I’ve been 4 times during that time of year and it was HOT. The first year we were off property and didn’t take breaks. We were exhausted and grumpy at the end of the day and didn’t have any desire to go back to Disney for years. The other times we were on property and took breaks to go back and nap or just lay down in the air conditioning. It was so much better and we went back several years in a row after that. If we rope drop, we are back in the room in the early afternoon then head back out to a park for dinner. If we don’t start in a park until lunch time or after lunch we won’t take a break. Initially you want to go, go, go because time is money; however, when we’ve taken breaks and done less, the trips have been so much more enjoyable.
Without reading all the replies I can’t imagine 21 and 8 year olds needing breaks. We never take breaks, but we also rarely tour two consecutive days.
ETA - you asked why
Every minute of a day that i have paid for but I am not actually in the park represents money I am not getting a good return in my investment. Shows and meals provide ample rest for my crew.
We used Lyft at least half the time and the Minnie Van once.
The first time we took the bus to a park after a break, we left the BWI and stopped at both Swan and Dolphin, where not a single soul boarded at either place. It took 45 minutes to get to AK and that cured us of using the bus except at busier times of the day when we could be relatively sure there was a dedicated BWI bus.
Usually, we started or ended the day at EPCOT or DHS. If we hadn’t stayed at a deluxe resort and/or shelled out for Lyft, I’d never have considered a break, what a monumental waste of time.
As my kids are much older, we did the opposite- started late and powered through until closing time at 11 or 12. I think powering through is the thing to do if you’re visiting a park that is not near your resort. It also worked well for us to start late as we had club level FP. I didn’t realize that had rest-time benefits until the morning we decided not to show up until our first FP at 10. Missing RD was not that big of a deal and the two-hour difference was huge in terms of catching up on our sleep.
It’s really a very personal thing. The Florida heat midday is something extra “special” and hard to imagine. For us, getting out of it for a while in one way or another is an absolute must. And my kids (DD15 and DS11) prefer to do that at the resort - a little nap a little swim and we are refreshed and ready to go back at it.
I think it’s always easier to plan with breaks IN the plan and opt to skip the break than to plan to go right through and need to work in a plan.
Either way, plan to be flexible and make changes as you go
I agree. Whether one’s break is sleeping in, or a midday break, or quitting before the parks close it’s just really hard to do a 12-16 hour day (or even longer with the ticketed events). That, I think, is the take-home message.
My family just doesn’t handle the heat well, we’re not used to it and 3 out of 5 of us are red-heads (and the other 2 are blonde so not much of an improvement there!) and the sun is an issue, too. I got a bit of a burn right through the shoulders of my dress. To me, that means it’s time to go in!
Aside from my initial “Hans and Franz” answer, I think that the most important thing is to get plenty of sleep each night. For me, that means things like not going to an eEMH park the day before going to a mEMH park. A full nightly recharge does much more for me than going back to the resort for a mid-day break. Another important thing is to know your limitations and make your plans accordingly - some of us can do RD to close touring day after day, and others cannot. If you make TPs based on what you can do time-wise and you are still doing all the activities that you want to, then it is a win even if you aren’t taking advantage of every possible minute.
As opposed to leaving the park, I like to create in-park breaks, as there are many great things to do that will give you a chance to recharge without the hassle of going back to your room. For example, a long TS lunch is a great way to cool off during the dog days of summer, or a pack lunch on TSI. Even just finding a shady spot to sit down and look at everything around you for 15 minutes can do wonders. And CoP is an excellent cool place to take a nap. 
This is our MO. I’ve never considered leaving. I don’t even care to hop anymore, as it is a time eater. But we do like to slow down our commando pace for a few hours in afternoon to get our second wind.
There is another thread with suggestions of in park break spots.
This is definitely one of those “ask ten people get ten opinions questions” like “rent a car or use Disney transportation”, “onsite or offsite” or even “RD or stay late”.
Personally, my DH and I have always been RD and take a break people, even before we have kids. I require a decent amount of sleep/rest and I like to do RD plus some late nights so taking a break works for us because being able to grab a nap means I need less sleep at night. When traveling to FL anytime from May to October I think it’s easy to discount just how exhausting being out in the heat can really be.
