Best place in MK to settle down and give kids a nap?

[Sinclare]

Just wondering since we are going to be getting there at 7:15 Monday for a character breakfast then hitting the rides. We are going to stay till the park closes and are taking 3 kids (Mine 7yo son, nephew 6yo boy, niece ~3 yo girl).

If they are going to be awake when the fireworks go off then they are going to need a nap (couple hours during the mid afternoon). Where is the best place to settle down that has comfortable seats where they can take a nap?

Thanks

 

[Magic2000]

My little ones always fell asleep in the Hall Of Presidents show. Its nice and air conditioned. I could usually carry them out and put them in the stroller and they'd stay sleeping. If they fell asleep in the stroller, I would try to do my shopping at that time - going in and out of the shops for some nice cool air.

Most of the time, mine just took "cat naps" during the day, but they sure did sleep well at night!!!

 

[wdwguide]

A good place to put kids to sleep is the Hall of Presidents. From there, you could head over to Tom Sawyer Island, which isn't usually very busy and has some nice quiet spots to relax.

 

[Sinclare]

That sounds like a great idea, I still remember my visit to the HoP when I was little. I didn't go to sleep though I thought I would. When dad told me we were gong to go to it I didn't want to because I thought it would be boring (I think I was ~7 at the time) but I was really fascinated by it. I thought they were so lifelike and enjoyed watching them.

I was also thinking of getting on the Monorail and riding it in a loop to let them sleep. Will they let you do that?

 

[DisneyCP2002]

If you don't want to do Hall of Presidents another good place is Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe as long as you wait til a little after 1:30. They have long bench seats on either side of the resturant and they are very comfortable. I saw many kids stretched out on them.

 

[WDWAurora]

When I was younger, my parents always put me to sleep on the benches coming down on the left side (as you're facing it) of the castle. It gets shady in the early afternoon and stays fairly quiet, it's not one of the most used paths.

 

[cart-mom]

Definately Cosmic Ray's IMHO. Share your meals, fill up on the condiments and just let the kids rest.

We've spent some 'extra' time in there ourselves letting my baby get a nice cool nap. Cute show while you're there, too.

 

[RobinMarie]

We took the boat ride over to Fort Wilderness for a couple of hours and it did the trick for all of us! Peaceful, quiet and even rocking chairs to help little ones go down for a nap.

 

[MinnieGi]

We've had our DD nap at Cosmic Rays also after the lunch crowd is done. Its a nice shaded area and after the lunch crowd leaves the area is not crowded at all so little ones can get some peaceful sleep. Plus the adults can have a snack.


Another option is the TTA. We've ridden around when DD was getting sleepy and it put her right out!! They let us stay on too. We went around about four times and she napped snuggled into us. It was a great afternoon break for us too.

 

[Kallison]

The Kodakl Townhall Exposition right on Main Street. In the back there are cardboard cutouts for taking pictures. Isn't there also a small theater with seats where they show cartoons? It is dark and usually very quiet in there until the end of the day.

 

[sunking]

how about a quick trip back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and a quick nap...you can return to the park later that evening refreshed for the fireworks...
have fun!!!!
sunking

 

[Deb & Bill]

On the back side of the race cars is a path with grass all around. The train goes past it. Connects Toontown with Space Mt. How about lying down in the grass there?

Actually, going back to the hotel would be my choice, though.

 

[atlanta braves fan]

There is a flower garden to the right of the castle. As you cross the bridge from Tomorrow land, on the right, there is a path that leads down to a little covered area with benches. It's a great place for anyone to go rest up after a long day of theme park touring.

 

[Sinclare]

Ah well on site would be nice but way too expensive. We rented a very nice 4 bed room 3.5 bath house w/ private pool +hot tub about 15 minutes south in lake davenport area for $600 for the whole week. A onsite hotel for 5 adults and 3 children would have cost us that much a night more or less.. I just don't see how people afford the onsite ones, even the value ones.

I am thinking aobut going back in october for the halloween thing and staying in the camp ground on site. I check on it and it's only about $40 a night for a basic tent camp site.( but it's just me and my son going so you have to factor that in. I figure the house split 3 ways is only costing me about $25 a day so that means I'll be paying more to stay in a tent than a big house per night)

 

[Beanie]

Unfortunately, I don't have any advice for you, as my kids always just fall asleep in the strollers! LOL but we do stop when they fall asleep and usually sit by Cosmic Rays, as someone else has mentioned...

Welcome to the DIS!! We are glad you have found us!

Have a wonderful time!

 

[Gillian]

Don't think that just because you are staying offsite an afternoon break is out of the question. You will be getting there very early & getting a jump on the crowds right after breakfast. By early afternoon everyone may be ready to leave.

Although I think you got a lot of good suggestions, it's really not a big deal to go back to your rental in the afternoon! As long as you are going back to the same park, it doesn't matter what kind of tickets you have. Everyone will feel better after a real break, with beds & a swimming pool.

On our last trip I found that my 2 1/2 year old was often too excited to nap, even when he was obviously tired. Taking him out of the Disney environment for a while calmed him down so he could sleep. Of course, all kids are different. At 24 months, and after the first day, he was happy to nap, even in his stroller.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[WDWSuperFan]

We have found that my daughter would just go until she was exhausted then fall asleep. We found this worked better for us than returning to the hotel for the past two years. We did return to the Contemporary for her nap only once....(when she was turning 2) it took her forever to go to sleep because she was so upset that we left the park and cried and cried. We found that she was much happier to just fall asleep in the park.

The last two years we have ended up at the same benches near Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. My husband and I usually enjoy an egg roll from the cart nearby while she sleeps. We wait until she wakes up and then I fed her a snack (or head for dinner)and we would go again, usually until park closing. We don't have to worry about the air conditioning because we usually go in the winter. We enjoyed the music and quite that this area brings. We also took turns shopping while she was sleeping. She does not wake up when we transfer her from my arms to my husband's. I'm sure this would change our plans a bit if we visited in summer.

Children are so different, one of my friends that just returned from Disney, her daugher (same age as mine) had to return to the room for a nap. She would not nap as mine did.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dizney_Mania18]

Please don't take offense, but please don't lay your kids out on the grass to sleep in the parks. I hate when people do this -- makes the place look like a trailer park.

Do they allow you to just stay in HoP indefinitely? I didn't think they did. Monorail might be a possibility.

 

[mrssalvaggio]

I would avoid the grass for fear of ants or other bugs - YUCK!!

My 13 year old always fell asleep in her stroller, and now my 4 year old (when he'll nap) does the same. We never left the park because we never knew how long they'd nap, and it gave us a chance to people watch. The path behind Space Mt is always very relaxing to us, but the train whistle may keep them from sleeping. Speaking of the train, there's a ride you can stay on as long as you want.

 

[lentesta]

We actually put this information on the Magic Kingdom touring plans cut-outs for the next edition of the Unofficial Guide.

Kallison, I think, has the best idea for an in-park rest stop. The movie theater at the back of the Exposition Hall on Main Street (immediately to the right as you emerge from the tunnel near the entrance turnstiles) is cool, dark and quiet. It's one of the three spots Unofficial Guide researchers go to rest in the Magic Kingdom. The other two spots are the gazebo across from the Swiss Family Treehouse (covered, and has ceiling fans) and the TTA.

Don't forget to pick up a snack for yourself on Main Street.

Bonus question: I'd be really impressed if anyone knows how many seats the theater has. I think I counted them last time I was there.

Sincerely,

Len