Resort Only Vacation

[WeDontTalkAboutBruno]

Has anyone ever done a resort only stay without hitting the parks? We are planning to stay AKL for 5 nights with a 5 year old, and almost 3 year old, and I honestly find the idea of taking them to the parks so overwhelming. This is a first trip for all of us, and I want them to experience the Disney magic, but waiting in long lines with crowds with toddlers just doesn’t sound enjoyable. I honestly think the kids would have just as much fun playing at the pools and playgrounds. I was thinking maybe some character dining, trips to Disney springs, and stuff like that would be just as much fun for the kids and maybe less stressful for the adults.

Is it crazy to plan a Disney trip with no park days? Is there enough to do elsewhere for kiddos? Thanks for the advice!

 

[ShannyMcB]

I think it depends on the family. I know lots of people on the boards have done it, myself not included.
Big question to ask yourself, personal opinion of course, is will your kids recognize and be disappointed in not going to at least MK? If the answer is no resort only sounds like a great plan. If the answer is yes then you may want to consider at least one day in a park.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I like this idea for your first family visit.
Getting to know DisneyWorld …one step at a time
Hope you have great weather for your trip and keep us updated .

You will be amazed at how much there is to do on property!
When does your first day begin?

 

[PalmettoPath]

Definitely. We go three weeks each year and have done this many times. My sisters (who also go, but separately from us) went five years without stepping foot in a park. There is a lot do and it's kind of fun doing all the alt things that you most likely never have time to do when everything is centered around parks.

 

[nomilancer]

I like this idea for your first family visit.
Getting to know DisneyWorld …one step at a time
Hope you have great weather for your trip and keep us updated

 

[nancipants]

We are locals so we go to the parks often, but I enjoy spending time at the resorts and Disney Springs as much as the parks! My son (almost 3) enjoys going to eat at hotels, look in the gift shops, etc. Last weekend we had breakfast at Trail's End and he rode a pony. He knows "Disney World" as a concept, and recognizes Epcot (we go there the most), but hasn't asked for specific rides or parks yet. If your 5 year old doesn't yet recognize the parks or want to do specific rides, I would definitely recommend a resorts-only stay.

 

[MamaMermaid]

I think it's a great idea and worth doing. Maybe do 1 park day? Pick an "easy" park and go in with low expectations about getting a lot accomplished.

 

[RoseGold]

I'd go to a cheaper resort, or to the beach. There are a lot nicer, cheaper places if you aren't going to the parks. You could find better playgrounds than AKL in most neighborhoods, and there are cheaper hotels with much nicer pools.

I love AKL, it's one of the reasons I bought into DVC. But I wouldn't pay the cash rate for it, and Disney as a hotelier is mediocre, to be generous.

AKL in particular has a challenging food set-up if you are there for long. It's great for an occasional meal, or a day or two, but it's tough for this long.

 

[snikki]

I would choose offsite and not pay Disney prices if I’m not doing the parks. Wyndham Bonnet Creek looks great. (We’ve done Wyndham resorts for other vacations). I would get a 1-2 bedroom with a full kitchen to prep meals and snacks for the kids since you’re planning on spending majority of your time at the resort. Their pool complex looks awesome. They have playgrounds and grills. You could still do Disney springs and character meals.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

I think it's a great idea and worth doing. Maybe do 1 park day? Pick an "easy" park and go in with low expectations about getting a lot accomplished

We have done just 1 park day on several trips. A couple of times, we just did a Halloween party (once with a 10 month old and a 3.5 year old, once with a 5.5 year old and an almost 3 year old). It was a late night, but the shorter lines meant we accomplished a lot, especially kid favorites like Small World and Winnie the Pooh. We usually do a non-park character breakfast (like Chef Mickey or Cape May Cafe), Disney Springs, ride the Skyliner and/or monorail for fun, enjoy Ft. Wilderness activities or explore a resort like Art of Animation, and visit our resort's playground/pool.

 

[DL1WDW2]

My family first visit to explore the Disney Magic and we stayed off site Is not how the story goes in my imagination…Haha
Im not familiar with AKL except for the lobby and dining but have always thought it would be an amazing place to stay .

 

[kymom79]

Oh, we are the pros on a resort-only vacation! However, our one caveat about this at Disney is that IMHO Disney is not the best hotelier for the money. The value at a Disney property really comes in if you need early entry to get a jump on the lines that might otherwise screw up your day. I would personally consider what Disney-adjacent hotels might offer delightful options for your family first, and then explore actually staying at a Disney property if the other choices aren't ringing your bell (we have done both, but never Disney on our own dime without a park visit -- we have, however, stayed at Disney without a park visit for business/conference purposes, with accompanying kids having a blast). You will have a great time either way; it's just down to whether you might have an even better time with more financial flexibility if your home base is off of but close to Disney. If budget is a serious factor, our kids had a really great time once at the Marriott Village (when we weren't exploring Disney stuff, they loved exploring the three hotels in the Village and the pools). DH and I have some level of appreciation for finer things, and we loved the Omni, Swan and Dolphin, and JW Marriott. But really, you will have fun regardless. I have heard great things about resort recreational options from some resort-only-visiting friends about the Hyatt Regency just on the back side of Disney Springs, so that might be another one to check out.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I’m taking my 13&15 year old grandchildren for one week stay at Universal . We will enter the theme parks but that is probably a longish visit . I’m looking forward to exploring every every thing to do on Universal property for the Thanksgiving Week even if it is watching the Macys Day Parade on those big screens inside the Cabana Bay Liner Cafeteria… Hope they provide the smell of Thanksgiving cooking my Turkey too!
Of course there is always pumpkin spice latte at the Starbucks in the CBR lobby… while I watch the Parade. I am getting excited now!

