Afternoon breaks a must?

[disney1fan]

This will be the first time we're going as a family of 5 (our youngest will turn 3 in WDW). Are afternoon breaks an absolut must ? Last time we did them, but this time I'd like to squeeze every last bit of fun each day and was planning on maybe staying at the parks all day long? Would that be the equivalent of a vacation suicide? My other kids are 6 year old twins and we are going in Feb/March.

 

[Catrin]

Consider those breaks an investment!!

The breaks you take each day will make your entire vacation fun. You could get by the first day or two without a break.... but then .. all of a sudden, when you least expect it, your child will have an all of a sudden breakdown for no reason..... exhaustion will do that to you!

We took breaks each day.... sometimes we would just turn off the lights in the room and watch tv/nap, other times we would swim.... but each day we were glad.

Yes, you will have less time in the parks...... but the time you have will be quality over quantity!
TAKE THE BREAK!
Catrin

 

[echodane99]

Personally I think that the afternoon breaks are a must. Not only for the kids but the parents also.

 

[ALostBoy]

Hi,
The couple of times we went,and had a 2-3 year old
with us, we stayed in the parks and just let them grab
a nap in the stroller. I would usually take them to a
cool place and just rest a while my self, while my wife
and other daughters were still riding rides.
It worked fine for us. Good Luck

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

Absolutely, my 3 and 5 year olds need them and so do I. It's important to get out of the heat and crowds for a while to decompress.

We arrive at the parks before they open and stay until 12:30 or so. Then, head back to the park in early evening until closing. The kids do well with this plan. Even if your children don't nap, just getting back to the resort to swim or watch TV helps recharge them.

We also build in a rest day (or 1/2 day) right in the middle of our trip where we skip the parks and stay and play at the resort. It's worth it to slow down and enjoy all the aspects of a Disney vacation.

 

[ksc37]

Personally, I think it is an absolute must to arrive at the parks when they open. Since we do this, I think we'd be foolish to keep our small children (2 and 4) at the parks for 12 hours or more. So, yes, we take the break.

If you're staying close to whatever park you are at, it's pretty easy to go back to your hotel, to swim, nap or whatever. If it's a long haul, then at the very least, take some time and go to a nearby resort (if you're at the MK or Epcot) for a relaxed lunch and a little stretch time on a playground.

 

[slk537]

Yes, yes yes yes yes yes...oh and yes!!

We have a 3 1/2 year old and when he was a baby, it wasn't as important - he would fall asleep in his stroller and we could do what we wanted. Now that he is older and knows what is going on around him, he has to be exhausted before he'll fall asleep without leaving the parks. And we usually pay for it before by watching him get mischievious and then whiny.

We go back for at least an hour to get him to nap. Adding a swim makes it fun and it is also something your feet can use . If you go when the parks open, stay until lunch and then spend the hot hot hot part of the day in a/c or in the pool. Then the late afternoon, early evening can carry you on for a while. I also like the ability to freshen up and feel better before we leave for dinner. And DS doesn't fight sleep as much at night, so we can pull his buggy down so he can lie down and then DH and I shop without the "I wants" or just enjoy each other's company.

As the kids get older, rest breaks can probably be less formal but until then (of course always depending on your individual children and their temperments) a rest/nap is a real lifesaver.

 

[gary4jenn]

I also have 3 kids (DD8,DD5 and DS will be 3 when we go).

I am bringing 2 double strollers because they WILL get tired but I don't go back to the resort. Since we go at Value season the resorts aren't open for long hours during the day.

Be forewarned- getting a bus back to the resort, settling them down for a nap then get ready to go back to the park and getting on a bus can easliy take 3 hours.

So if you can afford to "lose" that time then you should go back.

There are lots of places to sit down and erlax and get the kids to rest (or sleep as my 3 year old will do) in the stroller. You can shop while the other parent sits with the kids and familiarize themselves w/ the park guide!

 

[dreams4disney]

We always take an afternoon break. I have 4 boy's ages this trip will be 2( 1 month from 3), 6,8,and 10. Last trip if we all needed a break we would all go back to the resort but there were days that the older kids and DH stayed at the park and I went with the baby for a nap and we would meet up at the park later on. It worked out great for all of us!

 

[JudicialTyranny]

My kids are 9, 7, and 5. We tried the afternoon break thing once, and it didn't work - the kids were bouncing off the walls of the hotel room. They couldn't wait to get going again. So we gave up on anyone actually resting - occasionally we went back to the pool for a few hours.

 

[LynnTH]

We have never taken an afternoon break either. Last year when we went my daughter was a few months short of 3 years old and my son had just turned 5. We brought a stroller for my daughter and she took a little nap when she needed to. My son walked most of the time and they both did great. Mind you - we went around the parks on their schedule and sat down and rested when they needed to - we don't do commando style at the parks either. We also let them sleep a bit in the morning and then go to the park when they wake up so we arn't constantly pushing them. We also take a day or two just to hang out at the hotel and swim or whatever they want to do. This gives them a break from all the hecticness also.

