Resort only stays

[TraderStitch]

Just trying to see how many days folks, on average, visit the parks when staying for a week on points.

 

[TCRAIG]

I usually go everyday - even if it’s just for a few minutes - that’s why I like my ‘walkable’ resorts (BLT, BC,BWV,GF).

 

[kanerf]

I usually go every day except for arrival day. I often don't stay the whole day though.

 

[CarolMN]

Everyday except arrival & departure days. We generally arrive late and depart early. Would not go to Orlando if parks weren't there. Hoping annual passes come back soon.

 

[cm8]

About 5 days unless we’re hitting other places while there as well. We tend to go to Universal and will also drive out to Cocoa Beach. We’ve enjoyed visiting Legoland and the Disney Water Parks as well.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I usually go for 4-5 days, not including arrival and departure days. The other days are spent either at the resort/Disney Springs or at Universal. In December my family and I are only doing 2 days and spending the rest of the time at the resort and Universal.

 

[cm8]

Just trying to see how many days folks, on average, visit the parks when staying for a week on points.

Does it include the water parks as well?

 

[cm8]

I usually go for 4-5 days, not including arrival and departure days. The other days are spent either at the resort/Disney Springs or at Universal. In December my family and I are only doing 2 days and spending the rest of the time at the resort and Universal.

This is us as well!!

 

[jo-jo]

I usually go everyday - even if it’s just for a few minutes - that’s why I like my ‘walkable’ resorts (BLT, BC,BWV,GF).

This next trip, I will have an AP, DH will be using some tickets we got over the years when issues popped up. Our plan is for a rest day , every third day over 2 weeks. I do plan to pop in park on those off days, even if only for fireworks or nighttime Christmas lights. I used to go to just sit and watch the fountain dance to Christmas Carols and the lights of winter. Sniff sniff, but that's long gone. We are staying at BLT/BWV.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Every day except departure day. We leave at 5:00am so we can go late in the afternoon when we arrive. We may go by DS on departure day, but rarely to a park unless we speed by because we need to pick up something we forgot.

Edited to add: This routine/strategy will change drastically based on future availability (or not) of APs. I think that's something the poll is missing, but I'm not sure how it could be integrated. Also, our park visits are relaxed and rarely over 3 hours in one go. Sometimes we go to 2 or 3 parks in a day at different times of the day. We bought DVC to RELAX in the parks, and the combination of DVC and APs affords us that. Without AP's, I have no desire to go back to the commando routines of 25 years ago, mostly because there's no need nor desire to any longer. If I can't visit the parks in the manner in which we have become accustomed and intended, they hold no appeal to me any longer. Paying $150+ to go for 3-5 hours per day is ludicrous to me so there is nothing that resolves this short of an AP.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

We go zero days but that was not an option. The parks have gotten too crowded for our comfort but we still enjoy our resort stays.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

And let me add this. If Disney believes that cycling us out for the DVC member that will pay daily prices and do it for 2-3 years and rinse and repeat, they are attempting to create an unsustainable model. I suspect a lot on DVC families stay commando for a couple of years, but that changes over time. It certainly did with us. But nobody buys into DVC intending to use it for 2-3 years. If this is their goal, they will drive the resale market overboard and prices will plummet, which greatly diminishes the value of the retail product as well, and this is something they obviously don't want. Think there's no direct correlation between the availability of APs and DVC sales? Watch and learn. The market's just now figuring it out. Which makes me believe even more that an AP solution can only be weeks away.

And in the interest of not going down the "personal playground" rabbit hole, let me just say this. That is a locals thing entirely, IMO. I do not believe OOS DVC families operate that way at all. What we may very well see coming is the advent of 2 tiers of APs with no in-state tie-ins at all and only a DVC tie-in and both with no discounts or MPP options. It's going to be interesting to watch.

 

[TraderStitch]

We go zero days but that was not an option. The parks have gotten too crowded for our comfort but we still enjoy our resort stays.

Sorry about that! I've added 0 as an option.

 

[mort1331]

We enjoy all aspects of the resorts,,,so we typically do day at park,,day at resort rinse and repeat.

 

[BillPA]

Since we no longer can get APs, it's now maybe 2. I still have a pile of 10 day N.E. tix. When we had APs it was every day unless the weather was really bad.

 

[Disney World Dad]

I think I'd have a nervous tick if I was there at Disney but didn't go into a park for at least a little bit of the day.

 

[DonMacGregor]

As a former CM (I worked at DL in high school and through college and a bit beyond), over 11+ years I figure I probably "visited" the theme park(s) somewhere around 3,000 times. Add in the social visits over my 58 years on planet Earth, and we're probably talking well into the 3,500's + in total number of times inside a Disney park (work and play). At this point, short ventures inside the parks, mostly for "atmosphere" isn't the worst thing. We'll do maybe one full day and two half-days on a 5 or 6 night trip.

As an aside, both my sisters and my son have been CM's and my dad actually worked as a seasonal on the Steam Trains at DL after he retired (classic story of getting left behind in the New Orleans station due to a wheelchair party and an open gate, then, at 60 years old, running behind the train until he caught it in the middle of Splash), so we're a super-Disney family (one sister just celebrated 35 years with the company). Probably 80% of our entries are on either Main Gate Passes or CM comp passes (you make lots of friends over 40+ years), so there's no real monetary component to our park day decisions, just a preference at this point.

 

[jo-jo]

We go zero days but that was not an option. The parks have gotten too crowded for our comfort but we still enjoy our resort stays.

Are you fairly local, like driving 4-6 hours?

I would not deal with airlines, TSA, all the travel issues , only to stay in resorts. I'd rather take the plane fare and book a local hotel.

 

[artesian]

Now 3 days with APs would have been daily. We started doing other things outside of parks on the other days in the Orlando area.

 

[RNstitches]

We'll enter the parks 5 days, but we have APs and we never make a full day of it. Goal is maybe 3 rides, eat some food and then head back to the room