Thoughts about midday breaks

[bnhonest]

Kbate, how long are you going for and where are you staying? Is it your first trip or first trip for any of your kids?

If it's like a 4 day trip, and it's your first time at WDW, soldier on. If you are getting 5-7 days or more, take your time and take some breaks.

 

[jkh36619]

If you're going from RD till fireworks, that's a LONG day. We do breaks on full days.

 

[amberpi]

In summer, everyone needs a bit of a break from the heat after a couple of days...or I'd think so and the evening hours are so much more pleasant. In winter, with shorter hours, you could probably power through.

Have a great trip.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Hello. I am traveling with my three young daughters, 8, 9, and 11 and have heard a lot of recommendations for a midday break. I hate the idea of loosing park time, but I really am not sure how much it will be needed.

One other question, on one day, we have Typhoon Lagoon scheduled for the morning and are planning to do TRex that night. Should we shower and get ready at TL and head straight to DS, or head back to the resort for some down time? Also another day we have Blizzard Beach in the morning and Ak in the afternoon. AK closes at 9 and I am wondering if we can pull off a whole day without a break.

Thoughts???

If you do plan a midday break be sure to set aside enough time for transportation (including waiting for buses), food, pool, nap, restrooms, park re-entry, etc. Plan on a minimum of 5 hours from when you start walking out of a park until you want to be back inside a park. Otherwise it's just not worth all the work it takes to get a break.

 

[jina]

We always split our day into 2 parts (have gone to DL or WDW when DD was 3, 4 and 5- next trip will be when she is 8 and no change in our strategy). We eat fruit, yogurt and/or instant oatmeal in our room, do EE and go on rides and/or meet characters until around 11 or 11:30. Then grab lunch (often via an ADR) in the park, maybe do a little shopping on the way out, then back to the hotel to chill, swim, whatever. Late afternoon we hop to somewhere else (usually w/ a FP we already got earlier in the day), then enjoy some time in park #2 w/ more rides (shorter lines during parades), grab a QS dinner, do whatever we feel like. sometimes stay for a night show. Repeat each day. We end up rested enough, and energized enough each time we head to a park. Even if DD was older, we are older too, and really appreciate the downtime from the crowds. We're all introverts though (being around lots of people drains us of energy whereas extroverts are energized by it) so we do need the breaks.

 

[ChristineOH]

We travel in the summer, and for my family, breaks are a must, and my youngest is ten.

As far as the water parks go, are you driving or riding Disney buses? One of the water parks makes you transfer buses at Disney Springs and the other you have to share with AK... or something like that... I can't remember. If you're driving, you obviously will have more freedom, but if you take Disney transportation, google to find out what you're going to have to do. If you have to stop at DS anyway, you may just want to plan to stay there.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We always shower and change after the waterparks, even if we are just going back to the resort ( I really hate to sit around in a wet bathing suit!). We just use the towels they provide at the water park (free to resort guests) and bring some of the small soaps, shampoo and conditioner from our room. I also bring a plastic bag to put our wet suits in and throw them in my bag. It's really not a big deal or a lot of work. We typically put our stuff in a locker while we are in the waterpark. We never last longer than 1 or 2 pm at the water park (we always get there when it opens), so, depending on how you feel, you could either head to DS or AK or just go back to the resort.

 

[Mimifree]

The last time we took the kids we went in October and they were 6 and 7. I planned out the days with the idea we may have to be flexible and take an afternoon break. We only took one the first day (we had 6 park days with an off day). When my DH and I went for a few days in June, we had to take a break every day. It will just depend on how you handle the heat. I think as long as you go into it realizing you may need to break, then you will be fine.

 

[kmdrago1783]

Hello. I am traveling with my three young daughters, 8, 9, and 11 and have heard a lot of recommendations for a midday break. I hate the idea of loosing park time, but I really am not sure how much it will be needed.

One other question, on one day, we have Typhoon Lagoon scheduled for the morning and are planning to do TRex that night. Should we shower and get ready at TL and head straight to DS, or head back to the resort for some down time? Also another day we have Blizzard Beach in the morning and Ak in the afternoon. AK closes at 9 and I am wondering if we can pull off a whole day without a break.

Thoughts???

My kids are younger, 7 and 3... sometime we hang all day but most of the time we break in the afternoon, especially if we get there earlier... a couple of hours does wonder to help us all recharge.

 

[srwarden1928]

The midday breaks are most surely an individual thing. Many people here mention how midday breaks help them avoid crankiness and meltdowns. Being forced to leave the park when I am having fun without a good reason, like an ADR I have been looking forward to, would CAUSE at least crankiness from me. Of course there is no rule that says your group can't split up to make everyone happy.

