Which DVC resort would be best if you didn’t have a park pass?

[PetePanMan]

SSR - Disney springs
AKL - two pools, multiple restaurants, out of the way feel, animals
copper creek/ WLV - use of boats to access restaurants at other sites

 

[Firepath]

Animal Kingdom Kidani. We did exactly that this spring in a savannah view 1 br for a week. Did our own cooking, no parks, and loved it! Could've stayed another week!

 

[MrsBooch]

Your signature says you are from "Too far North." I would second an earlier poster's comment that you should try a non-WDW resort. I wouldn't drive all the way down to Florida if I weren't going to the parks --although there are lots of wonderful things to do.

I would suggest Hilton Head DVC. It is amazing and you have the entire island and the historic towns surrounding as well! It is truly a gem among the DVC resorts and some of the best CM's ever!

I'm so glad you mentioned this! Our family LOVES Hilton Head DVC - it is truly an amazing resort and perfect for a relaxed unplugged vacation. The CM's make it even better. We were so sad when we had to cancel our spring break trip this year - we typically do two trips a year - one to a non WDW DVC resort and one to Disney World. My husband is a huge golfer so he especially loves Hilton Head for the multitude of very nicely maintained golf courses.

 

[BeachNut]

SSR - Disney springs
AKL - two pools, multiple restaurants, out of the way feel, animals
copper creek/ WLV - use of boats to access restaurants at other sites

These are the 3 I’m thinking of as well - besides The Contemporary, what other resorts do the WL boats go to directly?

 

[MrsBooch]

These are the 3 I’m thinking of as well - besides The Contemporary, what other resorts do the WL boats go to directly?

Fort Wilderness (access to Hoop Dee Doo, the horse ranch, and Trails End as well as the decorations around the campsites during Christmas). I think that's it.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

I'm so glad you mentioned this! Our family LOVES Hilton Head DVC - it is truly an amazing resort and perfect for a relaxed unplugged vacation. The CM's make it even better. We were so sad when we had to cancel our spring break trip this year - we typically do two trips a year - one to a non WDW DVC resort and one to Disney World. My husband is a huge golfer so he especially loves Hilton Head for the multitude of very nicely maintained golf courses.

You sound just like us! Yes, Hilton Head is AWESOME!! If our summer WDW trip washes out, we are thinking about a fall trip to HH if possible. I see you have a Vero Beach trip planned; we have yet to make it there but have heard it is wonderful too! Pixie Dust for you all!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I would suggest Hilton Head DVC. It is amazing and you have the entire island and the historic towns surrounding as well! It is truly a gem among the DVC resorts and some of the best CM's ever!

Yes, excellent idea. We go for about 12 nights around Thanksgiving, decide that morning where to eat lunch, what to do. Sometimes our biggest activity is biking to the other end of the resort to watch the boats come and go. That takes several hours! Besides biking, some days DH golfs. VERY relaxing.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Yes, excellent idea. We go for about 12 nights around Thanksgiving, decide that morning where to eat lunch, what to do. Sometimes our biggest activity is biking to the other end of the resort to watch the boats come and go. That takes several hours! Besides biking, some days DH golfs. VERY relaxing.

Wow! Twelve days--now that sounds relaxing!

 

[PetePanMan]

These are the 3 I’m thinking of as well - besides The Contemporary, what other resorts do the WL boats go to directly?

I think only campgrounds and Contemporary directly but we also like to connect through MK to Poly and Grand Floridian. Love these trips.

 

[BeachNut]

I think only campgrounds and Contemporary directly but we also like to connect through MK to Poly and Grand Floridian. Love these trips.

What’s generally faster - WL-Contemporary-Poly or WL-MK-Poly ? What about WL- GF? Or does all of this depend on time of day/year?

 

[PetePanMan]

Im pretty sure you have to connect through MK to get to Poly and GF from WL.

 

[Geomom]

What’s generally faster - WL-Contemporary-Poly or WL-MK-Poly ? What about WL- GF? Or does all of this depend on time of day/year?

If I wanted to get to Poly/GF from WL, I'd probably take the boat to the Contemporary, walk inside, go up to the Monorail and take the monorail over to Poly/GF.

WL boat goes to Contemporary and Fort Wilderness OR to Magic Kingdom--then you'd have to get off the boat and get in line for another boat to Poly/GF...and those Magic Kingdom boat lines can be long and the boats don't hold that many people. The other option is taking the boat to Magic Kingdom, then taking the monorail from there.

All ways to Poly/GF from WL will involve a transfer of some type.

 

[tokyo316]

We do this every year for two weeks at OKW. We love the pool and community center, pool activities for kids and the activities like tennis and shuffleboard which are close to everything else. Plus the boat to DS. And if we want to go to another resort for dinner or to look around we drive or Uber.

i just booked OKW and have never been there. what is there to in the community center during the day as we will have mvmc tickets

 

[Elephantay]

Generally there are just so many great restaurants and also some fun shopping. They're also still adding new restaurants/shops. If you haven't tried a lot of the restaurants at DS, I'd highly recommend checking them out!

For entertainment, they often have live music. The new Cirque du Soleil show looks like it will be good. Bowling/dining at Splitsville, dine-in movies at AMC. The Void if you like virtual reality experiences. I also like checking out the seasonal food offerings they have, like for the holidays.

We've found that these things can really add up! Might as well go to the parks!

