Concerns about time zone change and kids

[paintingoncelluloid]

I travel between the coasts frequently, and I agree with everyone who says that it always feels harder on my body to travel east than to travel west. Even if I get the same amount of sleep either way, waking up naturally early in the west always feels better than when the alarm goes off too early in the east. Hopefully your family will feel the same and they won't get super crabby until you get home!

Since the parks won't open until 8, I would embrace being able to have a leisurely morning, a long breakfast, and an easy rope-drop. But I would do a little prep work in advance, though: make sure you have some breakfast snacks/coffee supplies available in the room, since you might have to wait a bit for restaurants to open.

Also, even if you're not nappers, don't underestimate the power of a midday break -- this can be at the pool, or a long, slow lunch, or reading a book/watching TV in a cool, dark room. (And don't forget that the hottest, most brutal part of the day in Southern California is 11:30-2:00, and not 2-4 like back east. Err on taking your afternoon break earlier, not later. By 2:30 it will already be starting to cool a little bit.)

 

[losfp]

The trick is to get adjusted as quickly as possible. Push through that first day and sleep at a "normal" time for the destination timezone.

You think a 3 hour time difference is annoying? We deal with a 17 hour time difference (effectively a 7 hour difference) when we get to LA. The first day is frequently a write off, but we're better on day 2 and just about perfect for day 3.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Always seemed ok to me coming from east coast to DL. W have NO trouble making those early entry days at the parks. Hard the first few days to stay in the park late, but after a couple of days we manage.

 

[Nonsuch]

You wanna know the secret to surviving air travel? After you get where you're going, take off your shoes and your socks then walk around on the rug bare foot and make fists with your toes

 

[losfp]

You wanna know the secret to surviving air travel? After you get where you're going, take off your shoes and your socks then walk around on the rug bare foot and make fists with your toes

say.... your name's not Hans is it?

 

[jacobine]

I'm worried about the time difference too. Also in central, with early risers. All of us are though, my husband in particular. The late nights are going to be... interesting. The 7 year old is more like me in that she can stay up some and is up around 6:30 to 7, but my husband is lucky to make it to 10 on any given night.
Our hotel is right across the street so I suspect we may be doing some extra napping midday, and we have a couple of extra days built in so we can always add an extra day if we need to.

 

[farmfresh]

We fly in from NZ...so that 's a12 hour flight plus a time change (and that's just to LA...24 hours and a 12 hour change to the UK!) Pretty much every where we travel requires a long flight east or west, and a time shift, so this is tried and tested.

As other OPs have noted, the best thing you can do is try to adapt to your new time zone immediately. If you must sleep, a 30 minute nap is tops! If you wake early, stay in bed with the lights out until something like a morning time (5am at least ) same thing with bed time - put it off as long as you can. One of the best way to adjust is get plenty of sunlight - so no problem where you are going! I'd also say a dramamine wouldn't worry me, but the best time for that sort of thing is when you wake up in the middle of the night, and can't return to sleep...so could be tricky.

The other thing I'd suggest is not to worry about it too much. Jet lag can only be managed not avoided. Factor some tired days into your planning and be ready when grumpy kid appears. (one of mine gained the nickname eeyore, and her own designated gloomy spot, on one trip to the happiest place on earth....a turkey leg was the magical remedy in this case but no guarantees for jet lag generally)