May sound crazy, but...

[djmkam]

We plan on taking an 11 day vacation at SSR end of this month... and not go to any parks! Anyone else have first hand experience in this? Any recommendations? We are a family of 5: myself, wife and 3 girls: 14, 10 and 7. Will we be arrested for child abuse??? Thanks for any advice...

Darren

 

[brookelizabeth]

We have not done that before; however, when I was at SSR in January we met a family at the pool that was doing just that. The children were having a GREAT time enjoying the multiple pools and playgrounds right at SSR and going to DTD. They ate at several off-site locations and went to the Outlets.

There is so much to do in Orlando, I imagine a trip like this is in our future as well. The resort is so relaxing-enjoy!!

 

[5forDiz]

We've done non-park trips that were couple of days. DVC members can pool hop to other onsite WDW resorts and to other DVC resorts except AKV, BCV & BLT(you'd need to be staying at these 3 in order to use pools there). There is a good amount of non-park activities to do onsite (& nearby offsite too) but jmho I think 11 days is going to be stretch without any park time whatsoever especially given the ages of your kids.

If you don't want to do WDW parks maybe look into Universal/IOA - they've got a special $99 for 7 day pass - you may be able to use it on non-consecutive days too but I'm not 100% certain on this. Or checkout Undercover Tourist - they've got some savings on various short & longterm passes for WDW parks & waterparks and other parks as well.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

My kids might tie us up and steal our credit cards and hit the parks if we tried this, but we are seriously thinking of doing this in the next couple of years. Park tickets are so pricey for the 6 of us. We have the accommodations paid for and we will start driving down to save money also.

 

[djmkam]

Universal's $99 deal is definitely something we've been comtemplating... Would love if this could be non-consecutive days... I also though some disney-type things like HDDR, Chef Mickey's, etc. would be good since you don't need park access for them... Any other disney-themed ideas along these lines?

 

[cbeehler3]

I would think that would be a stretch. Have you thought of going to Vero Beach or HH instead? That way the allure of the parks wouldn't be there, but you could still enjoy the Disney Quality resort?
Just a thought.

 

[jgazda]

We are doing just that next year after our cruise. We sail on a Sunday and since it is only 4 nights we'll be back Thursday so we will stay onsite until the next Sunday without park time. I am very excited to wake up whenever we want and really enjoy the pool. But that is only three days. I don't think I would have the willpower to do 11. Have fun!

 

[rentayenta]

I used to think going and not doing any parks was a simply mad idea however the more I see of Disney and now that we own DVC, I like the idea.

 

[Lisa P.]

Universal's $99 deal is definitely something we've been comtemplating... Would love if this could be non-consecutive days...

We've used those passes and they expire on the 7th calendar day from first use regardless of whether you visit the parks on 1 day, 2 or any number of days up to the 7th day. So if you first use them on a Tuesday (day 1), you may visit either or both Universal parks on any days through the very next Monday (day 7) as much or as little as you want.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can get an adult waterpark annual pass for $99 (at least I think that was the cost). So you could go to TL or BB every day.

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

It is possible, even a great idea. We have two teenagers (and often travel with two more) and our trips are never commando anymore. If we go a week we may not hit the parks at all or maybe just a day or so. It is important that you decide before you go and then plan accordingly.

Our kids love SSR especially since they can hit DTD regularly and they enjoy Disney quest. They keep themselves busy with the pools, community hall, DTD, bike riding etc. We do make time to go see the fireworks from the Poly as that is a favourite for everyone.

We did do a few days at Universal a few years back. They liked it but enjoy WDW more. Still it was really reasonable cost-wise.

We also do more cooking at WDW than we do at home. We are so busy at home that these vacations really give us a good time to be together peacefully. The kids like to cook as well, so they may plan breakfast or lunch for a number of the days.

As previous posters have noted, 11 days may be a bit long but with good planning I think you can have a great vacation with lots of great family memories !

