Could you ever go to WDW resort and NOT go to parks?

[A1A1]

Just wondering if you ever considered the possibility of staying at a WDW resort, and not buying park tickets. Has anyone boycotted the parks just to relax at the resort pool or do the things in Orlando that are *free*?

How many days do you usually spend at WDW parks in relation to the length of your actual resort stay?

I am considering this option of not purchasing park tickets, but I don't think I could do it. The draw of the parks is too great.

 

[NHMickey]

Not that I have or would... But if I did it would have to be Ft Wilderness Camp Ground. That place is like a park...

 

[Beanie]

We have done this before! We stayed at WL one time for a couple of nights and didn't go to any parks that whole time...instead we just enjoyed the resort and pool...It was fun and a great switch from having to run, run, run! LOL!!

 

[Billpowerrock]

i m planning to go to wl for 8 nights, 7 full days, plan to be in the parks for about 5 days maybe, 2 days of off time, but i dont think i could handle it, i mean i love wl and even other resorts are a world in their own, but i just dont think i could go and not go into parks

 

[dg39]

Going to WDW for 12 days and only going to the parks for 5 at the most. There is so much to do at WD other than the parks. We plan on lounging around the pool, boat rides,DTD,resort hop ,etc. If we decide that we can't stay away from the parks we will just add more days.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Sure, I'd give it a try sometime! (not my upcoming trip, though! Too much scheduled already!)

 

[Disneyolic]

I don't really think that I could do it. I just love the parks so much, especially Epcot. Just walking around and taking it all in. The whole idea for us to go to WDW is to go to the parks. Now there are days that we haven't spent in the parks, but we did the Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, and Discovery Island (when it was opened). Spending big bucks in the hotel just for the atmosphere doesn't really make sense for us. We would just go somewhere else as there are at lot of other places in this country that we haven't visited (none as good as WDW).

 

[banks37]

This Sept me, my wife and my 1 yo son will be going down for a 4 night stay, 2 nights at AKL and 2 nights at ASMO, and we are not going to the parks. We got a good airfare from Southwest and just wanted to go down to enjoy some of the things we normally skip or have to rush through like spending a good amount of time at DD shopping, going to the Belz outlet store and visitng the FW petting zoo. As I am making our itenerary I'm quickly realizing that 5 days is not enough time to do the things we want to do even without a park visit. - Mike

 

[MineeBaby]

In the past, we have gone to Orlando, called it a trip to Disney, but ended up going to the parks three days out of seven i think it was...i was sorta bummed, but it was still a WONDERFUL time!

 

[MineeBaby]

hahaha..and we were in a timeshare, not in a WDW resort..so that may have changed things a bit.

 

[wdwfan]

I don't think I could not go to a park. I love it when my family takes their nap after a swim (my husband will nap with the kids) and I get some alone time!! I love walking over to Epcot by myself and spend time in the countries and attractions that I love. Especially shopping without someone wanting you to hurry up or buy them something! I love the resorts, but I love those parks too.

 

[minster22]

On our last trip this past April/May we spent very little time in the parks, partly because it was so HOT but mostly because we having such at great time at the pools, spas, restaurants etc. Our strategy is we have spent big bucks staying at this great resort{BWI} and we want to bask in the fabulous atmosphere as much as possible. Also we have annual passes which we will get a total of 23 days use from including an AP hotel rate for one of our stays. This way we don't feel bad having spent so much money on an AP to run into a park an just have lunch!! It really gave us so much freedom and options!!For us the whole thing is part of the Disney experience and the parks are only a small portion.

 

[TWOOD]

My DD & I spend less and less time at the parks with each stay. We have discovered the beauty of having the resort pool practically all to ourselves right when it opens, as well as Disney Quest (it's way less crowded in the morning). We also enjoy the water parks, renting water mouse boats, going to the FW campfire, and playing mini-golf. We have AP's too, so it's nice to just come & go to the parks for our favorite attractions without feeling like we have to spend the whole day there to "get our $$'s worth" out of our tickets. We usually hit each park for a few hours at the beginning of our trip and then we "chill" and just enjoy the resort & other WDW fun stuff.

 

[libmil]

We do it all the time.... We are Seasonal Passholders and often go when we are blacked-out...In fact we are going for 4th of July for 3 nights and won't be going to any parks at all...
We do like to stay at The Yacht and Beach Club when we can't go into the parks, because of the pool... We spend alot of time in the pool...and shopping and just relaxing...

 

[Hnymoon@Dixie]

Funny you mention that, soo many times I feel like we stayed at a fab. resort & never got tos pend any time in it!! We were thinking on our next trip of only buying park hoppers(we usually pay for the unlimited magic pass) & spending 5 days @ parks & 3 or 4 at the resort!! But we would have to spend a few days at the parks, we enjoy them too much to completely rule them out!!

 

[Bim-muv-fab]

I think this would be more feasible if we could afford to go more often. If you are like us, then a trip to Disney is a big deal and when you go, you have to take it all in.

However, if I were a regular attender, say a couple of times a year or so, then I think I would prefer to plan (or maybe I should say "not plan") a relaxation trip. I would have no specific intentions of going to any parks, but just enjoy the resorts, maybe play some golf and visit properties. This would be particularly fun around Christmas as one could visit the different hotels to see how they decorate.

I think I still would want the option, however, of being able to hop over to a park, if only for a little bit.

 

[webray]

We have stayed at a disney resort, never leaving it for the parks. At AKL concierge...it was wonderful...the perfect long weekend.

We would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Parrotheader]

Unless I was down there for a short stint like a business conference or a 3 day weekend it would be tough not to go to at least a COUPLE parks. We were just down there and at this point I've ridden or seen just about everything I'd want to see from the parks.

Still, if I was there for about 5 days, it would be tough to lounge around knowing you couldn't zip over to Epcot for dinner or got to MGM just to ride the Tower of Terror. And if I was only hanging around the resorts (and assuming I wasn't going to places like Sea World and Universal) I'd then probably be tempted to go some place like Typhoon Lagoon during the day or Disney Quest at night. But both of those cost a big chunk of what an Ultimate Park Hopper pass might cost for those days. At that point, it would be almost foolish not to go ahead and get the full park pass for a couple days so you could take advantage of the parks if the mood strikes you.

 

[DeeP]

I go to WDW every 3-4 months, so I am there an average of 50+ days per year and yet I still go to the parks. Not everyday every trip and NEVER a whole day in the parks but I like to go to the parks for a couple hours and just pick and choose what I want to see or do, or go to Epcot, MGM, etc for lunch or dinner. I love spending time at my WDW resort but I also really love the parks. Always have and hopefully always will!

 

[BeckyV]

Last summer we made a quick trip for three nights and stayed at BWV. Because we are DVC members, we just pool hopped. No parks. It was great. So relaxing. We did character dinners and Downtown Disney. We also shopped at different resorts. This summer we are going again for three nights, but this time we plan on visiting the water parks.