first day exhaustion

[septembergirl]

We leave in 49 hours!!!
Time has been moving so slowly until the last couple of days, now I am afraid I will forget something and all my careful planning will be for naught...Is that crazy? Oh, well, we are going to have so much fun!
Anyway, my question is regarding the first day. Do you find that the flight/trip wears you out on your first day and you do much less than planned because of being so exhausted? I want to pace ourselves and not blow it out the first day but I know we will be so pumped to get to the MK!

[BronxTigger]

I think it depends on your flight time. I had to get up at 3 the day I flew out, and had the Pirate and Princess Party until 12 that night. The following morning I was scheduled to eat at Chef Mickey's at 7:50.

So, I made sure I took a nap that first afternoon so I wouldn't be toast. I felt refreshed even after only about an hour or two of afternoon sleeping.

[faline]

Travel days can be very tiring. As long as you know when to call it quits and head back to your resort for a good night's sleep, you should be fine!

Have fun!

[WinnieThePooh]

We will be right behind you !!!! We have 56 hours and counting before we leave We have to get up around 3 AM to get to the airport for our 6 AM flight, so we are taking it easy the first day. Hoping maybe to get our room early too, for a little nap.

I have been concern about the weather forecast, I was planning on spending my mornings laying by the pool and soaking up the sun. We have MNSSHP ticket for the 21st and its looks like alot of rain that day. So we went today and got rain gear I am hoping we won't need it

Have a safe trip and enjoy the World

[dml]

We leave on 11/30 and also have a 6 am flight. We have never been ones to take breaks for naps or relaxation, but considering we have a 6 am flight and dinner res at LeCelliar for 8:50, we might be experiencing our first naps at WDW.

I guess we, and your party, will know when we can't go anymore.

[tinksmom02]

This will be the first trip that we are going to a park on our first day. Usually we check in and hit DTD for the evening, and are in bed relatively early.

This time around we're going to MGM, b/c it's the only time I could schedule it in And there's only 5-6 things that we want to catch there, so we should still be in bed nice and early.

[PresMandi]

LOL, just got back from 3 nights/4 days in the cabins, plus MNSSHP with my 2 year old. Had a blast. If you take 1-2 hour naps when your body needs it, my 2 year old was able to go from 7-12am for the night, then get up at 8am the next day to do typhoon lagoon, and I wore out before him in the wave pool...lol. have a blast and enjoy it, it's a vacation

[mouseketeer mom]

You know what, I always do have first day exhaustion. We never have crazy flight times or anything, its just that I never sleep well the night before. I am all wound up from getting everything in order for both the trip and coming home from the trip, that I always seem headachey and tired on travel day. Believe me tho, I'm good to go the next day. The first day also has that surreal feel to it. Like I can't believe we are finally there!

[septembergirl]

So we went today and got rain gear I am hoping we won't need it

I am going after rain gear tomorrow. And flip flops. And sunglasses.

[Dsnygirl]

First of all, have a GREAT trip!!!

We had a 6am flight last time we went, and we were up at 3:30 to make it -- two young DD's to rouse and dress, etc.... and we found that the first day indeed was very tiring, although we didn't mind it at all. We made the rounds and saw everything we wanted to see - but by the time nightfall hit, we were done - we were all definitely ready for bed. My advice? Take it slow that first day, hit the most important things to you and be sure to hit your room early - you'll be glad you did!

[BritCody]

We burned out two years ago on the first day. I think it was the combination of the early flight and the 90 degree plus weather in July. So last on our first day we sort of took it easy, Downtown Disney a little swimming and a nice dinner and we were charged and ready to go the rest of the trip

[mermaidmarian]

First day can really wipe you out. Flying and all the attendant anxiety associated with it is probably what wreaks me most.

I have realized that my best first days are those when I set relatively low expectations. If I can get into my room and rest and refresh myself, I have been good to go later in the day and evening. However, there was one afternoon when we got in about 1:00 p.m., room was not yet ready so we headed to MK for the afternoon. I was like a zombie - we bailed after just an hour or so and I have always regretted wasting a days admission going through the gate that afternoon.

I think your best bet is to not have a major plan for that first day. Play that day based upon how you and the rest of your group feel.

[#1donaldfan]

We always drive to FL.....we save a lot on airfare.......DW idea.....anyway.....we normally check in at an offsite place the night before, eat at some nice place, then to bed rather early.... and the next AM, we check in and hit the parks "running"

[mudpuppysmom]

Our scenario depends on if DH goes with DS and I to begin the trip (sometimes he flies down for the weekend). IF DH goes with us the first day, the night before we get a hotel room by the airport so all we have to do is get up and catch the shuttle to the airport. If DH does not go with us that first day he takes DS and I to the airport on his way to work, which starts at 6 am, so we leave here around 4ish to get us to the airport and DH to work on time (yeah we wait around a lot for the flight, but oh well). Once we land, we grab the car and head for Walmart for supplies then to the hotel....it's usually around 11:30-noon when we hit the resort area (SOG is where we usually stay). Once we check in we drop the luggage and go to MGM b/c that is the park we do the least in and we can "get it knocked out" in about a half day. We can leave MGM around 8ish and go back to the hotel and bath DS then relax.....the next morning we don't plan anything early so IF we are not moving real fast we can go with the flow.

We used to be commandos, but we are starting to slow down a bit knowing that we will be back time and time again.

Take it easy, try not to stress and know that WDW will be there for a LONG time to come, so you can visit again!!

Have a wonderful time!

[mousetrapper]

There are so many factors that affect fatigue. We have always visited WDW during non-peak times, so we felt like we had to really jam-pack each day because the parks didn't stay open very late (except on the occasional EMH night).

This year we're going Thanksgiving week, and I'm hoping what we lose in terms of the crowds we gain in having more time to spend in the parks due to later closing times.

Since the parks will be open longer, I hope to build in a few rest times back at our resort, prior to ADRs for example or on a few mornings. We'll see how that works out!

We just got back from a whirlwind weekend in NYC and I was so exhausted when we returned that I started worrying about how tired I'd be in WDW! I am in pretty good shape but I was really wiped out.

One tip I have is to really make sure you're hydrated throughout your trip. I know that means taking more frequent restroom stops, but dehydration really makes you tired!

Have a magical time!

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

We suffer from the same thing. Usually because we get the 6 am flight out and don't sleep the night before. This time out we are leaving at the same time but have decide to take it easy the day before. Try to store up some of that energy so that we don't crash when we get there. Also, avoiding fried foods for a couple of days and eating lots of complex carbs and fruits/vegetables for energy. We'll see if it makes a difference this trip or not.

Have fun! We have just less than 67 hours.

[septembergirl]

Thanks for your input, everybody. We are going to try and get to bed early tonight ( no small feat for us but we got up pretty early today and have a lot to do!) and keep hydrated for sure. We have less than 24 hours until we are in the Magic Kingdom!!!