How do you manage whole days with kids?

[Skiton]

I'm talking the sort of days when you're there for MM or rope drop, and watching World of Color or fireworks in the evening, and back at the turnstiles before rope drop again the next morning? I would LOVE to take advantage of the parks this way on our trip in May, but I'm pretty sure my kids would implode about 36 hours into the trip. They're 7 and 8 and refuse to nap, so a mid-day snooze is out of the question. Our days usually involve being there for early entry and staying at the parks until two or three, heading back to the hotel for a swim, cleaning up for dinner, eating, and bedtime by 8:30 at the latest.

Does anyone have any secret strategies? Maybe I should just push for everyone to stay up the last night we're there and let them be crabby on the flight home the next day? I sure would love to see some of the parks at night, but I just don't see a way to do it that doesn't involve skipping early entry the next morning, which I hate to do.

 

[Tigerlulu]

Nope. Even a midday break of "relaxing" at the hotel wouldn't work to refresh mine. A pool would just wear them out more. We pick one or the other, as far as rope drop or fireworks goes. If they make it all day one day, we have to let them sleep the next day. We just take it day by day.

 

[Skiton]

Nope. Even a midday break of "relaxing" at the hotel wouldn't work to refresh mine. A pool would just wear them out more. We pick one or the other, as far as rope drop or fireworks goes. If they make it all day one day, we have to let them sleep the next day. We just take it day by day.

Well, at least it's not just me. Sometimes when I read posts I feel like everyone's kids but mine manage to do this without a problem.

 

[Abbey1]

We've found that our son (4 years old) does pretty well for those long days if we make sure to break the day up with lots of relaxing things. We always schedule a table service meal for each day, which allows us to have a little break in a more relaxed environment.

We also make sure to take advantage of the shows. We might spend 2 hours hitting up rides and then go see the Disney junior show or Aladdin (before it ended ).

My son has high-functioning autism, so we have learned how to read his cues really well and when we notice he's getting a little over stimulated, we make sure to find a more low-key activity to do. His absolute favorite thing is to get a dole whip and sit and watch the tiki room. We will do that every day that we are in the park, because we've found it helps him "reset".

 

[agamble]

Perhaps they would nap on the second day? Rope drop to close on day one and then rope drop to mid afternoon for a nap day two.

You could talk to your kids about it too, since they're a bit older. Tell them that everyone needs to rest quiet in bed, no electronics, for an hour or so to allow everyone to have the energy to go back to the parks later for more fun. Perhaps, if they lay down and are still without electronic distractions, they would actually fall asleep. Maybe they'd be willing to rest/nap if it means they can go back to the park.

On our May trip I was pregnant and took our 2 y/o back for naps every day. My husband stayed with the 5 y/o at the park a few of the days. She still stayed up for whatever we were doing that evening. We didn't stay out until 10pm or midnight, but we were out late.

 

[sherilaine]

We normally visit when 8AM to midnight hours only occur on Fri/Sat/Sun. The days we have those hours we get there for rope drop and then around 2 we head back to the hotel to have some down time. Then we return around 6 for the rest of the night. We tend to plan the following day allowing for us to sleep in. Then on days when the park opens later and closes earlier (8AM-10PM for example) we get there for rope drop and stay pretty much the whole day.

We tend to book 8-10 night trips though so we have a few days off from the parks entirely. I honestly don't think we'd enjoy rope drop to midnight on repeat well at all and our kids at 12 and 13 have the same sleep schedule as we do, in fact they tend to stay up later now. We might make it through two of those days but would need a break after. DLR is expensive and we like to maximize our time there by allowing for our bodies to recharge. This coming trip we arrive on a Friday evening, and will go to the parks on Sat, Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday then we fly out at noon on Saturday so as to give us all day Sunday to recharge before heading back to work and school, as DLR is a tiring vacation!!

I know this is of no help as we flat our refuse to do what you are suggesting, back to back full, long park days from open to close, so maybe others will have coping strategies to help you. Are you able to add more days to your trip and then have a day or two off in between long park days?

