Have you ever done a non park trip?

[0sw@ld]

We are floating the idea of doing a non-park trip. With the new ticket pricing, we might wait until we can get an AP when it is feasible to do. We have PVB/BCV/AKL booked so we can enjoy the pools and restaurants. If they announce food&wine, we may end up going into Epcot as we really enjoy the festival.

 

[quandrea]

We are floating the idea of doing a non-park trip. With the new ticket pricing, we might wait until we can get an AP when it is feasible to do. We have PVB/BCV/AKL booked so we can enjoy the pools and restaurants. If they announce food&wine, we may end up going into Epcot as we really enjoy the festival.

Sounds like a great plan. We have a no park trip scheduled for jan 2019, when our APs have expired. We love the Boardwalk area for those trips. Lots to do.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have done quite a few and we are planning another one. It is a very relaxing, enjoyable trip. Disney offers so much outside of the parks...no chance to get bored. The parks, currently, lack so much of what made me love them in the first place. The resorts, however, still have that vibe.

 

[loves to dive]

Nope but there are days we only go to the parks for a hour or two. I've had APs for about 5 years now so go at least twice a year, went 4 times on my last one. My son had an AP last year and got 3 trips off it but even when he doesn't have them, he goes at least once a year so it's not all about riding rides for us. I can't imagine at least popping over to Epcot for a meal or walking around WS at least once a day but we normally stay at the Epcot resorts and it's just too easy to walk over there.

 

[KenHutch]

I could not be that close and not want to do the parks. I do one day out of each trip and just resort hop thou.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Nope. Doesn't sound appealing to me at all. Disney hotels are very overpriced if you aren't taking advantage of the park perks that come with it, IMO. I could stay somewhere much nicer with a lot more amenities at the same prices or cheaper.

When we do go to Disney we do midday breaks by the pool and a whole resort day. We spend plenty of time at the resort but I don't think I could do 5-7 days of that.

 

[HopperFan]

For us ........... being that close to a park and not going would be pure torture.

AND when I want a relaxing resort kind of stay ....... I'm not paying Disney prices for what they offer.

I would rather be staying at a true deluxe, with true deluxe service and special amenities ... in close proximity to legit good dining.

The ONLY resort at WDW I would consider special is AKL due to the animals. It's unique in this country and special just for that.


THIS is a RESORT day ............ Key West, Waldorf Astoria ........... guy on beach walking by spritzing me with water, handing me fruit popsicles or floating in pool as someone hands me a frozen eucalyptus washcloth to cool off and so on .............. that is a resort day, not a Disney hotel.

 

[klacey1]

The closest I've come was June 2017--we did two nights at the Poly. The first day we arrived around lunch time, ate at Captain Cook's, walked around, relaxed in the room, had drinks at the Tambu Lounge and dinner at Ohana during Happily Ever After. The next day we slept in, had a late breakfast at Kona, spent time at both pools, and then went to Epcot around 3 pm. It was incredibly relaxing and I felt like we really got to use the amenities and dining of our very pricey resort! However, I do think I would have missed going to Epcot! I'm not sure what we would have done that second night without going to a park. Probably dinner/bar somewhere on the monorail loop, but I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed riding Spaceship Earth, drinking around the world, dinner at Biergarten, etc...

 

[maltdizzy]

We have made trips to Orlando and not hit any of the Disney parks, though taken advantage of the Disney restaurants, shopping, even a water park.

But the idea of paying the premium for a Disney Resort without parks isn't tempting. I've had "Deluxe," "4-diamond" rooms at WDW where we've had to step into the tub to close the bathroom door. There are so many resort locales where I can much better rooms, amenities, pampering, etc. of similar price. Places like Kauai, Palm Desert, the Caribbean, etc.

 

[rachdawn26]

In May I took a trip to Universal for 4 days and then stayed off property near Disney for three. I didn't go to any parks, but really enjoyed going to Disney Springs, went to La Nouba for the first time before it closed, went to Animal Kingdom Lodge and brought a book and read on the balcony with the animals roaming right below me, went to Fort Wilderness and visited Tri-Circle D Ranch. All this I would not have done had I spent money on park tickets. Things I didn't do, but considered doing were the Backstage Magic tour, since you don't need park tickets for that and it takes a whole day, and horseback riding at Fort Wilderness. I didn't get to the Boardwalk but that would be an option, too. I really enjoy visiting the other resorts, but when you pay for tickets you usually feel that you have to use your money's worth in the parks. A non-park trip will let you explore things you normally wouldn't.