Mid-day break-- Practical?

[cakebaker]

When we add up the hours we spend in the parks, I think we spend as much time as those who go in the mornings and leave in the early evening. We're there at rope drop and we close whatever park we go to. If we didn't take a break there is no way we'd make it open to close, especially in the hot summer months when we travel.

 

[bluezy]

We'll be at MK for one day with a preschooler and a toddler. Our plan was to head back to the resort midday for a rest. But then I started looking at maps and reading about bus schedules... Is it even practical to try to go from MK back to AoA for a break midday, then return for a few hours? (We'll be using the bus.)

The older one will be ok without a nap, but the 14-month old will definitely need to rest. She's not the type to sleep in the stroller or anywhere with distractions. But if we're looking at over and hour round-trip travel time to go back, that's a lot of wasted time.

Has anyone gone back to AoA from MK and returned in the PM? Did it work out ok? If not, what are your favorite 'rest' locations at MK? Does the baby care center have rocking chairs and/or a dark room?

If we stay at the park, I imagine we'll probably leave the park for the day by 3 or 4.

I think it really depends on how late the park is open and how late you would stay if you went back in the evening. When our kids were younger we would usually just go from rope drop and muddle through the afternoon heat by focusing on shows in the afternoon. We'd head back to the resort around dinner time and do our swimming/relaxing in the evening. Now that the kids are older, we always take a break on our MK day(s). We were just there a week and a half ago and the heat index was well over 100 degrees. We got to the park for the 8:00 a.m. open and by 1:30 we were ready to escape the heat for a longer period of time than any show or attraction would provide. According to my notes, we were at the bus stop for AoA at 1:40 and there was a bus there that we could have walked on but it was standing room only at that point so we decided to wait for the next bus. We were on a bus by 1:55 and back at AoA @ 2:15. We swam and rested for a few hours and headed to the Contemporary for a quick dinner around 6:00 and then over to MK by 7:15 and stayed until 11:45. For us, it's totally worth the break but our youngest child is 10 and we can stay in the park until closing time (we've followed this same routine since she was 6).

 

[Andyman33]

we also always take breaks. an extra hour or two not in the parks plus the nap time is well worth it. think about it...spend 6 hours in the park with happy kids or 8 hours with crab asses.....you choose

 

[dbavis]

We just got back from a trip where we stayed at POR. We went into it with the idea of taking mid-day breaks but we ended up not doing it too much. Especially at parks like MK, it just seemed like the effort of making our way all the way back to the resort and then all the way back into the park again would probably eat up too much of the day. We did have one day where we spent morning to mid-afternoon at AK then went back to the resort for an hour or two before going to MK for dinner at CP.

 

[BethanyRichardson]

Thanks. everyone! I think we'll have two plans, and then play it by ear which one we follow. It's good to know that the break has worked out well for some.

We'll be there in mid-September, so hot but nothing we're not used to here in Texas. I think closing time is scheduled for 9. *Typically,* my girls are good to be out and about as long as we need to, but once we head home we usually stay home. I don't typically take them out more than once a day (our drive into 'town' from home is about as long as the bus ride from MK to AoA, I suppose). I know we'll be at the park at rope drop, because my girls hate to sleep past 5 am. Ideally, we'd be able to take the break after lunch, go back for an early dinner and another ride or two, then I'd take the little one 'home' for bed while DH kept the big one at the park for fireworks... but realistically, we're early-to-bed types and the kids need a slower evening. I'm pretty sure that if we headed back to the resort for naps, we'd never make it back. (Especially since we don't have park hopper passes or anything).

So I guess it's best to let the momentum of excitement carry us as far as we get, and then be done whenever we're done... whether that's noon or 4. Then dinner at the resort and evening pool time. I'm sure we'll make our way back to WDW when they're older. They can see fireworks then. I have to keep reminding myself... even if we do nothing but ride our 3 fast pass rides, eat a Mickey Bar, and use every restroom in the park three times, it will be magical.

 

[MissouriPrincess]

I agree that it depends on the time of year. I have only been in the summer since I am a teacher. I don't think I want to try to go all day, children or not! But I don't really like the hot temps. I've been when my youngest was 2 and 4. We stayed at AKL Kindani both times, and everyone always says that the resort is far away, but I guess I don't know any better. It didn't seem to be a problem for us.

