Dinner in MK or back to hotel with toddler?

[SwanVT2]

We have lunch ADRs for CRT and BOG for our two MK days. From experience, do you find that your toddler is worn out and ready to go back to the hotel by dinner? Should we plan on dinner as QS in MK or something back at the hotel? We will be staying at BCV, which I know doesn't have the best Counter service. We don't plan on staying at MK for the fireworks. DD will be almost 4 at time of travel. TIA!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We have taken our little one twice now, both times we were on the deluxe dining plan. My hubby usually took him back to the resort after lunch for a break/nap for a couple of hours and we would meet back in the park late afternoon for some more rides and dinner. That seemed to work well for us. But both times we were staying on the monorail so it was very easy for my hubby to just take him back to the resort for a break.

 

[Ruth B]

We are traveling with a 8 and 3 year old and plan to have ts lunch in the park and then head back to hotel with 3 y/o.
Think she will be shattered with parks and pools. Ruth

 

[msmama]

I played it by ear when my son was that age. Still do actually.

Staying at BC I would probably be more likely to eat at the parks just because they have more options for you. For kiddo the choices are probably similar at the resort vs the park.

We didn't do midday breaks, but did early evenings like you plan to do. It worked out great for us.

 

[isabellea]

After DH ran after my 3yo in BOG while she was having a tantrum (her birthday dinner that turned nightmare), we cancelled all our dinner ADRs. I'm now evaluating that day what to do depending how she is.

 

[Mainemama]

My experience is we always leave for an afternoon break. I am warn out and likely to tantrum after keeping up with kiddos in constant stimulation! I need to put my feet up and chill for a bit before we return for evening. The toddler never sleeps, just plays quietly or watches tv while the other folks rest. In terms of dinner, I find QS out of MK much easier to handle with toddlers. MK is often crowded, with lines, and challenges finding tables, while resorts are more low key. We usually eat at our resort early, then go back to MK around 6:00.

 

[DisneyOma]

Depends on when your preschooler is ready for a nap, or still takes a nap?

 

[ilovebassets]

Probably either way could work. I'd see how she does the first park day and make your decision after that. QS restaurants are usually much easier to do at dinner--way less crowded. We often enjoy dinner at Pinocchio village haus while watching the boats go by on its a small world. It can be a bit much making it all the way to dinner if you have been there since park opening with kids that age. And if you do stay all day, sometimes you just want to skip the slow TS dinners.

FWIW, I think an afternoon break when at the Magic Kingdom is hard to do unless you're staying on a monorail resort. We have never done afternoon breaks with out kids at the MK and have been many times with kids that age (ours are 3 and 5).

 

[SwanVT2]

Alright, thanks for the feedback. She has dropped nap but I would imagine after a full day we will head back to the resort for dinner and relaxing/quiet time. We will all need it. We will be staying at BCV but now thinking about future trips, may have to try monorail.

 

[hsmamato2]

I would'nt plan two adr's in a day with a little kid.... too much stress. do the earlier meal,and play the dinner by ear...if kiddos still happy,find a good qs place to eat- if kiddos done for, go back to resort and relax and find dinner.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I found that my toddler was so excited at Disney that he could make it much longer into the evening than he ever does at home. We napped in the stroller mid-day in the parks and then he would be good even until after fireworks. It depends on the kid, but they may surprise you with their stamina at Disney.

 

[katilac]

We never went when they were toddlers, but even at 6 & 8, we took an afternoon break back at the hotel each day.

I'm sure some kids can handle a full day with no breaks, but definitely mine could not - not due to energy levels, but being overwhelmed with sensory input and overstimulation. How does your toddler do in other fun but frantic situations? Think of things like: a big birthday party at Chuck E Cheese followed by a sleepover, Christmas morning at home followed by a long, crowded visit with relatives, a long day at the water park followed by a sitdown dinner, and so on.

Think of how he does in those situations, and then multiply by 1,000 for the Disney equivalent, lol.

 

[DisneyOma]

We napped in the stroller mid-day in the parks and then he would be good even until after fireworks.

That must have been a pretty big stroller

 

[han22735]

You might be surprised how they last in the parks. I think disney pumps something in the air. Our DD just turned 3 her first trip and she stayed up all day long and never got grumpy. So no break needed for us.

 

[kohlby]

I agree with figuring it out as you go. We've taken kids at around that age several times - (Three different kids so different personalities). What worked best was to figure out the dinner hour once we got to it. We often found they usually lasted until right around the dinner hour. We did dinner in our hotel room, going out to dinner somewhere off-site, and QS in the parks - what worked best was not always the same. Keeping it flexible helped all of us. It also depends on what you've done other days. Playing it by ear is the least stressful way to do it for us.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

When DS was that age, we always left the park soon after lunch and went back to our resort. You actually have a LOT of options at BCV, particularly if you have park hoppers as it is an extremely short walk into EP with a TON of QS options. France has a fantastic QS. We also like the QS at Morocco and Japan. We stay at EP resorts a lot and it's always been nice to go back to the resort in the afternoon and just take it easy and then take a walk through WS at night. When DS was smaller, we would rest after a park and then put him in a stroller and go for a walk to get some dinner. The Marketplace has some good QS options, but you could also walk over to the Boardwalk and go to the bakery or the pizza window and other kiosks for great salads, sandwiches, pizza, etc. The Fountain at Dolphin (though not QS) is a very casual restaurant with great ice cream and typically not crowded. Honestly, you are in a great location for a wide variety of QS options - I would just highly recommend getting hoppers.

 

[Runnergal]

When we stayed at YC with our 2.5 yo, we went back to the hotel around 2 or 3 pm for pool time, then most nights headed to Epcot for dinner.

 

[Nancyg56]

When my DGD was that age we planned lunch, either an ADR ro CS in the park, and then headed back to the resort for a nice break. She swam, rested or napped, had her bath and then we went back out for dinner, either in a park or a resort. WE always went back, and we all benefited from that break.

 

[Meeko5]

I had planned an afternoon break most days since we had an almost 2yo but DH decided when we got there he didn't want to waste time leaving and coming back unless we absolutely had to. My little one surprised me by crashing in the stroller for an hour or more each day, but we did end up buying a stroller fan to keep him more comfortable while he slept in there. Worked great for us! We did breafkast in the room, CS lunch, then ADR dinner in the park.

 

[spencerbomar]

afternoon melt-down can occur anywhere between 12:00 and 3:00. some parents insist on getting their money's worth and refuse to leave park when kids (and even some adults) just need a cool, quiet place to rest and take a nap. parents who refuse to leave when their kids start to melt down are usually the parents who remember disney as unpleasant, overcrowded, over-priced, etc.
next time you are there you'll see the little ones starting to melt down because they haven't been given the chance to catch some zzzzzz's.
leaving for a couple of hours and coming back later pays of for them, but also for the adults