Would you visit parks alone on business trip?

**Tink&Goofy** · 09-20-2007, 10:56 PM

I've done this! (Well, not at WDW, but at DL!!) I only had about 3 hours - but well worth it. Actually, I ended up there 2 times in the course of about 3 months - and then had a family trip a couple months later!

**2Epcot** · 09-21-2007, 12:28 AM

I've done this a couple of times, and would certainly do it again. Any time I can get to the World I will take advantage of it.

**JWB3** · 09-21-2007, 03:30 PM

I'm scheduled to attend a conference 10/21 - 10/24 and have arranged to go down 2 days early, taking advantage of the conference hotel rate (CSR, $98/night). While my DW and DS won't be able to join me, through gritted teeth they've wished me well just the same. I tell them I'm scouting out our next trip! Perhaps souvenirs promised will get me back in their good graces.

Touring the parks solo will be different, and I'll surely miss having my family with me, but I'm looking forward to the freedom to do what I want when I want, whether it be attraction, food, pool, or just kicking back with an umbrella drink

watching the World go by!

Countdown: 27 days - yahoo!!

**dmosher** · 09-22-2007, 07:36 AM

... in fact I have done this, and being there alone is different, but can be fun as well. You get to experience the same things but on your own and at your own pace. Plus you may get to do the things that your family doesn't like to do. Like POTC 4 times in a row.

The only thing worse than being close and not going is actuallt being there and not going. I was at a conference at the Dolphin Hotel for a week and one of the guys I work with didn't visit the park once on his own, because his family was in Washington... not once!! We even had an open night in MGM after they closed, with rides, food and drink all open to us and he still refused to go. He was miserable the whole week.

Would you really want to put yourself through that??? NO WAY! I say go and enjoy it, bring back a souvenir for everyone and then promise them a return trip in the very near future!

You won't be sorry.
D

**Stan** · 09-22-2007, 10:44 AM

one of the guys I work with didn't visit the park once on his own, because his family was in Washington... not once!! We even had an open night in MGM after they closed, with rides, food and drink all open to us and he still refused to go.

Please tell me he wasn't an engineer. And I want to know, if the rest of his family was at WDW but he had to stay home and work, would they refuse to visit any parks because he couldn't be there with them? ...yeah, right.

Sometimes I wonder if part of the problem is the "I'm on a business trip and they're never any fun at all" idea... and visiting MK or EPCOT or MGM would kind of spoil that. I've been on plenty of trips where even a full day or 2 in a park would not make up for the drudgery (sp?) of it all.

**pixiesmimi** · 09-22-2007, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by dmosher

... in fact I have done this, and being there alone is different, but can be fun as well. You get to experience the same things but on your own and at your own pace. Plus you may get to do the things that your family doesn't like to do. Like POTC 4 times in a row.

The only thing worse than being close and not going is actuallt being there and not going. I was at a conference at the Dolphin Hotel for a week and one of the guys I work with didn't visit the park once on his own, because his family was in Washington... not once!! We even had an open night in MGM after they closed, with rides, food and drink all open to us and he still refused to go. He was miserable the whole week.

Would you really want to put yourself through that??? NO WAY! I say go and enjoy it, bring back a souvenir for everyone and then promise them a return trip in the very near future!

You won't be sorry.
D

You weren't, by any chance at an AutoCAD convention or seminar, were you? That sounds like when my DD went down for a seminar alone (architect) and their group went one night to MGM after it closed. I don't think she went because she didn't know anyone there and felt totally alone. I would have gone anyway. She went to DTD instead and shopped. I wouldn't have passed up a free night at MGM and would have made friends with someone.

I guess it depends on how long I would have free as to whether I thought it would be worth it to buy a ticket. I would go to DTD though and shop and eat. It would be very hard for me to be that close and not go to MK or Epcot.

**JoRy** · 09-24-2007, 12:09 PM

I have a conference in Orlando during Jan/Feb every year. Actually I can go to any of four conferences all over the country, and I pick the Orlando one every year for just the reason of going to WDW. In fact, even though the conference is at the Convention Center, I still stay on Disney property. I cannot imagine going to Orlando and staying anywhere other then on WDW property.

This year I did get lucky, and the kids are still out of school during my conference time. So they get to go with me this year....can you say skip almost all the conference, but go enough to write off the trip?

