How many of you actually leave the park and go back to your hotels during the day? How old are your kids? Do they take naps or do you go to the pools?

Also where do you go for "down time" if you don't leave the parks? What are you favorite "quiet time" places inside DL/DCA?

What are you favorite "quiet time" places inside DL/DCA?

Hang in the Opera House & watch the 50th Anniversary movie.

Mark Twain.

Get on the train and don't get off for awhile.

Places to just chill: Fantasia Gardens, Carnation Gardens, the Court d'Angels in NOS, Sitting under the Hungry Bear and feed the ducks/watch the Twain go by... I might think of more later.

Adrienne

In the past we've had sort of short trips, and didnt feel like we had the time to leave and come back. On our last trip I think we sent the kids to the hotel once with the grandparents and I took them once. Our youngest was under 2, and really needed a nap. This time our trip is a day or two longer then normal. We are staying at PP, and plan on going back for a little bit the 3 full days we are there (wont have time for breaks on the day we get there and the day we leave). We'll swim and have some quiet time. We have long park hours those days, so that helps.

If you dont want to leave the park you can always plan a nice long lunch or pick a parade / firework spot really early and just relax or ride the train around a couple times. I read a trip report once that the person stayed on the train for 45 min while her children took naps.

Last December we would leave midday for a break. Usually one of us would stay with the oldest and the other would take the little two back for some downtime. The downtime usually included a swim and a nap. The kids loved it because we were at the DLH so to them, they were still at DL.

For a nice break inside the park, we take the train all the way around.

This is our 6th annual trip. We started coming when my youngest was 1.5 years old. As far as I can remember, we only had 3 day passes back then, which wasn't long enough. We ran the whole time, and tried to squeeze naps in for the kids, or at least the baby.

Each year since our first, we seem to add more days. This year we are up to 8 days in the park and taking Sat/Sun off. So we're here for 10 nights.

The way we are doing our trip this year is, going to the park until we get hungry or mom & dad can't walk anymore... then coming out for a small break. Taking it slower allows us to do a few great rides in the morning (the park opens at 10am) and then coming out, eating and going back a few hours later. Even though my kids don't need the rest, my husband and I were tired of coming home from vacation EXHAUSTED!

Starting tomorrow we'll have 5 straight days in the park, and our plan is the same, do a few hours in the morning, come out for rest or swimming, go back in the evening. Or else we'll get a small snack in the park, and come out for an early dinner and hit the pool after dinner.

How many of you actually leave the park and go back to your hotels during the day? How old are your kids? Do they take naps or do you go to the pools?


If you're an out-of-towner, this is super key to a Disneyland/DCA visit. Eat an early lunch, go back to the hotel to recharge, come back for an early dinner. You miss the hot, crowded afternoon and you come back ready for more.

My kids are teens and we did this. I'd do it without kids. It just makes the visit even more enjoyable.

My husband and I take naps, even without kids! It makes each day seem like 2 different days for us, and gives us the energy to appreciate the way DL feels at night.

We got my sister to do this with her crew of 8 kids last year. Before that, she had always pushed through the day without stopping and the kids were sooooooooo tired that they often left around dinner time. They had never even watched Fantasmic! Now she always schedules a nap break, and they're all happier, especially my brother-in-law who often had to carry sleeping kids.

I will say, however, that it's best to have a very close motel for this to feel do-able. If you have to wait for a shuttle to get to and from your motel, it adds to the time away from the park.

It also depends on the time of year. If you're there during the summer when the park is open to midnight, a break makes the most sense. If you're there during the off-season and the park closes early, it might not be as worthwhile.

We always leave the park around noon when it starts to get crazy. Of course, we go as soon as it opens in the morning, and we return around 5 or 6 at night. We are not fans of hot weather and large crowds and find it a little better early in the morning and late at night. We go back to the hotel and some of us nap and some swim or just lounge around. Shopping in DTD is sometimes an option. This is why we like to stay at a resort hotel, makes it easier for us to come and go. My kids are not so young anymore:crying: 18, 16, 9 and 5 but we have grandparents with us that appreciate the rest.

Also where do you go for "down time" if you don't leave the parks? What are you favorite "quiet time" places inside DL/DCA?

The Animation Building in California Adventure is a good air-conditioned place to relax.

I have some advice if you do Epcot. When going through World Showcase there are great locations for kids to stop and do an activity. They are called Kid Cot Fun Stops. This was an excellent break for them as well as me. You can relax while they still have fun talking to people from every culture. Also, the majority of the stops are inside with the AC so you can cool off too. ;)

WE had planned on taking breaks throughout the days we were in DL and go back to the hotel. Our first day there that's exactly what we did. We went back to the hotel room had showers and a bit of a rest then went back to the park.

It was the last day we did that.

We found our 3 year old was better without the break and the infant just slept in the stroller whenever she wanted to anyhow ...

This return trip we aren't planning any of that. We found just taking a slower pace and mixing in shows with rides worked the best for us ...

But boy did the 3 yr old sleep when we got back to the hotel that night :D

I have a 4 yr old and a 2 year old. For downtime (trying to get them to nap time) I put them in the stroller and walk up the thunder mountain trail. When you get by the bathrooms at fantasyland, there is a bench by two payphones. That usualy is shady and there is rarely people over there. I also take them to the carnation plaza/garden area to the left of the castle. It's almost always empty, they can run around and strech their legs and sit and have a snack without rides and people close by. Usually we grab lunch and eat it there so that they actually eat their food.

We have a 4 and 3 year old. WE visited for 4 days 2 weeks ago staying at GCH. We would try to hit the gates at just before opening or early entry. Then have lunch around noon and back to the hotel around 1:30 or 2. The kids would swim till 3 and then we'd nap. Around 5 they'd wake up and we'd have a decent snack and head back into the park till 8 and have a late dinner.

That plan worked ok and it was mid-week when DL closed at 8. It was tough to get them to wind-down to nap and then tough to get them back and ready to go between 5 and 6. The short hours make it tempting to just go til they are ready to drop at 3 or 4 and call it good for the day.
But, we wanted to catch the parades so that required going back before 7.

We live near Disney and just pop in for the day but my theory has always been go, go, go and they'll sleep so well at night. But all my kids stopped taking naps at 18 months.

Tell me about it! I'm a bit envious when I read all these napping posts. Mine never, ever took naps after turning 2 no matter how long or tiring the day.

In general, I don't take a break away from the parks unless I'm staying at the Grand Californian. If I want a place to sit and relax, I'll just grab a bench or sit down to eat. Riding the train is good, animation building or any show is good. Another nice place for downtime is the GCH lobby.

We always leave the park after lunch and head back to the hotel (when kids were 18 months and 2.5 and then at 2.5 and 4.5). We would go for a swim, have a snack etc. and then about 3 hours later we would return to the park. This year with kids aged 2,4, and 6 we will do the same thing. Get to the park for opening, return to the hotel for 2-3 hours (1-3ish) and then back to the park for a few more hours (longer if there are fireworks etc.) We find this works really, really well. We do the rides in the morning and the afternoon is for "mommy, daddy rides -- splash mountain etc. with the fast passes we got prior to leaving in the morning" and for the parade and shows. We do not come home from vacation tired and we all have a really good time. We usually stay at the Coast Anaheim and never had a problem with the walk back and forth