How long for an afternoon break?

[stephensmum]

Our DD hasn't used a stroller at WDW since she was 4.5! She will turn 7 this summer.

She had done all seasons without a stroller including full days in Epcot. Last trip we were averaging 20k plus steps per day and she kept up just fine. There is no way on this earth I would be offering her the chance of a stroller as they are a pain IMO.

I think it depends on the individuals & what one wants to do each day. It was our first visit, we stayed all day & fit in as much as pos. we also had the mid August heat.

We all know our own children & what we want to do that day, so should base a our decisions with that in mind.

 

[disneyholic family]

i forgot to say that we used to go for at least 3 weeks at a time, sometimes 4, so taking things in a relaxed way was easy to do.
Now that we can only go for 2 weeks at a time, we have to go from park opening to closing.
That's the problem with grown up kids who work and can only take off 2 weeks

 

[jothp]

Sorry, we crossed posts. My DD1 has just stopped using a booster seat - she is 9 but very tall (11-12 clothes) and is over the limit for height in the UK - by a fair bit. All her friends no longer use, and bless her, she's so easy going she was happy to still use but I felt for her when friends got in the car and 'had to mention it'!! If she still had to have it, she would though! DD2 will clearly be in a seat for some time yet. I think it's about age 5 in Orlando when they stop but I could be wrong?? I wouldn't be convinced that the seat belt was in the correct place at that age tbh! But each to their own. We are hiring a car for a few days mid stay as we want to do DC and shopping etc. I think we'll also use the car for ADRs for those few days too - trying to plan my 'resort' evening ADRs for then to make use!

Yes, pushchair is still something I am torn over. If we have breaks every day then she may manage... I'll decide the week before we go . If I take it, it will probably sit in the villa, if I don't take it, you can guarantee I'll regret it .

We are thinking about hiring a car for a few days mid stay or possibly hiring one for the first week to get us to universal and then transfer us to Disney. Will definitely take a seat with us if we do but may not bring it back as we have far too many seats now.

just for perspective the average walking distance each day at wdw is 10 miles

some consider that 1 day at wdw = 3 days at DLP in regards to heat, humidity, size and distance
sun and heat are killers, don't forget to hydrate. drink often, even if it's a sip, but in the parks, as soon as one of the kids says ''my head hurts'' or 'i have a headache' they need a rest ASAP, shade and fluids. it's the first sign of heat exhaustion. you can't ask of them to bravely walk back to the bus or the car at that stage. see them by first aid or if you have a stroller have them rest

it happened to DS on his first trip when he was almost 5... and it was in february ... nothing close to august...

wdw is not a vacation, it's a boot camp and it's exhausting, especially for kids who come from the cold
as long as you keep that in mind the kids will be safe, but always pay extra attention when they say they're tired ... sometimes they really are

Yes we wouldn't want to overdo it and be ill which is why we are planning rest breaks most days. We will be drinking loads too

On our first family visit ds had just had his 8th birthday & we hired him a buggy every day. We thought it was our only visit & did the parks military style. Bare in mind the heat, stephen loved the buggy just to get out of the sun. (We even hung a small towel over the top for shade).

Try to go for lunch between 11 & 11.30 to avoid the rush. You will properly find you will feel able to do a few more rides then before heading back.

Thanks, I think getting to the park early will probably mean we will be ready for an early lunch so that is a great tip - thanks

Our DD hasn't used a stroller at WDW since she was 4.5! She will turn 7 this summer.

She had done all seasons without a stroller including full days in Epcot. Last trip we were averaging 20k plus steps per day and she kept up just fine. There is no way on this earth I would be offering her the chance of a stroller as they are a pain IMO.

I must admit that I wasn't sad to loose the buggy but we do miss having somewhere to hang the bags/coats etc when we are out.

we no longer go back to the resort for a break..
instead we have a long (air conditioned) table service lunch.

we started doing that 4 years ago. Not on purpose.
We were there on a dining plan for the first time, so had lunches scheduled almost every day (at about 1:00).
We found that the 90 minute lunch (which was how long it usually took), in a nice air conditioned table service restaurant, with unlimited soft drinks to re-hydrate ourselves, more than revived us for the rest of the day. So we didn't feel the need to leave the parks to rest.

Yes but with children that would not be a restful break - keeping young children sat a table for 90 mins isn't much fun.

With our DD she can likes to swim or just sit and play in our villa for an hour or so. We have drinks and snacks and she has some freedom to do what she wants for a while. She is good about asking nicely and standing in lines but I think it's nice to give her her own time. (I also like sitting on the balcony watching the world go by...)

TS meals always involve is having to "entertain" her and whilst yes we would be sitting in the air con I can think of things I'd rather do!

absolutely!!
i'm talking about grown up kids.
When the kids were little, we usually stayed in the parks until about 1 or 2 and then left for the day. We always said we would go back later in the day, but we never did.
We would go swimming or do something else - not in the parks.
But now that the kids are grown up, we manage to go from park opening to closing, but only with that long table service lunch in the middle.
we also don't do the parks commando style anymore.

I think it depends on the individuals & what one wants to do each day. It was our first visit, we stayed all day & fit in as much as pos. we also had the mid August heat.

We all know our own children & what we want to do that day, so should base a our decisions with that in mind.

i forgot to say that we used to go for at least 3 weeks at a time, sometimes 4, so taking things in a relaxed way was easy to do.
Now that we can only go for 2 weeks at a time, we have to go from park opening to closing.
That's the problem with grown up kids who work and can only take off 2 weeks

Our girls all really like going out for meals and are generally well behaved as long as we are eating but like all children they get quite fed up when we are just sitting around waiting for ages. I think if we go in the future when they are older we would probably do without the breaks at least some days.

 

[Kath2003]

Though we are adults, it's not really the heat or need to nap which makes us want to leave the parks - it's just getting away from crowds and queues! We often shop, play mini golf, go for a drink or visit smaller attractions of an afternoon. Sometimes we relax by the pool, rarely we nap. Either way, it's still a necessary break from it all! OP - go with the flow. Do what you need to do when you need to do it. You won't be able to do it all - still haven't (see my sig!!) but the only thing that ever ruins a vacation day for us is continuing on in a park when we have clearly had enough!

 

[jothp]

Though we are adults, it's not really the heat or need to nap which makes us want to leave the parks - it's just getting away from crowds and queues! We often shop, play mini golf, go for a drink or visit smaller attractions of an afternoon. Sometimes we relax by the pool, rarely we nap. Either way, it's still a necessary break from it all! OP - go with the flow. Do what you need to do when you need to do it. You won't be able to do it all - still haven't (see my sig!!) but the only thing that ever ruins a vacation day for us is continuing on in a park when we have clearly had enough!

Thanks, we will try to go with the flow if possible and know all too well from our other holidays/days out that pushing it too far is a recipe for disaster!