Best no park evening plans (On a budget with kids)

[MinnieMom85]

Can someone help me plan! We are weekday AP and are going Monday and Tuesday 9/2 and 9/3 (late planners)

We have three kids age 8, 5, and 3. and no Disney Dining plan (hoping to stay around $100 out of pocket for the meal since the kids dont eat much and we will probably top off with a dessert or snacks). We are staying at Art of Movies Monday and Tuesday night. We have our own car.

What are some good ideas for us to do Sunday night before we go to the parks. I would love a quick dinner that isn't cafeteria style (hard to manage ordering from multiple stations, carrying trays, and finding a table). Maybe at a cool resort where we could walk around. Maybe try to see the MK fireworks (with sound?)

Would Polynesian be best for fireworks? What is good for food there? Should we do AK Lodge for the kids (can they see much just visiting) and skip fireworks?

 

[SillySallySews]

We took a quick last-minute trip in December and it was the first time we ever stayed on property without the dining plan. It was my husband and myself and kids 12, 8, 7, 2. I was not prepared for food prices. In hindsight the drinks are what really killed us. If I had to pay out of pocket again I would tell my kids they are drinking water lol. Captain Cook’s at Poly is one of our favorite quick service locations! Even with kids I think it’s pretty easy to manage getting your food because you order in one spot, they give you a pager, and then you can sit down at the table and just one person has to go back up and get your food when the pager goes off. It’s pretty small and everything is convenient. The view of fireworks from the beach is fantastic, but I would prepare for it to be crowded.

 

[MinnieMom85]

We took a quick last-minute trip in December and it was the first time we ever stayed on property without the dining plan. It was my husband and myself and kids 12, 8, 7, 2. I was not prepared for food prices. In hindsight the drinks are what really killed us. If I had to pay out of pocket again I would tell my kids they are drinking water lol. Captain Cook’s at Poly is one of our favorite quick service locations! Even with kids I think it’s pretty easy to manage getting your food because you order in one spot, they give you a pager, and then you can sit down at the table and just one person has to go back up and get your food when the pager goes off. It’s pretty small and everything is convenient. The view of fireworks from the beach is fantastic, but I would prepare for it to be crowded.

Thank you! That is great to hear about Captain Cooks because thats exactly what we are looking for. Our kids are usually good with waters and then we pack some extra juice boxes for them.

I need to go research how to find a good spot at Poly for the beach? I'm not totally sure if we will make it that late with an early MK day the next morning. What else is there to do at the Poly if we dont do fireworks?

 

[SillySallySews]

Poly is one of our favorite resorts just to walk around because everything is so beautiful. If you avoid the whole pool area everything else feels very relaxing. Sometimes they have activities happening on the fake grass area outside the main lobby. You can also just walk down to the beach and stick your toes in the sand. They have some swinging benches to relax on and if you like taking photos, GF and MK behind you make for a nice backdrop.

 

[MomOTwins]

This is a great illustration of everyone has a different experience, and notorious disney inconsistency, but we thought captain cooks was the worst quick service food we've ever had at WDW. I would go to disney springs.

 

[foodiddiedoo]

Gasparilla Grille at Grand Floridian has an awesome outdoor viewing area with music set up to be able to watch the fireworks (and you can see the castle projections fairly decently too). It's not like a foodcourt so ordering there should be easier too.

 

[MinnieMom85]

Gasparilla Grille at Grand Floridian has an awesome outdoor viewing area with music set up to be able to watch the fireworks (and you can see the castle projections fairly decently too). It's not like a foodcourt so ordering there should be easier too.

Thank you! I will look into that as well!

 

[MinnieMom85]

This is a great illustration of everyone has a different experience, and notorious disney inconsistency, but we thought captain cooks was the worst quick service food we've ever had at WDW. I would go to disney springs.

Oh no! What didn't you like?

Im really afraid to do Disney Springs because of the holiday weekend crowds. Also we are in Orlando often and Im sure we will be able to go on other trips.

 

[MinnieMom85]

Any feedback on doing AK Lodge and skipping fireworks? Is that a plan to consider?

- For reference, only my oldest has seen the fireworks from inside MK. She had trouble seeing the castle because of crowds. Are the fireworks really that great without seeing the castle outside the park?

 

[Random Ninja]

If you haven’t been to Fort Wilderness before, they have lots of options. There’s a take out place next to Trails End that has family meals of barbecue and fried chicken plus a playground for the kids. The beach is fenced but the sand is fun to play in and they have a couple tetherball poles. The wagon rides also sets out from this area.

At the Meadows bus stop, by the pool, there’s the Chip & Dale campfire sing-a-long. You can bring your own supplies or grab a kit for around $10. After the sing a long and meet & greet with the chipmunks, they play a Disney movie on the outdoor screen.

 

[WDW_Michael]

What time are you getting in on Sunday? If time permits, you could go to AKL and check out the animals and other activities they have at the resort. The quick service area there (The Mara) is one of the better quick service resort restaurants. Hang out there for an hour or so checking out animals and grabbing a bite to eat. Afterwards, take the bus over to MK and catch the monorail to the Poly where you can get dessert (dole whips are always a good option), and watch the fireworks from the beach.

