We are also the minority. We usually do RD to close also with no rest days added. We first went when our DD was 6 years old for 6 days, no stroller, no afternoon breaks. We have done trips as long as 8 days with no rest days or afternoon breaks (I don’t recommend that). If we do a long trip (8 days or more) we do take a rest day in the middle now. You will be exhausted at the end but for us, it is worth it. I do agree with others about staying somewhere other than WL if you do RD to close every day. We also did that our first trip. It was a waste of money because we never saw most of the resort. For us, the resort/hotel, is simply somewhere to sleep and shower.
That sounds completely doable then. We are there 10/23-10/28 but staying at Pop.
I should add- I wanted to stay at a cheaper place but my mom wasn’t having it.
Okay. I was imagining you meant 4 days in a row packed from RD to close. 
But really, you have only 1 full day (MK). You can absolutely pull off Harry Potter in half a day (we were through both sides and out of the parks by 3:00…and that actually included one or two rides outside of HP). So you can relax in the evening.
DHS will probably be a good part of the day. Throw in a leisurely lunch and early dinner to help, if need be. I don’t think DHS is usually open as late (although that depends on which day you are going).
AK can be tiring simply due to the amount of walking and extra heat/humidity there. But you can probably get through most of it (rides) in half a day, and spend the mid-afternoon times in shows to keep cool and rest.
So, yeah. I think you’ll be tired, but this is doable.
Plans aren’t written in stone. You can always change the plan if your party gets too tired. The idea is to have a good time without having to go to the hospital. This is Disney not Survivor.
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Last trip my kids were 7&9, it was June. We always break, my kids expect pool time and have always happily wanted that break. NOW the difference is we go for at least 10 days. With only four days, I would probably look to do ful days with having a sit down late lunch as our afternoon break, to relax and cool down.
Also, we have been in October and November, and had days in the 90s for the bulk of both those trips.
I was going to suggest the same! Everyone I know who’s done one day at US during their trip said it was exhausting and they questioned whether it was worth it.
We’ve been doing a late November/Early December trip since 2011, at which time my kids were 3 and 6, now they’re 10 and 12 (will be 13 for our December trip) and we’ve never built in planned breaks, but definitely decide based on the kids energy level/exhaustion or lack thereof, if we need one and adjust accordingly. We usually don’t need to go back for a break, our kids are normally fueled/full of energy/excitement/adrenaline whatever to go all day but then fortunately CRASH as soon as we get them in bed lol!
When my youngest was 3-5 he’d actually nod off mid-day (after lunch) in the stroller and that worked because we’d go to repeat rides my daughter wanted to do again and one parent could go with her, etc…there have been a few times even in recent trips that we’ve decided mid-day that it was time for a break for all our sakes and made the decision to head back to the hotel. It’s not always what the kids want to hear initially but you can tell if/when they need it and everyone is more refreshed because of it.
I’d say be flexible and don’t make any hard plans mid-day, like your Fps or dining reservations over a span of time you might need a break, that way you won’t feel like you “have to” power through b/c of a FP etc…when y’all really may need a little down time.
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I’m in this minority too, although without kids so I can’t speak to that. As two adults, we do super short trips (3-4 days max) and go rope drop to park close with no breaks and generally no table service meals. But, if one of us did feel exhausted, we would have the flexibility to adjust our plans because we have the fortunate of being able to go annually.
We are headed down in December with kids for the first time and that is what has me the most nervous, adjusting our typical pace for what will apparently be a much slower paced trip based on most people posting. We are not slow paced people
Not to mention - WL is a GREAT hotel to head back to for your mid-day break! Not only can you nap in your room if you need to but the whole resort is just soooooo relaxing, we absolutely love it and are staying there in December! We’ve stayed there every trip except 2017, I got a TA discount at GF, and we wanted to try it. As beautiful as it is, I’d never stay again, WL is home to us, lol.
On our AK day when we were just tired and “done”, we headed to WL to just relax and hang out 2 hours before our Whispering Canyon dinner reservation!
Once my mom convinced me to upgrade, I have been super excited about WL and definitely want to enjoy the resort, too! One reason I’m hesitant about going back midday is I’ve read the buses are not great and I wonder if the experience would just wear us out rather than refresh us.
