Opinions! Afternoon Break?

[jenniferma]

I agree with the post above--it depends on the time of year. We go in November and we didn't take a break. We stayed off site (business trip for DH) and our DD1 last year just took a nap in her stroller. When you go at less busy times of the year-- the parks close so much earlier-- we just couldn't justify leaving and coming back.

The kids did crash after we left the AK (at 4), but other than that-- we really had no problems with them lasting in the cooler weather. I agree that you should take some breaks during the day too-- we like to do a sit down lunch at MK just to give the kids a rest.

have a great trip--
jen (smiley by DD4)

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

We usually don't go back. Once, when we were going to MVMCP that night, we went back for a nap. And we were also staying at ASMo. It took a long time to get back, nap, and come back to the park. Couple that with shorter park hours during the winter months and you could lose a lot of park time.

For the rest of that trip and for our last trip, we did not go back mid-day. That's not to say that we didn't have any "down" time. Our kids were 3 & 6 on our last trip. The youngest would nap in his stroller. We would go to the Hall of Presidents in MK or the American Adventure in Epcot and the little one would be out like a light. The older one had a chance just to sit in the cool and rest. We would also sometimes get Mickey ice cream bars, find a shady spot, and just rest & people watch. Doing that was actually more relaxing for us that the hassle of the bus ride to & from our resort.

Next time we are doing a split stay between the Polynesian & the BCV. Being closer to the parks may convince me that going back for a break is a good idea.

You just have to do what feels right for your family. And you don't even have to have that all planned out before you go. Just evaluate how everyone is doing during the day. Is everyone still upbeat, having fun, and ready to go? Or are the kids starting to whine & complain? There will be your answer.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[TAKitty]

We had a lot of time this December, as long as you get to the park at opening, to return to the room for a rest. We left around 11 and would leave our hotel around 3/4.

 

[twojo21]

not everyday but we do take the occasional break back to the resort in the afternoon for a nap, lunch, swimming, etc. then we head out again & are good for the emh at night. plus were on vacation we like to relax.

if you plan on doing the emh i would definetly recommend a break.

 

[MichelleVW]

If we are going to be out late then we have to take a break in the middle of the day or we will all be miserable and cranky by the end. I honestly don't know how people stay at the parks from opening to end....I need a break at some point.

On our trip last week, the day we got to Epcot at 8 AM we had a lunch at Le Cellier at noon and sitting there for an hour with a nice leisurely lunch rested us enough that we could head to another park, but without that break...I don't think I would have been able to do it.

but like everyone said...Know your families limit and how much they can handle.

 

[Dopey420]

Our kids are 8 and 10. In the summers, when the parks have late closing times and it is hot, we take a break and swim at the resort.

In the winters, when the parks close early, we really don't need a break.

We are always at the park gates when they open.

 

[Disneyrsh]

My family (DH, DD8, DD51/2) and I will be taking our first trip to WDW 2/8/06-2/14/06 (staying at ASMo). I have been doing tons of reserach through these boards, the UG and TGM! (My husband thinks I'm CRAZY !) Here is what I really want to know from you veterans...Do you really go back to the hotel to rest in the afternoon? Both the UG and TGM reccomend we do, but i'm just not sure if it would be worth the hassle of draggin' the kids out of the park and back to the hotel? So PLEASE, I would love to hear from as many of you as possible! TIA!

Disney First timer!

ALWAYS.

We're mid 30's, 5 & 6 yo kids, been going back for an afternoon nap since before kids and we were in our 20's. Nothing better than having energy at the end of the night in disney, watching the fireworks.

We get into at opening, leave at lunchtime, eat lunch outside of the parks, swim at hotel, nap, eat dinner either in or out of the parks, and then close them down.

You're looking at a 4-5 hour chunk of time not in the park where you're recharging.

It's so worth it!

I also have to add two things; one, none of us normally nap but if you lay down in a pitch dark room quietly after running around disney for 6 hours you'll probably sleep-don't nap for more than 1 1/2 hours or you'll feel groggy-set the alarm.

And 2, if you get there right before the park opens you'll get on SO many more rides SO much faster you won't believe it. By 10:30, we don't even go on any more rides, and this is at all different times of the year. We do other things, like meet and greet stuff, becuase the lines have gotten really long.

