What's the best way to slow down and enjoy?

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Make your FPs but also make it ok to miss them.

Only make one or two ADRs and make it ok to cancel them the night before.

Sit on a concrete garden ledge while eating a Mickey Bar and check out dinner options day of.

Simply take the pressure of yourself. You’ll be back.

It’s a vacation. Treat it as one.

 

[KellyHonos]

My biggest piece of advice is stay off your phone as much as possible. I went in 2013 and 2016, and I have oodles and oodles of photos to show for the trip, but very little actual memories I made with my own eyes. If you've been before, which I gather that you have, I would really really try to limit your photo and video use on your phone or camera down to the new stuff...that's just me, though.

I even went as far as moving my text app and my phone app onto a completely separate page from my home screen so I wouldn't be tempted to check my calls and texts constantly. I also turned off all my notifications for my social media. Actually being in the moment helped me feel like I was soaking in more of the experience.

 

[Beachmom0317]

I am also a planner but one thing I’m trying this trip is less ADR’s and more QS places instead. That way I have something down as an idea where we want to eat, but I don’t feel rushed to stop what we’re doing or obligated to stick to that plan.

 

[KellyHonos]

Oh, also keeping in mind that your fast passes are good for an entire hour. I always used to think you had to rush over to the attraction as soon as your FP was available, and sometimes going right away is what's convenient, but not all the time.

 

[vacationer1954]

My biggest piece of advice is stay off your phone as much as possible. I went in 2013 and 2016, and I have oodles and oodles of photos to show for the trip, but very little actual memories I made with my own eyes.

Of course, this might be age-dependent. As I've gotten older, memories I make with my own eyes fade remarkably fast, but photos seem to last and last.

 

[Nancyg56]

Of course, this might be age-dependent. As I've gotten older, memories I make with my own eyes fade remarkably fast, but photos seem to last and last.

They do, however a balance approach makes a difference for me. I used my phone for videos and pictures too much and plan to drastically reduce that practice this trip.

 

[vacationer1954]

They do, however a balance approach makes a difference for me. I used my phone for videos and pictures too much and plan to drastically reduce that practice this trip.

One of the things I've done in terms of balance is I have learned to take photos with relatively little care about whether I actually capture anything worthwhile. I take hundreds of photos a day, often without even looking to see what the photo looks like on the view screen. I have my camera set to take 7 photos at a time. If I pointed the camera anywhere close to where I meant to, then at least one of the 7 will be decent. After I get home, I go through the photos and pick out the keepers, deleting the rest.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We used to do Disney like that and I kind of hated it. We would spend all this money to get away from the daily grind of work/regular life then spend our time rushing around all day doing the same things over and over. When we got home we were worn out and felt like we needed a vacation after our vacation. It was a joke I never found funny.

But aside from that, DH had some failed back surgeries so he’s in pain pretty much all the time and Disney takes a lot out of him. Even though he’s the one who LOVES Disney, he just can’t do the jam packed itinerary for days anymore.

Now, we plan our park days around lunch ADRs then set up fast passes to work around them. We fill time with the other rides, shows, attractions that don’t need FPs. We call it a day when one of us is done. We’re generally not morning people so we skip morning EMH but we go to the evening ones...by the end, the parks are pretty empty which is just a cool feeling plus the lines are short and practically walk on.

He wouldn’t enjoy going to the park without me bc it’s his personality and I wouldn’t bc I don’t care about going at all. We spend the down time doing whatever. He’ll mostly sleep bc the pain wears him out. I usually hang out by the pool, go for walks around the resort area (we usually stay at the boardwalk). We might go for a ride or walk around Disney springs. In the past we’ve rented those speed racers mouse boats.

It’s a slightly different situation since my DH is the one who would like to spend more time in the parks and physically can’t, but he found he enjoys the trips just as much...we go on most if not all of the rides we want to ride. I’m more pleasant to be around since I’m not annoyed going on ride x y or z for the 5th time. It makes for more enjoyable vacations for both of us.

 

[NH-to-FL]

We used to do Disney like that and I kind of hated it. We would spend all this money to get away from the daily grind of work/regular life then spend our time rushing around all day doing the same things over and over. When we got home we were worn out and felt like we needed a vacation after our vacation. It was a joke I never found funny.

But aside from that, DH had some failed back surgeries so he’s in pain pretty much all the time and Disney takes a lot out of him. Even though he’s the one who LOVES Disney, he just can’t do the jam packed itinerary for days anymore.

