Is it really hard to leave midday and come back?

[emily nicole]

If we rope drop, we always take a mid-day break. I can do rope drop to close on a solo trip, but my family needs that break. I have never found it to be an inconvenience, whether we are on-site using buses or off-site with a vehicle... well, except at MK - IMO, it IS inconvenient to take a mid-day break at MK when you drive there. Other than that, it's our routine.

 

[pixiemama91]

We always take breaks and I always feel like we get enough time in the parks. We go in August so its hot, But we have never stayed the whole day in the park. We all enjoy a little down time at the pool with the kids or just hanging in the hotel room where it is cool and watching a little TV. But everyone is different so just do what you think will work the best at the time.

 

[Moliphino]

We've done a mix of what a lot of other people are saying. I'm a commando, park open to park close type person, but the rest of my family prefers a break. We've left parks before with the intention of returning, but without following through. We've also gone back to them feeling really refreshed. Epcot is probably my favorite park to take a break from and return to. Coral Reef has always been a good choice for us.

This is what used to drive me bonkers when we did big family trips when I was younger. My sister and I eventually started going back to the parks on our own, now we usually do trips with just the two of us. I'm a park commando type and never go back to the hotel during the day. We do take breaks, but that's usually taking an hour or so in a lounge with a couple adult beverages to rest our legs and recharge.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

This is what used to drive me bonkers when we did big family trips when I was younger. My sister and I eventually started going back to the parks on our own, now we usually do trips with just the two of us. I'm a park commando type and never go back to the hotel during the day. We do take breaks, but that's usually taking an hour or so in a lounge with a couple adult beverages to rest our legs and recharge.

I'd like to go with the two of you! We will be giving Universal a try next week, and I'm sure we will be taking mid-day breaks

 

[_19disnA]

We always took a break after lunch, but it depends on your preferences when at the park. If your family is the go-go-go type who arrives when the park opens and wants to stay until it closes, then probably not. Disney parks involve a LOT of walking and your family may also get tired and need a break. When it is very hot and/or crowded, that is also a reason to need a break.

 

[Evangelina]

We always take afternoon breaks. But we drive, so going from park to resort takes a lot less time. If you plan to get into the parks at rope drop, taking a few hours in the afternoon and coming back for the evening is probably a very good idea, even with Disney transportation.

 

[Itsnotmykitchen]

With little kids who do not nap in strollers, I always take a midday break when there and I’ve never had a problem. At least the times I’ve been there, the security is always way faster later in the day than in the morning and the bus time app usually works for timing the bus so you don’t have to wait around so long.

Prior to kids, I never spent a whole day in Animal Kingdom and loved using the rest of the day to resort hop before dinner. If you don’t want to go back to Coronado, the skyliner resorts are pretty nice to just check out and spend a few hours and you don’t have to worry about buses.

 

[kylenne]

I look at the language used by go go go types to describe their park days, like “tough it out”, “power through”, etc. and not gonna lie, I cringe. To each their own obviously, because everyone is different, but that doesn’t sound like a fun vacation to me. Even before I got the AP I was about quality of park time over quantity. Especially with our physical challenges, ADHD/anxiety, we need that rest time to decompress from the constant stimulation. And I don’t think we’re getting any less value for our money than the people going rope drop to fireworks. We enjoy ourselves more than if we tried to stay all day. This is why we choose to stay Deluxe in proximity to parks though. It’s well worth the extra money to us to be able to leave and come back easily, and we get a lot of use out of the resort amenities on these breaks. Lyft makes it so easy now too even if you aren’t close.

 

[magicband]

Absolutely not hard. Yes it will take up some time, but not enough to make it no worthwhile. I've stayed at Coronado several times and always had great experiences with the busses. Of course you could show up to the bus stop right as one leaves, so you could wait 15-20 minutes, but to me a midday break is worth it, unless you have something specific to accomplish that requires an all day park trip. Morning and evening are the best time at the parks in my opinion!

 

[YawningDodo]

I look at the language used by go go go types to describe their park days, like “tough it out”, “power through”, etc. and not gonna lie, I cringe. To each their own obviously, because everyone is different, but that doesn’t sound like a fun vacation to me. Even before I got the AP I was about quality of park time over quantity. Especially with our physical challenges, ADHD/anxiety, we need that rest time to decompress from the constant stimulation. And I don’t think we’re getting any less value for our money than the people going rope drop to fireworks. We enjoy ourselves more than if we tried to stay all day. This is why we choose to stay Deluxe in proximity to parks though. It’s well worth the extra money to us to be able to leave and come back easily, and we get a lot of use out of the resort amenities on these breaks. Lyft makes it so easy now too even if you aren’t close.

