Naptime and Disney Transportation!

[pearland1]

To those of you with young children (mine will be ages 8 months and 2 1/2 years when we go).... can you tell me what your experience was like with naptimes?

I expect ours to take a late afternoon nap...and I know I will be going back and forth on Disney Transportation with them ....
Right now we are considering Port Orleans or All Star Music.

What were your honest experiences? Was it too hard or would you do it again?

 

[KimWDW]

Two words: stroller nap!

I had my son (who was 3 during our trip) take his afternoon nap in the stroller every day. It was wonderful! I'd push him around until he fell asleep then find a nice shady spot for him and DH and I could relax, people watch, or even take turns going on the bigger rides (Space Mt, ToT, etc).

There are some beautiful, quiet, shady spots in all the parks. I enjoyed the downtime myself!

 

[minniedisney1]

We go back to the room every day! For us it just makes sense. Not only does DS 3 need a nap, mom & dad also need the break. We get to the parks when they open, eat lunch around 12/1 then go back to the room about 2ish. Rest up go back out around 4:30. We always use Disney transportation & have never had a problem. A few times DS has fallen asleep in the stroller so we just let him sleep & found somewhere to sit & rest. I guess it is up to you, but for us going back to nap just seems to keep everyone on a even keel & keeps the dreaded tantrums away. Have a great trip!!!

 

[latexscooter]

can you tell me what your experience was like with naptimes?

...and I know I will be going back and forth on Disney Transportation with them ....
Right now we are considering Port Orleans or All Star Music.

What were your honest experiences? Was it too hard or would you do it again?

We took our daughter to Disney for the first time when she was 5 months old and have taken her every year since (she is now three) and we always, always, always take a break in the afternoon for a nap. We're regimented with her schedule and we don't let a vacation get in the way of that and it's always worked for us because she doesn't have to go back to her schedule once we get home.

We have stayed at POR and Pop with her and find catching a bus back to the resort (we usually head back 1:30-2:00 after lunch) very, very easy with not much of a wait and never more than a few people. We head back into the parks around dinner time and usually have the same experience since it seems like most everyone else is leaving after a commando-style day. I've found both of these resorts worked well for our family.

We also bring our own stroller that has a full sun-shade and reclines all the way back (we have a Peg Plikomatic) because nap or not, she still gets tired. This allows for her to take a cat nap or just unplug if she needs to.

 

[Minnie824]

We went last year w/our DDs ages 1.5 and 4 yrs old. They do not sleep in their stroller, so that was not an option to us. We went to the parks at opening, stayed for lunch then headed back. One day, took older DD swimming, but other than that, they both napped. We rested w/them as well. It really didn't take long for them to fall asleep, normally by 1pm. If they were not up by 3:30-4pm, I normally would wake them up to start getting ready to head out. The 4yo, hadn't napped in years, yet still napped here.

Our only issue was, the 1.5 yr old...after her nap, the last thing she wanted to do was sit in a stroller, then sit thru dinner. What helped was, we let her walk. From the time we left our room, until we got to wherever we were having dinner, she walked. That made sitting thru dinner much easier. We ended up cancelling a few sit down dinners as well. We had no transportation issues, getting back to the room. Still plenty of time to do/see everything. We were staying at BC, so for MK there was a bus ride all the time too.

 

[pearland1]

good to know! since you've stayed at both....you really have no preference of resort? (between port orleans riverside and pop music?)...

 

[snugglepeas]

are next trip will be are first with kids but when it was just DH and I we would go back and take a nap each day, as we usually are in bed by 9pm so 11pm is a late night for us. anyway I think the best option is port orleans it's only about a 10 min bus ride from everywere but AK, you might also think about staying at french quarter it's small (good for young kids) FQ is also the first stop gor port orleans which means you almost always get a seat, and it's also the first stop on th way back so if you have to stand it's only for a short time.

 

[js092097]

We plan on going back to the room so my 2.5 yr old can take a nap. The only problem I have is that I think he would really enjoy the MK parade at 3:00. This cuts into naptime and I don't think he will fall asleep in the stroller, too much going on. Any suggestions?

 

[latexscooter]

good to know! since you've stayed at both....you really have no preference of resort? (between port orleans riverside and pop music?)...

My preference was POR over Pop because I like the extra room, the busses seemed less crowded and the slower pace of the resort. The pools seemed a bit more manageable at the moderates as well. My daughter really prefers Pop because everything is so exaggerated and whimsical.

I think ultimately its a matter of personal choice. We'll stay anywhere on site without too much complaint.

 

[latexscooter]

We plan on going back to the room so my 2.5 yr old can take a nap. The only problem I have is that I think he would really enjoy the MK parade at 3:00. This cuts into naptime and I don't think he will fall asleep in the stroller, too much going on. Any suggestions?

