Going back to resort midday? How much time?

[Veggie]

I know there are a lot of variables. How long does it typically take to go back to the resort midday? How much time do you plan? I assume 30 minutes to take a bus back to the resort, and 30 minutes to travel back to the park? I would want to spend two hours at the resort. So should I plan on three hours away from the parks?

 

[mom2rtk]

That's going to vary a lot depending on which park, which resort and mode of transportation.

For us, it's rarely worth the effort to leave, but we tend to stay at POP and spend tons of time in the MK. Plus, we tend to travel when the weather is cooler. My calculus on that payoff would change if we went when it's really hot.

 

[Belle61513]

That's going to vary a lot depending on which park and which resort.

Yes, where are you staying and what park??

 

[DisneyFive]

By the time you stop whatever you are doing in the park and make it to the bus stop, and take the ride to your resort, I would figure more like 45 minutes. Same coming back. This assumes value and mod resorts with buses.

That's part of the reason we stopped trying afternoon breaks. Did it once or twice and found out it doesn't work for us. Takes up way too much park time. We go in the slower season when the parks aren't open as long, so park hours are precious. MK and Ep 'till 9, HS 'till 8, and AK 'till 5pm or so.

Dan

 

[BugsDaddy]

I know there are a lot of variables. How long does it typically take to go back to the resort midday? How much time do you plan? I assume 30 minutes to take a bus back to the resort, and 30 minutes to travel back to the park? I would want to spend two hours at the resort. So should I plan on three hours away from the parks?

I think that is probably a good general estimate. We have a toddler who still takes a nap so midday breaks are important to us too. We plan to get to the parks at rope drop (we are all early risers) and go until after lunch and the head back to the resort for 3 to 4 hours and the go to dinner and hit the parks again after dinner. If our kid gets a solid 2-3 hour nap midday, she is ready to go fairly late in the evening.

 

[ImDMous]

We've only done this during summer when it was just too hot and sticky to stay all day. One hour travel time each way and a swim-nap-shower. We would usually leave around 2 and be heading back to the parks around dinner time but they were open until at least midnight so we still had plenty of park time left.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I know there are a lot of variables. How long does it typically take to go back to the resort midday? How much time do you plan? I assume 30 minutes to take a bus back to the resort, and 30 minutes to travel back to the park? I would want to spend two hours at the resort. So should I plan on three hours away from the parks?

I would alot for at least 45 minutes each way via the bus. And I mean 45 minutes from the time you are at the park exit, then another 10-15 minutes or so to make it from the bus stop at your resort to/from your room.

So I would say 4 hours would do it. (two hours travel time and two hours resort time).

That being said, two hours resort time will absolutely FLY BY.

 

[BellsFam]

We are staying at CR, we've scheduled breaks on the days we're at MK and then one on an Epcot day.

The DHS day and AK day we will not be breaking halfway, DHS we will find a place to relax, AK, we've done all we want to do by 4...

 

[DisneyFive]

I know everyone's kids are different, but our toddler (now 7) used to zonk in the stroller and sleep really well in the parks. Just laid the back of the stroller seat down flat, and snoozing away.No problems whatsoever.

Dan

 

[lilbuddy88]

I know everyone's kids are different, but our toddler (now 7) used to zonk in the stroller and sleep really well in the parks. Just laid the back of the stroller seat down flat, and snoozing away.No problems whatsoever.

Dan

Mine too he sleeps whenever he pleases and we just try to do rides he can't get on while he sleeps. We do the mid day break when MK has really late hours only like midnight or 1am.

 

[mcd2745]

We usually intend to take midday breaks (mainly because DW wants to - I really have no interest in doing that), but we pretty much never do. I can usually talk her out of it. It's not the time at the resort (with pool time normally the designated goal) that bothers me, it's all the extra time for transportation and changing, etc. As stated by others already, by the time you make your way to the bus stop (or boat launch, monorail station etc) from insde the park, wait for mode of transportation to arrive, get back to you resort, walk to your room, change into bathing suits and make your way to the pool...it's likely (unless you are going from MK to the Contemporary or from Epcot to the Beach Club, for example) that 90 minutes - or more - have gone by. Spend 2 hours at the pool and reverse the process back to the park and the desired 2 hour break has cost a total of approx 5 hours. That's way too much park time to forfeit. Best thing to do is to manage a break or two inside the parks. If you want a break...in MK, go to the Hall of Presidents or Carousel of Progress, sit in the AC and do waht many others do - take a nap. In Epcot, do the same in Ellen's Energy Adventure. Combine these with an ice cream break or lunch and the day is much more porductive.

