Does Everyone Go to Park Every Day???

[Granny]

If the OP chooses to spend only a day or two in the parks because that's all they want to do, then that's not cheap. It's just exercising personal choice.

On our typical trip, we will spend at least 4 or 5 days out of the parks. We go offsite to Sea World and Busch Gardens, and some days just don't make it to a park.

What does make a difference is where we stay. At VWL, it's easy to hang out and avoid the parks completely. At BWV, we find ourselves heading to EPCOT or MGM even if it's just to eat or browse a little for an hour.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We buy APs and visit the parks at least some part of every day of every trip. Sometimes it is just to go to a restaurant, but usually we are in the parks far more than we are anywhere else. We find it very relaxing to just sit on a bench and wait for a parade or people watch or enjoy the streetmosphere characters etc. AK is a great place to relax for a day! Most trips we have guests, and they always want to see it all, so we try to reserve a few days at the end for us to relax. We still go to the parks on those days though too. I am not sure I could do a 4-5 day trip. I want to be there at least a week!

 

[mikesmom]

We go to parks almost every day "sort of". For our family spring/early summer trip we probably won't go in the first night - we're getting situated. The rest of the trip we will go to a park for a few hours most days. Sometimes it's just to see evening fireworks or (if we are staying at BWV) a stroll into Epcot to buy French bread and wine at the France pavilion. In the fall for the Food & Wine Fest we go to Epcot and only Epcot every day. If we sneak in a winetr trip (December or early January) we probably will go over to AK because there are more animals out in cooler weather.

 

[bom_noite]

Actually I was joking about the cheap part of it. And, our personal choice is only to spend a day or two touring the parks / water parks.

But, we are frugal. Up untill last year we just bought the one day pass to every park. Once we bought in to DVC, then, I figured it made more sense to buy the PH+.

But, it is very interesting to see how others use their time and money. Actually, some of the posts have gotten me to think we just may get a UPH one year and tour as some of you suggested.

It would be different - and - enjoyable.

 

[DVC Jen]

We actually priced the PHP with advance purchase and the UPH with the 10% dvc discount and the UPH turned out to be something like 26.00 cheaper (total not per ticket) for my family of four..all adult tickets.

Therefore that is what we are getting. We will be there for 7 nights and we will be in the parks every day because it is what we like to do. THEN we are heading to Vero for 4 nights. We will rest and relax there.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

Last year we went to the parks two days (two each day) and to a water park on a third day. The most relaxing of our visits to WDW. We try to space them apart so we can have an off day in between.

 

[lodgelady]

We love the parks, but find that if we go everyday we get over-tired and don't appreciate them as we would like to.....so, we usually do two days at a park, then a day off for hanging out or DD or water park. Out of a 8-9 day vacation, this works well for us.
We tried the Ultimates once, but we were all exhausted when we got home! We think vacation is also for relaxing! PLUS we LOVE the WL, so we enjoy just hanging there.

 

[rmaiers]

I must be in the minority in that I choose to purchase a DVC interest because of all of the things to do outside of the "Big 4". I'm not much of a Disney fan (don't hurt me!), but there is so much to do outside of the parks that I became a huge WDW fan.

I know there are less expensive timeshares around, but given all there is to do on the WDW Campus, how can you go wrong? Everything my family wants to do on a vacation (swim, water slides, horseback riding, scuba, golf, fishing, lounging, warm weather, planned activities, boat rides, water skiing, excellent dining, etc.) are all in one convienant place with the added benifit of not needing a rental car - a huge cost savings if you ask me. And believe me, in the past, we have taken advantage of all of these things with very little interaction inside the parks.

Basically, WDW is nothing more than a warm, wonderfully maintained, clean, relaxing place to spend a week-or-so a year to us... If WDW didn't offer all of the non-park activities, then I'm sure we wouldn't have purchased.

Also, economically speaking, it is less expensive for me to fly to Orlando (from Chicago) than to most warm-weather destinations.

I think if I went to the park 75-80% of every visit downthere, we would "burn out" quickly.... I think for people who only get down to WDW every 5-6 years, there is that "pressure" to squeeze in as much of the parks as they can. We don't feel it because we know we will be back in a matter of months.

 

[birdiesunshine]

We do a park a day! Lifes too short not to!!!!
It's usually just my DH and I that go, but now that we have our DD who will be 19 mths old, we will be taking it easy and napping in the afternoon and visiting the pool, but I'm sure we will at least do the parks for a few hours each day!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We have been averaging 16 days total at BWV each of the last three years (along with another 4 days at VB after both our January and June visits). We purchase APs and enjoy the freedom of visiting multiple parks on the same day and also visiting a park just to eat lunch or dinner if that's our fancy. From BWV, I usually walk either to MGM to play the Millionaire game (I've been in the hot seat three times, winning the grand prize once) or to Epcot to ride Test Track once every day. We seldom spend more than 3 hours in a park at one time, but frequently end up visiting two different parks in the same day, particularly if we're eating dinner at one of the Epcot World Showcase restaurants. For us, the flexibility of not having to plan park visit days makes the vacation more relaxing than when we used to purchase multi-day park hoppers. We never visit the water parks or PI, so the standard AP works well for us.