 

[RoseGold]

I've always wanted to stay at that Hilton with the lazy river wow. But this is Florida. There are much better beach resorts. Kids love the beach. I'd pick the beach over a character meal.

I guess you could stay offsite and pop over to the WL for the Artist Point character meal.

If you aren't visiting parks, then this isn't your first visit to Disney, IMO.

 

[SLThomas318]

How far are you from Disney? Animal Kingdom Lodge is a really cool resort and you def. don't feel like you are in central Florida. Personally I don't think I'd go to all the trouble to go (depending how far you are), pay the Disney prices, and not go to a park. What time of year are you considering? Are your kids really into animals or your local zoo? If they are, they would probably go nuts for the Savannah view rooms (again, $$$). We did the savannah view and the adults enjoyed it, but the kids weren't overly impressed (not super into the zoo at home, so wasn't surprised).

Maybe consider a shorter trip and just do Magic Kingdom? We are about a 2.5 hr flight from Disney, so we did 3 nights for our boys first trip (they were just shy of 2 and 4). We stayed at the Contemporary so we could walk back and forth to the Magic Kingdom. We had zero expectations and booked the Contemporary so that if someone was over it or not having it we could quickly head to the resort. We did Magic Kingdom with 1 afternoon at Epcot because our boys had gotten into Frozen before the trip.

Disney is overwhelming for sure, but I think a lot of it is mind set and setting expectations (for the adults)... which we have found when traveling with little kids means having zero!

 

[_19disnA]

I agree with others who say you can stay for a lot less money at someplace other then Disney if not planning to do any parks. Part of the higher price for Disney hotels is proximity to the 4 parks. I think small children would be hugely disappointed seeing a Disney park from the hotel but not getting a chance to go there. Disney parks are almost always crowded so you can't do every ride/show in one day but have to pick and choose where you spend your time. No amount of advance planning will make the parks any less crowded.

 

[notatallmagic]

With some of the mayhem (crowds, lines, ride breakdowns), this is a super idea, IMO. We were multiple year out of state Annual Passholders, and my daughter and I just did a resort only trip this summer for a couple days; and we did several over Covid.

Just a few thought - AKL is a wonderful place, but a little remote. I would stay there 2-3 days, enjoy the pool, the atmosphere, and the animals; but I might try a split stay with a differently themed resort with more transportation options, maybe on the Skyliner route? If you like the super Disney theming, you could do Art of Animation (my kids' favorite is still Pop!) or any of the Epcot area hotels. Riding the Skyliner is a blast, you have all the restaurants on that loop available, as well as mini golf, the boats, and the monorail. If you like shopping, you could do something closer to Disney Springs and enjoy the boat and the Springs area (Lego Store is pretty cool for young kids).

I also like your idea of some characters at those ages - with a pre-booked character dining experience. Then if you go back when your kiddos are older, you've already had that experience and you can focus on park attractions. Great idea!

 

[AmyMac1109]

We would never do a resort only stay, only because you're paying so much for proximity to the parks. We'd consider staying off site and visiting various resorts for dining and going to Disney Springs. But, if we're staying on property, we're hitting at least one park. We have 3 trips planned for 2023. The first is 5 days and we're planning 3 park days. The other trips are each 3 days and we're doing 1 park day with each. We feel like this is a good balance between the craziness of the parks and getting to relax and enjoy the resort. Plus, it keeps my kids happy. I don't think they could handle being so close to the parks and not going.

 

[WeDontTalkAboutBruno]

Thanks everyone for your input! That is very encouraging! I know many people come in to Disney with busy itineraries to pack in all the fun, but I’m thinking that with this being our first trip, I’ll just try to get the lay of the land a little bit this time around. Anyone have any must do non park activities their kiddos loved?

 

[WeDontTalkAboutBruno]

With some of the mayhem (crowds, lines, ride breakdowns), this is a super idea, IMO. We were multiple year out of state Annual Passholders, and my daughter and I just did a resort only trip this summer for a couple days; and we did several over Covid.

Just a few thought - AKL is a wonderful place, but a little remote. I would stay there 2-3 days, enjoy the pool, the atmosphere, and the animals; but I might try a split stay with a differently themed resort with more transportation options, maybe on the Skyliner route? If you like the super Disney theming, you could do Art of Animation (my kids' favorite is still Pop!) or any of the Epcot area hotels. Riding the Skyliner is a blast, you have all the restaurants on that loop available, as well as mini golf, the boats, and the monorail. If you like shopping, you could do something closer to Disney Springs and enjoy the boat and the Springs area (Lego Store is pretty cool for young kids).

I also like your idea of some characters at those ages - with a pre-booked character dining experience. Then if you go back when your kiddos are older, you've already had that experience and you can focus on park attractions. Great idea!

Thanks for your input! So we are also traveling with grandparents and aunt and uncle for a total of 6 adults and 2 kids. I was planning on renting points for a 2 bedroom villa at AKL (my kids love animals and it seems to be the cheapest DVC) I’m totally open to looking into other hotels, but I was struggling to find one that could accommodate that many people.