Kinda crazy Q... is it possible to experience Disney w/o "Disney"?

[BarbieSmith]

Thank you!

 

[Minnesota!]

We do it a lot. Honestly, the resorts and those amenities are what keep me coming back - the parks hold very little interest to me as of late. Stale, etc.

We typically stay at a WDW hotel...AKL being our favorite. There are so many things to do THERE that you can easily pass your whole day.

We also like the Boardwalk area - beautiful, we get ice cream, people watch, etc.

DS is fun, too. Lots of little places to pop into, Splitsville, catch a band/act at the bandshell, Christmas shop for that years ornament, bench-riding, people-watching, good meals (EoS is still a fantastic bargain!).

We hit Fort Wilderness one morning for breakfast, and the explore - the barns, watch them shoe horses, play a few games of checkers, hang out on the beach for a bit.

Swimming, of course.

Mini golf a few times.

Most of the resorts have their own things that they do to have fun - Yacht and Beach still has trivia some nights, I believe? Arcades everywhere, fishing, boat excursions, fireworks cruises, hidden Mickey searches, wagon/carriage rides, water parks, spas, a fancy dinner out to celebrate health, etc.

There is plenty to do and see that would fill your days...even away from the parks!

 

[mrswillson]

I'm amazed at how many people are telling you not to go - why?! Disney has a million and one things to do above and beyond the theme parks! As a child who grew up in a DVC family that spent 99% of their vacations on Disney property, I can attest to the fact that some of my best memories made at Disney were NOT inside a park. You don't know if you child would be happy or not with the alternative unless you ask them, so I don't understand how people can state their children would be disappointed or choose no vacation at all over a different type of vacation.

Some things that come to mind right off the bat:

1) Touring the resorts. We always made a point to walk through some of our favorites (BW, GF, Poly, AKL, WL) and see the lobbies.

2) Use of the resort pools. If you choose to stay at a value resort and can manage to pool hop, that alone will keep you busy for a day or two. Slides are a kid's best friend.

3) "Eating around the resorts" was a pastime we loved. Pick some places that sound interesting around the resorts and sample something small from each, or pick one fancy restaurant the family agrees on and splurge!

4) When I was 10 my parents took my brother and I out boating in Seven Seas Lagoon and we LOVED it! One of the coolest experiences to date in my book, and absolutely no theme park involved.

5) Find a place to watch the fireworks. Certain restaurants that offer a view of the fireworks at MK stream the soundtrack to the show and will give you a unique experience in and of itself (O'hana offers this at Poly).

I think you should absolutely go and make memories that you all will cherish!

 

[mdsouth]

Hi all, I just want to update you! The ticket offer above did not go through, but it did not matter at all! We worked hard to adjust expectations, and the girls were delighted with our trip. They were grateful and happy. We spent most of our time visiting resorts and their Christmas decorations and dreaming of staying there one day, and also at Disney Springs. I am so happy we did this non-Disney trip to Disney

Happy to hear you had a great time on your trip without going into the parks! It sounds like it was a magical, refreshing trip for your family and just what you all needed!

I would love to read a TR of your experiences. I really do think that I am going to plan something similar for my family this summer. Thank you for the idea and for sharing how it went. My two kids are older and I think we would love the time to explore the resorts, campground and just do some of the cool activities like others on this thread have mentioned. I need to go and start checking out the resorts.