Now, we plan our park days around lunch ADRs then set up fast passes to work around them. We fill time with the other rides, shows, attractions that don’t need FPs. We call it a day when one of us is done. We’re generally not morning people so we skip morning EMH but we go to the evening ones...by the end, the parks are pretty empty which is just a cool feeling plus the lines are short and practically walk on.

He wouldn’t enjoy going to the park without me bc it’s his personality and I wouldn’t bc I don’t care about going at all. We spend the down time doing whatever. He’ll mostly sleep bc the pain wears him out. I usually hang out by the pool, go for walks around the resort area (we usually stay at the boardwalk). We might go for a ride or walk around Disney springs. In the past we’ve rented those speed racers mouse boats.

It’s a slightly different situation since my DH is the one who would like to spend more time in the parks and physically can’t, but he found he enjoys the trips just as much...we go on most if not all of the rides we want to ride. I’m more pleasant to be around since I’m not annoyed going on ride x y or z for the 5th time. It makes for more enjoyable vacations for both of us.

You sound a bit like us many years ago. DW and I made many trips to WDW staying at the Boardwalk. Loved the location! I am the Disney fanatic and DW has grown to enjoy it. DW also has some mobility issues from joint problems that makes extended walking tiring/painful. After a couple of visits we noticed we were coming home feeling like we needed another vacation. So we changed our plans a bit.

We would still be up and out early to take advantage of morning EMH. We enjoyed the low crowd period before 10-11am. But we would stop as soon as one of us got tired or the crowds got too crazy and head back to the resort. After an afternoon of relaxing, occasionally napping, we would decide what we wanted to do in the evening. We didn't go crazy trying to do everything during every visit. Our WDW vacations became vacations. I think the key was we knew we would be back again. And we liked that idea so much we became Disney snowbirds.
Wishing you continued and relaxing visits!

 

[cluvsdisney]

@NH-to-FL we have very similar Disney vacation styles. It was a process but I'm glad we found a way to go there so we both have a great time and look forward to going back.

Wishing you and your wife the same!

 

[rideswithchrist]

That is one of the reasons we choose not to get park hoppers- it is too much to bounce around from park to park with kids in tow. It is much slower and fun to stay in one park at a time.
You can also make a list of hidden gems to look for, or also be on the lookout for hidden Mickeys!

 

[Linleedo]

We enjoy rope drop to get on rides before it gets too crowded. We schedule the 3 fastpasses before or sometimes one after lunch in the park. We usually book a fastpass for later. Then, we return to the resort for pool/rest time. After showering, we return to a park or eat dinner, and then return to a park. It makes everyone feel refreshed and rested. We have been planning and doing this routine for years. Hope it helps.

 

[Toolulu22]

My husband was not big on Theme Parks, and has grown to enjoy WDW in small doses. While you like to run and cram, he is more laid back. So, ask him to plan some of the days, and go with it. We'll be there next for a Saturday to Tuesday and have two day theme park tickets. One day we'll be playing golf and the other days, just enjoying our hotel and other things. I am also one to sleep in, but will do rope drop on Theme park days because we like to get in and get out by lunchtime when it starts getting crowded. We go have a nice lunch/dinner someplace and go in the pool and then do something relaxing.

 

[ShelliRenee]

I've found that the best way to really enjoy your vacation is to embrace three keys:

The magic of Disney isn't the rides. It isn't the characters. It isn't the restaurants, or the shops, or the bands, or the performers, or the fireworks, or the cast members, or the laughing families. It's the combination of all of those. You're not paying thousands of dollars to make yourself so exhausted you can't get out of bed. You're not paying thousands of dollars to ride every ride five times. You're paying thousands of dollars to be in the most magical place on Earth, where you can bond with those around you in a way like no other. That's what going to Disney is about: the people you're there with.

Wow...that is amazing. Exactly what I feel as a Disney Fanatic! Thank you for writing this.

 

[Nursejilly]

I totally get the "gotta do it all" mentality while at Disney. Even though its been 3 years since we've been, this time around we intentionally only booked a handful of dining reservations. We did book our 3 FP's because it will be very crowded. I made a tentative schedule just to keep up with our plans, but i put "down time at resort" on the schedule! A first for me! We do plan to hit the parks early most days, but are already talking about going back to our resort to nap about mid-day. We have grand-parents and a 22 month old in our party, so i imagine naps will be required. Then we will probably go to a different park until we are ready to call it a night. Definitely want to take advantage of being at a monorail resort to go exploring as well.