I honestly wish sometimes that I felt comfortable taking this approach--the problem I have is that the idea of "wasting" vacation time on a midday break makes me really anxious. Doesn't matter that I know I'll have better quality of time with a rest, doesn't matter that I've had not one but two Disney trips (Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) on which I did in fact take midday breaks and it was fine...every time I think about scheduling a midday break it still makes me seize up feeling like I'm going to miss out on something.

My way around it for my upcoming trip is that I've scheduled alternating commando days and sleep-in mornings. It feels easier for me to sleep in and show up late part of the time than to talk myself into leaving any earlier than I have to, even knowing I'll come back.

 

[Summer2018]

I honestly wish sometimes that I felt comfortable taking this approach--the problem I have is that the idea of "wasting" vacation time on a midday break makes me really anxious. Doesn't matter that I know I'll have better quality of time with a rest, doesn't matter that I've had not one but two Disney trips (Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) on which I did in fact take midday breaks and it was fine...every time I think about scheduling a midday break it still makes me seize up feeling like I'm going to miss out on something.

My way around it for my upcoming trip is that I've scheduled alternating commando days and sleep-in mornings. It feels easier for me to sleep in and show up late part of the time than to talk myself into leaving any earlier than I have to, even knowing I'll come back.

We tried your approach on our first trip in 2004. I felt so stressed out by the crowds in the afternoon/evening. We go early at rope drop, and the second I feel the park getting busy, usually around lunch time, I need to leave. A few years ago, I was willing to return at night and suck it up for my family so that we could watch fireworks in the park. Then in 2018, I discovered that the rest of my family felt the same way as me. Now we just do early mornings until lunch time and spend the remainder of the day/night at the pool and then a nice signature dinner. We watch fireworks from the restaurant, resort, or cruise on Bay Lake.

Everybody feels comfortable under different circumstances. If alternating commando days and sleep-in mornings works for you, then do that. Don't let others' opinions dictate what you do. This is vacation, and you should do it how you enjoy it the most.

 

[brevebelle]

Our last trip to Disney (last September), we were taking advantage of the EMHs, and so we took midday breaks around lunch time. We would go back to the resort, shower, change, grab a bite to eat, take a short nap, and then head back out to catch the bus back to the park around 3-4 PM. Then we'd stay in the park until close. Getting back in through bag check and security was really easy (side note: the only parks we visited on this trip were MK and HS), and went way faster than the initial entry in the morning.

 

[Bearval]

We will be staying at Coronado springs. On our Epcot day we have a big chunk of time before our 6pm dinner reservation. Is it a good idea to leave around 12, go back to the hotel for the pool, and then come back for dinner at 6pm? I have read a few posts that leaving and coming back can take up so much time with the buses and security. If the buses are hard, I figure we can just Uber back?

We do this on every trip. We go to the park that has EMH then back to the room around noon and then back to a different park later in the afternoon early evening where we have our FP for.

 

[5kidsmommy]

This is one reason why we love park hoppers. We go to one park in the morning, early but not super early, then go back and hang out at the resort for a bit. We then head back out around dinner time sometimes to a different park. We like staying onsite and stay in moderates or deluxe and want to enjoy the resort amentities. Our trips usually include at least 5 full park days so we get to see everything we want and then some. We want our Disney trips to be relaxing and midday naps and resort time help that happen.

 

[disneyseniors]

I look at the language used by go go go types to describe their park days, like “tough it out”, “power through”, etc. and not gonna lie, I cringe. To each their own obviously, because everyone is different, but that doesn’t sound like a fun vacation to me. Even before I got the AP I was about quality of park time over quantity. Especially with our physical challenges, ADHD/anxiety, we need that rest time to decompress from the constant stimulation. And I don’t think we’re getting any less value for our money than the people going rope drop to fireworks. We enjoy ourselves more than if we tried to stay all day. This is why we choose to stay Deluxe in proximity to parks though. It’s well worth the extra money to us to be able to leave and come back easily, and we get a lot of use out of the resort amenities on these breaks. Lyft makes it so easy now too even if you aren’t close.

