Breaks+Shorter Park Hours=???

[Feelslikeadream]

We will be at WDW Nov 1-9 , The hours at the parks are not as late as the peak season times. I am finding it hard to schedule the breaks during the day when some of the parks close at 8 or 9. Also with fitting in ADRS for dinner. I was also considering that they will not be as necassary due to the decrease in the temp. If we break during the day (going back to resort) with break and travel time we will lose approx. 3-4 hours of play time. Also, given the fact that if we are having a late night (which is only one MK EMH 9pm-12am) we have no park plans for the day time. Only in the late afternoon and early evening .Is there anyone out there that does not or has not followed the break time in November and has kept their sanity??? I can truly say we have planned this trip for a very long time, and have waited till all the kids were at a good age. We are traveling with other family members as well . The majority of us have never been, thus we are pretty certain the odds of us doing this again will be many many years from now. We won't say never, but we know a very long time. So the break word is a bit scary ,worried if there is something we could see or do instead of napping or swimming. My itenaray is out there on the board if any one is interested(I think I finally got it riight!) So instead of rambling I will go back to my question, how do I fit in break with the shorter park hours and ADRS????

 

[Robo]

We never take a mid-day break in the Winter months.

We simply don't NEED to (for the reasons you mentioned).

But when its HOT (like now) we ALWAYS do the breaks.

We MUCH prefer the off-season and the cooler temps... we can go for the full day and just sleep well at night... and then get up early for morning EMH's!

 

[Rella Bella]

I think the breaks are much more important in the hot weather. We usually go in the winter and never do breaks. However, we don't have small children that still need a nap and we are the night owl family and all like to stay up late and sleep in, so we're not hitting the park at 9 either, (IMHO, that isn't as important in the less busy months either).

We sleep until 9 or so, have a big breakfast, hit the park, have one sit down meal (usually an early dinner), and stay until closing.

You have to do what works best for your family, and in November beating the heat and beating the crowds just aren't things you have to worry about.

 

[Amirah95]

We never break at all, but if you have to do it at 11am and then return to the park around 3pm and finish up. You have to make a decision...do you want a breakfast, lunch or dinner ADR on your MK day?

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We have small kids. We always take the break when it is hot, but never do in cooler weather. If you do decide to take a break, figure about three hours at minimum.

 

[akalittleeva]

On our last trip(Nov 2001) our kids were 3 & 5. I had planned for breaks and after the first day realized they just weren't practical - took a lot of time and really didn't feel rested after the added walking of catching the bus etc. My kids weren't really nappers, anyway, but we rented a stroller and if they got tired, they just fell asleep there - we also did a non park day to rest up. It worked out fine for us. It has been 5 years and we are going in mid - November. My kids are too big for strollers now and I am still not planning to break midday. I figure between a daily ADR, sit down show attractions and waiting for parades and such, that will give us some rest. I am also planning a non park day half way through and trying not to approach the parks too "commando" (which would be my ideal approach, but think the kids would burn out.) Also not combining late nights followed by early mornings. I plan on keeping the motto - you can only go as fast as the slowest person - hopefully that will keep everyone happy. I think it will depend on whether your children are nappers or not - I care for a couple of 3 yo right now and I know that one of them would be quite happy to power nap in the stroller and do fine and the other would never be able to handle a full day at WDW without a designated break. Every child is different, though...

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

When we've been during shorter hours, we didn't go back to the resort for breaks. We found that if our kids needed down time, we could easily take a break in the parks. When we went the week after Thanksgiving, it was cool & we could find a bench, have a snack, and people watch for awhile. In October, though the hours are still short, it's hotter. During that trip, we would duck into the Hall of Presidents or American Adventure or Sounds Dangerous -- something dark & cool. The kids would often fall asleep. We all got a rest, but didn't have to leave the parks.