Afternoon rests

[Robbiesmommy21]

Hi Ya'll

I have a ? for those of ya'll that go in the summer time. We're taking our first trip in aug. What time do you
a. get up?
b. have breakfast?
c. leave the park for you rests?
d. go back to the park?

I'm just really unsure on this stuff? I mean the parades are in the afternoon. How long are your rests?Do you go back to AK for the parade at what time does it start like 3:30 or 4:30? I need help!

Thanks bunches
Jacqueline

 

[danny1649]

Get up around 6am we fix our own breafast and eat around 6:30 am,leave park around 1:00pm and come back around 4:00pm this is for MK and Epcot,AK we tour all day no rest break,MGM we tour until 2:00pm and come back around 6:00pm.We stay at OKW so we can prepare our own breakfast and late lunch.Most time's have dinner at parks.

 

[VaGal]

Hello to you also!!
We usually get up around 6-6:30, have breakfast around 7:30, then on to the parks, we usually stay just about all day, occasionally leaving around 7 or 8 p.m any breaks/rests we get usually come from having lunch..dinner...or taking in some of the shows. We are having such a good time, we just try to make the most of our days there and stay as long as we can stand it.

 

[maine_jennifer]

For my solo August trip last year:

I got up at 6:30am.
Ate breakfast on the run. (Crackers or muffin and water)
Ate lunch at 11:30am (before the crowds)
Did one or two attractions after lunch
Went back to rest around 1 or 2pm
Swam for an hour
Rested for two hours
Went back around 5 or 6pm

My biggest thing that I wasn't prepared for was that the water made me ill. I knew it was going to be hot and the humidity caught me a bit by surprise, but not being able to drink as much water as I would have liked really slowed me down.

 

[copper68]

alot depends on how much time you have for your vacation....

getting to the parks early is the single most important thing at disney...if you're at the gate at least 30 min before the official park opening time, then you will be able to see most of the rides that you want before it gets to busy...then you can head back to the hotel for some rest...which in the summer is a must, esp if you have kids...you can go back to the park in the early evening to see shows/parades etc...

if the afternoon parades are important, you can sleep in one morning and then go in the early afternoon...see the parades and then stay and see the fireworks etc...

the important thing is to have a plan....decide with your family what rides will be a priority...those are the things you're going to want to see when the park first opens before the lines get too long...

however, going at park closing isn't bad either...we went to AK last weekend at 4pm...the park closed at 6pm...we saw the afternoon parade, kilamnjaro safaris, dinosaur and it's tough to be a bug in less than 2 hours...

as far as exact times...it will vary daily...depending on what time each park you want to go to opens and closes...when and what you want to eat for your meals...you can eat a light b-fast and then when you take an afternoon break eat a large lunch...or a large bfast, light lunch and then dinner after the parks close at a hotel restaurant....also, alot depends on which hotel you're staying at...the possiblities are endless, but depend on what your family likes to do...

we are early risers, but also stay up late...many times start our day at 6a or 7a and end up on the Boardwalk at night till midnight or later...so for us an afternoon napbreak is a must...

and remember...it will be hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we just went last weekend and we are also going again in august...(8/25-9/1)...the afternoon heat is brutal in FL...

 

[tar heel]

Most days we get up around 6, eat breakfast in the room and leave for the early entry park by 7:30. If we have a counter service lunch, we usually head back to the resort between 1 and 2. If we have a nice sitdown lunch, as we often do in Epcot and MGM, it may be as late as 3 when we leave. We usually leave the hotel again around 6 to either go back to a park or to dinner.

The afternoon parades are not important to us, so are not an issue. Last year we saw the MGM one b/c we took an early break and arrived back just as it was starting. A couple years ago, we stayed later in the MK and saw the afternoon one there. We've never seen the AK parade. We LOVE the evening parades/productions, though.

 

[auntpolly]

How long of a trip are you planning? What time of the year are you going? Normally except for trying to catch a parade here and there we wouldn't be caught dead in the parks in the PM and we are very serious about that. We leave at lunch time and never go back until after 5:00. But that's kind of a luxury since we go to WDW a lot and don't care if we fit everything in every trip. We love our PMs at the Poly pool!

Let us know the details of your trip and one of us know-it-alls will give you a suggestion!

 

[jbwolffiv]

For each of the trips I have taken with DW we have gotten up about 6-6:30 and gotten light breakfast. We would tour until about 11:00 and then have lunch, tour more and return about 2:00. Usually we would do diner and then return to a park after that, unless we ate at a park. Now that DD3 is in the mix, we will probably return for a rest sooner than 2, that way she can nap for a while and recharge.

