Your thoughts on mid-day breaks

[libinatorsmom]

I just posted about this myself... We are planning some NAP/Breaks midday then I hope to go for dinners then head back out to the parks... if we want that is... we are all pretty flexible...

 

[Crazy Kanga]

We have almost always taken afternoon breaks. My son is autistic, so he really needs that down time to get away from the overstimulation of the parks for a few hours. The one time we stayed off property at my MIL's timeshare, we didn't and it was a nightmare. He kept asking me when we were going to go for our swim and rest. It was so pitiful, I should have known better, but we were only there for 4 days and everyone else wanted to cram it all in since many had never been before and would most likely never return. One day we did have a group that wanted to leave early afternoon so we did get our pool break that day, but never got back to the park. That was ok for me, but it's why we will never again stay off property; too much of a hassle to take breaks.
Last year we found the heat in mid June to be so bad we all really needed those few hours in the room with the blinds closed to cool down and refresh for an evening of fun. I never actually napped myself, but dh and kids did, and they are not usually nappers(11 and 12 yo). So, yes, I highly advise people to take them, especially in the summer or with special needs kids.

 

[mdoc]

We aspire to take breaks, but we rarely do. I KNOW it's a good idea, but my family does OK without them so I don't worry about it. We're usually at the parks when the rope drops and we stay through the evening entertainment. One of my 3 kids isn't as park-happy as the others and prefers to hang out at Fort Wilderness - if she wants to go back in the late afternoon or early evening, my DH is happy to take her while I stay with the other two until the bitter end. Of course, we do not go in the summertime; we go in November and March when the weather is quite pleasant. I think if we were there in the heat of summer, the break would be non-negotiable. My kids are older now, but when they were younger, they'd nap in their strollers at the park. I can assure you that the same children who were dead to the world in their strollers would not have napped at the hotel. We also take breaks inside the park (Ellen's Energy Adventure is a break in itself, for instance); this provides some quiet time (and sometimes naps) without the time to get back to the resort and then back to the park.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

I definitely see the logic and motivation, but for us it is not worth the long transportation times back and forth. We stay in the parks all day (open till usually after fireworks). We manage to get through by viewing the less popular, and/or shaded/AC attractions in the mid afternoon. (Nothing is more refreshing that a nap in the Hall of Presidents.) This helps us to get through the day, and we usually get our second wind around dinner time anyway because our ADR usually gives us time to sit and relax. We also stagger our days regarding the closing times. We always put AK (with its early close) before our long day at MK etc. I am not saying not oto take a break, but there are ways to avoid it. As far as the children , our son took one nap during all of our trips there, and he did that in the stroller. He is just to excited to go to sleep.

 

[labattblue]

The need for mid-day breaks depend on whether you have young children and what time of year you are visiting. Keep in mind that going back to the pool so your children can swim may end up tiring them out even more.

As adults, I think I would consider going back to the hotel for a break only in the dog days of summer when the park has long hours and the heat and humidity are brutal. In that regard a swim, shower and nap might be quite refreshing!

 

[44disney]

An idea for a quick break, without spending the time that it would take to go back to the hotel, is to take the monorail for a ride or 2 (if you are at the MK or Epcot). You can enjoy the A/C and have a little snack and just get off of your feet for awhile.

 

[twinspluscade]

When I've been to WDW before kids - it was only for 1 day at a time, and we crammed as much as we could into that one day. On our recent trip with little kids (6 and 4), it was just 2 days in the parks - and though we didn't "cram as much as we could", we spent the entire day in the park (leaving a little early on the 2nd day). We did not push to see everything and we enjoyed our time. The 4 yr old fell asleep in the stroller one afternoon - and had a cranky spell the other afternoon. Other than that, we did OK and everyone had a good time.

Our NEXT trip will be 5 1/2 days in the parks - and the girls will be 7 and 5.5 by then. I've never been for such an extended time - I'm really looking forward to this. AND, I almost don't know how to act! I'm used to "cramming" - my natural instinct is to say "every minute is spent enjoying the magic!"

