Have you ever gone to WDW and NOT gone to a park?

[disneygirl76]

Hi all!

So after 10 days of magic and memories and even giving myself a "pep" talk before we went, I still did something that I wanted to avoid. I wanted to avoid the feeling of anxiety to just get in the parks and spend time in the parks and we ended up missing out a lot on the resort activities and just enjoying non park time. I do this every trip and i'm a bit annoyed at myself that I did it again.

Out of curiosity, has anyone just gone to WDW and NOT gone into a park? My parents live about 4 1/2 hours from the World and the DH and I go to HHI each year to see them, usually in the mid winter/early spring. So I was going to look into the DH and I just getting away for a night and spending the night at a Deluxe resort. Thinking the Boardwalk? It will be hard not to be tempted to go in but I think it might be fun for a quick get away.

Has anyone done this?

Thanks!

 

[disneygirl76]

I'd stay somewhere nicer than a WDW hotel. If you're going to spend a bunch of time in a hotel, might as well make it one with good service. Still, I think it would get very boring, very quickly.

Is being in a WDW hotel part of what you want?

I love the WDW Resorts! I have to WDW so many times and just get so excited for the in park experience that I miss the out of park experience. I have stayed at loads of amazing hotels and its not just a nice hotel I want. Its the WDW Resort experience.

 

[sgtmgd]

We usually do a *down day*, do either room service for breakfast (if up early) or pick up something at Captain Cooks, do the pools for a bit, then do the searaycers and relax pool side afterwards or head to the lounge for a bit, watch Wishes on the beach and turn in early, and recharge for the next day.

let me help this out in Non-Jersey speak....this is a cupcake/alcohol intake overload recovery day

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

let me help this out in Non-Jersey speak....this is a cupcake/alcohol intake overload recovery day

LMAO you know me well Sgt LOL .... but, I do captain cook food by the quiet pool and DH does the rum runners, no cupcakes ever get harmed on a down day

 

[sgtmgd]

Folks here may not realize this but Disney Host's many Nationally ranked Youth sporting events at Wide World of Sports every year. For Soccer the Girls Tournement is always over news year weekend...this event is the Mecca of Womens college recruiting as hundreds and hundreds of College coaches and staff are on site to watch thousands of players...we were there last year..for us it was a match made in heaven as this is the #1 Tournement in the country and the qualififcation to get it in is steep...BUT several parents didnt like it as the pressure of travelling for a day tournement over a major holiday at Disney impacted alot of folks..there were only two families that booked Disney resorts and stayed on p-roperty..the team hotel was in downtown Disney...not all players got to the parks for financial reasons..and some piggybacked to A park here or there with other families...a shame really...but times are hard

 

[KCheatle]

This is a constant stuggle for me!! I always tell myself: If we could just get down to Orlando for a weekend then I'd satisfy my addiction. But, what I always end up convicing myself is that I don't want to ruin the magic by doing it half-way. When we go, we go full out; it is a DIsney vacation and we are then for a week and there is no rush. When I was a kid, we went to Orlando every year for 10-11 days and stayed off property the first handful of days while we went to Sea World and Universal Studios becuase my parents believed if we stayed on property, the magic would be ruined for us by leaving the property to go out in to the real world again. They wanted us in that bubble for the remainder of the trip, so once we checked in at the Contemporary, that was our world for the next week. Yes, we did have a "down" day where we did not go to the parks - but we always stayed around the hotel or went to DTD - we never left Disney property on our "down day." We just didn't want to risk piercing the veil of magic that cloaked us while we were in Disney world by making it too easy to leave and access again and again. I don't think you miss out on the magic by not going to a park though. I think the magic is just in being on Disney Property. Being there alone is an escape in and of itself.

 

[disneygirl76]

This is a constant stuggle for me!! I always tell myself: If we could just get down to Orlando for a weekend then I'd satisfy my addiction. But, what I always end up convicing myself is that I don't want to ruin the magic by doing it half-way. When we go, we go full out; it is a DIsney vacation and we are then for a week and there is no rush. When I was a kid, we went to Orlando every year for 10-11 days and stayed off property the first handful of days while we went to Sea World and Universal Studios becuase my parents believed if we stayed on property, the magic would be ruined for us by leaving the property to go out in to the real world again. They wanted us in that bubble for the remainder of the trip, so once we checked in at the Contemporary, that was our world for the next week. Yes, we did have a "down" day where we did not go to the parks - but we always stayed around the hotel or went to DTD - we never left Disney property on our "down day." We just didn't want to risk piercing the veil of magic that cloaked us while we were in Disney world by making it too easy to leave and access again and again. I don't think you miss out on the magic by not going to a park though. I think the magic is just in being on Disney Property. Being there alone is an escape in and of itself.

This is exactly it! Yes! When we book our trip and go to the parks we don't want to miss a minute of the magic. Even though I know full well that the magic is all over the resorts, DTD, and other non-park places. I just want to experience it! The resorts offer so much and we really did have the best of intentions but the rain killed it for us.

 

[bord1niowa]

I know a lot of people that stay at the Fort Wilderness campground and never go to the parks. It is very peaceful and yet has a lot to do there.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I was in WDW for one additional day in 2010 after our 10 day MYWT expired and we still had to stay there because we didn't have a reservation for the gulf coast before the next day. We went to DTD and spent there several hours but it was still TERRIBLE and PAINFUL staying at the World and not being able to go into any parks. Never again!

