To Nap or Not to Nap...

[txtxyeha]

Staying at the Beach Club with wife and 5 and 10 YOs in late May for 6 days. Unofficial Guide... has been a great way to prep for the trip, and one of its suggestions is to plan an afternoon break. I think the idea is a great one, my wife thinks I'm crazy to think they are going to take a nap. 5 YO was never a big napper, so I should defer to DW's good judgement. I would apprciate any comments you have.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

A break does not have to mean a nap. A swim, an hour of TV or just chilling in the room can do wonders. We did not take breaks our first trip when were were there off season and the parks closed early. We also were at a value resort so it took longer to get back. By our 2nd trip we had switched to WL and leaned that we like a mid day break. We often go to a different park late in the Pm.

 

[TikiGoddess]

We personally did not do the naps. Our boys were 2 & 4 and the one day we actually attempted a nap it was a total bust. They were hyped up to stay in the park so they didn't really enjoy the break nor did we. We usually went from about 9 in the morning till 8 at night and they went straight to bed after their bath. This seemed to work great for us. We didn't have any meltdowns or fits. One thing we did do in the parks though was build some down time there. We didn't do ride, ride, ride. I tried to have us do shows in between rides where we could relax and cool off and I scheduled at least one sit down meal a day. That seemed to help. I would say do what works for you, but this is what worked for us. Have fun!

 

[staci]

Becuase of the great location of your resort, I would definitely go back on at least your EPCOT and MGM days.

Rest doesnt mean nap all the time (and I DEFINITELY wouldnt use the word nap with your kids or they will NEVER rest!!). But head back, take a quick swim, and relax in the air conditioned room for an hour. The parks are very stimulating, and some downtime usually helps.

On the flip side, if you are gonna leave in teh afternoon, make sure to get up and get to the parks early. It is cooler, and less busy. If you wait to go to the parks until 11 am, you will not be ready to leave at 2. But if you are there at 8 am, a 2 pm break will likely be appreciated.

HTH>

 

[MichelleChell]

We personally did not do the naps. Our boys were 2 & 4 and the one day we actually attempted a nap it was a total bust. They were hyped up to stay in the park so they didn't really enjoy the break nor did we. We usually went from about 9 in the morning till 8 at night and they went straight to bed after their bath. This seemed to work great for us. We didn't have any meltdowns or fits. One thing we did do in the parks though was build some down time there. We didn't do ride, ride, ride. I tried to have us do shows in between rides where we could relax and cool off and I scheduled at least one sit down meal a day. That seemed to help. I would say do what works for you, but this is what worked for us. Have fun!

I am planning on doing exactly that. I think it would be more trouble to go back for a nap then to just find a quiet place in the park to sit and take a rest. I have a 3 yr old and I plan on a stroller that will recline and taking her to a calm place. I hear Tom Sawyer Island is a great place to relax.

 

[Hannathy]

We never went back either, tried it one time and by the time we got out of the park walked to the room and then did it in return it didn't seem worth it. So we just did something easy in the parks for a break. TS Island is great cause the adults can sit and the kids can take a break by being kids and roam or run and play then we got ice cream floats by the water and watched the riverboat and BTMR. Another day we rode the monorail all around the whole route. Have fun and do what feels right for your family, my kids never were nappers when they were babies I can't imagine suggesting it at elementary ages.

 

[Rapunsel]

We went in October and we only had down time the day that we went to MNSSHP. We had lunch at MGM and then went back and got ready for the party..

We found that trying to get back to ASm was too much of a waste of time. We did have an entire down day. We went to DTD and then to MC"d down the street for dinner because it was too crowded in the restaurant. When DDS 23 mos would sleep we went into a shop. Got an ice cream that we did not want to share. etc..


HTH!
RApunsel

 

[princessjv]

Becuase of the great location of your resort, I would definitely go back on at least your EPCOT and MGM days.

Rest doesnt mean nap all the time (and I DEFINITELY wouldnt use the word nap with your kids or they will NEVER rest!!). But head back, take a quick swim, and relax in the air conditioned room for an hour. The parks are very stimulating, and some downtime usually helps.

On the flip side, if you are gonna leave in teh afternoon, make sure to get up and get to the parks early. It is cooler, and less busy. If you wait to go to the parks until 11 am, you will not be ready to leave at 2. But if you are there at 8 am, a 2 pm break will likely be appreciated.

HTH>

I agree, naps may not be required for your crowd (ages), BUT a rest back at your resort will be great! We love going to EMH and heading out of that park around lunch, nap/rest/pool break, then head back to another park for the evening.

The parks tend to get busiest around lunch, so if you avoid it, it does keep you sain!

Good Luck!

 

[WDWNicole]

On our first "family trip" DS had just turned 3. We let him nap our second day there and he was a disaster by dinner time. All of our other dinners (when he didn't nap) were fine. I think he was happy to just sit down and have some quiet time coloring. We definitely hit the pool in the late afternoon every day for a break.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

We personally did not do the naps. Our boys were 2 & 4 and the one day we actually attempted a nap it was a total bust. They were hyped up to stay in the park so they didn't really enjoy the break nor did we. We usually went from about 9 in the morning till 8 at night and they went straight to bed after their bath. This seemed to work great for us. We didn't have any meltdowns or fits. One thing we did do in the parks though was build some down time there. We didn't do ride, ride, ride. I tried to have us do shows in between rides where we could relax and cool off and I scheduled at least one sit down meal a day. That seemed to help. I would say do what works for you, but this is what worked for us. Have fun!

