afternoon break without leaving parks?

[xyymom]

Has anyone been able to have a successful break for a few hours without leaving the park or do you think you really need to leave to rest?

I'm wondering if it's worth it to drive back to the hotel, eat, rest and drive back in a 3 hour time span?

Do you think riding the MK train, catching a sit down show and eating a sit down meal would allow for the same amount of rest time? Or is it more a complete break from the park rather than the rest from walking that people find they need?

I've never been to WDW with the kids, but we did go to an Amusement park a couple of years ago with our kids and they lasted from 10am to 10pm without complaint from all the walking, but I made sure to break the day up with sit down shows & meals throughout so we never did a long stretch of walking.

Just curious to hear if anyone was able to do this kind of rest successfully or whether it's better to physically leave the park to rest....

Thanks!

 

[chyam]

First off what are your childrens ages and when exactly are you going, from what I see on your counter it looks like it maybe in Sept. If that is the case, park hours are usually shorter, and the later in the month you go the better the weather gets, although it is still pretty hot and humid. Also the crowds are lower in Sept. which makes touring the parks a lot easier. If the trip is not in Sept. then my advice is to take an afternoon break, possibly make a PS for a character dinner at the Contempory or the GF. arrive a little early and just relax in the lobby and look around. You won't be able to use their amenities but you could have a drink and relax before your ps time.

 

[bartleby1]

We don't do afternoon breaks because I find it to be such a hassle to leave the parks, rest, then return. The last trip we took was in July with a 3 year old and 1 year old. They did fine, but they didn't have to do much walking since they are still stroller age. It was HOT, so we "rested" in air conditioned shows, an indoor restaurant for lunch, and other indoor attractions. My kids did fine and we were in the parks from open to close. Actually, my 13 month old did so little walking in the parks (it was too crowded for me to let him walk) and napped so well in his stroller that when we got back to the hotel at the end of the day, he was FULL of energy! DH and I would be exhausted from all the walking and our little guy was all wound up, lol! All he wanted to do was run!

However, I only scheduled parks for two days in a row. Then we had a "down" day of pool, rest, shopping, etc. I also scheduled it as an early park like animal kingdom on the first day, followed by a late night on the second day, like magic kingdom. Then we had a day of rest and they didn't have to get up early. I feel we get the most for our money this way, rather than wasting part of each day with an afternoon break.

I do think it is harder when you have kids that are at an age where they don't do strollers anymore but aren't yet old enough to handle all of the walking. When my kids hit that age we may have to consider afternoon breaks also.

 

[WillAndFinn'sMom]

In MK you can:


Head to Tomorrowland and ride the TTA over and over. I've heard others say their kids nap on this.

Go to Tom Sawyer's Island and sit on the riverbank in the rocking chairs. There's shade and you can even play checkers.

Shoot, I thought I'd be able to think of more, but that's all I've got off the top of my head.

In AK, parents can rest while kids play in the sand in the dinosaur dig.

 

[xyymom]

chyam ~ My kids will be 8,6 &4 at the time of the trip. 4yo will likely spend most of the time in the stroller. We're going Oct.2-9

 

[gallaj0]

We almost always rent a car, anad sometimes take a rest there, in the parking lot. We like to pack a cooler with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks, and leave it in the car when we get to the parks.
You can leave the park, start the AC, tuck the kids into their car seats or boosters, eat and take a rest. The kids can take a short nap if they want, and you can take a break from the park without getting that far away from it.

When your ready to go back in, you're only 5 minutes away.

 

[BCKatie02]

Personally. lat time we were there I was able to catch a nice nap in the Country Bear Jamboree...

 

[chyam]

xyymom
Thanks for the info, Oct. hours will be shortened since it is usually a slower time of the year. The only park that does not change hours is EPCOT. Oct. is usually a very beautiful month here in FL and hopefully by that time the humidity will have died down. I don't think you will have to worry about breaks to much at that time, since the crowds will not be enormous! You will have a great time, and there are some attractions that are very cool and comfortable. Given your childrens ages I think you will do just fine with short breaks and won't have to leave. That rule is usually for the very hot and humid months of summer here and also when the parks are open late. You will have a great time and make sure to take in the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT!

keiki,binky&mouse my 3 beautiful white kitties!

 

[Missy1961]

FYI, Tom Sawyer Island is closed right now.

