Rest/resort day(s) for 4/6 YO

[Mardigras2025]

Hi all, another post here as everyone has been super helpful planning this trip. How many rest days do you do, if any?

We are hoping to stay at poly studios in March 2025 (Spring Break) with a DS4 and a DD6.5. We are planning on doing all 4 parks + one more day at MK. Planning to rope drop every day. Every day, we will come back around 1pm for nap for 4 year old and pool for 6 year old.

We were definitely going to do one rest day in the middle, wondering if two would be necessary? Or with nap breaks, plus our arrival being early and departure being late, totally unnecessary to do two?

Sat - arrive late morning/early afternoon, maybe check out water park, maybe dinner at Disney Springs if do water park, get to bed early

Sun - MK rope drop, leave shortly before fireworks

Mon - animal kingdom?

Tues - rest day - go to ft. Wilderness to see horses, pony ride, hoop dee doo

Weds - epcot (may splurge for park hopper so parents can go to extended hours at MK after bedtime)

Thurs - HS - stay late for fantasmic (thought about skipping this park, but kids are too excited for slinky dog)

Fri - MK stay for fireworks, and potentially close if we can make it

Sat - departure day, flight late afternoon/early evening - sleep in a little, character breakfast at topolino’s if can get reservation

The alternative would be starting the trip one day earlier and having first rest day on Monday and second rest day on Thursday, before doing MK on Friday to end the trip.

Basically, is one rest day + nap breaks enough to enjoy Poly and also not have a breakdown doing three parks in a row on second half of trip? Or possible to rally at the end out of excitement? 8 nights feels a little excessive, but this is a “once at this age” trip.

Thanks!

 

[sponica]

We never did the come back to the room for a nap, mine were stroller nappers...and other than MK, where it sort of makes sense to go to Poly for a break, you spend more time in transit than it's worth.

We did 8 nights in 2022, no rest days but we had some late starts as my husband played golf on 3 mornings.

But we're also not park commandos, we would do rope drop until dinner time or hop after lunch, depending on the plan. We never make it past 7 or 8 in the parks. Our kids prefer to watch the fireworks from outside the parks.

ETA: My youngest is 3.5 now and will not nap on vacation, so if you're planning on a 4 year old napping I'd be flexible in that expectation.

 

[Mardigras2025]

We never did the come back to the room for a nap, mine were stroller nappers...and other than MK, where it sort of makes sense to go to Poly for a break, you spend more time in transit than it's worth.

We did 8 nights in 2022, no rest days but we had some late starts as my husband played golf on 3 mornings.

But we're also not park commandos, we would do rope drop until dinner time or hop after lunch, depending on the plan. We never make it past 7 or 8 in the parks. Our kids prefer to watch the fireworks from outside the parks.

ETA: My youngest is 3.5 now and will not nap on vacation, so if you're planning on a 4 year old napping I'd be flexible in that expectation.

Thanks! Mine have never been able to nap in a stroller or even a car, but maybe it’s different in the parks. Or maybe at 4 our youngest is done with naps. Our day would definitely be cut short if we didn’t come back, so thought it would make sense to come back during the busiest part of the day. If we were not planning to come back, we would probably stay at wilderness lodge instead. I do think it could make sense to try to skip the break on animal kingdom day or HS (but then maybe not staying for Fantasmic).

 

[sponica]

Thanks! Mine have never been able to nap in a stroller or even a car, but maybe it’s different in the parks. Or maybe at 4 our youngest is done with naps. Our day would definitely be cut short if we didn’t come back, so thought it would make sense to come back during the busiest part of the day. If we were not planning to come back, we would probably stay at wilderness lodge instead. I do think it could make sense to try to skip the break on animal kingdom day or HS (but then maybe not staying for Fantasmic).

Animal Kingdom if you get there for rope drop, you can easily finish by mid afternoon and just have a lighter day. Once my kids get back to the hotel, they are DONE and won't go back out. They just want to eat at the pool bar and stay in the pool.

 

[Mardigras2025]

Animal Kingdom if you get there for rope drop, you can easily finish by mid afternoon and just have a lighter day. Once my kids get back to the hotel, they are DONE and won't go back out. They just want to eat at the pool bar and stay in the pool.

