First of all, hello from another Arkansan! There are getting to be quite a few of us around here!
My husband and I are in our early 30s and we have been to Disney more than 10 times in the last 10 years. Our first few trips, we went from the crack of dawn till after the fireworks every night. We wanted to see everything because we weren't sure if we'd ever get back.
Gradually, our touring style has changed. Now, we've seen most things and we like to concentrate on new stuff or old favorites - but we don't feel like we have to do everything on every trip. Now, our trips are just as much about the resorts and other activities as about the parks. We love to take time out in the middle of the day to swim, lounge by the pool and read a good book, take a tour at the resort, enjoy lunch at a great resort restaurant, etc. We love to really take our time and soak up the atmosphere at our resort, and the other resorts. Sometimes we nap, but not very often. We like to mix up our schedule. One day we might hang out at the resort and have a late breakfast before heading out to the park to stay through the evening, one day we might get up early and head to a park and then come back in the afternoon for lunch and some pool time before heading back out. In fact, one of our best nights on a recent trip was spent on the balcony of our room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had come home for a swim in the afternoon, and we decided not to go back out that evening. We ordered pizza from room servivce and went down and got some Zebra Domes and wine from Mara. We just sat out on the balcony and watched the animals and listened to the great African music. After dinner, we went down and spent some real time exploring the African art in the lobby. It was a uniquely Disney experience, but it had nothing to do with the parks.
Of course, now we have a two year old, and he fits into that style of touring really well - even though we had adopted that style before he came along. He naps really well in his stroller, and would probably be fine with that if we wanted to stay out all day.
So, to wrap up this rambling and answering your question . . . We do take lots of breaks from the parks, not necessarily because we need a nap, but because we feel there is so much more to the Disney experience. I feel like if we spent every waking moment in the parks we would be missing half the experience. In fact, we usually plan at least a couple of days when we don't go to the parks at all! There's just too much else to do.
Oh, and for what it's worth, we too have experienced the "beauty" of hot, sticky, muggy, nasty Arkansas summers. That still didn't prepare us for summer in Orlando. (We've only done that once. All our other trips have been in October, December, or early May.) The thing that made it hard on us wasn't the heat or the humidity. It was the intensity of the sun. I literally felt like I could feel my skin sizzling every time I stepped outside. So, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you guys are ready to head back for some AC or pool time on this trip, despite not needing in on your January trips.
Have fun on your next trip!!
