Looking for feedback on our trip plan (to rest day or not rest day)?

[HerefortheFood]

Hi everyone,
My wife and I are traveling to Disney in August and are looking for some feedback on our tentative schedule. The trip has been booked so the number of days/nights is set. Dining is tentative depending on if we can secure reservations, of course.


Preliminary Schedule

We are still looking for suggestions on anything in yellow and are planning to stay in the parks from rope drop to close. One exception is for AK depending on when we can get a Boma dinner reservation or the day if we go for breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno (depending if the character breakfast is back).
One thing we aren’t sure about is if we should do a rest day or we should do an additional park day. Either:

• We do a rest day in the middle of the week and go to the park on the Saturday. We would anticipate the parks would be very busy on a weekend day vs a weekday.
• Use the Saturday as a rest/pool day after an intense week. If we did a rest day in general, we're not entirely sure what we would do because it feels weird to not be in the parks.
  

Thanks in advance!

 

[LeighM]

Since you're traveling in August, when it's going to be hot and humid, I would definitely be planning a rest day. Whether it's in the middle or at the end of your trip is up to how you think you'll be feeling. Resort rest days have become some of our favorite days. I don't know where you're staying but when we're at Coronado Springs, we enjoy actually sleeping late, not being in a rush to go anywhere, we enjoy the pool and hot tub, focus on the food at the resort. Then we'll wander around Disney Springs. I keep forgetting to use the down time for other Disney activities like water parks or their miniature golf LOL. Mainly we use it for resort hopping and have plans to do Hoop Dee Doo for our next trip. For my husband and I, we can't really eat very heavy foods when we're so hot so we only do one table service meal and then quick service. My favorite breakfast place is Kona Cafe and their pineapple macadamia nut pancakes. Sooooo good!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Theres good to say about taking a rest day and not taking a rest day. Everyone does Disney differently so it depends on what style fits you. We never do a rest day. Wed rather get in as much park time, entertainment, shows as we can. it also can depend on how often you do Disney and how long it will be between your next trips back. Because we go usually every two years then we treasure the time we have. I dont tire out easily and have the stamina to go from opening to closing. I get my rest when we go back to the resort in the evening and have that down time. Some people really enjoy laying around the pools, I can do that at home. Having a day off is good if you have young kids who need the break, or for those who do a more relaxing style of Disney. The choice is yours to make depending on how much you want to fit into your trip. I find the time at Disney goes by very fast and before you know it youre packing up to go home. That precious time cant be given back. I'd rather relax at home after the trip remembering everything I did.

 

[Patcheslee]

If patterns for After Hours events continue into August, Monday will be after Hours at MK and Wednesday at HS. Depending what you plan to do those days, I wouldn’t expect queue times to drop as much prior to normal closing.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

No rest day on a 7 night trip. I would take two half-days. Move your Friday and Saturday plans mixed into earlier in the week.

Travel
Full park day
Full park day
Half day
Full park day
Half day
Full park day
Travel

 

[LeighM]

Theres good to say about taking a rest day and not taking a rest day. Everyone does Disney differently so it depends on what style fits you. We never do a rest day. Wed rather get in as much park time, entertainment, shows as we can. it also can depend on how often you do Disney and how long it will be between your next trips back. Because we go usually every two years then we treasure the time we have. I dont tire out easily and have the stamina to go from opening to closing. I get my rest when we go back to the resort in the evening and have that down time. Some people really enjoy laying around the pools, I can do that at home. Having a day off is good if you have young kids who need the break, or for those who do a more relaxing style of Disney. The choice is yours to make depending on how much you want to fit into your trip. I find the time at Disney goes by very fast and before you know it youre packing up to go home. That precious time cant be given back. I'd rather relax at home after the trip remembering everything I did.

It's funny because we found that by taking time to slow down and take a couple rest days at the resorts, that our trip didn't go by so very fast. We used to be at the parks from opening to close and it went by in a blur. But by taking more time away from the parks, either middle of the day when it's the hottest, or one day at the end to completely relax before we return home, we were able to savor the experience more. But it took us about 3 trips before we figured out what worked best for us.

 

[Bama4Me]

No rest day on a 7 night trip. I would take two half-days. Move your Friday and Saturday plans mixed into earlier in the week.

Travel
Full park day
Full park day
Half day
Full park day
Half day
Full park day
Travel

I agree completely that this works well for me and my family. I would want to know more about who is going on the trip to advise about a rest day. I don't know how much benefit you will get out of a full rest day when it comes at the end of the trip like that, though.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I agree completely that this works well for me and my family. I would want to know more about who is going on the trip to advise about a rest day. I don't know how much benefit you will get out of a full rest day when it comes at the end of the trip like that, though.

Every time I plan a full rest day, 11am rolls around and I'm twiddling my thumbs bored out of my skull.

 

[Bama4Me]

Every time I plan a full rest day, 11am rolls around and I'm twiddling my thumbs bored out of my skull.

Yes, I would struggle with a full rest day. I also don't think a day at a water park counts as a rest day. I much prefer half days to rest and pace yourself. If we do a late night in one park, sleep in the next day, maybe do a character breakfast brunch. If we rope drop one day, we aren't likely staying until closing, head to the pool and a fun dining experience. Having said this, most of my trips have been with kids. It is my strategy to keep the crankiness to a minimum. If staying on prem, we used to go back to the room for a little while in the afternoons to let the little ones rest. The kids in my family are older now and definitely not interested in that. Still, with the way the Genie+ crap works, it is much harder to plan the kind of trips that I used to do when we could choose fast pass times and plan for the kind of day you want. The Genie+ puts you at the mercy of a scheduling algorithm that doesn't consider your family's needs.

 

[Ghostdog]

August is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

If you decide against a full rest day, do yourself a favor and take time everyday to cool off at the pool. This downtime also allows you to change clothes. In the summer months a second set of clothes is a must in my book.

Have a GREAT time!

 

[jimbojones]

My suggestion depends on some details

Are you traveling with young kids? If yes take a mid trip rest day for the hotel pool, if you get bored visit disney springs
If not, are you older or younger? In my 20s I would not like a rest day, as a firmly middle aged person I like a rest day
On other vacations do you like to keep moving at all times or are you someone who enjoys sitting on a beach? If you are an active traveler and don't like sitting around, then don't take a rest day. I am an active traveler and never would have wanted a rest day until recently.
Is a WDW trip a splurge or is it something you don't see as expensive. If it is a slurge for you don't take a rest day , that rest day could be costing you hundreds, even thousands of dollars in hotel and food costs.

 

[NelleBelle]

August is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

If you decide against a full rest day, do yourself a favor and take time everyday to cool off at the pool. This downtime also allows you to change clothes. In the summer months a second set of clothes is a must in my book.

Have a GREAT time!

And change your shoes!! Your feet will definitely thank you for it!