 

[disneygirl76]

I was in WDW for one additional day in 2010 after our 10 day MYWT expired and we still had to stay there because we didn't have a reservation for the gulf coast before the next day. We went to DTD and spent there several hours but it was still TERRIBLE and PAINFUL staying at the World and not being able to go into any parks. Never again!

I know. I 'm thinking i'll be all strong but you know - i might cave! But honestly - I had 10 days in parks, most over 12 hours. I'm actually pretty full on park times. I miss the resorts though.

 

[Shimmer73083]

Actually, yes. This past July the GF and I were in Orlando for Ponycon on I-drive. Because she was such a good sport, I took her to DTD for dinner then we rode the resort loop monorail for the rest of the evening. One of the best days ever for me!

 

[MaryJaneP]

Guess I misunderstood the title as well. I thought it meant ever been to WDW and not gone to any park any time during that entire trip, not just a one time non-park day. In answer, I would say that I cannot imagine spending the amount of money necessary to get to (from PA) to WDW and to stay there without spending at least most days, if not all, in one of the parks. We have to limit our visits to such a short time, there really are only park days. Now if I lived closer it would be a possibility. If my trips were longer, maybe one day out of many would be a non-park day. All the other days, however, would be in the parks.

 

[worldtraveler]

I went down for several job interviews one week. I stayed off property for 3 nights, I spent time at DTD, monorail resorts, mainly Poly and explored the Epcot resorts. It sucked not being able to go through the turnstiles, but seeing new things was pretty cool. I would do it again, but not too many times. It certainly makes going into the parks just a little bit sweeter.

 

[bdearl41]

I have done this on occasion. Often times I find myself in Orlando, visiting friends, work, randomly, and a bunch of those times I will go over to WDW but not visit the parks. Ill eat at the restaurants in the hotels, visit DTD and play Putt Putt at Fantasia Gardens. Almost everytime I have had a blast. I would advise playing at Fantasia Gardens at about 8:00, that way when you are furthest from the "clubhouse you can hear the music and see the fireworks from Fantasmic over at MGM.

 

[kane47]

Whenever it is just my wife and I, we usually just enjoy the resort pool and Disney restaurants. It is nice to have some many different quality options at your finger tips with relatively little travel involved. We relax all day and enjoy a nice meal at night. We usually head over to downtown Disney or the Boardwalk for some entertainment. If we do go to a park it is usually Epcot for dinner and shopping. When the rest of the family is with us it is a completely different story.

 

[93boomer]

No never. We talk about it but somehow it never seems to happen. We run back to the room for about 30 mts and then head to another park. No wonder we're exhausted every day! But, we are afraid we'll miss that old "magic" I guess!! LOL

 

[Lil Fort]

I know a lot of people that stay at the Fort Wilderness campground and never go to the parks. It is very peaceful and yet has a lot to do there.

I think we know the same people.

To the OP, if you are looking for a place to spend time at Disney without going to the parks, I would recommend Fort Wilderness . As others have said, there is a lot to do there and I do know several people who go and never set foot in a park for their whole vacation. If you don't have an RV and don't want to sleep in a tent, there are a couple of options. The cabins are nice, or there are several companies that rent campers. They even deliver them to your site, set them up and take them down for you. I would also recommend a golf cart because the resort is huge! There is more than enough to do to keep you busy. As the others have said, horseback riding, swimming... There is the hoop de doo musical review, the chip and Dale campfire sing along and movie, fireworks from the beach, looping in your golf cart, resort hopping, and above all else... relaxing!

 

[Bocko57]

WHAT?!! Go to Disney and not go to any of the parks. What kind of silly madness is this?!!

But to answer your question honestly, from my perspective of the distance and cost of travel and if I were to do something like this I would want to stay at one of the deluxe resorts and now the cost of deluxe resort, I personally would not stay at one of the resorts and not go to to at least one of the parks.

 

[disneygirl76]

Guess I misunderstood the title as well. I thought it meant ever been to WDW and not gone to any park any time during that entire trip, not just a one time non-park day. In answer, I would say that I cannot imagine spending the amount of money necessary to get to (from PA) to WDW and to stay there without spending at least most days, if not all, in one of the parks. We have to limit our visits to such a short time, there really are only park days. Now if I lived closer it would be a possibility. If my trips were longer, maybe one day out of many would be a non-park day. All the other days, however, would be in the parks.

I totally understand your point of spending the time to get there and not going into the parks. The idea here is that we will be driving to see my parents on HHI in SC. Its 4 hours from there so an easy drive. That's why we are not worried about the cost to get there bc its not like we are going just to Orlando from DC. We will be 80% of the way there already.

 

[disneygirl76]

No never. We talk about it but somehow it never seems to happen. We run back to the room for about 30 mts and then head to another park. No wonder we're exhausted every day! But, we are afraid we'll miss that old "magic" I guess!! LOL

Hee hee Yeah, thats why i'm thinking of going for a no park trip. We never can just stay at the resort when we plan a big WDW trip. Not just not going into the parks during a trip down there, but just going to WDW for a night or two and not going into the parks at all.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

let me help this out in Non-Jersey speak....this is a cupcake/alcohol intake overload recovery day

Sgt?? Please tell Mrs Sgt I said she should be sainted, and remind that wonderful woman, I am gonna pinch you hard when I see you at the world!! LOLOL