is it too time consuming to go back for naps?

[summermac]

On our first trip, my daughter was only 2. Yes it was inconvenient to go back for naps especially for the adult who got stuck in the room while she slept & the rest swam (we had 6 adults and took turns) but not nearly as inconvenient as dealing with a tired, cranky 2 year old!

On our 2nd trip, we actually didn't go back for breaks (kids were 8 & 5) but instead had a hotel morning/afternoon and one early night in for swimming, etc.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Our first couple of trips with our kids, we were super commando and in the park from open till close (with very small kids) but found ourselves (DH and I) to be exhausted by the end of the trip and needing a vacation from our vacation.

The last couple of family trips, we have made time for naps/swimming in the middle of the day, which has made for a much more relaxing pace and we actually feel somewhat rested after vacation.

We typically arrive at a park around 10-10:30 (late, I know) and stay until about 1 or 2 (with a lunch snuck in there) and then head back to the resort until about 6, at which point we will head out to whatever park is open the latest that night.

We don't find it time consuming at all and in fact, it's wonderful that we are able to head to the parks at night recharged and energized!

 

[Micca]

Naps sound like a good idea: You take a 2 hour break and you're back at it. The thing is, it's more like a 4+ hour break by the time you get to the resort, have some down time and return to a park. At Disney, time is money. If you
can "afford" the breaks, by all means do it.

With respect to the elderly (that means me!) once I'm in the room I'm out for the night. Better for me to keep going, my batteries don't re-charge

 

[mommytocalliesue]

We napped every, single day on our last trip...and will again this trip. Then we can stay out later at night...especially the nights EMH! My kids would never sleep in the stroller...so going back was a must. But even DH and I enjoy laying down for a break!

 

[xie]

We didn't take ours to WDW until he was 3. At ages 3 through 5, we followed "his schedule". Which is to say, we absolutely honored the normal afternoon nap that he took every day back home. So we would go to the parks at rope drop and stay the whole morning. Eat a nice table lunch somewhere, do a few more things, then leave the park at 2 for the quiet of our hotel room or DVC unit (we always drive, so we could get back quickly). Nap for a couple hours, then go back out for 5-6 hours in the evening, and have him back in bed by 10, which was 2 hours later than his normal time, but got him to the evening "hurraydes" as he called them. Most importantly, he was happy and rested for both halves of our park days.

Honestly that 2 hour afternoon nap helped us parents too - getting out of the heat, noise and crowds for a little while kind of refreshed us to dive back in for a second round of the day, which was often in a different park than the first half. If I didn't sleep I read a book.

Vacations with exhausted, whiny, screaming, crying kids (and usually that means the parents are screaming back at them) are not really vacations, they're endurance tests. Both for the kids and those around them. One of the few sad parts of being at Disney for me is that invarably we'll run across those families in the middle of giant meltdowns, often because people are overtired and overstimulated.

That said, it really depends on your kids, and only you know how far they can go. Do they nap now? If they don't nap now, maybe consider taking a blanket with you and just having some "quiet time" in the park midafternoon. We still do this even though we have no little kids anymore! Find a quiet patch of grass and rest. I took a nap in Epcot last New Years... lol.

If they do regular naps now, and you let them skip it, how are they the rest of the day? Are they functional or so overtired they won't behave? Would it be okay for you to manage them while they are overtired, or would it stress you out? What time do they go to bed in the evening? Would an afternoon nap help them stay awake and happy until 10 or so, so you can see the midevening parades and fireworks? All stuff to think about.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We started ski g WDW in 1977, took breaks back then with our children and now, after 50 trips....still take afternoon breaks. Be it to nap, swim, drink or shop, we like getting away from the hordes and heat.

We're on property long enough ( 7-9 nights) to see most and feel relaxed....We're not the live and die in the park people or just use the resort to shower and sleep type...it's a vacation, we relax, stroll, amble along...

 

[lisalis]

Like PP suggested, I would try the nap to see how it works. Many kids do not nap well when away from home. They don't want to miss anything.

When we first took our children 5 years ago, our youngest was 2 1/2 years old. We went back to the room for rest time, where everyone rested except him! The next day we stayed longer to tire him out more before taking him back for a rest time, when he fell asleep in the middle of the parade at MK. He slept for an hour and a half while we walked around and let our other kids go on attractions and sat and had snacks. After that, we just let him nap in the stroller the rest of the trip.