 

[ejdmomma]

I know there are a lot of variables. How long does it typically take to go back to the resort midday? How much time do you plan? I assume 30 minutes to take a bus back to the resort, and 30 minutes to travel back to the park? I would want to spend two hours at the resort. So should I plan on three hours away from the parks?

Thanks for this post. I have been wondering the same thing. My little guy ( and hubby!) really need a mid-day break if there is any hope of making it until fireworks. We will just have to bite the bullet and lose some park time to keep everyone happy.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

We're break takers In Nov we would hit the parks from rope drup until noon. We would eat lunch where we were, then head back to our resort (Coronado Springs). The busses were usually pretty empty in the middle of the day and our room (we paid extra for preferred) was close to the bus stop, so we didn't have far to go once we were dropped off. We would have the kids nap (with the promise of a swim after). The kids would swim from 3-4ish and we'd go back to our and get ready for dinner (all of our dinner ADRs were at 6pm).

For us, it was a perfect schedule. We plan to replicate it in August.

We go to Disney pretty frequently so we don't feel like we have to cram as much as possible into each and everyday. That would make me miserable!

 

[eeyoresmom]

OP, we go several times a year and take a resort break EVERY day. 30-45 minutes is average travel time. We stay at Deluxe resorts and love to enjoy the ammenities there. For our family the resort is almost as important as the parks. If you think your child will need a nap he/she probably will. Same goes for DH. The first few times we went we stayed in the parks from open to close. DH hated it and it really spoiled Disney for him for many years.

 

[cakebaker]

We always take breaks, every day and did before we had a baby with us. We like to allow plenty of time in the schedule and so we allow an hour from the time we start walking out of the park to the time we walk into our room. That's always been a reasonable estimate and works for us. We allow the same going back. It doesn't usually take that long, but it can be close to that. We allow at least 2 hours at the resort, usually 3 if we're going to eat there or swim.

 

[Eastern]

When our kids were younger, we'd take an average 4 hour break. So rope drop, then leave around noon, then back around 4-5pm.

 

[Ladcassidy]

We are break takers, too. Sometimes it's as simple as resting while we hop from one park to another mid-day. Other times we head back to the resort for a rest and swim. We tried skipping our break to maximize park time on a less crowded day at MK in February, and it was horrible. We were all exhausted and cranky by that evening.

 

[Amanda999]

Agree with PPs - just wanted to mention that your luck can vary significantly on the bus wait times. (And, add the loooong walk to the bus if you stay at Pop or AoA like we have recently - my goodness its far to the last bus stop sometimes!)

Anyway, I've waited anywhere from 0 to 45 minutes for a bus to arrive at a park, to go back to my resort. Granted, only a few times at 45 minutes, but what a pain. I always have taxi money with me now just in case.

 

[Amanda999]

Best thing to do is to manage a break or two inside the parks. If you want a break...in MK, go to the Hall of Presidents or Carousel of Progress, sit in the AC and do waht many others do - take a nap. In Epcot, do the same in Ellen's Energy Adventure. Combine these with an ice cream break or lunch and the day is much more porductive.

2nd this! I always see people - kids and adults! - napping in those places PP mentioned, as well as in the France (Epcot WS) and U.S. movies (they are sit down, with awesome AC, unlike Canada and China - those you stand up). In January I swear more than half the audience at the France movie was asleep one afternoon.

 

[cakebaker]

I will say that we don't usually visit during shortened hours and I think that makes a big difference. We like to be at the parks at opening and we like to close whatever park we do in the evening with some of us lasting thru emh's at night. Breaks are required for us to keep up that kind of schedule. We just make the afternoons our down time instead of early in the morning, or later in the evening. For us, the resort is part of the vacation- not just a place to sleep. We probably put as many or more hours into the park as someone who doesn't break and goes when the parks close earlier.