Vacation time at your resort?

[real mad hatter]

Morning All,Quick question! How much time do you spend at your resort hotel in one day,just average,counting eating,swimming,shopping,but not sleep.I reckon for us it's about 4 hrs per day,there's a logical reason for asking this question,honest all will be revealed?

 

[mrsdanalind]

Morning All,Quick question! How much time do you spend at your resort hotel in one day,just average,counting eating,swimming,shopping,but not sleep.I reckon for us it's about 4 hrs per day,there's a logical reason for asking this question,honest all will be revealed?

Long enough to sleep,shower and grab something to eat. We aren't there to see the resort, (altho that is almost a destination in itself,)we are there to see the parks. We do use the pool,either before we go to the parks or after we get back in the evening. We usually stay at the value resorts.

 

[disneygirl76]

Morning All,Quick question! How much time do you spend at your resort hotel in one day,just average,counting eating,swimming,shopping,but not sleep.I reckon for us it's about 4 hrs per day,there's a logical reason for asking this question,honest all will be revealed?

DH and I usually spend an hour in the a.m., then about 3 hours in the afternoon mid - day, and then an hour when we get back from the parks. Of course, sleeping time too. So with out sleeping, I would say about 5 hours. That being said, we want to get the most out of the resorts so we do plan days with resort vegging time. Usually 2 or 3 days per 8 day trip, and for about 4 hours per time.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Well, it depends on the resort and time of year. I'll explain:

Value resort (Pop) in the "winter" months we spent maybe a 3 hours or so at the most including mid-day break/nap. We didn't swim. Didn't hang around much. It was a place to stay and rest.

Moderate resort (POFQ) in the "winter" months was maybe 4-5 hours at most including mid-day break/nap. Still minimal swimming but definitely more likely to dawdle in the coming/going since the resort was so beautiful and relaxing. We felt the urge to soak in the ambiance more.

Deluxe resorts (Contempo, Poly, AKL, & YC) varies more by which resort it is and what time of year. Like the Contemporary I don't think I'd even bother booking in warmer months because the pool is so 'meh' to me. I've never even once felt the need to go swimming there. But the tower MK view is very enjoyable and one we'd spend a little extra time soaking in or plan to be in our room so we could be on the balcony to watch Wishes. The Poly also draws you in with it's beauty and ambiance so spending extra time during the day enjoying it factors in. AKL I could almost say is a destination unto itself. There's so many activities and things to do, awesome pool, good restaurants, etc. that I could easily spend a few hours out of a day in the parks then the rest doing things around the resort. Yacht Club in warmer months most certainly IS it's own destination. I could easily do a long weekend or 4-5 days there without ever stepping foot inside a park. Stormalong Bay is fantastic for daytime fun. There's activities right there at the resort to partake of, shopping within close proximity, Illuminations from the beach, etc. Love love love the YC.

I understand when people say, "I go to WDW to go to the parks. I only need a room to sleep & shower. Why spend the $$ on the pricy deluxe rooms?" I understand this. When we had only ever stayed at Pop and our kids (& we) were younger that's all we needed, too. Then we tried the Contemporary and found things we never imagined we would enjoy were the highlights of those stays. AKL would never have been an obvious choice for us but my in-laws wanted to stay there. I'm glad we did. More things we never would've done otherwise and so thankful to have had the opportunity. The Yacht Club was a revelation of sorts. We definitely had an evolution in all of this where we started out big-time park peeps but grew into more of the type to slow down and enjoy things outside the big-4 turnstiles. Now a WDW trip is more like any other that we may take regardless of the destination. It's an overall resort experience that we are looking for. The parks are only a small part of that.

Soooooo, waiting for the revelation of the purpose to your question.... :wave:

 

[real mad hatter]

Well, it depends on the resort and time of year. I'll explain:

Value resort (Pop) in the "winter" months we spent maybe a 3 hours or so at the most including mid-day break/nap. We didn't swim. Didn't hang around much. It was a place to stay and rest.

