No park trip?

[eeyoresmom]

Does anyone care to share your experiences with a no park trip? We just came back from a big family trip that was a lot of fun but not at all relaxing DH are going back (without the 6 adult kids we brought last month) for a 4 day trip April 29-May 4. We are staying at Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek Resort Orlando for 3 nights (the hotel not the timeshare but I guess they share the same amenities), and then AKV for one night two days. I have an AP, DH has no ticket so our original plan was to just rest and relax at the resorts, and maybe visit a beach for a day trip. We may not even do the beach day now. We can buy DH a ticket, it's not a matter of money but just wondering how others spend their time on no park trips or days. TIA

 

[dansdad]

We've done two 8 night no park trips and loved them both. We felt so relaxed and rested when we got home. We did a bunch of things we never seemed to have time for during past trips. Other than a bunch of pool tine we enjoyed so much more. Bowling, mini golf, monorail pub crawl, boardwalk area pub crawl, carriage rides, riding the Sassagoula river, Disney Springs. And it was really nice not to have to rush anywhere.

Our son who was 10 and 12 enjoyed them just as much as we did. Looking forward to our next no park trips next year.

 

[kmb584]

Does anyone care to share your experiences with a no park trip? We just came back from a big family trip that was a lot of fun but not at all relaxing DH are going back (without the 6 adult kids we brought last month) for a 4 day trip April 29-May 4. We are staying at Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek Resort Orlando for 3 nights (the hotel not the timeshare but I guess they share the same amenities), and then AKV for one night two days. I have an AP, DH has no ticket so our original plan was to just rest and relax at the resorts, and maybe visit a beach for a day trip. We may not even do the beach day now. We can buy DH a ticket, it's not a matter of money but just wondering how others spend their time on no park trips or days. TIA

My best friend moved to Vero Beach after college graduation, so between the years of '05-'08 I'd go down for long weekends to visit her. We always stayed at a Disney resort, usually a moderate, and didn't always go to the parks. We'd spend time at the pool, resort hop, go to (then) Downtown Disney. Off-site, we'd go shopping (Mall at Millenia) or do other activities in the area (botanical garden, Disney Wilderness Preserve, airboat rides, I-Drive).

 

[loves to dive]

We don't spend a lot of time in the parks but I can't imagine paying the price for a WDW on site resort and not going to the park. You can get more for your money off site if not going to a park. Now, if you are DVC, it might be different. There are days we don't spend more than a hour or two in the parks but we do go to them for a little bit every day.

 

[quandrea]

We really enjoy our no park trips. We are dvc and I just enjoy being on property. To me, nothing beats that feeling. We spent two weeks in January. Here's what we did:

Bowling
Surrey bike rental
Brunch at Ohana and Cape May
Movie at Disney Springs
Swimming
Time at Community Hall
Animation class at Art of Animation (twice)
Lots of walks and exercise
Movie nights in our villa with dinner in (one of my kids' favourite things)
Watched hockey games at ESPN (big hockey fans, this was a highlight)
Out for ice cream at Ample Hills and Beaches and Cream
Resort hopping
Watched fireworks from our room
Fireworks at Top of the World Lounge
Touring Disney Springs
Nightlife on the Boardwalk.
Lots of wonderful meals out

We stayed at Boardwalk. This location was fabulous because we could walk to HS--a transportation hub--and be anywhere in WDW in a few minutes.

I know we will have many no park tripsin the future. On some level I think my family enjoys them more than the business of the park touring.

 

[IrishNYC]

I, personally, cannot imagine spending Disney prices and not visiting the parks. You could get so much more for the same amount of money in so many other places.

 

[NicoleLarson]

I love our no parks trips. AKL is definitely the best place for this. They have so many activities right at the resort, that you never feel bored. I highly recommend the culinary tour of Boma and Jiko. Yes, you get food but it was so much more than that. I love to hear about other cultures and you see how much thought goes into EVERYTHING that disney does. Nothing is by chance. So much of the decor in both restaurants symbolic is of their culture, it's really a neat experience, plus it's free! I think you'll have a great time. Its really easy to immerse yourself into the disney magic and not step foot in a park. You can see fireworks from many places on property without going into the park itself. Maybe instead of buying a ticket for DH do something like the highway in the sky dinner event or one of the dinner shows?

 

[rwdavis2]

We don't spend a lot of time in the parks but I can't imagine paying the price for a WDW on site resort and not going to the park. You can get more for your money off site if not going to a park. Now, if you are DVC, it might be different. There are days we don't spend more than a hour or two in the parks but we do go to them for a little bit every day.

