does anyone else not leave disney whilst in Orlando?

[Boo Boo Too]

Wonder if there are any Americans out there who travel to the UK every year just to stay at Butlins and never step outside of Butlins for the whole trip...

Ok, maybe you can't compare Butlins with Disney, but...

I agree that Florida is an amazing State - absolutely beautiful and, for the most part, incredibly safe. I doubt that downtown Kissimmee is much more dangerous than walking through Bath City Centre (infact I bet that Bath has more pick-pockets and street crime). Maybe because I have travelled to non-touristy parts of Cairo, Bucharest, Moscow as well as many parts of the US... I am not afraid of my own shadow.

The West Coast and Florida Keys are just amazing - a VERY relaxed way of life, very beautiful, fantastic wildlife, great food, friendly people. Kennedy Space Centre is just amazing. The Everglades are a fantastic experience (recommend an organised tour including airboat and a cruise along the coast).

Personally I am not a huge Miami fan (there are some very dodgy areas there). But some people LOVE Miami (for nightlife and the Art Deco scene etc.). Although Fort Lauderdale and some other areas along there can be very nice.

Yes, I agree with others who say "do what you enjoy - it's your holiday": that is totally correct - different people like different things (if we all liked and did the same things, this world would be a boring place!).

BUT don't be "afraid" to get out there and try other things too and go with an open mind. If you think that there is a threat or danger in every corner, that is what you will see. Stay safe, be aware, but don't be over-sensitive: the US is not all gangs and guns (as a previous poster has said, even the majority of Manhattan is a very safe place to wonder around).

Think how much you consider people who say "WDW, that's in Florida? No, wouldn't want to go there: it's too far away, too foreign, unusual food, too many gangs and guns in America - would rather stay in the UK where we know it is safe and trust the food" are missing out... That is how some of us feel about people who say that they never step outside of Disney.

But, at the end of the day, have fun: where-ever and whatever that may be to you

Boo

 

[wideeyes]

Wonder if there are any Americans out there who travel to the UK every year just to stay at Butlins and never step outside of Butlins for the whole trip...

maybe not, however on the Disneyland Paris board we get post from Americans who are going to Europe on business and are choosing to spend there free time at DLP rather then seeing the other sights of Europe. so you could say that's the same thing.

Though when we went to DLP we did go to the city as well.

when we go to WDW we will probably will spend most of our time at Disney however when we go on repeat visits then we will do other stuff.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

maybe not, however on the Disneyland Paris board we get post from Americans who are going to Europe on business and are choosing to spend there free time at DLP rather then seeing the other sights of Europe. so you could say that's the same thing.

Wow! Well a lot is said about many (not all!) Americans prefering what is familiar to them, rather than experiencing other cultures...

Though when we went to DLP we did go to the city as well.

That is good - the lazy thing (especially on a short trip) would be to stay at DLP. Paris is a beautiful city (especially the older, historical parts), proper French food is amazing and the French people CAN be very charming and nice (even to us Brits... ).

I was also thinking of Disneyland California (but rambled on so much in my last post, didn't mention it!). I just couldn't imagine someone going to California JUST to go to Disneyland (nobody has posted that on this thread, but I was wondering). The Disney estate in CA is much smaller than Orlando and the bit of Anaheim immidiately near Disney is not particularly nice and very tacky - if you go outside, you need to move well away from the Disney area. CA (and close by Nevada and Arizona) have much to offer the tourist willing to drive around a bit (Hollywood, Universal, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, San Diego, Big Bear Lake, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, the Pacific Coast between LA and SF, etc.etc.).

when we go to WDW we will probably will spend most of our time at Disney however when we go on repeat visits then we will do other stuff.

It isn't a surprise - especially if it is your first trip (or an early trip) to Disney - there is so much to see and do there! It is a great place and very large.

When you go back (which you will! ), definitely worth seeing other bits. Maybe even a two centre: a week on the Gulf Coast and a couple of weeks in Orlando. If you did that, do the other centre BEFORE Orlando - that way you always have your favourite Disney fix tyo look forward too.

