"Killing time" at Disney Springs with kids

[Pauly3]

I'm pretty sure they no longer offer this Such a bummer, my kids loved it too.
https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney...ll-box-section-open-once-upon-toy-end-354925/

OMGosh! That's so sad!

 

[MissyTX]

My husband and I just did this about 2 weeks ago. Our flight didn't leave until 7:30 PM, and we had to check out at 10 AM. We went and played mini golf at Pirate's Cove, and then had a nice lunch at Disney Springs and just took in the sights.

 

[Bigrob37]

I am also planning on booking the last flight out so had an add on question. If you have the +1 FUN visit on 2 day tickets. Can you use the water park visit after you have checked out of hotel and used both days of park tickets?

 

[winnieofpooh]

We had a flight late this year and got picked up at our resort around 6pm. I thought it would be great to get a lot of stuff done, but we definitely won't be booking a late flight again. We had 10am reservations at Ohana, then did some monorail resort tours. We then went to the Boardwalk and walked around, and then did mini golfing at Fantasia Gardens. We were really stretching our time here, and ended up just going back to our resort and relaxing in the lobby for about an hour. I would recommend adding another day to your tickets, which other people mentioned should be fairly cheap. Then you could sleep in, go to a park for a bit, and then hit up Disney Springs later so you're not trying to kill 6 hours there.

 

[MHSweb79]

Disney Springs really isn't geared towards the little ones. I would pack a "day bag" and hang out at the resort pool, if you don't want to add another park day. All the resorts let you use their amenities all day on your checkout day- you're not kicked out just because you're out of your room. (Even at Beach Club- you are welcome to use Stormalong Bay all day. I know because we've done it). Just pack a couple of plastic bags for wet bathing suits and a change of clothes, diapers, etc.

You could also book a resort character breakfast like Chef Mickey's and linger over that for a while. The Boma breakfas at AKL is awesome and you can go outside and look at the animals while you're there. If you don't have a car, cabs between resorts are pretty cheap. (I wouldn't use the bus system for resort hopping, especially with toddlers!)

 

[KCEMOM]

We almost always go with late flights out. We just pack in the morning, take our luggage to RAC, our carry on bags to Bell Services then hang out at the pool. Love spending the last day with some poolside relaxation and lunch.

 

[annemce118]

I tried to kill half a day there, and was bored. It is just like a mall and I don’t like shopping anymore. So last time I paid for another park day even though I had to leave by 4. I will do that again on my next trip.

 

[mountdew1]

If the adults like to eat, and kids don't mind hanging out at the restaurant while the parents eat, you could do a great lunch and dinner. That would kill a few hours, but would almost definitely cost you more than just adding another day to your ticket. If you were going while the Christmas decorations would be up at the resorts I'd say spend the morning at the pool, and then resort hop, either the monorail loop, or Epcot resorts and throw in AKL for good measure.

I'd vote for spending the $10-20 per person and do another park day.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We would end up spending more money at Disney Springs shopping than adding a day to our park tickets . We don’t spend a lot of time there with our toddlers since it’s basically an outdoor mall with many shops we have at home.

I know this wasn’t an option you mentioned but if it were me, I would add a day to your park ticket. I have two toddlers and we love going to the parks and enjoying the sights and sounds one last time before a later flight home.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

Thank you, everyone! Lots to think about. Several people mentioned doing more time at the pool, I would love that except I can't imagine flying home without taking a shower. We're staying at the Contemporary, do they have a locker room like at the Poly? I remember that the Poly had showers at the pool you could use (at least I think I remember that!) but I don't recall seeing any last time we stayed at the Contemporary.

I also like the idea of adding on to our park tickets, but unfortunately this is a quick trip for us (3 days in the parks + a day to do the pool & MVMCP in the evening) so it would cost $220 for me to add tickets for an extra day. The flight is at 9:15pm but it would save $600 so it still might be worth it.

I guess also I need to look at this as a responsible parent and not just trying to save money... $600 is a ton of money to us but even so, it might not be worth a sleepy toddler meltdown in the airport. I set up some price alerts and I have 6+ months till our trip, so I guess I'll just keep an eye on things and see what happens...

TLDR- thank you to everyone for the advice, I don't think I'd want to spend 6 hours at Disney Springs with my little ones.

 

[KCEMOM]

We stay at the Yacht Club where they do have showers near the pool. If the Poly has them also I would assume the Comtemporary does too. But that is just a guess on my part.

 

[Thing 1]

I would absolutely add on a day to your tickets. So much cheaper and fun than a day in Disney Springs We did just an Evening with a 6 year old for a weekend trip once and OMG we spent a crazy amount of money. I would plan a Park day, just like your others ( 3 more FP opportunities) and do the parks. I would head back to your resort for a CS dinner as that gives you some extra wiggle room with being ready for your bus. Your kids might be exhausted but it just is what it is.

 

[jliucci]

We always book a later flight home. Our last day we have breakfast at Ohana and spend our final day in MK.

 

[ktlm]

I don't know when you are going, but it looks like it is the holiday season since you mention MVMCP. If it is the holiday season, I would not do Disney Springs. We have been there in the holiday season more than once and it is a madhouse. Each time, we do it in November or December, we say never again. Really, there does not seem to be too much there anymore that you can't either get in the stores at home, or buy in the parks. Also, if it is November- December, remember it may be too cold to swim so I would not plan a pool day without a back up plan. We have been that time of the year when the high wound up being in the 80s, but we have also been that time of year when the high was 50 degrees and we were in coats and gloves all day.

With a flight not leaving until 9:15 p.m., I would absolutely add a day to your park tickets. I would do that even more so with it being a short trip. If you are taking Magical express, it won't pick you up until 6:00 p.m. We would get as much packed as we could the night before, finish up our bags in the morning and drop them at bell services and head to the parks. Everything goes slower in the parks with pre-schoolers, so I think you will be really glad for the extra time. Plus, you can wear them out and then hopefully they will sleep on the plane! We always try to schedule a flight no earlier than 5:00 p.m., and we always go to a park our last day.