Waterpark only trip

[NoodlesMom]

Has anyone ever taken a trip to WDW for a week with no major parks. If so, how was it and what did you do for a week? We've been to Disney numerous times with the last trip being last month. We know that we want to go back this summer but I know the heat will be too much for us at the regular parks (been there done that). I really want to use this time to do all of those "little things" that we never get to do like the water parks, mini golf etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Honestly the waterparks don't really seem good enough to focus an entire trip on. Disney in summer is definitely doable! If you want to focus on doing other things then you're better off planning an entirely off-site trip and focusing on other Florida attractions and trying to plan Mini-Golf, water parks, etc in during another Disney trip when you will be willing to give up time there.

I could be wrong though. Being my Wisconsin, a large portion of childhood was spent at the Wisconsin Dells so the waterparks at Disney don't really interest or wow me.

 

[wdwmaw]

Yes and loved it!!!!! I may be down again this May and will do the same. We love the water parks!!!!! We used our early mornings/evenings having dinner, putt putt golf, did horseback riding, AKL and looked at the animals, a couple of very nice meals where we actually dressed up, visited the now Disney Springs, Back Yard BBQ @ FW, and fireworks from Poly beach. Disney has so much to do outside the theme parks any Disney lover will be happy just being on property.

 

[NoodlesMom]

Yes and loved it!!!!! I may be down again this May and will do the same. We love the water parks!!!!! We used our early mornings/evenings having dinner, putt putt golf, did horseback riding, AKL and looked at the animals, a couple of very nice meals where we actually dressed up, visited the now Disney Springs, Back Yard BBQ @ FW, and fireworks from Poly beach. Disney has so much to do outside the theme parks any Disney lover will be happy just being on property.

Thank you @wdwmaw. That's exactly what I plan on doing. That's a great idea to go to AKL and I'm going to look into horseback riding. That sounds like fun. I really just love being on property. I feel like we are always on the go on my previous trips and really want to just slow down and relax this trip.

 

[lovethattink]

Sounds fun! 2 days at each water park would give plenty of time for the slides and wave pools at a relaxing pace.

Thinking of renting a cabana? They are expensive, but give you shade.


Keep in mind the water parks close during thunderstorms. There's usually a daily thunderstorm in summer.

 

[Shanti]

If you can swing a stay at Yacht or Beach Club, Stormalong Bay would round your trip out perfectly (also walking distance to mini golf, the Boardwalk, etc.)

 

[NoodlesMom]

Thanks for the cabana advice! I'll look into that.

 

[Shanti]

Renting a car is also optimal when focusing on water parks, as their parking is plentiful & right by the entrance, & water park buses take forever.

 

[NoodlesMom]

Renting a car is also optimal when focusing on water parks, as their parking is plentiful & right by the entrance, & water park buses take forever.

Thanks for that advice. We're driving so that's definitely doable. I had just assumed we would take the bus but driving does seem like a good idea.

 

[lovethattink]

Thanks for the cabana advice! I'll look into that.

It's towards the bottom of this page. I guess they are shacks to rent at Typhoon Lagoon. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/typhoon/typhoon.htm

 

[caralovesdis]

I'm glad that you posted this because my oldest son actually asked for a water park only trip (he's 15) because he's tired of going to the parks! We have our room booked for July and will probably end up getting the water park annual pass just because we think it will pay for itself. My son asked for 3 things for our next vacation: to sleep in, make no plans/be spontaneous, and visit the water parks-- He wants to eat at Morimoto again as well

 

[NoodlesMom]

I'm glad that you posted this because my oldest son actually asked for a water park only trip (he's 15) because he's tired of going to the parks! We have our room booked for July and will probably end up getting the water park annual pass just because we think it will pay for itself. My son asked for 3 things for our next vacation: to sleep in, make no plans/be spontaneous, and visit the water parks-- He wants to eat at Morimoto again as well

Sounds exactly like my kids. We're also going to purchase waterpark annual passes. I think the price of those are very reasonable, especially since we can use them next year.

 

[camille4750]

We have done a waterpark only trip the last 2 summers! We got all of us an annual pass (only around $100 each) and got 2 vacations out of it. A total bargain! We went from Monday to Saturday and did each waterpark twice. We went to movies at Disney Springs, bowled at Splitsville, went mini-golfing, went to the Fort Wilderness Campground and walked around, and had several nice dinners at various resorts. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were SO glad we were not battling the heat, humidity, and crowds at the theme parks. It felt like a true, relaxing vacation.

