How did your elementary-age kids do with 11-1 AM extended evening at MK?

[mistysue]

Significant if kids went to Disney every day

#lifegoals Imagine being at Disney so much it caused disease from lack of sleep...


We found a window from the time they stop using a stroller to around 12-13 that they can't handle late night. The younger ones napped in the stroller so they were fine, the older ones adjust... In the middle they collapse and are too big to carry or stuff in a rolling device.

 

[Lilsia]

I envy all of you who can just fall asleep anytime and take naps. It takes me forever to fall asleep, even when I am tired. There is no way that I can just take a nap, it would completely throw my sleeping off.

 

[easyas123]

We didn't, our kids were tired and in bed by 8 or 9 most nights.
Or maybe that was me either way, we didn't have many late nights.

 

[Anna131517]

There’s no way. I can push them until 10 every once in awhile but until 11? Or 1? I wouldn’t even try. My five year old fell asleep during fireworks at 9 on this most recent trip!

 

[JMagic]

We are lucky. International guest from Australia at the parks right now. We just didn’t fix her jet lag and have been doing late nights the last week! Stacking rides for the night and not even leaving the hotel till 2 in the afternoon and it’s been bliss!

 

[Neverbeast]

we did a MNSSHP a few years ago with a 6yo, and she passed out in my arms while we were waiting for the parade… slept hard for 45 mins while the rest of us watched the parade and snacked, and then popped up ready to ride for another two hours.

Seconding what everyone else said about taking the next off or slow. We did a pool day and naps plus dinner at Sanaa which left us refreshed for our next park day!

 

[JediBonas]

We did the Christmas after hours last year with our kids (they had just turned 10), we were staying at Universal and didn't get back to the hotel until probably close to 2 am and they were both fine. LOL, the probably could have stayed another hour! When they were younger and we had late nights they'd fall asleep in their strollers.

 

[JLTraveling]

I'd do a test run somewhere local, because it's just so kid by kid dependent. I was always a night owl and an insomniac, and I happily did rope drop to midnight or 1am. But when my cousin was 11, she came down to do HHN with us for a week. We did parks starting later in the morning, and then HHN until 2am close. She did great the first couple of nights, and then the third night she fell sound asleep on the curb waiting for HHN to open....we decided to go home, and she slept for a good 12 hours straight. So it really just depends on the kid, but in my experience with different family members, most are good for one night if you take it easy the next morning.

 

[Jason2015]

My kids loved the last hours, but then we are from the West Coast and 1am in Orlando is 10pm at home. Now, we won't talk about trying to make rope drop.

(Though did New Years eve at DCA in 2020 and my 11 year old could have stayed up all night. My wife and I on the other hand...)

 

[MEC004]

We are going to MNSSHP this year and planned a day at Epcot so we can wake up later and not be as tired. We are also not going to any parks the next day. Hubby might go back to the parks for extended hours without us depending on if we’re tired.

 

[disneyfam1986]

We did Epcot until midnight last December with a 5 and 2 year old. They napped in the stroller from 7pm until fireworks at 10. Then we rode ride after ride and had a blast! The next day was a free day so we were able to take it slow! More for us then them. They were ready to go!

 

[Nutmeg2016]

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts and suggestions on this!!

Reporting back, my 10-year-old and I had an awesome experience (11-1 AM at MK on 4/27).

My 7-year-old hit a wall that night around 9.30 pm, so she and DH headed back to WL while DS10 and I stayed on. (Someone commented that 10 is roughly the age when kids build more stamina for this sort of thing, and based on our experience they nailed it).

I needed a break/snack before we launched into attractions, so we spent a little time after the park officially closed at 11 PM relaxing in a garden in the hub and looking at the castle (the special lighting for the 50th is so beautiful . People were streaming out of the park, and most attractions were walk-on by the time we got going again. We went straight to Haunted Mansion; it was just us and a few other people, and was genuinely creepy in this context!! So much so that DS refused to go on Pirates next, which I think would have been really fun (oh well. . ).

We quickly hit a few other attractions, and then went to Fantasyland for PP and Mine Train, which both had short waits. We adore the PP queue, and were happy to spend a little time on line in the nursery scene. The line moved quickly both at PP and Mine Train, which was a welcome change from regular hours when the line stops frequently for genie+, etc.

We got off Mine Train around 12.45 AM; my son wanted to squeeze in another attraction, but I was totally done at that point. We slowly made our way down a nearly empty Main Street, which itself was so memorable. I was about to take a selfie of us in front of a clock (to document our late night), and a cast member immediately offered to take it for us .

So getting back to the topic of kids and very late extended evening hours. . . honestly, I think I knew my 7-year-old wouldn't be up for it, and thankfully my husband was happy to head back with her. However, my 10-year-old was 100% game, and we had such a memorable night together. I'd say if you're lucky enough to be traveling with 2 adults, be prepared to split-up depending on how each kid is doing.