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If you plan to drive for more hours than it took to delivery a baby, and spent more than your dad did on his first car on your airfare for the week to get there, it is hard to think, “And one day, I just won’t go the parks at all.”

Our miniature golf voucher was for one game per room. Should have read the fine print. The "room" was free, but three of us had to pay full price.

However, spacing your vacation out so you have several hours, or even a whole day, where you don’t go into a park at all, can accomplish a few things:

1. If you are staying at a swanky, or fun, hotel, you get to use it, instead of passing by the pool after the fireworks go out each night and saying, “Maybe in the morning…”
2. You may get to sample some food that you wouldn’t have had time to appreciate, if a fast pass was burning a hole in your pocket.
3. Perhaps, as much as you love them, you’d prefer to eat with Pluto than a Princess.
4. Eating at 10:30 in the morning is so much more civilized than eating at “T minus Rope Drop for Extra Magic Hours.” I don’t even know if you can catch a monorail that early. Remember chewing?
5. You’d like to explore places like Boma, or the California Grill, in the evening, but forgot to book it the day you were conceived, so you have to grab a reservation at a time when the rest of the World is on line for Space Mountain.
6. You can attempt to use some, or all, of those coupons for discounts on mini-golf or renting a watercraft and vouchers for free stuff.
7. Fishing, golfing and shopping-Oh my! Call (407) WDW-PLAY for reservations.

Tip: Boat rental discounts are great, but make sure your stamina and attention-span will outlast the bargain. Lots of boats are returned within 30 minutes or less.

I can’t say enough good things about taking a day to reflect on how the vacation is going, give your blisters a chance to heal, and experience the magic of food, without the pressure of the entire theme park experience.  For kids with sensory needs, the day will be a little less overwhelming.  Children may be better at finding the words to describe what is going well, and what is a little bit too bumpy, noisy or bouncing, when you are not in transition the next park, but are taking a leisurely stroll around the grounds.

Taking a break also gives you a chance to think about how you want to spend the rest of your vacation.  Are you finding that you need to plan around seeing fireworks more often?  Maybe you should cancel breakfast tomorrow (giving another family a shot at your reservation) and try to start the day a little later, so you can still have energy in time for Wishes, Illuminations, or Fantasmic.  Maybe you’d like to check out the lobby of a resort you were considering for your next trip.  Especially if you will be on a tighter budget in the upcoming year, laying eyes the grounds of the Value resort will give a child something to anticipate, instead of worrying about another change.  A down day is a great day for reviewing visuals.

Take care of family housekeeping on this day.  Do you need to wash anything, or send it to be laundered (instead of missing a bus in the morning when time is tight again)? Are you stocked up on medications, and sunblock?  Do you need to grab some batteries, or recharge a device or two? Do you need to be recharged?

Keep an eye out for open reservations at Ohana, 1900 Park Faire, Chef Mickey’s, Boma, and the Whispering Canyon Cafe.  You can make the better part of day out of visit to any of the above, without crossing a turnstile.