A Day at Disney without going to Any Parks

[Teknik_DC2]

My wife and I will be in Orlando for 1 full day prior to a cruise in Late April. We booked a hotel located very close to the Disney Property with the intent of spending most of our day on the Property. However with a chance that she could be pregnant by then (we are currently trying) we are not looking to go to any of the theme parks this day.

We will for sure be going to Downtown Disney at some point during the day as we've made a visit there on our last 2 Orlando trips (visiting the Wizarding World and Universal) but we have never spent all day on the Disney property.

What are some other things we could do or go to on the Disney Property that you think we should check out. What are some things that we can do to keep us entertained for the day and make the most of our time near the Disney Property.

Thanks for the help and advice.

 

[disneyfan55]

My wife and I will be in Orlando for 1 full day prior to a cruise in Late April. We booked a hotel located very close to the Disney Property with the intent of spending most of our day on the Property. However with a chance that she could be pregnant by then (we are currently trying) we are not looking to go to any of the theme parks this day.

We will for sure be going to Downtown Disney at some point during the day as we've made a visit there on our last 2 Orlando trips (visiting the Wizarding World and Universal) but we have never spent all day on the Disney property.

What are some other things we could do or go to on the Disney Property that you think we should check out. What are some things that we can do to keep us entertained for the day and make the most of our time near the Disney Property.

Thanks for the help and advice.

You can visit the hotels especially those on the monorail. In the evening there will be at least the water pagent, maybe fireworks. Also you could visit the EPCOT resorts-a nice walk or ride the boat. Generally you can park at DTD and take a bus over to the hotels you wish to visit. Just what I would do.

 

[shocker]

You could try DisneyQuest for an all day event with minimal "sitting out" due to pregnancy. But, personally I'd opt for a few shorter term events like a late character breakfast at Cape May Cafe at BC, followed by a boat ride over to the Dolphin, mini-golf near the Dolphin, afternoon tea and shopping at the GF, followed by a ride on the monorail. Ending with dinner, fireworks, and the electric light parade on the lake either at California Grill at CR or the Luau at the Poly (great grounds to stroll thru too).

 

[carly chloe]

Yeah- the Epcot resorts. The Boardwalk is wonderful. Escepially right before it gets dark and all the shops light up on the boardwak- so pretty.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Thank you for the excellent advice so far. I thought about taking a ride on the monorail but didn't know how to go about making that happen. Which resorts does the Monorail stop at? I guess i've got a lot to look into to make the most out of our day. Please keep any advice coming. I appreciate the help.

 

[disneyfan55]

Thank you for the excellent advice so far. I thought about taking a ride on the monorail but didn't know how to go about making that happen. Which resorts does the Monorail stop at? I guess i've got a lot to look into to make the most out of our day. Please keep any advice coming. I appreciate the help.

The monorail had the Polynesian Resort, Contempory and Grand Flordian. You can park at one of the hotels (but ususally only 3 hr plus general parking cost 15 I think have an AP so I don't pay parking sorry) You could park DTD and take a bus to one therefore, no parking cost or limits, but the time for the bus. So you have to make the trade off. You could also ride the boat launch between the GF/MK and Poly. If you do that you can also disembark at MK and get on a boat launch to WL and CR as well.

 

[B.B. Sots]

We take a down day every trip in the middle of our vacation (to rest). We have found plenty of things to do... Our Top 5 List:

1. Carriage ride at Port Orleans
2. Putt Putt/Miniature Golf
3. Wishes Cruise
4. ParaSailing
5. Day at the Spa

They all cost more... but that is because it is Disney.

 

[Mixie]

La Nouba at Downtown Disney. Great show.

 

[jmkjr72]

well a round of mini golf do some resort hopping and maybe spend some time on the boardwalk
that can fill a day real easy

 

[skoba-nelson]

I have to agree with the previous posts. The Epcot resorts are a great place to spend some time. We almost always spend an evening resort-hopping the monorail resorts. Do a little window shopping, schedule an ADR at 'Ohana, then stroll around Poly's grounds afterwards. Once the sun sets there are spots within the resort that truly seem a million miles from it all. We also enjoy being on the monorail interacting with guest coming from and going to Magic Kingdom and sharing in their excitement.

 

[tinkandpan]

It is also really nice to take a stroll around the Animal Kingdom lodge and see all the animals- have a nice meal there.

But- just as a heads up, if your wife is so newly pg, she can easily do the parks- if that is what you really wanted to do.

 

[Wendybird55]

All the suggestions for resort hopping (especially monorail and EPCOT resorts) are great and what I would suggest as well. Along with miniture golf (you can get to Fantasia Mini golf easily from EPCOT resort area). And don't forget Fort Wilderness area - they have pier fishing, trails to walk, etc.

