Have you ever wanted to have a fun-filled Disney World day without having to use up a park ticket? Maybe you just arrived to Disney for your vacation but don’t want to waste a park ticket on a half-day in the park, or if it’s your last day and you have a few hours before heading to the airport. Or maybe you want to take a rest day in the middle of your vacation while still enjoying the many things Disney World has to offer. Well today we are going to talk about just that. I am going to tell you my top picks for things to do at Walt Disney World that do not require any form of theme park admission.
Disney Springs
Disney Springs is Walt Disney World’s shopping, dining and entertainment district. If it has been a few years since your last visit to Disney then you may remember this place as Downtown Disney. Recently the area has been updated, expanded and reimagined to Disney Springs! Disney Springs will make you feel like you have stepped into a quaint and beautiful Florida Springs town that is rich in history. Disney Springs is free to visit and requires no admission ticket and has parking fee. With the recent expansion and dozens of new restaurants and stores there is something for everyone! You can easily make Disney Springs an all-day experience! Do your souvenir shopping at the World of Disney, the largest Disney store in the world! Catch a movie at the AMC Theater, enjoy a game of bowling at Splitsville Luxury Lanes, you can even live inside the Star Wars Universe through a virtual reality experience at Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire by ILMxLAB and The VOID. Like I said there really is something for everyone! Throughout Disney Springs you will find a wide selection of stores. A few of my personal favorite shops include, Uniqlo, Lilly Pulitzer, Vera Bradley, Disney’s Days of Christmas, Basin and the Marketplace Co-Op. In between all the wonderful shopping you will want to refuel with an amazing meal, and Disney Springs has you covered with over 56 different dining options! My personal picks for Disney Springs restaurants would be, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, Pizza Ponte, D-Luxe Burger, Paradiso 37 and for dessert… Sprinkles Cupcakes!
Resort Hopping
All of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels are designed by the same team of Imagineers that design the parks and attractions making each resort unique and truly like its own type of theme park! Every Disney Resort offers something special! We encourage you to spend a day or part of a day exploring your Disney Resort and taking in everything it has to offer. You can even take a day to do some “Resort hopping” as Disney fans have named it! Go visit and explore some other Disney Resorts. Walking the resort grounds, visiting the shops, dining in the restaurants can be a very relaxing and refreshing day. Like I said each Disney Resort is full of details every time I visit a resort I always notice something new. The Disney Resort Hotels truly are an extension of the parks. One of my favorite Resorts to visit is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, this resort sits on an African Savanna, watching the animals roam the grounds is so peaceful and very entertaining. While at Animal Kingdom Lodge I love to make a reservation at Sanaa. If you go you have to try their bread service of traditional naan bread! It is incredible! The Epcot Resort area is another great place to explore. Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Disney’s Beach Club Resort are all within walking distance of each other and all offer a seaside feel. Be sure to grab an ice cream from Beaches and Cream and enjoy the street performers you can often find along the boardwalk!
Monorail Loop
Staying on the topic of Resort Hopping, you could take a ride around the Walt Disney World Monorail and visit the 3 Disney Resorts connected in the monorail loop! This is an awesome way to easily visit the 3 most popular Disney resorts all while being immersed in the heart of Walt Disney World. The 3 resort on the monorail loop are Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa!
Mini Golf
Disney World is home to 4 different mini golf courses. Located just outside Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park you will find Winter Summerland mini golf. Winter Summerland has 2 courses to choose from, the Winter course or the Summer course. Both courses feature a fun Christmas theme! The winter course is themed to a traditional white Christmas and the Summer course celebrates Christmas in Paradise! Whichever course you pick you will definitely be in the holiday spirit no matter what time of year it is! For our next two courses, we head over to the Epcot Resort area, right out front of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort sits the Fantasia Gardens mini golf course and the Fairways mini golf course. Both of these courses are themed to the Disney film Fantasia!
Stay tuned for more of my picks for things to do in Disney but without needing a theme park ticket.
