Afternoon break or power through and leave early evening?

[princesslover]

I am going with my two daughters who are 10 and 13. We are staying at the WL, so just a quick boat ride to MK and back.

On our MK days (we have 3) I would like to plan some down time to enjoy the pool and resort. For the other parks, we will likely stay all day, because of the evening entertainment. (ROL at AK, Fantasmic at DHS, illuminations at Epcot) but not sure yet.

My question on MK days is how best to get the breaks in when we have dinner ADRs. On one day, we have a 6:15 HDDMR show. On another we have a 6:30 BOG. On the third day, we don't have dinner reservations, but have the wishes dessert party so that one is easier to figure out. On the other two, should we power through those days and just head back to the resort after the ADR? Or, should we head back after our fastpass at 2:30, take a two hour break and stay through the evening? If it matters, we will be there in April during Easter week. I don't know if we should miss afternoon time or evening time to get our breaks in.

Another variable is that I hope to do RD each day, so getting the girls to bed at a reasonable time may be important. Oh, and I am solo parenting.

If you have stayed close to MK, and you have older children, do you take afternoon breaks or power through and leave early?

 

[Trap]

i would take afternoon breaks i think it makes you less worn out at the end of the day

 

[Serenebean]

Since you are there during Easter week, I'd probably take the break since you are close enough. Normally we just stay the whole day, but it is tiring and we haven't gone during a high crowd time. I think you'd get more enjoyment by heading back to the resort for a little bit.

 

[starjazz]

I think it all depends on how late the parks are open, and whether you have full break days in your plan. We usually do have full day breaks when we're doing 4+ park days, so we'll often power through leading up to a break day.

 

[piccolopat]

I would go the whole day and leave after the ADRs. We never took a midday break, even when DD was young, just because we didn't like the disruption that leaving the park and coming back later meant for our family. When we got tired, we would stop for ice cream, pull up a rocking chair back by Country Bears or see a show like Hall of Presidents or Philharmagic. Now a lot will depend on how bad the crowds will be during your Easter week visit. We always go off peak times but seeing some of the crowd pictures the last few years it was clear to see how challenging that time is. You might try to move your FP+ before lunch and leave the park for more of the most crowded afternoon hours. You might not know which approach is best until you are there, so try to remain flexible.

 

[riddlemethis]

I would do the afternoon break routine. If you're rope dropping and want to enjoy the park AND hotel, why not go back to the hotel and enjoy the pool in the afternoon when the park is busiest and it is the hottest part of the day? With 3 MK days, I would bet that you can do just about everything you want to- even with ADRs and breaks.

 

[buzznina]

Sorry, we are the opposite We rather close the parks then open them, so rarely do RD. And the last time we took a break in the middle of the day was forever ago. With children that age, I would play it by ear.

 

[princesslover]

I think it all depends on how late the parks are open, and whether you have full break days in your plan. We usually do have full day breaks when we're doing 4+ park days, so we'll often power through leading up to a break day.

No full day breaks, we have park passes for 7 days.

 

[tlmadden73]

My opinion is take a break .. but in the parks. The afternoons can be a time filled with grumpy people of all ages after a long morning of walking and as the heat of the day wears you down.

So .. I always prefer to take a long TS lunch, hit a few shows where you are sitting down for 30 minutes or more, or simply go shopping in the air conditioned comfort (though that involves being on your feet more).

I just feel that you play a lot of money to be in the parks and there is a lot to see and do in them (and not "just" rides) that you can have a relaxing afternoon and recharge without "wasting" time going back to a hotel and back. ("Wasting" being relative)

But I've never had a long 7-day trip where I could easily get in most everything even with afternoon breaks and I've never been on a trip where my hotel is fairly short ride away. I think my tune will change once my kids get to the age where I am going to the parks for more than 2-3 days.

 

[drinkme]

We are going Easter week too. Right now the hours look like regular hours but many people are predicting the MK hours will change to like midnight or 1am. If that happens we are going to sleep late on MK days & probably hang out at the pool & get to MK much later. Like 3pm.

Maybe just make one of your MK days a half day & book all your FP for late. Then hang out at pool in the morning.

 

[princesslover]

Sorry, we are the opposite We rather close the parks then open them, so rarely do RD. And the last time we took a break in the middle of the day was forever ago. With children that age, I would play it by ear.

RD is our best bet to get the most in durung a busy time, although I would prefer your method.

 

[Accident]

I have this crazy idea, why don't you just decide while on vacation? you'll know if you need or want a break and take it if you need it... every second of the day doesn't need to be preplanned

 

[starjazz]

No full day breaks, we have park passes for 7 days.

Given that, I'd take some breaks for sure or you'll get exhausted. Easy from MK. Other parks a bit more time. From my investigations on the subject, sounds like 3-4 hours from leaving the parks until you walk back in is what you should figure.

 

[Hopefully]

Yes you are paying a lot for Park Tickets. But you are also paying a lot to stay at the WL. I would go early prior to the crowds and heat building. We usually leave after an early lunch, so my FP+ would be earlier than 2:30. We rest, swim, enjoy the resort and rejuvenate and head back to the parks for dinner and the evening entertainment.
On your HDDR day, I would leave MK by around 2 and just rest at WL prior to the show. I would take the boat to FW and walk to Pioneer Hall from the boat dock, it is very close. But I would leave WL no later than 5:00
Have a Great Trip

 

[buzznina]

RD is our best bet to get the most in durung a busy time, although I would prefer your method.

We find that we get a lot done the last couple of hours, because most of the RD people are gone

 

[Somnia]

It really depends on when the parks close, etc. what kind of events you want to go to and so on. We usually always take an afternoon break and have dinner around 5-5:30. So we typically hit RD, take a break between 12-1:30 and then head back for dinner and then spend the evening in the park.

 

[disneydeegs]

For me, afternoon breaks and powering through really depend on how everyone in the group is feeling. We usually have a "go back to rest" plan and a "stay all day" plan and decide midday which one we will do. We don't really rope drop, but tend to arrive in the first hour of the parks being open and we always stay until park closing. There are options for relaxing at the park too, when I get worn out I like to head to a show or a ride that you can sit on for a decent amount of time. I've definitely taken a nap on Ellen's Energy Adventure, haha

On your Hoop De Doo evening I'd just power through the day, go back to the room to freshen up/change, go to the show, and then spend the evening either exploring around Fort Wilderness or head back to WL to relax/explore.

 

[thelittlemermaid2]

I agree that it depends on park closing time, as well as the Wishes schedule. I personally would much rather take a break in the afternoon when it is hottest and crowds are biggest, and then stay in the park during the evening (nighttime is my favorite time in MK). Then again you do have 3 days, you can take 2 afternoon breaks and leave early 1 night or vice versa!

 

[TJA]

As a general rule, we like to get to the parks in the morning, eat lunch, and then head back to our resort for a few hours. So that's what I would plan on your MK days. Our family doesn't necesarily "need" the afternoon rest, but we enjoy resort and pool time and also like to leave MK during the peak afternoon hours when it's busiest.

 

[Jules76126]

This is really personal preference. As you can see, you get everything from definitely take a break to take a break in the park, to power through and see how you feel. My family has always been in the take a break in the afternoon camp. BUT we normally stay at BCV and really enjoy SAB. We always RD the parks and head out no later than 1:00pm. We then spend the afternoon at the pool and head back to the parks for dinner and nighttime entertainment. This keeps everyone happy. We could never stay in the parks all day without someone getting grumpy – especially with the Florida heat and humidity. But do what works best for your family and be flexible. That is what vacation is all about.