Welcome back, Mousekefriends! We’re usually coming to you from the parks, but this week, we’re going to be out of the parks. We will talk about what to do on your non-park days at Walt Disney World. These 5 things are in no particular order, and really depend on your own particular preferences. So let’s get to it!
Pool Day
If you’re smart, you should be staying on Disney property for lots of reasons… one of them is the amazing pools. In addition to that, if you’re staying at a deluxe resort, you can get fancy and reserve a cabana. Cabanas give you a lovely private shaded area with chairs, a tv, a mini fridge, a server, everything you need to totally relax. Cabanas are expensive, but less expensive than park tickets for your entire family for the day…
Visit Disney Springs
Disney Springs is the honorary 5th theme park. There’s lots to do, from the air balloon, car boat rentals, little kid rides and pin trading. There’s also a ton of great places to eat and shop. This is a great pairing with a pool day, for sure.
Mini-Golf and Golf
Disney has two great mini golf courses. These include Fantasia Gardens and the Winter Summer Course by Blizzard Beach. Both golf courses have two 18-hole options for a great time. These mini-golf offerings are actually included with the Magical Extras package, ask your Travel Advisor if your trip qualifies!
There’s also two regular golf-courses on Disney Property. These courses are Magnolia and the Oak-Trail course. Magnolia is an 18-hole course, whereas Oak-Trail is a 9-hole course. They also offer foot golf, which pretty much is where soccer meets golf. If you don’t know what it is, definitely look it up. It’s fantastic.
Monorail Crawl
A good old-fashioned monorail crawl is just what you need. Of course, you can do the grown-up version, or the family-friendly version.
In the grown-up version, hop on the monorail and visit the restaurants and bars. From Trader Sams at the Polynesian to Enchanted rose at the Grand Floridian, to Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary, enjoy your way around the Monorail resorts.
For families, the Monorail is like an attraction in and of itself to a lot of kiddos. Take a couple loops for fun, and enjoy the family offerings like collecting smashed pennies, pin-trading, shopping or even a cupcake crawl!
You can also go to the front desks at the resorts and ask about the scavenger hunts too. They can absolutely be a blast!
Take a Beach Break
If you have a car, or rent a car, you can visit one of two nearby beaches. Disney does have a car-care center, where they will bring you there for free from a Disney Resort. The two easiest beaches to visit are Clearwater beach and Cocoa Beach. Cocoa is on the Atlantic side, about 45 minutes away, and Clearwater is Gulf-side, near Tampa, about 90 minutes away. Both beaches are great, easy to visit and enjoy, and have plenty of places to rent chairs, umbrellas and other great beach amenities.
Honorable Mentions
- The Disney Waterparks. You do still need to get tickets, but they are cheaper than Park tickets, or you can add admission into your park tickets. Enjoy either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach for some fun in the water.
- Walk around the Boardwalk. Use a bike, enjoy shopping, eating or any of the fantastic amenities available here.
- Take the Skyliner. You can visit the Boardwalk on it, visiting the resorts like Art of Animation, or just enjoy the ride.
- Rent the small boast. You can rent them at the resorts at the Marinas on the 7 Seas Lagoon. You don’t have to be a guest at those resorts with the marinas to rent the boats, but they are a blast.
- Take a fireworks cruise, or just view them from afar. You can board a fireworks cruise from one of the marinas (for a fee, but they are SO worth it!). You can also view for free at the beach at the Polynesian, Gran Destino, 4th Floor Deck at the Contemporary, or the dock at the Polynesian, just past Narcoossee’s.
Today’s Mouseketip
Plan a non-park day! Enjoy the day and just slow down! This is also a great day to book a character breakfast.
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