We went from around rope drop to around 1:00 pm most days. We'd have lunch in the park or our room, and then we closed the curtains and all of us took a little rest. Sometimes it was all afternoon, and sometimes it was shorter. Around 4:30 or 5:00, we'd get ready again and usually head to dinner somewhere. After dinner, we would tour a park again until closing (except if closing was past midnight). We'd come back and get ready for bed and to do it again the next day. We did have one sleep-in day in the middle of our trip where we didn't leave the resort until about 5:00.

We hope to go back next summer, and I can't see our breaks changing. It is really hot.

 

[Boo Bear]

The busses to and from parks/AoA are pretty straight forward. I'd go for the afternoon breaks.

 

[Praying Colonel]

With kids that age, I'd do a 3/4 day and stay 'til 4. We didn't bother with night time entertainment until my kids were several years older.

Agreed with this, especially if you're only there for 1 day. We do afternoon breaks because we're usually there for 5-7 days and we'll hit the wall at some point if we don't pace ourselves. If I were only there for 1 day, I think I wouldn't take an afternoon break. Good places for a rest in the park include lunch at Columbia Harbor House (cool and quieter upstairs), Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

If you feel like you need the break, I would take it You'll be thankful in the end. Kids can get very cranky when they're tired. Not even kids, but adults too! My family's not in to mid day breaks, but I know how they can be a lifesaver to some!

I disagree with some of the travel times posted. I'd put the travel time closer to 45 minutes or so. If you drive to the MK, however, it'll take a lot longer.

 

[Heluvsme]

We just returned and we stayed even further away, at Windsor Hills, and did what we do every time---- go at rope drop, leave around lunch time, and we returned at 5:00 and stayed until 11:00. It works perfectly! And we were there on an "8" day crowd-wise.

If your kiddos aren't good at staying up late at night, I wouldn't attempt it though.

We did Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, and Winnie The Pooh in the morning, all with no FP+, just riding standby. Longest wait was Peter Pan.... 20 minutes, but so worth it, the new queue is awesome!

We had 3 FP+ in the evening--- Splash, BTMRR, and SM, plus we did everything else! Yes, on an 8 day! The only thing we didn't do was Pirates because it was closed! Once the parade and fireworks start at night, the lines at the rides go wayyyyyy down! It was great!

We had about 4 hours for a break in the middle of the day. We went swimming for an hour and a half, we had lunch, we laid on the couch and watched TV with our feet propped up. Definitely worth the break for us!

 

[BudgieMama]

We'll be planning afternoon breaks for two adults using the bus system. We tried to not take them last year, and gave up after one day! Way too hot to be out all day, even with a TS meal booked and plenty of long, indoor rides.

Having a swim, a shower, and what passes for a cup of tea at WDW makes a bit difference to how I feel!

 

[Aurora0427]

My personal opinion....the "Mid-Day Break" from the MK was an invention created during the days when most on site guests stayed at the Contemporary and Poly. It is a breeze to go back there. But trying to employ the same strategy when staying at a Value or most Moderates is tough to pull off. Better to investigate in-park downtime strategies like the train, Riverboat, Peoplemover, CoP, etc.

I agree.... We've stayed around the monorail the past three trips for this very reason- so our toddler could nap. It worked out great. We were back at the Poly/GF/WL in no time after lunch. I think it would be much harder at any of the other resorts, but that's just my opinion.

If your littles can stay up late, I think it can work, but if they nap from 1-3, back at the parks by 5, but they need to be in bed by 8, that's a lot of time.

 

[BabyHabs]

I went 2x with the plan of taking a mid-day break, but with all the travel time, it seemed more work then it was worth and after we left mid-day, we never made it back.
So what we do now is plan 1/2 days. Either make it there at rope-drop and stay until 2-3-ish and then pool and relax at night, or sleep in, let the baby nap and leave after lunch and stay until after fireworks.
The days are just too long. It's a lot of wasted time only doing half days, but quality time is better than quantity sometimes and no one has fun with cranky kiddos.
Also, my toddler NEVER napped in a stroller until Disney, so it can happen.

 

[alex9179]

We just returned and we stayed even further away, at Windsor Hills, and did what we do every time---- go at rope drop, leave around lunch time, and we returned at 5:00 and stayed until 11:00. It works perfectly! And we were there on an "8" day crowd-wise.

We had about 4 hours for a break in the middle of the day. We went swimming for an hour and a half, we had lunch, we laid on the couch and watched TV with our feet propped up. Definitely worth the break for us!

