Going to Disney World withOUT Theme Parks?

[devotedchristian]

*Note* I have posted this elsewhere...

Have you ever done this? Family of 4 (possible 5) 2 Adults, 2 kids ages 3 and 14 at time of travel.

I believe I read that there is alot of walking in the parks and that concerns me for my (then) 3 year old. Originally, we had decided on 1 Theme Park, Magic Kingdom, but now, I am not so sure. Because of the age difference, we know there is a possibilty of splitting up, which DH and I agreed is NOT an option. Plus, I have a very sensitive toddler and worry about sensory overload for this age.

Also, Dh and I have taken DD to Disney World at age 10 and we did Disney Quest and she was happy with that. I'm afraid we are a "slow" family .

I am thinking I may want to wait until DS is age 4 (2007) for a Disney Theme Park. We could still go to Orlando and just take things nice and slow. What else is there to do in Disney withOUT the theme parks. We would go for the weekend, Friday-Sunday.

Have you ever done this?

Thank you.

 

[spiceycat]

been there for 14 days and only did WDW 3 days...

there is lots to do.

the Old Town in Kissimmee

SW, if you kids are into animals. this does require walking - you can rent a stroller.

there is a little zoo.

lots of shopping.

where are you staying - the swimming pool at your hotel can be a great things for kids....

there are several water parks in the area - WDW has 2 - there are 3 outside WDW.

 

[nkjzmom]

We have five children from 10 down to almost 1 year. We go to Florida quite often to visit DH's parents or my friends and can't always afford a full blown park trip. We will usually stay at a Downtown Disney resort and just visit there for 2-3 days. We spend time swimming, relaxing, eating at some of the fun restaurants at DTD and of course "playing" in the stores!

Another thing we love to do when we can't go to the parks is to tour some of the resorts. We have had dinner at Whispering Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge, then done the Hidden Mickey game around the resort. We have had dinner at Chef Mickey's then climbed the stairs outside to watch the fireworks...this is how we caught our first viewing of Wishes! Then we've ridden the monorial and stopped at all the resorts to look around. We also took the DVC tour once and used the time after to walk around the Boardwalk. There are lots of things to do around Disney without visiting a park.

 

[spiceycat]

Oh yes I forgot - go to FW.

you can park in the general public parking lot.

visit the horses - a ride cost money

then get on the bus and visit the petting zone.

walk around this area - it is lovely.

 

[vernon]

There is plenty to do that doesn't take in the themeparks. It's really a case of what your family like to do. Off site there are Airboat rides, animal preserves, horse riding trails. On Disney you can rent boats and travel through the waterways, Fort Wilderness has a petting zoo,

IF you do some, but limit your themepark experiences, SW can be an excellent choice for a little one. It has some cute shows, nice exibits and a great kiddies play area. With a 3 (or even 4) Y old I would definately consider bringing,buying or renting a stroller. If you are aware the little one can be prone to getting over stimulated you can program downtime into your day. There are plenty of places in the MK to rest to take a quiet moment, maybe doing a lap on the steam train that goes around the park would work, there's a nice rose garden seating area in front of the castle where you could take 20-30 minutes to enjoy a soda. You may find that "splitting up" doesn't need to be as uncomfortable or as long as you initially believed. If you and your DH took it in turns to amuse the little one at one of the play areas or take him on the carousel while the other parent takes the older child on a more exciting ride then, that need only be 20-30 minutes break. With use of fastpasses you need not be apart for long periods. If you're not aware Disney does a fastpass scheme for many of it's popular rides. Instead of spending an hour or more in the queue (stressful for toddlers) you can get a ticket to return to the ride at a specified time ( maybe a couple of hours from when the ticket is issued) and pretty much get straight on the ride. It need not be much longer than a bathroom break. You might find that just 2 or 3 mini split ups during the day would total no more than an hour and a half but would give the older child a little "quality time" personal attention from both parents as well as a break from their younger sibling. No matter how well the kids get on at home the older one will not be used to having the younger one around 24/7 , building in a little "apart time" is possibly a VERY sensible precaution. I can understand not wanting to be apart for the whole day, but, IMHO it's better to want to feel you'd wished you'd spent more time together than wishing you'd spent more time apart LOL. I think you'll find your older DD will REALLY appreciate feeling that both her parents want to spend a little time with her as younger brothers can be demanding.

 

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

No theme parks???? GASP!!!!!

 

[madisonsmom]

FW Campground has a campfire sing along with Chip and Dale and then shows a movie by the campfire afterwards. They also have a hayride and petting zoo as well. Walking through DD is great for a 3 year old, they have the carousel, train ride and of course the Rainforest Cafe which has lots of animation.