Best DVC for resort days

[mom2dzb]

My family (husband, 13 yo girl, 10 yo boy and myself) went to DLR for Thanksgiving and it was too busy for my husband. He says on our next Disney trip he is taking a day off between each park day. So, for our upcoming trip of 7 days, I think I'll plan 4 park days of rope drop to lunch with a break and evening entertainment or rope drop to a bit later if we don't plan on coming back for the evening. That leaves 3 days and nights at the resort or doing something VERY low-key very near our resort. I'm kinda stumped on how to spend those 3 days.

We'll hit the pool during our breaks. But maybe we'd be able to spend some of one of our resort days at the pool.

On our most recent WDW trip, I stumbled upon the AKL (Kidani, maybe?) Community Hall. My kids had a lot of fun doing crafts there. The cast members there gave them all kinds of craft options and we didn't have to adhere to a schedule to do them. Are all the Community Halls like that?

So, after that, I'm stumped. What is a good resort to choose for laid back, unstructured fun?

 

[CarolynFH]

BWV has a Community Hall (many but not all DVC resorts do) and also is within walking distance of Fantasia mini golf (across the street from the Swan). We also love the clown slide at the main BWV pool but the quiet pool is available for those who don’t. So that’s an alternative if you don’t want to return to AKL.

 

[DieHardJoe]

When I read this and you mentioned doing something "very near the resort", I think that gives you many more options, depending on exactly how far you want to go. When we were staying at OKW in Novermber, our itinerary for one day was - Drive to Disney Springs (or we could have taken the boat or a bus) and park. We got there just before 9:00 then walked over to one of our favorite breakfast spots at Earl of Sandwich. We sat outside and just took in the peacefulness of DS before it opens while enjoying breakfast. We then walked over to the bus depot (at this point, still not many people walking around) and took a bus to Boardwalk. A Beach Club bus would have been fine as well, since we went over there simply to walk the boardwalk and stop inside the hotels to check out any Xmas decorations, etc. We sat by the pools for a little bit as well. We probably spent a couple hours in the area. We then hopped a bus back to DS and then a bus to Wilderness Lodge. We wanted to see the changes over there, including Geyser Grill where we relaxed and probably stayed for an hour just chilling (BTW - the bison burger was delicious!). From there we took the boat over to the Contemporary where we walked around, jumped the monorail to Poly to explore, after which we walked to GF. From there we took a bus back to DS where we had dinner before heading back to OKW. While this may sound too busy, you can certainly shorten the itinerary as you like. And keep in mind that there can be a decent amount of wait time for the buses, so the day can really be spread out and it is not as rushed as it may sound. One other thing - We turned into big fans of Disney Springs during this trip. Granted, there are plenty of stores that we know we will never go in and buy anything, but it just seemed so much more alive and interesting. We were there during the time they opened the Xmas tree walk, and even doing that was fun and filled in some time. We were at DS a couple times during the trip, so if you want you can go over there to take in a movie and do the Dine-in option or go to Splitsville and bowl and eat. There really are quite a few non-park options that are available and that you can do at your leisure.

 

[sleepydog25]

Most of the DVC resorts will offer some sort of laid-back fun, especially if you just want to hang out by the pool. Here are a couple that stand out:
BCV - It has the best pool on property which the kids will love and has pool side bar service which will please the adults. Easy to spend a whole day doing nothing there. It's not always quiet, but it's not a riot zone, either. Having access to two parks is a plus.
VWL/CCVC - Resorts don't get much more relaxing than the two at the Wilderness Lodge. The main pool has a small slide, while the quiet pool (Boulder Ridge pool) has no other feature than water. However, BR pool does have cabanas you can rent, so that might be a nice place to hang out for a day. Also, Geyser Point is very close to the BR pool and has above average CS food and adult libations, as well. It's also a nice place to see fireworks at night, and they pipe in music to GP, as well. The down side is that the WL as a whole is the toughest get during the holiday season as it is particularly suited to the accompanying decorations.
VGF - Luxurious to be sure and plenty of things to keep you busy. It's not as intimate nor quiet as WL, but there is plenty of shopping and dining to be done, as well as easy access to the monorail.

 

[MrInfinity]

My family (husband, 13 yo girl, 10 yo boy and myself) went to DLR for Thanksgiving and it was too busy for my husband. He says on our next Disney trip he is taking a day off between each park day. So, for our upcoming trip of 7 days, I think I'll plan 4 park days of rope drop to lunch with a break and evening entertainment or rope drop to a bit later if we don't plan on coming back for the evening. That leaves 3 days and nights at the resort or doing something VERY low-key very near our resort. I'm kinda stumped on how to spend those 3 days.

