Florida without doing the parks

[jns]

we met a family from the UK last year who booked in to the Beach club (DVC'er) for 2 weeks and never go to the parks just hang about the pool and resorts and shop they said they do this every year

I couldn't get over this

anyone else holiday in WDW like this ?

we might if we are luckly spend one day away from the parks for the whole holiday

 

[2Tiggies]

I can quite see someone doing a Florida trip with no parks if they have other activities they prefer, but not a Disney holiday with no parks. I hope they don't tell too many people over there what they do. News will spread and the British will be branded very peculiar

I wonder if they just like the resort and DVC was a financial decision at the time. They may have got a great deal that is better for them than a regular timeshare, although located in Disney.

As to whether I would consider doing it? Absolutely not! I know some folk stay offsite and visit Disney, but to stay in WDW and spend all your time offsite I can only think it made financial sense as a leisure investment at the time and they are utilising it that way.

Or.... they are just taking the Mick!

 

[jns]

Or.... they are just taking the Mick!

no they were at the pool al the time

 

[Rohais]

I can't imagine not doing the parks!

Next trip, DF and I probably aren't going to any non-Disney parks but thats more of a financial decision i.e. more spending money

That being said, I suspect DF wouldn't mind a holiday to Florida with no park trips whatsoever...he loves to just relax by the pool and read a good book

I, on the other hand, get very bored

 

[irisheyes123]

been a few times that I have not done any parks but didn't sit by the pool either lol I done other things but It was only week long trips longer stays I do parks

 

[2Tiggies]

no they were at the pool al the time

Sounds a bit like a couple who we saw at our resort. They were there the entire first week we were there. I forgot about it until now. We would get up in the morning and go get breakfast from the foodcourt. They would be sitting on the smokers bench with their coffee outside. We would go back to our room, eat, get ready and head out. I would have a quick smoke and they were still there. Whenever we came back for a midday break, they were there. End of the day coming from the parks, they were there.

After our first week (they were really nice people to talk to) I asked what their plans were. They said it was their last day and they wondered if they should get a one day ticket and do a park Maybe they just liked the atmosphere. I found it odd.

 

[gilld]

We spend a lot of time at the quiet pool at BCV. In fact last time we went, we only spent a couple of hours in the parks - and that was over 12 days!

I don't think it's odd at all - we've been so often we get a bit fed up with the parks and really enjoy a peaceful, relaxing time during the day, then go out to various restaurants at night.

PS These are just a cheap break for us in addition to our main holidays though.

 

[kristieuk]

We go to Florida every year and stay for 2 - 3 weeks on the Gulf Coast, we will spend maybe only 2 or 3 days in Orlando and do a park or two. I suppose we are a bit strange, but we love the beach. I can't imagine ever staying in WDW and not visiting a park though, that seems like madness to me

 

[2Tiggies]

We go to Florida every year and stay for 2 - 3 weeks on the Gulf Coast, we will spend maybe only 2 or 3 days in Orlando and do a park or two. I suppose we are a bit strange, but we love the beach. I can't imagine ever staying in WDW and not visiting a park though, that seems like madness to me

That isn't odd to me. It is a different kind of holiday. Not everyone wants theme parks and also, not everyone wants them all the way through the holiday. But you are staying elsewhere so you can do what you enjoy, then going to Disney for a few days to enjoy as much as you feel you need. If you spent 3 weeks at the Poly and didn't do the parks I would dare to say you were odd.

 

[disney_princess_85]

I feel like I'm doing something wrong if I don't visit a park every day.

 

[2Tiggies]

I feel like I'm doing something wrong if I don't visit a park every day.

It is appearing with every post that we are more and more alike ....

I must say in all fairness, we can think people weird all we want for not doing parks in Orlando, but I can guarantee you there are far more people who think those of us devoted Disney fans who go back again, and again ..... and again ...... would love to demand that we provide proof of our planet of origin! I speak from experience!

 

[Disneymad]

I can totally get the chilling out at a pool, enjoying a resort (and visiting others), a bit of shopping and pottering around DTD etc. For me also at this stage, after visiting the parks for a few years now, a big part of my trip is enjoying the food/restaurants and perhaps a drink or 3 in some relaxing place like Boardwalk etc.

No, I don't often 'do' the parks in their true sense any more, we have AP's so instead we think nothing of popping in to Epcot for an hour, grab a beer and sit on a bench to wait for Illuminations. Or think nothing of popping to AK for evening EMH, grab a coffee, and just wander around enjoying how different the park looks at night for a little while.


But!

For me the lure of WDW is in the sum of it's parts. I couldn't completely ignore the parks, just as I couldn't completely ignore the resorts, or the shopping, or the food, or DTD without feeling I was missing out on what makes WDW such a good thing!

