Sleeping in vs. getting up early at Disney World

Getting up early vs. sleeping in late at Disney World: it's a long-debated topic, and there's no easy answer.

Oftentimes it depends on family schedules, or whether or not you are a night owl or early bird. Whatever your natural schedule is, don't fight against it too much, otherwise you WILL end up cranky!

So, to help you decide which way to go, we've put together a list of pros and cons for each tactic below.

Getting up early

Pros:

-You can get ready, have breakfast, and still arrive at your park of choice for rope drop. See Magic Kingdom's rope drop below:

-You can complete a full day's touring plan and will be able to get the Fastpasses of your choice.
-During summer months, you can ride attractions before the hottest time of day while avoiding crowds.

Cons:

-Because you're up earlier, you will tire earlier. You will probably need a break or nap before heading out again later in the day.
-You'll need to get to sleep early each night. Trying to get a full 8 hours of sleep can be tough if you are getting up at 6 a.m.
-You may need to head home before nighttime shows, and probably won't get to experience evening Extra Magic Hours.

Sleeping In

Pros:

-You'll be well-rested and ready to go. More than likely, you'll be able to stay out until nighttime Extra Magic Hours.
-You can still complete a late arrival touring plan.
-You can still enjoy a late breakfast and a leisurely morning without the rush.

Cons:

-You'll inevitably battle crowds, especially during peak times of year.
-You may face a lot of heat in the late afternoon.
-Fastpasses may run out for certain attractions, like Toy Story Mania, before you arrive.

So, with all that said, which do you prefer to do-- wake up early or sleep in?

Leave a comment below, night owls and early birds!

katrina1122 wrote on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 13:22:

katrina1122's picture

We do both, up early for Morning EMH, sleep for Late EMH.

cjs3boys wrote on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 18:44:

cjs3boys's picture

We do both, but for morning EMH at Hollywood Studios is a must to get fastpasses for Toy Story Mania! Always love EMH @ Animal Kingdom fastest time to ride Everest!

Catherine wrote on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 19:54:

Catherine's picture

Early bird for sure! We will sometimes then take a late afternoon nap.

JoAnn wrote on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 21:48:

JoAnn's picture

Up early, relax by the pool in the afternoon and back to the parks at night.

DonaldDork wrote on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 02:09:

DonaldDork's picture

up early for sure! then back to rest in the afternoon. head back for dinner and shows at night!

Marilyn @ our cheap disney vacation wrote on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 10:50:

Marilyn @ our cheap disney vacation's picture

Definately, up early. Nap in the afternoon - sometimes a 3 hour one if I'm gonna be up late for fantasmic or something.

worldfanatic wrote on Sat, 04/30/2011 - 02:26:

worldfanatic's picture

We never set an alarm. Our bodies tell us when to rise.
I'm usually up early, the wife usually sleeps in.
This always leads to a lazy morning around our Disney Resort. Reading the paper, swimming, grabbing a bite, exploring the gift shop.
We almost never get to the parks before 11am.
That's vacation to us.

ocean134 wrote on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 19:31:

ocean134's picture

Always up early, eat at the resort and hit the park of our choice that day. Then we tour commando style and go all day long until our feet and legs give up!

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