Do you schedule time outside of the parks?

[HeadintheClouds]

Yes, we do the parks and we also do other non-Disney activities in our 2 weeks.

 

[Flamingeaux]

The only time we schedule not in a park is the evening of our AK day. We are usually done around 4 or 5 so we rest in our room for a little while and then head off to DtD for supper and some light shopping.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

With only 4 or 4 1/2 day trips, I don't spend much time outside of the parks except for DTD and some pool time at the resort. In 2010, I squeaked in an extra day and toured resorts.

Once with the family we did some of the mini golf but we were still in the Disney bubble. I have started looking at taking a day for the beach or to go on an airboat tour for something different out of the Disney Bubble but haven't done it yet.

My next trip is food and wine based so no beach time on that one - I'll be too busy having fun in Epcot.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Midday breaks at the pool. So 12-1 pm to around 5 pm is spent at the resort. We do 1-2 rest days per trip to hang out at the resort, do DTD, the Boardwalk (since we are staying at BC this year), sleep in, visit other resorts, etc.

We have 10 nights and only 8 day park tickets.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

There is so much in WDW that is overlooked and some of it is free.

You can spend the best part of a day just exploring resorts. The Disney resorts are all so unque.

Watching the water light parade from many places along the lakes.

Movies at resorts

2 of the top water parks in the world.

The chip and dale campfire singalong and movie

Disney Springs

Miniature golf

Horse back riding

B
Wagon rides

Seasonal events

HDDR and SOA

And so many more


AKK

 

[gtpoohbear]

The only times we go to other resorts, DTD or the Boardwalk is if we have an ADR of something very specific that we want to do there (like the light saber building at DTD or pirate cruise at GF).

We do end up spending a bit of time outside the parks, but we're not really the "sightseeing" type when it comes to those places. If we go, it's for something specific. And since for the last few trips we've been using NE tickets, we spend full days in the park and then full days of "other stuff". I think our "other stuff" days end up being more expensive with all the activities we plan though!

But if you are the type that enjoys browsing, it's a great way to escape the chaos of the parks for a while, and you don't have to spend a dime.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Definitely!

There is so much more to WDW than the parks. Don't get me wrong, we love our time in the parks, but part of the beauty of being and staying inside the bubble is to see all levels of the magic. We love touring the resort-especially if it's during the holidays, taking the boats or monorails is a nice relaxing way to see the area, AKL is worth checking out just to see the animals, I think most resort dining is superior to park dining- so you can get some wonderful food experiences outside of the parks, several of the resorts (AKL and WL are coming to mind) where we've seen some special activities being offered for guests in the lobbies, many of the resorts do movie nights on their beaches, we love watching fireworks from outside the parks without the insane crowds, Electrical Water Pageant is cute, activities at Ft. Wilderness, and so much more. Sometimes we're only lucky enough to have a morning or afternoon to do some of this, but sometimes I'm able to work in a couple of non-park days to stop and smell the roses.

 

[andiraye]

On this trip we are doing 2.5 non park days (chef mickeys, riding the monorail, dtd, boat ride and lots of pool time) and 3 park days. I know for some that's not enough park but we are looking at it as a relaxing vacation with some Disney Magic. Our resort has lots of great activities and pools which my kids will want to enjoy. We were at WDW about a year ago so I don't feel pressure this time around.

 

[midnightlouise]

We always do. Usually it's to go check out Christmas decorations at other resorts. We'll do that again this year, too. We've also planned time for DTD as well as Winter Summerland mini golf.

 

[aretha30]

We go in August every year so we always plan breaks during the day. We also plan down days and time at DTD and this year we checked out the Boardwalk for the first time. Next year we are planning to only get 4 day hoppers with the water park and more on them so that we can alternate between parks and water parks. We will still have 2 down days where we will check out the resorts on the monorail an maybe hit the mini golf course. As our boys have gotten older we have realized how much they need the breaks, they can't go like we used to. The breaks are good for all of us, they do help us re-energize for the next full park day.

 

[MischaOz]

Thanks for a the feedback everyone! We do take an afternoon break everyday (DD still naps...and we do too, lol)! It's moreso a question of whether we should check out some other stuff rather than going straight back to the parks after our break. Will def try to check out some of the Christmas decs at the resorts this year!

 

[Yellowstonetim]

To me, it all comes down to length of stay, what you want to accomplish, and stamina of the group. When I was younger we made shorter trips and spent open to close in the parks with or without park hoppers. It was fun, fantastic, and extremely tiring. Now we go for longer trips so we can take breaks. There is so much magic to enjoy outside the parks, and that magic also provides a bit of a break from the theme park hustle and bustle. Touring the resorts just to check them out and look at the decorations is fun, we love Disney Springs for shopping, dining, music, and fun like the balloon rides. (We love to go to Port Orleans and ride the boat to DS. Beautiful ride. We have also done miniature golf. Sometimes we will just do the monorail or boats to various places just as if they were rides themselves. In this mix we also throw a day or two at Universal. It makes for a very relaxing and fun trip where we can still go full force on some days. But you have to have the time to make it work! We now go for 10 nights.

 

[lugnut33]

Our family is to the point where we no longer spend all day in the parks. For example, yesterday we spent all day at a beach, came back and went to HS at 8 pm. Day before that we never went to a park.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We added a day to the beginning of our trip just to hang out and explore the resorts. It's only one night at Pop before heading to POR, so we are going to walk to AoA and check it out. We might hit the monorail for a loop around, too. I'd like to visit AKL and explore it, as well.

On our Christmas party day we'll do a tour of resort Christmas decorations in order to sleep in and save a day on our park tickets.

 

[RustManFan]

Going next year and we are definitely doing some of the things you mention.... spending time at the Boardwalk, taking boat to FW where we will eat and maybe watch fireworks from beach, boat from POR to DS, visiting AKL, WL, GF, etc for Christmas decorations and a snack or meal, visiting the Disney Wilderness Preserve....