I can totally see that happening! The pool will be their favorite part and they won’t feel like going back after that…

 

[DeeBee3]

My tweak would be to get in on arrival day and just stay at the resort and enjoy the pool. We always pack a carry-on with a change of clothes and bathing suits. It just depends on how long your flight in and what your travel personality is. I would not want to fly in, get to Poly, and then have to take a bus or Uber to Springs or water park.

It is also going to be extra busy at that time of the year so you need to give yourself time and manage expectations. Breaking up the day is a good idea IMO. My kids stopped napping very early but we try to take breaks anyway. They love the pools and they also get tired in the heat.

We also have early risers, but when we travel they always sleep in way longer than they ever do at home. I would just see how it goes as far as park opening. All my opinion of course. They also seem to muster the strength to stay out late even though they are asleep before 8:30 each night.

 

[Mardigras2025]

My tweak would be to get in on arrival day and just stay at the resort and enjoy the pool. We always pack a carry-on with a change of clothes and bathing suits. It just depends on how long your flight in and what your travel personality is. I would not want to fly in, get to Poly, and then have to take a bus or Uber to Springs or water park.

It is also going to be extra busy at that time of the year so you need to give yourself time and manage expectations. Breaking up the day is a good idea IMO. My kids stopped napping very early but we try to take breaks anyway. They love the pools and they also get tired in the heat.

We also have early risers, but when we travel they always sleep in way longer than they ever do at home. I would just see how it goes as far as park opening. All my opinion of course. They also seem to muster the strength to stay out late even though they are asleep before 8:30 each night.

Thanks! I never would have normally planned on water park on arrival day, but thought we might as well check it out for a couple of hours if we got in early since it’s a “free perk.” If it’s more hassle then it’s worth, with wanting to be well rested for MK the next day, then it could be a good idea to skip. Especially with March weather.

Early risers here as well, but love the advice of staying flexible (even though in my mind the rope dropping is how we will “get more done.”)

 

[sponica]

I can totally see that happening! The pool will be their favorite part and they won’t feel like going back after that…

We ate at the Poly pool bar on arrival night and one more night during the week we stayed there. I love the vibe of that pool, even if it does get to be like people soup when it's crowded.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hi all, another post here as everyone has been super helpful planning this trip. How many rest days do you do, if any?

We are hoping to stay at poly studios in March 2025 (Spring Break) with a DS4 and a DD6.5. We are planning on doing all 4 parks + one more day at MK. Planning to rope drop every day. Every day, we will come back around 1pm for nap for 4 year old and pool for 6 year old.

We were definitely going to do one rest day in the middle, wondering if two would be necessary? Or with nap breaks, plus our arrival being early and departure being late, totally unnecessary to do two?

Sat - arrive late morning/early afternoon, maybe check out water park, maybe dinner at Disney Springs if do water park, get to bed early

Sun - MK rope drop, leave shortly before fireworks

Mon - animal kingdom?

Tues - rest day - go to ft. Wilderness to see horses, pony ride, hoop dee doo

Weds - epcot (may splurge for park hopper so parents can go to extended hours at MK after bedtime)

Thurs - HS - stay late for fantasmic (thought about skipping this park, but kids are too excited for slinky dog)

Fri - MK stay for fireworks, and potentially close if we can make it

Sat - departure day, flight late afternoon/early evening - sleep in a little, character breakfast at topolino’s if can get reservation

The alternative would be starting the trip one day earlier and having first rest day on Monday and second rest day on Thursday, before doing MK on Friday to end the trip.

Basically, is one rest day + nap breaks enough to enjoy Poly and also not have a breakdown doing three parks in a row on second half of trip? Or possible to rally at the end out of excitement? 8 nights feels a little excessive, but this is a “once at this age” trip.

Thanks!

Have a back up plan in case 4 year old falls asleep on way back to resort and not going back to sleep.

 

[Haley R]

Thanks! Mine have never been able to nap in a stroller or even a car, but maybe it’s different in the parks. Or maybe at 4 our youngest is done with naps. Our day would definitely be cut short if we didn’t come back, so thought it would make sense to come back during the busiest part of the day. If we were not planning to come back, we would probably stay at wilderness lodge instead. I do think it could make sense to try to skip the break on animal kingdom day or HS (but then maybe not staying for Fantasmic).