 

[WDW_Michael]

If you haven’t been to Fort Wilderness before, they have lots of options. There’s a take out place next to Trails End that has family meals of barbecue and fried chicken plus a playground for the kids. The beach is fenced but the sand is fun to play in and they have a couple tetherball poles. The wagon rides also sets out from this area.

At the Meadows bus stop, by the pool, there’s the Chip & Dale campfire sing-a-long. You can bring your own supplies or grab a kit for around $10. After the sing a long and meet & greet with the chipmunks, they play a Disney movie on the outdoor screen.

Adding to this, you can watch the MK fireworks by the Fort Wilderness docks, with the firework show's music playing as well.

 

[MinnieMom85]

What time are you getting in on Sunday? If time permits, you could go to AKL and check out the animals and other activities they have at the resort. The quick service area there (The Mara) is one of the better quick service resort restaurants. Hang out there for an hour or so checking out animals and grabbing a bite to eat. Afterwards, take the bus over to MK and catch the monorail to the Poly where you can get dessert (dole whips are always a good option), and watch the fireworks from the beach.

Thanks! We can really get over there any time on Sunday (we are 1.5 hours away). We were planning to enjoy the AoM pool for most of the day but if there was an activity worth heading to like seeing animals at AKL it might be worth it. Or maybe as a back up option for rainy afternoons.

 

[WDW_Michael]

Thanks! We can really get over there any time on Sunday (we are 1.5 hours away). We were planning to enjoy the AoM pool for most of the day but if there was an activity worth heading to like seeing animals at AKL it might be worth it. Or maybe as a back up option for rainy afternoons.

Are you staying at Art of Animation, or All Star Movies? they are 2 separate resorts but both are themed to Disney movies. If you're at Art of Animation, you can take a short walk over the bridge and explore Pop Century as well as both resorts are right across from each other. If staying at All Star Movies, you can walk over and explore the other 2 all star resorts (all star Sports and all star Music) which are all right next to each other.

 

[MinnieMom85]

Are you staying at Art of Animation, or All Star Movies? they are 2 separate resorts but both are themed to Disney movies. If you're at Art of Animation, you can take a short walk over the bridge and explore Pop Century as well as both resorts are right across from each other. If staying at All Star Movies, you can walk over and explore the other 2 all star resorts (all star Sports and all star Music) which are all right next to each other.

Sorry! We are all All Start Movies. We stayed there a while ago and enjoyed the Toy Story and 101Dalmations theme but the pool isn't anything super amazing. We may try the other All Star pools.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Another vote for Capt. Cook's if you decide to visit Poly. I didn't like the shredded pork dish at all but many people would be happy to disagree. For me the seafood stew was the best of the offerings. The least crowded area to see the fireworks and Electric Water Pageant on the beach is on the left side of the marina near Fiji longhouse and the path to SoA.

Should you opt for GF get there early as there are limited table and seats by the QS restaurant at the short end of the marina. A lot of GF guests view the fireworks from there so know where and when to go. We didn't eat at Gaspirilla when we stayed there but it always had a lot of visitors and the food looked OK. Here's a fairly recent review on what to find there:

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/gasparilla-island-grill-review/
Have fun no matter where you opt to go and be sure to check your resort's calendar of activities and events when you check in.

 

[Dona C]

I have another vote for Fort Wilderness. Lots of places to run around. I would take a bus to the Magic Kingdom and take a boat to the Fort. If you time it right you can see the fireworks from the boat.

 

[Kellina]

Thanks! We can really get over there any time on Sunday (we are 1.5 hours away). We were planning to enjoy the AoM pool for most of the day but if there was an activity worth heading to like seeing animals at AKL it might be worth it. Or maybe as a back up option for rainy afternoons.

They have different activities at AKL where the kids can collect beads to put on a necklace for each activity completed! Might be worth looking into if you want to go there.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We buy giftcards for 20-50% off wew.giftcardwiki.com or ************.com we just got a landrys giftcard for $60 for $100 card so we can go to trex cafe. They have other cards as well.

 

[rg35]

Thanks! We can really get over there any time on Sunday (we are 1.5 hours away). We were planning to enjoy the AoM pool for most of the day but if there was an activity worth heading to like seeing animals at AKL it might be worth it. Or maybe as a back up option for rainy afternoons.

Animal Kingdom is our home DVC resort and we have stayed there several times. While it's a really nice looking resort that we enjoy, I don't really think it's worth a trip there just to see some of the animals on the Savannah. The most important thing to note is that the selection of animals to see isn't really that interesting, and essentially the same animals you will see on the Killamanjaro Safari at AK. As much as I enjoy science and animals and wilderness conservation efforts, I don't know that I would really recommend a separate trip to AKV to stand in a viewing spot to hopefully catch a glimpse of whatever animals happen to be around at that time. If it was combined with a meal or some other activity at the resort, it would be an easy decision but otherwise I'm not so sure how interesting it's really going to be or how much time one could spend doing it before getting very bored.