Disney without Theme Parks

[doubletrouble_vb]

I'm going to Disney for Labor Day weekend. I want to try something different...no theme parks. Any suggestions as to what I might do for 5 days? Let me nix the Richard Petty Driving Experience right off the bat.

Right now I'm thinking of the Behind the Scenes Tour, Cirque du Soleil, Disney Quest, a water park or two, Pleasure Island.

My objective is to see the stuff I never get to see because I'm with other people.

A good starting point for your suggestions would be VWL because thats where I will be. In the past I've only stayed on site just once so I haven't explored the nooks & crannies of the resort side of Disney.

Oh...and I'll be a female aone so that's another caveat.

 

[Joeblack]

Hey Doubletrouble:

Definitely do Cirque du Sloeil. Only problem is that, after watchin it all oather Disney shows will look dull and boring.
Try the House of Blues Sunday Brunch. Great show and good value. 20% off with DVC card.
The Cotton Coop at night with Bob Jackson in Dixie Landings Resort is a must do.
The water parks are a lot of fun. Especially if you arrive early and you can do the rides without much wait.
Also, resort touring is great. There is the "Smokehouse tour" in WL which is free and a lot of fun. Since you are a DVCer, you can "pool hop" in the different resort's pools.
Hanging out in DD is great too, and you have 24 theaters if you want to watch a movie or just do some music shopping at the Virgin MegaStore.
I haven't done it but I will in December, but the Hoop de Doo review and the Show at the polynesian sound like a great alternative.

Hope these help. Good luck

 

[ronw]

from he marina at WL This has become one of our favorites! You can explore all of Bay lake and cross over into 7 Seas Lagoon. It is great fun jumping the wakes of the other boats!

 

[Jeanne]

Whoop de Doo is great. We also plan at least one round of putt- putt. Atlantic Dance Co. had free swing lessons on certain nights last year. If money isn't an issue, an evening at Victoria and Albert's is truly memorable.

 

[dvcdudes]

Hey Joeblack,
can you elaborateo n the Cotton Coop?
I've never heard of this?

 

[okwRI]

A couple of ideas on opposite ends of the expense scale...

In addition to the food/smokehouse tour at Wilderness Lodge
try the building and grounds tour that they do in the morning. The smokehouse
tour is great, though, they bring show you the restaurants and the
smokehouse out back. You get to chew on fresh BBQ ribs right out of the oven
and they also feed you a sample at the Artist Point restaurant. This tour leaves
from the lobby at 3:15 pm is they still it. Its fun, and great free food!

In the wicked expensive category, maybe try parasailing from the Contemporary
marina. It's a great rush and it's Disney so it has to be safe (yea, right)! I don't
think I would have tried this anywhere else. It only lasts about 15 minutes but its
an unforgettable experience. I'm glad I did it once. DVC or annual pass may
offer a discount.

My wife loves high tea at the Grand Floridian. It does nothing for me, so she
goes by herself.

We'll be there late in August, leaving Sunday of labor day weekend.

 

[adamak]

Resort hopping. Go to all those resort and walk around. Most MK resorts have small sand beaches, and are very relaxing.

I have taken the Architecture behind scene tour, and you don't need theme park tix. Very cool, and different.

And take those free boat rides between resorts. Not many people spend time doing so.

ada

 

[ohioMickey]

There is a beach near the Beach Club and SAB with beautiful, soft sand. It is on crescent lake and you have a view of the boardwalk on the other side. The Friendship boats glide across back and forth between boardwalk and yacht club. The beach is never crowded and has plenty of chairs and swings.

I could sit there all day just vegging out!!!

Here is a link to a pic of our kids playing there. At the time we were the only ones on the beach. Everyone else was back at SAB. Very relaxing!!!

http://members.aol.com/mpatrickmd/beach.jpg

 

[alikat99]

DH and I just got back from our first DVC stay at VWL a couple of weeks ago. We spent some time in the parks, but most of it was just wandering around. If you like a little hunting and searching, go on a Hidden Mickey hunt. The front desk at WL has a sheet with clues to some of the Hidden Mickeys throughout the resort. Plus, we talked to several CMs that clued us in to several more. Then, we talked to a DVC rep that gave us about 13 that were in the VWL alone. We spent hours just trying to find them all. Plus, it was free!!!

 

[Bumpy]

Doubletouble,
You might enjoy taking the walk from WLV over to the petting farm at the fort wilderness area. They also offer trail rides but that does cost a fee. Its a nice walk and the animals are fun to interact with. On the pricey end you might want to consider a spa treatment at the Grand Floridian!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Wow these are great ideas. I will have to save some for January (which was supposed to be a theme park trip).

 

[Joeblack]

The Cotton Coop is a bar/restaurant in PO Riverside (Ex Dixie Landings). Every night, Bob Jackson an unbelievably energetic and charismatic piano player involves everybody in his antics. You can just sit there and watch while you eat grat chicken wings or ribs and a mud slide and I guarantee you will have a good time. It is a popular spot but there always seems to be place. Service is friendly and prices are more than reasonable. Quality of the food is very high, and the entertainment is top notch. We bought his cd and he autographed it for us.

 

[msdis]

Hollo doubletrouble

We will be at VWL first time week of labor day and don't plan on parks either for the very first time. We have made it our challenge and think it CAN be done. We love resort hopping and like to try lunch at the different ones. We also love walking around each one and one of my favorite things is shopping at each resort. Check out the poly, it's my favorite resort to shop at. They have a mini mall. It's great! We also like riding the monorail from resort to resort as well as the boats along 7 seas lagoon. One great experience we had was at the Contemporary. You can take the elevator to the top floor at the restaurant and walk out to the observatory. BREATHTAKING! You can see for miles. Also go to the Y&BC one night to take in the beauty of the BW and sit on the Y&BC water side and take in Epcot's fireworks. We also like to visit the wedding chapel at GF. When you walk up the alter you can see the castle framed in the window. It's a very beautiful sight. Hope you have a great vacation!

Thanks to all the other posters, as some of you gave me some tips we have yet to experience as we will be "sans parks" this time too.

 

[Crissup]

Don't forget the free campfire and Disney movie at Ft. Wilderness. I haven't done that one yet. One of my favorite activities is resort hopping. A few years back, we spent 10 days at WDW and ran out of time before we got a chance to enjoy MGM. Just way too much stuff to do outside of the theme parks.

And if you *do* decide to wander into a theme park, just sit back and soak up the streetmosphere. Some of that stuff is fantastic when you don't feel like you need to be running for the next attraction.

 

[Andrea T]

Wow, what great ideas! I copied them all and put them in my DVC binder for future reference! Thanks to all!