 

[dizzy about daisy]

we have 2 boys ages 3 and 5. when we went last year we would do a couple of early nights like after AK closes and would take breaks on the days we wanted to do mornings and evenings. We also do rope drop every morning so if it was a day that we wanted to take naps then we would usually do an evening out late the night before and rope drop that morning than schedule an 11:30 ADR by the time they are done they are full and tired so going for a nap was no prooblem for them, neither of my kids are nappers. The other times we went back to the resorts were on days that we were at the park that was closest to our hotel, less travel time and more worth the break.

 

[GillianP1301]

It's hard to answer if naps are worth it or not, because it very much depends on the child, there is no right answer.

For us, with our DS5, what works best for us is to stick to the schedule we have at home as closely as possible, both for meals and sleep. He hasn't napped since he was 2, so we didn't schedule a nap while we were there. We would wake up at his usual time (7 - 8ish) and tour a park until he'd had enough. Some days that was at lunch, other days he'd go through until supper time. The days we left the parks earlier in the afternoon would turn into a pool/resort afternoon. We also always try to maintain his regular bed time of 8pm. Each trip we've done with him, I plan for one later night to take in a nighttime show. This approach works well for us, he rarely gets cranky and stays well rested for the duration of the vacation.

I think once he is a little bit older and better able to handle a later night, we may go with a mid afternoon break at the pool or in the room so that we can enjoy more of the night time attractions.

 

[gorkt]

I think it depends on how far you are from the parks. On our recent trip, we were at AoA which doesn't have any additional stops so leaving the parks and getting back to the room took only 15-20 minutes most of the time. We ended up taking breaks most days between 2-5pm and it made the vacation so much more restful.

 

[Mrsjvb]

We are going to wdw the week of thanksgiving with an almost 4 and 6yr old. We are staying at CSR. We are taking a stroller but I'm hoping they will nap in the stroller and not need to go all the way bk to the room! Opinions??

I am of the opinion that it is better to find someplace quiet and restful inside the park. by the time I leave, get back to the resort and nap/shower/whatever, I am in no mood to put my shoes back on and traipse back out.

we tend to do TS meals for lunch and dinner for this reason. built in down time. or we hit a sedate ride like Carousel of Progress( DH takes many a nap there) A fav spot in AK is Rafiki's planet watch.

 

[katt789]

I personally don't like going back for breaks/naps, but I usually travel without kids Some of the kids I see in the parks, definitely need naps...and the parents...lol.

I would say every park but MK has more than enough time to head back midday for a break, get out of the sun, swim a bit, even if there is no nap involved, it's still nice to do!

 

[CarpeDisney]

As many people have posted, it is all in how you define your WDW "vacation". If you feel the need to stay at the parks as long as possible to try to experience as much as possible everyday, naps wouldn't be for you. If you're idea of a WDW vacation is to have time to relax and get away from the overstimulation of the crowds, then definitely nap.

We have two children, ages 7 and 4. We are a "rope drop" family, and like to be at the parks early in order to do the things we want to before the crowds build. We go back to the hotel every day just before or after lunch. We swim for a bit, and then let the kids (and usually my wife, too) nap for about 1-2 hours. Then, we head back out for dinner, and a few more hours at the parks.

We would much rather take these small breaks every day (to let the kids rest), than to have them burn out by the third or fourth day. We think, in the long run, it makes the vacation much more enjoyable for us.

 

[xie]

I personally don't like going back for breaks/naps, but I usually travel without kids Some of the kids I see in the parks, definitely need naps...and the parents...lol.

I would say every park but MK has more than enough time to head back midday for a break, get out of the sun, swim a bit, even if there is no nap involved, it's still nice to do!

Yes to both! So many people push their young kids too far at Disney, it's sad to see. We call them "Griswolds" - as in "we're here da**it and we're going to have FUN!" no matter how tired everyone is and how many children are in complete meltdown.

Now that ours are older, we still leave the park midaftenoon quite often, if the weather is hot. We swim and relax, then go back out around 5, have a nice table dinner, and stay out til they shut things down and kick us out.