This. There are better resorts for less money than a WDW deluxe.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have done it a few times and LOVE it. It is SO relaxing. We just hang by the pool, visit DS, golf, bowl, see movies, eat, visit resorts, spend a good deal of time at the lounges/bars, spend a few hours at Fort Wilderness, etc.

There is SO much to do at WDW that doesn't require a park ticket.

 

[MsThumper]

It's just DH and myself, but we have been to AKL two summers (August) in a row on no park trips. It's only a 90 minute drive for us, so there is no airfare needed. We enjoy being near the animals, using the work-out facilities and having nice meals at the resort restaurants. AKL is the only resort that we can justify paying for club level. We only spend 4 night for that type of trip, it makes a nice break for us.

We just booked 4 nights at AKL for the end of May, and might see if we can see any of Pandora, or catch the last day of the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival, but other than that, we won't be in the parks much.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I have loved our parks-free trips! There is so so so much to do outside of the parks that we so rarely take full advantage of because we love the parks so much. We are all naturally early risers so when we aren't going to the parks, we love to sit out on the balcony and watch the resort wake up or go have breakfast down by the pool. It's exciting to see everyone running off to the park of their choice and think about the fun they are going to be having all while thinking of the more relaxing things in store for us. I love spending time at Tri-Circle-D Ranch. Things seem to move a bit slower at Wilderness Lodge and For Wilderness so heading to Wilderness Lodge for their resort tour and then taking the boat to Fort Wilderness to then explore the ranch is a great relaxing way to spend the first part of the day. Disney Springs is also so much more calm in the morning and early afternoon so I love heading over there then. Then, since our parks free trips are usually during the rainy season (not much on going to the parks during the busy times in the summer), something we have learned we love is playing a game out on the balcony during a rain storm or just opening the door to the balcony and listening to the rain while we play a game of cribbage or something equally small and easy to pack away. It's also great for doing dining at the resorts. I don't like leaving the park to go eat at a resort, but when I'm not actually in the parks, I find I have plenty of time to do 'Ohana, Chef Mickey's, Whispering Canyon, Sanaa, or Trattoria al Forno. Oh, and take time to explore the resorts! That's how we decided we really wanted to stay at Saratoga Springs.

 

[eeyoresmom]

I, personally, cannot imagine spending Disney prices and not visiting the parks. You could get so much more for the same amount of money in so many other places.

Our AKL night is with DVC points we had to use.

 

[eeyoresmom]

I love our no parks trips. AKL is definitely the best place for this. They have so many activities right at the resort, that you never feel bored. I highly recommend the culinary tour of Boma and Jiko. Yes, you get food but it was so much more than that. I love to hear about other cultures and you see how much thought goes into EVERYTHING that disney does. Nothing is by chance. So much of the decor in both restaurants symbolic is of their culture, it's really a neat experience, plus it's free! I think you'll have a great time. Its really easy to immerse yourself into the disney magic and not step foot in a park. You can see fireworks from many places on property without going into the park itself. Maybe instead of buying a ticket for DH do something like the highway in the sky dinner event or one of the dinner shows?

Thank you! I have wanted to do the culinary tour at AKL for years.This is the perfect opportunity to do that.

 

[pd1138]

We did a no parks trip and LOVED it! We could have gone to another place and spent less and got more, but our family actually enjoys being in the "bubble". Our activities centered around our young kids so it was a lot of pool time, mini golf, and riding the boats and monorails all around during the middle of the day! The kids were actually quite happy just riding the transportation! We toured the other resorts that we had never been to including fort wilderness and had a great time at Chip and Dale's campfire. We watched the magicians on the boardwalk and ate a kitchen sink at Beaches and Cream! It was nice not to be on a schedule and to just stop and smell the roses!! Great relaxing trip for us and still be near and around our favorite place!

 

[jwfla422]

We are also AP holders but have the silver passes, don't care to spend the extra $$ for the blocked out time when it's so frustratingly mobbed at the parks but since we can still get resort discounts we stay at the resorts closer to Disney Springs, go to the pool, shop around the area (factory outlet stores, etc) and even the stores we don't have in our area.

 

[KerryCM]

I am a retired Disney Store cast member so my husband and I travel to WDW about 4 times a year. We go with our children and grandchildren once a year and the other times it us just us. We enjoy just relaxing at the pool, walking around Disney Springs and having a nice dinner at one of the resorts. We love our non park trips and have learned to ignore people who can't understand why we go and don't go in the parks. We do stay at one of the Epcot resorts and love walking around the lagoon there.