Whilst you are out there (for the first or early time), definitely check out other hotels (on-site and maybe in the area - the Hyatt Grand Cypress, for example). That will help you to decide where you want to stay (and don't want to stay) next time.

Boo

 

[catherine]

Crikey! I think some people need to think about broadening their horizons.

The reason that I posted if WDW wasn't in Florida then we probably wouldn't go there, is because we much prefer the west coast of America. Therefore if WDW was in CA we would travel there. DH has lived in Florida and is not in a big hurry to spend time there outside of WDW.

 

[homerdog]

The reason I made that comment was because some posters seem to be scared of heading outside the confines of WDW. There is a whole lot to do in the Orlando area that isn't Disney, but that's just as much fun and just as safe. I think they don't know what they're missing

Catherine, I wasn't actually referring to the rest of Florida, the west coast of the US, or the rest of the world for that matter - the OP asked about going off property whilst staying at WDW.

Finally Frances, I've probably been to more places around the world than most, so your comments were well wide of the mark if you were trying to have a dig at me!

 

[Kevin Stringer]

I'm pretty much in line with Hilary on this one.

We've visited Florida and barely left WDW, spent 1 week at WDW and one week on the Gulf and recently flew in and out of Orlando and didn't go to WDW at all. (Cruising)
I have enjoyed all that Florida has to offer, but I can still understand those that can go to Florida for 2 weeks and never go off-site.

I think I would find it difficult to go to Florida for 2 weeks and not set foot in WDW at all. The '1 week on the coast, 1 week at WDW' thing seems the perfect compromise to me.
It also depends how many times you have visited. Having been 10 times we don't feel we must spend every day in the parks from dawn to dusk.

Last year we went to California for nearly 3 weeks and had a great time touring round ending up with 3 days at Disneyland. This worked out very well. Well, maybe just one more day at DL?

Kev

 

[AlanUK]

We tend not to stray too far from Disney during our vacations but we do like to visit Universal, Sea World, do some shopping and try the odd restaraunt which gets us out for a few days.

We base ourselves at Disney as we are DVC members and so use the points we have for our accomodation, we have added on a couple of nights at the Hard Rock hotel in the past though, which was excellent

We find that Disney really does offer what we want out of a holiday and are happy with our limited excursions elsewhere. As we have more holidays we will probably try different things along the way but always basing ourselves at Disney.

We love the immersive environment and it just wouldn't be the same holiday without an overdose of Disney magic

 

[wideeyes]

...





I was also thinking of Disneyland California (but rambled on so much in my last post, didn't mention it!). I just couldn't imagine someone going to California JUST to go to Disneyland (nobody has posted that on this thread, but I was wondering). The Disney estate in CA is much smaller than Orlando and the bit of Anaheim immidiately near Disney is not particularly nice and very tacky - if you go outside, you need to move well away from the Disney area. CA (and close by Nevada and Arizona) have much to offer the tourist willing to drive around a bit (Hollywood, Universal, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, San Diego, Big Bear Lake, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, the Pacific Coast between LA and SF, etc.etc.).

we are going to california next year and we choice to stay at newport beach rather than anaheim as a base so we can explore the area more. we are also going to spend a few days at san diego and beverly hill as well.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

we are going to california next year and we choice to stay at newport beach rather than anaheim as a base so we can explore the area more. we are also going to spend a few days at san diego and beverly hill as well.

I am sure that will be a good base - to be honest, unless maybe you stayed at the Disney Wilderness Hotel on-site, the bit of Anaheim around Disney is a bit dumpy.

Could even be worth staying in San Diego for a few days - quite a bit to see down there: Sea World, the Zoo (if you like that sort of thing), would recommend the trolley tour (gives a good overview of San Diego, tells you the history and allows you to choose where to go back to), Seaport Village is charming and going to Coronado Island (including the Del Coronado Hotel) is a great (we did a cycle tour of the island and that was very enjoyable). You can also do a number of mini-cruises around San Diego.

Hollywood is good too - you can do the Chinese Theatre/pavement of stars (although much around there is rather tacky - cheap touristy t-shirt shops etc), Universal/CityWalk, Santa Monica and the beach/pier are very sweet.