We'll hit the pool during our breaks. But maybe we'd be able to spend some of one of our resort days at the pool.

On our most recent WDW trip, I stumbled upon the AKL (Kidani, maybe?) Community Hall. My kids had a lot of fun doing crafts there. The cast members there gave them all kinds of craft options and we didn't have to adhere to a schedule to do them. Are all the Community Halls like that?

So, after that, I'm stumped. What is a good resort to choose for laid back, unstructured fun?

I think you're missing the boat on what a day off is. If you take the off-days and look for stuff around the hotel to pencil in and fill a day, it's not an off-day any more. We've done activities at the Poly and Contemporary / Bay Lake -- they're good filler, but not a whole day. We travel with slower crowds and have become adept at planning a little something for everybody, which means allowing for doing nothing. Get up whenever, put on the TV and hang out till 2pm type of thing. That may sound boring to you so I wouldn't write in "sleep in till 2", I would plan your days like normal but on the days your dh wants to go with you, great. On other days, not. You could do the parks with your kids, spend a few hours there and get back before he'll miss you. If you line up a bunch of hotel activities it won't meet the goal of down time and 3 days out of 7 of doing nothing won't satiate your feeling of wasting time. Book your ADRs for 4 -- but plan on him skipping breakfasts before 10. If he joins you at the Magic Kingdom for a couple hours around lunch that might be better than being there at rope drop.
I'd plan for one day of fully down time toward the middle of the trip. It is Disney World and you're paying a premium to do more than coloring books and paper crafts. But I'd make your plan such that he can join it at any time. Since you want to get up and go, still do that, or you'll be antsy sitting around missing your favorite times at the parks. Your best resort for this will be one where you can walk to the parks you'll be at most. Poly/Contemporary/Boardwalk/Beach Club. These allow for more flexibility in meeting up whenever.

 

[jamiecarr@dvcstore]

For low key around the resorts day, AK is what popped into my mind first. As others have said, all of the resorts really have plenty to do for a resort day, though AK has a great pool at Kidani and with the use of both Jambo and Kidani, plenty to do. Personally I find the resort being further away from everything, it feels more restful and not so go, go go. Have a great trip!

 

[amym2]

SSR has a great community hall, wonderful pools, and boat access to Disney Springs. Wilderness Lodge is my favorite and we spent a full day there (with DS16 and DD13) just lounging, swimming, and eating at Geyser Point. We spent a couple of non-park days at the Poly and enjoyed the pool and renting a pontoon boat. We used to be that go-go-go family, but we've learned to slow down and enjoy the resorts as much as the parks. We love to go to the Top of the World to watch the fireworks, play mini-golf, and eat at resort restaurants. Oh and we've loved our stays at OKW and THV as well (but I wouldn't do THV without a car).

 

[DisneyRegulars]

SSR is my favorite for downtime. So many resort activities and the community hall is great. The short walk to Disney Springs makes finding food a breeze. They have two feature pools, shuffle board, corn hole, ping pong, shuffle puck, pool, fuse ball, bumper pool, an arcade, basketball, tennis, a spa, a great gym, and a golf course. You can rent surrey bikes. Hopping to other resorts is easy via Disney Springs.

 

[mom2dzb]

SSR is my favorite for downtime. So many resort activities and the community hall is great. The short walk to Disney Springs makes finding food a breeze. They have two feature pools, shuffle board, corn hole, ping pong, shuffle puck, pool, fuse ball, bumper pool, an arcade, basketball, tennis, a spa, a great gym, and a golf course. You can rent surrey bikes. Hopping to other resorts is easy via Disney Springs.

I hadn't considered that SSR made for an easy trip to other resorts, but you are right. Thanks!

 

[mom2dzb]

I think you're missing the boat on what a day off is. If you take the off-days and look for stuff around the hotel to pencil in and fill a day, it's not an off-day any more. We've done activities at the Poly and Contemporary / Bay Lake -- they're good filler, but not a whole day. We travel with slower crowds and have become adept at planning a little something for everybody, which means allowing for doing nothing. Get up whenever, put on the TV and hang out till 2pm type of thing. That may sound boring to you so I wouldn't write in "sleep in till 2", I would plan your days like normal but on the days your dh wants to go with you, great. On other days, not. You could do the parks with your kids, spend a few hours there and get back before he'll miss you. If you line up a bunch of hotel activities it won't meet the goal of down time and 3 days out of 7 of doing nothing won't satiate your feeling of wasting time. Book your ADRs for 4 -- but plan on him skipping breakfasts before 10. If he joins you at the Magic Kingdom for a couple hours around lunch that might be better than being there at rope drop.
I'd plan for one day of fully down time toward the middle of the trip. It is Disney World and you're paying a premium to do more than coloring books and paper crafts. But I'd make your plan such that he can join it at any time. Since you want to get up and go, still do that, or you'll be antsy sitting around missing your favorite times at the parks. Your best resort for this will be one where you can walk to the parks you'll be at most. Poly/Contemporary/Boardwalk/Beach Club. These allow for more flexibility in meeting up whenever.

