Does anyone book WBC just for the resort experience and not do Disney or Universal?

[staceywj]

We have been to Disney 2-3 times a year and do need a break from Disney. My DH wants to go to Vegas but I would love to go to Florida just for WBC even if we do not do any parks. Any suggestions? We are in NJ and the flight to Florida is also shorter than the flight to Vegas.

 

[katallo]

We do. Many times. LOL

We've gone to WDW for many years. But, when we discovered WBC we found we really enjoyed the resort atmosphere. That being said, we are from the Mid atlantic and usually do a winter trip to escape the weather. It's relaxing and also gives a us a chance to explore areas other than Disney.

 

[SL6827]

I am thinking about it in early June. But would go to the Disney water parks too.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I took my kids for a long weekend in June. No Disney/Universal, but we did go to Legoland.

Since I was trying to keep it a semi-budget trip, I figured the WBC pools would be less expensive than staying at a cheaper hotel and buying water park tickets. We actually stayed at the Grand through an opaque Hotwire booking, but really only chose it because of the shared WBC facilities.

 

[Magical2017]

It is a nice resort--why not!?

 

[NatureBoyChris]

We did this in June of this year. We had a pass to SeaWorld and our leftover Disney waterpark passes from the year prior. I would highly recommend it.

 

[kathy884]

I think for the price/quality of timeshare resorts, Orlando has great deals vs. other places. I've done Orlando stays without Disney or Universal, but have never not done any park days at all (sure - why not, but it's tough for me not to get at least one park day in when I am at the theme park capital of the world). One trip was just one day at Gatorland. Another trip was just one day at SeaWorld. Do note, though, that I have relatives in the area to visit too.

 

[missingdisneymore]

All. The. Time.
We do a water park or two if we feel like it, and hit up the Disney resorts/DS at night for the live entertainment/activities, usually have a few Disney restaurant reservations...we still get our fix but no longer feel the need to go to the parks as often. We have a great time, every time!

 

[toocherie]

What is "WBC"?

 

[ClapYourHands]

What is "WBC"?

Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It’s a timeshare community very close to WDW that is extremely popular on this board. You can read all about it in the “we love Bonnet Creek” thread.

 

[toocherie]

Yes--I've heard of it! Just didn't know what that the initials stood for that--thanks!

 

[bearzabout]

There is so much to do without going into the parks. We enjoy our days in the Orlando area on non park days. Some of our favorite activities include:
Lunch at the Columbia in Celebration
Fridays in Winter Park when the Morse Museum is free.
Harry P Leu Gardens
Bok Tower Gardens
Orlando Science Museum
City walk after 6 when parking is free. We like to tour the Universal Resorts.
Bread service at Sanaa for lunch.
Enjoy the animals at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Check out the art collection.
Tour the other resorts and soak up the Disney atmosphere at a relaxed pace.
Ride the boats around Bay Lake. Roast marshmallows at Wilderness lodge, get a dole whip at the Polynesian, watch the fireworks from the boat dock at the Grand Floridian.
The Wat Thai market on Sunday mornings is a real treat. Add other activities in the Tampa area.
Relaxing dinners at Disney Springs.
We love spending hours at the pool at WBC.

We love Vegas as well so we do both, but to us Vegas is like traveling to another planet (it is not for everyone) and find Orlando a much happier place.

 

[staceywj]

Everyone has sold us! We are booking it! Thank you!

 

[DisneyDoesMyHair]

We recently booked, too. This will be our first stay off property, and we are so excited!

 

[DisneyDoesMyHair]

There is so much to do without going into the parks. We enjoy our days in the Orlando area on non park days. Some of our favorite activities include:
Lunch at the Columbia in Celebration
Fridays in Winter Park when the Morse Museum is free.
Harry P Leu Gardens
Bok Tower Gardens
Orlando Science Museum
City walk after 6 when parking is free. We like to tour the Universal Resorts.
Bread service at Sanaa for lunch.
Enjoy the animals at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Check out the art collection.
Tour the other resorts and soak up the Disney atmosphere at a relaxed pace.
Ride the boats around Bay Lake. Roast marshmallows at Wilderness lodge, get a dole whip at the Polynesian, watch the fireworks from the boat dock at the Grand Floridian.
The Wat Thai market on Sunday mornings is a real treat. Add other activities in the Tampa area.
Relaxing dinners at Disney Springs.
We love spending hours at the pool at WBC.

We love Vegas as well so we do both, but to us Vegas is like traveling to another planet (it is not for everyone) and find Orlando a much happier place.

How do you avoid the parking fees when exploring the resorts? Do you Uber over each day?

 

[ClapYourHands]

How do you avoid the parking fees when exploring the resorts? Do you Uber over each day?

There's no fee to park unless it's overnight for people staying there. That said, some resorts will not allow you to park just to explore the resort because they want to maintain spots for resort guests. You're probably not going to get parking spots at the monorail resorts unless you have an ADR, and the same may hold true for the boardwalk area resorts. It's a YMMV situation.

One option is to park at Disney Springs for free and bus/boat to where you want to go. Once you're in WDW, you can use whatever method of transport you like to go between resorts - bus, boat, monorail, gondola.

 

[ClapYourHands]

It is a nice resort--why not!?

The only real downside I can think of is if you find it a tease to be there. For some people, the Disney-lite experience of Disney Springs and resort hopping is a great way to get their fix on a budget. For others, it's hard to go under the WDW sign, and see Disney stuff everywhere, but not actually go to the parks.

My kids were fine with Disney-lite and enjoying the WBC facilities because they'd just done 2 days at Legoland. I don't know if they'd have been so content if we didn't do something more "destination worthy," if that makes sense.

 

[Magical2017]

The only real downside I can think of is if you find it a tease to be there. For some people, the Disney-lite experience of Disney Springs and resort hopping is a great way to get their fix on a budget. For others, it's hard to go under the WDW sign, and see Disney stuff everywhere, but not actually go to the parks.

My kids were fine with Disney-lite and enjoying the WBC facilities because they'd just done 2 days at Legoland. I don't know if they'd have been so content if we didn't do something more "destination worthy," if that makes sense.

Yes, it makes sense. Personally I don't go to Orlando unless we go to the parks but for a resort only stay for a few days, I'd be content at WBC (or St. Thomas or a national park or a lake or pretty much anywhere).

 

[staceywj]

The only real downside I can think of is if you find it a tease to be there. For some people, the Disney-lite experience of Disney Springs and resort hopping is a great way to get their fix on a budget. For others, it's hard to go under the WDW sign, and see Disney stuff everywhere, but not actually go to the parks.

My kids were fine with Disney-lite and enjoying the WBC facilities because they'd just done 2 days at Legoland. I don't know if they'd have been so content if we didn't do something more "destination worthy," if that makes sense.

Got it! We were APs last year and went 3x. So we are Disney-ed out for awhile. But, we decided to do Universal for 2-3 days so we don't totally bore them and torture ourselves!