My DS is 3 and isn’t a stroller napper. We always go back to the room around 12:30-1 and he naps for a couple hours. Sometimes we do the pool and hang out at the resort after and most of the time we go to a park at night. When he takes a good nap he can last until 9:30-10 pm and the parks are so fun at that time. We just stayed at poly recently and did MK at night. He loved getting to ride thunder mountain over and over at night

 

[Specter]

DD is almost 5 but has been to Disney World 3 times at 10 months, 34 months, and 40 months.

She would snooze in her stroller but the one time, when she was 10 months, we skipped a midday break she was a total wreck and we ended up missing out on Fantasmic that trip. Since then we have maintained our policy of a midday break and not one single additional instance like the one that fateful day at HS.

Our trips are generally 7-8 park days and, for our family, we do not take even a single rest day at any point. We do try for rope drop but if circumstances don't allow for it we just roll with it. We go until lunch, then maybe do one more ride and/or the parade or a character meet and greet, then our midday break, and then head back for dinner and evenings in the park. We have closed the place out on occasion but we don't plan around that, it's just a bonus if we hang that long.

This is what works for our family, FWIW. I know that some people feel very strongly about midday breaks one way or another. I will be the first to concede the point that with the transit time back to the resort, break time, and then transit back to the park is a sunk cost in time that you have to be willing to accept but for my family, getting home having done everything we want without being so worn out that we feel like we need a vacation from our vacation, it just works for us. Our stays are a little bit longer than what it seems you have planned, but that too makes DW and I personally feel that rest days are just not needed if you are doing the midday breaks. YMMV. Whatever you ultimately do, enjoy your trip.

All of that said, we do live in Texas and both DWs parents and mine have a pool. While DD loves swimming, the pool isn't so novel for us that she would rather do that than go into the park.

 

[Mardigras2025]

DD is almost 5 but has been to Disney World 3 times at 10 months, 34 months, and 40 months.

She would snooze in her stroller but the one time, when she was 10 months, we skipped a midday break she was a total wreck and we ended up missing out on Fantasmic that trip. Since then we have maintained our policy of a midday break and not one single additional instance like the one that fateful day at HS.

Our trips are generally 7-8 park days and, for our family, we do not take even a single rest day at any point. We do try for rope drop but if circumstances don't allow for it we just roll with it. We go until lunch, then maybe do one more ride and/or the parade or a character meet and greet, then our midday break, and then head back for dinner and evenings in the park. We have closed the place out on occasion but we don't plan around that, it's just a bonus if we hang that long.

This is what works for our family, FWIW. I know that some people feel very strongly about midday breaks one way or another. I will be the first to concede the point that with the transit time back to the resort, break time, and then transit back to the park is a sunk cost in time that you have to be willing to accept but for my family, getting home having done everything we want without being so worn out that we feel like we need a vacation from our vacation, it just works for us. Our stays are a little bit longer than what it seems you have planned, but that too makes DW and I personally feel that rest days are just not needed if you are doing the midday breaks. YMMV. Whatever you ultimately do, enjoy your trip.

All of that said, we do live in Texas and both DWs parents and mine have a pool. While DD loves swimming, the pool isn't so novel for us that she would rather do that than go into the park.

Thanks for the perspective! Seems like we definitely do not need two rest days since we are trying to do some mid-day breaks based on everyone’s replies, so that probably keeps this to a 7 night trip for us. Agree with you that any time we stay in the park after a certain time is just “extra.”

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Your plan is basically how we did the parks when our kids were that age. We always did midday breaks but my kids have always been good sleepers. They could sleep through anything so if they fell asleep on the bus they’d stay asleep as we got to the room and stayed sleeping. Even once nap times were done we did midday breaks for the pool. As adults we still do midday breaks if we RD (we mix up our days now with RD and afternoon starts so no breaks those days).

We always did 7-8 days/nights and would arrive a day early and hang out with family in the area. Next day we would check in and hit the parks. We also did a full rest day our first 1-2 trips and realized it’s not our thing. For a few extra bucks we added on length of stay tickets and would hit a park in the evening. Even if to just watch a nighttime show or ride 2-3 rides or just soak up the atmosphere. So in your case if it’s not going to hurt I would go in a day early and on the additional “rest day” hit the water park for a few hours but I would not do it on arrival day with small kids.