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

It totally depends on your kids. Do what they need. For their sakes. For your sake. For the sake of everyone around you. I say try and skip them if you want to. Find a different way to take a break--sit down meal? But if it isn't working, you're kids are dead tired/cranky, incorporate them in. Be flexible.

 

[lsteadman]

I just want to add my 2 cent and another vote for afternoon breaks.

My DD9 and myself took breaks everyday. I insisted we go back to the room some days to take a break and my daughter was ....no lets stay in the park a little longer.

Then when we got to the room and laid down for a short break she was "out within 5 minutes." She was totally exhausted but scared she was going to miss something.

We would rest for a hour or hour 1/2 then go back to the parks refresh and feeling a whole lot better.

Take the breaks you won't regret it!

 

[alleghator]

Those of you who recommend the breaks, I have a few questions.

(Our info -- our first "with the kids" Disney trip will be next March, DD will be turning 7 on the trip, and DS will be 4-3/4. We're staying at my MIL's timeshare less than a mile from the AK/MGM Disney entrance.)

How long do you stay at your hotel? Do you eat lunch and then leave, or eat out of the parks/at your hotel? Do you think I'd still need a stroller if my kids get this break each day (I know you don't know my kids ... just give me your thoughts)?

--Heidi

 

[rarrington]

For our family afternoon breaks were a must. We have 2 1/2 & 5 1/2 DDs and they are both still accustomed to naps. We found that if you go within the hour of the park opening time the crowds are very light (be there at opening if possible but we never seemed to make it!). I knew we'd need the breaks so we stayed at the Contemporary so that transportation would be easier and faster. We'd get back to our room between 2:00 and 3:00 and rest for a few hours (DH and I needed the rest too!). We were on the dining plan so I had scheduled PS for dinners in the Contemporary or other monorail resorts (for convenience) and eat around 6 or 6:30 then ride the monorail on over to the Magic Kingdom to catch a couple of rides before fireworks/bedtime. This worked great for us. We kept our sanity as parents and the kids didn't have meltdowns. Even in the happiest place on earth, everywhere we turned there were small kids having meltdowns and frustrated parents dealing with grumpy parents. Sure, we may have missed a few things by not spending the ENTIRE day at the parks, but we were able to really enjoy our trip. Good luck!!!

 

[bubba73]

I have never believed in breaks in the afternoon. I am very conscientious about how much the tickets cost so I am going to get everything done that I want to do before I even think about taking a break. My fun is being at the parks doing what I want to do, not being at the room doing nothing. I do take a day or 2 off during the week to rest but that's it for us.

 

[rileyroosmom]

My kids are a little older (11, 8, 4) but we still take breaks. We arrive at the parks at opening and then leave for the hotel after lunch. My kids love swimming, mouseboats and resort activities as much as the parks. I always get annoyed thinking we could have stayed home to swim! but Disney has great pools and I'm paying a lot so I might as well use them! Actually, it is a relief to get away from the crowds and the heat and just relax for awhile. Always is nice to get refreshed before heading back for more park fun.

 

[the kabuki]

Guess I'll be in the minority here and say that we never take an afternoon break. We have 3 kids ages 11,7,3 and they've turned into park commando's!! My youngest would fall asleep in the stroller at some point during the day, but the rest of them just wanted to keep going. One time we did try a break and nobody rested, just bounced off the walls in the room. It was Jan. and cold, so swimming was out.

If only they had that kind of energy at home, chores and homework would be a breeze!!!!

 

[disneyfanfamily]

We went 2 years ago with an almost 3 year old, 6 year old and 8 year old. We did not take "resort breaks". My youngest was a good stroller sleeper. So she would sleep when she needed it. My 2 oldest kids did well. We did however make sure we ate lunch inside somewhere that had air condition (we went in July). It all depends on your kids and if you want to take the time to go back to your rooms. We did not want to take the time to do that. However, our kids did really well. But we took our time and did not rush, rush, rush...

Have a great trip!!!

 

[beattyfamily]

How long do you stay at your hotel? Do you eat lunch and then leave, or eat out of the parks/at your hotel? Do you think I'd still need a stroller if my kids get this break each day (I know you don't know my kids ... just give me your thoughts)?

--Heidi

I think you'll still need a stroller. Disney is huge and the heat gets to your kids.

I've done Disney both ways; mid-day breaks and staying till we're done with the park.

I don't think I'd do either exclusively. It also depends on what time of year it is and how hot and crowded the parks get. On our August trip we did take breaks just about every day. Start early leave or eat by 1:00p then head to another park in the evening.

For our off-season we'd stay in a park till we were ready for a break and we'd go swim or just rest for an hour or so and then decide where to go after that. Sometimes we'd stay in a park all day though with enough breaks eating and sitting, we could do it. That usually happens at MGM for some reason. We start there and end there with Fantasmic. Off season, it's kind of hard to take a break and come back cause the parks close earlier.

Taking naps in the stroller also helped a lot so we didn't have to leave and come back.

My kids are now 5 and almost 9.