This is our plan for our trip in 6/2016. We've gone in the cooler months, before, and just stayed due to early closing times. I want to take advantage of some AM/PM EMH hours with hoppers, while avoiding peak crowds at the EMH parks. Swimming, naps, dinner then evening fun! We are contemplating a non-park day, too, but we never seem able to do it!

Is EPCOT the only park that closes certain rides in the evening/EMH?

 

[Day-Day]

For OP, going in mid-September is so much different than crowded summer months; park hours may be shorter but crowds will be very low.

Be aware of any special events that may be scheduled for MK during your stay such as Nights of Joy or Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). If you visit MK on one of these days but do not plan to attend the special evening event then don't plan on a mid-day break but expect very low crowds until late afternoon when special guests start to arrive. If you visit MK on a day without a special evening event, the park will be a little more crowded during the day because guests that want to see evening parades (if one is scheduled) and fireworks will pick that day to visit the MK.

In general, on very crowded days, the 3 hours or so of time that is spent away from the park for a mid-day break during the middle of the day is not very valuable time anyway. The crowds are at their peak and it can be difficult to accomplish much during that time. As other posters have pointed out, if it is hot and crowded, it is good to have a plan for a mid-day break by going back to the resort or using a method within the park like longer rides, indoor air-conditioned attractions, a sit-down (table service) meal, etc. We have taken many mid-day breaks by visiting our resort no matter which Disney Resort we were staying at. The bulk of travel time takes place just getting out of the park and to the mode of transportation. If riding a bus or driving a car, once on the bus or car, it is only a few minutes difference from a park to any resort.

 

[BethanyRichardson]

Thanks-- we're there on Sunday the 13th, so no NOJ or MNSSHP... hours are currently scheduled at 9-9. Being a Sunday and no special events, crowds may be a little bigger, but not so bad that I'm worried.

Plan will be no break, quiet lunch, leave by 3-4; but we'll have that break time in our pocket for a back-up. Realistically, I don't think we'd make it back to the park. DD is sort of an I'm-done-when-I'm-done person, and she'd be a definite grump if we tried to go back after her brain exits 'park mode.' (Or if we tryt o make her leave before she's done.) Much easier to get her into a new mode, like 'swimming mode' or 'movie mode' and just let her stay there until bedtime!!

Kids... they're all sort of trouble, eh?

 

[kadrachb]

This past trip my boyfriend and I would leave MK around 1 or 2 to take a break at our resort, which was AKL. We wouldn't return to the park until 6 or 7. It worked out fine, but during our breaks if we slept for too long, we might not have gotten pool time in. We never had to wait a very long time for a bus though.

 

[tlmadden73]

Heat could factor into the break need..
I went in October and didn't break with a 2 year old .. We had him nap in a quiet corner near Splash Mountain and that worked well.

I just never see it worth the time unless you are on a monorail resort.

My plan in August (with the now 3-year old (and his cousins ..4 and 2)) .. is to not take a break. My in-laws may want to, but I see the distance between AoA/Pop and MK as a very long transit to get a break. I could easily see 45-60 minutes to get back to hotel (including the walking out of the park and to your hotel room) ... I think it will be easier to break in the park. My plan is go to Tom Sawyer Island .. no A/C .. but shady .. non-napping kids can play or younger kids can nap. Some adults can go on some nearby rides while the kids naps ..(Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Country Bears, Railway, etc.)

All that being said .. especially since our MK day is a morning EMH .. we may just head back right after our BOG lunch reservation (12:30), but would need to return for Cinderella rez at 5:30 though I feel that it just may be rushed with probably only 4 hours between the end of lunch and beginning of dinner.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We are going mid December with a 5 year old and will not take breaks, however that's mainly because of the short MK times due to MVMCP. Our longest day is at Epcot and we'll just find a quiet spot somewhere and let her sleep in the stroller if she needs it. The only day we might break at the resort is when we park hop between AK and MK. We are staying at POR and I know it can be quite a walk around the resort.

 

[nat8199]

We do not do mid-day breaks, instead we do a TS lunch. We also stick to our kids' bedtimes as closely as possible, just pushing it back by an hour at most (6:30 at home, so 7:30 at Disney), so taking a mid day break would waste a lot of key time for us. That said, if the kids are done with a park for the day, we just head back to the pool for late afternoon before dinner. We just RD and go until the kids are done or dinner, whichever comes first.