Go now or wait?

[dancemonkey]

So I'm going to be the weird one here. Unless you have an extremely long flight and jet lag to deal with I'd do a shorter trip. But we're not fans of long trips. I did Spain with my dd last year we did twelve days and we should have shortened it to 7 - 9 days. Honestly my 14 year old daughter was done after 7 days. Another thing we don't plan our trips that far ahead either. So I'd do a shorter trip earlier. The go back for avatar and Star Wars and Toy story. Could you fly? I mean by the time you drive.

 

[Nancyg56]

That is my biggest concern with a shorter trip, is getting tired, being able to plan in enough rest time, especially since we have to drive 3 days to get there, and then will have to drive 3 days to get back, too. This summer we did 4 days in a row without a break and found ourselves getting pretty tired by about day 6 of our 10 day trip. That said, homesickness was kicking in a bit too, on the longer trip, so that would probably be avoided with a shorter trip.

The "must dos", would be each park 1x and Blizzard Beach 1x. I know ideally we'd want a 2nd MK day as well, but... we could leave that 6th day open for flexibility in case we needed rest.

I would spend a little time on timing under these circumstances. When we have a shorter trip, and lately thats what we have been taking, I make a priority list. I know that we like evening entertainment so I make sure that when I plan to stay late in a park we do not plan RD that day or the following. With FP+ this is not especially difficult any longer. We also like RD on some mornings, so we don't stay all day. I do nto knwo if hoppers work for you but I would consider them so that if you want to catch the evening shows in one park, you can and still visit another that day.

I think that if you have been before, and you know that you will be going back, it is easier to cut some things out and use the trip as a true vacation, so you are not running from RD to park close. You have the list of attractions and shows that are most important to the family, and anything else is a bonus. I came home one time needing a vacation from my vacation and will never do that again.

 

[Shanti]

So our plan has been to return summer of 2017, for probably a 12 night stay with 6 Disney park days, 2 "other park" days, and some R&R days.

Well, we just found out the other night from DH's best friend that their wedding may be changed to summer of 2017. And, wants DH to be best man. They are as close as brothers, so if there is any possible way of us going, it's pretty much a non-negotiable that we are going to be there. Unfortunately, there's no way we can afford both trips that summer (his best friend lives about 4500 km away from us, so it will be a MAJOR cross-Canada trip).

He's supposed to know more in the next week or so, but was thinking ahead to our options, which we've figured are: try and do a shorter, bare bones trip this summer (either last week of June or end of August), probably just a 6-7 night stay with 5-6 park days, and then hope for another trip in 2020 or 2021 that'll be a longer one. Or, just wait until 2018 or 2019 (more likely 2019) and do a longer trip then.

Originally we chose not to go this summer because we wanted to save our money for paying off the car loan, but we've changed what we're going to be doing for house renos this summer, which freed up some money, so the finances of it are a non-issue now. It's now a would you rather do a smaller trip if it means being able to go sooner, or do a more elaborate trip, but have to wait longer to go back?

WWYD?

Go now. A week at Disney isn't "bare bones" at all. Two or three years is way too long to wait.

 

[Nancyg56]

So I'm going to be the weird one here. Unless you have an extremely long flight and jet lag to deal with I'd do a shorter trip. But we're not fans of long trips. I did Spain with my dd last year we did twelve days and we should have shortened it to 7 - 9 days. Honestly my 14 year old daughter was done after 7 days. Another thing we don't plan our trips that far ahead either. So I'd do a shorter trip earlier. The go back for avatar and Star Wars and Toy story

Yes, everyone has their sweet spot! I know that for me 10 days and 9 nights is perfect. I am happy with shorter trips, and I enjoy the 10 night 11 days trips, but by the end of those I am ready to be home. My husband is good for week and he is done. For three years! LOL!

