In all of my travels, Walt Disney World has to be one of the best places to have a vacation to unplug, unwind, and detox from all the stresses of daily life. Why not head to the Walt Disney World Resort for a “Workation”?
What is a workation?
I guess the first thing I should cover is, “What is a workation?” There are a variety of definitions around the internet about what a workation is. To me a workation is a type of vacation where you head to a location to get away from your daily grind to get some work done. Typically people think that a workation location has to be a beach or somewhere exotic, but in reality not necessarily so. My wife and I recently took a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. We met up with my sister-in-law for a short vacation, but while the girls were having a shopping and lounging by the pool day, I decided to take some time to get some work done while hanging out in one of the most “Magical Places on Earth”. I thought I would share my experience and share with you some tips on how to have a “Walt Disney World Workation”.
Planning your workation
Properly planning your Walt Disney World Workation is by far one of the most important parts of trip. Without this, your experience could easily be less than desired. In my opinion the only time to head to Walt Disney World is in the “Off Season”. The list below outlines some of the the best times I’ve experienced heading to Walt Disney World.
Lowest Attendance
- Nearly all of January, minus New Year’s Day of course, through the time just prior to the Presidents Day week in February.
- The week following Labor Day in September all the way until the weekend just prior to Thanksgiving week.
- While in the holiday season, the week following the Thanksgiving all the way until the week prior to the Christmas holiday.
Moderate Attendance
- The time frame directly after the Presidents Day week in February through early March. This time period overlaps some school “Spring breaks”.
- Any time from late April through early June, and the early part of the Thanksgiving holiday week.
Highest Attendance or my “NO-GO Times”
- New Years Day / Weekend
- Walt Disney Marathon Weekend in early January
- Martin Luther King Holiday Weekend
- Presidents’ week in February
- Mid-March through Late April (Spring Break)
- Easter
- Memorial Day weekend
- From Mid-June all the way through Labor Day in September
- Columbus Day
- Thanksgiving Day and it subsequent weekend
- Christmas week through New Year’s Day
Travel on Sunday Afternoon
Sunday afternoon travel at first seems kind of a strange time to fly, since many websites say that rates and overall airport traffic are a bit higher. However this will allow you to take advantage of the Disney Magical Express and get to the hotel at a reasonable time for dinner, you may even be able to make late dinner reservations at Downtown Disney. By traveling on a Sunday, you’ll also be able to work bright and early Monday morning.
Choosing your workation “office”
Where your decide to stay for your Walt Disney World Workation is completely up to you. Whether you stay within the park limits or just off site, I’m sure you’ll be just as productive. For me, I like staying within the Walt Disney World property, and here’s why. When you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, you’re going to have a leg up on all of those who don’t. By staying at a Walt Disney World Resort, you have unlimited access to the Walt Disney World Transportation System, which will connect your and your family to all of the theme parks, water parks, hotels, and shopping locations.
Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter
There are plenty of Disney Resort hotels to choose from, but for my the Port Orleans French Quarter is my top pick. It’s Disney’s smallest hotel so you won’t have as many people hanging around and making too much noise in your temporary office location. If you end up traveling to Disney with the family. Port Orleans French Quarter is normally the last stop for buses before they head to any of the theme parks. They also have a 20 minute water taxi to take you to Downtown Disney if you want to break away for a long lunch or grab dinner. The two places I found the best to sit down and work at were Scat Cat’s Lounge and the Pool Area.
Scat Cat’s Lounge
The Scat Cat’s Lounge is located in the main building of the complex. Decorated with tons of classic Jazz memorabilia, its a nice and cozy atmosphere to work for a few hours. The Lounge doesn’t open until 4pm, so you won’t have to worry about working in a loud bar. Once the bar does open, make sure you try one of their signature drinks as well as their Chicken Alfredo Flatbread or Buffalo Chicken Wings. It was some of the best two food items that I’ve had at any Disney dinning location.
Pool Area
There is only one pool at the Port Orleans Resort, but don’t worry there are plenty of places for you to pull up a table to get some work done. An additional benefit of the small resort size is that the pool most likely won’t be overrun with kids being kids, running around being excessively noisy, not that that’s a problem, since you are trying to work at a Disney Resort hotel pool. For an added bonus, you can grab a tasty adult beverage at the pool bar which is open daily from 11:30 am to around 9:45 pm (depending on the season).
WiFi Hotspots
All Walt Disney World Resort hotel guest rooms have complimentary Wi-Fi access. Outside of your guestroom, you can also access wifi at any of the following public areas of a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel: main lobbies, full-service, quick service restaurants and food courts, merchandise and retail stores, arcades; any concierge or Disney Vacation Club lounges, Community Halls (except for Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, any of the main feature pool areas, or at one of the Disney Convention Center lobbies and hallways. You can also enjoy complementary WiFi at any of the Walt Disney World theme parks and Downtown Disney. If you’re one of the rare cases where your device does not have and internet care installed, one is available for purchase at any of the Walt Disney World Resorts business centers.
Connecting to the Wifi
If you have a wireless-enabled device you can connect to the complimentary network by:
- Locating and Selecting the “Disney – Guest” network via your wireless network setting page.
- A Terms and Conditions page should appear automatically, however if it doesn’t simple open any web page.
- You will automatically see a page with Walt Disney World’s Internet Usages terms and conditions.
- Accept terms and conditions, and you’ll be connected to the “Disney-Guest” network.
If you’ve already previously connected your device to the Disney Wi-Fi network at any of the Walt Disney World public spaces, you won’t need to accept the terms and conditions again. As always if you have trouble connecting contact Walt Disney World Telecom Group at 407-827-2732.
Pack your discipline and have fun
A workation is all about achieving the proper balance between work and play, and it isn’t for everyone. Being honest with yourself is by far the most important part of your workation trip. If you’re more adapt to be easily distracted by other guests or be tempted by all the great things Disney has to offer, then maybe it’s better to treat your trip as a vacation instead of a workation. Head into your trip with specific goals or objectives that you want accomplished. If you break those objectives into daily tasks, you’ll be able to reward yourself knowing that you’ve been productive.