Moderate resort (POFQ) in the "winter" months was maybe 4-5 hours at most including mid-day break/nap. Still minimal swimming but definitely more likely to dawdle in the coming/going since the resort was so beautiful and relaxing. We felt the urge to soak in the ambiance more.

Deluxe resorts (Contempo, Poly, AKL, & YC) varies more by which resort it is and what time of year. Like the Contemporary I don't think I'd even bother booking in warmer months because the pool is so 'meh' to me. I've never even once felt the need to go swimming there. But the tower MK view is very enjoyable and one we'd spend a little extra time soaking in or plan to be in our room so we could be on the balcony to watch Wishes. The Poly also draws you in with it's beauty and ambiance so spending extra time during the day enjoying it factors in. AKL I could almost say is a destination unto itself. There's so many activities and things to do, awesome pool, good restaurants, etc. that I could easily spend a few hours out of a day in the parks then the rest doing things around the resort. Yacht Club in warmer months most certainly IS it's own destination. I could easily do a long weekend or 4-5 days there without ever stepping foot inside a park. Stormalong Bay is fantastic for daytime fun. There's activities right there at the resort to partake of, shopping within close proximity, Illuminations from the beach, etc. Love love love the YC.

I understand when people say, "I go to WDW to go to the parks. I only need a room to sleep & shower. Why spend the $$ on the pricy deluxe rooms?" I understand this. When we had only ever stayed at Pop and our kids (& we) were younger that's all we needed, too. Then we tried the Contemporary and found things we never imagined we would enjoy were the highlights of those stays. AKL would never have been an obvious choice for us but my in-laws wanted to stay there. I'm glad we did. More things we never would've done otherwise and so thankful to have had the opportunity. The Yacht Club was a revelation of sorts. We definitely had an evolution in all of this where we started out big-time park peeps but grew into more of the type to slow down and enjoy things outside the big-4 turnstiles. Now a WDW trip is more like any other that we may take regardless of the destination. It's an overall resort experience that we are looking for. The parks are only a small part of that.

Soooooo, waiting for the revelation of the purpose to your question.... :wave:

Ah well,were off to PORS in July this year but my lovely DW wants to treat us to a deluxe for our next visit in 2014 as she has a bond that will expire giving her a nice cheque,god bless her,but I'd rather stay at a moderate and was trying to work out how much time we would spend at the resort and is it worth the extra bucks?:shrug:

 

[Poofiesdream]

I have stayed at all three levels. I stayed at AKL club level and didn't think it was worth the money. Our favorite is POFQ. We spend time at the pool in the evenings and love going up and down the river on the boat to dinner in DTD. We stay at values when we have kids along or really need to watch our spending. Living 3 hours away we go a few times a year. :wave:

 

[UPbeekeeper]

Since we have always stayed off Disney property, I've always just been a die-hard "shower & sleep" user of our accommodations. This trip will be the first on-site stay, so I am anticipating perhaps an afternoon refueling stop to our resort for either swimming or a nap and a mid day shower, then back to the parks until closing time. I don't plan on spending a huge amount of extra time there, maybe 1 or 2 hours(?).

We have however tacked an extra day on to our trip when we first arrive to relax a bit and explore our resort before the park madness begins the next day. We usually don't do this.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

I'm at the resort just to sleep. I think I ate in the POP food court once, too...

 

[real mad hatter]

Awesome.

Since we have always stayed off Disney property, I've always just been a die-hard "shower & sleep" user of our accommodations. This trip will be the first on-site stay, so I am anticipating perhaps an afternoon refueling stop to our resort for either swimming or a nap and a mid day shower, then back to the parks until closing time. I don't plan on spending a huge amount of extra time there, maybe 1 or 2 hours(?).

We have however tacked an extra day on to our trip when we first arrive to relax a bit and explore our resort before the park madness begins the next day. We usually don't do this.

