Ever stayed at a WDW resort and NOT gone to the parks?

[Jen and Ashwin]

Thanks for your ideas of fun things to do outside the parks. Yes, there are less expensive hotels if you are paying cash, but since we are paying with points, it is FREE. So, in that regard, it can't be beat. No reason to save points for a future trip, as there won't likely be another FL trip for many years. We are hopeful we will luck out and get good weather, but really, when you are leaving snow behind, it won't take much to be an improvement. For now, the plan will be to not go to the parks, but if we get there and change our minds, that's fine. Years ago, I would have never considered this type of trip, but with no kids in this vacation equation, it's funny how thoughts can change!

You didn't specify the type of points that you have, but if you are using DVC points then I wouldn't go to Disney/Orlando at all. I would rent out my DVC points and use the proceeds to take a trip to a nice resort somewhere with better amenities, more focused towards adults and with better weather in January such as Arizona. To me, that would be a much nicer trip than going to Disney and not really doing Disney. Just personal preference though. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[hsmamato2]

YES!!!! I loved it!!! It depends on weather,and resort.... but we enjoyed 5 days just relaxing on the beach at Swolphin, wandering the property via bus/boat/monorail,and visiting little places to explore all over WDW. It was relaxing,and we enjoyed eating our way around the place without any parks at all. We also enjoyed our partial views of fireworks etc at night from the parks.... to me, it's a great place to just relax and enjoy ...Disney springs is lovely to just walk and soak up atmosphere while getting a bite too. Our kids were older,and decided to do parks one day, we happily bid them farewell and relaxed and enjoyed our day.

 

[hsmamato2]

I can see the appeal but in all reality, aren't there much less expensive resorts that offer much nicer amenities there in Orlando? I mean, the main reason we all pay such high prices to stay on Disney property is because we are going to the parks and using the transportation, EMH and such. If you are just looking for a resort stay, there seems to be a plethora of resorts in Orlando that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

Yeah, but the onsite resorts also provide tons of entertainment experiences without a park ticket too IMHO.....

 

[kydisneyfans]

Yes-we have done it and will continue to do it. With teens and without.

Most of the time it is for RunDisney races. In either Thurs/Fri and leave on Monday. The only theme park visits are during the run itself.

We own DVC, so most of the time is spent at AKL. We also love OKW, take the boat to Disney Springs, resort hop at Christmas. Sometimes we will do a monorail resort tour, and have gone to the Beach Club for Ice Cream.

There's SOOO much to do at Disney without the parks.

 

[wendow]

Yeah, but the onsite resorts also provide tons of entertainment experiences without a park ticket too IMHO.....

I think you are right. I just cannot relate I guess since we always go with 4 kids. The one time dh and I went all by ourselves, we just missed our kids tremendously (and we did do the parks). But I can see in a different stage of life where it could be fun to just be at the resorts.

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh.... I did miss 'the old days' with kids and babies and lots of park playtime too..... there's always that pang of sadness when the kids grow up....but it was also wonderful and I plan to do it again!

 

[BCV2003]

We've done it several times when we just want a quick get-a-way. We like to visit the different resorts for dinner and do the things that we do not get to do when we are there visiting the parks. We are going in a few weeks for three nights but will go to AK to explore the new avatarland. Otherwise we wouldn't have done any parks this trip.

 

[Lvsdisney]

You didn't specify the type of points that you have, but if you are using DVC points then I wouldn't go to Disney/Orlando at all. I would rent out my DVC points and use the proceeds to take a trip to a nice resort somewhere with better amenities, more focused towards adults and with better weather in January such as Arizona. To me, that would be a much nicer trip than going to Disney and not really doing Disney. Just personal preference though. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have a wonderful time.

Can't you also exchange on RCI? I don't know much about DVC but that was one of the selling points when I made the phone call. For a small fee your points are supposedly worth more than on Disney Property (ie 1 bedroom for 7 days vs a 1 bedroom for 4 days)

OP, we were "stuck" in Disney last Jan (2016) due to snow at home and really had a hard time because it was SO COLD!! We went the previous Jan and the weather was nice enough for the pool, but the last trip is was really too cold to swim more than 30 minutes. Our AK day it was 48 degrees... Brrrrr. I would rather exchange the points for somewhere I could guarantee warmer weather. Do you have passports? I would do Mexico or something like that.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Can't you also exchange on RCI? I don't know much about DVC but that was one of the selling points when I made the phone call. For a small fee your points are supposedly worth more than on Disney Property (ie 1 bedroom for 7 days vs a 1 bedroom for 4 days)

OP, we were "stuck" in Disney last Jan (2016) due to snow at home and really had a hard time because it was SO COLD!! We went the previous Jan and the weather was nice enough for the pool, but the last trip is was really too cold to swim more than 30 minutes. Our AK day it was 48 degrees... Brrrrr. I would rather exchange the points for somewhere I could guarantee warmer weather. Do you have passports? I would do Mexico or something like that.

I haven't used RCI, but depending on when someone has purchased their DVC contract, then yes, this is an available option. You would have to run the numbers to figure out what the better deal would be (exchange through RCI or rent out points).

ETA: We went to Disney many, many times in December/January when I was a kid. One year it was so cold that all of our pictures show us wearing winter coats, hats, etc. It just is much more unpredictable that time of year.

 

[wendow]

ETA: We went to Disney many, many times in December/January when I was a kid. One year it was so cold that all of our pictures show us wearing winter coats, hats, etc. It just is much more unpredictable that time of year.

