 2-3 years, lol. But I deffinately love to go, I've never been.

By Kaye on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 01:25 am:

When we went our kids were 1,3 and 5 year old. We got there when the park opened and left when they kicked us out. The only exception to that was when my 3 year old spiked a 103 temp and we had to go the doc. But even at that we went right back the next am (he had walking pnemonia). My kids loved it, they didn't whine, they didn't fuss. If we got ancy we hopped on some transportation and moved parks, it was enough of a rest. We had a stroller and life was great. It was truely a magical vacation for us. We haven't been back, but purely because of money. However, we have lived minutes from an amusement park (king island). it is a great place, the first few times we went it was almost like disney, but we our season passes we went once or twice a week. The kids still had fun, but it was different. There is nothing that can compare to that first time expression of a disney experience. And yes I feel if you go too much you could lose the coolness factor. I don't think your friend was trying to say you do it wrong, just they do it different. That is how they feel. I am one of those people who don't get, oh I am going to wait till my kids are old enough to remember...we went young, one recalls a lot, one not at all, one in the middle, oh well, it was still great while we were there!

By Lorebunde on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 08:10 am:

She just has her opinions and always has to say whatever is on her mind, even if rude :0
I told her we were going next month and mentioned driving and staying in Miami for the night. She thought that was strange as why would I want to go to Miami with kids? That place is for a younger crowed (I'm 45). I mentioned I wanted to go on a cruise some point in the future, she states " Thats something you'd want to do w/o the kids, just you and your husband". She just seems to have this idea that kids are a big burden and it gets on my nerves. I mentioned I was trying to talk my husband into going to ENgland, she says wait until the kids are bigger Vanessa (6 at the time) won't even remember it. What am I supposed to do stay home until they grow up? Who cares if they don't remember it? I think she is more on the cheap side and everything boils down to money w/her - getting her moneys worth. Nothing wrong with being thrifty but shes too much.

By Feona on Sunday, June 13, 2004 - 08:58 am:

Some people hate walt disney world. Some people would like to live there. I guess there is everything in between too.