Taking a break in the day back to the hotel. Pros and Cons

[Raineman]

Three times now I've been to WDW while staying at a WDW resort, and not once have we left mid-day to go back to the resort. Part of the reason is that we have only gone in March and November, so we have not dealt with any oppressive heat and humidity. TBH, neither myself, my DW or my DD have ever felt tired or cranky in the early afternoon, even if we are at the park for rope drop. If we do need a bit of a break, we find a nice shady spot somewhere to sit down, relax, and have a drink and maybe a snack (I think my favorite spot for this is the covered courtyard behind Tamu Tamu at DAK, and the fact that Tamu Tamu sells Dole Whips with dark rum never hurts either). During the second half of our week at WDW, I will admit that my feet start to ache a bit after a couple of hours of walking, but it's manageable.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

When you see those families that look hot and miserable and like they really can't stand one another to the point where you wonder why they would ever want to go on vacation with people they hate so much, 99% of the time those are the people who don't take midday breaks (or stay up too late every night, or both).

Yep...7am - 1 am forced schedules due to price, oppressive Florida heat and humidity, and not having any clue there are 3-5 miles of pathway in all the parks contribute greatly...

And breaks help to mitigate all of it.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

If we go to park opening then we always take a midday break when going during summer weather. Otherwise, we just hang out out the resort and arrive about 5-6 to go to a park. Factoring heat, crowds, sensory overload - especially for young children, it’s just a more relaxing and enjoyable vacation to us to take breaks. Some of our best Dis memories are hanging out at the pool.

 

[DfromATX]

Three times now I've been to WDW while staying at a WDW resort, and not once have we left mid-day to go back to the resort. Part of the reason is that we have only gone in March and November, so we have not dealt with any oppressive heat and humidity. TBH, neither myself, my DW or my DD have ever felt tired or cranky in the early afternoon, even if we are at the park for rope drop. If we do need a bit of a break, we find a nice shady spot somewhere to sit down, relax, and have a drink and maybe a snack (I think my favorite spot for this is the covered courtyard behind Tamu Tamu at DAK, and the fact that Tamu Tamu sells Dole Whips with dark rum never hurts either). During the second half of our week at WDW, I will admit that my feet start to ache a bit after a couple of hours of walking, but it's manageable.

Trust me, going in the summer time is a whole new ballgame. We start feeling the effects by 2:00 or so.

 

[Lets Respect]

Yeah, the summer is a totally different beast. We can go 12 hours in the cool months (Jan and Feb).

We make it 6 hours max on our summer trips. Sometimes we make it back at night, sometimes not.

 

[crxbrett]

Mid-day breaks are definitely part of my normal daily routine on Disney World vacations. I usually do EMHs or rope drop every single morning and then leave the park around Noon or 1p. Then it's off to my resort to relax, swim and lounge til about 3 or so. I am usually back in another park by 5p, maybe 6p. It really does make the trip so much more relaxing and enjoyable. I never feel tired or fatigued and always feel energized on the trip. I also usually take a 20-min nap every 2-3 nights during my pool breaks.

I have only visited in summer and only stayed on property. In other seasons or while staying off-site, breaks may not be as easy or as attractive or as efficient.

But in summer.and staying on-property, I do not see any cons and only pros taking a break every day.

 

[graphite1326]

Breaks are for the wimpy kids.....LOL

 

[KimAnnFran]

I am going the week of Fathers Day next month to Disney for a full week with my parents and my sisters family and they have five kids. 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. I am not real enthusiastic about going when it is so hot, but that's they it is going to be.

We have been debating the concept of going back to the hotel (All Star Music) in the middle of the day to take a rest. It theoretically gives you a nice break. However, leaving the park takes energy too. There is a lot of extra walking out of the park to the bus station, through the heat, and then walking to the hotel room, etc. It all takes a lot of extra time.

I am trying to get some opinions for this time of year if that is a sensible idea or not. I know we have two days at magic kingdom (other parks too). I was kind of thinking of suggesting we do an early day, and a late day for these two days. On the early day, we would leave early perhaps around 5 to go back and rest for the remainder of the day. On the other day, we would start out later, perhaps around noon, and stay through the fireworks.

