Resort Only Vacation

[WeDontTalkAboutBruno]

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 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 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

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 offsite hotels, but I was struggling to find one that could accommodate that many people. Maybe we will just attempt a day or two at the parks and can always leave if it doesn’t work out

 

[WeDontTalkAboutBruno]

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.

Thanks for the input! I was actually looking for hotels that had 2 bedrooms and great amenities so thats a great suggestion!

 

[WeDontTalkAboutBruno]

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.

Thats a great idea too! We are planning for a fall trip so the Halloween party might be a good compromise! Were your littles able to enjoy it even though it was a late night?

 

[snikki]

Thanks for the input! I was actually looking for hotels that had 2 bedrooms and great amenities so thats a great suggestion!

Try www.vacationstrategy.com for cheaper booking. Even the 3 bedrooms are a nice price. We’ve used them to book Wyndham 2 -3 bedroom units in other cities.

Another favorite on the boards is www.vacationupgrades.com

You can easily get a 2 or 3 bedroom for under $300 a night or $200 a night or lower depending on the time of year.

 

[Magical2017]

Personally no but if I owned DVC I absolutely would! Do what makes you happy--the resorts are fun.

 

[notatallmagic]

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.

With a group of eight and multiple adults, you can do two four person rooms and I believe several of the family suite rooms (A of A) and maybe (not sure) something at Yacht or Beach Club?

Just my opinion, but I do love the "over the top" Disney theming of Art of Animation for little kids. If you don't stay there, I would still visit the themed areas, walk around the resort, ride the Skyliner, and maybe have a cupcake.

Our resort only to do list is Disney Springs (Lego Store and exhibits for littles); riding the boats to Port Orleans and seeing the horses and having beignets; riding the Skyliner and monorail, visiting the Boardwalk area (they have the surrey type bicycles that are fun for larger groups); walking around Art of Animation and seeing the Disney stuff; taking the Skyliner to Caribbean Beach and seeing the island and hammocks; taking the Skyliner to Riviera, eating at their quick service and playing boci and outdoor chess; and lots of pool and resort time.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Thats a great idea too! We are planning for a fall trip so the Halloween party might be a good compromise! Were your littles able to enjoy it even though it was a late night?

Yes, especially the youngest, since she took a nap. Party tickets are good for entry starting at 4pm, so it still gives a few hours before bedtime anyways. The first time we went, they fell asleep in their strollers around 10 or 10:30 and then we got to watch the Hocus Pocus Villain show while the kiddos snoozed beside us. I'd recommend either driving or staying at a MK area resort, though. It's no fun getting 2 sleeping kids plus stroller(s) off the bus.

For fall trip resort fun, take a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness so you can see some of the amazing decorations. Plus my kids love the pony rides there/visiting the horse barn.

 

[DisneyOma]

Will the 5 year old be talking to any friends about the trip? It might be disappointing to not go to MK (at least) if anyone they play with knows what WDW is like. If one of the kids is talking about all the rides they went on, your kid might wonder why you guys didn't do any of that?

 

[hsmamato2]

IMHO the best thing about Disney property isn't the parks....kids that age would have a BLAST staying there, using buses or boats to go visit places,eat snacks,play on playgrounds and see characters at a meal! I'd do it

 

[Miffy]

OP:
(1) You are looking at renting DVC points. Please be aware that in most cases you pay upfront for the room, the reservation is not able to be modified, and if you cancel, you may get none or practically none of your money refunded These are the reasons I have never done this.

(2) AKL is an amazing resort. For a resort-only vacation, you've picked a great place. However . . .

(3) You will be at WDW. A resort-only vacation is the sort of thing that people who've been going for years or even decades do. But you will be right there. I cannot imagine doing this and not going to a park or two. How you'll be able to manage the 5-year-old and not go to MK is beyond me. And you'll be 5 minutes from DAK, which is an amazing park.

(4) Are you sure all the people you intend to travel with will actually go with you? Because the danger of booking a trip for so many people is that sometimes people have to cancel. Then you'll be stuck with this big villa you're renting. So please make it clear to everyone that even if they have to cancel on you, they'll still be responsible to pay their share.

(5) Finally, do some rethinking on this. Sure, renting DVC points seems like a great way to save money, but it's also a great way to lose all your vacation funds, since reservations are nonrefundable (for the most part) and not able to be modified (for the most part). Quite a risk there, especially with a large group.