 

[jvalic33]

We have 4 under 9 (now 5 so that will be a bit more interesting) but in the past, we always get the DDP and make sure we have a couple table service meals as our breaks. The only problem is in MK the table service meals aren't that great (food taste wise) unless you do Cindy's castle or Crystal Palace. We're looking forward to the new Skippers Canteen.

Also, we just take it easy and don't run to the attractions. We stop, look in stores, take breaks along the way and rest up before we decide what ride to hit up next. We try not to overdo the junk food, I think that takes a toll on them, and make sure to stay hydrated. All that walking can make the kids exhausted and cranky but if you keep them well fed and watered they can last a long time!

At HS we love the Brown Derby and the kids usually pass out on our laps while we wait for our entrees. It's a very reserved and quite atmosphere and for some reason they always take a catnap there which makes it easier for them to stay up through Fantasmic. We also take advantage of the shows and like a poster said above and do the Disney Junior Show. Epcot is harder to push them through and we have not got them to stay through Illuminations yet. I figure it will be fun to leave something for them to look forward to when they get older!

 

[Angrose]

It's not just you. My DS7 has never been able to nap when at DL, there's just too much to be excited about: the parks, swimming at the hotel pool, etc. You're going to have to make some tough choices. Pick one night to stay out for nighttime entertainment and then sleep in the next morning. It's really the only way to do it. I'm not sure how many days you will be there, but picking the last night for your late night might be tough after several days of touring the parks. We go for shorter trips, 3 or 4 days at a time. Our trip last summer looked like this:

Sun:
arrived DL 7:45am for rope drop
11:45 lunch
2-6 hotel/rest/swim break
6:30 dinner in the park
11:30pm headed back to hotel after LATE PtN parade

Mon:
slept in a bit (my son is was up by 7:30am but we had some quiet time before starting our day)
arrived DCA 9:30am so completely missed rope drop
2:30pm hotel/swim break
7:30pm entered DL
watched early PtN and fireworks
10pm back to hotel

Tue:
arrived DL 8am for rope drop (we missed the 7am MM)
11am lunch
12-2pm hotel/swim break
2:30-4 last few hours in park before heading home

We stayed at Hojo's for the first time that trip and did not do any MMs or EMHs. Even when we have stayed onsite we skipped the EMHs and just did the opposite park. My son thought Hojo's was fantastic and enjoyed it more than DLH! I think he had just as much fun playing at the waterpark as he did in the parks (as you can see from our long afternoon breaks)!

Good luck with your trip planning. I'm sure you will have a great time!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Even when they were little, we found it was much easier to let the kids stay up late than to make them get up early. My fondest Disneyland memory is chasing my then 3 year old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mountain moments before midnight with her screaming "one more time Daddy" all the way.

We're not morning people, so we've never been to Rope Drop or morning EMH. We tend to arrive about 11 am or so and stay until the last park closes. We find that theme parks in general tend to empty out during the last few hours of operation. Those that stick it out are rewarded with some really short lines on the headline attractions.

 

[jpessa]

I was just there last weekend with a 5 and a 6 year old. Day 1 we did DL rope drop to 4:45'ish (after parade), went back to the room and I told them they didn't need to nap, but they needed to lie down quietly for a bit. Within 5 minutes they were both asleep, although both claimed they weren't tired. Lol. I had to wake them up at 8pm to go back, stayed until past midnight. Sometimes kids don't realize they need a rest. They may not want to, but a dark room, no electronics, no swimming, lying down under the blankets, well... Your kids may refuse to nap but sometimes it just happens.

Next day was DCA rope drop, and since the park closed at 10pm I told them we would stay until they gave up. The 6yo called it at 7pm. Walk back, pj's, both girls asleep within 5 minutes. We were all tired by then! I could have left around 2 for a nap, back at 5-6 to close but I didn't really want to see WoC anyway and it wasn't too crowded so we stayed and enjoyed.

Slept in the next morning and drove home!

I think it can be a lot for kids (and adults!) to do rope drop to close back-to-back without a break. And I do rope drop and park close all the time. I love both, but during that first two hours of rope drop I get more done than the last two hours before close every single time (except that one time MK was open until 3am!!). Disneyland at night is magical though!