When my kids were small we never left the parks. I agree with this post. We used to ride the train a couple of times , do things like that, or just sit down and relax for awhile. My favorite was spaceship earth.... I could shut my eyes on that ride for a few minutes. LOL!

 

[sara74]

We haven't been yet so I am not sure what we are going to do...DD is turning 4 next week and does rather well on days without a nap but DS is way too young not to sleep. I think it will be DS and I sleeping in the room while DD and DH go for a swim. The afternoon break issue is why we bit the bullet and booked WL - we are planning 3 days at the MK and WL was as close as we could get without paying for a monorail resort. Now for the NEXT trip I'll have to talk DH into springing for the Poly!

 

[crisi]

One of my biggest complaints with the Unofficial Guide is that (at least in the edition I had, which was several years ago) it makes you sound nuts if you don't nap your small kids. There was no room for "my kids just aren't nappers." In my opinion, whether you need a nap or a break will depend on so many things:

1) The weather - in cool weather its much easier to spend the whole day in the parks.
2) The makeup of your party - smaller kids may need to nap, so may older adults. My brother in law just went - 38 years old and napped every day.
3) The appeal of the pool - we didn't really break when the kids were little, but at six or seven my kids would rather be in the pool than doing pretty much anything else, so pool time each day is required.
4) The hours the parks are open - in slow seasons, the MK may close at 6pm and you may not want to "waste" time with a break.
5) The convience of your resort - we now arrange our days to be in Epcot (or sometimes MGM) in the evening - since we are DVCers with BWVs as our home, the BW pool is a great transition spot. Staying at a resort twenty minutes away from the Disney boarders may not make a break practical.

there are more.....

 

[MSDISNEYFAN]

We've been with kids at all ages... We usually do return to our room most days for a respite from the parks.. We are early risers.. Something about the sound of those buses just gets my blood pumping and we are ready to go...We hit the parks at opening - eat lunch at the park (cheaper than dinner meal at sit down restaurant) and return to room for rest & then a swim.. We go to EPCOT just about every night as everyone loves the world showcase atmosphere at night...We usually eat a light dinner in our room (DVC resort) and then stay until closing...
Good Luck.. Either way, you will be at Disney and there is no better place to be..

 

[tjmw2727]

We never did a scheduled nap time but we did return to the resort for a mid day break about every other day. I find that as much as the my kids love the parks they needed time to play and be kids. They loved the pools and playgrounds and even time chilling in the room watching TV, playing or coloring. When they were little say 3-7 range they would often fall asleep after swimming during tv-movie time but we never forced it.

On the other days we would schedule a table serve meal as a late lunch to give us all a break. This would be our bigger meal of that day as we would then do CS for dinner.

We also alternated late evenings with late mornings so if we stayed out for MK fireworks or Illuminations then we would head out later the next morning. The days with a resort break were also more likely to be the ones we would stay out later but that was day by day.

So - to the OP - play it by ear and if the kids are melting down by 7-8 on the first day then hit the room and consider a break the next day even if its for a swim and a rest.

Have Fun
TJ

 

[Stephres]

We have younger children and we always take a break in the afternoon. The Beach Club has an awesome pool and you could rest by the pool while the kids have fun there. We would then walk over to Epcot or the Boardwalk for dinner. I think I need the breaks more than the kids: I would always look forward to our afternoon break!

 

[weirdpaintballr]

I usually don't take a nap, I'm 14 so I usually can't get to sleep, but occasionally i will drift off...Even if you don't sleep, it is good to take a little break, even if you just go back to your room and chill for little while and maybe eat a snack...If you can take a nap, go for it! A little break halps you to enjoy the parks a little longer...Everyone generally is in better spirits too

 

[dsnymomof4]

I agree with some of the other posters who said it depends on a lot of things - especially weather and park hours. In late May, it will probably be hot and a mid-day break is a great way to be refreshed for the evening. My kids also never take naps, but when we went last July, we took a break every day back at the hotel, usually went in the pool, then went back to a park in the evening - worked out great for us. When we went in December, however, it was not hot and the parks weren't open that late, so we really didn't need a break every day. The beach club, I hear, has a great pool for the kids, so maybe an afternoon swim would be a great way to cool down and get ready for your evening. Have a great trip!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Our first trip was in January and we didn't take breaks during the day. Our second trip was in October. We took a break the day of the MNSSHP because we knew we would be tired, and we took a break another day that we went to MK in the morning. DS9 gets up pretty early every day at home, and on the weekends we sometimes have him nap so it wasn't that odd for him to nap at Disney.

Our next trip is in August and I am just planning to go back to the room midday every day. I figure the heat will zap us, and if it's not the heat it will be the crowds. DH will nap, DS and I will either nap or go to the pool. DS just doesn't do well staying up really late even if he DOES have a nap so I don't know that we will get much good out of the parks staying open late. We will be at the parks every morning at opening, so hopefully it will all work out.

 

[golden1]

I don't plan on taking nap breaks on the days we hit AK or MGM. I think little ones can see everything that interests them in those parks before they get too tired. I will have to play it by ear on our MK/Epcot days. My dd doesn't nap but my ds does. They both have early bedtimes at home - 7:30pm. Part of me would like to try to get them to rest during the day so that they can see a few nighttime shows like Wishes or Fantasmic. Again, I'm going to remain flexible and see how the kids do.

 

[txtxyeha]

"...remain flexible and see how the kids do." That's probably the advice for the day. Thank you all for your comments.