The old adage “Early bird gets the worm” has a lot of truth to it, especially when it comes to Walt Disney World. Our family jokes that our WDW trips are the only time we can get all of us up and out of bed at the crack of dawn (we’ve gotten up before sunrise, literally). Because we know the big secret – getting to the parks WAY before they open is the best way to get in the most rides/experiences without wasting time in crowds and lines.
Full disclosure, this is not easy to do. Especially with young kids (or adults who act like young kids). But we’ve been there! I’m the oldest of four girls, and at one point we traveled with two of my sisters under the age of 4 when we started our annual WDW trips. We’ve gone through the early mornings with young kids, pre-teens, teens, and now, mid and late twenty-year-olds. It’s always a struggle, but always worth it.
None of us has ever said, “oh I wish we didn’t get up early and ride all the rides.” Yes, we’ve mentioned the tiredness, but that’s where our strategy comes into play. It’s simple.
- Hit the parks early
- Leave the parks after lunch, or before, depending on the length of your vacation
- Relax in the afternoon (pool, nap, AC, whatever!)
- Hit the parks again in the evening/night
This plan of attack has yet to fail us after all these years. We’ve tried getting to the parks at a “normal” time, and that’s when we always regret it. We get spoiled from getting there early and beating the crowds and lines!
If you’re in WDW for a week, one thing we’ve done is pick a day in the middle of the week where you get to sleep in! It makes the other early mornings more bearable, just knowing you get one day to leisurely sleep in. Maybe do a fun character breakfast and make that a pool day for everyone. And then that night, head to Disney Springs – this even helps to cut back on your Park Hopper days!
WDW makes us morning people, and you can be too.
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