I didn't describe my day off as looking at a hotel's offerings and then filling my day with them. I'm looking for a hotel that will have plenty of choices nearby for activities that I don't have to schedule.

Also, I won't be able to plan the way I usually plan and then tell my husband to join us when he feels like it because he will join us and then regret it later.

 

[mom2dzb]

Most of the DVC resorts will offer some sort of laid-back fun, especially if you just want to hang out by the pool. Here are a couple that stand out:
BCV - It has the best pool on property which the kids will love and has pool side bar service which will please the adults. Easy to spend a whole day doing nothing there. It's not always quiet, but it's not a riot zone, either. Having access to two parks is a plus.
VWL/CCVC - Resorts don't get much more relaxing than the two at the Wilderness Lodge. The main pool has a small slide, while the quiet pool (Boulder Ridge pool) has no other feature than water. However, BR pool does have cabanas you can rent, so that might be a nice place to hang out for a day. Also, Geyser Point is very close to the BR pool and has above average CS food and adult libations, as well. It's also a nice place to see fireworks at night, and they pipe in music to GP, as well. The down side is that the WL as a whole is the toughest get during the holiday season as it is particularly suited to the accompanying decorations.
VGF - Luxurious to be sure and plenty of things to keep you busy. It's not as intimate nor quiet as WL, but there is plenty of shopping and dining to be done, as well as easy access to the monorail.

Thanks for the suggestions! We regularly stay at VGC so VWL doesn't appeal to us because it seems just like VGC. But, the other two sound like a perfect split stay!

 

[mom2dzb]

When I read this and you mentioned doing something "very near the resort", I think that gives you many more options, depending on exactly how far you want to go. When we were staying at OKW in Novermber, our itinerary for one day was - Drive to Disney Springs (or we could have taken the boat or a bus) and park. We got there just before 9:00 then walked over to one of our favorite breakfast spots at Earl of Sandwich. We sat outside and just took in the peacefulness of DS before it opens while enjoying breakfast. We then walked over to the bus depot (at this point, still not many people walking around) and took a bus to Boardwalk. A Beach Club bus would have been fine as well, since we went over there simply to walk the boardwalk and stop inside the hotels to check out any Xmas decorations, etc. We sat by the pools for a little bit as well. We probably spent a couple hours in the area. We then hopped a bus back to DS and then a bus to Wilderness Lodge. We wanted to see the changes over there, including Geyser Grill where we relaxed and probably stayed for an hour just chilling (BTW - the bison burger was delicious!). From there we took the boat over to the Contemporary where we walked around, jumped the monorail to Poly to explore, after which we walked to GF. From there we took a bus back to DS where we had dinner before heading back to OKW. While this may sound too busy, you can certainly shorten the itinerary as you like. And keep in mind that there can be a decent amount of wait time for the buses, so the day can really be spread out and it is not as rushed as it may sound. One other thing - We turned into big fans of Disney Springs during this trip. Granted, there are plenty of stores that we know we will never go in and buy anything, but it just seemed so much more alive and interesting. We were there during the time they opened the Xmas tree walk, and even doing that was fun and filled in some time. We were at DS a couple times during the trip, so if you want you can go over there to take in a movie and do the Dine-in option or go to Splitsville and bowl and eat. There really are quite a few non-park options that are available and that you can do at your leisure.

That sounds like a perfect day for my husband. I'd be freaking out about all the time spent on transportation, however.
A few people have mentioned DS and I hadn't considered it as low-key outing, but I can see that it would be if at a resort with easy access.

 

[mom2dzb]

BWV has a Community Hall (many but not all DVC resorts do) and also is within walking distance of Fantasia mini golf (across the street from the Swan). We also love the clown slide at the main BWV pool but the quiet pool is available for those who don’t. So that’s an alternative if you don’t want to return to AKL.

I like this idea! I think anywhere in the BoardWalk area might work out well for us.

 

[sleepydog25]

Thanks for the suggestions! We regularly stay at VGC so VWL doesn't appeal to us because it seems just like VGC. But, the other two sound like a perfect split stay!

WL is quite a bit like GCH; in fact, Peter Dominick was the architect for both (as well as AKL). The main difference is that WL is a bit more awe-inspiring and majestic. Further, WL sprawls a bit more than GCH and is quite serene. But, yes, you would get a similar vibe from the Lodge as you get at the Grand CA. Good luck with your decision!