 

[Allison]

My husband and I just got back from a weekend trip. We took an afternoon break and it was the best thing to do. We were worn out by late afternoon and ready for a quick rest. Even a short 1 hour nap made a big difference in having energy to see all the beautiful things that are available in the parks during the evening.

We took our kids in June 2004 and didn't take breaks. My the end of the day we didn't feel like staying into the evening. Now I know we missed a lot of "magic" by not experiencing the parks during the evening(except MGM but it rained). We will be taking breaks on our next trip based on what I just learned this past week.

 

[Disneyrsh]

And remember, a great time at Disney isn't about quantity, it's about quality...

 

[WDWFAN9]

Going back to the hotel, even though we stayed on Disney property, just never worked out for my family. Like other posters, we took our breaks in the parks - since we usually went in summer after we ate inside in airconditioning we would hit some of the indoor attractions. Many a time the younger kids napped through Hall of Presidents (ok, my DH might have caught a few zzzz's too!). You're just going to have to wait and see how your kids and YOU feel. Have a magical time!!

 

[NMAmy]

My dd is 15 and we still take a break in the afternoon. We go to early entry and stay till lunch. We have a table service lunch in whatever park we're at or at a nearby resort, then head back to our resort. We don't necessarily nap but we read, watch tv, or wander around our resort.

Sometimes we head to another park for dinner and fireworks--sometimes we just hang out at the resort for the rest of the day or go to DTD.

We've discovered over the course of many trips--this is the best way to keep us from getting cranky and wanting to beat each other up.

 

[mic_key_mouse]

Our trips are usually around 10 days long. We stay on site and breaks every day are non-negotiable. Most days it is a nap, sometimes just swim and relax at the pool or in the room. We also take one full day away from the parks and try to plan for one other day to sleep in.

 

[DisneyMom5]

You have to decide what's important to you. But we only had 5 days to work with. DH would like to stretch that out next time, to allow us a slower pace. But not everyone can afford 10 days, so you learn to use what you have!
We decided to skip parades and fireworks, as it was our second trip.
That freed up afternoon time for a long sit down lunch, and we headed back to the hotel around supper time for a swim and supper. (This was August.)
When we were there in Feb., it really used up a lot of park time to commute, and since things closed early, we just let them nap in the stroller. Fireworks were earlier, so that helped too.

We always try to get to the parks at opening. The time you save those first 2-3 hours is amazing. Much more valuable to us than a nap. Besides, loading and unloading 6 kids and a dbl stroller gets to be quite a pain. We'd rather spend out time at the parks.

BUT...if the fireworks are a must see, and its right after lunch and you are all lagging, go take a break. Play it by ear. Be willing to throw your afternoon plan out the window on any given day.
And if all you need is a comfy bench and a mickey ice cream bar to recharge, don't force yourself back to the hotel just to do it.
Flexibility is a really a BIG unspoken part of good planning.
IF you open the parks, and IF you utilize fast passes, and IF you have general idea of what things are most important to you to see, then you can have the flexibility to say "Hey, let's go take a nap!" or maybe "Hey, let's go take a long ride on the monorail."
It is really more fun to be flexible, but like I said, its really only possible to be flexible and still see just about everything IF your well organized to begin with. (Sounds like you should have no problem there! LOL)
Have a great time!

 

[Family Fun Mom]

We went in August and the heat was unreal. An afternoon break was absolutely necessary. Our three year old and my hubby would nap and I'd take the older kids to the pool. I remember how fabulous that afternoon swim felt. When your hot skin hits that cool water.... ahhhhhhh.

There was one day we did not take the break back to our hotel and that was our first Magic Kingdom day. We did, however, have dinner at Whispering Caynon that night and sat for a very long lunch at Cosmic Rays. If we didn't have those two breaks I don't think we would have made it throught the day.

I say plan some sort of break, whether it's a show in an air conditioned theater, eating at a sit down restaurant, or a nap and swim at your hotel. It does help get you through the day without burning out.

 

[andriade]

You will have a great time in WDW!