This was us in Dec 2014. It was absolutely freezing cold to me and we live in Denver so I know cold lol. But it was damp cold and that is harder for me to deal with. We are wearing hats, gloves and coats in all our pictures too. And it was never warm enough to swim. I loved the Christmas decor but I much prefer Disney with some warmer temps.

 

[leebee]

OP said she is using her Disney VISA rewards points to pay for the resort, so no, she can't use RCI because she doesn't have DVC points!

I never understood how people could stay at a Disney resort but not go to the parks until we tried it this summer. NOW I GET IT!! DH and I stayed 2 nights at an AKL savanna-view studio (rented DVC points) during my birthday. We spent our time relaxing, hanging at the pool (in 28 trips I think I've been in a Disney pool 3 or 4 times), enjoying the pool bar, watching the animals. We had dinner at Boma and California Grill, with a fireworks view table, so we saw the new HEA show. We also went to Disney Springs but only for a couple of hours. I could do this for maybe 4 days... lots of resorts to explore, bars/lounges to visit, restaurants, the Boardwalk, plenty of boats to ride, etc. It was incredibly relaxing, and I really hated to have to leave (but we had a pre-paid hotel in Cocoa Beach, AND we were out of DVC nights, so it was time to go). I think it might have been different if we'd stayed at a value, as there's not that much to explore there, but we had a very good time, and I'd do it again!

 

[hsmamato2]

I haven't used RCI, but depending on when someone has purchased their DVC contract, then yes, this is an available option. You would have to run the numbers to figure out what the better deal would be (exchange through RCI or rent out points).

ETA: We went to Disney many, many times in December/January when I was a kid. One year it was so cold that all of our pictures show us wearing winter coats, hats, etc. It just is much more unpredictable that time of year.

Problem with RCI as I can see it is availability,i.e. there is very little onsite availability most of the time. It can be found, but not easily

 

[Minnesota!]

Hi Minnesota! South Dakota here. Thank you for your response. Sounds very relaxing - something we've never really taken the time to do much there before - relax. And, as you know, escaping the upper midwest in January is quite appealing!

Exactly! We are actually looking at a no-park vacation for the first week of February, so I get it! All I need are a few palm trees, a breakfast at Boma, and some Yuengling to round out the night to enjoy my Disney vacation.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Exactly! We are actually looking at a no-park vacation for the first week of February, so I get it! All I need are a few palm trees, a breakfast at Boma, and some Yuengling to round out the night to enjoy my Disney vacation.

Off topic but I always find it funny how much people like yuengling! I'm in PA and I guess I take it for granted. I drank it in *cough cough* high school *cough cough* and haven't really touched it since I turned 21. But maybe some people feel the same way about Fat Tire!

 

[Minnesota!]

Off topic but I always find it funny how much people like yuengling! I'm in PA and I guess I take it for granted. I drank it in *cough cough* high school *cough cough* and haven't really touched it since I turned 21. But maybe some people feel the same way about Fat Tire!

Ha ha! I will say - it's not the flavor that I am in love with, it's that it tastes like Disney. They don't sell it in MN, so when I have it, I know I am in FLA. Kind of like fresh seafood and Zebra Domes!!

(I like Fat Tire, too, but I am an IPA girl, so I am all about the hops..)

 

[AnnaS]

With DVC many of us make one, two or three trips in one year and we also visit every year. . Without kids, it would not be too difficult to miss the parks here and there. We have APs and barely spend time in the parks. A few rides, a meal and we are done for the day. We did go in January one year when we dropped our dd off for the CP program. We had our AP and went in the parks, the first few days of our stay was warm enough to sit by the pool. I would not go in the pool, but definitely sat out there with my bathing suit. Weather in October - one week cool and one week hot, it's crazy!! It's definitely doable for some and not for others. One knows their own routine, style, need to move, etc. etc. You gotta try everything once!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I doubt we would ever do that even if we owned DVC. I would rather spend the money on an all inclusive in the Caribbean. Or rent my DVC and spend that money on an all inclusive.

 

[Random Ninja]

Can't you also exchange on RCI? I don't know much about DVC but that was one of the selling points when I made the phone call. For a small fee your points are supposedly worth more than on Disney Property (ie 1 bedroom for 7 days vs a 1 bedroom for 4 days)

OP, we were "stuck" in Disney last Jan (2016) due to snow at home and really had a hard time because it was SO COLD!! We went the previous Jan and the weather was nice enough for the pool, but the last trip is was really too cold to swim more than 30 minutes. Our AK day it was 48 degrees... Brrrrr. I would rather exchange the points for somewhere I could guarantee warmer weather. Do you have passports? I would do Mexico or something like that.

The OP's using Disney Visa reward points, Visa cardholders don't have access to RCI unless there's a new benefit I haven't heard of yet...because that would be nice.

 

[Lvsdisney]

The OP's using Disney Visa reward points, Visa cardholders don't have access to RCI unless there's a new benefit I haven't heard of yet...because that would be nice.

Nope. Just my reading comprehension is off.

 

[theseacallsme]

Yes! My husband and I did this for our mini-moon trip . We didn't want to go right back to work after our wedding, but our actual honeymoon wouldn't be until months later. Luckily, my parents are DVC members, so they gave us a few nights' stay at Saratoga Springs. We spent one day at Universal to see the Harry Potter parks, but otherwise we checked out other resorts (which I'd never done before), walked all around the boardwalk, relaxed, and ate! In fact, my biggest regret is we didn't get a dining plan since we had so many yummy meals!