Late August, break or no? Pop Century related...

[DWeav]

We are going to disney world on Aug 26, staying 11 nights. We're from central PA, so obviously not used to florida humidity.

Staying at Pop Century. Its me, my wife and our 5 year old girl. Should I absolutely plan breaks to the resort in middle of day? Rope dropping and pre opening breakfasts each day.

If so, what kind of time am I having to plan for transportation back to Pop? (buses)

Animal kingdom, we're going all day so that its a 1 day park. Hollywood studios we figure shows in afternoon should keep us a little fresh. But Epcot and MK may need breaks.

I did buy a camelbak water backpack to load with ice water in mornings. Is it as bad as some people making it out to be? Thanks!

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

We are going to disney world on Aug 26, staying 11 nights. We're from central PA, so obviously not used to florida humidity.

Staying at Pop Century. Its me, my wife and our 5 year old girl. Should I absolutely plan breaks to the resort in middle of day? Rope dropping and pre opening breakfasts each day.

If so, what kind of time am I having to plan for transportation back to Pop? (buses)

Animal kingdom, we're going all day so that its a 1 day park. Hollywood studios we figure shows in afternoon should keep us a little fresh. But Epcot and MK may need breaks.

I did buy a camelbak water backpack to load with ice water in mornings. Is it as bad as some people making it out to be? Thanks!

We have traveled to Disney every August since 2006 (and we are from the north too... Canadian) We do AK in one day (take breaks watching Nemo and Festival of the Lion King shows) and DHS (take breaks for Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid). But for MK and Epcot, we take afternoon breaks. We are rope drop and PPO breakfast people, so we try to get as much done as we can early in the day, have lunch and return to resort from 1-5 to nap and swim. We have teen DD's now, and they still appreciate the break. Afterwards, we head into park for dinner and to use our FP+. August is extremely hot and humid- even the daily thunderstorm / rain doesn't cool it down. We drink lots of water and use frogg toggs. It is manageable, but it is definitely hot - unbelievably hot. However, we keep going back, so it can't be all that bad We are coming to WDW for 16 days this August! Just be prepared and take breaks if needed. A dole whip, ice cream or smoothie really helps cool us down too!
We really find the buses to be great and don't have to wait too long to go back to the resort in middle of the day. We stayed at POP once and loved it. Have fun!

 

[Parker Clan]

We've gone every August since 2011 and yes you should absolutely plan a mid day break everyday! I think it's key for maintaining stamina and energy the entire trip. I can't speak to the transportation time because we always drive. But being at the pool when the sun is the hottest is key!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Is it as bad as some people making it out to be? Thanks!

Yes The weather is brutally hot as the day approaches midday. And then the daily lighting and thunderstorms come rolling in. Rain is one thing, but you usually want to take cover because of the lightning. I use a lightning app to keep track to plan our next move (the lightning rolls in from West to East). You just hope it ends quickly, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. The key is to make rope drop and get as many of your must-dos done early and then go back out later. Here is an article about it...
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...ghtning-alley-lightning-deaths-john-jensenius

 

[Love Tink]

We went two years in a row during the last week of August. The first year (2013) wasn't too bad. Sure, it was very hot, but we thought all the thunderstorms were a bigger hassle than the heat. We didn't really take breaks. The second year (2014) was so brutally, unbearably hot that we had to take breaks - it wasn't even a choice. One of my sons was throwing up in the heat and the others were drained by 11:00. We'll never do August again, but if we did I would go in assuming that we couldn't make it all the way through the days without some time in the dark, cool room.

I was just at Pop last week and the bus service there is good. From stop to room probably averages half an hour - of course you can get lucky or unlucky at either end.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Also swimming can be tough. Once you are back at the resort if the storm is still going within a certain radius, the pools will be closed. Not saying you can't swim, but it's not necessarily on your preferred timeline.

 

[Cruisin Spartan]

We stayed at Pop for 10 nights at the end of April/early May. We definitely took breaks most afternoons, especially on our early mornings. The only time we didn't was when we slept in. Just to be safe, I would count on around 4 hours or so for an effective break.

 

[toni nicole]

We always have mid day breaks. If you are staying on site it's easily done and totally worth it and I find that the breaks completely add to the trip. some of my fondest memories are just relaxing in our beautiful hotel rooms, it is a vacation after all You will see the difference in everyone in your party's attitude after a break, my favorite is going back to the park refreshed at night time. We have stayed at Pop before and will be there in August as well. Enjoy!

 

[aretha30]

We go every August and we take breaks each day we are in the parks. We are RD people so we like to take a break around 1-2 and go back around 5-6. Transportation can vary depending on how long you wait at a bus stop for a bus to arrive but usually we are back at the resort within an hour of when we left. We think of this as part of our rest time though. I wouldn't worry about the time "lost" to transportation, breaks are very necessary in the August heat. We grew up in FL and live now in NC and still need a break; drink lots of water and take a break you will be fine and have a great trip!

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm a teacher married to a teacher, with 3 kids who are students. We only go over the summer.

I vote for yes.

It's August and you have a 5 year old. The reality is that no matter how wonderful WDW is, she's going to want to swim.

