Has anyone ever gone to WDW and just enjoyed the resorts??

[IvyandLace]

Hi, all! Just a quick question: I finally got my husband to pick out the resort he wants to stay at for our anniversary trip in October (4 days)-AKL!! However, since we will be paying so much more for our room (we are used to All Star prices...), he really wants to spend the majority of our time enjoying the resort. How many of you out there have done this and is the AKL a good place to do this?? Thanks...!

IVY

 

[minster22]

Last Nov a friend and I went to the Boardwalk Inn for 5 nights. We had already planned our big trip for this April/ May and knew we were going to have plenty of time in the spring to go to parks etc. We did go to the parks a bit, have lunch, ride a ride or two but for the most part we soaked up the sun and atmosphere at the resort. It was sooo relaxing and really made the short 5 night trip seem much longer. Many people on these boards have talked about how perfect the AKL would be to do this very thing you are talking about!I say bring a couple of good books,get a lounge chair by the pool,schedule a massage or two,drinks at Victoria Falls, dinners at Boma and Jiko, twilight on your balcony watching the giraffes....sounds wonderful!!!!

 

[Uncleromulus]

I guess we come close. Been to WDW so often that now when we do the parks, it's only for a couple of hours and at that, we just do our traditional favorite rides. But much of the other time is spent swimming, shopping, movie at Pleasure Island, miniature golf and my favorite activity--eating breakfast and dinner at those fine restaurants!!
And tho we stay at OKW, the AKL sounds like a perfect spot.

 

[nicurnc]

Ditto the above. My DH and I now go mostly without kiddos and might wander the parks and do our favorites. The Disney resorts are fabulous places in their own right!

Try high tea at the GF one afternoon. Sink into one of the loveseats and be fed finger foods (the scones are heaven!!), then hop the monorail and visit Mickey for awhile. This is one of our "musts".

Have a geat trip! These resorts are very romantic, you will find plenty or nothing to do...whatever suits you at the time.

Loretta

 

[MKingdom]

My DH and I have made 9 trips to WDW together. Even though we don't have children, we spend the majority of our time at the parks! We usually take one "day off" to sleep in and lounge around the resort.

We also visit other resorts regularly to see what's new. Normally we do this by scheduling a meal at the resort. While we're there, we take our time and investigate the grounds, shops, other restaurants and overall atmosphere.

Have fun!

 

[Disneydenise]

I have always wanted to do that but my Dh has issues. He loves to ride the mountains and when the children no longer are intersted in theses vacations with us I think he will be very unhappy. I have never been a real lover of rollercoasters so I won't be going with him. I have always wanted to try to go to WDW and just relax at the pool and enjoy the restaurants and shopping. Maybe someday but it will probably be with a girlfriend.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

We do this about 2x's a year. We venture into the parks daily, but, only for a couple of hours each time. We relax, enjoy the resort, play tennis etc.

 

[Laurabearz]

We are headed down to WDW in May and plan a mostly resort vacation. We are splitting our stay between BC and Poly. I struggled for days between BC and AKL. I think you will love spending time there relaxing and walking around.
Out of our 9 day trip only 3 will be parks. Party to save money but more importantly to have a laid back vacation.

There is sooo much to see and do at WDW withour the parks.... have fun planning a new kinda of vacation! Try horsebackriding..... spend a day riding mice.... Or just kick by the pool and sip somewonderful drink in a pineapple!!

Let us know what you decide!

 

[webray]

Ivy,

Hubby and I did exactly that at AKL...we spent a long weekend in a concierge room..and never left the resort...it was wonderful. We wished we could have stayed longer.

 

[DeeP]

We do the same thing. We go to the parks daily but only for a couple hours at a time and spend a lot of time at our resort. We never wait in a line longer than 10-15 minutes for anything, if something has a long line we just come back later. We have and will continue to go to WDW so often that we take a very laid back, relaxing approach when we are there.
Feb '01 a friend came to WDW with me that had not been there in 15 yrs, she wanted to see and do it all, so I played tour guide and we were on the go for 10 days but we still took a short break every afternoon. This same friend is coming back to WDW with me in May, she has already said she wants to go to the parks the way I normally do: a few hours at a time and then back to the resort pool and hot tub for the afternoon and then back to the parks, another resort, DTD or PI for dinner and evenining entertainment. She said the last trip she came home exhausted! I kept telling her how big WDW had gotten but she would not listen to me! LOL!! I must admit, I did not mind doing the semi-commando approach with her in Feb '01 because it was so much fun to experience WDW through the eyes and experiences of a virtual WDW newbie, but I am also glad that our trip in May will be noncommando and all relaxing and laid back.

 

[GoldenOldie]

Yep, we do this on at least one visit a year. It's a great way actually relax at WDW instead of being "Commando Tourists".

You can actually discover lots of things and activities at your resort that you probably wouldn't have known about. I find it very enjoyable but I'm pretty laid back anyway. I look at it in the sense that while I love the parks, they are going to be there the next time I come. I don't have to be in the MK/Epcot/MGM/AK to feel like I'm at Disney. The magic of the resorts is just as satisfying to me.

 

[skyhog]

Yup, and I think AKL is the most logical place to do just that... I did 4 nights AKL last May and only went to EPCOT for the flower festival for 3 hours... I'll be back at AKL in April and will do exactly the same thing...

In general, I'm with most of the posters on this question... I hit the high points at the theme parks but spend more and more time taking in the ambience and hospitality of the resort... to be appreciated, I think AKL needs more time in residence to catch the animals... and the food can't be beat here... no reason to venture away!!

 

[CamColt]

While I could never do it on a long trip, I plan on doing it for one day in July. We will be at the Polynesian. I plan to hang by the pool/beach area and maybe walk down to the Grand Floridan along the beach. We will have dinner at the Kona Cafe, but then after that we plan to hit Jellyrolls at the Boardwalk.

 

[thepoohbear]

We've done it at the Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Wilderness Lodge. Haven't been to Animal Kingdom Lodge yet but I would think it would be great to just soak in the atmosphere there. Pools, shopping, food, and just the resorts are all attractions in themselves. You are lucky if you get to really enjoy them! Have fun!

 

[Boots]

I have only stayed at WL, three times. Our last time we spent one whole day at the resort and then in the evening we toured four of the others. It was wonderful!

 

[NicsMom1500]

We will be arriving the AKL on Dec. 6th in early afternoon. We will spend the rest of this day enjoying the resort. The next day, Saturday we intend to spend enjoying the resort as well as maybe some Downtown Disney shopping.

We move over to WL on our 4th day and have worked in one whole day to just enjoy the resort. The down time helps us to enjoy our vacation. Especially now that we have a toddler.