Taking a mid-day break

[sweetpea2008]

Hi everyone. Just a couple of questions (again!)

We plan on taking a mid-day break during our 3 days, even though we have to take the ART back to the hotel and back again to the park. My Mom, whom I'm going with along with my two children, has plantar fasciatus (sp?) and sometimes gets pretty tired in the afternoon. while she has a short rest in the hotel the girls and I can swim and get some sun/pool time, then change, eat and back to DL.

My question is, has anyone done the same taking the ART? Did you find it took a huge chunk of time, but if so was it worth it to get refreshed? I don't want us all to burn out on the first day and have it impact the entire trip. Share your stories please!

Also, and this is probably a silly question, but I noticed the site says to have your hand stamped and hold onto your ticket to get back in later on. Now, if we're in and out of the pool or hot tub, will the stamp last ok? I'm sure it must be pretty durable, but I'm not sure.

 

[Jenn1116]

The stamp will definitely last. Taking ART is no problem at all. We used ART in Feb and went back to the hotel every afternoon for a rest. Definitely worth it! Especially for soaking tired feet in a hot tub!

 

[jjames]

We took midday breaks and were using ART, and yes, it did take up a big chunk of time, but IMO, it was still very much worth it. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the parks and have some time to just relax. We had planned on swimming during our breaks, but ended up spending all of our time shopping, doing laundry, and NAPPING!
The biggest problem with using the ART was that you never know when the next bus was coming, so we would have to be at our stop 50 minutes before we absolutely had to get to DL (that's 25 min of wait time for the ART, and 25 min for the rest of the drive and getting into DL). We only had to wait the entire 25 minutes twice - once going to the parks and once going home. The rest of the time, we ended up being at DL early! By the way, ART claims to run every twenty minutes, but we were on route 10, and it was every 25. We tried the parking garage the first day we were there, and it took us 45 minutes to get to the parks (during a non-busy time), so it really didn't save us any time, and we chose to use the ART so that our family could break up and enter and leave the parks at different times (which we ended up doing several times).
As far as the hand stamps go, we didn't go swimming, but I am a compulsive hand washer, and mine stayed on just fine.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We have done ART one time and probably won't do it again. I would plan for at least 1 hour of travel time for your afternoon break. You will probably only really be on ART for about 30 minutes but you may have to wait for it to return. Oh and they take an hour off every day around lunch time (can't remember what time) so make sure you plan around that. The driver should tell you what the break time is in the morning on your way to the park.

 

[pixiewings71]

My DBF has Plantar Facitis (sp) and he walks all day. But we are also "gellin'" LOL You may want to suggest to your Mom that she get the Dr Scholls gel insoles, they are so nice and while your feet still hurt at the end of the day it's not nearly as bad as it would be without them!

We do not like ART, we try to avoid it at all times. We would rather walk than take ART. You will need to allow at least an hour for ART travel. That includes wait times and travel time.

Dont' worry about your stamp, it won't come off!

 

[obithar2]

On a slight off note, we will we staying about 5 miles from Disney and are planning to drive and take a break in the afternoon. Has anyone done this? I don't think the drive will take that long, but I am concerned about the spent parking and getting to the entrance. Can anyone help?

 

[bumbershoot]

On a slight off note, we will we staying about 5 miles from Disney and are planning to drive and take a break in the afternoon. Has anyone done this? I don't think the drive will take that long, but I am concerned about the spent parking and getting to the entrance. Can anyone help?

I think you're right to worry about the time this is going to take. What hotel? What are your reasons for staying so far away?

Check out these two articles by HydroGuy:

time loss of using a car and his hotel rule.

Even if you don't change your mind, it's good to read those anyway!


sweetpea2008, what is your hotel?

 

[sweetpea2008]

The hotel that we're staying at is the Holiday Inn Resort on S. Manchester. It seemed the best choice given the ones offered for our package. Of course now I'm reading reviews and while some are very positive some are not and I'm freaking a bit. I guess it is like everything else, some have good experiences and some don't. I'm going to assume the best and it should be fine. Right?

Walking is not an option for us, considering the age of my kids and my Mom's PF, and all the walking we'll be doing at the park. I am going to approach the ART with positivity and will hope that it runs smoothly and we'll enjoy the break from the crowds.

Please, anyone, some positive comments about hotels/transit will help this worrier!!

 

[cinderella_mom]

Unless you want to sleep or swim during your break, you can find quiet and cool places to take a break in the park. At DL in NOS, there is an atrium nestled between the shops behind Pirates. On Main Street there is the theatre where they show old Mickey cartoons. Granted it's noisier in there, but it's dark and air conditioned. One time, DH, DD then 2 and I went in there and sat on the floor up against the wall. I looked over after about 10 minutes and both of them were asleep. DD got an hour nap!

 

[obithar2]

We are staying so far away because we are travelling with cousins who feel they can't afford the price of a hotel withing walking distance. We are going in July and cannot seem to find any good deals. It will be $50 cheaper a night at a hotel farther way. They thought they might be able to afford it for 2 nights, but that really only gives us 1 walking day and I'm thinking it will waste more time to change hotels than to drive in between. If anyone has any other suggestions, I would be thrilled.

 

[BillyFan]

If we don't want to walk back to our hotel for a swim, we often take a break in the lobby at the Grand. It's very relaxing, piano player playing disney tunes, etc. My DH often takes a nap on one of the sofas in the lobby, even when we aren't staying there (which is most of the time!)

 

[nikki&petey]

What about taking a taxi? How much would that cost I wonder.

 

[cirquelovers]

On a slight off note, we will we staying about 5 miles from Disney and are planning to drive and take a break in the afternoon. Has anyone done this? I don't think the drive will take that long, but I am concerned about the spent parking and getting to the entrance. Can anyone help?

I think it will take a lot longer than you think for all of those things. You'd be surprised how long it can take you to go 5 miles in the Anaheim resort area. My husband goes to Starbucks when we're there and it's only 3 or so miles, by the Disney Outlet, and it can take anywhere from 40 minutes on up to over an hour! Just getting to the parked car and out and back again will take a bit!

The good news is that if the park hours are longer it will give you a nice break and you can return refreshed and stay until closing

 

[ironpig70]

never used ART but will say that late at night the park is nearempty. last trip we stayed till closing and many of the rides where 5 minute walk ons like big thunder railroad, indiana jones, both we did twice. i'd say we did more in the last 2 hours before closing than we did the 6 hours before we left.