Whatever you end up doing, good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[VandVsmama]

We did a couple of all-day visits to DL last year. Our kids are 7 and 9. Some strategies that worked for us were:

1. Pay attention to meal times & don't try to "power through" the pangs of hunger.
2. You could spring for a character meal like Minnie's breakfast at the Plaza Inn. We did this on the 1 day that we had early entry, and early entry started at either 7 or 8 am that day. I made our breakfast reservation for 10:00 am...just about the time that we were getting a little worn out and were ready for a break. Then we got to sit for 45-60 minutes and have characters visit us. At the end of the meal, we were all refreshed and ready for round #2 of rides & attractions.
3. Do lower-key stuff in the afternoon if you're not taking a break at your hotel. See 1 or more shows. Get a snack and watch the afternoon parade. My favorite spot for that parade is next to the Alice In Wonderland bathrooms. Go on Pirates of the Caribbean and/or Haunted Mansion...long rides which are relaxing and in air-conditioned spaces and their queues tend to move pretty quickly.
4. Schedule 1 table service meal in the parks on the days that you will not be taking a break at the hotel.
5. Make sure everyone is well hydrated and is drinking enough water. When you're dehydrated, you fatigue easily & it's easier to get very grumpy in short order.
6. Go see Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln on Main Street.
7. Get silhouettes done of your kids on Main Street.
8. Window shop / browse / shop.
9. Go see the Star Wars Launch Bay exhibit if the line isn't too long.
10. Visit the Tiki Room. It's comfortable & dark & relaxing in there.
11. Ride some of the Main Street vehicles. However, usually the horse-drawn vehicles stop operating around 2 pm, I think.
12. Go to Coke Corner on Main Street in the afternoon and your kids can play musical chairs with Alice & the Mad Hatter. A CM at Coke Corner can tell you what time they will be there. And if your kids don't want to play musical chairs, you all can just sit and watch. In fact, get an ice cream sundae from the ice cream shop next door and eat it at Coke Corner while Alice & the Mad Hatter play musical chairs.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm talking the sort of days when you're there for MM or rope drop, and watching World of Color or fireworks in the evening, and back at the turnstiles before rope drop again the next morning?

IF we get a day like that in, it's one day. We generally don't do that. It doesn't end up being fun for *any* of us.

And swim breaks exhaust us. Heck, sleep breaks exhaust us. Last time we took one of those we were at the Grand and DS was 5, and we woke up groggier than we had been! Especially me; I have NEVER been a napper other than when sick or expecting DS, and I just hate how it makes me feel.

We tend to arrive about 11 am or so and stay until the last park closes. We find that theme parks in general tend to empty out during the last few hours of operation. Those that stick it out are rewarded with some really short lines on the headline attractions.

I have never experienced that magic at Disneyland. WDW yes, but not DL.

Pay attention to meal times & don't try to "power through" the pangs of hunger.

YES, all the yesses.

Make sure everyone is well hydrated and is drinking enough water. When you're dehydrated, you fatigue easily & it's easier to get very grumpy in short order.

Same number of yesses as with the food.

 

[ktlm]

I think it just depends on your kids. DD has always been a high energy kid. We've been doing rope drop to close (or at least rope drop until after fireworks) with DD since her first trip when she was 4 our 5. At age 4 and 5 we had the stroller so that made it easy. She gave up naps at home on her 3rd birthday, but would fall asleep and nap in the stroller at DLR. Age 6 was the rough year. There was no stroller and she did not quite have the walking stamina to go from rope drop to close several days in a row, so there were some whiny moments mid-day and some more towards the end of the trip as she got more tired. Age 7, 8 and 9, she had absolutely no issues and was fine open to close (or after fireworks) multiple days in a row. At age 7 and 8, some nights she would say she was ready to go back to the room right after WOC or the Fireworks and I remember at least one night where she wanted to go back right before the fireworks. At age 9, she wanted to stay after the fireworks and do more stuff, and after WOC when CA closed, she wanted to move over to DL and do more stuff. Last summer she went from WOC over to DL and watched the 11:00 p.m. PTN parade and then got up and got to the parks 10 minutes after rope drop the next morning. At 7 and 8, they might have more stamina than you have seen in the past at DL, or it could be that the full day thing multiple days in a row may just not be for them. While our family is full day park people, it would probably kill BIL/SIL and our niece to even try it one day. Even we don't do early entry every day though. We might do it one day during our trip if there is a new big crowd draw (we did for the RSR runs and the A&E runs)- but usually we just plan to start at the park that it not having early entry.

