To take a rest break everyday or not?

[jennthompson111]

Everything I read on planning recommends returning to the hotel during the afternoon for a rest break. For those of you that have done it, how did it work out?

Our DS is 2, while our DDs are 9 and 11. DS is a random napper, some days he takes one and other days he will go all day long.

My concern is that the down time will not be necessary for the older children while the little one may need it. I've debated on just one of us returning to the room with the baby while the other stays in the parks to let the girls ride but I'm just not sure.

We are staying at Boardwalk Inn so I think it will be easier to come back for rest when we are at HS and Epcot. I'm not sure about the MK days. We aren't planning to visit AK. Since this is our first ever family vacation I don't want to overschedule it. I don't know if we will ever make it back to Disney though so I don't want to miss the big attractions either.

Any personal experiences are appreciated!

 

[Derby]

I would just play it be ear. In our 4 trips with kids, we have never returned to the room for a rest. We did take a day off on a longer trip and that was great. Our girls either napped in the stroller or we didn't have a super late night. I know it is tempting to try to plan every detail before you go (I'm guilty of the same thing myself right now with our Nov. trip!) but I think this is one of those things you have to figure out for yourself once you are there because every family is so different.

 

[SpringSprite]

I am right there with you on the indecision, OP! It's so HARD to plan this first time WDW thing

We've read tons about the afternoon break, and I was initially leaning toward it, but now am leaning away for a few reasons...

Will your son nap in a stroller? IMO that would be the best way for him to get the break. We took my kids to Universal when they were 1 and 2 ish and the stroller nap was a godsend. We didn't have to take time out of the day to "officially" nap them, and they stayed not cranky.

I am trying a strategy with one busier day, followed by a more chill day, busy day, pool day pattern to try and keep mine in the game.

I would think your older girls would be OK without the break, but only you can say!

Do you have lunch ADR's planned? That might suffice as enough of a break to get your son through. Or maybe just time in play areas like Tom Sawyer Island / Boneyard at AK which can serve as a break. (oops, just saw you aren't doing AK, well lets say the fountains at EPCOT then, LOL) The time spent in the play areas at Uni also served to knock my kids out for the stroller nap!!!

 

[maguis82]

We only did breaks mid-day when we had late dinner reservations or were going to the Halloween/Christmas parties. The littlest ones would fall asleep on a ride when tired. When my niece was two, we'd look for a ride/show in the dark because she'd be asleep within minutes. Her best nap was probably the time she fell asleep during the Lion King show. For my nephew, who was almost one, it worked out the same.. only his longest nap came after the Little Mermaid ride. They napped fine in the strollers and we got more time in the park.

 

[mrsp1030]

I agree with the playing it by ear. We have taken our kids several times and have not planned a break except for on days when we were going to evening EMH at MK or one of the special events parties. We've also planned early dinner ADRs or late lunch ADRs as a break too.

 

[uramr]

I really think that this depends on your family and is different for each family. My kids (and husband) would not make it through the day without a break. We are at the parks by rope drop and spend to early afternoon there. We usually come to Disney when it is cold at home and all enjoy the afternoons by the pool or relaxing for a little and are more fresh for the evening. We plan a dinner at the park that we are planning to be at for the evening (or nearby resort) and head back for the evening shows and a few more rides. Though we might not get to do everything, we let everyone pick the one important ride/show they want to see each day and start there.

 

[ktlm]

It really depends on your child and I think you just can't know what he will need until you are there. We planned on breaks for DD's first trip when she was 2 and the break was a disaster and a waste of time. After one day with a break, it was stroller naps and staying in the park pretty much from open to close for us. DD is 8 now and we go every year and have not taken a break during the day since that one day when she was 2. Sounds to me like stroller naps with no break might be best for you, but I think it is just something you have to decide for yourself once he is there and you see how he is doing

 

[PennockFive]

We're planning on going back to the hotel, but not necessarily to nap.. Only my DS3 naps now and I'm not even sure hell still be napping by our trip in August. I'm thinking a chance to cool down at the pool, maybe watch a movie in the room, just a decompression time. I figure the parks will be so hot in the afternoon, I'm not sure my kids can do that.

 

[Jewel3k]

We take one, but we don't nap. We swim and have a little down time. We stay Friday to Friday and do 6 days in a row in September. The pool time really cools us off and keeps us going. If your trip is short you might not need it. For us it makes the fireworks possible.

 

[Feberin]

I had planned on doing a break every day but the first one on the trip we just returned from hoping both kids would nap. However the first day we tried to do a break my son didn't nap and my daughter had already proven that she'd sleep in the stroller or carrier anyways. So we just kept going each day and we never really had any issues. I also found it takes a lot of time to leave and take transportation back to the hotel then later head back to the parks. But we were staying at All-Star Sports.

 

[lucyddr]

We are planning a slightly different strategy with our twin toddlers, though I'm not sure it would be ideal for families with older children. Our plan is to only leave the hotel early on two days (our first full day there and towards the end of our trip). On the other 6 days, we plan to get up and get everyone fed. We will play at the playground and swim until nap time, which is usually between 10:30-12:00. Once nap time ends, we will load up and head to the parks for the afternoon/evening.

Our kids sleep well in our stroller, but we figure that they will be happier if they get a comfortable nap (at least the morning one). Plus, it keeps us from feeling like we have to rush like crazy all day!