Ralph

 

[garylpn]

pap here, 3 trips this year planned, may, oct, dec, adding a 4th if rofr at bwv passes, so we get pap and usually hit 2-3 parks a day, sometimes just for a couple of hours each, we almost never do any ps, rarely start the day knowing anymore than what park we are starting at, have been known to jump a bus to tl or bb on the spur of the moment just to float around a couple of circuits to cool off, especially on may trips when it's usually pretty warm,
we never miss a day without some park, almost always epcot to eat, we like to refer to it as jumping into the disney river to see where it takes us

 

[johnsonet]

This thread is so interesting!
I am going to WDW more and more often. Just 2 weeks ago bought my first AP (just for me, not for DD) and it paid for itself in lodging savings ($230) and park entrance (5days of park hopping)... I plan to go at least twice more before my AP expires.
Because we've been so much, I am beginning to embrace the idea of a day off from the parks. We stay at deluxe resorts and they are, increasingly, half the fun of our trips. After this last trip I'm pretty wiped out and think a trip this summer would include LOTS of down time - probably staying at AKL where there is SO much to do while still relaxing. I can't wait to go back to Boma and Jiko, sit by the pool, have some wine in the Lounge, gaze at the animals and talk with the wonderful animal guides. AKL is tops! And the activities for children - at least some of them - are so educational. I was really PROUD to have taken my daughter! And I watched many other children who'd learned a great deal and had so much fun in the process.
My Disney travels are evolving and I'm loving every minute of it!

 

[MJTinNH]

We also visit at least one park each day. Early morning to the park. We may eat lunch at the park we are at or resort hop and try out some different options at other resorts. Then back to the room for a rest.

We usually go back to Epcot in the evening and have dinner. We then stroll around and do what ever takes our fancy, then watch Illuminations. It's fun strolling back through WS to BW as the place empties out. Very relaxing. We also go to MK one evening for the parade and fireworks.

We are going to Seaworld one day this May and will stay the day. But when we get back we will probably go over to Epcot for a little bit.

 

[OKW91]

We just spent a total of 15 days over the winter in WDW and only went to the parks one day! We find it more relaxing just hanging around OKW or the MP people watching. We have spent many days over the years in the parks and when just the 2 of us come here we find it less hectic if we skip the parks, besides there are so many other things to do and see.

 

[bom_noite]

To be honest, when I posted this I felt pretty convinced that our family had the whole WDW gig figured out:

No reason to go the parks every day, it is expensive, we have been there / done that, it is crowded and it is draining, etc.. In addition, we love to swim and make pool hopping a whole day ordeal! And, as many point out, you do not have to go to a park at WDW to enjoy yourself.

I guess I just had in my mind that the only people who bought the UPH were those who were new to WDW and felt the only thing to do at WDW was to go the parks.

This post has been an eye-opener. And, while I think we will continue our pattern for the next year or so, I am now very intrigued by the whole casual approach to attacking the parks. And, one year I will invest in AP's for the family.

 

[BWVDee]

Originally posted by Granny
What does make a difference is where we stay. At VWL, it's easy to hang out and avoid the parks completely. At BWV, we find ourselves heading to EPCOT or MGM even if it's just to eat or browse a little for an hour.

I agree. When staying at BWV or any of the Epcot resorts, it is like staying in a neighborhood and WS is the shopping/entertainment area of your neighborhood. We often times will just walk over to WS to get pasteries from France, or pick up a bottle of wine, go over just to catch the Britsh Invasion or Off Kilter shows, browse the shops, watch Illuminations, go to Rose n Crown for a drink, etc. We love it!

 

[Lora]

I need to log off and find a second job to reward my family wiht UPH's or AP's every year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The beauty of it is, you don't have to buy the passes every year. Buy them and use them for 2 trips within 12 mos. That way you only have to buy them alternating years. We've started a pattern we will probably stick with for a while...

Early October (buy APs and stay about 11 days)
Late September (use same AP's and stay about 11 days)

We go to a park almost every day. We've only ever done a water park once and we've never ventured off-property to "other" attractions.

 

[disneycrazed139]

This is an interesting thread. I still haven't decided what we are going to do this trip or which tickets to buy. We tend to go to a park every day except maybe 1 for 5 or 6 day trips. This time it might be different thought because we're new members. We'll be there for 9 full days and I am still thinking about it.

 

[bom_noite]

The cool thing is that WDW is such a wonderful place there is not just one way to do it.

Everyone who has posted has got their own pattern that works for them.