As other people have noted, taking a break and the time to travel to your hotel doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to take a nap, but it allows you to cool off with a dip in the pool, grab a shower and/or a change of clothes and my personal favorite, a change of socks and shoes. It’s amazing how re-energizing that 2-3 hour break can be. For me it makes the late afternoon and evening touring that much more enjoyable.
CoP is excellent for cool, dark, quiet and even dry . . .
The France movie in Epcot is another good quiet spot.
Perhaps the best snoozin spot of all was Energy with Bill & Ellen. What dinosaurs?
I don’t swim or nap but that change of shoes and socks gets more important with each trip. Clothes - back pack. Shoes - practically a 30"+ checked bag.
We will be there 9/26-9/30. Staying onsite but we usually stay offsite. We usually go in April, we go hard, rope drop to close, or at least rope drop to 6ish. This time I have breaks planned or long TS for lunch and indoor rides while really hot. I am born and raised in the South and have lived through 41 brutal summers, but I don’t tolerate the heat or the humidity well unless I am in a pool or A/C. Therefore we will be taking breaks as best we can in Sept.
It’s also currently ~95 today, low humidity and it’s hotter than 10 hells outside. And it’s only May…
I can’t say any more than what’s already been offered here but I agree with taking the “breaks”. The kids love all things about Disney BUT have never argued when I say, “Hey! Want to leave the park and swim in the pool for an hour?” It breaks up the heat, the waiting and the walking. Don’t underestimate that kids feel that tension of “we’re here…we spent the money…so we all better have fun.” The break and the pool gives them a chance to relax without feeling pressured to LOVE every second of Disney.
We always take the break and quite frankly, DS10 absolutely loves the pools at the resort so that is a big factor for us. We usually head in for rope drop and leave around 1-2pm. We hit the pool for a few hours and then rest for another hour while we take turns showering. After dinner, we decide if we want to head back into a park and which one (usually dictated by what same day FPP I was able to snag during the down time). We usually only have 1 or 2 nights devoted to fireworks.
This is pretty much us as well. We do RD and we all hit the wall at about 3:00 or 3:30. DS loves the pools as much as he likes the parks, so it’s certainly not time wasted, and everybody is happier with a little down time. We took him when he was 8 and again at 11, and afternoon breaks were essential both times.
I do want to add that if you can’t get your FP times all in the morning, take what you can get and modify while in the parks. If you haven’t already, read the primer on modifying same-day FP (from OBNurseNH), it’s excellent and really helpful in rearranging your days depending on everyone’s mood and temperament at the time.
And take Lyft rather than the buses - 10 bucks well spent!
Agree with this! The pool is a fun part that you have also paid for. I try to plan for unstructured moments where they can just be kids and not on a plan. The pool is perfect for this!
Rope Drop to close, 7 straight days. We can break when we get home. DD10 and DS6 agree. DW gets worn out, but she fights through it.
Like off2neverland says - everyone is different.
Impressive! I don’t think we’ll manage that, but if everyone has more stamina than I expect in August we can roll with it.
As an adult with no kids who only goes during the late Fall to early Spring time frame, I have never felt the need to take breaks. I typically have TS lunches and dinners every day, and that’s enough to “recharge” a bit in a very pleasant way.
If I ever had a psychotic break and planned a trip for July or August, I doubt I could make it past noon before I had to go back and hole up in my room (doing nothing) for 4 or 5 hours before the weather was somewhat manageable again. This, to me is a major waste of money; I can sit around and do nothing at home for free…
Back in my 20s I could do full days in the summer (I did it once, and said never again), but at 60 it’s just a non-starter for me. And I live in FL…
You know your family. Being your 1st time you’ll want to do everything, but do you want your vacation to seem like a job. Be flexible, if the group has the energy, power through, if you need a break, take it. Don’t get so locked into your plan that everyone is miserable. My plan is right for my family, but might not be right for yours. Talk to the family and come up with a plan that gets the most fun out of trip. Hope you have a time.
This is so true. You won’t believe it but it does start to feel like you’re doing things because they’re on the touring plan, not because you want to or you’re enjoying yourself. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to leave the park, but you should think about what you actually want.