 

[AZMermaid]

We are planning our first stroller free trip in June. My kids will be 5.5 and 4. DH is more sold on stroller free than I am, but we have both agreed we can always rent one if things go south. This is our plan:
Day 1- DCA rope drop till dinner-ish. Lunch at Ariels Grotto and probably Frozen show in mid afternoon as rest time.
Day 2- DL- Rope drop till 1 or so. Then rest a bit in the room, probably rent a DVD from the Grand Cal (we are DVC members) and watch that. Then return around 4 and do PTN dinner at Blue Bayou.
Day 3- rest day. Maybe, possibly a half day in the morning at DCA. But basically a resort/pool day
Day 4- DL- rope drop- dinner. Probably lunch at Carnation Cafe and Mickey's Magical Map in the afternoon.
Day 5- rope drop- lunch, then drive home to AZ and hope they crash in the car for a few hours!

So.... we try to do a sit down lunch on the longer days. We also are going to make sure we sit and rest during snack time instead of snacking on the go. Hopefully those 20 minute breaks mixed with a show a day will work for everyone.

 

[Indiana Scott]

My son never wanted to take naps either so we instructed him lay on the bed and just do nothing while the rest of the family rested.
It never failed that he would fall asleep.

 

[Purrkins]

When doing DLR we drive from San Diego at 5 AM so we're there for rope drop. Son (6) is up and going until we leave at 11 PM or midnight. Granted he falls asleep before we leave the parking lot, but he's great all day (a steady diet of sugar and fun I imagine).

At WDW he'll often keep going until 2 AM. More stamina than we have.

We do offer him a chance to nap (either in the car or back at the room) but he's never once opted to go this route.

Now if I could only bottle his energy...

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I have never experienced that magic at Disneyland. WDW yes, but not DL

Fortunately, we've had pretty good luck with this strategy. Our last visit to Disneyland was for the 2009 Rose Parade, and the evenings leading up to the holiday were pretty productive after 10:30 pm or so.

However, I will admit that New Years Eve was the largest crowd I've ever been part of.

We're taking a break from WDW and heading back to DL this June. I don't know if I'm ready to go back to old school FP gathering after being spoiled by FP+.

 

[Bobsmom]

Constantly shoveling food into my son was really what it took when we did 4 parks in 4 days at WDW over spring break (he's 7). On our Magic Kingdom day were were at rope drop on an EMH day and didn't leave until the park closed at 11pm, so a total of 16 hours. Alternating shows or long seated rides with long wait rides helped, too. But mostly just a steady supply of snacks. And a mid-day sock change.

 

[nikkislaght]

we take a day off during our trip. we sleep in. hang out but the pool. watch TV.. play games.. do a little light souvenir shopping.. have an early dinner.. and then go to bed early.. on the day we want to stay later we go in later.. again sleeping in.. hanging out and go in about midday. that way we last longer..

 

[DnA2010]

Constantly shoveling food into my son was really what it took when we did 4 parks in 4 days at WDW over spring break (he's 7). On our Magic Kingdom day were were at rope drop on an EMH day and didn't leave until the park closed at 11pm, so a total of 16 hours. Alternating shows or long seated rides with long wait rides helped, too. But mostly just a steady supply of snacks. And a mid-day sock change.

This is a good point - DD's first trip when she was 6 we did RD to close for all 3 of our days- we couldn't drag her back to the hotel- we stayed on the condition that on the first sign of a Mickey Meltdown (our name for kids loosing it in the parks) we were heading back. Never so much of a peep in a negative way from her- I know one of the reasons was that we brought a giant bag of snacks (granola bars, fruit to go/fruit leathers, goldfish, apples/bananas/carrots etc) and when we had a moment- ie in a line up etc, she had to eat/drink - she did and I know we never had any crashing. We also brought in some pop/soda and she got to share in this something she wasn't allowed otherwise