Hi Barb,
I am so glad that you are finding the Disney Parks Moms Panel to be helpful with your planning. We truly love helping you in getting ready for your trip to Walt Disney World! I was able to tour
Disney's Art of Animation Resort recently - it is so cool! The theme and the amenities are amazing. You're going to love it there.
Like you, my family and I also enjoy returning to our resort for a midday rest. We prefer to eat lunch at a theme park before we head back for our rest. There are a couple of reasons why. First, you'll probably be at different theme parks throughout your trip. By eating at the theme park, you will have more options for where to eat and thus more variety throughout your stay. I also like to eat lunch at the theme park because then, when we leave, we are heading back to the resort only for our rest time. Sometimes I feel like if we stop to eat once we get back to the resort it gets everyone all excited again, and then you have to settle them all back down again in the room. If you eat lunch at the theme park you can start to settle your family down on the ride back to the resort, because all you have to to once you're there is head right to your room and take your rest.
I hope that this opinion helps you to make your decision, Barb! Have a great time planning and please do come on back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel if you have any further questions!