Afternoon Break

[Steph5324]

For those of you who have taken afternoon breaks from the park, how long is reasonable to make it a true "break", factoring in transportation? Maybe three hours? One hour for transportation from the park to your room and back, two hours resting?

I'd like to take a break each day with my four year old (turning 5 on the trip) but on AK day I don't know how reasonable it is. We're staying at WL so if we left after lunch and took a three hour break, we'd be back just in time for the park to close! I'd like him to see the afternoon parade at AK but if we get there at opening I don't know if he'll make it through the whole day without a break.

 

[dtsaos]

why not just rest in the morning and get there in the afternoon to enjoy the rest of the day?

 

[andromedaslove]

I was wondering the same thing. We are staying at Wilderness Lodge too!! The first day we are going to AK and will probably just spend the day there until we have done everything we want. The next day we are hitting EPCOT and will probably take a break there since the park doesn't close until 9, same thing with Magic Kingdom the next day doesn't close until 9. I was thinking on those days we could get a good 3 hour break, and then head back. As far as AK I don't think it is worth it, and MGM I wouldn't take a break at unless you are planning on spending the entire day there, we are usually done in half a day anway.

Dana

 

[Steph5324]

Why didn't I think of that?

I think I'm into that Unofficial Guide mentality....GET THERE EARLY!!!!! But we're going at what is predicted by the Unoffical Guide to be low crowd levels (3) so I suppose we could still accomplish what we want to by sleeping in a bit and arriving later. Seriously, why didn't I think of that?

But does anyone have thoughts on the break time for an Epcot or MK day? Does three hours work for people?

 

[highland3]

I dunno.... our 4 (almost 5) year old son doesn't nap, but does need a break. I totally agree with the recommendation to get there early. When the rope drops you can hit several of the top rides with virtually no wait. We did this a couple of mornings and were very happy.

Then we would spend the rest of the morning in the park, have lunch and then spend "quiet time" by the resort pool or in our room. It worked out really well.

 

[monorailsilver]

I have always done breaks regardless of time of year.

I really don't know how people do it with out a break.

We get to the park prior to opening & try to go to the park that is Early Entry that day.

The parks are less crowded, the sun isn't in full force at that time either (think mid-day Florida sun bringing you to a halt). We do the big ticket rides then (or like last trip we did Fantasyland for our daughter) we go to the lesser rides.

Then we do lunch at around noon at either the park-we do counter service or we go back to the resort & are usually back there no later then 1pm.

Then we swim, do laundry, sit in the a/c room for a bit, shower & go back out to the park for around 5-the last trip I remember we left between 4:30-5pm and we usually do either Epcot or MK at night so it is only a monorail ride away from the Poly.

We are refreshed, de-sweated from the showers we took & ready to concure the night at the parks.

I usually go in summer when the parks are open later but I have gone a few dreaded times in the cold winter months of central Florida & still have managed to take a break & swim & on those trips we would do Epcot at night since that was usually the park that was open the latest.

 

[mommytutu]

When scheduling the day at MK or EP I try not to spend more then 4-5 hours at the parks at one stretch. So we would get to the parks at 8-9:00 and then leave around 1:00ish and by the time we were back at our room it was 2:00ish and then we would get ready to head back out around 4:00ish. From the time we decided to leave the park, walk to the front, drop off the stroller, go get to the bus, ride back to the resort and walk to our room almost an hour had passed. We were usually at the rooms 1.5-2 hours.

An example day would be:
wake up 7:00-7:30
have breakfast in room
arrive MK 9:00ish
ride and play
PS Castle 12:30
go back to resort
naps or swim
head back to park at 4:00
ride and play
see Wishes
leave park

**note**
We are not ones who need to find seats for Wishes hours prior to the show. We were perfectly happy with mediocore seats.


Also, even though your child will be 5, even with breaks it is A LOT of walking and it will be hot (or very warm) and your kid may still need a stroller. He may walk sometimes and ride other times, but any little thing you can do to help your kid out will be beneficial to all. My 7 year old would ride in the stroller for a little bit and them walk for awhile. The last thing I wanted to hear 100 times a day is "my legs hurt". Just a thought....

