Day-case tonsillectomy is becoming more common, but patient satisfaction varies. Before beginning day-case tonsillectomies, we evaluated patients' wishes as to optimal discharge timing. We conducted a prospective study of all 294 patients undergoing elective tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy at a tertiary care clinic for 1 year. At discharge, patients received a questionnaire on their preferred length of stay. Of the 236 (80.3%) patients returning the questionnaire, 94 (39.8%) preferred discharge on the 1st, 141 (59.7%) on the 2nd postoperative day or later, and only one patient (0.4%) would have wished day-case tonsillectomy. Patients with postoperative fever, older patients and those discharged on the 2nd postoperative day or later were more likely to prefer a longer postoperative stay. Patients rejected the idea of day-case tonsillectomy after in-patient operation. Day-case tonsillectomies should be begun only after careful preparation of the staff, in children, and preferably in a day-surgery unit.