We always take a break. We have gone all day on 2 occasions and it went well. I have babies so mine do need a break. My 2 year old will NOT sleep in the stroller. He is the type that needs a nap. My DD could do ok I think but we won't know until we get there. I LOVE the park breaks we take. We would leave in the early afternoon and then shower and head out again. My family NEEDS them. We travel with my sister and her 3 kids and they do NOT take the breaks. Her kids are older than mine though. I will say that my kids never fell asleep during dinner and one of hers did twice. The one who fell asleep was the 5 year old. He fell asleep during Fantasmic too. It really depends on your family. I keep my kids on a schedule at home though so that may by why I take them back for naps on vacation.

I say try skipping the naps the first couple of days to see how you all do. You never know, the adults may want the break more than the kids.

 

[solgent]

At our last visit our twins were 4 and our youngest was an infant.

I had read in a guidebook that lots of kids say their favorite part of the Disney vacation was the hotel pool.

So I figured OK, our goal is to have fun, not see the most stuff. If the pool is fun, let's make sure to do the pool.

We got up early and had a big breakfast. Hit parks at opening, did lots of rides, etc., had snacks & treats, left around 1 or 2 for hotel. Had some pool time & early dinner. Then back to (usually a different park) around 5 or 6 for a couple of hours.

 

[chirurgeon]

On both of my long trips to Disney I found breaking to be absolutly necessary.

The first trip was with 9 of us. My DSis and DBIL and 3 D Nieces, DSis's in-laws and mom and me. The girls were 9, almost 6 and almost 3. A rest or a dip in the pool mid to late afternoon really revived us all. My DSis's MIL had some health problems coming on and the rests were very much needed. I know when we were at AK and were pushing it, I got really cranky. After we ate and sat for a while, me with my shoes and socks off (I don't cool off really well unless my feet get cool too.) I was ok after that. And then Kali River really cooled me off.

On the second trip, just Mom and me, but we still found the afternoon rest a blessing. No pool this time. It was December and too cool for swimming.

I just did a weekend this past June and was going commando style for 2 1/2 days. No rest and I felt it on the second afternoon. It was hot and I was meeting a friend at the GF for Afternoon Tea. So I took the Monorail from MK and since it goes the opposite way from GF, I got I nice cool ride and got to have a nice cool sit down in the lobby. If I hadn't been driving back to Tampa that evening, I would have passed out at the hotel for an hour or so.

Do what you think is right for you, but maybe try one afternoon early in the trip and see how that works for you.

Good luck and fun trip,
Kim

 

[Minerva]

Two mornings we just hung around the resort and swam and did laundry and didn't go to a park until after lunch. Other than that yes, we got up and got to the park for rope drop, spent 2 or 3 hours getting lots done then went back to the resort for a break. Not always a nap but just lounging around giving your feet and legs a break, even if only for an hour or 2 really does help. After our break we'd head back to the parks and stay until closing or just before. We'd take thing slower at night, stopping for parades and fireworks and just not rushing around as much as the mornings. That seemed to work well for myself, my 12 year old ds and 9 year old dd.

 

[jann1033]

we also break in the parks by having ts meals, sitting on a bench and eating a snack or people watch...if you are going off season( not sure how busy it is when you are going) you don't have the crowds or heat so imo you don't need to go back to break( we never have, even when our kids were smaller) also the hrs might be shorter so it 's a lot of wasted time if the parks are only open till 7 or so. we go early, stay till we're done then leave. we really have never had a problem doing most things in a trip off season since the wait times are nonexistant-15 mins. but to take 4 hrs out for a break out of 10 the park is open would make it very difficult if not impossible. we just go at a slow but steady pace, sit down when we are tired and have fun.

we also take an break from the parks for a whole day every few days. we visit resorts, dtd what ever but steer clear of the parks.

one thing i do think that is important though is to get enough rest. we are not club types so we pretty much head back to the resort after park closing/dinner.lf you were out till the early morning you probably would need a long break no matter what time of yr you go.

 

[princessblueeyzes]

When we took my Fiance's neice with us to WDW we took afternoon breaks from the park to go swimming at our resort. That was the best thing we could have done, since she and us needed some time to relax and then hit the parks again.I would definately suggest taking breaks during the day from the parks even if you don't nap.