I would say to make one day a sleep-in, relax around the resort kind of day. If possible do an earlier nap time. Then you'll be a bit fresher to hit the parks for the mid-afternoon parades. My daughter has never seen any of the WDW parades because of the nap/bed time issue. She'll do it for the first time when we go next year and she's 4.

 

[MulanFan]

We just got back from DL. DD was 2.5, but because of the activity in the park, was able to stay up to watch the parade. Afterwards she totally crashed as we were on our way out the park (we decided to sit down somewhere instead of going back to the hotel as originally planned). She ended up with a 2 hour nap (and this with a band playing in the plaza in front of the benches where we were sitting. But, we only had one full day at DL (we were there for a wedding) so i don't know how it would be after a few days of Disney.

 

[disneyxxpanda]

Two words: stroller nap!

I had my son (who was 3 during our trip) take his afternoon nap in the stroller every day. It was wonderful! I'd push him around until he fell asleep then find a nice shady spot for him and DH and I could relax, people watch, or even take turns going on the bigger rides (Space Mt, ToT, etc).

There are some beautiful, quiet, shady spots in all the parks. I enjoyed the downtime myself!

Oh yeah! My little brother was 2 when we first went and he fell asleep in the stroller!

Have fun! ​

 

[justwinnie]

Using Disney transport to get back to the resorts for nap time shouldn't be a problem at all. I've stayed at All Star Music 3 or 4 times and it was fine.

We're also fans of the stroller nap. I know we're very lucky with DD3 and her ability to nap outside of a bed/crib. Some kids just won't nap in a stroller. You know your child best.

I would often walk shady, quiet areas for a while to get her to nap. After she fell asleep, I'd head towards a gift shop for the air conditioning.

During our last trip, we went with my cousins who had a DD that would only nap in a bed. We went back to the resort (Saratoga Springs) a few days for nap time. DD had such a tough time falling asleep. It was much easier to get her to nap in the stroller than in the bed.

I'm not sure what we'll be doing for our upcoming September trip. Her napping patterns have changed so much. We do have a pretty easy schedule planned, with a day of rest between park days.

 

[SpectroMouse]

I too have been trying to figure out the nap situation and the best way to handle it, my son currently takes a morning and an afternoon nap......I think we can cut out the morning nap, or let it be a stroller nap if need be, but that means he will need a good long nap in the afternoon.....so, I am coming to terms with the fact that he will not see an afternoon parade on this trip

 

[Ariel8676]

I have been taking my girls since my 1st was a few months old(she is now almost 5)..we always get up and go early eat lunch and head back to nap or just relax after lunch. We have never had any problems doing this at all. We haven't stayed at POP(we did stay in ASMu), but we have stayed in POR and POFQ and i love that FQ was smaller and easier to get around. The PO resorts share a bus and FQ gets it first....Good luck you will have a great time!

 

[disneyfreak74]

We went when DD was 6 months, 18 months, and again at a little over 2. All three times we brought EXTRA blankets and did stroller naps and any Disney transportation naps!!!! We used her naps to do the BIG rides that she could not do!!!

 

[kstinw19]

Here is my problem...I plan on taking the kids back to the room mid-afternoon for naps but I KNOW that they will all fall asleep on the Disney buses (if we are sitting down) and when we get back to the hotel they will be wide awake

So what should i do? Just ride the bus back to the parks? What do you think? Maybe ride the monorail around the property for an hour?

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Here is my problem...I plan on taking the kids back to the room mid-afternoon for naps but I KNOW that they will all fall asleep on the Disney buses (if we are sitting down) and when we get back to the hotel they will be wide awake

So what should i do? Just ride the bus back to the parks? What do you think? Maybe ride the monorail around the property for an hour?

I have had the same problem, although not at Disney (we're taking DS7 and DD4 for their first trip to WDW this fall). Even now sometimes that they're a bit older they'll want to sleep on the way home from a big day, and I just know that means their bedtime will be far later than DH and I want!

I've found that keeping them talking about what they've done that day is the best way to keep them from falling asleep - and this has worked for 1.5 hour trips home from the shore. Discuss where you'll be heading later, what restaurant you're going for dinner, anything to keep them talking. Even chatting with others going back on the resort bus with you. As for your smallest, I never had a problem carrying mine in asleep when they were that little, so I'm not much help to you there (I could even take DD out of the car transfer to her stroller, shop, and put her back in the car without her waking!)

Good luck!

 

[kstinw19]

Those are some great ideas, small world, I will have to try it. My dd loves to talk about anything so i am sure I can get her talking.

Thanks!

 

[fan_of_small_world]

I thought of one other trick I've used...lollipops! You can find sugar-free ones to avoid the sugar rush, they don't take up much space, don't melt, last just long enough but not too long, and I've yet to meet a kid who fell asleep while having one LOL!