DVC Owners, do you take non-theme park trips?

[loribell]

I would love to. Unfortunately I have a 9 yo that doesn't even like to take a full day off the parks to rest. Even on our off days we usually end up in some park for an hour or two. Of course that is the beauty of a DVC AP! Then again on our park days we are rarely in any park for more than 4 hours a day. I guess we get our relaxtion that way.

 

[edk35]

We will be doing this very thing this December ! We have a 5 night stay at AKV booked over New Years and our AP's will have expired several weeks before. We are not planning on doing any theme parks during this trip, but will still be at WDW.

Some things we might do -

=We have Jiko booked for NYE - it will be my 25th wedding anniversary.
-We plan on touring the resorts to take in the decorations,
-Some slow shopping in downtown disney,
-Sleep in late,
-Explore AKL,
-We'll probably hit the beach at the Poly for the Electrical Water Pagent and fireworks.
-Play some mini-golf.
-Blow any diet we are on at Beached 'N Cream.
-Get a gingerbread house at the GF for my aunt who wants one.
-Watch a movie on the flat screen in the room.
-Hang around the fire pit.
-Get on the Epcot monorail so we can ride it through the lights at the entrance to World Showcase - maybe even wait for the front.
-If a good movie just came out watch it on screen 1 or 2 at the AMC 24 theater. 3 stories tall, great sound system.
-Did I mention Beaches 'N Cream ?
-And most importantly - relax with the ones I love and enjoy !

WOW I LOVE THIS VACATION. Now I have seen the gingerbread at GF but you can buy one? I mean a little one. LOL

 

[edk35]

In August, when you can literally melt tires on the pavement, we still go to Disney (kids are still out of school). We do not do the theme parks, way too crowded and way too hot, and usually we've done them all in June. We sleep in and don't rush. We will hit Typhhon Lagoon water park, it's lush and cool. We'll go to the movies , we do the resort pool. We'll take the boat at night from OKW with the kids, and go to DTD for dinner and ice cream (Ghirardelli's). We have AP's so we'll go to Epcot just to eat and maybe do Soarin or Test Track. We bring movies, like one year we did all of the Bourne Identity movies, one night after the other and then went to see the Bourne Ultimatum. We play Uno and Sorry!. We just spend quality family time away from home, chores and responsibility. We have 11 boys so we also do a few hours at Disney Quest. Disney and Orlando is fun even without the theme parks!

what times of day/night do you go to TL? Is it hard to get into if you don't go at opening?

 

[WolfpackFan]

You know it's funny how time has changed my opinion on this question. About three years ago we were staying at VWL and I was sitting out on our balcony and the fellow next door sat down on his balcony and we started talking. He said that they didn't go to the parks at all. They just came down to relax around the resort and enjoy the pool, but wouldn't be going to any parks. At the time, I thought - wow, that's odd.

Now I am very ready to do a similar type DVC vacation. We won't be doing it this Christmas nor Oct. 2009 because we want to do F&W. But I can see us doing a DVC vacation with very little, if any park visits, at some point in the future. I can see us just relaxing around the resort and then venturing out some to see some of the non-Disney attractions in the area. Plus, I really want to get over and see the Space Center again. I'd like to ride out and have lunch or dinner at Celebration. But mainly, I'd just like to relax around the resort some.

 

[photobob]

We have slowed down our touring, but haven't done a parkless trip. We have decided next June to go to Vero for five nights, but we may still try to go to WDW in October 2009 for fall break and eat and drink our way around the Food and Wine Festival.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

what times of day/night do you go to TL? Is it hard to get into if you don't go at opening?

We generally arrive around 10am or sometimes if it does not look like rain we go around 3pm for pm EMH's. Many arrive early and are gone by 3pm. Especially during the Summer months it's best not to go on Week-ends because the locals usually go during that time. There are always chairs available, don't be afraid to ask if they are being used, besides we spend most of the time in the water anyway.

 

[MinnieGi]

Non-park DVC vacation? - Yes, we go to DVC at HHI!!!! The most relaxing trip ever!

But in WDW on DVC we can't stay away from the parks for more than a day or two per trip and we go 9 to 10 day long trips.

 

[RCharnay]

We are looking forward to non-park vacations. We've scheduled HHI and VB this fall but I think we could do a week at OKW and thoroughly enjoy the relaxation. Last trip we did the Backstage Tour-a terrific day. We went back to the 1 BDR at OKW, hopped into the pool, then prepared for dinner at the Contemporary that night. We ended the day watching the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom. And that's why we go to Disney. I can get all the magic I need without spending the day in the park. We still love the parks- it's nice to be able to slowly walk the streets and see the magnificent detail. And we look forward to doing rope drops again when grandkids come along in a few years. But for now, I like the chance to get away to a place designed to take you to another world. Disney Imagineers are apparent everywhere, the landscaping is wonderful, the architecture is fun and engaging, everybody there is either there to have fun or to help you. What can be wrong here? We grew up on theatre and Disney is all theatre-and we get to walk around it whenever we're there. Even the workers are called Castmembers-They all play their part.
Gosh, think we're fans?

 

[Corinne]

When people ask me about going to WDW so often I find myself saying things like, "I could go to WDW and never enter a park" but when I really think about it, I doubt I could!! LOL!

