Taking breaks & naps!

[wsmith1978]

Ok so my partner and I want nothing more than do be at the parks from open till close but we just can't seem to accomplish that feat without a midday nap, and even then sometimes we're too exhausted to make it to the end of a EMH night. We go in February, so the magic hours aren't even that late. :lol: Is it just us? We're not exactly in the greatest shape, so I mean my legs are throbbing by the middle of the day and just about broken by the end :ROFLOL: Between that and the blisters I can't seem to avoid on my feet, my experience is usually physically devastating! :hammer: That being said, I wouldn't trade it for anything - since we went to WDW our first time in 2009 we can't make ourselves go anywhere different, we plan to go every year for the rest of our lives (as long as we can!).

I know it's different for everyone, especially when you have kids, so maybe this question is directed towards young-ish couples like us (we're in our early 30's). Do you have to go back to the resort to rest or take a nap every day? Maybe we're just a couple of wusses?

 

[Susan Savia]

In all the 25 plus trips to WDW we've never taken a break. We consider sitting down on a bench or a attraction thats at least 15 minutes long to be a 'break". We figure we can sleep when we get back to our room at night. We are middle aged folks.

 

[bigorangeandy]

Take a break. You will enjoy your trip so much more if your not having your legs hurting every day. If you just can't take a break, do some shows in the afternoon, sit on a bench and eat ice cream, pick out a great parade location then sit for a while till it starts. Taking a brake and going back to the resort doesn't mean that you have to take a nap, an afternoon sitting by the pool reading a book with a cool drink is a nice way to rest for a few hours.

 

[wolf359]

In recent visits I've found the key to having a comfortable, relaxing, and enjoyable vacation is breaking up the day with a trip back to the resort. Maybe not always for a nap, but just a little down time to relax, change clothes, and have a break from the crowds. I also like putting a complete day off from the major parks in the middle of a longer stay to visit a water park, resort hop, shop, and just take it easy.

It is easy, and very tempting, to go so hard and so long on a Disney vacation to completely wear yourself out but now that I've started adding a little down time to relax during the vacation I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[enchanted_belle]

I found tables make for great naps. :lookaroun And if youre really looking for a break when in MK, go to the Presidents. AC, comfy chairs... :lol:

Everyone else has the idea, use the shows and such for some break time. That way, you keep the Disney Magic in your trip and it helps to feel more relaxed. I always found going back to the hotel for a nap/down time made me feel rushed to get back on rides (and see shows), but just doing the shows instead brightened my day.

 

[disney magic 06]

On a short trip I would tough it out and stay in the parks all day, but we go for two weeks and pace ourselves to get maximum pleasure. We always go back to our room in the afternoon, it may be 3pm, may be 5pm. We either relax at the pool or sit on our balcony with a cool beer. Just occasionallly one of us (me!) will fall asleep. Then its shower time, fresh clothes and raring to go for the late afternoon/evening.

Even so, I regularly fall asleep in the strangest places - eg Tower of Terror, Maelstrom, Beauty and the Beast! :ROFLOL:

 

[Poofiesdream]

Take a break, find a nice shady spot to sit and just enjoy looking around and seeing the people and area. Those are the things I remember the most. Hurrying from place to place all day I don't even remember how I got there. I just enjoy taking it all in and thinking to myself, I'm really here. Before long you will be home again. We stop a couple of times a day whenever we start to get tired. The secret is to stop before you get tired and cranky. Enjoy yourself!:ROFLOL:

 

[pixiesteno]

One of the things that we have found helps is to start walking months prior to our trip, gradually expanding the distance seem to really help. It gets the legs and feet in better shape. You might also want to consider what kind of support your are getting from your shoes that you are wearing.
Also, one of the best trips we have had to WDW was for 10 days with our RV. We did park time in the mornings then came back for a swim and relax time. Sometimes we ate at the parks for dinner, other times we had dinner at our RV. The point was we chose to do what we wanted when the feeling struck us. We had APs at the time so no worries about PH or anything. It was the most enjoyable trip we have taken!! I can't wait to do it again. For me it wasn't really having tired legs or anything, it is too much stimulus and noise to be in the parks from start to end of day.

 

[Huglife]

I'm 30 (31 on Sunday). I travel with my boyfriend and friends, around the same age. We usually sleep in and then we're able to stay at the parks until the end. I don't think I've ever been to morning EMH. We also park hop a lot so that gives us a little break. Every trip we say we're going to take a day off and stay at the resort, but it never happens.:hammer: Our December trip is our longest trip yet, 11 days, so maybe we will this time.

