Which resort if not going to parks...

[utahkennedys]

I am still trying to convince DH to buy into DVC...he agrees if we only go every 2-3 years and some trips don't do any parks but instead relax at the resort, and then some years do one or two parks. We have been to WDW every year in the past 9 years and he is tired of it to be honest, but loves Orlando. I feel like it's a great deal considering we just paid $220/night for Marriott Grande Vista last week and it wasn't the same. Then our last 3 nights we were at the Poly for $467/night with tax, great, but WAY too expensive!

So, which resort would you pick for non-park visits? I am leaning to OKW and we checked it out while we were there. We obviously don't care about proximity to parks, more about a relaxing, fun atmosphere for families.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think OKW would be a good choice for your DH, especially if he likes to golf! He won't feel so much like he has WDW breathing down his neck, and yet the rest of you will be close enough to enjoy it.

 

[firemankenpfd]

my wife and i talk about it all the time. the most relaxing time we had is when we were at the beach club. we also have been making the trip to disney at least once a year, sometimes twice and to be honest we were a little tired of it. my kids are young 5 and 8 and they had a great time in the pool and we were able to relax. the lifeguards were excellent and they entertained the kids in the shallow end of the pool. when we go back it will be to the beach club.

 

[Muushka]

check out this thread

I voted for VWL, but I am prejudiced

 

[firemankenpfd]

sorry for all that crap at the end of my reply. i haven't been here in a while and forgot it was there...

 

[JimC]

DVC - Old Key West

MVC - Cypress Harbour

 

[ArRzrbk]

I think Beach Club Villas would fit the bill. It has nice restaurants, is near the boardwalk, has absolutely wonderful pools (quiet pool and Storm Along Bay), you can sit on the beach and relax, get a massage. It seems like a vacation in itself. No parks necessary.

 

[CarolMN]

I'd vote for Hilton Head or Vero Beach - those are wonderful places for non-park vacations and both are great places for families. (I'd still consider buying somewhere on site for the years I wanted to visit the parks - unless it really didn't matter which DVC resort we stayed in for the WDW visits or we didn't make plans more than 7 months in advance anyway).

Best wishes -

 

[Roborn]

On the same topic, can anyone suggest similiar things to do with a 1 year old during 'Jersey Week' at the beginning of November? DW,DD(1) and I will be staying at BCV for our first trip. We need to do things that our DD will enjoy
(Not loud theme park attractions etc.) Thanks in advance!

 

[Princess Tink]

Sorry

 

[Princess Tink]

AS we have yet to be at VB or HHI, my vote would be for BWV or BCV. We did this exact thing in 2003 at the BWV and loved ever minute of it. We were wait listed for the BCV which never came though, but were quite pleased with our experience at BWV.

 

[lllovell]

On the same topic, can anyone suggest similiar things to do with a 1 year old during 'Jersey Week' at the beginning of November? DW,DD(1) and I will be staying at BCV for our first trip. We need to do things that our DD will enjoy
(Not loud theme park attractions etc.) Thanks in advance!

You might be surprised how much the theme park atmosphere is fascinating to a small child. If you have a chance, try the MK one day. There are plenty of things there to do that your little one would like I am sure




As for the resorts advice, I can't give it. We are still slowly trying them all. BUT, if you think you want one of the smaller resorts, I would advise a resale at that specific resort so you can get exactly the dates you want every year (by booking before 7 months out for your trip, etc).

Good luck!

 

[CarolMN]

On the same topic, can anyone suggest similiar things to do with a 1 year old during 'Jersey Week' at the beginning of November? DW,DD(1) and I will be staying at BCV for our first trip. We need to do things that our DD will enjoy
(Not loud theme park attractions etc.) Thanks in advance!

Some things not in the major parks:

Playing in the sand on the beach on lake in front of SAB. Lots of birds/ducks to watch, too.

Downtown Disney. Play areas near Legoland. RF Cafe - observe "weather" and fish tanks. Believe you can see this from store area if you don't want to eat there. Fountain areas to splash in, and also some kiddie rides as well

"Swimming" / splashing in the kids pool (or the jacuzzi if you have a 1 or 2 bedroom unit).

Stroller ride around Crescent Lake or ride on Surrey bikes -(think they have seat belts for the kids seats, but not sure).