 

[pezpam]

I took DD to AK when she was justbarelyfive and I found it to be a good park to do without a formal break. There are enough things to do that can be used as informal breaks that it worked out - that and we didn't need to spend every open hour there to do everything we wanted to..... If you think DS can handle a day with shorter small breaks instead of one large break, you should be fine going at any time.

There is a playground that makes a great break from everything else. The 3-D movies are a nice way to sit down and cool off. The safari makes for a nice sit-down time and if you have a stroller, even the wait can be a break for DS. There are a lot of benches and such to sit and have a snack or drink.

AK is definitely doable in a relaxed manner. You know your kid better than we do, though. A lot depends on exactly what he needs and what he finds relaxing.

 

[juliesue]

We also take breaks almost every day. Our kids are getting older (DD 11, DS 8), and we just can't seem to get to the park for entry any more. It gives us a chance to go back to the hotel and swim, then rest and clean-up. We also take that time to do laundry, etc while the kids are swimming. I know we need that break as much as they do. Now, we just take our break later and come back later. Remember, with a park hopper you can go to one of the smaller parks during the day and back to MK or EPCOT in the evening.

We usually take a 3 hour break or so. We would also leave at 1:00 and return around 4 or 5. The parks are somewhat less crowded around 4-5 because a lot of families who went straight through are leaving.

For your AK day, I would say that unless you just have a deep burning need to see the park open (not really a big deal), I would arrive later and plan on staying for the parade. It is a really fun one. AK is a smaller park, so it is easy to see it all in less than a full day.

 

[HeatherC]

Does anyone have a problem getting your kids out of the pools during a break? Just curious since once mine are at the pool the last thing they want to do is get dressed and walk again.

Heather C

 

[mommytutu]

Does anyone have a problem getting your kids out of the pools during a break? Just curious since once mine are at the pool the last thing they want to do is get dressed and walk again.

Heather C

Nope. Mine know before going in the pool that we will swim for just a little bit and back out to go see this or that. I just have to let them know what the plan is. DS does ask if we get back early enough for the evening if we can go back to the pool, so if we get back before 10pm dh or I will take him back to the pool for a bit.

 

[Daisy'sMom]

Does anyone have a problem getting your kids out of the pools during a break? Just curious since once mine are at the pool the last thing they want to do is get dressed and walk again.

Heather C

YES PLEASE!! NEED ADVICE!! Does it help your kids to know the itenarary? I'm planning to give them a laminated copy of our plans on an index card with the times that we coming and going and our PSs and hoping that helps! Any other ideas to avoid a "mean Aunt Manda" moment. (Bet you can guess who mean Aunt Manda is.

 

[scorp111]

We never seem to take the afternoon break others have suggested.
We probably should, but don't. We are always there for opening. I am quite adamant about that. The start of the day is important to get some of the major attrractions done...

 

[EthansMom]

Regarding afternoon breaks -- I find that we need a break as much as the kids. Like others, we get to the park at or close to opening and head back to the hotel after lunch. My 1 year-old and I will nap while DH and DS3 hit the pool. Then, we'll be back at a park for the evening.

My kids are pretty young so I don't go into great detail about the itinerary etc. But my son seems to do well when he knows what "comes next": "You get to go swimming with Dad for a couple hours and then we'll go to dinner and tonight we'll watch some great fireworks at DisneyWorld!" seems to work well with him. I've also prepared him with the idea that just because a ride looks fun doesn't mean it is a ride for little kids and that we won't have time for all of the rides at once and might have to go back to some rides later in the week.

I have done the "Get there late and take no afternoon break" thing on our last trip when we went with extended family. It didn't work for me or my son -- we were both having meltdowns after a few days. Of course, this was also the "no planning" and "no PS" trip (my SILs way of doing WDW) which also did not work for DS and I. Boy, I wonder who my son takes after? Guess he and I both like to have regular breaks, regular meals and know what "comes next".

Basically, it comes down to different strokes for different folks. You know your kids best -- do they need a break after 4 or 5 hours at the parks?

Enjoy your trip!