Do you actually get to use your resorts amenities

[stepdisney]

Amenities are important for us. We are somewhere between commando and resort stickers. When we are in the park, we have a plan and we stick to it. We get all that we have planned in during the time we have allotted. HOWEVER, we always plan to leave the park late morning/early afternoon. We go back and relax at the resort, taking advantage of the amenities offered and/or napping. We then leave for our dinner reservations in enough time to explore the resort or to walk slowly through the park where our ADR's are booked. We then go to a park for an evening show and a few rides. (all planned of course). We make it back to our resort in enough time to take a night swim and sit and relax on our balcony.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Some. I normally go solo now. I use the pools and the bars (just saw Yeehaw Bob for the first time on my last trip) and food courts. I also shop at the resort I'm staying at.
When I stay at POR or POFQ I also use the boat to DTD.

When my kids go too, they use the arcade and once or twice during the trip ask to be back at the resort in time for the movie at the pool.

My husband prefers to go, go, go and stay in the parks most of the time. That's why I think he likes a short trip because he doesn't care about the resort amenities and doesn't use them. He also doesn't care about DTD or any shows.

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

We are totally commando at the parks and other than maybe the pool never use the resort amenities. We have always stayed at values up until this last trip. We tried a moderate for a little extra space and queen sized beds and did think it was worth the increased price, but didn't use any of the additional amenities. We have been touring commando since the kids were 3/5. They are now 8/10 and we still hit the ground running and don't stop. If we do have an early evening we use it to catch up on sleep.

 

[Disfan454]

As usual, this site delivers. Thank you everyone for the information. Keep opinions coming though.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We just got back from our first Deluxe stay in years - (AKL)
Our past 4 vacations have been at POP - we were in the Parks from early morning to late at night..and when we got home from our *vacation* we were always exhausted. So we booked a Deluxe and commited to ourselves that we would slow thing down and enjoy the amenities.
And we did..BEST vacation we have had in years!!!! The kids adored all the pool time, sliding down the pool slide a gazillion times and participating in the activites the resort offered. The learned about flamingo feeding, did some animal tracking, colored African medallions, spent time viewing the animals, and participated in the poolside activities (bingo, dance parties, games etc..) and DH and I got to spend qualitity time in a lounge chair.
Yes, we still got to see most everything we wanted in the Parks, rode everything we wanted (some more than once) - and still we managed to RELAX.
We will never vacation any other way - I am currently researching our next resort and the amenities will play a HUGE factor in where we stay.

 

[Mariep26]

Our first trip was in March and we are definitely the type of family that considers the resort amenities as part of the overall experience. Most days we spent a portion of the day at the pool and we walked the resort multiple times over the course of our trip. We also used the playground a few times. As I am planning our next few trips, I am definitely factoring in amenities and activities available (like bicycle or pedal boat rentals etc...) at a given resort.

 

[Karabee]

I love to really enjoy the resort when we're on vacation and that's exactly why I like to stay Deluxe. For me, it's more than the movies on the beach or the kids activities (no kids), but I love it for the lobby, the nicer bars to relax and grab a drink before dinner, and the pools that have more "hidden areas". I'm not someone who wakes up early to get to the parks or needs to be there all day, which is exactly why I like staying at a resort that has more of a "relaxing resort" feel.

 

[Sue M]

I think there are two types of WDW guests. There are commando park tourers and there are are those who see the resorts as part of their experience. For commando park tourers I'd say that the type of bed in the room is what's most important when choosing a resort since their rooms are basically a place to crash at night. Choose the cheapest resort that has the type of beds which will make you happy. For those who see the resort as part of their experience then ammenities are very important.

