To break or not? To hop or not?
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| Thu, 05-03-2007 - 6:19pm |
Hi again all...
As time rolls by (we're going in 95 days), my ADR's are done, my plans I *though* were set...
I thought I'd keep it simple and not take breaks on most days...and not park hop.
I thought why spend the time on buses (we won't have a car) to and from the All Stars Music, when we could be at the parks, kwim? And if we're not going to take breaks, it made no sense to pay the extra $ to switch parks in the middle of the day, just to go back to that park on a different day (even though I'm aware that parks have different "speeds" i.e. MGM is mostly shows, Epcot requires lots more walking around World Showcase, etc).
I don't even have a preschooler or toddler (DS just turned 9).
But now I wonder...
DS is used to sleeping about 10 hours a night. If he goes more than one night without enough sleep (at LEAST 8 hours), he starts becoming really miserable...he gets clumsy - runs into things, trips - and whiny -over the owies gotten as he runs into things!
Just this past weekend was his (9th) birthday even though we all had lots of fun, due to parties and celebrations, etc we definitely had the opportunity to witness the cumulative effect of all that stimulation on him: by Monday afternoon he was a wreck... cranky, crying over nothing, miserable...Then he slept TWELVE hours in arow (I'm not kidding - from seven to seven! And he might have kept sleeping if I didn't have to get him up to go to school!) and he was back to his normal, happy-go-lucky self!
Sooo all that is making me think...maybe we SHOULD plan breaks! How do I do that without feeling like we're "wasting" potential park time, and still doing everything we want to do? If DS doesn't want to nap, will a "forced" rest be counterproductive? (Swimming I'm sure will just tire him out more, it happens here at home as well!) Or should I should just plan for an early evening every couple of days?
I'm thinking that last option might be the best... So far our plan was to spend our days like this: August 7th.arrival/rest. First Full day: MK open to close (only day available for Spectro due to PP&P parties etc). Day #2MGM (skipping Fantasmic to go "home" at a decent bedtime). Day #4. Epcot (perhaps leaving before IllumiNations - we can do that on the next Epcot day- so also OK bedtime). Day 5: Second MK day, leaving by 7 because PP&P...
So far, so good. Day 6 is DH's birthday and a "non park day" (DTD, then back to hotel to swim, then Boardwalk) Late night for DH & I at boardwalk, and for DS at the kids' club. (STILL not sure about this...I just found that Jellyrolls is about the only place in WDW that allows smoking...i cannot stand smoke! :( Plus the thought of paying $50 or so for child care while we could be using that $ for fun with DS...I think I'll probably end up cancelling this!)
Day 7. Another non park day - sleep in (after the late night) and Blizzard Beach....earlyish bedtime since we have early ADRs at Breakfastosaurus the next day. Day 8. AK all day. Not a late night either since that park closes early. Day 9. Epcot open to close: IllumiNations, our last park day. Day 10 is August 16th and we leave in the afternoon...
Do these sound reasonable? Or am I setting myself up for an overtired kid that's not as happy as he could be? Would any of this be helped/improved in any way by park hoppers? What would you do???

Hmmm...it's really hard to say. I know that my kids cannot make it without the break; but, they are younger.
My best advice is to BE FLEXIBLE. You can't possibly see or do everything on one trip, but you probably already know that. Do arrive at park opening, do the "big" attractions as close to opening as possible and see how everyone is doing at lunchtime. If your ds needs a break, take it. You might also be surprised at how tired the adults get; DH and I usually need the afternoon rest as well as the kids.
Another thing to consider is the heat. Not sure of you exact dates, but I'm thinking it's August, and we've been at the end of August; it's still really hot at that time. Also, drink lots of water and stay hydrated.
The big red flag I see in your plan is a full day at AK. We found out the hard way in 2004 that AK is very hot, there is little to no breeze to help cool you down, and for some reason, it was just a lot hotter than the other parks. We split AK into two 1/2 days the last trip, and it was much more manageable to us. The other thing, and it will depend on your family, is the open to close day at Epcot; Epcot is our favorite park, but it is a ton and a half of walking. The place is HUGE! I would do a break on that last Epcot day for sure.
I would be tempted (if possible) to not do a full day away from the parks and do 1/2 park day, 1/2 day at DTD or whatever. It depends on the family; we have never done a full day away from the parks, it just doesn't work for us.
I very much understand the feeling of "wasting" park time by resting, but you will enjoy the things you get to do much more if you aren't tired and dealing with a tired, cranky child (or adult).
I hope this helps some! Every family is different, this is just what works for us. FWIW, we don't go without park hoppers, but you can add that at any time. Just so you know, the price for hopping is per ticket, not per day, so it won't save money if you wait until there are only (for example) 4 days left on your ticket. The bonus is that you can add it at any time, so if you are at MK and decide you do want to hop, you can add the hopping at the gate of the other park you want to go to.
Steph
My boys are 12 (on May 9) and 8 (on May 17). They've been to Disney 4 and 3 times respectively. We have never taken breaks during the day for naps. We alternate our days so that if we are up early, we are back at the resort relatively early (like by 8 pm) and if we are out late, we'll sleep in a bit the next morning. We usually go for 8 days, and arrive early on day one and get a late flight out on day 8, so it gives us more flexibility to take things at a slower pace.
We do like to park hop though. We'll start out in one park, go to dinner, and end up in another park. We like to break things up like that.
I think it's important just to recognize your child's cues. If you notice that he's had enough, then call it a day. I know that after spending all that money, you want to get your monies worth. But if he's miserable and cranky, then nobody is having fun and it's no longer worth it anymore.
Have a great trip!!!
Marcy
I have to say that we don't usually take breaks back at the hotel, even the first time we went when DD was only 6 (she's 9 now)
However we are not really early morning people either, we tend to wake up at normal time, take our time having breakfast and go when we are ready, if we plan to stay for an evening magic hour we may not set out until after lunch - swimming always has to be fitted into our day somehow or DD would have a major hissy - she is such a fishy lol
Last time we went we were doing MNSSHP, so that day I did make an early ADR at Breakfastasaurus, we spent the remainder of the day at AK, left at 5 when it closed (it was October) and then we had time for a toes up at the hotel before we headed out to our ADR at Tony's Town Square.
I think that's the only time we've ever gone back to our hotel once we're set out for the day. However, we do take breaks in the parks, sitting down to eat, see the shows if we're hot, pin trade sometimes and just people watch for a while if we need to.
Different things work for different people and all you can is be flexible and discover your families Disney rhythm.
Carole
Carole