Common advice ignored

[ZoZo]

I ignore all the advice to go bagless and cram everything into pockets. To me having pockets full of stuff is uncomfortable. I have to carry an inhaler, sunblock, my phone, and other things. No way do I want all of that in my pockets. I'd much rather spend 10 minutes in bag check and carry my stuff in.

Me, too! I'd rather carry a small bag and spend a few minutes in the bag check line than cram a bunch of stuff in my pockets!

My "piece of advice that I rarely follow" is "take an afternoon break." It takes so much time out of the day. I go during a time of year that the parks close really early (usually before 9:00) and taking three-plus hours out of an afternoon when the park closes early doesn't work. Unless I'm super sweaty and need to shower and change my clothes, no afternoon breaks for me!

 

[mom2rtk]

Me, too! I'd rather carry a small bag and spend a few minutes in the bag check line than cram a bunch of stuff in my pockets!

My "piece of advice that I rarely follow" is "take an afternoon break." It takes so much time out of the day. I got during a time of year that the parks close really early (usually before 9:00) and taking three-plus hours out of an afternoon when the park closes early doesn't work. Unless I'm super sweaty and need to shower and change my clothes, no afternoon breaks for me!

Same here. It just frustrates me to spend all that time looking forward to a Disney trip then give up huge chunks of time. Thankfully no small kids here to worry about and we tend to travel during cooler times of year.

 

[dreiwhit]

Same here. It just frustrates me to spend all that time looking forward to a Disney trip then give up huge chunks of time. Thankfully no small kids here to worry about and we tend to travel during cooler times of year.

We do the same thing. When we go to Disney, we go to Disney and don't leave at midday. We stay off site and it would eat up quite a bit of park time to leave and come back.

We do try to take 30-60 minutes for lunch, just to eat and also to relax.

 

[mom2rtk]

We do the same thing. When we go to Disney, we go to Disney and don't leave at midday. We stay off site and it would eat up quite a bit of park time to leave and come back.

We do try to take 30-60 minutes for lunch, just to eat and also to relax.

Same here. We tend to look for break time inside the park. That can be a leisurely ADR, time sitting on Main Street, a series of longer indoor attractions, or even camping out waiting for a parade or show. Sure, it's not as relaxing as stretching out on a comfy bed, but we avoid the time commitment and hassle of leaving and returning. It works for us.

 

[dreiwhit]

We tend to look for break time inside the park.

My wife and daughter took a break on our last trip while my son and I went to Pirates. They just sat against the fence at the circle in front of Cinderella's Castle, rested and people watched. My wife still talks about how good of a memory it was for both of them.

 

[mom2rtk]

My wife and daughter took a break on our last trip while my son and I went to Pirates. They just sat against the fence at the circle in front of Cinderella's Castle, rested and people watched. My wife still talks about how good of a memory it was for both of them.

Nothing better than chilling in front of the castle. I love that there are so many benches in Disneyland to just sit and people watch. Throw in a Dole Whip and it's even better. Town Square is great for that too since you want watch all the characters coming and going.

 

[DisneyMom93]

We never left the park at mid-day, our kids napped in their strollers when they were babies. And fortunately for us our kids can go all day and night, and not wear out, or have meltdowns.

Personally, I think the people who recommend leaving the parks at mid-day for a few hours just say that hoping people will do it, and they will then have the park to themselves.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

We always take an afternoon rest. It helps us as a family to stay fresh and ready. I do Ropedrop when I can then we stay in one or two parks get a lot done then go rest back to the park for the evening dinner/show of the night.

 

[Chuckers]

We always take an afternoon rest. It helps us as a family to stay fresh and ready. I do Ropedrop when I can then we stay in one or two parks get a lot done then go rest back to the park for the evening dinner/show of the night.

I almost always go back to my hotel around 1/2 pm and take a nap for an hour. Then I might swim or just go back to the parks. It breaks up the day and lets me rest up for a big night!