 

[chyam]

BCKatie02
You took a nap in the country bear jamobree? my personal favorite for a nap is The Hall of Presidents at MK and the movie in France

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

If you're kids have demonstrated the ability to spend a day on their feet, or in a stroller, at an amusement park, then I think that you're plan is perfect.

In our two most recent trips to WDW the only advice we've received on the DIS that didn't work well for us was taking an afternoon break back at the room.

We tried it our first two days in the parks and the kids didn't rest rest either day and we spent over two hours both days on transportation from the park to the resort and back and trying to get the kids to keep their eyes closed for a half hour or so in the room.

I'm sure going to the room is great for some families, but a plan similar to yours has worked very well for our family!

A couple other suggestions; riding the monorail and visiting Ice Station Cool in Epcot.

 

[xyymom]

We tried it our first two days in the parks and the kids didn't rest rest either day

manchurianbrownbear ~ I can totally see myself and my dh trying to rest/sleep and the kids jumping from bed to bed. They just aren't mid day resters, especially when they are excited.

I love your picture with Pooh & the gang. What a great spot for a photo

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[elgerber]

Originally posted by manchurianbrownbear


A couple other suggestions; riding the monorail and visiting Ice Station Cool in Epcot.

I was going to suggest the Monorail as well, if you don't want to go back to the hotel. You can make the round trip, it should give you a good rest, and a nice dose of AC. This would work at MK and Epcot. If you are at MGM, you could take the boat over to Epcot and back (and just stay on the whole time), that would give you probably a good hour rest and some very pleasant scenery.

Erika

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

xyymom,

Thanks for the kind words! If I were a little more technically savvy, my picture would be much clearer. You'd notice that DS13 wasn't real excited about posing with Winnie the Pooh !

 

[mobes_jk]

We got back from WDW a little over a week ago. I had the same concern as you, and we did try to do the breaks a few times during our 8 days in the parks. Even though it was very hot and crowded during that time, our kids (6, 3, 1) were not able to really take naps once we got back to the hotel. We did make sure they slept a few hours, though, when we did e-night because they were going to stay up so late. That actually worked out pretty well, considering we didn't have to get up early the next day. Anyway, on the days that we didn't take a break at the hotel, we didn't stay too late at the parks. This worked out better than I had imagined. (If there weren't so many storms while we were there, we may have been able to go back to some of the night shows, too.) Leaving early also meant that they could still swim after a day in the parks. Of course, we did run into a lot of problems with pool closings due to the weather. I guess my main point is that I think leaving to take breaks are not a complete necessity, as long as you plan on not letting your kids overdo it. As we experienced during our trip, a child's mood can also give you an indication about whether you've stayed too long! WDW may be wonderful, but there is just SO much to do that any child will get tired out. You just need to pay attention to how well they are handling it!

 

[The Sweetness]

Never made sense to me. DD as a shorty would nap in her stroller while DH and I had a snack.

Also riding the monorail could be a cool rest for as long as you want, and maybe a nice leisurely lunch at the Pollynesian, Grand Floridian, or Contemporary (right on the monorail line, and gorgeous resorts)

 

[Barbmouse63]

At Magic Kingdom we head to Hall of Presidents when we get hot and tired! Don't get me wrong I love the HOP but its very cool and comfortable. The pace is much slower and little ones are likely to fall asleep.

 

[Daryl]

If your focus is the MK and you can swing it, nothing beats staying at a monorail resort. Getting back to the hotel for a break is easy as pie. walking back to the park from the Contemporary or taking the Monorail from the poly and Grand Floridian is also quick and gives parents and kids a great chance for an afternoon pool break or nap. The same can be said of any of the 5 epcot area resorts with regard to thier proximity to EPCOT and MGM. Have Fun, I know your trip will be great whatever you choose

 

[snowflake82]

I agree with other posters who say don't leave the parks. We always found that, with travel time, unwinding, and getting geared up to go again, it just took too much time out of the day.

Lucky for us, DS was always a great "stroller sleeper". One thing that worked well was to take a longish lunch break at a counter-service place with an air-conditioned seating area. While he slept for a little while, we could plan our afternoon and evening. Sometimes, the adults took turns watching him while the rest of the group visited the nearby attractions.

 

[mmorizio]

If you really don't want to leave the parks, and we're not talking about getting something to eat, try:

MK: The Main Street Exposition Center

Epcot: The Land, Mexico, The exhibits in China and Japan (come to think of it, most of Epcot)

Studios: One Man's Dream

AK: This is a little tougher. Conservation Station?