Can anyone talk from experience?

I can. I've been there 16 times, and a few of these times have been with 8th graders. Other times have been with children, most times without. The break in the day is a MUST to avoid a lot of common problems and have the rejuvenation needed to make it through WDW evenings. I definitely vote for it, either swim or just rest in the A/C. Return to the hotel around 1:30 or 2, after being there at rope drop, and return around dinner hour or right after. I've also noticed if we ate before we got back, the bus ride and transportation time helps digestion before the next go round.

 

[Disney4family]

We've never taken a break, even when the kids were 3. If they crashed, they had wonderful naps in their little umbrella strollers while we shopped in a/c or sat on a bench under a palm tree in the parks - probably with a Grand Marnier slushie. It was never a problem for us, but every family is different.

 

[John park hopper]

Our next planned visit is MAy 2019 and though we never took breaks during the day even when the boys were young I think we will this next trip. Age seems to creep up on you- new plan do EMH break at noon, relax at the resort, go back to the parks for dinner and extra hours.

 

[winstongator]

You're both wrong . Obviously the correct answer is to have your FastPasses back-to-back but in close physical proximity to one another.

Pirates-Thunder-Splash
Space-Buzz-Speedway
Mine-Mermaid-Pooh
Mansion-Peter-Small World

Actually, that's another benefit of taking midday breaks. You can park hop more easily, which mean you can load on on Magic Kingdom FastPass days. Magic Kingdom needs the most FastPasses. If you don't park hop, you're probably going to MK for two days, meaning six FastPasses. If you park hop and visit MK for four half-days rather than two full-days, you can take advantage of 12 FastPasses.

I've got a slightly more complicated problem. I book two sets of fp+. One daughter loves coasters, one absolutely won't do them (her stomach tickle feeling is much higher than normal). I book fp+ to minimize our wait time, with no regard for location. Here's what I do:

If the rides are close, I bunch my usage of the fp+: use one towards the end of the window, the next at the beginning. If they're far apart, use the first at the beginning, the other at the end. You really have 1.75-2 hrs or 15-30 min between fp+, depending on how you choose to use them.

Yeah, I don't want to go from Space to Splash to 7DMT. Say you're 10-11-12. Space toward the end, go to Splash. Have easily 1.5 hrs till 7DMT. Grab lunch or hit other rides between then. Most days I go, we do maybe one more after the FP, and then head back for the break

Of course, I'm planning two sets of these schedules

 

[DarthVader]

I like the idea of taking a break, as it gives our kids some downtime and gets them away from the crushing crowds and heat. Obviously staying on property makes the idea of leaving/returning feasible.

 

[WDW Zandt]

My kids right now are two and almost one. My wife insist on taking a break at the hotel. Years ago, when I used to go to Disney with other people, we never took breaks. We hit every ride at least once and then made our way around the parks to do duplicates on the rides we wanted to see and we caught parades in there too. It was a science. Now what happens - and why I'm in the group against breaks at the hotel - is we go back to the hotel room and my wife and kids take naps...and then wake up within the park's last hours. By the time we're ready to go back out, it's usually too late to do anything. I see the point of the naps, especially with young kids, but it also really depends IMO on how long the kids typically "nap" for at home. As an adult without kids I'd rather get more bang for my buck and stay at the parks.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My kids right now are two and almost one. My wife insist on taking a break at the hotel. Years ago, when I used to go to Disney with other people, we never took breaks. We hit every ride at least once and then made our way around the parks to do duplicates on the rides we wanted to see and we caught parades in there too. It was a science. Now what happens - and why I'm in the group against breaks at the hotel - is we go back to the hotel room and my wife and kids take naps...and then wake up within the park's last hours. By the time we're ready to go back out, it's usually too late to do anything. I see the point of the naps, especially with young kids, but it also really depends IMO on how long the kids typically "nap" for at home. As an adult without kids I'd rather get more bang for my buck and stay at the parks.

Have you been recently?