 

[mshanson3121]

So I'm going to be the weird one here. Unless you have an extremely long flight and jet lag to deal with I'd do a shorter trip. But we're not fans of long trips. I did Spain with my dd last year we did twelve days and we should have shortened it to 7 - 9 days. Honestly my 14 year old daughter was done after 7 days. Another thing we don't plan our trips that far ahead either. So I'd do a shorter trip earlier. The go back for avatar and Star Wars and Toy story. Could you fly? I mean by the time you drive.

lol. I wish we could fly. But a) DH is really not a fan of flying and b) it's a lot more money to fly, and flying would price us out of going

 

[SparklePixie]

By your own accounts, your last trip was terrible. So terrible, in fact, you almost cut the trip short. I'd wait. Regardless of when you go, you have to add 6 days on to the trip, since your husband refuses to fly. That is a lot of time wasted in the car and adds to the exhaustion factor for everyone. You're tired before you even get there.

Oh, and a week long trip is not "bare bones".

 

[Angel Ariel]

Something else to factor in is how will the construction that will be happening affect your trip if you went this year?

We went to DCA when Buena Vista street was being redone. The front of the park was a mess. The construction walls made walkways very narrow, and there were a lot of people funneling through them. It wasn't a huge deal for us at the time (2 adults, no kids then), but with dd and her needs, it might affect the decision now.

Since you drive 3 days each way anyway, could you drive to CA and go to california? There will still be construction in DL there, but it's a lot easier to have a relaxing trip with a shorter overall trip time (while still getting quite a lot done) than it is in FL, IMO. Park hopping is way easier (and less time consuming), there are plenty of offsite hotel options that are walking distance to the parks...maybe pricing out that option would be worthwhile for your family.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Absolutely no way are we doing two trips that summer for a few reasons. The only options are those I listed in my post.

If the short trip now doesn't disrupt a big trip later, I would do the short trip sooner. Or I would hold out of it is an either or and wait for my longer trip.

 

[mshanson3121]

Something else to factor in is how will the construction that will be happening affect your trip if you went this year?

We went to DCA when Buena Vista street was being redone. The front of the park was a mess. The construction walls made walkways very narrow, and there were a lot of people funneling through them. It wasn't a huge deal for us at the time (2 adults, no kids then), but with dd and her needs, it might affect the decision now.

Since you drive 3 days each way anyway, could you drive to CA and go to california? There will still be construction in DL there, but it's a lot easier to have a relaxing trip with a shorter overall trip time (while still getting quite a lot done) than it is in FL, IMO. Park hopping is way easier (and less time consuming), there are plenty of offsite hotel options that are walking distance to the parks...maybe pricing out that option would be worthwhile for your family.

We're on the far east coast of Canada, so to drive to CA would be a 6 day drive instead of 3, so definitely would take too long, and would also greatly add to the cost. I would love to see DL someday, but I'd have to be able to convince DH to fly, lol, and I just don't see it happening.

As far as the construction - meh, that doesn't bother me. It was definitely a bit bottlenecked feeling at AK this summer, but... we still really enjoyed the park. It was a bit of a pain in areas, but, not enough to keep us from going back, for sure.

 

[mshanson3121]

By your own accounts, your last trip was terrible. So terrible, in fact, you almost cut the trip short. I'd wait. Regardless of when you go, you have to add 6 days on to the trip, since your husband refuses to fly. That is a lot of time wasted in the car and adds to the exhaustion factor for everyone. You're tired before you even get there.

Oh, and a week long trip is not "bare bones".

Um. No, it wasn't. You certainly twisted my words, didn't you? By my own accounts, our last trip was great. However, towards the end of our 10 days, yes we did get tired because we didn't tour smart initially, and I was having problems with pain in my leg, that made me consider leaving a couple days early. But that's a pretty huge far cry from "a terrible trip".

And by "bare bones" - I mean, no extra dinners, no extra experiences, no extra parks etc... which is not what we were planning for next time.

 

[Disneylover99]

Go now. Why wait? Life's too short.

 

[mshanson3121]

Your previous posts about the trip while there speak for themselves.

What is your frigging problem? I mean seriously? I don't even know where you're beginning to come up with this stuff, because even the post where I questioned about leaving early started with "We are having a great time". So, seriously, just stop. We had a great time, and the posts that I posted while there, PROVE it.

