Isn't Breaking for a Mid-day Nap a Pain at Magic Kingdom?

[Vickie46]

dip in the pool on a hot day.. is so worth it to my family!!!!!!! Its such a refresher and it gives you the energy to enjoy the rest of the day! I say go back and take a break!

 

[Aneille]

I think transportation out of MK is a hassle too unless you can take a monorail or a bus. If you are driving its a real pain.

So even when we rent a car we don't take it when we go to MK. The bus is quicker.

What we did a lot of this trip was when we took our break at MK we would get lunch at one of the monorail resorts and then you could hop the monorail back to MK if you wanted. We usually took a bus back to the Boardwalk and hit Epcot or MGM that night though. Once we even took a bus from the Grand Floridian directly to MGM.

We hardly ever go back to the same park after a break, whether it is a nap break, pool break or just a lunch break.

My kids just wouldn't fall asleep in the stroller this trip. The last 2 trips they did all the time.

 

[spoiltrotten12]

Because of the Monorail and Ferry Boat? I keep reading on the boards that the parking entrance to Magic Kingdom is the same as the TTC Lot.

And from there...depending on how far you park your car, you take the Tram to the Monorail...and the Monorail takes you to the entrance of Magic Kingdom..so total time getting to MK is estimated at 45minutes-1 hour? Is that right?

So, if you leave Magic Kingdom for a Mid-day break and you have to take 2 modes of transportation to get back to you car, isn't that stressful?

Can you tell me exactly how you handle your transportation getting to Magic Kingdom?

We normally stay at a resort on the monorail to make it a lot easier getting from MK to our room if DD2 is sleepy and had enough, plus with a new addition to the clan (DS born in April) it's more important now. When we don't stay at a resort on the monorail it is a pain and we've had to leave MK earlier than planned before. How will we cope in October and December?

We also stayed in a villa once pre-kids and it was a nightmare leaving as it was closing time. We got lost when leaving and missed the turn off to the 192 and ended up on the I4 and done a big circle and somehow ended up back on the 192. It's funny now but at the time quite scary! Plus, we've never stayed in a villa since, it's always been on-site! I think we are scarred for life now.

 

[vellamint]

We have taken these kids 3 times - the only time we went back for a rest (because they did not nap anymore) was when we stayed on site. The other two times it was just too far and long to come back....at least in our minds - even thought our hotels were literally outside the gates.

I think a rest and a swim did wonders for our family when we did it. Kid cooled off and let off pent up steam.....my husband could lay down in air conditioning and veg out in front of the television. IF we wanted we would have ONE adult beverage. When we were done and ready to go back we were all ready to start again!

That was the BEST Disney vacation that we ever had!

This trip I have breaks scheduled for everyday and will try to have the family stick to it....sometimes it is hard to leave though..

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We stay onsite at a monorail or boat resort and it is a breeze to get back to the resort. We usually do a midday break. Even if we go swimming or just have lunch and sit on the lanai. We like the down time. My kids also need a nap usually and a stroller nap is not the same for them as lying in a bed in a cool room. I don't think if I was staying off property that I would do it though.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

We did this (returned to a car in the MK parking lot) a LONG time ago, (1990) when I was senior in high school. At that time, it took about an hour to actually get from the park gate, to the car, and out of the parking lot. As much has changed in the past 16 years, I don't know this helps or not. It would depend on: 1. The time you arrive at the park. 2. The time of year you go. 3. How late you plan to stay at the park after you return. 4. What routines your kids are in at home. 5. How things are going at the time. If the kids are miserable and cranky, staying in the parks to "get your money's worth" is only going to aggravate the problem. I've always enjoyed a mid-day break, and as summer is the only time of year we can go, the parks are open later there is still plenty time to enjoy yourself in the parks after the break. Ultimately the rule we always follow when vacation with our toddlers is "BE FLEXIBLE!” Hope this helps!

 

[golden1]

I am planning on breaks because my kids don't sleep in strollers. I also think the change of scenery will be good for them. I figure by hitting the MK at opening, leaving at lunch, and then returning at 3 or 4pm we should be able to see everything.

 

[HayGan]

We took naps everyday but then again we only went to MK and Epcot and we were staying at the Poly. It is really easy to do that when you are staying at a monorail resort.

This year we are staying at OKW and I don't really anticipate many afternoon breaks. However, we will be getting later starts in the morning so that we won't need a break by mid-afternoon. One day we are planning on doing AK in the morning, going back to OKW to rest and then going to MVMCP one night.

DH has sworn to divorce me if I this a commando-style trip

 

[crisi]

I am planning on breaks because my kids don't sleep in strollers. I also think the change of scenery will be good for them. I figure by hitting the MK at opening, leaving at lunch, and then returning at 3 or 4pm we should be able to see everything.

This is a great plan if the parks are open late and if the nap means the kids will stay up late. For people travelling when the MK closes at 6:00, they often discover that if they leave at noon, they really don't get back to the park until 4:00 and then don't get much done before they are leaving at 6:00. So time of year can make a huge difference in if you push your kids from 12-1 - then just take the afternoon and evening off or if you leave and take a nap.

One thing we used to do is the carseat nap. Not at Disney since we don't rent cars. But if you are driving, and your kids sleep in the carseat, you may want to think about if waking them up is a good idea to get them into a real bed for a real nap, or if driving around for an hour and a half and letting them nap in the car will accomplish what you need. Mine would never go back to sleep if they got even ten minutes, so if they fell asleep in the car, we stayed in the car.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I agree with those that say stroller nap! When our son sleeps we just relax on a bench or do some shopping. I think it is a pain to go back to the resort, even if staying on-site. However, if we are planning on going to a different park in the evening than we do go back to the resort for a couple hours.

 

[sameyeyam]

We stay on-site so mid-day breaks are not a big problem - hop on the bus and go. We go to parks before they first open and hit most of the rides when lines are short, have lunch around noon or 1pm and then leave when it's getting hot & crowds are getting bad. My kids are 7 & 14 and love the breaks.

We go back to the hotel, jump in the pool & cool down, then take a nap. We wake up around 6pm, shower, put on fresh shoes and then head back to the park around 7pm. Our dinner ressies are usually at 8-9pm. We eat, watch fireworks, and then if we feel like it pick a couple of family favorite rides to go on, or just walk around and find something with a 5 minute or less wait!

I think by avoiding the crowds in the middle of the day you can ride just as many rides, maybe even more. First thing in the morning popular rides have short waits and later in the evening the not as popular rides have virtually no wait time! We never feel like we are missing anything, except maybe the heat, crowds and feeling tired!