Do you schedule rest periods for those long summer days?

[PairOfDice]

We'll be in the parks for four days in late July. We've never been to the parks during summer and our longest day at Disneyland was 8am-10pm I believe. I'm debating going back to our hotel at the crosswalk for an afternoon siesta or scheduling frequent rest periods throughout the day. Which do you prefer? In the past we've toughed it out all day and figured we'd rest when we get home but 8-midnight??? Whoa, that's a long day. Do you just play it by ear or plan for resting?

 

[Cal-Pie]

We always stay close to the crosswalk, and we always go back to the hotel to cool off and rest from about 1-4 pm. Usually we have early dinner somewhere on Harbor, then head back to the park and stay until closing time or close to it.

 

[Daisybelle]

I think everyone is different but we like a break. Summer is our favorite time to go and we like to be there at park opening for the lower crowds.

So we are in line a half hour before rope drop and stay until 1 or 2. Then we head back to get a break from people and heat for a few hours. After a nap and/or shower we jump back in for the evening and make it as long as we can. We try to make it to close a couple of times.

Usually once during the trip our afternoon break will be a movie in downtown Disney but that tradition will be no more.

We’re not as hardcore as some but we’re ok with that!

 

[Butterfly123]

We always take a rest too, at least two hours, three after we’ve been a couple days. Usually 2pm until 4 or 5. until We learned long ago that it makes the whole trip so much more enjoyable if you are not exhausted by the end of the day. It’s also nice to take a break from the heat. Plus I love love love summer evenings at Disneyland and without a rest I can’t enjoy them fully.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

We always take a break if we're there for more than one day. The hottest, most crowded portion of the day can be miserable. We usually go back to the hotel from 2-5, then go back for the nighttime entertainment and a few more rides.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

We play it by ear. We never "schedule" a break, but we pay close attention to how the kids are doing. Sometimes a "break" consists of a lap around the river on the Mark Twain, or a trip to Pirate Lair Island to get away from it all. Sometimes it means a cool off break in the hotel pool, but we don't have a set routine.

 

[figment_jii]

I think it depends a lot on the group. What are the ages of your children? When we went with little ones (<3 years), we tended to take an afternoon break about every other day so that they could rest and recharge for the evening. Now that they're older (the youngest is 6 years old), they like to take one day and go back to swim in the motel pool for a few hours, but aside from that they no longer go back to the hotel to rest. Instead they do a long lunch (~1 hour), which gives everyone a chance to rest for a bit.

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

For us it depends on when we start in the morning. If we don’t get to the parks until 9 or 10 then we just stay until closing. For those who start at rope drop, take a break then stay late, how do you go to rope drop the next day? It’s hard for us to get up early after staying late.

 

[maleficent55]

It’s always a conundrum. Husband wants to rest, I don’t. I could push right through from early morning to close but he can’t. Plus it’s not fair to do to our daughter!
So rest we will! But then if we rest and take a swim at our hotel and come back to power through till night then I can’t push them as early the next morning as I’d want to! Ha!

 

[gerilyne]

When my ex-DH and I went for several years in the summer just the 2 of us, we often times got up for EMH/MM, went until lunch time, then went back to the hotel to swim and/or nap during the hottest part of the day. We would go back around 4pm and stay until park closing, get up and do it all again the next day. As much as I love being in the parks as much as possible I recognize I get hot and tired and cranky without the break.

 

[PairOfDice]

I think it depends a lot on the group. What are the ages of your children? When we went with little ones (<3 years), we tended to take an afternoon break about every other day so that they could rest and recharge for the evening. Now that they're older (the youngest is 6 years old), they like to take one day and go back to swim in the motel pool for a few hours, but aside from that they no longer go back to the hotel to rest. Instead they do a long lunch (~1 hour), which gives everyone a chance to rest for a bit.