A visit to Community Hall at BWV - IIRC, they have a little area with books, crayons, other kid things (Baby may be a little young for that at 1, but it's a nice area to check out )

I'm sure there are more.

Best wishes -

 

[DrTomorrow]

IMHuO, this situation is where SSR shines. If you're looking for relaxed, laid-back and quiet - but with plenty of room and plenty to do - you're looking at SSR. DTD is a non.theme.park place for some shopping, dining and entertainment, and you can get off-property quite easily (< 1 minute) from SSR.

This is one of the reasons we purchased SSR. We acknowledged that there will eventually be periods of "Theme Park Fatigue", so we figured that SSR would be a great place to stay and not have Disney "in.your.face" 24/7, and the easy access to the "real world" has already proved quite convenient.

I'd then suggest OKW, for many of the same reasons; you will, however, have to make do with the larger rooms.

Be well!

 

[thelobstershanty]

If close proximity to the parks is not important, since you plan to spend no time in the parks, my choice would be OKW. Once you are at OKW the parks seem as though they are miles away. The resort is very laid back and relaxing. Since DH likes the Orlando area, OKW is located very conveniently to many shopping plazas, restaurants and other non Disney attractions. Also if you want some Disney, but not "park" Disney, OKW is just a boat ride away from PI & DTD.
SSR would also be an ideal location for those that do not want to go to the parks, but if you will be in a 1 br or larger, the OKW villas are quite a bit larger and roomier and less points.

 

[new_yawka]

The interesting thing about this thread is that you will get affirmative responses for all of the DVC resorts. There are many of us that have enjoyed non-park vacations at the various DVC resorts.

I second Dr. Tomorro's thoughts on SSR. This resort is excellent for the non-park vacation. Proximity to DTD, golf, spa, easy access to automobile and exit to WDW make this a great spot.

BWV (and to some extent BCV) offers access to lots of great non-park activity, including the Boardwalk, Fantasia min-golf and oodles of fabulous dining. If the plan is to go off-site a bunch during the vacation, I might gravitate to SSR and OKW (the lobst4ershanty is absolutely correct about the atmosphere at OKW.

VWL is beuatiful, although for a non-park vacation, it doesn't offer the easy access to other activities, restaurants or WDW exit that the other resorts offer.

Your ideal might be to buy at SSR or OKW and then enjoy a 3-4 day WDW trip with a 3-4 day VB or HHI trip on either end.

If you love WDW, DVC can be very workeable for you. Best of luck in you decision!

 

[Muushka]

Gee, I thought VWL was great for non-park. AP, WCC and RF for meals/snacks. There is the bike and boat plan, Bay Lake is right there. Paths for bike rides to FW. Easy access (boat) to CR for dinner or the monorail to Poly or GF for dinner or whatever. Boat to FW for activities there....... just thinking out loud.

 

[new_yawka]

Gee, I thought VWL was great for non-park. AP, WCC and RF for meals/snacks. There is the bike and boat plan, Bay Lake is right there. Paths for bike rides to FW. Easy access (boat) to CR for dinner or the monorail to Poly or GF for dinner or whatever. Boat to FW for activities there....... just thinking out loud.

I think that goes to my first point. I believe I would have a wonderful vacation at any of the resorts. I do not think I would be disappointed at all. It is only when you compare one reort to another that differences become apparent. Each resort, if viewed by itself, is wonderful and worth considering regardless of whether it is a park or non-park experience you are looking for. It is only relative strngths and weeknesses that we can reasonably give opinions about.

So, Muushka, we agree on the strengths of VWL. If, however, I were to take a solely non-park vacation (most of our WDW vacations are only %50 park at most), I would likely gravitate to one of the other resorts. I am actually having a dilemna for our upcoming December trip...whether to stay with our BWV standard view 2BR or move the reservation to VWL.....

 

[Muushka]

What a great dilema! Happy planning .

We will be at VWL this December. As usual....... Can't help it!

 

[OneMoreTry]

You should consider OKW or SSR. Ideally, you should visit each. And hopefully it would be love at first sight. That's how we picked OKW.

I agree that DD is great for kids. My kids LOVE the Lego place. It's the only place at WDW they insist we visit EVERY time. Shakes at Giaradellis and a couple of hours in the fountain have become tradition.

HH is great, too. Can't wait to be there in 3 1/2 weeks!! Can't speak for Vero because I've never been there.


PS. Was that a rack rate for the Poly?