is it too time consuming to go back for naps?

[veachjt]

We are going to wdw the week of thanksgiving with an almost 4 and 6yr old. We are staying at CSR. We are taking a stroller but I'm hoping they will nap in the stroller and not need to go all the way bk to the room! Opinions??

 

[LucyBC80]

We took breaks during our trip in February. We're staying at POFQ and we usually left the parks around 1 or 2pm to go back and have a nap/take a break (no kids but my mom is 70 and gets tired sometimes). We'd go back around nightfall. It was no hassle at all, buses were plentiful and we felt the break helped us stay fresh and fully enjoy the parks.

 

[MooskaMinnie]

We are going to wdw the week of thanksgiving with an almost 4 and 6yr old. We are staying at CSR. We are taking a stroller but I'm hoping they will nap in the stroller and not need to go all the way bk to the room! Opinions??

I don't have kids but I know that some days even I need a nap (or at least a break!) during the middle of the day!

We've always found that taking a break is worth the time - you're more refreshed when you go back and feel more inclined to have a better time! I'd think the same applies to little ones and that naps would great cut down on any tired tantrums.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We are going to wdw the week of thanksgiving with an almost 4 and 6yr old. We are staying at CSR. We are taking a stroller but I'm hoping they will nap in the stroller and not need to go all the way bk to the room! Opinions??

I say be ready for naps, but if they do sleep in the stroller, then just roll with it and keep having fun.

Is it a hassle to get back to the hotel to take a nap? Sure. But once your kids are tired and grouchy, no one has any fun anyway. The point of vacation is to have fun. If you miss out on a few hours at the parks in order to make sure everyone has fun, it will be totally worth it. And you are there during a time when there are long hours, so take a nice long nap, then come back and enjoy the night-time.

 

[snoopy5386]

I think it depends on how your family tours. If you are there at rope drop and want to see the nighttime shows, then yes I'd say a break is a great idea. We are not that family. We can't seem to make rope drop, generally getting to a park with the masses between 10-11 and then leaving before or after dinner depending on where we are eating. If we want to see the evening entertainment we don't hit a park until after lunch and stay through close.

 

[Skywise]

No. I had to put my older parents down for a nap and that helped keep them awake for the fireworks.

Actually it worked out very well... We got in early at the morning around 9 and did most of the rides in FantasyLand then lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. Then shopping on main street and back to the hotel by around 1:30 - hit the pool then nap then back into Disney around 6 for dinner and evening rides/shows.
(I had split our trip into 2 MK days so we did fantasyland the first day, and liberty town/adventure land/tomorrow land the 2nd)

This worked out as well because the crowds peak in the afternoon so ride times were very short. Now, you miss the afternoon parades but that wasn't a big deal for us.

 

[Crystal824]

It depends on the day, but most days we don't go back to the room for naps. Our 3 year old has always just napped in the stroller. For some children, I think it is necessary. You know your children best.

 

[scard192]

my sister did it in October with her 2/3 year old and some days we all came back so the kids could use the pool. We usually left the parks around 1PM, after the little one napped, we all took showers and headed back to the parks or to our ADRS around 5-5:30PM. No way my niece would have stayed up and been in a good mood until 9-10PM without the nap so worth it.

 

[Happyjen27]

Try it both ways and see.

For us it was an easy decision last year, my 5 year olds still napped at home, and they aren't sleepers on the move, not even in the car! It was very clear they were DONE with parks about 4 hours after we started which meant no matter how long it took, I was taking them back to the room for naps.

Your kids might be different. They might be stroller nappers, they might be fine with a break inside the park instead of in the room.

What I didn't figure on was how done I would be after 4 hours. I found myself short on patience and that mixed with kids who were overstimulated and tired was not what happy Disney memories were made of. The break did us all good. We didn't always sleep, but just getting out of the park, laying around the resort or swimming (we had a really warm week in December last year) was restorative.

This year at age 6, we are touring the same way. 4 hours in a park at a time. We might push it depending on how we're all feeling, but, I'm certain we won't ever be open to close people.

 

[PEC]

My plan is to stay in the park until 1-2 PM. Then have a couple of adults take the children for a nap and then for them to be back at around 6-630 for dinner in the park. That should have them with about a 2 hour nap.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We always made rope drop and stayed until about 1300. Then back to the resort for a kids nap or a swim, or whatever until about 4 or 5 and then off to whatever park for dinner and the evening.

