Afternoon break ideas not staying onsite.

[RJstanis]

Have two young boys (4 and 1.5) and spending one day at Disneyland. We love Disney world Florida where we stay on site go back to hotel midday to rest, and come back to the park with the convenience of being close and transportation taking care of. Kids are rested and moods stay good. We are staying an hour away from Disney on this Cali trip and going tomorrow on Monday. Any suggestions?

I did book a reservation for Blue Bayou to get us out of the sun at 1230 but obviously we can't just stay there the entire time the boys nap. We will be hopefully getting there at parks open at 8

 

[tania7424]

Shopping? The Outlets at Orange are close by, as is Garden Walk.

http://www.simon.com/mall/the-outlets-at-orange/stores

http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/

 

[nikkislaght]

Strange as it sounds.. find a place that will allow them to run around.. little people have so much energy that they need to let out, walking around Disney and not being able to run is a good way to head towards melt down city..
Go to the petting zoo, its very quiet there and not too many people go,, Great for some slow time. Sit on the train and go round the park a time or two is another great way to have a rest..
Hope you have a great trip

 

[NiceOneSimba]

Since you only have one day in the parks, I wouldn't leave. That would be a HUGE time suck.

Instead, see the nap time as a time for each adult to have a chance to sit down in the shade and rest while watching the kids nap in the stroller, while the other gets a chance to do a few things that aren't on everyone else's to-do list. Take advantage of single-rider lines or rider swap to ride the rides your kids might not be tall enough for, or who might be too scared to ride. Do some souvenir shopping. Catch one of the short shows. Enjoy the Dapper Dans. Take pictures of the scenery. Take 30-40 minutes at a time, then switch. That way, it's a relaxing but productive time for everyone. (And, I have found that a little "me" time in the middle of a family trip helps my mood as much as a nap helps my DD's).

I also can't recommend enough that getting there for rope drop is crucial if you are only going to be there for one day and will be limited by an afternoon nap. You will be able to get a lot done in the morning! Otherwise, I worry that the combination of long nap and only one day is sort of setting you up for disappointment about what you were able to accomplish.

Have a great day in the parks!

 

[sheetz]

There are actually a lot of places in the Grand Californian lobby to sit down and rest. Also, maybe you can Priceline a cheap room nearby to take an afternoon nap?

 

[Epek]

I agree with riding the train around. Also, downstairs at Hungry Bear is generally quiet and always shaded.

 

[LizzyS]

There are some good suggestions in this thread.

The Grand Californian lobby is a good indoor option and the seating area at the Hungry bear is a good outdoor option, in my opinion.

 

[RJstanis]

These were all fantastic ideas, especially Hungry Bear and Hotel lobby!

We hope to be at rope drop pending on how kind rope drop is. We always have a fluid agenda and don't want to see everything so as long as we get there early to ride as much as possible I won't feel pressured or rushed. We went to Magic Kingdom in Florida past year around same time and it went well and we're going back there this Fall too for Halloween Party so if we can't do everything at Disneyland we will have multiple times this fall.

Thank you all for your help!

 

[sewingmolly]

How about Innoventions? It's air conditioned and not terribly crowded.

 

[bumbershoot]

These were all fantastic ideas, especially Hungry Bear and Hotel lobby!

We hope to be at rope drop pending on how kind rope drop is.

My main advice is to be there solidly before rope drop. It takes time to find the parking garage, get parked (my experience with the main garage is that they tell you where to go, you don't choose on your own, and so we have had to go way way way way up which took extra time), get to the elevators/escalators, get to the trams, wait for trams, get to bagcheck, get to gates.

The closer to gate-opening you get there, the more you will get done and the more time you will have in the day. For us, that means the more fun (if we get a bunch done early, we can slow down as the day goes on) we will have.

As for rest...stroller naps. Our first two trips to Disneyland were day trips from San Diego, and that's what DS did.

 

[Barry Browning]

The Big Thunder Barbeque is shady and cool.It has decent barbeque here and there is a guy playing disney tunes.If you aren't that hungry the big cookie thing with ice cream is to die for.This was a great place for me to recharge my batteries as it is cool, picnic seating, kids can run around some.Since you have one day it might keep you in the parks.

 

[MAJPLO]

The Big Thunder Barbeque is shady and cool.It has decent barbeque here and there is a guy playing disney tunes.If you aren't that hungry the big cookie thing with ice cream is to die for.This was a great place for me to recharge my batteries as it is cool, picnic seating, kids can run around some.Since you have one day it might keep you in the parks.

Agree with Big Thunder Barbeque. Great spot to rest and have a very hearty lunch.

 

[Gisele]

Agree with Big Thunder Barbeque. Great spot to rest and have a very hearty lunch.

and quite possibly heart burn! lol