I agree Kylenne! We have a dedicated park for the first half of the day, rope drop, eat lunch then back for a much needed rest due to medical problems. We always leave the afternoon, evening parks open. We decide when we are rested, and then head out. I enjoy touring this way very much, and not planning the evenings feels more spontaneous. This next trip in Feb/March 2020 I have only scheduled 5 of our 8 and a half days for mornings at a specific park. We will just return to a park if we want to and try for fast passes or just wait in lines. Much more relaxing to us.

 

[Carolyn Louise]

I've only really done it if I intended to be up late for EMH or MNSSHP, because I'm not a night owl, but when I have it's definitely made a big difference in me being able to enjoy a long night.

 

[beccasmom]

I think it’s a great idea to break during the day if possible. I guess it depends on park hours, but in the summer it is refreshing to get that break. With seniors or younger children, I would say it’s almost an imperative in the hottest weather. It’s easier with a car, but certainly doable without one - Uber, taxi, or Disney transportation without onerous changes (monorail (or walk) to CR, watercraft to WL, for example). Or head to a nearby hotel for lunch.

 

[Moliphino]

I honestly wish sometimes that I felt comfortable taking this approach--the problem I have is that the idea of "wasting" vacation time on a midday break makes me really anxious. Doesn't matter that I know I'll have better quality of time with a rest, doesn't matter that I've had not one but two Disney trips (Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) on which I did in fact take midday breaks and it was fine...every time I think about scheduling a midday break it still makes me seize up feeling like I'm going to miss out on something.

My way around it for my upcoming trip is that I've scheduled alternating commando days and sleep-in mornings. It feels easier for me to sleep in and show up late part of the time than to talk myself into leaving any earlier than I have to, even knowing I'll come back.

I'm the same way, and not just at Disney. Any time spent in the hotel (outside of sleeping and getting ready) feels wasted and I positively itch to get back out.

 

[ivegotayen]

We've done several trips to DLR, but this is our first WDW trip. My kids were still strollerable on past trips, and they napped fabulously in the stroller. Now they're bigger, so we'll have to play their stamina by ear a little and see if they want to take it all in the whole day or take a break. Knowing mine, I don't think they'll want a break.

I am going to miss the stroller! It's so nice having a hub for water bottles, snacks, etc. My younger kid is 7 and has a genetic syndrome that affects his knees, so I have considered bringing a stroller anyway just in case the walking is a bit much for him. I kind of have a feeling he might take a snooze in it if we brought it.

In the past, they'd each take a turn napping at some point. We would deliberately meander in a quieter area of the park until they drifted off, and one adult would sit with them and take a sensory moment while the other adult would ride with the other kid.

We usually aren't rope droppers, but we love to stay til the end and catch the fireworks. Riding rides afterwards always feels like a bonus, as we slip one more (and maybe another) in before finally calling it a night.

Last time we were at DLR my kids were 5 and 7. This time they'll be almost 8 and just turned 10. It'll be way different this time! New park, big kids, dining plan. Exciting!

 

[Summer2018]

We've done several trips to DLR, but this is our first WDW trip. My kids were still strollerable on past trips, and they napped fabulously in the stroller. Now they're bigger, so we'll have to play their stamina by ear a little and see if they want to take it all in the whole day or take a break. Knowing mine, I don't think they'll want a break.

I am going to miss the stroller! It's so nice having a hub for water bottles, snacks, etc. My younger kid is 7 and has a genetic syndrome that affects his knees, so I have considered bringing a stroller anyway just in case the walking is a bit much for him. I kind of have a feeling he might take a snooze in it if we brought it.

In the past, they'd each take a turn napping at some point. We would deliberately meander in a quieter area of the park until they drifted off, and one adult would sit with them and take a sensory moment while the other adult would ride with the other kid.

We usually aren't rope droppers, but we love to stay til the end and catch the fireworks. Riding rides afterwards always feels like a bonus, as we slip one more (and maybe another) in before finally calling it a night.

Last time we were at DLR my kids were 5 and 7. This time they'll be almost 8 and just turned 10. It'll be way different this time! New park, big kids, dining plan. Exciting!

Being a WDW veteran and having just visited DLR for the first time in April 2019, let me tell you that Disneyland and Disney World are very different. Disney World is vast. You will do a lot more walking in Magic Kingdom than you have done in Disneyland including the walk through Downtown Disney from the Disneyland Hotel. I recommend that you do a lot of research before your trip to WDW.