 

[keepswimming76]

We do the same thing. When we go to Disney, we go to Disney and don't leave at midday. We stay off site and it would eat up quite a bit of park time to leave and come back.

We do try to take 30-60 minutes for lunch, just to eat and also to relax.

Ditto. Unless we plan to stay late for fireworks we always try to power through and leave earlier.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

We don't go away from the park but ALWAYS do 11:30 lunch. We are ALWAYS starving by then and it's getting crowded and hot by then. We also never do back-to-back park days, so our park days can be a little more "commando".

 

[MotherTink]

I always have the "Dollar Tree" ponchos at home/in car because at least once a year I need to get from one place to another and don't have any other way. We carry one cheapo per person in a pocket and have used them on every trip. They seem to hold up just fine (have a number of pics ). As mentioned, I also use them on water rides because I just don't need to walk around soaked. I carry the small bag for the family and would prefer not to haul around a bunch of wet ponchos. I guess that is my convenience.
We have also been to stands to ask for water, but some tell us they don't actually have running water so they don't provide this. We do fill out water bottles with these cups, but some stands have also offered to just fill our bottles too! (less busy season, as we travel now mostly in January) I save my cash to buy things I want, not just need.

 

[ariel_fan76]

You're not cutting - it's what you're supposed to do. They often have them there already made and ready to go. All you have to do is ask.

Glad I seen this! We take our first trip in august and this advice is awesome to know!!

 

[danielocha30]

taking afternoon breaks and head back to the hotel and go swimming, it takes way too long and usually after swimming we have no energy to head back to the parks instead we schedule table service lunch, it give us a good 2 hrs of rest out of the heat

 

[StraightToDumbo]

taking afternoon breaks and head back to the hotel and go swimming, it takes way too long and usually after swimming we have no energy to head back to the parks instead we schedule table service lunch, it give us a good 2 hrs of rest out of the heat

We started doing day on, day off commando days and it really has worked better than naps and taking out-of-park breaks.

 

[abinormal]

We brought the cheap ponchos. I got them from Meijer, so a small step up from the dollar store ones, I think. We only had one day of prolonged rain, and they held up fine. I was happy. I had a grocery bag to stick them in after.

I ignored the advice to do an afternoon break. My little one napped in the stroller, and my older one wouldn't have napped anywhere. We were better off going from open to dinner, then getting to bed at the normal time. We stayed up once for fireworks but that was it.

 

[Sparkly]

I've never bought those expensive frog toggs. I like simply to go into the restroom, grab a paper towel or two, wet and wipe my face and neck down and I find it helps when I'm feeling particularly hot and sweaty.

We never leave the park for afternoon breaks either, finding a nice place to sit down with a drink works just as well.

 

[eileenjez]

Anyone remember "Boil in a Bag" food? Usually a gooey, disgusting, and generally icky product if ever there was one. That is exactly what I turn into wearing a poncho in the hot, humid Florida climate. A lightweight umbrella is my very best friend.
.

My thoughts exactly. We thought we were in a sauna, never again will we use ponchos.

 

[maxiesmom]

Anyone remember "Boil in a Bag" food? Usually a gooey, disgusting, and generally icky product if ever there was one. That is exactly what I turn into wearing a poncho in the hot, humid Florida climate. A lightweight umbrella is my very best friend.

I loved those boil in a bag dinners! Probably because my parents worked crazy hours and that was an easy dinner for me. The beef and gravy over bread was so good. And the chicken, rice, broccoli, and cheese? I wish they still made that!

 

[Shanti]

I think the question of taking resort breaks depends on when you're going & where you're staying. In winter, we don't find breaks necessary. In summer, we do. And we specifically choose deluxe resorts that we really enjoy returning to mid-day for a rest or a swim. The resort time is an enjoyable part of the trip, not time that we feel is stolen from our time in the parks. Because we're staying at a Disney resort, we're still immersed in the magic.