 

[sachilles]

I struggle with this a bit too. Wife and I just had our first kid free trip, arriving on thursday, and leaving on Sunday. So not a lot of time. We used very few fast passes. We didn't use our alarm.

I think restaurant ADR's are important to an extent, or at least eating as a family at a table service place if it's in the budget, as you can slow down, cool down and get a little breathing room.

I think one thing to avoid if possible is racing into the parks the first day. Most times you are getting up before dawn to fight traffic to get on an airplane. You probably didn't sleep worth a damn, that night either. Adrenalin covers for you on that first day, but it catches up to you.

We are going in February, with out 10 year old. At home, he'd hang out in a restaurant with us and chit chat and enjoy the experience. At Disney, he just seems to fight it, as he thinks we should be waiting in line for some ride. He'll claim he isn't hungry.
We have a down day planned in the middle of this trip which is our first ever.

To the original poster, would your husband enjoy a day to himself or a morning or two?

 

[tzolkin]

My natural tendency has always been 1. to "get my money's worth" out of the trip and 2. that vacations are about quality family time so we must spend as much time together as possible. But I realize that's not really the best "value" of vacations.

When our kids were younger, I planned a part of each day (ex. MK morning EMH on Tuesday, dinner at Epcot on Wednesday, etc) but left the other half of each day free. This allowed us to decide what everyone was in the mood to do at the last minute rather than feeling like we "had" to do something because it was already planned. Most days I planned mornings, we went back to the resort for a mid-day break, and then let the kids chose where they wanted to go that evening.

My kids are older now and the last trip my daughter wanted to spend more time "relaxing" than I really wanted her to and I was a bit disappointed. DH also gets up at 4:30 every morning (including most weekends), so for him taking a nap or going to bed early is a valuable use of the vacation time. There were two late nights at MK and I was really looking forward to us all enjoying them together, but both times DH & DD wound up going back to the room early to go to bed. Initially it seemed like that would "ruin" the evening and be a waste of their time, but some of the best memories from that trip were those late nights that I just stayed out with my youngest son. He's in middle school but he was thrilled to hold my hand, ride everything in Fantasyland, and share lots of snacks. It also made him feel special to do whatever he wanted without weighing the wants of everyone else in the family. So, my advice would be to ditch your husband a few days and hit the parks just you and your son.

One person did mention eating quick service instead of making a lot of reservations and I agree. If your DH is looking for a more relaxing trip, I would also recommend checking out some of the lounges. Not sure if you and your DH drink, but even if you do not, I would still recommend. They have non-alcoholic drinks and appetizers that you can make a small meal out of. This was fantastic for our whole family last trip because everyone just wanted to sit somewhere comfortable, relax, and take a break from the crowds.

 

[js]

My biggest piece of advice is stay off your phone as much as possible. I went in I even went as far as moving my text app and my phone app onto a completely separate page from my home screen so I wouldn't be tempted to check my calls and texts constantly. I also turned off all my notifications for my social media. Actually being in the moment helped me feel like I was soaking in more of the experience.

Wow. This is great advise and I will do it on our next trip. I was on my phone a lot in September since I kept refreshing for extra FPs so I will still do that if my mom and dd want more but like the moving of the text app, although my ds-20 and dh will have to wait if they text me since they wont be on the trip

 

[KellyHonos]

Wow. This is great advise and I will do it on our next trip. I was on my phone a lot in September since I kept refreshing for extra FPs so I will still do that if my mom and dd want more but like the moving of the text app, although my ds-20 and dh will have to wait if they text me since they wont be on the trip

I'm glad I could help!

 

[Wild4Walt]

My husband is also a stop and smell the roses kind of guy. He's also not an early riser. This was an adjustment for me when we went on 1st trip together.

I planned one meal a day that had us on a timeline. I also planned FPs for a bit later in the day ( vs. 10a like I normally would ) so that helped reduce my stress and let my type A take a vacation as well.

I had to remind myself that I had seen it all before and done it all before and in the end that helped. I narrowed it down to 3 or 4 must dos per day ( I let him pick 2 and then I picked 2 ).

We typically didn't get going until around 11a each day so it was a different mindset but I don't feel like we missed a ton of stuff.