 

[DonnaL]

We have owned DVC since 2001 and at that time, we said we looked forward to vacations where we didn't rush to do "everything" in the parks . We have managed to do that pretty well. That said, however, last month was the first time we have stayed at a DVC resort at WDW and NOT visited a park at all while there. We were at AKV for two nights before heading over to VB for another three nights and while at AKV we did just lounge around the resort pool, had dinner at Kona Cafe one evening and then watched Wishes from the Poly beach, and the next evening we stayed at the pool a bit later and then just had quick service at Mara before meeting friends and heading to the Adventurers Club at PI for a few hours. It was very nice to just relax for a change. However, even when we do visit parks ......we find we have a completely different attitude about making sure we "do" everything.....that simply doesn't happen anymore.

 

[Alexander]

We usually visit the parks, but only for a few hours each day. We are at the park when it opens and tour for a few hours. As the crowds start to build we make a quick exit and relax by the pool for the rest of the day. We may wander back to a park in the evening for dinner.

 

[Iggipolka]

I just cannot go to WDW without going to the parks! I love being there too much! However, we don't go at rope drop and then close the park at night. We usually meander into the park by 11am, stay until 2 or 3 and then head back to the resort for awhile. Sometimes we'll go to Epcot or DTD for dinner and a stroll and then we're back at the resort by 10pm.
Since we know that we'll be back in a few months, there's less pressure to try and do it all each trip.

 

[bpmorley]

Hi Everyone,

We just bought into AKV last week . I was wondering, since buying into DVC, do you take more relaxing vacations? Our plans now are to take 2 7-Night Vacations a year, with 1 of those trips involving theme park touring, the other trip more of a relaxing vacation just lounging around our resort or checking out what else Orlando has to offer. Just wondering how some of you make use of your time in WDW.

Definetly more relaxing vacations. No more need to get into commando mode for park days. We get up take our time. Maybe hit a park for a couple hours, but no rushing around. Afterall, we know we'll be back. Go back to the resort, have lunch, a couple cold beers by the pool and discuss doing something that night(or not doing anything that night). Our last trip was to the BWV so it was an easy walk to either DHS or EPCOT for the nightly shows.

 

[LSchrow]

for our trip in may (BWVs), DH & i got up late, played mini-golf twice, swam/laid by the pool, played games at the BC arcade, hit the outlets 3 times , went to the mousesurplus warehouse, took the monorail to resort hop, PI, DTD shopping.
at night we ate dinner in EPCOT 5 out of 8 nights (jiko, flying fish, & WPC on others).

we only went on a few rides (buzz 5 times & soarin' three times tho ).

DVC & APs help make our vacations relaxing......

 

[Lenc324]

I usually go once a yr alone and I get to do what I want. I don't spend that much time in the parks. I don't run around like a nut standing in all kinds of lines. It's so relaxing. Sometimes I just visit the other resorts and look around. Got to love it.

 

[MDDisneyDevotee]

We haven't done this yet, but will be soon. We will be going to VWL in early December and plan on doing the parks nearly every day, but will also be going for a week in early May at SSR. For that trip we plan on some days at the park, a day at Discovery Cove and a visit to Kennedy Space Center (we went for the launch of STS-114, had lunch with an astronaut twice, including a lunch with the astonauts and cosmonauts on the Apollo-Soyuz mission, and had an incredible time so we're really looking forward to another visit to KSC) and plenty of hanging 'round the resort and going to checking out the new AKV's as that is our home resort.

 

[edk35]

We generally arrive around 10am or sometimes if it does not look like rain we go around 3pm for pm EMH's. Many arrive early and are gone by 3pm. Especially during the Summer months it's best not to go on Week-ends because the locals usually go during that time. There are always chairs available, don't be afraid to ask if they are being used, besides we spend most of the time in the water anyway.

Last year we did the Sat. evening EMH that started at 7:00 but we arrived around 5 and there were a lot of people there still so we did the wave pool til EMH and then it really thinned out. This time we are going on two Sat. for the emh but it starts at 8:00 so we will probably arrive around 6:30 or so.

 

[bwvBound]

Just wondering how some of you make use of your time in WDW.

Our primary use of DVC is to attend an annual work-related conference. Five long days of technical talks, labs and networking. The event keeps us running between the Dolphin, Swan and Yacht Club convention facilities from 6:30a-11p ... with 5 to 8 miles of walking each day.

Restful or relaxing? Hardly ... but that is why we especially appreciate the jetted tub and space offered by our nook at the Boardwalk.

 

[CapeCodFam]

We've done non-park trips a few times. In fact, were doing it again in 2 weeks at BCV.

While we love the parks, there's so much more to appreciate in the world and save a little money not buying tickets.
What we have planned: lounge at the BCV pool, visit DTD, cane-pole fish at POR, shop at the soap store at GF, stroll the Boardwalk every night. Maybe poolhop at POLY or GF.

Food Adventures: Beaches & Cream, Spoodles, Cabana Bar & Grill (Dolphin), Bongos, CS at POLY, Sassagoola Floatworks (Beignets) at POR, Hurricane Hannas, seashore sweets, and anything else we happen upon that tempts our tummy.

Maybe someday: para-sailing at Contemporary, fishing excursion, or even a vow renewal. Although, even a small vow renewal costs more than college.

 

[hrsmom]

Right now we've only done theme park trips. I think that'll be the way of it for the next several years. I do foresee non-theme park trips in the future, when the kids are a lot older (they are almost 5 and almost 3 now).