A few tips and some lessons learned...

[ArwenMarie]

I second this we never take breaks, wastes time, and it just seems pointless to me. We tried it once. Said we were going to take a swim break. Left MK at 12:00, it took almost an hour to get from the exit to our room. Then we changed and went to food court to eat (another hour) went swimming for 2 hours, everyone back to he room to shower (5 of us so another hour and a half). It's now time for dinner, over an hour later it's almost 7:30, everyone votes it's not worth going back to MK for 2 hours, so we stay at the resort. Never again....I have no idea how people pull off the swim break.

We have had the same experience. We do either rope drop until we are tired or if we are going to stay late, we chill in the morning and go to the parks later.

 

[isaboo]

Reading this thread has inspired me to search for better shoes for my night time's at the parks! I always do sneakers in the morning.. But it's august and hate when it downpours soaking my sneaks. No biggie. But I always wear flip flops at night and wonder why my feet hurt so much lol on the search for water resistant sandals / flip flop with more support than my $2 old navy ones

I have a pair of Keen Venice H2 sandals that I have worn to Disney for the past two years. I have terrible feet but I can walk all over Disney in those sandals for five days and my feet don't hurt! The rest of my family wears either Keens or Tevas. They dry super quick after a downpour too!

 

[SillySallySews]

Agree with all of this except the flip flops. I have worn cute, inexpensive, Yellow Box flip flops/sandals on every Disney trip we've taken. We do RD and take afternoon breaks, but on several days we've been in the parks for 12+ hours and you will not ever hear me complain. But then again, I wear flip flops every day there is not snow or ice on the ground, so perhaps my poor feet are just used to it.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

I can do my Teva Olawahus for short periods in the park, but I swear by my Keen Whisper sandals. Less clunky than the Venice or Newport styles, and with better color choices.

We're going to try the midday breaks for the first time this year. The kids are older, but so are we, and we think our older bodies will enjoy getting out of the parks for a little while. If it doesn't work for us, we'll go back to doing it the all day way. The problem is, dh always gives out just after dinner, so we never get to see the fireworks...

 

[williamscm3]

If staying all day works for you then that's great! I wish we could last all day like that but with our 5 year old we RD and absolutely need a break by 2. I just find cooling off mid day when the parks are at their hottest and busiest work best for us. Then we head out and stay later. We don't do strollers either so his little legs need a break. Not everyone is going to be the same and that's cool

 

[wdwlver]

A lot depends on where you stay and what your evening plans are for mid day breaks. It works perfectly for us because we RD MK for example, head back to hotel by noon-1pm spend all day in pool then walk into Epcot for the evening and have dinner there. Not sure how much I'd enjoy it if I had to take buses or other transport to get to second park.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I always wear flip flops, I walk in them ALL DAY, and I never have issues. For me, theyre more comfy than sneakers. My feet get way too hot in sneakers anyway.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I second this we never take breaks, wastes time, and it just seems pointless to me. We tried it once. Said we were going to take a swim break. Left MK at 12:00, it took almost an hour to get from the exit to our room. Then we changed and went to food court to eat (another hour) went swimming for 2 hours, everyone back to he room to shower (5 of us so another hour and a half). It's now time for dinner, over an hour later it's almost 7:30, everyone votes it's not worth going back to MK for 2 hours, so we stay at the resort. Never again....I have no idea how people pull off the swim break.

Wow, 12 to 730pm??? Thats a long break!!! We take breaks, we're at the resort around 1pm and dont go back until 4 or 5pm. Not sure why it took you 7+ hours.

 

[Parker Clan]

I have a pair of Keen Venice H2 sandals that I have worn to Disney for the past two years. I have terrible feet but I can walk all over Disney in those sandals for five days and my feet don't hurt! The rest of my family wears either Keens or Tevas. They dry super quick after a downpour too!

Great! I will definitely look for those, would be perfect for August. Thanks!

 

[BradyBrenMom]

It's a good thing we don't all have the same park strategies or the crowds would be unbearable!! We are definitely in the mid-day break camp, so we can avoid both heat and crowds. We are there for rope drop, head back to the resort to enjoy the pool in the early afternoon and then feel refreshed when we're back in the parks from dinner through the park closing. When we did this last time, we scheduled most of our ADRs for lunch time rather than dinner because then we were tied to a specific time to return to the parks. It also gave us a mini-break from the heat so we were able to go a little longer into the afternoon before retreating to the pool. To be fair, that trip was in the middle of July, and I do think the time of year makes a difference. I'm impressed with those of you who can make it for the entire day without a break at any time of the year--I would get way too cranky and overwhelmed!

