Schedule

[UCDSmalls]

We are going to Disney World in September with our daughters (4 months and 4 years) and my parents. We would like to go back to our resort (Boardwalk) in the afternoon for rest and naps. We are not tied to a strict nap schedule at home, but know that a rest of some sort will be needed. We will also be park hopping: one for morning and one for night.

I am trying to figure out a schedule that will work so that I can book ADRs soon and FP+ as we get closer. We will have the regular dining plan which we have never done before so I have never had to account for so many ADRs. My thought is the days we do breakfast ADRs to book at 8:30 and book the dinner ADRs for 5:30. Do you think this will work if we plan on leaving the morning park around 1:00?

What schedule did you use with an afternoon break?
Thank you!

 

[ElizabethG]

If you are early risers, that would work. We use the same general plan now as when my kids were little (now 9 and 12). I don't book many breakfasts. We found that the secret to a happy trip was to sleep until we get up on our own. Everyone is happier. There are several nights when the adults sleep for 10 hours at night.

We would get our sleep, hit the parks (usually by 10), have a lunch or early dinner to rest, be back to the room by 9 (back by 8 when they were smaller). We didn't find we needed to go back to the resort to rest mid-day. The kids rode in a stroller and we took in-park breaks.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

My family functions better shifting your schedule earlier by 30-60 minutes. Even during the slowest time of year, you can accomplish 4x more rides / attractions during the first hour of park opening than any hour from 11-6. That's my family's priority, and every family is different.

Our routine if travelling in September:
7:00 wake-up
7:30 breakfast in hotel room or in food court
8:00 leave for park
8:30 meet characters, lather on sunscreen, and play before rope drop.
9:00 rope drop - get Fast Passes (if not pre-booked) and ride as many headline attractions as possible before lines build.
10:30-11:30 hobbit-style second breakfast (character buffet) or early lunch (quick service)
Next: experience one or two shows
1:00-2:00 leave park for nap
5:00 wake up and either grab early supper at food court or snacks plus later supper at a table service restaurant.
6:00 arrive at evening park (any park but AK)
10:00-ish Leave for park after fireworks (wait 30 minutes for crowds to disperse if you're taking a Disney bus)

Night time shows and late dinners are virtually impossible without a generous afternoon nap.

Animal Kingdom messes with our routine because it has 3 great shows and no evening activities (yet). I make it a "no nap day" and anticipate the consequences (grumpy kids, too tired to eat supper, crash at 6:00 pm).

 

[monorailsilver]

If it were me, I would book the earliest time I could get for the breakfast buffet to avoid missing valuable park time.

If I couldn't get the earliest, I would pick the latest and then just have a light breakfast before going to the park.

We typically do breakfast in our room since I bring cereal, oatmeal, bagels, bowls, spoons, cups. Then we are out the door no later then 7:15 to be at the early entry park for the day.

We stop for lunch before we leave the park, then return to nap, shower again and go back at about 5ish.

However, we don't do the dining plan so our schedule is more flexible.

 

[tina.tina]

I highly recommend the latest breakfast. The characters had plenty of time to meet with us at CP and we got our early park time in.

 

[Gillyrose779]

We just went in Sept. with our 2 and 4 year old boys and my mother- we stayed at Boardwalk too- 2 bedroom villa.

We were not early risers and never made it to park opening. Breakfast at 8.30 is what we usually did. Try Cape May at the Beach Club for the mornings you are going to Epcot- characters and breakfast was great.


I will tell you Sept is HOT and HUMID so you may want to consider starting early in the day to beat the heat. Also, the heat really wore my kids down. It was hard to get them down for their naps but, once we did, they took long naps and took a while to get going again. Dinners at 6.30-7 or even later worked out for us- we would have never made a 5.30 reservation unless it was at Boardwalk. Every child is diff. though.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

going back for naps did not work for our group, grandsons would fall asleep on way back room, then wake up as we got off and walked to room. they would not go back to sleep and were worse than when they slept in stroller in park. not saying going back will not work for your group just be prepared for it not to work and have another plan ready if needed. it was the worse day of any trip anywhere we have had with the boys