Planning to swim...

[Nana2Callie]

How do you plan your time for swimming? We have young children and learned the hard way that a day in the park and an evening of swimming is just too much - really wore the kids out. So, we tried to limit the time a little more last year and spend most of our times in the parks (with the idea that we can swim at home); but still... we want to give our kids time at the pools too. How does that work for your family?

 

[eliz603]

This year, we are driving, so our plans are different than they've been in the past. We are arriving on a Sunday, but our park time won't start until Monday. We are spending our first night at AoA before heading to OKW for the rest of our stay, primarily so the kids can have a bang up afternoon/evening at a really fun pool area. We don't plan on swimming a ton the rest of the trip. We just play it by ear, especially with a high maintenance 2 year old!

In the past, DH takes our oldest to swim while I rested with the younger ones during our midday break. Maybe once a trip was their night swimming.

 

[Happyjen27]

We usually would hit the parks in the morning for about 4 hours. Then we would go to the resort and have lunch and chill. On days they would nap, napping was our afternoon activity. On days they would skip nap and have an early bedtime they would swim in the afternoon. We would spend about 4 hours in the parks at a time, any more than that and my kids (and, to be honest, me too!) would be a wreck.

 

[dylans mommy]

We are arriving on a Saturday and are staying AoA for one night before we go to the Pop for the rest of our trip. We will be spending all afternoon and evening and part of the next morning swimming and exploring. They will have a ton of time to swim. On the other days of our trip we will come back tot he hotel sometime after lunch to rest and swim then go back to the parks at dinner time. Plus this trip we have added a "rest" day to swim as much as they want.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We take a break in the afternoon. It works best for DD as the swimming works as a sensory break for her. We hit rope drop and go until around 1:00pm or 2:00pm, head back to the resort, swim for a couple hours, then back to the parks in the evening after it cools off a bit and the crowds start to lessen. We usually go in either late-May or mid-August so it makes sense to avoid the hottest part of the day in the parks. Besides, I enjoy getting out of my sweaty clothes and into clean clothes in the evening.

 

[scoutie]

We took a break mid-day. I had a 6,8 and a 2 year old, so I would take the 2 year old back to the room to nap, while the older kids swam. We headed back to the parks at night.

Also, the first and last days we were there were swim days.

 

[deedeetoo]

When my kids were younger they loved to swim and since we don't have a pool at home, swimming on vacation was always one of our priorities. We had pool time every day. Since we usually stay at VWL, during our MK day it is easy to come back mid day and swim and nap, and then head back over after dinner. When going to AK or DHS we would just finish up at the park mid afternoon, come back for dinner and then swim. We tend to do 2 days at Epcot, an early day and a late day. For the early day, we do the future world stuff, eat lunch, maybe roam the stores a bit, but then come back early to mid afternoon and take the rest of the day off. For our late day, we have the morning at the hotel so we can sleep in and go swimming. Then we head over to Epcot mid to late afternoon to hang out on the international side, eat dinner and stay for Illuminations.

 

[pumpkinpatchquilter]

I guess it depends on how old your kids are and what swimming means to them! My kids are 2, 8, and 11 and we also do not have a pool at home. We found that for us, we would go to the park for half a day, then come back to the hotel and the littlest would nap. While she was napping the older two and I would go to the pool to cool off and relax. I found it was SO refreshing!!! Now, they aren't super rowdy pool kids either - probably because I'm a bit of a Nun and overprotective around water...just too easy for accidents to happen, so it was just calm splashing and wading around in the cool water for us. After a swim we'd usually eat something and then head back out to the park at night.

My Husband doesn't like to swim so he'd stay back with the two year old - I tell you what, I don't know if I could have handled those long hot Disney days with out that calm swimming time!

 

[GoldieLocks5]

last year we often went back around 3pm and my 4yo twins napped while my 6yo son and husband went swimming.... we'd go swimming sometimes early evening before heading out for fireworks, etc. or spend the morning at the pool and go to the parks later in the day.

this year will be harder b/c we're on deluxe dining and have a lot more ADRs - but we'll figure it out.

we also don't do parks on arrival or departure day - so we can swim then, etc.

 

[lilboud12]

We will have to do this next time my 8 year old had a great time and has a pool at home but was bummed she didn't get to swim in Disney and to be honest my husband could have used a midday break to nap or swim maybe he wouldn't have been Grumpy at night.

 

[Spunky946]

It depends on how long our trips are. If it's a longer trip then we plan a non park day in the middle of the trip for swimming and such.

On a shorter trip we do a mid day break and swim/rest and head back.

Or we do a swim morning and do the parks in the afternoon evening.

 

[Tasmen]

We plan to fit swim time in during mid-afternoon breaks on days we have later evening plans.

 

[DaniMoon]

We would do the parks til 2 or 3, go back to the resort, grab something for dinner and then decide what our plans for the evening would be. Sometimes the kids just wanted to stay and do more pool.

Best trip ever, followed their lead.