 

[anniemae]

I would wait. Disney is kind of in a transition phase right now. Lots of great stuff coming down the pike, but right now? Not so much. Lots of construction going on, lots of stuff closed, lots of stuff being built. I would wait or I would feel like I would be missing all the new stuff. I just feel like Disney is in a state of change right now, and personally I would want to wait so I could enjoy all the new stuff. If I went now, I think I would feel like I should have waited once everything is completed.

 

[Angel Ariel]

We're on the far east coast of Canada, so to drive to CA would be a 6 day drive instead of 3, so definitely would take too long, and would also greatly add to the cost. I would love to see DL someday, but I'd have to be able to convince DH to fly, lol, and I just don't see it happening.

As far as the construction - meh, that doesn't bother me. It was definitely a bit bottlenecked feeling at AK this summer, but... we still really enjoyed the park. It was a bit of a pain in areas, but, not enough to keep us from going back, for sure.

Understandable. In that case, then it really comes down to how much potential relaxed-feel your willing to forgo for the shorter trip. You can definitely get a relaxed feel with a 6 day trip, but there will need to be concessions on what all gets accomplished in order to maintain the relaxed feel. Only you and your family can decide if the concessions are worth it for the trip.

 

[fbb]

lol. I wish we could fly. But a) DH is really not a fan of flying and b) it's a lot more money to fly, and flying would price us out of going

I realize that your husband doesn't like to fly, but to be ill/injured/sore and three days in a car away from home would be even more miserable.

Could those six travel days equal 12 extra workdays for you and your husband? That would get the math on your side and free up the vacation days for another trip.

 

[mshanson3121]

I realize that your husband doesn't like to fly, but to be ill/injured/sore and three days in a car away from home would be even more miserable.

Could those six travel days equal 12 extra workdays for you and your husband? That would get the math on your side and free up the vacation days for another trip.

DH is a teacher so is off, paid all summer, and I'm a SAHM/freelance writer, so I can work from anywhere, so... that end of it doesn't really end up being a factor, unfortunately, lol. I think that if I really pushed him to fly, he would, but, I also know that flying would be stressful for him, and that Disney isn't is first choice of a vacation anyways. Even though he's definitely willing to go back, it's still not his top pick. So, I don't mind compromising with him on this. Part of it is he's a bit afraid to fly, but I think also, as he's gotten older, he's much more prone to motion sickness, which runs in the family quite badly. His brother gets so violently ill flying (even taking meds) that on two occasions he has ended up in ER on IV, so I think he's afraid of getting sick and feeling rotten and basically ruining vacation for us. Disney may not be his top pick, but he still wouldn't want to miss seeing the kids enjoyment for anything. Plus, there's the money factor. Flying is just much more expensive for us, so in the scenario of this summer, the added expense of flying would mean we just don't go. So I figure that driving to Disney is better than no Disney!

 

[mom2rtk]

I realize that your husband doesn't like to fly, but to be ill/injured/sore and three days in a car away from home would be even more miserable.

Could those six travel days equal 12 extra workdays for you and your husband? That would get the math on your side and free up the vacation days for another trip.

Plus it's probably safer to fly than to spend all that time in the car.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'd wait. That way you can do the trip you want rather than trying to make do with a shorter one. Alot more of the newer things will be open for you to see if you wait.

And you'd have more time to recover from a 3 day drive which is very brave of you to do. No way could I do that!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'd wait. That way you can do the trip you want rather than trying to make do with a shorter one. Alot more of the newer things will be open for you to see if you wait.

And you'd have more time to recover from a 3 day drive which is very brave of you to do. No way could I do that!

I agree! If I had to spend as much time in the car as I was going to have being there, I would hold off until I could stay longer.

 

[larryz]

By your own accounts, your last trip was terrible. So terrible, in fact, you almost cut the trip short. I'd wait. Regardless of when you go, you have to add 6 days on to the trip, since your husband refuses to fly. That is a lot of time wasted in the car and adds to the exhaustion factor for everyone. You're tired before you even get there.

Au contraire! I say that the roadtrip is half the fun!