What do DVC'ers do when the parks are closed?

[Jaaron2]

We usually spend no more than 1/2 a day in a park anyway. We have three boys 13,11,9 and usually by 1:00 or so they are ready for an afternoon at Storm Along Bay After that, out for dinner and possibly another park, DTD, Boardwalk or a night at the pool. We go for the overall atmosphere, parks and rides are great, not necessary every day though (at least for us).

 

[rpk1951]

Downtown Disney and Disney West side are fun.

 

[jdes88]

I've never encountered a "park closed" day -- but here are a few of my non-park activities:

• I pack a small watercolor paint kit in my suitcase. I try to spend at least at few hours each trip painting on my patio.
• I'll ride the WDW resort transportation over to Wilderness Lodge then walk from there to and through the campground. Catch a bus on the far end of the walk to return to my starting point.
• Pool hop. Start at GF's large, central pool ... mosey over to the pool with the slide .. walk along the lake to the Poly ... enjoy the volcano pool ... catch a boat to Wilderness Lodge ... (you get the idea).
• Borrow a video from the Community Hall.
• Play ping-pong in the Community Hall.
• Explore as many transportation options as possible ... try to catch every shuttle boat offered near/around Magic Kingdom.
• Rent the watermice for an hour.
• Sack out in a pool chair or hammock if you can find one ...
• Rent a waterbike at OKW and race it as far as you are allowed to go.

Just a few starters ...

I'm not the only Transportation geek out there! I love to ride the monorail from the TTC to Epcot and back! When we go to WDW, we'll only go to the parks a few days, so we spend days wandering!

 

[WolfpackFan]

I'd say going to the parks IS Plan B for us. I'm finding we're enjoying ourselves more and more when we just relax around our resort, go to DTD, go to Celebration and just do other things besides going to the parks. In fact, for our trip next May, it's going to be a total non-park visit and I can see this being more of a trend in the future.

 

[MrsG]

Wow, I didn't realize that there were days that resort guest could not get into the park of their choice!!!! We've been over Easter week and February break as well as misc. weeks over the summer and never encountered that! We have seen where off site guests were turned away. Gee, I guess I'd try another park (I'm sure they'll tell you who is still accepting guests if you ask). Although someone made a great point, do you really want to be sandwiched in. Hmmmm, I'd just go back to the resort and enjoy it. No matter where on the property you are staying, there are so many things to do. I guess it is time to smell the roses. But it sure must be frustrating!!!!!

 

[LIFERBABE]

When we considered DVC, one of my questions for each resort we purchased, was would I buy this resort if it were somewhere other than Central Florida, connected to a theme park? I answered "yes" to 6 resorts so far The parks are the icing for us. We dont always have to have it to enjoy a nice vacation.

We can spend 2 weeks during Christmas without impacting work or school or paying outrageous airfare. We are the no park commandos! We have a blast each year and I force dh and the boys to visit 1 park in the 2 weeks we are there (besides DQ and WP which they love)

 

[iloveokw]

As a resort guest you are guaranteed admission into a park, it just might not be the park you wanted to enter. We were at WDW at xmas/nye this year and parks did close but you could go to a park - not that we did with those crowds.

 

[snyderla]

First, I've never heard of a time when all four parks have closed at capacity. In fact, if you stay on property (I'm assuming DVC would qualify) you are guarunteed to get into a park - not the park you choose - but a park. So DVCers should always be able to go somewhere.

As for me - I would never choose to go during the times that are traditionally that crowded (Easter, Christmas and New Years), but we usually plan one or two non-park days during our trips. We like to have a later breakfast (WCC and Boma are two favorities) and then either go to the pool. rest in our room, take a drive, shop, go to the spa, etc.

I was there once for Easter and once for New Year's Eve, and experienced park closing both times. New Year's Eve all parks but Epcot were closed by 10:30 am when we left our room. We wanted to go to Epcot, so that was fine with us (1999). Easter week we went resort hopping, tried out 2 of the mini golf places, and rented watercraft and had one of the best trips ever. Days we wanted to go into parks we arrived at opening and left by early afternoon. That worked for us. But all 4 parks have indeed closed at times due to capacity. I've been there for it. The Easter trip our bus driver told us they were experiencing crowds higher than they had in years.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We've been at Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and NYE. Never got locked out of a park because we are usually there for park opening.

So, if we did get locked out because we arrived in the afternoon, we'd head back to the resort and take a nap. Nothing like a nap on vacation.

 

[Anal Annie]

Like today and yesterday, crowd levels are so high that they have been at closure level 4 ie not even resort guests can get in.

Do you stay at your resort or do you have other things that you do in WDW or Orlando? What's your Plan B for times like this?

Oh dear!! We have been contemplating going for a few days next year over spring break to cap off one more trip on our AP's that we're buying this May. We've never been when it's been THAT crowded. Ya'll are scarin' me now!

Anyway, if it was nice enough we would hang out by the pool or go to the water parks as plan A. For plan B we would also have our Hidden Mickey book with us so we would probably also do a little resort hopping to look for various hidden Mickey's!! We take pictures of them as we find them and are keeping them in their own photo album. We had a cold, rainy crappy evening last winter when we were down there so we went back to our villa & got dry clothes and spent the entire evening exploring WL looking for them so I could see us doing that again at a resort that we're not so familiar with. Plan C would be spending more time at DTD...maybe DQ...although I start feeling like I need air once I've been in there for too long...

 

[redrosesix]

Anyway, if it was nice enough we would hang out by the pool or go to the water parks as plan A. For plan B we would also have our Hidden Mickey book with us so we would probably also do a little resort hopping to look for various hidden Mickey's!! We take pictures of them as we find them and are keeping them in their own photo album. We had a cold, rainy crappy evening last winter when we were down there so we went back to our villa & got dry clothes and spent the entire evening exploring WL looking for them so I could see us doing that again at a resort that we're not so familiar with. Plan C would be spending more time at DTD...maybe DQ...although I start feeling like I need air once I've been in there for too long...

Hey! I feel like that in DQ too.

DH loves the hidden Mickey's (don't know how many times he hinted that he wanted the book on our last trip).

It just sounds like once you start doing DVC stays, the whole trip becomes more laid back eg. can't to your ADR for dinner, have a BBQ. I'm thinking we'll fit in quite well.