When is the best time to take a mid-day break?

[jbrinkm]

We didn't take any breaks the last time we were here and are definitely planning to do so on our August trip this year. I'm wondering when you would recommend is a good time, and for how long, to take that mid-day hotel/pool/nap break? My kids are 12 & 14 so mostly, nap is for me, and pool is for them. We're planning to do rope drop for at least 3 of our 4 days and then close out the parks after the break.

Especially if you've been in August or other super hot time of year, when would you say is the "sweet spot" - convergence of heat/tired/long lines/morning coffee boost has run out? I know that an easy answer might be - when you feel like it! But we would never voluntarily "feel like it" if I leave it to our whims. Desire to be in park will always be > desire to rest. I thought it might be around 2pm or so but I've seen other people say they took their break around noon. (I know there are individual factors like age of kids for naps, time parks open & close, how busy a day and we'll take those into account, just looking for some personal stories or advice here.) Thanks!

 

[Elle :)]

We usually take a break around 12-1pm. Of course, with the updated park hours we’ll probably be a little later at Epcot and HS. We like to eat at the park, before heading back to the room for a nap or bath before heading back out around 5-6pm.

 

[MoeJ]

Our recent trip, 3/21-3/24 (park days) we'd do rope-drop and then have lunch at either TS or QS (we preferred TS but ADRs were hard to come by! QS was fine as well, though) and then go back to the resort with full tummies which made it easier for us to relax for 1.5-2 hours. We were usually back in the room by 2pm at the latest and then rested and took our time getting freshened up for what was usually an evening at Epcot hitting the food booths.

For me & DD17, the rests really made the trip so much better!

 

[Ismo]

I’ve been in August & September, one of those times it was 110+ each day. I would RD then take a long break around 12 or 1. And then I normally wouldn’t go back to the park until around 4 or 5, depending on dinner. But this was during pre-COVID park hours. So I usually had tons of time after dinner when it was cooler to hit the parks.

But I found the days more manageable if I took a nice long break in the middle for a swim and a shower. I always felt way more refreshed for the evening and not so gross.

Have you ever been in August? You might find your desire to cool down outweighs everything else!

And you can always change your mind and stay in the park if you’re feeling great while there. But I definitely recommend booking a TS lunch if you’re going to do that. Sitting down in the AC for an hour will help a lot.

 

[scrappinginontario]

When we take breaks it's normally around 1:00ish until about 5:00. It's amazing how much time it takes to get back to the resort though, rest, swim and head back. Normally takes more time than we'd thought it would.

 

[KdKyA]

Here now, it's been around 85-91 degrees each day but we are from Buffalo, so we melt pretty quick. We have been to the parks twice now this trip and it seems our family is settling into a new pattern. We get up and go before park opening, hit all of the main attractions and must do items, and both days now, we have been done around 2:00. Not sure if it's the heat and masks that just tire us out quickly, or if it's just that we have been so many times over the years that our list of must do items gets shorter. We are just burnt out around 2 and leave. We have never been like that before. We were park open to close type of people in the past. We are still having a ton of fun, but this is definitely a more laid back vacation than we have done prior to this trip.

 

[LiveLifeLoud]

We usually start heading out around 12:30-1 and are back by 5 pm. In august it is absolutely necessary.

 

[Nabas]

When we take breaks it's normally around 1:00ish until about 5:00. It's amazing how much time it takes to get back to the resort though, rest, swim and head back. Normally takes more time than we'd thought it would.

Similar for us, although we sometimes head out a little earlier, depending on where we are having lunch.

Now that we've been on every ride dozens of times and have annual passes, the parks don't have as much pull on us. as they once did. Instead, spending several hours away relaxing poolside during the hottest part of the day is much more appealing.

 

[jbrinkm]

We decided to do counter service meals this entire trip, so no ADRs for us (unless Space 220 opens before then!) to save both time and money, and so it would be easier to get back to the hotel mid-day. I'm also really hoping that by August hours will be longer so we can take more advantage of evenings.

How are lines and how is the heat around 4pm? Any noticeable difference at that point, or better to wait until 5pm? Also is there a general time of day when rain is most likely?

 

[daae3]

last time I went in August...I took a break between 2-5...now, I think I would take it earlier...I tend to go into park warrior mode and don’t want to leave...but August is hot...and I preferred the parks after dark...however...this was in 2007 and the park hours often went til 11pm or even 1 am...if the park hours were shorter, I would prob take a noon-3 break...

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

I was afraid of the weather in August from posts on the Dis while planning my milestone birthday trip. You can and you will manage the heat, just be prepared. In August our feet must be pointed toward the exit no later than 12pm and out of the park for certain by 1pm. After that time the pavement started to catch on fire and it felt like walking through lava. Most times we didn't make it back to the parks after a break, and that was okay too!

Keep in mind that others will be gutting it out and having massive meltdowns with their families. My tolerance to that is low, so it behooved us to get out during the witching hours of August afternoons in all WDW parks.

 

[srauseo]

I have also been in August, more than once (my sister is a teacher), and we always took a break. Rope dropped, had an early lunch/brunch in the park and headed out by noon (always amazed how many people were just showing up as we were walking out!). We'd head out for evening plans around 5. If a long break back at our hotel wasn't feasible because of distance or schedule, we'd take a long break at another resort. This would often happen on our AK days. We'd just head over to the AKR and take a leisurely lunch, enjoy the lobby, take a nap in rocking chair, etc. Just being in the AC and out of the sun for a few hours helps!

 

[Mr. Drauer]

Mid Day

 

[loves to dive]

We are in the when ever we feel like it camp and the go back to the park when we feel like it. Sorry, I know you didn't want to hear that but trust me, if it's hotter than standing on the sun, you probably won't have any problems leaving the park for a while. We never plan how long we are going to be gone, just depends on what we are doing and what our mood is. It will most likely rain in August at some point and that might dictate when you leave (a lot of people leave when it rains and that is a good time to do things in the park).

I don't know how mature your 12 and 14 years olds are but another possibility is maybe part of the family leave and part of the family stay. Maybe if Mom is hot and tired and 14 year old is too, then Dad and 12 year aren't they stay. I know when my son was 14 there where times he didn't want to leave the park when I did so he stayed but we always stayed in Epcot resorts by the time he was that age and he could just walk back to the resort so I didn't have to worry about him getting on the wrong bus. Or, he would stay at the pool and I would go back, that boy loved his pool time.

 

[bakerworld]

With kids: late lunch at 2p and back to the pool so by the time they arrive they don't have to wait 20 minutes before swimming. Do people wait any more?

Without kids: 1p heading for the pool bar.

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

We tend to take our breaks around 1 and return to the parks by 4. Hottest time of the day, and the busiest.

 

[wdw&sonny]

RD. Lunch. Leave park by 1. Pool 2-4. Back at park by 5. Dinner around 6.

 

[Evita_W]

We have never found any one specific time, just when it starts to get too hot or too busy, then head back to the hotel for a break.

 

[DeeSee]

That time of year, leaving the park around 1pm is a reasonable aim. We went in August 2018 and would rope drop and/or attend morning EMH, and found we really needed a break by 1pm. One day we stayed until almost 2:30 and regretted it. We did 7:30 EMH at HS, but had an ADR for lunch at Hollywood & Vine and went right from there to see the Frozen sing-along and thought that would give us enough of a reprieve to be able to make it through. But honestly, that day we couldn't get out of the park fast enough. We ended up feeling we had pushed it too far. We were all completely wiped. I should note that day in particular was extremely hot.

 

[DeeSee]

Oh, and it was lovely to return to parks around 5pm, following the daily August torrential downpour! It cooled down nicely.