The buses can be hit or miss at times all over the WDW resort in my opinion. We’ve always taken the boat between MK and WL, and never had any issues w/ the buses to and from the other parks! Sometimes the one you want is there as soon as you walk outside and others you have to wait a few minutes (we’ve never waited more than 10-15 minutes for a bus at WL).
Not sure if I’m the minority here, but we felt the transportation at GF was a big pain in the rear most of the time! Anyone else??
This is us. We only get to WDW about once every five years, and we don’t want to waste any of our precious time hanging out at the hotel. We can swim at home!
++ I feel the OP is underestimating the strength of the October sun
I didn’t read the rest of the responses, but thought I would throw my 2 cents in here. I have 2 9 year olds and a 6 year old and was just in DW in May. Afternoon breaks just do not work for us. It breaks up the flow of the day for us to traipse back to our resort. Instead, we did the following schedule:
Arrival day: explore resort and swim
Day 2: PPO ADR at BOG and stayed at MK until about 4:30. ADR at 1900 Park faire
Day 3: PPO ADR at Garden Grill. Stayed at Epcot. Ate QS and snacks later when hungry. Left around 5 or 6.
Day 4: open to close HS. Had a lunch ADR at Sci Fi and ate QS for dinner
Day 5: MK. Had Ohana ADR at around 10:30. Went to MK after and stayed to close.
Day 6: we swam and did laundry after sleeping in. AK after lunch until about 8. We had dinner at Yak and Yeti. We could have stayed to close, but we were all tired.
Day 7: Had ADR at Bon Voyage for 10 am. Went to Epcot after. Stayed until about 8. Again, we were tired, so we didn’t stay until close.
Departure day: Disney Spring and then went home.
Open and close every day would be exhausting, especially for the kids. So you are either going to need afternoon breaks or you will need to shorten your days.
Edit to add: Even after only a couple of days, we were pretty tired. The sun can be brutal and it is a lot of walking. I think we walked an average of 10 miles a day.
Thanks for all your insight!
Us, too. For example, this week, just walking around with the kiddos, I’ve averaged around 15,000 steps a day. While I know it’ll be more in the parks, the distances don’t worry me as much as the distances combined with the heat/ humidity.
Yes, I expect to be thoroughly exhausted, but this isn’t supposed to be a restful vacation- it’s to do as much Disney and Harry Potter as possible (while still having fun). I am prepared to be flexible and change plans as needed, though. I will not make anyone power through if they are done- otherwise, no one is having fun.
This is a good thing to know. I am planning on bringing snacks- was thinking veggies and fruit especially, but will definitely make sure to include cheese and granola bars and other such high-calorie, healthy choices. And we’ll definitely indulge in some not-so-healthy in-park snacks, too!
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We have drifted toward the early start/early finish and late start/late night plan as our kids have gotten older too. We do like that provided it’s not oppressively hot.
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I would plan on the breaks and then if they’re not necessary cancel them on the fly. I think there’s just something mentally satisfying about occasionally doing more than planned and something a little mentally frustrating about having a plan that you’re not able to fulfill. That may just be me though.
I know we spent 7 days at WDW and did the whole open one park, close another, including all the EMHs and we needed the breaks. We’re 2 fit forty-somethings but I mean some of those days we were in the park by 7am and left the last park at midnight–we took the breaks. We actually found the Disney transit sort of restful–but then again we live in a major city and take real mass transit from time to time. We thought it was a nice time to sit on the bus or boat and chat about the morning/evening. And when we got back to the hotel we didn’t just sit by the pool or watch TV or something–we slept, seriously we took naps of 1-3 hours every day.
I mean, I admire those people who can go full commando all day, day after day. But seriously, when was the last time you did anything, let alone something outside that involves a lot of walking, for 17 hours straight? I would plan in the breaks and if it turns out you don’t need them count it as a bonus.
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WL is such a nice resort. If you are paying that much for the resort, you need to take advantage of it. If you are planning on RD to close, switch to a value resort since all you are doing is sleeping there.
Breaks, shmeaks- plenty of time to rest when you are dead. 
With careful planning (sit-down lunches, relaxing activities like COP during the afternoon heat, etc.) you can recharge without having to leave the parks.
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