 

[Josh Hendy]

3. Mid day breaks are a must for every age! If you are staying close you really must do this. It doesn't matter how your feeling at the moment you decide to change the game plan and stay all day...it is NEVER worth it when it's this hot and busy. Your children and your feet will thank you and you will be able to retain your sanity.

Depending your family's age and energy level, it may be good enough to take a mid-day break in a dark, air-conditioned restaurant instead of actually leaving the park and coming back. If you have young kids in strollers it may be possible to get them to nap while you're resting. Counter service restaurants are better because nobody is trying to move you out to turn over the table.

Our favorite hang-outs to do this are: Columbia Harbor House (upstairs) at MK, Sunshine Seasons at Epcot, Pizzafari at AK and Backlot Express at DHS. They may not be the best food options, but they're all fairly roomy and relatively uncrowded and therefore relaxing. And the food is at least "ok", mostly harmless!

 

[Tomh]

We tend to arrive at the park prior to rope drop, and stay until closing. Mid day breaks are unusual for us, though they do happen occasionally. Mid day, we usually do a nice long sit down meal (like Columbia Harbor House, Pizza Planet, etc) followed by long rides / shows / shops to give us cool rest time. Rarely do we endeavor to return to our resort mid day.

For foot wear, I am either in my Nike sneakers, or my sandals with socks (wife LOVES that look lol). Depends on my mood, how long a day we have planned, and how my feet feel in the morning. I love the cool air on my feet that the sandals provide, but I'm not always up for a full day of walking in them.

 

[sharona]

Mid day break for sure if we're at MK since the hours there are usually nice and long. RD to 1 pm, swim/nap/shower (whatever we're in the mood for) and back to the park by 6. If the park is open really late we may take a longer break. I think it's so much easier to break when you have your own transportation but I know some people think the opposite. Having done both, I like to be in control of our schedule so we rent a car.

I think the trick with the feet is to alternate your shoes. I wear my Keens in the morning then switch over to my Reef flip flops or classic ugly Crocs for the night depending on weather. I like the Crocs if it's rainy. The other thing I avoid is getting a pedicure right before the trip. I just get my toes painted instead. I've found that all the walking right after a pedicure is a recipe for blisters.

The other parks I think you can sometimes skip the break and stay a bit later and just make sure your afternoon plans are mostly indoors with ac then take your time with a relaxing dinner and swimming afterwards.

A new scenario with FP+ in the mix is to sleep in and use FP+ then stay late after crowds start to thin.

 

[Jennasis]

I ALWAYS wear my crocs (Athens flip-flops, or my Croc sandals) when we tour the parks. We average 12 miles a day and I would DIE in sneakers. Especially if it rains. Wet shoes/socks mean miserable feet.

 

[Cloudless Nights]

I must disagree with you kindly on some points for our family. DSis and I ALWAYS wear Old Navy flip flops with no issues because we wear them every day in the summer and are so used to them. Blister block is your friend.

And we always stay from open to close in the summer (and our trips are usually 8-10 days)--the difference being, we usually take long lunches and take in the air-conditioned attractions where we can sit in the hottest part of the day (i.e. CBJ, COP, HOP, American Adventure, etc.). Or we'll sit inside the American Adventure in Epcot for a few hours and listen to multiple shows of Voices of Liberty.

 

[williamscm3]

So the real lesson here for anyone visiting the parks over the summer is this...what works for some, does not work for all. You may be able to wear whatever shoes you want, and you may not. You may be able to stay from rope drop to midnight with no break, and you may not. Just plan accordingly! I did not...I only brought flip flops. For me...that was a huge mistake. I did not plan for a mid day break one MK day and that turned out to be a huge mistake. Just make sure you bring extra shoes, and understand that your family may not last all day and may need a break.

 

[Mrs. Max Goof]

It's so interesting to hear how each family has their own method of touring that works for them! We also do not take mid-day breaks, but we are two adults with no children. Typically, we arrive at the parks an hour before rope drop. Once the heat is unbearable, we experience theater attractions that allow us to relax in the AC. Then we continue to tour until an hour past the park's closing!

 

[AndiSlamberg]

Love hearing everyone's different touring styles!

 

[isabellea]

I've always worn either my Columbia or Clark flip flop at WDW and never had issues. Even in the summer from rope-drop to fireworks with no break. I think it depends on your feet and quality of the flip flops!

 

[MataHari22]

Flip flops are not my friend, either. I wear them all the time at home, but the two times I wore them to the parks, my feet swelled up. Not doing that again. You'd think I'd've learned after the first time, Wearing my white Keds and my black/hot pink/purple Rocket Dogs, my feet were much better. I just bought a pair of grey Skechers and was thinking of starting to break them in now and wearing them, instead of the Rocket Dogs.