3. You don’t take breaks

This one is closely related to the issue of over-packing your itinerary—you’re trying to power through full Disney days with few breaks.

This one can prove a sensitive subject for stressed-out Disney parkgoers—the idea of purposefully stopping to do nothing for a short time can feel like slowly tossing dollar bills down the wishing well. It’s actually one of the most frequent comments I see when writing on the subject of slowing down in the parks.

If you want to reduce exhaustion when visiting Disney parks, you are going to need to give yourself some grace and plan to take some breaks.

Florida and California both get stunningly hot, and the average Disney guest walks around 20,000 steps a day—more if you are zig-zagging across the parks to reduce time in lines. You will need breaks to hydrate, catch your breath, and have a snack—doubly-so if you have kids or traveling companions with health issues or limited mobility. Fighting this reality is bound to result in exhaustion and can even prove dangerous if someone gets dehydrated or overheated.

What Can I Do About It?

Don’t fight it—plan to take breaks regularly throughout your Disney day. In some cases, this just means leaving yourself some margin to take a respite when needed. In other cases, you may want to plan deliberate breaks.

For guests staying nearby, I am a huge proponent of taking a mid-day break when visiting the parks. While this may sound counter-intuitive, it can actually prove a game-changer for getting the most out of the parks slaying Disney-day-exhaustion once and for all.

Most Disney parks are busiest from about 11AM to 5PM—crowds swell to their largest size of the day and queues reach their longest lengths. If you arrive at the parks early in the morning and get a head-start on the day, you can hit a lot of attractions will other guests are still arriving. When crowd levels peak, leave the park to take a break at your resort, skipping the longest lines and nastiest heat of the day.

After a nap and a breather for a few hours, return to the parks in the late afternoon refreshed. When other families are running out of gas and heading home, you’ll have energy and be able to take advantage of lower wait times in the hours before park closing.

4. You’re staying too far away

If you are visiting from abroad, where you stay can have a surprising effect on your ability to maintain energy during a Disney day. This one applies more to Walt Disney World than Disneyland, but it is still an important subject to consider at both resorts.

Many people don’t realize how large Walt Disney World’s property is—larger than the city of San Francisco. With the exception of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, the parks are all miles apart from each other with resorts scattered in between.

While a drive from the parks to a nearby Disney “Good Neighbor” hotel isn’t too bad, the further away you are from Walt Disney World, the more time you will lose to commuting and traffic, whittling down your ability to take breaks and increasing how early you’ll need to wake up to make rope drop.

What Can I Do About It?

Ease of access is one of the strongest points in favor of staying at one of Disney’s on-property resorts—not only will you have access to Disney’s vast transportation network (something particularly important when visiting Magic Kingdom since Disney busses skip the Transportation and Ticket Center), but you will be close enough to make a mid-day break a real possibility. In some cases, your resort might even be within walking distance (if staying at the Epcot resorts).

The biggest factor against Disney resorts, of course, is their price—some of the prices can seem truly bonkers at first glance (to the point we’ve spotted occasions where you’d actually save money staying at the Four Seasons Orlando rather than splurging on Disney’s top resorts).

There are a number of ways to stay on (or near) Disney property and take the sting out of the price. If you really want to stay at a Disney resort, look into Disney Vacation Club point rentals—by working through an intermediary, guests can rent points from DVC members, gaining access to some of Disney’s best rooms for substantially discounted rates.

The second option is to stay at the Swan and Dolphin, nestled neatly among Disney’s Epcot resorts. These two resorts are owned by Marriott and offer many of the same benefits of Disney deluxe resorts at a much lower price. You’ll lose a few Disney-only perks (like the ability to skip the TTC if heading to Magic Kingdom), but you’ll gain other benefits like access to the Swan and Dolphin’s substantial recreation options.

The third option is to stay off-site at either a Disney Good Neighbor hotel or an Airbnb in nearby areas like Celebration. You’ll lose a little time commuting, but you at least won’t have to sift through Orlando’s worst traffic.