 

[Nikisha421]

I did this once for a very short weekend trip to BCV...my daughter spent may 12 or 13 hrs in the pool...there is tons to do if you dont want to enter the parks...i was not too thrilled...but my DD on the other hand probably didnt even notice!!!

 

[Cee]

We do this every 2-3rd trip. It's wonderful and I highly recommend it.

 

[Eyore4Ever149]

I always want to have some non-park days and it never seems to work. I think you will enjoy it!
I would definitely start planning some other activities- visiting the space center, a day trip to the coast for some beach-time, Audobon center for birds of prey, Gatorland, SeaWorld, Botanical Gardens, World of Orchids
I hear the town of Celebration is great to visit.
Try www.orlandookay.com for suggestions on stuff to do

I honestly feel like WDW has so much to offer that we miss because we are always headed ot the parks.
I have been 5 or 6 times and still havent tried a water mouse, or a surrey bike

Don't forget to post a trip report!

 

[RumpleMom]

If you have a membership to your local science center, you can use your membership at the Orlando Science Center. We had a fun day there away from the theme parks.

 

[apulk]

We've done that before (never that long though) and are doing it again next month. After 6 nights at DVC HHI (home resort) we're driving to WDW and staying 4 nights at Pop Century -- but going to Universal. We've never been to Universal and this helps with the budget (the $99 pass) and still gives us the Disney feel. Already have dining ressies at Chef Mickey's, Whispering canyon, Rainforest and Spoodles.

If we were staying at a DVC resort for this part -- it would be a lot of fun to pool hop too. One year we also did a photo scavenger hunt. I took 2 of our kids, my wife too the other two and then we split up and had 2 1/2 hours to get as many pictures of the group at the 15-20 different things on the list. We started at the TTC and only did thing accessible via the Monorail but the time went quickly -- and we have lots of great pictures to show for it too.

Have a great trip.

 

[djmkam]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far...

1. Where can I get season passes for the water parks, TL, BB?

2. Anyone have experience with the GO ORLANDO card? Any thoughts?

 

[mags11]

My Wife and I have always wanted to try that. We love the parks, but really love the whole resort environment. Off the top of my head, here are some things we'd do if we wanted a non-park Disney Vacation (and had an unlimited budget)

1. EAT EAT EAT - a different table service resteraunt every night
2. Mini Golf
3. Downtown Disney - Circue de Sole, shopping and more dining
4. Horseback Riding at Wilderness Campgrounds
5. Luau at Polynesian
6. Hoop de Doo Revue at Wilderness Lodge
7. Yee-Ha Bob - at Port Orleans
8. Illuminations Cruise
9. Speed Boat rides
10. Grand Floridian Orchestra in the lobby and order tea
11. Character meals in several resorts
12. Camp fire Sing Alongs
13. Movie night under the stars in many different resorts
14. Bike riding/Surrey bike riding
15. Catch the latest Disney flick at AMC
16. Jelly Rolls
17. Adventurer's Club (Oops - forgot)
18.Hang at the Boardwalk during the evenings
19. Go for early morning walks around the different resorts

That's just off the top of my head, and I didn't even mention the obvious "hang at the pool", nor have I even left the grounds yet.

I wish you luck on your non-park Disney trip

 

[Bones1389]

<i>Will we be arrested for child abuse???</i>

If your kids don't report you, I will!

Just kidding. This actually sounds like a decent idea. There is so much else to do our commando style may have prevented us from truly enjoying a relaxing time. We never end up doing any of those other things posters have suggested because we're busy at the 4 parks. The money you could save by not buying park-hopper passes could be used for probably all those other things combined.

Let us know how it goes. After 6 or 7 days did you end up breaking your own rule and buying passes anyway? Did you experience new restaurants that you wouldn't have spent the money on? Did you sleep in or end up going commando at other parks like Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Wet 'n' Wild, etc?

 

[johde]

You can also get tickets so Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and Aquatica fairly cheaply.
14 consecutive day tickets to 2 of the 3 are 89.90 online and 14 consecutive day tickets to all 3 is 124.90.