I could perhaps...maybe....BIG maybe, consider not hitting any of the Disney parks as a one off trip one year, especially if I was going to spend time at Seaworld and Universal as we're DVC so would think nothing of using it as a base. Every year though? Newp, I'm all for kicking back and having a relaxing holiday and don't get me wrong, the resorts - especially deluxe - are fantastic - but the biggest draw of those lovely resorts is still their prime location so seems a bit illogical to ignore that aspect entirely.

Each to their own I guess

 

[wilma-bride]

We have been once where we only did parks 3 days out of 7 but I couldn't imagine not going to a park at all in a 2-week trip. Having said that, if we went more than once a year I woud be quite happy for one trip to be a 'chill out' trip in which we took the time to appreciate the resort and the pool more

 

[dixonsontour]

I can understand not visiting parks but not staying at disney and choosing not to is very unusual I think.

Think we did 8 trips to Florida before I went to disney, which I know makes me odd on here . Most brits seem to start with disney then branch out further a field.

 

[scojos]

For me the lure of WDW is in the sum of it's parts. I couldn't completely ignore the parks, just as I couldn't completely ignore the resorts, or the shopping, or the food, or DTD without feeling I was missing out on what makes WDW such a good thing!

Each to their own I guess

totally agree

 

[purplejam]

I could totally imagine staying at a deluxe resort and not going to the parks - and I don't think I'm wierd - but guess I'd be the last to know

My dd is 6 and this summer will be her 4th trip to wdw.

1st 2 trips we stayed offsite and spent lots of time at the parks (usual 14 day tickets and felt we had to get value for money )

Last year we stayed at Wilderness lodge and there was so much to do at the pool, activities going on etc, it almost seemed that we were missing out on all the stuff going on at the hotel by going to the parks - OK so I'm agreeing with you that I'm wierd now

Anyway, this year we are staying at Animal Kingdom Villas and Beach club villas - again got a 14 day pass but I'm hoping to spend a lot less full days at the parks and more times enjoying the resorts.

We also tend to spend a week at the coast to get totally away from disney etc and just have some chillin' out time.

We have also been to florida lots of times and never set foot in a theme park - but that was before dd.

 

[Pegasus928]

There is no way that we as a family could go and not do the parks.
Before going to Florida we had a couple of holidays in Europe, staying in a hotel and spending the day by the pool, on the beach or hiring a car and driving further afield - and we absolutley hated it. We were all so BORED.
Fast forward a fair few years and now we can't imagine going anywhere but Florida for the foreseeable future as it has everything that we need from a holiday, and a large chunk of that is in the parks.

 

[Twilight Terror]

I can understand not visiting parks but not staying at disney and choosing not to is very unusual I think.

I wouldn't save that, especially as they are DVCers. I would be inclined to do the same thing - why pay for a hotel when you don't have to? I would much rather use my points to stay in Disney and then do outside Disney things, than have to pay out extra for a non-Disney hotel and then other things on top.

Once you've been so many times, the magic does start to go a little and you do have to step a little step back from time to time. Our last trip in May, we didn't do much at all, but we had planned it that way.

We stayed in the hotel room - we had AKV with Savannah View, so spent a lot of time watching the animals, spent time in the resort (pool parties, quizzes, bingo, etc) and then went to the odd park here and there. I don't think we ever spend more than a couple of hours in a park, and we only generally went to the parks that we were having dinner at.

Don't get me wrong, we did ride the rides, but the two weeks were no where near as action-packed a holiday as we usually do. Even when we were in the parks, we spent more time shopping and pin trading than anything else. But it made a nice change, and means that our September holiday, which is going to be very different from our May trip, will be that much more exciting, because we didnt do much last time!

There's nothing strange with it when you go every year, especially if you go more than once a year. For those that are going for a first time, or a family holiday for the first time in 2+ years, then, yeah, it might be considered very strange. But for those who go every year - no, I can definitely see the appeal.

 

[disney_princess_85]

It is appearing with every post that we are more and more alike ....

For me the lure of WDW is in the sum of it's parts. I couldn't completely ignore the parks, just as I couldn't completely ignore the resorts, or the shopping, or the food, or DTD without feeling I was missing out on what makes WDW such a good thing!

I agree with you. While the parks are a massive part of my trip, I also ensure that I fit in all the other bits too. This makes for a very hectic schedule but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Sid74]

I had to take an unexpected trip to Orlando in March. My aunt died suddenly, and I needed to get my mum to her only remaining sisters funeral in Titusville. We were notified late on the Wednesday evening, and we had to get there on the Saturday. I used my DVC points, and got a studio at SSR, what I was told was the last room on property.

We did the family stuff for the first couple of days, then I took mum for her first visit to DTD, to try and cheer her up a bit. She enjoyed it so much that we visited it every day after that. Budget didn't allow for any park visits, but it was driving me nuts to be so close, but unable to go inside!

I can't imagine not going into the parks but staying onsite if it was my family holiday.