Rest time on vacation

[Corjack]

We didn't do it. If we were planning on being at the parks late, we just arrived later in the afternoon. We are pretty laid back vacationers though.

jackie

 

[Mom2Nick]

We do. We start the day at rope drop and end just before the parks close. We ALL need a mid day break so we typically start out in one park and leave by 2 and go back to our hotel. We swim and relax by the pool or just walk around the Boardwalk for a bit, then we freshen up, go to a different park for dinner and end the night there.

In the early years pre-kids DH and I did the commando thing and never left the park until it closed, then we had kids and had to start leaving for naps - now my youngest is 5 but we still leave for a break

 

[J3nn78]

We do. Our boys needed the naps the last 2 times. This time, we are going in August so most definitely. We are also staying at Poly for the first time, so getting back to the hotel for a swim should be no big deal. My boys are super excited to swim in the volcano pool too.

 

[eeyorepixie]

We did a few family breaks last trip. We would have done more but there was not really enough time on some days because, we were being held hostage by our ADR's

So this trip I am being even more strategic with the afternoon break. Most of our days we will be going to RD then lunch @11 and will have dinner set at about 5:30 That should give us enough time to have a break if we want it.

The big surprise for me was that my back really hurt if we did not take a break. I did not expect this, becuase I am very active and do not usually have any trouble, unless I lift something.

In addition, I did not forsee how much the heat would impact my kids or how much they would want to go to the pool.

Keep in mind, I go during free dining, so this enables me to add extra days without that much of an expense. Last trip 10 days, this trip will be 14 So that give us the luxury of really having a vacation. I could not do this without the free dining (bounceback)

 

[Miss LD]

We did the breaks some days and not others.
DS (4) really didn't want to go back and leave WDW so we always used the pool as a bribe. We would say he needed to relax on the bed for 15 minutes and then we would go swimming. Because we were off-site he'd fall asleep in the car and then usually wake up within a few minutes of getting back.
Because we also have a baby who actually slept for much longer, DH and I switched off who napped with the baby and who took DS swimming.
We were all in MUCH better moods after the break.
The days we didn't nap we went to sit down restaurants around 2 for a late lunch and a much needed break.

 

[snoopy5386]

we have done it both ways and I really prefer to take the break. We did commando all day for a long time until we started to stay on property, but our trips then were always either Christmas week or short 4 day trips in Oct/Nov. Our 1st week long trip on property was during Easter week and we took breaks I think every day. It was great, we were up and at the parks right at or very close to opening, got a ton of stuff done in a few hours and then left either right before or after lunch. It was a weird feeling to be leaving as the crowds were coming in, like a salmon swimming upstream. We napped, did laundry, swam, went shopping, etc during this time. Then we went back for/after dinner and saw fireworks, rode more rides, etc.This was all pre-kid. Now with DD we take breaks too. Sometimes she sleeps in her stroller but mostly we take a break.
This June we were there while DH was attending a conference and so most days it was just DD and I. I thought I could get her to nap in her stroller and I could just walk around and absorb the ambiance of the parks or resorts. Well I did do this and it worked fine except *I* was exhausted. I really wish I had gone back to the resort instead. It was so freaking hot!!! So yes, in August I would take breaks.
I am torn about what to do this fall. We'll be doing 2.5 days at the parks before a 7 day disney cruise. Part of me wants to go all day to get in as much as possible, but then I want to enjoy my resort (AKL) too and let my DD (who will be 3.5) have a rest as well. We'll see. As much as I know it is for the best to leave and take a break, it kills me to leave the parks!

 

[dementia412]

Well we found our rest time turned into pool time so next time I'm making time for both because we need it.

 

[Nie0214]

When I went in September, we would wake up early, get to the park for rope-drop (or as close to it as we could). There were no crowds at all, so we were able to ride everything quickly. (For example, all of Fantasyland, including Philharmagic in 35 minutes.) We went back to the hotel around 1-2pm usually, for naps or swimming or just relaxing.

It was TOO hot to stay outside all day. I am not used to that heat, living in the tundra of the north. We'd go to dinner, another park, etc. usually around 4-5pm.

Edit: I should add that the trip was myself(22), Dbrother (16), and mom. No little kids here. hehe.

 

[carj]

We went back to the hotel to rest most days. The only day we didn't was the day we went to Hollywood Studios. We stayed until after the parade that day and then hung out at the hotel.

Generally what we did was get there for Rope Drop, play until about 11:00, eat counter service lunch and then play until about 1:00. We would get back to the hotel about 2:00. We swam for about an hour, snacked and hung out in our room until about 5:00. We would try to leave the hotel about 6:00 and get back to the parks about 7:00.

We were there in June and it was so nice to get cooled off and cleaned mid-day. We live in Texas so we are used to the heat and hunidity but I still have no desire to be outside all day.

We were there for 7 nights and we did so much. I think that the "downtime" was definitely worth it. By about the 3rd day, I could tell that my kids just needed time to play, not tour the parks.

 

[disneynewbee]

We don't take a midday break, we let the kids pass out in the stroller if they need to. For us, with so many kids, it's too time consuming to go back midday and then come back. For us we take break days instead where we fit 2 or 3 days of doing very little into our 2 wk vacation. On our break days we wake up late, hit the pool, and then in the evening we hit a park for the nighttime festivities or DTD. We go in Oct, Nov, Dec though so the park hours are shorter and we get some rest in those evenings.

 

[islandchick779]

We do breaks on days that we're park hopping and/or doing an EMH evening somewhere.

If we are just doing one park for the day, we usually just stay until we've had enough

For example, we normally do AK on a morning when we know we are going to be at MK for evening EMH. That way, by 2pm or so, we're doing with AK, and can go back to our rooms to nap, swim, relax, etc. Then we get geared back up to go to MK around 6 or 7pm.

I'm not sure how we'll deal with the reduced hours this year. It may make a difference in how we manage our time at the parks.

 

[mumto3girls]

Another break taker. Now we have little ones, but prior to kids, DH and I took the midafternoon break before heading back out to DTD or a park. We usually get to the parks at rope drop, ride as much as possible in those first few hours and then leave around lunch time, maybe a bit later. We would try to be back in the room around 2 or 2:30 for a nap/rest and then maybe a quick swim before dinner and the evening plans. That way we were out of the park during the most crowded and hottest times of the day. My kids would have never lasted until the evening entertainment without a rest. And honestly, even though the kids love the parks their they also love the resort pools/playgrounds etc and want to explore those as well.

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

The only down side I see from taking mid-day breaks is that you would miss the parade.

 

[wii fit mama]

We always take breaks when we're at the parks in late June so I think you should take breaks in August too. The heat is brutal for us and we like to take a break, go to the pool, shower and start the evening with a nice dinner/ parade, show or fireworks and a couple of rides. We are always at the parks for the rope drop and leave for our breaks by 2:00 at the latest.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

Before we had kids the only time we ever took a rest mid-day was when we went in August. It was SO HOT that we just got exhausted mid-day.

Now that we have kids, and only go in cooler weather ) we only nap on days that we will be out really late like; Princess and Pirate Party, Mickey's Christmas Party...

 

[wilderness01]

No, not even in the summer. If anything we go back to the resort to swim, but we never lay down to rest.

 

[RMulieri]

When we went in Sept ..we did some days..It was way too hot and humid not to.We went back to the BCv and swam in SAb for awhile and then went back to the parks.