 

[Dotluvsdisney]

We did this! My son and I loved it. We stayed at AKL too! It was so big, there were loads of activities and we took the shuttle over to the other side when we wanted a change of scenery. There were cultural ambassadors in the lobby and near the restaurants. We saw a live drum performance, man creating wood carvings and more.

 

[Minniesgal]

We are going in July for 3 nights pre cruise and really looking forward to it although I might change night three to Vero beach

 

[LadyNia]

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.

With this many adults accompanying you, I’d say you have plenty of helping hands at the parks. I would take advantage of that and do at least 1 or 2 park days. Honestly, if you go at a slow pace in the parks and don’t try to cram everything in you should be able to have a good time in the parks.

 

[Calee]

I couldn't do it. I think the resorts are nice and I do enjoy resort days, but the parks are why I go to Disney. Our first trip was the absolute best and most magical-my youngest was 4 and he was at such a perfect age. You don't have to do all the parks, or do it from sun up to close, but I would not make your first trip a non park trip.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Adult only trip….
or an actual vacation…

you get up at 9 ish ….
go to breakfast….

maybe back to the room…. Maybe the pool….

spa by 1 for a massage ….

dinner movie shopping

rinse repeat.

come home very relaxed….

no parks needed. Well maybe a water park

 

[Shellyred8]

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!

Another thought of "Disney" things to do would be do one of their waterparks.
AKL is a great place to stay if you aren't doing any parks, especially if your kiddos love animals. The theming is excellent! As a side note: it's also pretty close to a McDonald's, so there is that if it's needed.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

You're not crazy - everyone's needs and expectations are going to be different. That said, I'm not in the camp of a resort-only stay. I'm not local, so we fly, and if we're flying to Orlando it's not to swim in pools. We have pools here I LOVE Disney resorts and love a good rest day etc, but not a trip with absolutely NO park time.

But more to the point - I have a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old. At that age they want to GO. They need to be engaged and entertained constantly. I'm not sure there's enough to entertain kids that age for 5 days without going to the parks at all. Disney Springs is fantastic but it's mostly shopping.
What I would do is plan for a day or two of park tickets. With other adults traveling with you, it won't be so crazy.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Personally there would be no way we could or would do it. At 5 our DDs would know where we were and no way could we have kept them away. We have been doing trips to WDW since our 1st DD was 6 months old and never really had any big hassles or melt downs. But if you are going to do it, then I think you picked the right resort, because AKL would be the place I would do it at.

 

[danceintherain]

I wouldn't, but I have very low expectations in the parks. I fully expect my youngest kids to spend time chasing birds. We take a afternoon break every day and rarely stay for the fireworks. I also don't sweat it if after we come back for our afternoon nap, we don't return to the parks for the evening at all.

If I was going to plan a no park vacation, I would stay somewhere else. Maybe a few years ago, I would have done it. Now the price to stay on property at Disney is just excessive.
Also, while my kids would happily hang out at the pool all day, that's more exhausting to me than going to the parks, because it wasn't until recently that any of them could swim. My youngest has no fear and is a runner. Not a great combination around a pool. We can put him in a stroller in the parks.....

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

It would be about impossible for me to spend premium $$$ to stay at a disney resort and not go to the parks especially with my kids at that age. I just don't see a point to going to disney to not go to the parks, especially with kids. Not sure how far you are from ORL but we are a half day's drive and even that close, I'm not just doing resorts only. I can see adults only, semi-local folks, DVC owners, etc but with my kids, nope. I love AKL and have stayed with my kids, amazing memories for sure but this a hard no for me. I just think I'd regret not taking the time to do even one park.

If you're overwhelmed with WDW, have you considered maybe just doing one park to get an idea of what to expect? You don't have to wait in never ending lines, just walking around the parks and doing the non-headliner attractions is sometimes all you can do with little kids and that's enough to keep them entertained. There's more to WDW parks than just rides. Shows, parades, fireworks. I treasure my trips, my memories and all my photos of our trips when my girls were little. We never had 100% perfect days but I think because we never pushed to do every thing with little kids, we had pretty stress-free trips. We also would only do one park over 1-2 days and not try to be at the parks from rope drop to close.

I think any adult or child would be thrilled to get to go on a vacation and certainly to visit an awesome place like AKL, but to say I'm taking my kids to WDW and only go to AKL, that would be a hard no for me. I realize it's different strokes for different folks but this is would be so cost prohibitive.