But as the PP poster suggested - are you avoiding the parks because your wife may be pregnant or because you don't think spending the money for a 1-day ticket is worth it?

If you're concerned about the pregnancy - don't be. I was 8 weeks pregnant one of the times I went to Disney and was able to enjoy the parks and a good amount of the attractions. EPCOT would be a wonderful place to spend a day if you're pregnant. You can spend time walking around all the countries and watching the shows. A pregnant woman can go on (I would say) all but the Malstom attractions in World Showcase.

In future world you can still enjoy Innoventions and Listen to the Land and the movie in the land Pavillion. I didn't do soaring when I was pregnant because I was nausous enough. And the attraction in the Living Seas are also fine if you're pregnant.

There's plenty of roaming around resorts and DTD to keep you busy for a day without going into a park. You can also rent a pontoon boat at any of the EPCOT or Monorail resorts and DTD and enjoy that.

But if you're avoiding the parks solely because your wife may be pregnant (good luck with that by the way!) you may want to think that again.

Enjoy your day at Disney.

 

[skoba-nelson]

Come to think of it we went once when DW was 2-3 months. I remember her riding Kilamanjaro Safari ride for example.

 

[shocker]

Since someone mentioned FW, there is the Hoop-De-Do Revue show there, the outdoor movies every night with marshmallow roasting/s'mores, there is also horse-drawn carriage rides (I think they offer both individual and group rides, we've only done the group ride and it's slow and relaxing but not very long, a little rugged sitting on hay bales but fun).

There's always the spa at the GF, but not sure inside a spa room would give you that "disney" feel, although it could give you a "relaxed" feel before starting the cruise

I do have one question, if your DW v*m*ts while on the cruise ship, do you think she'll know if it's seasickness or morning sickness I don't know why I ask, it just got me to wondering

 

[haPevraftr]

You could park at DTD and spend the afternoon there, have a nice dinner, then take the boat shuttle from DTD to Port Orleans Riverside and take a carriage ride around Port Orleans (call and get a reservation). It's a beautiful ride on the boat and the carriage. Very relaxing. Take a nice walk along the river from POR to POFQ. Get begnets at POFQ for dessert and catch the boat shuttle from POFQ back to DTD.

 

[Adventureland_Guy]

We always set aside non-park days at Disney. It's a great way to discover new parts of "the world" which could otherwise be overlooked. This last trip, we explored the Boardwalk hotel area & lobby, which before we'd just walk by as we headed to the shops/restaurants out back. Exploring and seeing decor at various hotel resorts on property can feel like being in a park in its own right. Also a good way to aid in planning for future trips.
Then there are the obvious non-park activities like mentioned before: DTD, Boardwalk shops, mini-golf. There's enough to spend several days at Disney without going into any park, and still feel like a vacation.

 

[RalphinSC]

Fairly thorough list of what we are doing for our first day in Disney (a non-park day)

- Driving in from off-site at o'dark-thirty, checking into the All-Star Movies to activate our dining plan, and parking at the Contemporary Resort

- Breakfast ADR 7:15am Chef Mickeys

- After breakfast hop on the monorail and tour the Grand Floridian and Polynesian resorts.

- Walking from the Poly to the TTC, hopping on the monorail for a ride to Epcot and back.

- Hopping back on the resort monorail and riding back to the Contemporary

- Renting a couple of SeaRaycers and cruising Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake

- Riding the Water Launch from the Contemporary to The Wilderness Lodge. Tour that resort.

- Ride the launch back to the Contemporary. By then, it should be mid-afternoon and our room at the All-Star movies should be ready.

- Unpack in the room. If time permits, some pool time or tour our own resort

- Head to Downtown Disney

- Dinner ADR 4:00pm T-rex

- shop at DTD until ready to return to the resort

- Sleep, lol. Gotta hit rope drop in the morning!

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Thanks for the replys again everyone. I diffenitly have alot to think about and consider.

I guess I can let the cat out of the bag now and say that Yes my wife is pregnant. By the time our trip comes she will be 18 weeks Pregnant. I originally asked this thinking it wouldn't be worth paying so much to go to a park when there isn't much she could do pregnant.

However after looking into all the parks and reading many threads about being Pregnant and the parks we are about 75% positive that we may go to Epcot for the day. We choose Epcot because its the park that has the least amount of things she would miss out on. Plus from my understaning both Test Track and Mission: Space have single rider lines so I could do those with a hopeful short wait for my wife.

Anyways thanks for the help. I'll keep you updated as we decide for sure what we are doing.

 

[The Hendies]

Congrats!!!! Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy Pregnancy!

 

[owenoliviamom]

Congratulations and best wishes for a Happy and Healthy pregnancy. I went to Disney World two times when pregnant - the first time was at 10 weeks or so and the second was at 5 months or so. Both times were in May/June. My husband rode the rides alone that I couldn't do! Have fun!