Non park activities with children

[cheryl.UK]

Hi everyone

This should be a really easy thing to answer but it's stumping me.

Last year our single adult (student) daughter broke both her ankles just before our trip to WDW. It was looking like we would have to cancel our trip as she was completely wheelchair bound and not able to put any weight at all on her feet. Then, my adult niece and her family just stepped up. Without me even thinking of asking she rang, said that she would take DD, that her hubby was already making ramps and that we were NOT to cancel in any circumstance. We were overjoyed. I work away from home so our WDW time together is precious. It's the longest we spend in each other's company all year.

So, to say thank you, we are taking my DN, her husband and 2 children, girls aged 5 and 8 with us next year. They usually just have 2 weeks camping in Cornwall so you can imagine how excited they are at the moment. :good vibes

However.. when DD was that little, we too only had camping hols. We haven't ever taken such small children before

What do we do when not going to WDW. We are staying at OKW and can't really affords to take the 6 of us to the other Orlando parks. DH and I have APs and we have bought 14 day passes for my nieces family.

Come on DIS folks….what do we organise for non WDW days, or even just afternoon heat time.

 

[micksn]

They will be more than happy in the OKW pool and on the sandcastle slide. The castmembers do a great job organising games in the afternoon and you'll probably find it hard to drag them away. With 6 parks and DTD there will be more than enough to keep them entertained without going further afield!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

A great thing to do with a small child and its FREE, is to go over to Fort Wildness campgrounds and walk around and look at the animals. There are hidden Mickeys inside the barn so keep your eyes open.

There is also a paved walking path from the campgrounds over to the Wilderness lodge. A lot of times I see a few deer along the path.


You can go over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and watch the animals. There are always lots of animals out and about.

Check with the front desk at the Poly and ask when the lighting of the torches will happen. Usually its around 6:00 p.m and they preform a little ceremony right in front of the entrance to the Poly with fire baton twirling.

 

[deakam]

There are quite a few street entertainers at Downtown Disney in the evening. There is also the campfire sing-along with Chip and Dale at Fort Wilderness. And I do believe that all of the resorts have a movie showing every night of the week.

 

[disney2014plan]

What time of year are you going? In the UK winter, it is manatee season and you can drive up to Crystal River, and hire a boat /take a boat trip and get in the water with the manatees for a fraction of the cost of many of the wildlife encounters.

 

[poohspals]

We are currently at OKW and haven't visited any of the Disney Parks. Loads of activities for kids around the pool & community hall. The kids loved going across to DTD on the boat as well. At that age they will just want to rest when not in Disney - or if they don't, you will want them to!

 

[Elise79]

Things my DD enjoys who is 5 are:

Plenty of pool time both quiet pools & the main pool
The playgrounds at OKW
Mini golf (included on 14 day tickets before 4pm, AP holders get 50% discount)
Going to see the ponies & horses at Fort Wilderness
If you fancy a drive how about a day trip to the beach? Some of my favourite days in FL are now spent at the beach.

We did 16 nights last summer and the only other "park" we visited was KSC - we have APs for Disney but are not fussed about Universal or Seaworld. If it's their first time Disney will keep them more than busy!

 

[ukool]

Some of the hotels have movies showing at the pools at night, you could spend a few hours in the park then get back in time for the movie. Nice easy day.

 

[wilma-bride]

I would definitely recommend a visit to the Boardwalk area in the evening (after 7pm). You can watch the entertainers/magicians, take a walk around the lake and visit some of the resorts.

 

[WiganTony]

Some of the hotels have movies showing at the pools at night, you could spend a few hours in the park then get back in time for the movie. Nice easy day.

We did this for the first time last year - watched Finding Nemo on a sunlounger at the Yacht Club pool - fantastic!! We also tried watching a movie at OKW, but the location of the big screen here meant that the umbrellas at the tables got in the way.