I perfect break for my wife and I and the kids.

Have a great trip.

AKK

 

[2009CAN]

We just went with two 4-year-olds and 2-year-old. Our plan was to go back after lunch every day (we never made rope drop, but we were there by 9:30 every day) and nap the kids and then go back in the evenings if attitudes allowed.
We were not very successful. All of our lunches were ADR for character meals and by the time those were over, we were either getting back to the resort WAY after nap time and kids were already melting down, or we'd try to go on another ride before leaving and it pushes us later.
If we were to do it again, I'd try for a couple of non-park days in between for more rest and regrouping, or I'd not do lunch ADR and just eat on the way back to the resort or when we got to the room.

 

[pmaurer74]

We have gone 5 times and it is a MUST for us and a necessity. Especially in hot weather. Now in a few weeks we will be going in cool weather and going after lunch instead of the morning so we will see.

 

[dwheaton]

I think it's a good move, though it depends on the kids obviously. Our daughter didn't nap the last time we went (she was just shy of 3), but giving her the break was important. It does really help to have a car to make it quicker (except at MK where the bus is easier). Of course, that also depends on where you're staying.

Overall, I think it's mostly a good move unless you're moving really leisurely or the stroller naps happen. My daughter was far too stimulated by everything to chill for a nap while we there.

 

[Babyjeanmoore]

Way to time consuming for us. Our last trip my kids were 3, 5, and 7. We took a double stroller and never went back from rope drop to closing. Both of my little ones took naps in the stroller when they needed and when my oldest got tired usually late in the afternoon she would ride for awhile and one of the littles would walk. My kids never got overly tired or grumpy...I think they were having to much fun to care

 

[Tigger's ally]

not if you are in Liberty square and just go back to Hall of Presidents.

 

[skriegerjr]

We are going to wdw the week of thanksgiving with an almost 4 and 6yr old. We are staying at CSR. We are taking a stroller but I'm hoping they will nap in the stroller and not need to go all the way bk to the room! Opinions??

We just got back from 9 days at POFQ, and we tried to burn up the parks the first few days, and ended up simply burned out. DD5 took several naps, and even DS 10 who is normally extremely resistant to naps, took 2 while we were there. I took a 2.5 hr nap one day, and even fell asleep in a lounge chair by the pool one afternoon.

I think, as young as your kids are, you will thank yourself by the end of the trip, if you go back for a rest/swim. I know some will disagree with me, but for us, and the way we tour, mid-day nap/rest/swim is essential. One day, we were simply so exhausted at the end of the day, and decided we were relaxing at the resort the next day, and we used the MDE app, pushed all our FP+ to 4pm and later, and we just slept in, then swam, took a quick trip to DTD, visited the Lego Store, had lunch, then back to the resort, another swim, and then, we were refreshed when we got to the park at 4pm.

 

[pouncingpluto]

If I were new to WDW, maybe I would be more worried about seeing as much as possible. But I'm not. All of us, adults and toddler, are so much better off with a few hours of fun, then a few hours of rest, and them a few more hours of fun.

A home I usually cant nap, but at WDW I always pass out quickly. As soon as we put DD down for her nap, we are out too.

 

[Suziannie]

I'm going with a 2 year old (well she'll be 26 months) but she usually resists naps when we travel, even just to my others house and never has a problem staying up beyond 10 if we keep her entertained. We got a suite at AOA so we could try naps but aren't betting on it.

However, based on our past experience we are much happier at Disney when we leave the parks. We rely on the buses and haven't had a problem. We usually book our biggest meal as lunch so it's a sit down, then spend about an hour in the parks heading towards the exit afterwards. Once back at the room we nap, hit the pool or just zone out for two hours or so.

I normally take a shower, put on fresh shoes and clothes and we're back in the parks by 5pm most days. It works for us, and hopefully it will for our daughter.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Regardless of whether you actually go back to CSR to take a nap or not, it would behoove you to do something to break up the day and give the kids a break or even nap. Tour the resorts on the monorail loop, sit down and have a leisurely lunch, ride the TTA a few dozen times, something to give them a breather from the excitement of everything.

Our DD4 flatly refused to nap and will go until she just topples over from exhaustion, but we still make sure we're not pushing her too hard and that she has some sort of downtime, even if she won't take an actual nap. Let's just say that the "well, she's not going to sleep so I'm not going to bother trying to have her nap" did not work as well.