 

[jvz82]

I never would've considered a no-parks trip in the past because I adore the parks and we travel a long ways to come to Disney. But I have a husband who really doesn't enjoy the parks. This past trip, his favorite parts were the character meals, spending time at our resort, and exploring other resorts. Usually I'm a die hard open-to-close-at-the-parks person but his way of touring has opened me up to other fun things that I never took advantage of! I don't know if we'll ever do a total no-parks trip, but our next trip I've definitely been considering spending just a couple days there and doing a lot more resort time and other things.

 

[quandrea]

I, personally, cannot imagine spending Disney prices and not visiting the parks. You could get so much more for the same amount of money in so many other places.

People always say this but there really is no place that is quite like Disney. As DVC, our Disney trips, especially without parks, are the cheapest vacations we take.

 

[Minnesota!]

I love our no parks trips. AKL is definitely the best place for this. They have so many activities right at the resort, that you never feel bored. I highly recommend the culinary tour of Boma and Jiko. Yes, you get food but it was so much more than that. I love to hear about other cultures and you see how much thought goes into EVERYTHING that disney does. Nothing is by chance. So much of the decor in both restaurants symbolic is of their culture, it's really a neat experience, plus it's free! I think you'll have a great time. Its really easy to immerse yourself into the disney magic and not step foot in a park. You can see fireworks from many places on property without going into the park itself. Maybe instead of buying a ticket for DH do something like the highway in the sky dinner event or one of the dinner shows?

Quick question - culinary tour. Kids allowed?

I have loved our parks-free trips! There is so so so much to do outside of the parks that we so rarely take full advantage of because we love the parks so much. We are all naturally early risers so when we aren't going to the parks, we love to sit out on the balcony and watch the resort wake up or go have breakfast down by the pool. It's exciting to see everyone running off to the park of their choice and think about the fun they are going to be having all while thinking of the more relaxing things in store for us. I love spending time at Tri-Circle-D Ranch. Things seem to move a bit slower at Wilderness Lodge and For Wilderness so heading to Wilderness Lodge for their resort tour and then taking the boat to Fort Wilderness to then explore the ranch is a great relaxing way to spend the first part of the day. Disney Springs is also so much more calm in the morning and early afternoon so I love heading over there then. Then, since our parks free trips are usually during the rainy season (not much on going to the parks during the busy times in the summer), something we have learned we love is playing a game out on the balcony during a rain storm or just opening the door to the balcony and listening to the rain while we play a game of cribbage or something equally small and easy to pack away. It's also great for doing dining at the resorts. I don't like leaving the park to go eat at a resort, but when I'm not actually in the parks, I find I have plenty of time to do 'Ohana, Chef Mickey's, Whispering Canyon, Sanaa, or Trattoria al Forno. Oh, and take time to explore the resorts! That's how we decided we really wanted to stay at Saratoga Springs.

I had to double check to make sure I didn't write this!! This is us EXACTLY!!! There is nothing like these kind of vacations - they are just all-around relaxing. I don't need "a vacation from a vacation" when I return to the real world from these kinds of trips! We play a lot of games at home like "if you were at Disney right now, what would you be doing?". My younger son always say "in bed, watching Must Do Disney, and it is raining out". We LIVE for the thunderstorming afternoons at WDW, where we can just hunker down and chill..

 

[wdwthanksgiving]

I'll jump into this conversation to agree that a no-park vacation is terrific! I understand that someone would be able to stay outside of the parks for less money, but the amenities inside the park (transportation, parking, security, restaurants, etc) are absolutely worth the difference in cost to us. We go to WDW once a year with our whole family (12 of us) but then just my husband and I try to go in the late winter/early spring for 4-5 days. We have also been 2 weeks before Christmas and spent our days going to every resort on property to walk the grounds, see the lobbies and enjoy the Christmas decorations. The landscaping at each resort changes with the seasons and it so great to have time to appreciate all the special touches that the Disney teams add to each location. Take each of the watercraft to the different locations and just enjoy being on the lakes. Ride the monorails and have a cocktail at one stop, dinner at another and dessert at another. Sit in the different hotel lounges and enjoy a comedy show or live music. See the entertainment along the Boardwalk as you stroll around the lake. Try it - I think you will really enjoy a non-park visit!