If you return to MK in the evening with a preschooler

[BubblyTrip]

Can you tell me what your evening looks like?

Last year we stayed until mid afternoon and then called it a day. We were all cranky by the end of each day.

This year I'm planning a break to swim / rest after character lunch ADRs. Hoping to be back at the WL by about 2 PM. I highly doubt DS 5 will nap.

I'm not sure exactly how to do the evenings back at the park. Right now I have two FP saved for the first night and all three for the next. The second night I'd like to try making it to MSEP, but it may not happen. He can stay up as late as he tolerates that night. The first night I think we need to leave by 8.

Is is better to eat in the park (QS or something like Liberty Tree) or at my resort? Will QS lines be crazy around 5 PM in MK (spring break)?

Are there certain rides / shows you prefer to do at night?

How about taking or leaving the stroller for the evening part?

Any other tips for evening touring with a five year old? I will be the only adult with him this trip.

 

[snoopy5386]

Lines for quick service are going to be longer in the park, I like doing tomorrowland at night, it feels more space age at that time of day. Definitely bring the stroller, the crowds in the evening around the parade and Wishes are intense and it's easy to get separated in the dark. Consider a FP+ for MSEP. I used one when I was solo with my 2 girls. Great seats, no wait and no fighting over your spot with the masses.

 

[squirrel]

My nieces would still sleep in the stroller at 5. It was a long day and they new that there would be more fun stuff happening later if they took a nap. I gave up trying to go back to the resort for a nap. I let them crash in the stroller. I could then wander around or check out the shops.

Maybe you could encourage him to take a nap so he can stay for the nighttime parade and fireworks (unless that will frighten him). I told my nieces that they could ride more rides in the evening and they wouldn't have to get off if it's not too busy. They loved the EMH in the evening. They both have records for the most consecutive rides on Winnie the Pooh.

Wow, they didn't have FP+ when I was there last. Having a spot for the parade or Wishes would be awesome when you are alone with a child or two.

 

[Happyjen27]

My 6.5 year olds napped after mornings in the park. They rarely nap at home, but Disney is a different animal, and they (and we) are tired and ready for naps during breaks. Any time we had nighttime plans we made them nap and we grown-ups napped too. If we were just taking a break, we wouldn't nap so we could go to bed early so we could be up early the next day.

Once we woke up, we had a snack in our room, ate in the park. Instead of using ride FPs, we used them for the MSEP and Wishes. So glad I used FP+ for those.

Equally important is the morning after, which includes no morning plans, no alarm clock, and late morning FP+s, like starting at 11AM to whichever park we're hitting.

 

[Annie78]

Following with interest, since I am about to head to WDW with a 4 yo! I know there's no point taking him back to the room for naps, given his track record at Disney, but he will probably pass out in the stroller around 2-3pm. I plan to let him do that, and let him sleep until we need to have dinner.
What time is Wishes during your trip? There's only one 8pm Wishes during my trip, then it moves back to 10pm, so we are making sure to catch Wishes on the 8pm night! For the rest of the trip, we will play it by ear. If DS naps, he gets to stay out later. If not, it's an early night.
I dearly hope there is at least one night when we get to do BTMRR in the dark, though - I haven't done that in at least a decade, and I remember it so fondly.

I may have promised DS a pile of glow bracelets/necklaces for any night that he gets to stay up past dark thanks to having napped...

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would think after a busy morning and then burning off energy in the pool might make a 5yr old sleepy. So you might be lucky to get a nap in.

 

[Perditamarie]

I think eating before you get there would make touring easier and managing food trays/lines by yourself easier. Then you can just concentrate on awesome snacks/treats!!

As pp mentioned, fireworks may frighten him as they can be loud to little ones... bring ear protection. A FP for MSEP would be wonderful! Also, maybe bring/buy a special light up spinny toy from home to produce for evening activities or waiting for those activities to begin...they are crazy expensive in the parks, but kids of ALL ages love them!

I think a nice relaxing morning the day after would be a great idea also: Epcot is a great park for later touring.

 

[k_hase]

I'm a fan of eating at the resort rather than the park for both lunch and dinner. We do RD, get in 3-4 hours in the AM, head back, eat, rest (naps are evidently for other children!), pool, dinner, back to park around 5 or 6? Depends on how late the park is open, earlier if it closes as 8 or 9, later if its open til 11 or 12. Missing those 4+ hours during the most crowded time of day and keeping everyone in a reasonably good mood trumps all else.

 

[ajwolfe]

We are not the type of family that goes back to the resort during the day to rest. Up until around age 4, my boys might have taken a nap in the stroll or might have just sat for a few minutes to veg out a bit. When we notice they are getting tired, we do things like shows, train or the people mover, etc depending on what park we are in just to regroup for a couple minutes.
I think it just all depends on your child's personality and how much down time they need. There is so much stimulating stuff to see and do there that it was never an issue keeping my boys awake for Wishes or Illuminations.
It's a running joke in our family that on our youngest son's first trip (around 18 months old) we went from 8am to about midnight one night with him only napping for like a hour. He just never stops, even now at 6. Our oldest is the same way.
If you don't think the fireworks will scare him, I would definitely try to keep him awake for that at least.

 

[Simba07]

For rides at night, really any of the outdoor ones are fun. We really like teacups and the carrousel at night. And Dumbo is nice too. Jungle Cruise gets scary at night though.

QS does get busy by 6pm. But if you go at 5pm you should be ok. Eating at the resort might be easier if you don't have much you want to do before the parade.

I hate using the stroller in the post parade crowds. If you are only going to go on a few rides and then find a place to sit and watch the parade, I'd go without it. Our 5 and a half year old did fine with that. But it will depend on your kid.

 

[SaraMc]

We have a 7 year old and a 4 year old and we often take a break in the afternoon and let them recharge and then head back to the parks for the evening. Mother first couple of days my 7 year old would not nap but by the third day he would fall asleep and was good to go for the evening.

 

[dsneygirl]

We always take a break and come back at night. We let them fall asleep whenever (8, 8:30, 9) and then DH enjoy a walk around the park in peace and quiet

 

[Gillyrose779]

It's really hard to give a full opinion as every child is so different. When we went in Sept. with my 2 and 4 year old boys we usually went to a park in the morning, had lunch, and were back to the room and napping between 2-5 (my kids are major nappers). We would then be back at a park by 6pm- sometimes we would eat something in the room and others we would have a reservation- both worked out. We would then stay for around 2 hours or so- by then most ride lines seem to be manageable and we just went with the flow.
For us we had a more structured touring style in the morning and more go with the flow in the evening- it worked.