We take a break every single day. We're at the parks for rope drop. By about 1, the parks are getting very crowded, and the crowds are getting cranky. You'll hear more than one parent yelling at a kid that they've spent thousands of dollars on a WDW vacation, and they are NOT spending it at a pool!!

Take the break. Let your daughter swim, you and your wife have a fruity cocktail or a cold beer.

Keep your eye on the big picture. It's about having a wonderful vacation with WDW as the backdrop. You'll all have a better vacation if you are comfortable and happy, and for my family at least that means a mid day break.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We are going in September, and we're expecting the same kind of heat/humidity. We plan of taking a midday break EACH day. Our AK day is still up in the air, because we may want to get there later in the day and use the morning to sleep in and swim, so we can enjoy the nighttime things at AK, instead of getting there in the morning. Besides that, we plan on a midday break, especially having a baby with us for the first time. We normally take breaks each day, even without kids, so I am hoping to stick to the same kind of plan. We like doing the parks in the morning, then head back to the resort around 12:30-1pm, and then head back to the parks in the evenings when the sun is down. I don't like being in the parks in the middle of the afternoon, when they are at their most crowded and the temps are at their hottest. I'd rather be relaxing, enjoying the pool and/or take a nap to recharge for the evening.

 

[DisneyOma]

We've stayed at Pop multiple times - they have a good bus system. They don't share with another resort, so there are no extra stops.

Pools at pop in August are like bath water, not refreshing at all. Try them at night if you have to have a swim.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

Heat is so subjective. To us August was horribly hot. We declared to never go again that time of year. But we still had a great trip. We took breaks daily, unless we had an early day planned (out of park by 3 or 4). Needed them to get relief from the heat. Not sure why but even air conditioned rides and attractions didn't seem very cool to me. Restaurants and our hotel room were nice and cool though. Drink lots! Be prepared for downpours! My sons cell phone got ruined on day one in a storm. A 16 year old with no cell phone for a whole week is not a good thing.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Breaks are a good idea no matter the time of year you go I think. For the hottest part of the year-it's a must! With or without kids we do RD to right about lunch time and then head back to the room. Pool time with a nice cold drink is part of vacation. A nap in a quiet, dark, cool room is a nice reward for getting up early to make RD. Enjoy the resort, PoP is a neat place to be, it definitely feels like Disney.

In the park, lots of water. Get the shows when you need a break from the heat. Shops are also a good place to cool off for just a minute too.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

Definitely take breaks... Animal Kingdom would end up as a half day but now with the night time activities, we will probably treat it like all the other parks. Rope drop like comandos, midday break and go back to see a show or casually tour. 11 nights is awesome, have fun.

 

[TinkFan74]

We go in August every year, and we take a break everyday. Not only does a midday break keep you out of the parks when they are at their hottest, but also when they are the most crowded. If you are going into the parks for 10 days you have the ability to enjoy the parks at a leisurely pace, which makes the trip a lot less stressful. For us, our favourite time in the parks is at night when the sun has set, the lines are shorter, and we are refreshed after a nap.

 

[toasterstrudel]

I'm the lone dissenter I guess. We go in August each year and never do a break in the day. We get there around rope drop (but no prepark openings for us!) and stay until after the fireworks. We plan out our day so we do a sit down lunch and the indoor attractions (carousel of progress, philarmagic, etc) in the heat of the day. We have tried the breaks but find that we feel like we spent too much time on transportation to make it worth it. And once we get back to our room and shower/clean up - we don't really want to go back out. Ha.

We instead schedule days off in the middle of our trip. Usually we do 2 park days, then a resort day, then 2 park days etc. Our August trip looks like this Sun-Magic Kingdom, Mon - Typhoon Lagoon (this is like a break day for us!) Tues - Magic Kingdom, Wed - Epcot Thursday - RESORT Fri - Magic Kingdom Sat - Hollywood Studios Sun - Epcot.

 

[Anal Annie]

We are from Maryland and the majority of our trips have been in early-mid August. The heat and humidity is not really different in FL than it is in Maryland in August. I wouldn't expect it to be a lot different in Central PA than it is in Maryland. It is going to be hot and humid either place.

We almost always take an afternoon break for a dip in the pools or a nap or to just get off our feet for a couple of hours. Then we shower & go back out for the evenings. We usually plan for 1 water park day somewhere in the middle of our summer trips. The regular pools can feel like bathwater if it's been a super hot stretch but the waterparks feel cooler somehow.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm not a fan of the breaks either. When my kids were younger we'd do rope drop cause they were up, then we'd leave at around 4pm. We'd just make sure afternoon touring was mostly indoors. Then we'd head back to the resort for a swim, dinner and the movie under the stars. Very relaxing.

Maybe one or two nights we'd start our first park early afternoon and stay for fireworks.

 

[hooch11bear]

We are from PA also and travel to FL in August as well. We always plan a break in the afternoon. We like RD as well, so it can be a bit overwhelming in the afternoon. My DD is going to be 18 in August, and she likes to have a break also. She used to want to swim during our breaks, but now we take a little nap so that we are refreshed for the evening. The humidity is definitely intense in FL in the summer. As soon as you open the door in the morning, it hits you like a wall. I don't know how else to describe it. Even though we like TS meals, we need a break on top of that.