 

[wsmith1978]

Thanks everyone! Great suggestions. I think we will try some of them this year. We're always so rushed. But this time we're bringing my parents, they're in their 60's, so we plan to take our time so they can take everything in. I bet they'll have more stamina than me!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

 

[BelleofDE]

You gotta do what makes you happy!! I know lots of my friends always take a mid day break and go back and nap at their hotel. Usually our break is a sit down lunch, or park hopping (since you'll be on transportation for like 15-20 min). The next time we go we will have our daughter with us so I fully plan on scheduling a mid day pool/nap time in there, then going back to the park and staying til close!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

I don't think there is anything wrong with an afternoon break. Our next trip will be for 2 weeks so I have breaks planned into most days. I think it depends on what you do that day/what you want to accomplish. So for instance, we love mornings and evenings in the parks, so the afternoon break is essential to experiencing both. If we went commando-style with our kids in tow, they would all be miserable by the time it was time to sit and wait for Fantasmic! for instance. So yeah, breaks are good. Slow down, enjoy yourself and relax, and you will end up with more warm and fuzzy feelings from your vacation.

 

[sam_disney]

I think you have to do whats best for you. We tend to stay as long as we can, sometimes cutting days shorter, but we tend not to have a break mid way through the day to be honest.

However, we have days off.. so we tend to have a relaxed chill day in between visiting parks. :snore:

 

[surfsupdon]

We get to a park at opening and stay till 11ish.

Then always head back to room, grab a snack at Concierge Lounge, and relax poolside, or in a hammock, or on the beach, or in bed....either alone or with the fmaily/friends.

Then we head into the parks again around 5 or 6.


I can't think of many days that we are in the parks in the afternoons. It's too hot, too crowded and congested, and way more peaceful back at the Resort.

It's a great mid afternoon break.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

my husband and i are in our 40s and i walk 4-5miles most days of the week but have a bad back. we go back and chill at the resort when we go in the summer but park hours are so much longer then as compared to february you don't feel like you're missing as much.

when i went this past august with my granddaughter we took mid afternoon breaks so she could go swimming and we could miss the hottest part of the day. i found just 2 hours helped me physically recharge so i was able to enjoy the parks even more (i though pushing a stroller was going to kill me). i'd have never thought so as i too want to go from rope drop to the end of emh but taking the break really helped.

my sister and i go for about a week just after thanksgiving every year and hate taking breaks because the parks close so early but have found that taking the time for a sit down dinner along with a little inappropriate coping with alcohol makes the aches and pains go away long enough for us to get to the end of emh lol...

 

[lbrad]

I don't think there is anything wrong with an afternoon break. Our next trip will be for 2 weeks so I have breaks planned into most days. I think it depends on what you do that day/what you want to accomplish. So for instance, we love mornings and evenings in the parks, so the afternoon break is essential to experiencing both. If we went commando-style with our kids in tow, they would all be miserable by the time it was time to sit and wait for Fantasmic! for instance. So yeah, breaks are good. Slow down, enjoy yourself and relax, and you will end up with more warm and fuzzy feelings from your vacation.

GREAT advice ... I agree wholeheartedly!!!
This is exactly how we do it :wave:

 

[tigsmom]

If your body tells you to take a break then do it! It can be anything from sitting and people watching for awhile to a sit down lunch to a nap & swim back at the hotel. We have always taken a break mid day (especially when the kids were young)...do morning EMH, break for lunch and a quick rest and then back to the parks for evening EMH. Even with the kids grown that is still the way they like to spend the day.

 

[Biff215]

My wife and I are both in our early 30's. Pre-kids, we would typically go all day whether it was in one park or split between two. The most we usually did was go back to change and freshen up for a dinner reservation. This all changed 3 years ago when we had our daughter. Afternoon breaks became a necessity to allow for a real nap (the stroller didn't do it for her then, besides there's not much you can do while they are asleep in a stroller).

Now that she's 3, the possibility of forgoing the nap or letting her rest in the stroller is now a reality. We still choose to take a break, however. We spend a lot for our DVC membership, and I see that you have been staying at Wilderness. If you're going to spend the money for the resort, you might as well have an opportunity to enjoy it. Since most of us are in a rush to get in the parks in the morning and stay to close at night, the only time we can truly enjoy the resort is by taking an afternoon break. In the warmer months we make time to enjoy the pool, and during our next trip in 2 weeks we are going to make a point to check out all the resort holiday decorations. Some days we'll just hang in the room if it's rest we need.

As others have said, it's definitely a personal decision that will impact your vacation experience either way. By taking the break, we feel like we actually enjoy our vacation more. I can certainly respect those who choose to maximize their time in the parks, but that's when I can also understand those who say they won't stay deluxe as it's only a place to sleep. If you're going to pay the premium to stay in Disney, you might as well make the most of it (and get some much needed rest at times)!

 

[R W B]

I can't imagine going back and taking a nap mid day. I hate napping mid day at home so I'm really not going to want to do it on vacation lol. We go from about 9-10am until park closing wheather it be 10pm or 3am emh. We always park hop though and we like to mix in resort hopping too so we get some breaks throughout the day but not a real dedicated break.

 

[patricia27]

As we usually visit WDW June/July/August time it can get pretty hot at midday. so we go back to our resort for a relaxing swim/light salad lunch/maybe a nap--then we are ready for action. As they say---"mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun"!!