**Stan** · 09-24-2007, 01:58 PM

I cannot imagine going to Orlando and staying anywhere other then on WDW property

Yes, but how hard must it be to get up in the morning and leave WDW to go to a boring old conference somewhere else? ...and see all those other folks at the hotel heading to the parks?

skip almost all the conference

No wonder my client last week was working so hard to get folks to visit their booth at the NAHREP expo at the Contemporary. I'm guessing a lot of the attendees were in the parks instead of the exhibit hall.

**Roger Rabbit 89** · 09-24-2007, 02:28 PM

I stayed at HRH and went to Universal like that. If I would have had more time I would have taken a taxi to MK for the day, but the convention took up most of my time.

Michael

**Stan** · 09-24-2007, 02:36 PM

Maybe I've provided a public service with this poll. Now, if you get grief for going to a theme park, you can just point to this thread and say, "See, (almost) everyone else said they'd do it, too!".

Not that that kind of argument ever gets you anywhere... worth a shot though. Or you could ask, "Would you go if I had to stay home?".

(Does anyone else remember a Foghorn Leghorn line about "I'd do the same..." and then when the tables were turned of course he wouldn't?)

**Bluesky481** · 09-24-2007, 06:51 PM

Absolutely! DH wouldn't mind (he'd do the same thing)

**Deesdisney** · 09-24-2007, 09:32 PM

I have always wanted to do that. Even though my kids would get upset I would still do it. Being there and not going would kill me more.

**gtpooh** · 09-24-2007, 10:45 PM

I have a trip coming up in March, but I'm hoping to clear a full day (perhaps arriving early) since I definitely want to hit the parks for at least one day! It will be tough figuring out which one to go to of course!

**ryca1dreams** · 09-25-2007, 01:00 PM

I'm one of the only ones who voted no. I went a few years ago on business and stayed at one of the hotels across from Downtown Disney. Instead of going into the parks at night, I went to DD a few times (no clubs). On the last day, I was done early, so I went to Boma, rode the busses and talked to people, went to Poly, watched the Electric Water Pageant, watched Wishes (from afar), rode the boat launch to MK - basically I had fun on the cheap and met a lot of people who were having good vacations. I saved my money for the family's return trip a month later.

**TheRustyScupper** · 09-26-2007, 02:10 PM

1) Been there, several times.
2) Done that, several times.
3) Both full and partial days.
4) Woul do it again.

**Stan** · 07-24-2008, 08:50 PM

I'm teaching some more of those engineering classes here in Orlando this week, and again I don't think anybody's going to WDW. At lunch today I even showed the class this thread- they thought it was funny and didn't seem too offended.

One guy said the Vegas comparison* wasn't valid, since "the casinos are right next to your hotel". Maybe...

*If these same folks went to Vegas on business, would they not visit a casino? Would they attend a Broadway show if it were next door?

That got me wondering, what's the cost comparison for an evening in EPCOT vs an evening in Vegas or an evening at a Broadway show?

Not too hard to estimate EPCOT... park entry $80?, fancy dinner $50?, gas from UCF area $15, total around $150? Lots of cheaper alternatives of course.

How about Vegas? fancy dinner? a couple hours of gambling? cab fare? Help me somebody.

What about the Broadway show in NYC? ... fancy dinner? ... cab fare? Anybody out there done this?

Something makes me think EPCOT would be the cheapest of these 3.

**Mousemates** · 07-24-2008, 09:41 PM

Yes, I would and have in the past, but not as often as my DW who makes it to Orlando with far more frequency than I do

SFTrny · 07-24-2008, 10:32 PM

Nope...not me. I've been to WDW 3 times on business (stayed at the Swan and POR) but did not (would not) go to the parks without family. I did go to DTD and I did enjoy the resorts and Boardwalk areas, which worked out well since there wasn't all that much free time anyway. I also used the time to plan for our next trip and to buy some Disney shirts as surprises for the family just before our next family trip to WDW.

**JPL** · 07-24-2008, 10:48 PM

I actually did this this past January I turned my 4 day conference into 6 Days at the parks

I started off the friday before MLK weekend and ended the following Sunday. I even managaed to squeeze a day a Sea World in since the conference was at the Orange County Convention Center.