 

[sb682]

It depends on your kids and the day. We do rest breaks because my DS will NOT nap in his stroller. There is too much to see at Disney, so he just won't close his eyes and sleep, even when he's exhausted. Since you're going when it's not as hot, you might not need a rest from the heat. However, when I was growing up we would do midday breaks, my dad would nap, and my mom would put her feet up on a lounge chair by the pool while us kids swam. We would go back to the parks at dinner. You can walk upwards of 15 miles a day, so you all might be surprisingly tired. I would not plan ADRs or FP+ for early afternoon in case you do decide to leave the parks.

 

[Annadesu]

Time is so limited (for us) to begin with, we don't see the benefit of wasting an hour or more returning to the hotel room in the middle of the day. If someone wants a rest, we find a less populated area, chill for a while, and then move on when everyone is ready. But that's just us!

 

[kohlby]

We found leaving did not work for us - and our kids wouldn't nap in a stroller. But if it's a kid not napping in the parks or not napping at the hotel, then we're better off not napping in the parks and leaving at a reasonable hour.

 

[librarymom2007]

Time is so limited (for us) to begin with, we don't see the benefit of wasting an hour or more returning to the hotel room in the middle of the day. If someone wants a rest, we find a less populated area, chill for a while, and then move on when everyone is ready. But that's just us!

Same here. We never go back to our resort until we are done for the day.

 

[manateesmom]

We have not yet been to WDW with DS4, but we have vacationed with him (including bringing him along on work convention-type trips) since he was a baby. IME, except when he was very young, he mostly refused to nap mid-day when vacationing, no matter his schedule at home. We did a cruise with him when he was barely 3, off the ship very early, and WE wanted a nap before dinner and the evening entertainment. He just flopped around and talked and annoyed us no end. Full disclosure - a couple of times DH and I fell asleep and woke to him still awake, watching us.

Mid-day nap seems like a great idea, but kiddo might not cooperate.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

OP,

Been there done that and doing it again with a 1 yr old in December. Pro tip? Park hopers! The first trip we did with the boys I've wanted to replicate ever since.
Breakfast at the room (garden grocer)
MK or AK early. We usually never make rope drop, but we get close.
Don't wait until the kids get cranky, 3-4 hrs in go back to the hotel.
Lunch and the pool.
Take a nap. The pool and the sun makes you tired. Crash for an hour.
Walk over to HS or Epcot, whichever doesn't have EMH.
Optional - Grab some ice cream at Beaches and Cream. (Pay out of pocket)
Go back to the room and watch TV for a cool down period. If you have a 1 or 2 bdr, kids should hop in the jacuzzi tub Mom and dad should have an adult beverage.
Sleep.
Repeat.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

It's going to vary for everyone. We don't take mid-day breaks, just because we don't want to!

My daughter was always a random napper too, when she was 2 she could easily fall asleep in the stroller at WDW, so we never took mid-day breaks and instead just wandered around the park pushing her and shopped, snacked, enjoyed the park, etc.

You're just going to have to figure out what works best when you get there, everyday may be different. Some you might want a break, others you may not. Try to be flexible, 2yr olds can be very unpredictable!

 

[MandiC]

If you are relying on Disney buses and aren't at a monorail resort you would need to plan an hour just travel time to/from the parks for your mid-day break (might not take that long, but it can be 20 minutes to wait for the bus at the park, up to 20 minutes ride to the resort (depending on which park and which resort), and the same for the return trip). Just something to consider.

I think this just depends on your family. If your child will nap in a hotel room it might not be such a bad idea especially if you want to catch the late night shows. For us, we already know our kids will not nap in hotels, we are much more likely to get a nap out of them in the stroller walking around outside, no matter how crowded and loud. We went back to the resort twice. Once because my husband forgot his wallet (it had our Disney rewards card in it) and that took over an hour and we literally just went back to grab the wallet and one of our kids quickly changed clothes, we were in our room less than 5 minutes). The other time we thought we would rest, got to the room and the kids wanted nothing to do with resting so we went to the pool for a bit. In the end I felt like it was wasted time (probably because it was on our Epcot day and that is my favorite )

 

[luvmy2babies]

It really hasn’t worked for us. Mine are 11 and 4 now. We started Disney when they were 7 and 10 months. When my son was younger he was a better stroller napper than room napper and now at 4, most weekends he doesn’t nap at all. I’m to the point where I’ll only make a trip back midday if we need to change or freshen up for an evening activity or dining reservation. Coming back and getting in the pool and settling in the room and napping or trying to nap results in a very short park day because when I did try it without something scheduled (dining or BBB) when it is time to head back out and it was a no go. My daughter pretty much wanted to just keep her feet up and watch TV the rest of the night. I’m the only adult and when it happened on our last trip I missed MSEP and Wishes.

We do much better with a touring day that starts at or before the park opens and with frequent breaks built in to cool off, hydrate, and rest the feet ends around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and is followed by pool time and dinner in the resort food court. At MK that might mean at 2 we sit to wait on the afternoon parade and leave after it is over. Or it means after it is over we go on a few more rides and then leave in time to get back to the resort to have dinner in the food court at our resort. At AK that generally means we tour until 3 and then sit and wait for the 3:45 parade and leave after it is over. Or we just tour until 3 if we are not going to see the parade. At Epcot we start between 9:30 and 10 and go until 4 or so and either head back to the resort for a food court dinner or head to a TS restaurant. We stay longer at DHS because we mostly do shows and may repeat a couple so we are in the AC more at that park than the others. To get to see MSEP and Wishes, I have found it best if we go to the park around 3 or so on our first day. Even on a travel day, the excitement keeps everyone going long enough to get that in.