 

[Ilivetogo]

Has anyone ever taken a trip to WDW for a week with no major parks. If so, how was it and what did you do for a week? We've been to Disney numerous times with the last trip being last month. We know that we want to go back this summer but I know the heat will be too much for us at the regular parks (been there done that). I really want to use this time to do all of those "little things" that we never get to do like the water parks, mini golf etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My DD20 and I did a Mom/Daughter trip for a couple of days (not a full week) and only did Blizzard Beach -- which was a blast. We filled the rest of our time visiting resorts and on a specialty "cupcake" hunt. We had a great time! We strolled the Boardwalk, rode around on the monorail, had dinners in different resorts, and at one point we landed (unexpectedly) right at the Magic Kingdom (off the boat from WL) exactly as the fireworks were starting - we enjoyed that right there from the front of the park!

There are SO many things you can do there, and as one other poster said, just being "on property" was fun.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you have a car, you can also try some of the lesser attractions of Orlando - the new I-360 attractions (the Eye, Madame Tussauds, Sealife, Skeletons, etc), the exhibit/museums (Titanic, CSI, Ripley's, etc), the escape rooms, the mystery dinners, the 80s arcades, etc. Don't limit your thinking to just Disney sites, especially since most of these options have coupons/Groupons which make them a very fun, inexpensive attraction...and something TOTALLY different!

 

[OFF2NVRLAND]

We took a water park only trip last July and loved it! I thought I would be disappointed driving by the major parks and not going, but I really wasn't. Neither were my boys (10 and 3). It even rained the whole day we were at Blizzard Beach and it was still nice. Seemed like it wasn't as crowded because of the rain. We went to Disney Springs to shop and ate at T-rex café too. Our hotel, Lake Buena Vista Resort, had a pirate ship pool so we spent one day there. It was a fun Disney vacation and half the cost as our theme park trip. I can definitely see us doing this again on years we don't do the theme parks. I like the idea of the mini golf too. It looked fun when we passed by.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

We did a "parks free" trip in July or August of 2014 and had a fantastic time! We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and spent time at Typhoon Lagoon, played miniature golf at Winter Summerland, did the pony rides at Tri-Circle D Ranch, had a beautiful dinner at Sanaa, enjoyed looking at the animals from Animal Kingdom Lodge, spent some fun time at Dowtown Disney before it got to crowded for the day, enjoyed pool time, and had a fantastic time. In fact, my family and I consider it to be one of the best trips we have ever taken. We are early risers by nature so we are always at the parks for rope drop, but I can't tell you how nice it was to leisurely enjoy a nice cup of tea on the balcony while watching people heading off for their day at the park. It was nice to go to Roaring Fork for breakfast and enjoying it out by the pool and then taking a dip while no one else was in the pool.

My advice is to absolutely try it! It can be such a fun and relaxing time. You can enjoy meals at some of the great resort restaurants without thinking about how you are missing out on great park time or how you need to get back to the resort so you can get enough sleep. You can really enjoy the pool starting at 9:00 while everyone else is in the parks. The water parks are a lot of fun, too and the miniature golf courses are adorable! Disney Springs gets so crowded in the afternoon and evening but with this kind of trip, you can head over there in the morning before it gets bad and really enjoy yourself.

Definitely choose your resort wisely. I would advise against a value resort for that kind of trip. I'd pick a resort that has a lot going on around it and a good pool. We enjoyed Wilderness Lodge because we knew it would be easy to get to Fort Wilderness from there and the grounds were so lovely. Animal Kingdom Lodge would be a good resort for this kind of stay, as well. Yacht Club or Beach Club would be two other resorts I would highly recommend because you could spend a lot of time at Stormalong Bay and over at Boardwalk, enjoy a meal at Beaches and Cream, play a round at Fantasia Gardens, and maybe even do an Illuminations Cruise all within walking distance of your room. I hope you do this kind of trip. I really think you will have an absolute blast enjoying the fun activities beyond the parks.

 

[Shanti]

Thanks for that advice. We're driving so that's definitely doable. I had just assumed we would take the bus but driving does seem like a good idea.

Yes. The bus's a/c also feels very cold (even in summer) when you're damp from the waterpark.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Uh oh...first time planning on trying water parks. Are they doable with buses? Didn't budget for a car...

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

Uh oh...first time planning on trying water parks. Are they doable with buses? Didn't budget for a car...

Like the regular parks, they're "doable" with the buses but easier with a car. I've done them both ways.