We're the second type of WDW guest. We spend only a few hours per day in the parks and take every third or fourth day off as a day completely around the resort. We definitely take advantage of the extras offered at our resort. That doesn't mean that we don't stay at value resorts. Even at Pop Century we enjoy the extras including little things like playing Twister, dancing in the food court, taking a stroll around the resort to see what's written on all the year signs and so much more. We'll be staying in a cabin during our upcoming stay. We're definitely planning on checking out the movies, seeing the horses, relaxing on the beach and playing tetherball and other games, swimming a lot and so much more. We love our resort time.

This! Pretty much says it all!
I go with my adult daughter(s) and we aren't Commando. We like to take mid day breaks, and go back to the resort and enjoy they amenities.
Sometimes we'll not go back to the parks at night either, and just hang out at our resort.

 

[laurabeth]

Going in just a few weeks with all adults and I am thinking we won't really use much of the resort. I would like to see a little and maybe stop by a pool for a day but when we travel we all tend to want to rush. However, I could see a family wanting to take it slow or if you were older and more into relaxing wanting to take advantage of the resorts.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

We have stayed at the Poly, and have scheduled 2 resort days in between running to parks. The resort is truly a vacation in itself too to me.

 

[Phatoomch]

It really depends on you. We had breakfast at our resort and left by 9am at the latest to hit the parks. We got back around 11pm. Everyday. So no time to use the amenities.

 

[rentayenta]

So we are planning a February 2013 trip to WDW and staying at in the cabins at Fort Wilderness. They have the pool, outdoor movies etc... I was thinking, is it worth it to stay there because of those extras when more then likely you will be spending most of your day at the parks then come home and crash. Just wondering. I have only been to WDW once before and we stayed offsite. Do you get to take advantage of extras offered at your resorts?

We do! The resort is part of the vacation for us. Whether it be the bar, pool, restaurants, activities, etc....we use them. I plan blocks of time to enjoy the resort. We'll be at the THV and AKV in October and I cannot imagine missing all of the cool ammenitites.

 

[Lizzybean]

We are staying at FW next month for our 1st family trip and Im planning on taking advantage of the amenities there. The cabins are the perfect size for my family, I love the theming, and I think the kitchen will be great bc I can't eat out every meal for 8 days--I need something home cooked!

My plan is to get up early and eat bfast in the room or have any early ADR and roam the park until late morning/early afternoon. Then go back to the resort, swim, nap, ride bikes, fish, pony rides, kayak or whatever else the kids would like to do. Then we will go back to the parks for dinner or EMH.

 

[danceintherain]

I do think for a first timer it can be hard to really experience the resorts. Even though I had been before on my honeymoon, my husband hadn't, so I was anxious to show him everything. We probably SHOULD have spent more time in the resort, but still spent a few hours there every day. I was the one that was pulling us off into the parks.

On our last trip, we spent quite a bit of time wandering around the grounds at CBR. We would have planned more resort time, but the trip itself was only 6 days long, so even with only 4 days in the parks (military tickets) we didn't have any completely open days.

I'm hoping to be able to do at least 10 days for our next trip, because I want to take advantage of some more of the resort activities. Even if we do a short trip, my husband NEEDS a nap every day, so it's nice to have options other than sitting in the room with him while he sleeps.
We're still trying to balance out our individual touring styles.

 

[Nature Mom]

I am on what we refer to on the camping board as a "Fort Fiend". I love FW and make sure we take the time to slow down and just enjoy everything that the Fort has to offer. Although we don't stay at a cabin, (we camp), but if I would not hesitate to use the cabins if I didn't already have a place to lay our heads. Just to show you how much my family loves the Fort and the relaxation we get there, I told my DD12 that we could rent points and stay at AKL for the upcoming trip instead of camping because I wasn't sure if she was ready to do it again after the President's Day weekend monsoon last year, but she said no, the Fort is home and we can just continue to hop around to other resorts to check them out but she always wants to stay at FW. I asked her why, and she said she likes the relaxing time with family, the sound of the boat in the distance...and riding the golf cart!

Have a great trip whatever you decide, but I think if you like to slow down, you will love the Fort!