 

[Coral Reef Diver]

We visit during the summer months, like many families do. Despite the heat and hurried pace, DS and DD are not tired, and do not need a rest. I can clearly see that. But I saw this idea of midday breaks and it made sense to me. So one visit I insist we leave the park in early afternoon to rest. My DS keeps insisting he is not tired, so I make a deal with both of them. Just lay your head on the pillow for ten minutes, and we'll immediately go back to the park. They both slept for two hours, and we have done so on every trip since then. Yeah, it was tedious for DH/DW watching their kids sleep (we eventually slept ourselves), but a small sacrifice for getting 10-12 hours of quality touring with rested kids. How many other families can say they toured at park opening and park closing with bright, energized kids?

It saddens me to see parents dragging their kids through the park to maximize their Disney dollar. Whose vacation is it?

 

[Gehrig1B]

If you do plan a midday break be sure to set aside enough time for transportation (including waiting for buses), food, pool, nap, restrooms, park re-entry, etc. Plan on a minimum of 5 hours from when you start walking out of a park until you want to be back inside a park. Otherwise it's just not worth all the work it takes to get a break.

Five hours is a bit much if you are staying at a nearby resort. You can easily get a short break from MK to any of the monorail resorts with much less down time than 5 hours. Same is true for Epcot or HS if staying at any of the Epcot resorts. The length of your mid day break is determined a lot by where you are staying and your mode of transportation.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Since we go in August it's important for us to do midday breaks. My kids love the pool. We also go for a week or more so it works. If I were going in the winter months with shorter hours I'm sure we would skip midday breaks and just do a lunch ADR to unwind.

 

[Shellyb84]

We go for the resorts as much (or more) as we go for the parks. We usually arrive at RD, have a productive morning and by around 11-12 DD7 is asking to go back to the resort. We don't usually nap, but we'll relax in the room and then hit the pool for a few hours. Sometimes we go back at night, sometimes not. My advice is to just plan on being flexible. I'd rather miss a few things than go commando but end up exhausted. We also plan a full resort day at least every 3 days.

 

[flortlebap]

Even when it's just DH and I, we need the break! The heat wipes us out.

With kids, it just involves a longer break and some swim time.

 

[margot31]

With that age group its a great idea. Take a break and be in the parks longer in the evening. We tried with my little ones at the time 2 and 9 months and it didn't work out. So we let them kind of take their naps in the stroller and than go back to the resort for the late afternoon and evening.

 

[DanielNYC]

Like others have said, breaks are a totally personal thing. Last August was the first time we took our kids (they were 10 and 8 back then) and we decided that we would play it by ear. It was three back to back park days. It was the typical blistering August Florida heat, and yet the four of us were just having so much fun that we didn't even think about leaving the parks for a break! We wore those cooling towels and hydrated frequently. Also the breaks for lunch and the occasional ice cream were sufficient for everyone to recharge and keep having fun. We're going back in a couple of weeks and this time it's going to be five back-to-back park days (all four parks plus a day at Universal). We'll see how it goes, but I don't anticipate that anything will change for us.

 

[disneychic2]

Some things to consider: the heat can get to the best of us. But there are ways to combat it while at the parks. There are attractions at every park that get you out of the heat for a while. We head for those when we're feeling a need to relax and rejuvenate. MK: Carrousel of Progress, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tiki Room, Hall of Presidents etc. HS: Frozen Sing Along, One Man's Dream come to mind. AK: The Lion King and Finding Nemo shows. Epcot: The Land Pavilion, The Seas, The Cool Spot to name a few. Also, many of the snack vendors give free cups of ice water when asked. (Not the little kiosk type places) Also, I take a wash cloth from the room and put it in a zip lock bag, wet it down and wipe my face and neck with it periodically and that is very refreshing. This year I bought some cloths to go around our necks that when kept wet keep you cool. We go in September, so I hope they work!

I would say play it by ear and see how your kiddos...and YOU feel mid-day. You won't lose all that much time in the parks by taking a break at your resort if you're on property, and it may make the rest of your day/evening even more productive and enjoyable. Don't over-think it...just let your kids be your guides. I hope you have a truly magical trip!!

 

[Jules76126]

I wouldn't say we schedule out break times, but we do take them. I have done all day in the park and it just does not work for me or the rest of the family. We tend to get to the park around rope drop and get a lot done in those first few hours. We eat an early lunch or will eat back at the room (DVC) We leave the park no later that 12:30pm or 1:00pm. We hang by the pool till 4:00pm or so and then head up to the room to shower. It is so refreshing taking that break time. We make our dinner ADRs for 6:00pm so we do not feel rushed but can still catch nighttime entertainment. We tend to stay at BCV so we can walk to two parks which helps with the transportation issue.

 

[RangerPooh]

Our family does midday breaks. It will vary based on the day, park, and how much we've accomplished. It also varies based on park hours. We use this for pool time, low key lunches, naps, and for DH to do work related tasks (emails, etc). Some days we return to the parks in the evening, other times we don;t. Depends on everyone's moods. I say play it by ear based on your family's needs.

As for water parks to dinner, I'd personally return to the room so that I didn't have to carry around wet clothes. Plus when we've planned to shower at the water parks the lines were long and the showers in desperate need of cleanings.