I love California, but then we have relatives who live about 20/30 minutes drive North of Anaheim (can see the Disney firecworks from their bedroom window ).

Boo

 

[Frances999]

I doubt that downtown Kissimmee is much more dangerous than walking through Bath City Centre (infact I bet that Bath has more pick-pockets and street crime).

I never stated that the reason we don't leave the resorts is because we feel it is unsafe outside. This is absolutely not true. I'm sure Kissimmee and the rest of Orlando is perfectly safe and Bath probably does have a greater number of pick-pockets and street crime. We just don't like Orlando. End of story. On our first trip we visited the west coast of Florida and also explored Orlando quite considerably. We weren't particularly impressed - but safety was irrevelant.

 

[Frances999]

Why has this gotten so personal? We obviously ALL have one thing in common - we all like Disney, otherwise we wouldn't have found these boards for information on them.

I'm sorry that you feel my comment was "personal". I just felt that implying that those who choose to not explore outside of the resorts needed "to broaden their horizons" was unjustified and unfair.

 

[Frances999]

The reason I made that comment was because some posters seem to be scared of heading outside the confines of WDW. There is a whole lot to do in the Orlando area that isn't Disney, but that's just as much fun and just as safe. I think they don't know what they're missing

Catherine, I wasn't actually referring to the rest of Florida, the west coast of the US, or the rest of the world for that matter - the OP asked about going off property whilst staying at WDW.

Finally Frances, I've probably been to more places around the world than most, so your comments were well wide of the mark if you were trying to have a dig at me!

Again, I didn't mean to be "personal" and my comments were not aimed directly at you. However (and perhaps I misunderstood you) stating that people needed to "broaden their horizons" was totally unjustified. Not everyone chooses to not leave WDW because they are "scared" of what is outside. Maybe they just don't like what is outside.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

I never stated that the reason we don't leave the resorts is because we feel it is unsafe outside. This is absolutely not true. I'm sure Kissimmee and the rest of Orlando is perfectly safe and Bath probably does have a greater number of pick-pockets and street crime. We just don't like Orlando. End of story. On our first trip we visited the west coast of Florida and also explored Orlando quite considerably. We weren't particularly impressed - but safety was irrevelant.

Ehhh??? I never said that you did - my post was mainly in relation to a poster who said that they went to Kissimmee to get their marriage licence and, after a brief stroll, ran back to their hotel scared for their lives... some others have mentioned "being too scared" to leave WDW for wider-Orlando.

Don't take things so personally - since they are often not meant for you.

Boo

 

[Frances999]

Ehhh??? I never said that you did - my post was mainly in relation to a poster who said that they went to Kissimmee to get their marriage licence and, after a brief stroll, ran back to their hotel scared for their lives... some others have mentioned "being too scared" to leave WDW for wider-Orlando.

Don't take things so personally - since they are often not meant for you.

Boo

Perhaps it was the reference to Bath I obviously failed to recognise how this particular example was relevant to any other posters.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Perhaps it was the reference to Bath I obviously failed to recognise how this particular example was relevant to any other posters.

Maybe it IS irrelevant to the other posters, doesn't mean that it is irrelevant to me... since I may well live there, have lived there for the best part of 13 years and know it rather well (AND it has a reputation of being a very nice city and perceived as well-to-do and low crime...).

Boo
(doesn't have her location on her profile, but does live somewhere... ).

 

[gilld]

We have done both, stayed on site pretty much all holiday, and also ventured further afield. Neither is right or wrong.

What we now do is spend most of the time on site but without spending much time in the parks. Last year, we went into a park about 50% of the days and then only for an hour or two, sometimes just for a meal.

We like the resorts, the golf, the restaurants etc - there is so much more than the theme parks - for us. But we could never just holiday in WDW - there's a big world out there that needs seeing - again for us.

 

[Mickey1122]

when we stay on property, yes

 

[TracyK]

We have never just done Disney, much as we love it. We always visit Universal for a few days and usually Sea World. We've also done Clearwater and Tampa.
I tend not to do just Florida on a trip to the US. I usually have time elsewhere such as Boston, New York and Washington DC, to name a few.

Tracy