Hmm,you'll find I think staying onsite more time at your hotel than offsite,when we stayed at I-Drive it was as you said shower & sleep.it's a great experience living in the magic.:wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Ah well,were off to PORS in July this year but my lovely DW wants to treat us to a deluxe for our next visit in 2014 as she has a bond that will expire giving her a nice cheque,god bless her,but I'd rather stay at a moderate and was trying to work out how much time we would spend at the resort and is it worth the extra bucks?:shrug:

So much factors into how much time you think you might spend at your resort, especially for deluxes with the additional perks and activities and things. For us, it's been something we've evolved into. We aren't the park commandos like we once were. As time passes we almost enjoy the relaxed pace with the Disney infusion of doing things outside the parks more than the parks themselves. If you think you might feel okay with trading some of the obviously valuable park time to do things outside of the 4 main gates then it's worth trying. If you've never done it before it can be something new to experience which could result in feeling it's an excellent value for the dollar spent. Not everyone feels that way so it's not the thing for everyone to do, understandably. Another thing, for me anyway, is paying the additional for a deluxe for the upgraded pool amenities. Obviously that's not a valid thing to consider if it's the cold months when you're less likely to swim at all or if the resort you are looking at is scheduled to have the pool closed for a refurb while you are there. But, during warmer months, for me it's a big factor in my resort choice. I can swim at a basic pool like at Pop anywhere most anytime. However, the possibility of zero entry, fun slides, and...well...then there's Stormalong Bay can play a big role in my resort choice because I'll be planning to take advantage of that particular amenity thus willing to pay for it specifically. You know?

That's very sweet of your other half to want to do for the family in 2014. I think just the thought of wanting to treat the family is a very special thing in it's own right. Gotta give props when due even if it strays from the topic a tad.

 

[Princess7]

Not including sleeping or in room time we usually spend about two to four hours a day around the resort. But on our summer trips we do take one or two days to just enjoy the resort.

 

[SuprDav]

We usually get up, have a light breakfast in the room and head to the parks close to opening time. We usually come back for a mid-afternoon break, then head to another park and sometimes stay till 9 pm or so.

 

[bethram]

My first and only trip to WDW as an adult, we were at POFQ and for the most part only showered, ate breakfast, and slept at the resort. There was one day that we did not spend in the parks because I ran the Princess Half marathon that day so we napped for a bit and went to the pool that evening. I think we only ate dinner on property one night.

The trip we have coming up in June, staying at WL, I expect we will spend more time at the resort. Not only is the trip longer and we're staying at a deluxe, but it will be hot so I imagine the kids will want to spend time at the pool. I'm not completely sure that I want to the mid-day heat/pool/nap break but I am entertaining the idea.

 

[sbkline]

We usually try to get to the parks first thing, so we will eat breakfast perhaps, then go to the parks. We do a midday break for my wife to take a nap and me and my son to go to the pool, or hang out somewhere else. Midday break is normally 2 or 3 hours, then we go back out for the evening activities. We might spend the rest of the evening at said activity, or on some evenings, depending on what we are doing, we may get back in time to get in the pool, do a bike ride, arcade or whatever, or perhaps just spend some time in the room watching some TV before lights out.

We most definitely plan at least one or two evenings where we just hang out at the resort. When booking our ADRs, I make a point to book a sit down meal at our resort so we can have one evening where the resort is the focus: eating at the restaraunt, shopping, pool time, movie, bike ride, or whatever.

Additionally, I like to have at least one day, maybe more, where a good portion of the day is simply lounging around the resort. I like to have 2 or 3 days where we do no theme parks and some of that time is devoted to the hotel.

As far as an average...well, we do a midday break of 2 or 3 hours on all the theme park days, in addition to the times when we spend alot more time at the hotel. So if I were to guess an average, I would say we spend an average of maybe 4 or 5 hours a day at the hotel. Just a guess.

 

[SMS55]

Enough to sleep and shower. Since I drive, sometimes I'll drive offsite to eat late in the evening. We'll eat breakfast on site if we are at POP. If we are the All-Star we may go to the McDonald's.

 

[redsfan4life]

Not counting sleep maybe 1 hour . Get up take a shower , be at park for early magic hours, leave park at closing , go to downtown disney till they close , go to room sleep and get up and start up again.