 

[Elephantay]

Generally there are just so many great restaurants and also some fun shopping. They're also still adding new restaurants/shops. If you haven't tried a lot of the restaurants at DS, I'd highly recommend checking them out!

For entertainment, they often have live music. The new Cirque du Soleil show looks like it will be good. Bowling/dining at Splitsville, dine-in movies at AMC. The Void if you like virtual reality experiences. I also like checking out the seasonal food offerings they have, like for the holidays.

We've found that these things can really add up! Might as well go to the parks!

I would absolutely pick SSR! We love it there! We love the ease of boarding a boat to go eat at our favorite restaurants in DS! I love the convenience of walking my meal off after dinner or lunch. The view from Saratoga’s is breathtaking most times.

The breeze on your skin and the bliss you feel pulling up at the docks are second to none. I say this as someone who owns VGF and BLT I love my resorts too. I could never in good faith stay at either one of them and be like..... no parks ..... It ain’t happening Especially since we have an AP.

The food in DS is hands down the best! I’d use all my DDP credits there if my child wasn’t insistent upon using them for most of her Character Meals .

Agree! We LOVED our stay here, taking the boat to DS was so perfect!

 

[4luv2cdisney]

So far, I've stayed at BCV, BLT, BWV, OKW, SSR, and VWL. Of those, I can think of three for a non-park stay, each of which has good reasons. Importantly, because you are not going to the theme parks, being close to the theme parks is not important. I think I would put them in this order:

OKW for its "island time" vibe, larger units, and *awesome* verandas--especially if you snag one of the units in Bldg 45 or 46 that overlook the canal. The setting winding among the golf course and watching the golfers is also fun--at least for me. The pace of life just seems slower and more relaxed here vs. the other DVC resorts I've stayed at. The boat to Disney Springs is lovely as long as the weather holds out, but it does take a bit of time. That could be good for a non-park visit though.

VWL. It is close to MK, but because it's around the bend and on Bay Lake, it's incredibly peaceful. Sitting down by the water, either behind the old Trout Pass bar (provided no one is using the smoking area) or down by Geyser Point is another good way to spend time. The boat loop to the Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge is a pleasant way to see the lake. The walking path between WL and Ft. Wilderness is lovely, and there are lots of paths in the latter, too.

SSR. The resort grounds are quite nice---not as nice as OKW in my mind, but still right up there. The easy access to Disney Springs is a definite plus. Also some lovely walking paths, though not quite on the same level as Ft. Wilderness.

Personally, I'd pick OKW. It's point-friendly, it's relaxing, the units are large. The pools aren't great, but they are good enough. That might be a reason to try somewhere else, especially if you have tween/teen kids. With younger kids the only thing that matters about the pool is that it has water, and that water is wet. With adults only, I mostly want to be able to find a chair around the pool, and be able to dip in the pool and/or hot tub periodically.

These are the exact ones I'd consider for a no park trip. Of the 3, I've only stayed at SSR. Love having easy access to all the shopping, dining and fun nighttime atmosphere of DS. Wouldn't mind trying a treehouse villa.

OKW has always seemed like it would be my kind of vibe. When we bought DVC, my husband could not believe it was not OKW. Apparently, I've mentioned wanting to stay here a few times. Lol. And a boat to DS seems good enough especially if you're not in a hurry. I want to try it for sure, though I think in the end a preferred room at SSR may be hard to beat.

VWL - We end up at Wilderness / Fort Wilderness every single trip for some reason or another. Lots of fun stuff and just beautiful. Easy enough to get over to the monorail loop for all the other great places to eat, watch fireworks, etc. And I doubt we'd really be able to stay away from any and all parks. So, just 1 day at the MK may have to happen....

We don't do pools at all so they're not a factor.

Animals are interesting for about 5 minutes. (My kids won't even do the safari at AK anymore.) So, AKV is not on the radar, though we've visited a few times for dinner and just to check it out. It is definitely beautiful.

We own at BWV and love it there, but I know I couldn't stay there and stay out of the parks.

 

[Albee]

I don't know if you watch the Dis Unplugged, but AK always comes up as a good resort only vacation. Saratoga also comes up too as it's right by Disney Springs. You may want to watch the pros & cons of these resorts on Dis Unplugged podcast. I can't remember for sure but there might even be one for resort only stays.

 

[ginny65]

For a no park stay, I would definitely pick SSR preferred and request Congress Park for easy walking access to DS.
- The renovated rooms are great! We just stayed there in February for the first time and really enjoyed our stay.
- So many great restaurants at DS. Some of our favorites and lots more we have yet to try. We love Homecomin’, Jaleo, and WBG plus many others.
- Lots of shopping at DS, including LEGO for the kids.
- Live music and entertainment options at DS, including Cirque du Soleil, Splitsville, and AMC.
- Several pools at SSR to choose from, plus they also have a playground and Community Hall which our kids love.
- Senses Spa is at SSR and I’ve loved the spa services there.
- Bus access to other resorts and boat access to some resorts from DS.
- Plenty of paths at SSR for running/walking/biking.

I prefer other resorts for going to the parks, but SSR has so many things going for it when you’re not concerned with things like being able to walk to a park.

Are the boats running back and forth from SSR and DS?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Are the boats running back and forth from SSR and DS?

I think the only boats running are from Fort Wilderness to the MK and WL to the MK.

 

[UA DVC Member]

Are the boats running back and forth from SSR and DS?

As of 2 weeks ago the boats between SSR and DS were not running.