For those of you with little ones that take midday breaks - do any of you have non-nappers? Mine don't usually nap - and I forsee getting back to the hotel for a much-needed nap, but they don't nap. Is just getting a break from the parks helpful? Do any of you find the break was a waste of time?

What time do you normally leave a park? And what time do you normally head back to a park for the evening?

Both our trips have been in September, which is HOT. The mid-day breaks were for Dh and I as much as for the kids--seriously. That heat is brutal. Also--our last trip was for 8 nights--so we had plenty of time.

For a trip during the cooler part of the year, however, I would probably skip the mid-day breaks, at least on a few days.

 

[Hawk]

To me it depends on a number of factors:

1. How long are you staying? We usually stay 15 or more days. We are at rope drop. If we see a line that is more than 10 minutes, we skip the ride for that day. For those staying only a few days, this may not be an option.

2. How old are the kids? Adults alone or with infants, tweens or teens can get through a good day in the parks provided the lines are manageable. Those with toddlers are asking for trouble.

3. What time of year are you going? For us, we go in Feb/April and in November. We take breaks because we stay for a longer period of time and we have a toddler (6). During these months the weather is not severe. We have gone in August when the humidity absolutely takes the strength from your body.

4. What type of tickets do you have? We have PAP’s so we can transfer from park to park in the event we find that the crowds are overbearing. A single day pass or other limiting type of pass may not afford you this type of service.

5. Do you plan? We use a number of guides. TGM, UG, or these boards can help get you to the park attractions in an easier manner than commando style, which can result in a more eventful day so that you can leave earlier or get some relaxing time on a bench or show setting.

6. Will you be eating at the park? We don’t eat at the parks, except for mickey bars , but doing so may re-energize everybody and give you a little break from the heat and some cool air conditioning or breeze in the shade.

The crucial factor is that you do some type of planning. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but enough just to give you some idea on how you will attack the park and the general plan for the day. For us, that is half the fun.

Good Luck.

Tim/Hawk

 

[j_lehr]

I don't have small children - my DD is 15. However, we plan to take mid day breaks & naps on our upcoming trip.

 

[Melmac]

My DH and I have no children but on our last trip, we went back to the resort for a break almost every day (around 2-3pm). We would then go back to the parks or dinner a few hours later. We didn't always nap but it was nice to relax. I like to go to the parks at rope-drop and/or for EMH so we are usually up early. I found I couldn't do early EMH at one park and then late EMH the same day without the break!

 

[Evil Genius]

First time we took the steps we commando it. Everyone was cranky by 6:00pm. Second time we took them we built in breaks, to nap, swim whatever. Much better time. I've taken mid day breaks ever since.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

DH and I found the value of breaks during our last trip. We don't have kids yet, but we would go back to the room to eat a snack and just relax. It made us far less crabby and tired during our trip. We highly recommend it!

 

[Tricia1972]

We love our mid day breaks!

Our typical day (with or without kids)

Breakfast in Room
Rope Drop
Lunch 11:00
Return to room after lunch (back by 12:30)
Rest/Sleep - Until 3:00-3:30
Get up and refresh
ADR - 5:00 (either at a resort or park)
Back to park

 

[Mickey_Man]

DW & I are definitely break-takers, especially in the summer! A little time back at the pool and then a nap makes a later night at a park or DTD a lot more enjoyable, especially since we know we will be back up and out for park openings! We do not do the sleep in until noon thing, so this helps us get enough rest while still getting max time enjoying ourselves instead of being sweaty, cranky messes by our third day!

 

[ajh88]

The first trip DH and I took to WDW with my stepson (who was 8 1/2 at the time), I was planning on taking afternoon breaks every day (we went in August). My DH laughed at me - we never did take a break on a day we went to a park - we were having too much fun!

However, we have always tried to remain flexible enough to take a break when we know we need one - we usually plan 1 or 2 "off" days during the trip (and last year ended up at EPCOT on one of those days anyway!). We also take a "break" in the park - we just look for a relatively quiet (hopefully air-conditioned!) spot to relax for a half hour or so, or (my favorite "break") if we are MK or EPCOT, we'll take the monorail around on a ride or two - air conditioned and relaxing!