How much time for break?

[Paigesmom2013]

What is the minimum amount of time should we allot for a hotel break? I have an MK day at the end of February and I thought we would break from 3 to 6, eating dinner in the room at Pop and using the bus. Then come back for 8pm parade and wishes.

But now I'm wondering if we should skip it? We have 5 and 2.5 year old. Last beach vacation the little one really wouldn't nap although she takes 3 hour naps at home. What appeals to me about a break is basically freshening up, changing clothes and eating a cheap dinner. But I also hate wasting time and being inefficient.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I think it's personal preference but we typically get to the parks around 9:30, have lunch at a TS around noon, and then leave the park around 1 pm.
We go back to the hotel, and nap and swim, etc...and then head back to the parks around 5 pm for the rest of the night.

 

[Alesia]

We find that taking a mid-day break to be much more exhausting than just staying in the park for the whole day. Once we go back to the hotel, we're done - the momentum is just gone.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Crowd calendar for MK at the end of Feb is moderate, and weather will be mild. I'd consider not taking a break. Having young children who usually take long afternoon naps would be the thing that would give me pause.

 

[mom2rtk]

We find that taking a mid-day break to be much more exhausting than just staying in the park for the whole day. Once we go back to the hotel, we're done - the momentum is just gone.

That has been our same experience.

 

[CAS239]

We generally get there in the morning a little after rope drop, leave around 1 or 2, go to hotel and shower, eat, then back to a different park around 6ish.

Nice to change clothes after sweating all morning, take a nap,and then eat before heading back to Disney

 

[Paigesmom2013]

So...maybe budget 4 hours for a break? Otherwise, don't do it? At least this trip i know how long it takes to get back and forth. It won't be too hot, I'm assuming.

 

[LisaCM614]

We are great proponents of the afternoon break. All 5 of us need time to just decompress, the parks can be overstimulating for my kids and they need some quiet time even though they have never once 'napped' at Disney. Going back to the cool, dark room getting changed and letting them watch tv re-energizes them. We love RD - 1pm touring. Our breaks tend to be 3-4 hrs - maybe longer if it is really hot and we are swimming. I don't see them as a waste of time because we don't make happy memories when we are tired, sweaty and cranky!

We have found when you go to the parks when the hours are shorter to just plan a break in the parks - think Carrousel of Progress or Tom Sawyers Island.

I think the most important thing with young kids is to go with the flow - just like at home - pay attention to everyone's moods and take a break when you can see your family needs it!

 

[nilla]

We used to be "park 'til you drop" people, but started doing the mid-day breaks last year. They've been great. You're out of the parks during the hottest and most busy times, and a nap and/or swim have worked wonders in getting us that second wind.

We did what Mousemommy1 does - early morning to lunch at the parks, return to the resort, then off to an early dinner, then back to the parks to close the night out. 3-4 hours is typically what we take.

 

[loves to dive]

I think you are really better served with just going with the flow and what the family needs at the time. Maybe some days they don't need a break, maybe some days they need a 3 hour break, maybe just a hour and a half. We find you just can't schedule how you or the kids are going to feel and it causes more stress then it's worth if you try to force it.

 

[Grmnshplvr]

We usually do rope drop, do all the headliners, take a break at 12 or 1 and go back to the hotel for a swim, watch some tv and cool down. Then back to the parks around 5 or 6 after dinner at the hotel. So about 4-5 hours

 

[GillianP1301]

We find that taking a mid-day break to be much more exhausting than just staying in the park for the whole day. Once we go back to the hotel, we're done - the momentum is just gone.

This is the same for us. We hit he parks in the morning (most days have an early breakfast ADR) and tour it until we are tired. Sometimes that is lunch, sometimes we can make it through until later in the afternoon. We then either just relax at the resort for the balance of the day, or park hop. I find the little break in driving/cooling down between parks is enough to recharge us for the 2nd park for a few hours.

We don't do much late night touring (it's important to the success of our vacation to get my DS to bed around his normal time), so this approach works for us. On a night where I do have a nighttime activity planned (i.e. dessert party), then I will build in rest/swim time in the afternoon. It can be tough though to get the motivation to return to the park after a long break.

 

[BrianF]

I think a key factor that people frequently overlook when sharing advice in this vein is that the park hours can greatly impact the value and practicality of a break.
Before our last trip we read so many threads that included a push for afternoon breaks that it seemed like a good idea and I tried to build them into my touring plans only to find that you simply can't do much on short days at the park if you leave for several hours. The short hours also mean that you may NEED the break a little less. You've had a chance to sleep later even if you do RD since they don't open until 9 during slower seasons and then you are in bed earlier because they shut down the parks (especially during "party" season) so early that you've got no excuse to stay up late.

I also found that if we were riding the bus with our stroller riding DD we'd board the bus just as she had fallen asleep so she'd wake up, then maybe fall asleep on us on the bus, then wake up, then be completely disinterested in any further "nap" or "rest" so we'd arrive back at the hotel room just in time for her to be all wound up and ready to go again (though she actually got no real rest and would crash a few hours later). I think the days we did restful leisurely things in the parks that allow some napping or just sitting calmly in the stroller were more useful by far.