After yet another whirlwind Disney trip last week where we were ‘go go go’ for the entire time, I have come to the realization that I’m burning my family (especially DS15) out with my touring style. Our next trip is in August and I would like to slow things down a bit. I’m planning on a resort day and hopefully renting a cabana. I thought this would be a great place to solicit some other ideas of activities/plans that wouldn’t help keep us busy but not exhausted.
Thoughts?
My wife and I have adopted a much more relaxed touring style with our more recent Disney trips. And the days we don’t…the days we try to pack it all in…are the days we least enjoy.
I’m not sure we are the “resort day” type people, necessarily…but what we are is a “no pressure, and just relax” when we’re in the parks. That is, don’t try to do it all. For example, when we go to MK on March 9th, our plan isn’t to tackle all of MK. Instead, have a few clear goals.
Anything else we do will be a spontaneous decision.
We’re mostly anti-Genie+, so that’s not even on the table…but I think having G+ makes the day feel less relaxed because you mentally become hyperfocused on getting the next ride, or getting the right timing, etc. It’s not relaxing to use G+ (to us). Instead, we’d rather look at a line and go, “Yeah…we’ll wait 45 minutes.”
More and more, we are appreciating the aspects of Disney that do NOT involve rides. In some ways, it is THOSE things that make Disney DIsney moreso than the rides.
Our kids are 17 and 20 now - after a few trips with resort days, I think our best balance for resort days are “Do what you want until X O’clock” then we’ll go explore another resort or hit a good restaurant.
Specifically, here are some ideas.
Keep an eye on this website run by @limegreenmonorail (https://www.magicalresortguide.com/)
It’s updated monthly and gives you an idea of activities that you can do at the resort.
For us - our resort day (DS4, DS8, grandma, grandpa, my sister, me and DH) consisted mostly of pool time. DH and I swam with the kids nearly all day while Grandma, Grandpa and my sister did what they wanted until dinner time. They shopped and swam. We had 2 of these days during a 7-day trip and it was absolutely lovely to just fully relax.
The main thing we have done on the last few family trips which have really really made a huge difference is not pushing the rope drop park arrival. We leverage other tools and great touring plans to minimize our waiting in lines and we identify just a few key rides or attractions or experiences we want to have and we don’t push beyond that. We also don’t push to stay together 100% of the time. We share the next day’s plan the night before - anyone is free to join or skip out when they are toast. The one thing we do try to strongly encourage is the one meal a day together.
Also: why do you feel you need to be kept busy? It sounds like they don’t want to be busy 
It’s more me that wants to be kept busy. I have a hard time sitting in a hotel room and watching him watch videos on YouTube during vacation. And by busy, I just mean not sitting in the hotel room…
So I think you should feel free to go do things while they feel free to … not!
I really struggle with this – I am a “go go go” type of tourer.
I agree that the single best thing you can do is to limit the number of things you plan to do in a given time block. Don’t try to be a completionist.
If you kill yourselves off, you will be less likely to want to go back again, which ups the stakes for the current trip. Instead, keep things relaxed, your family will want to go back, and then you can catch what you missed next time.
The thing I’m struggling with and want to try and resolve for our next trip is doing something, but not something taxing. I don’t think I explained it properly. It’s not that he doesn’t want to do things, it’s that he’s not physically capable of keeping up on my current ‘go go go’ touring style. This last trip, he decided he wanted to walk instead of being pushed in a wheelchair for the vast majority of the trip (the only day I pushed him was our Orlando Informer Meet Up night because he was just too exhausted). I’m really proud of him for keeping up as well as he did. But that’s why I’m looking for ‘slower’ things and not exactly no things. I want him to maintain his independence and set him up for success - and not have him rely on the wheelchair as we have done so far.
We’ve gone fishing before, which is something I think I will add back in - that’s not as physically demanding on him.
I really like this.
Add me to the list of folks who struggle with the slow down. If I’ve built out a plan to ride all the things it’s like I jump into a game of me vs. my plan and won’t be satisfied if I miss anything on that list. It’s silly, but if I put fewer things on my list I feel accomplished doing fewer things and additional rides, snacks, shows, whatever mentally become “extra bonuses” instead of “must dos”.
I actually saw something today on insta that suggested planing your day with just a handful of goals - 3 rides, 2 ‘extras’ (meet and greet, parade, etc) and 1 dining reservation. I really like that too.
My crew and I will be there in 9 days and it’s the first time I have a full resort day planned (two actually!!) and I told my kids we’re sacrificing AK this trip to do that. We’re APs so we may choose to pivot one of those days and decided to head to AK but I’m aiming for lots of chill time vs past trips.
Yay!
Ohhhh 
DD20 and I went for 7 days from December 13-20. We only rope dropped 2 days. We hit it hard day one at MK after a 7AM flight but our second MK day we only rode Tron, HM and People Mover. We did all the shows and ate a bunch of snacks that day instead. It was awesome. The second Epcot day we only rode Guardians. We took in all of World Showcase and the Storytellers. It was nice to stop and smell the roses and take in the details we often miss.
I know. It’s sad. 
Even I have had trips where I had to sacrifice the best.
You’ll be okay. Probably.
I like to do a monorail crawl and just check out the other resorts/shops/ get a snack, or do the same on the skyliner, or resort boats, depending on your area that you are staying.
Check out the different crafty things they offer at each resort and maybe choose one, perhaps head to animal kingdom lodge to see the animals.
We went pretty hard in December, so I am also doing a more relaxed trip come April. I don’t usually do a full “resort day” but we always leave the park for a bit of time at our resort or just resort hopping to get away from the crowds.
Perhaps you could fine a few online scavenger hunts for the resorts to do?
So true. I did not get G+. Our only goal was to ride GotG and we did. The rest of the day was to relax and enjoy the park. It was one of the best days.
Not everybody would like this, but we loved adding days where we’d just go to a few resorts and eat there and look at stuff. Add in maybe pool time, shopping etc. I did this initially b/c the military salute tix didn’t include a full week of park days, but those did end up being some of our favorite days b/c we weren’t stuck in crowds so much or running here and there. But we’re the sort who like to just look at stuff and take a lot of photos; not everyone’s cup of tea.
DH asked for a laid back trip at spring break. We are going hard at UOR, but laid back at WDW. This is lur schedule:
Rope drop MK but leave before mid-day. Hang out at WL pool, lunch at Geyser point, MK for dinner and park time.
Breakfast at Whispering Canyon. Rent pontoon boat at CR. Epcot in early evening and stay for EEH.
Resort time (pool or arcade). Lunch at S72, HS with stacked LL.
Typhoon lagoon. Renting umbrella or cabana.
I am with you that long periods of time watching my kid on their phone makes me up tight. So, I plan out that “chill” time and then make sure we have ADRs or plans to fill the rest.