I have a 15 year old and an 18 year old who wants to be there all day and enjoy every minute even if her feet feel like they're going to fall off. They understand I need more rest than them. Last year I went to Flo's for about an hour and a half and enjoyed a beer and the view of the highway while they went to GOTG. It was delightful. That was a 10am-9pm day and I needed that hour and a half so I'm wondering what I can realistically do in July. I definitely don't want to leave early. I'm determined to enjoy the parks at night. It's enchanting, isn't it?

 

[Winnowill]

We never schedule a break, but we always intend to take one. Last Christmas time, we took our standard break on our first day, but not our second. That was a mistake - DD was bitterly disappointed that we were all (including her) too tired to stay till F! She really wanted to see it.

Our trip in two weeks, we'll probably plan to do something for lunch, and then head back to the hotel till, maybe, 5:00 or so. My friend and I will enjoy a glass of wine and a nap, and our girls will probably want to swim, but we'll definitely want the rest.

 

[pblack]

It's just my hubby and I who go and we almost always take an afternoon break anywhere from 1-5, especially when it's hot. If it's not hot we may or may not take a break.

 

[DaveNinja]

breaks are good. skip the hottest most crowded part of the day!
if you have maxpass, you can get passes for rides in the evening while you're resting at your motel/hotel during the afternoon.

 

[22Tink]

We rarely leave the parks for a break. We like to schedule a mid afternoon TS meal and relax in the air conditioned restaurant. That’s enough of a break for us! Even when my kids were small they were happy to stay all day.

 

[DznyPrnces]

Leaving for a break is not an option for us, as we stay with my parents who live 30 minutes away. My kids just always napped in their strollers, or we may linger longer over lunch, or sit and eat an ice cream or something to take a break.

The way we make sure we don’t burn out is to not go 2 days in a row. So for example next month we will be at DCA Tuesday, Wednesday everyone can sleep in and then we’ll spend a couple hours at my sister’s pool, then Thursday we will go to Disneyland.

 

[wenrob]

We always stay close to the crosswalk, and we always go back to the hotel to cool off and rest from about 1-4 pm. Usually we have early dinner somewhere on Harbor, then head back to the park and stay until closing time or close to it.

Almost exactly this. It varies, noon-3pm, 2-5 etc. My girls would power through all day but both almost always crash when we take a break. We very rarely stay until the parks close and we get there around park opening, usually right after the first wave of people have gone through. The few times we’ve done rope drop did not make a huge difference in the way we do the parks so we opt out of them.

 

[Congo Queen]

We are devoted adherents of the midday rest, especially in summer. It is hottest and most crowded in the parks in the afternoon. We do not want to be there then. (Look around at guest faces at 3pm on a 97 degree July day at Dland - misery abounds.) from about 1:30-5:30pm we want to swim in the inviting hotel pool, shower, nap, and get some fresh clothes on for the evening. Everyone naps happily including DD15 and DS21. It's a big part of being on vacation; to nap midday is a luxury and makes the evenings so extra lovely as we can stay out until midnight.

 

[PairOfDice]

We are devoted adherents of the midday rest, especially in summer. It is hottest and most crowded in the parks in the afternoon. We do not want to be there then. (Look around at guest faces at 3pm on a 97 degree July day at Dland - misery abounds.) from about 1:30-5:30pm we want to swim in the inviting hotel pool, shower, nap, and get some fresh clothes on for the evening. Everyone naps happily including DD15 and DS21. It's a big part of being on vacation; to nap midday is a luxury and makes the evenings so extra lovely as we can stay out until midnight.

You're so right. I need to get over the feeling that we can't miss out on anything and we have to squeeze everything out of the trip. We act as though we're never going back and we all know that's not true.

 

[azdisneylover]

We take afternoon breaks too. We usually stay onsite, so we have MM/EE daily, we ride as many rides as we can until lunch time, then we have a long TS late breakfast or early lunch. If we do eat early in the morning in the parks, we used to catch a movie after the morning fun in the parks, then a lunch, but with them tearing out AMC in DTD, then next time we go, we might nap, or go to the Animation building in DCA to spend a few hours, or get on a wet ride. White Water Snacks is a go to for us, as well as Fiddler, Fifel and Practical.