Sorry but yes, that sounds kind of crazy to me. The reason why I fell in love with Disney in the first place was seeing how much my children loved it, and how magical it was to them. Your kids are at the perfect age to enjoy the parks and still believe in the “magic.” While the parks are for people of all ages, every single park has so many elements that cater to children, especially Magic Kingdom.
I understand feeling overwhelmed by everything and worrying about spending so much time waiting in lines. Lines are definitely part of Disney, and there will always be crowds. But your time in the parks can be whatever you make of it, it doesn’t have to be chaos. You don’t have to rush around constantly in the parks if you don’t want to. Pick a few rides (using
Genie+ will help eliminate so much time standing in lines), plan to eat a meal, see a show or parade, and then that can be it! Or go for the morning, back to your resort for a mid-day break when it’s the hottest and most crowded, then head back for the evening. You could even hire a
travel agent (Disney travel agents are FREE!) to help with some details of your park day.
AKL is a gorgeous resort, one of my absolute favorites on Disney property. I LOVE my rest days and days outside the parks and always have them planned for every single trip. But I just don’t think there’s enough going on there or at other Disney properties to make it worth it without going to the parks. At least do a day at Magic Kingdom. Your kids will LOVE it, I promise. And seeing the looks on their faces will be worth it for you. Plus, you will be so close to Animal Kingdom which is a really chill park, definitely more opportunities here for a relaxing day than any of the other parks.
If you really don’t want to go to the parks, I STRONGLY urge you to reconsider and go somewhere else. It is a great, big beautiful world out there and I would not waste money on an expensive Disney hotel without going to a single park. There’s way better vacations that you can do for the money you would spend on a Disney hotel. A beach trip, trip to a National Park or 2, spending time in a big city, etc. are some that come to mind.
Don’t do it. Go to at least one park!!!