Best Resort For a Non-Park Stay

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Kristen K.'s picture
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Joined: 09/01/2011
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Best Resort For a Non-Park Stay

confused Where would you stay at Walt Disney World if you weren't planning on going to any Parks? What features would be important to you to have?

I've always thought that Animal Kingdom Lodge was perfect for that sort of visit. It's sense of isolation and "otherness" makes me want to linger, and not being able to see a Park in the distance would help me not miss it. The restaurants are awesome, Uzima Springs is my favorite Disney pool, there are mini-spa facilities on site and a fabulous gift shop. What more do I need?

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Joined: 09/12/2010
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My first thought was Beach Club for the great pool and proximity to the Boardwalk, plus some good eats, like Cape May Cafe, Yachtsman, and of course the Beaches and Cream. But it would be soooo tempting to hop through the international gateway and sneak a peek around Epcot. Haha. But there are enough other fun things to do I could so make this work with a non-park visit.

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Joined: 06/14/2016
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OKW or SS are good, though my favorite is OKW. The rooms are really nice, with great views, the Turtle Pond pool is great, and just love Olivia's.

At SS, it's fun to hang out at the Paddock Pool, have a burger, and they even play trivia in the afternoons. Smile Plus great food court, and Turf Club is also great for dinners. Also great walking around at SS.

And of course, you can boat to DS. Which really doesn't count as a park since you don't need a pass? (or am I pushing it?)

Sometimes we've just boated to DS and boated back.

alicemouse's picture
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Joined: 10/22/2013
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One of our rationales for purchasing our points at SSR was that it seemed like a great resort to stay at even if we weren't visiting the Disney Parks--that it's location on property is also more convenient for driving to SeaWorld or Universal--especially since we bought resale and can't change our points into any other timeshare systems. Plus, being close to Disney Springs means that even a non-park vacation could have some Disney flair. SO I think SSR is a good contender.

I also really love Poly and Wilderness Lodge as a stand alone resorts because of the amenities, ambiance, and dining options at each location. There's also the added benefit of being able to access to multiple other resorts for dining and entertainment via the monorail and boats. You can literally visit 5 other resorts without boarding a bus.

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Spook's picture
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Joined: 04/27/2012
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I'd have to say AKL for the animals ( I could sit and watch them all day), Beach Club fir the pool and being so close to the boardwalk, and maybe Wilderness Lodge. I've yet to stay at Wilderness Lodge but I love walking the nature trail to Fort wilderness mickey

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Joined: 11/08/2012
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I'm thinking any of the monorail resorts, especially BLT, because you can even watch the fireworks from there. Well at least for the time being. There are plenty of dining options around the loop and resort hopping and TOWL, etc.

Epcot resorts, especially BCV would be my second choice. Lots of good restaurants, Jelly Rolls, SAB.

But I could probably rough it at any of them. Even SSR.

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Allie's picture
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Joined: 06/26/2012
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Animal Kingdom for the animals and restaurants, Beach Club for the pool and Boardwalk access, or Saratoga to have Disney Springs within walking distance.

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Joined: 01/11/2014
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Animal Kingdom Lodge would be my choice. Lots to see and do and great food. Also they offer a couple different tours you can go on. Boardwalk would be good also because there is so much to see and do over there and great food.

Magic Mirror's picture
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Joined: 09/18/2012
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I'm hanging in with the Animal Kingdom Lodge group!

They have a such a large variety of free or low cost activities like making the "snacks" for the animals that I could find many things to do to keep myself busy. I'd be content just rocking in the rocking chairs watching the animals! The exotic feel of the architecture makes me feel like I'm really in another country somewhere far, far away!

Plus, if you are there in the heat of the summer...I always feel that AKL has a "cooler" feel to it temperature wise...maybe because of the darker furnishings...