The reason I ask is that what you described effectively can’t be done anymore...fast pass + and prebooked Ride rationing has made it impossible to “do all rides” and certainly in multiples.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

My kids right now are two and almost one. My wife insist on taking a break at the hotel. Years ago, when I used to go to Disney with other people, we never took breaks. We hit every ride at least once and then made our way around the parks to do duplicates on the rides we wanted to see and we caught parades in there too. It was a science. Now what happens - and why I'm in the group against breaks at the hotel - is we go back to the hotel room and my wife and kids take naps...and then wake up within the park's last hours. By the time we're ready to go back out, it's usually too late to do anything. I see the point of the naps, especially with young kids, but it also really depends IMO on how long the kids typically "nap" for at home. As an adult without kids I'd rather get more bang for my buck and stay at the parks.

Counter-point: You're getting more bang for your park ticket buck by staying in the parks but your wife is getting more bang for her resort buck by making use of the room.

I think a good compromise might be keeping the naps but keeping them fairly scheduled. We leave our morning park by 1:00 and we're back in our evening park by 4:00. That leaves time for about a one hour nap, just enough to let everyone cool off and recharge a bit.

 

[WDW Zandt]

Have you been recently?

The reason I ask is that what you described effectively can’t be done anymore...fast pass + and prebooked Ride rationing has made it impossible to “do all rides” and certainly in multiples.

I had an annual pass last year and went once a month. It's definitely changed. The time I was referring to was over ten years ago now. To me it still seems like yesterday.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Have you been recently?

The reason I ask is that what you described effectively can’t be done anymore...fast pass + and prebooked Ride rationing has made it impossible to “do all rides” and certainly in multiples.

Another reason to do a midday break. If you schedule Fastpasses for 4, 5, and 6, you can take advantage of lighter crowds in the morning, leave during the peak stretch when Fastpass demand and standby guests overlap, and return to knock out your Fastpasses at a time when lines would otherwise be super long.

 

[rio]

Have you been recently?

The reason I ask is that what you described effectively can’t be done anymore...fast pass + and prebooked Ride rationing has made it impossible to “do all rides” and certainly in multiples.

Not necessarily true. If you do rope drops, you can ride every ride in a land in the MK, and you can do most of the high profile attractions within the first hour at the other parks. Taking advantage of early morning extra magic hours also helps with this.

Back to the original post, my last trip was at Christmas. Because I wanted to view the shows during the day, I stayed at the park the first couple days. After that, I went back to the resort. A mid afternoon break really does do wonders. But be sure to stay hydrated, have snacks, and take advantage of Disney’s tools.

 

[WDW Zandt]

Counter-point: You're getting more bang for your park ticket buck by staying in the parks but your wife is getting more bang for her resort buck by making use of the room.

I think a good compromise might be keeping the naps but keeping them fairly scheduled. We leave our morning park by 1:00 and we're back in our evening park by 4:00. That leaves time for about a one hour nap, just enough to let everyone cool off and recharge a bit.

When I think of a nap, that works perfectly for me. My wife and I have very different concepts of time. I always feel like I don't have enough time whereas she thinks she has too much time. We haven't found the middle ground yet. Still, since we do go to Disney quite often and the kids are little it's not the end of the world. My kids aren't old enough to feel like they are missing the experience. I think as long as we do what we set out to do initially, like the big attractions we wanted to experience, any time lost being at a hotel isn't the end of the world. I'll still refuse to take a nap but that's why we have arcades, pools, and picture taking to accomplish

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not necessarily true. If you do rope drops, you can ride every ride in a land in the MK, and you can do most of the high profile attractions within the first hour at the other parks. Taking advantage of early morning extra magic hours also helps with this.

Back to the original post, my last trip was at Christmas. Because I wanted to view the shows during the day, I stayed at the park the first couple days. After that, I went back to the resort. A mid afternoon break really does do wonders. But be sure to stay hydrated, have snacks, and take advantage of Disney’s tools.

Doing rope drops and running from ride to ride till midnight is EXACTLY what necessitates burnouts and midday breaks - especially in the heat. That is “mickeys magical zombie ticket”

Hey...they should market that