 

[ElenaRN]

Thankfully my kids were always great stroller nappers.
The few times we attempted to go back to room for a midday nap it was always a BIG fail for my family. The kids wouldn't fall asleep, they'd be asking to go to pool and me and DH would so want to just close our eyes for a bit.

You didn't say if you are driving or flying. But you can go straight to a park from airport if you are renting a car.

You could build a second day of rest into your schedule if you go to AK on your arrival day. Its not a full day park for most. If you could get there around 12-1, you would probably have plenty of time.
Or since it usually closes later you could do your first MK day on arrival day. If you are staying at the Poly it would be easy to get there.
Then the day you had scheduled for MK or AK could be a second rest day.

 

[Mardigras2025]

Thankfully my kids were always great stroller nappers.
The few times we attempted to go back to room for a midday nap it was always a BIG fail for my family. The kids wouldn't fall asleep, they'd be asking to go to pool and me and DH would so want to just close our eyes for a bit.

You didn't say if you are driving or flying. But you can go straight to a park from airport if you are renting a car.

You could build a second day of rest into your schedule if you go to AK on your arrival day. Its not a full day park for most. If you could get there around 12-1, you would probably have plenty of time.
Or since it usually closes later you could do your first MK day on arrival day. If you are staying at the Poly it would be easy to get there.
Then the day you had scheduled for MK or AK could be a second rest day.

Very interesting option, thank you! We are flying, hoping to land on the earlier side (11am-ish hour). Thinking about shuttle / private transportation or Lyft vs. renting a car. Nice to be in a bubble and leave the car seats at home, but the car rental would be good to get back and forth from the airport and to have an option to drive to AK and HS or other resorts/food if necessary.

I guess I didn’t consider a park on the first day - worried about feeling rushed or that I would have missed out, also “wasting” a ticket on a partial day. I think I would prefer to start in the AM and if we are “done” call it a day vs. getting there late and potentially feel like we didn’t get to enjoy it. Not sure if that makes sense. I might feel differently if I was more of a regular (maybe we will become one after this trip).

 

[WestieChic04]

Hi all, another post here as everyone has been super helpful planning this trip. How many rest days do you do, if any?

We are hoping to stay at poly studios in March 2025 (Spring Break) with a DS4 and a DD6.5. We are planning on doing all 4 parks + one more day at MK. Planning to rope drop every day. Every day, we will come back around 1pm for nap for 4 year old and pool for 6 year old.

We were definitely going to do one rest day in the middle, wondering if two would be necessary? Or with nap breaks, plus our arrival being early and departure being late, totally unnecessary to do two?

Sat - arrive late morning/early afternoon, maybe check out water park, maybe dinner at Disney Springs if do water park, get to bed early

Sun - MK rope drop, leave shortly before fireworks

Mon - animal kingdom?

Tues - rest day - go to ft. Wilderness to see horses, pony ride, hoop dee doo

Weds - epcot (may splurge for park hopper so parents can go to extended hours at MK after bedtime)

Thurs - HS - stay late for fantasmic (thought about skipping this park, but kids are too excited for slinky dog)

Fri - MK stay for fireworks, and potentially close if we can make it

Sat - departure day, flight late afternoon/early evening - sleep in a little, character breakfast at topolino’s if can get reservation

The alternative would be starting the trip one day earlier and having first rest day on Monday and second rest day on Thursday, before doing MK on Friday to end the trip.

Basically, is one rest day + nap breaks enough to enjoy Poly and also not have a breakdown doing three parks in a row on second half of trip? Or possible to rally at the end out of excitement? 8 nights feels a little excessive, but this is a “once at this age” trip.

Thanks!

Your Animal Kingdom day may be more like a half rest day as well especially if you’re rope dropping. Otherwise looks good. My kids were stroller nappers but being at Poly might be OK with a little less transit time than other resorts.

 

[Mardigras2025]

Your Animal Kingdom day may be more like a half rest day as well especially if you’re rope dropping. Otherwise looks good. My kids were stroller nappers but being at Poly might be OK with a little less transit time than other resorts.

Thanks! So with travel days, some nap time, and animal kingdom not necessarily being a full day, we should be good with one resort day somewhere in the middle. Two would not be necessary. Just hoping that Epcot, HS, and MK back to back are ok to end the trip, but should be fine since we have the weekend to recover and MK is a day 2 (although I was considering letting the kids stay past fireworks potentially to close as a last hurrah).