 

[Robbiesmommy21]

ok here's our details. We're staying at the CBR Aug 8-14.
It will be me dh and ds who will be turning 4 while we're there. Dh and I are both want a laid back no rush trip.

Jacqueline

 

[auntpolly]

Hi Jacqueline,

You are likely to get a lot of opinions about this but here's mine for a laid back trip with a 4 year old in August.

Skip the afternoon parades. It'll be hot and your child will love the pool. I'm almost certian there's 2 e ticket nights while you are there and if your child takes a nap, stay later one night and enjoy the reduced number of people in the cooler temps. Do the evening parade and the fireworks!

 

[auntpolly]

Actually I just checked and you'll be there for 3 e ticket nights! the 9th, 11th, and 13th. The parks will be open 3 hours past the 10:00 closing which I know is late for a little one but great if you can manage it. (Maybe you can all sleep late the next day!) And Wishes is supposed to be fantastic.

We'll be there for the one on the 9th!

Your enemy is heat in the afternoon in August -- I like to go back to the room for the nap!

Even if you don't do e-ticket, I'd do early entry and get out of the parks by lunch time. JMO!

 

[PatriciaH]

It is just DH and I so we get up around 7am-8am and have a quick breakfast at the hotel, in concierge (if we are staying CL) or at the parks. We have a sit down lunch around 12pm and then head back for a swim, rest and/or shower around 3pm-5/6pm if we need it. Then we go back to the parks after dinner if they are open late.

 

[MNmom]

We are also going at the end of August!!!

If everyone heads back to their resort pools, I bet they are just packed each afternoon. Is this really a good time to enjoy the pools?

MNmom

 

[cardramblues]

The resort pools will be busy, but very enjoyable. You'd be surprised how many people don't take the afternoon break. Maybe it's a DIS secret ;-)

 

[The Sweetness]

A air conditioned restaurant (counter service or not) IS an easy hour rest, at least. Esp with counter service, can be longer if shorty falls asleep in stroller. (once DD3 fell asleep while I was at the counter at The Land food court in Epcot) DH and I just let her sleep, and enjoyed having an air conditioned place to sit and eat

Also, many indoor shows will provide you with a much needed break from the sun. The only time DD used a pool on vacation, it was at 7/8 pm, right before shower and bed. I dont think I could rationalize leaving the parks for a nap or the pool with all the $$$ spent to get there. Besides, we have a pool at our apt bldg, and a community pool arounf the corner (walking distance)

 

[SkylarKD]

This will be our first trip to WDW (me & my fiance), and I know we'll have to do as people on these boards have suggested,a nd go back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. We both get cranky in the afternoons, especially when its hot!

 

[LisaZoe]

My DD, almost 3, and I are going for our first trip to WDW in mid-Sept. I've been doing research so we can focus on the "must dos" for us and also have time for other things. One thing all the books and boards do have is recommending an afternoon break. While I hesitate to think of spending 3-4 hours daily around the hotel when we could be at the park, I know that is probably going to be best for us because it will still be quite hot during our visit (based on historical averages) so some time to cool down will undoubtedly be very appealing.

Also, although my DD doesn't nap every day any more (darn it!), I'm expecting her to much more inclined to do so after a busy morning at a park than she does just playing around our home. Although I definitely want to "get our money's worth on this trip, it's more important to me that we enjoy it even if that means more "down time" than I'd take if I went alone or with other adults (my sisters, brother and I averaged 10 hours each day at Disneyland on a five day pass - and that was during a month when the park closed at 6:00 PM most weekdays . )

My DD already wakes between 6-6:30 most mornings and goes to bed at 9. I plan to stick to that schedule as much as possible considering the time difference as well as the evening parades and shows on our list of things to do. We'll see if an afternoon nap helps to make that work for us. If not, I'll work with her needs and limitations.

 

[bobcat]

Forget the kids! I need a rest in the afternoon! We eat breakfast in our room and hit the parks at open. Tour until 1-2 pm and head back to the room and rest or swim. If we want to head back for parades we will have just a short rest. Go back to the parks in the afternoon and stay until close.

 

[bubba's mom]

i tend to agree with the last few posts...... seems like the parks will be empty at naptime.. ...nah, wouldn't be that lucky.. but, i see the point of crowded pools and emptier parks. since we are only there just less than 2 days, we don't plan any pool/nap breaks. we are planning the inside/AC shows and rides and lunch/dinner about 3-4pm at a sit down restaurant. the advantage for us here is we are spending both days at the same park (MK), so we have plenty of time to see it. unfortunately, most don't have that kind of time, and need to do it the "dis" way!!