Off the beaten path things for family trip

[Klayfish]

Alright gang, looking for some good ideas. We're heading down in mid-June for a 17 day vacation. We bought annual passes last summer, and have made several trips even before that. So while we're not as veterans as many of you, we're definitely not newbies. The bulk of our trip will be spent on the traditional attractions because those are the things we really love, but we want to sprinkle in some new and different things to do. Our kids are ages 12, 8 and 8. We're looking for things that are either free or close to it. For example, on Labor Day, we found a beach party at the Dolphin and Swan that our kids had a wonderful time at. Doesn't matter if it's in one of the big parks, or at a hotel, we're just looking for a handful of things to mix in with all the traditional things.

So what can you recommend?

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

Check out the activities at several disney resorts. We've enjoyed roasting marshmallows (bring your own or buy a kit) and camp-fire sing-a-long with Chip-n-Dale at FW, pool games at OKW, story time around the fire-pit and tons of other events at AKL. I don't know which resorts are doing what now, but I usually just do a search and find this months activity schedule posted somewhere here or on a board that lists entertainment times.
Have you seen the Electric Water Pageant on Seven Seas Lagoon?

 

[Klayfish]

I usually just do a search and find this months activity schedule posted somewhere here or on a board that lists entertainment times.

I'd love to find a calendar or something that will have some kind of a master list of events going on all around the Disney property.

Yep, we've seen the Water Pagent. Watched it several times from the Ferry on our way back to our car...it's really neat to watch it from there.

 

[cassie58]

Not sure what you have already done, but at MK there is the Sorcerers game that you get cards at the fire house in the am to play throughout the day in the park, going from portal to portal to defeat the villains. You can get new cards each day you check in and play once. You can all get cards, even if adults not playing, to get more different ones to use, and can play again next trip. At AK they have the Wilderness Explorers, where you get a book as you go over the bridge, and try to do the activities to get a "badge" at each station, and fill your book, and again, you can continue next time. Epcot has the Agent P. Game for each country, so you can do different ones if you have done that one already. I believe they now link it to your phone, and you can get set up either over the bridge into WS or near England. They also have the KidCot stops where you make crafts in different countries. You could bring change to make pressed pennies around the parks and resorts, and also make a game of who can find the most hidden Mickey's on the trip. You could watch Wishes from the Poly beach.

 

[ccudmore]

Check out YeHaa Bob over at the River Roost Lounge at Port Orleans Riverside. You don't need to stay there to watch the show. You can check his schedule at http://www.yehaabob.com. The show starts out G-rated but gets crazier as the night progresses. You won't regret seeing his show.

 

[a742246]

Maybe go fishing by Fort Wilderness?

 

[Hootch]

Electrical water pageant through the lakes happens most nights.

Wilderness Lodge has a guided tour of the lobby.

Animal Kingdom Lodge had a free culinary tour of Boma and Jiko's. It was offered fairly recently. There is another for Sanaa.

Art of Animation has a free one hour tour also.

THey used to have night vision goggles at AKL to watch the animals on the Savannah at night.

 

[Disneypeach]

Use your AP discount to go canoeing at Fort Wilderness. Paddle thru the canals in the campground, check out the wildlife...I saw a 2 foot gator sunning itself. They rent canoes and kayaks... also include life vests. Not expensive...

 

[TSR6]

For under $10, you could do the "Pick a Pearl" over in EPCOT. It'll kill a little bit of time, and the cost isn't bad at all.

 

[alliecat523]

They have archery and horseback riding at FW too.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We loved riding bikes at FW. For the ages of your kids, it would be perfect. Are you driving or flying? Bikes are pretty expensive to rent for an hour or so, but we brought our own. If you bring your bikes, it is a very cheap thing to do.

Where are you staying?

My daughter and I enjoy exploring resorts. It feels like an adventure to drive around to resorts we have never seen and just walk around and explore the beautiful grounds- maybe grab a bite to eat. This is also much easier if you have a car.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

They have archery and horseback riding at FW too.

I was researching these for our DD(8). It seems with regard to the horseback riding there are 2 options. Pony rides for younger kids and horse rides for kids 9yo and up. DD(8) falls into the middle of those 2. I think she's too old to enjoy the pony rides and too young for horse rides. We will be going 2 months before her 9th birthday and she is taller than most kids her age. Does anyone know if the 9yo policy for horses is strictly enforced. Any chance they would let her ride?

 

[WillAustin]

Bass fishing and parasailing at the Contemporary have been fun for us.

 

[Klayfish]

Thanks, some great ideas! The canoe idea sounds really fun, same with horseback riding. We're really looking forward to seeing AK at night, this will be our first time doing that...it's always closed before sundown when we were there. Watching Wishes at the Polly is definitely on our list. We've watched it once or twice from the Joe Potter and then from the dock, but haven't sat at the Polly yet.

We're driving down, we live just outside of Atlanta, so it's about an 8 hour trip. We always rent a condo, a hotel room just wouldn't fit our lifestyle. It allows us a lot of things a hotel room wouldn't. Most importantly, my wife and I are big into nutrition and fitness, so we don't eat out much at all. We'll cook something in the condo and then pack food to bring into the park. I LOVE that Disney allows you to do that. We have a gear stroller, and usually just park it somewhere in stroller parking and walk around until we need to come back for it. This time, we're staying at a place called The Villas at Seven Dwarfs Lane. We've stayed there several times before and really like it. It's less than 10 minutes from the entrance to Disney.

 

[mindeola]

Campfire sing a long and outdoor movie with chip and dale at Ft Wilderness. Probably on of our favorite things to do. You can bring or buy stuff for smores too.

 

[disnut8]

One thing my father-in-law loved to do was to simply ride a boat. If you are at magic Kingdom, you can just ride the boats all over the lakes there and take your time, getting out at what resorts you want and exploring. You can also just get in the boat at Epcot and ride all the way to the Studios and back. Or reverse that and get on at the Studios and then once towards Epcot, get out at the Swan/Dolphin and walk all around the lake. Explore all the resorts, grab some food at the Boardwalk, and then walk back to the Studios.

Take the monorail around to the Polynesian, get off and walk over to the Grand Floridian and go by the Wedding Pavilion and just take in the sights. Then get back on the monorail at the Grand Floridian, take it to the Contemporary and walk back to the Magic Kingdom. Look at the bricks as you walk.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Try a carriage ride out of POR or POFQ. It's relatively inexpensive and the carriage fits up to 5.

 

[Lynzer4]

A beach day might be a nice change for a day. I love the gulf side. It's a little further but around Tampa is great. There are a lot of fun things to do in some of the little beach towns.

Blue Springs State park is also a great place... Again off Disney. I've only been during winter when there are manatees but I believe in the summer you can snorkel and canoe. It's a beautiful state park.

 

[MamaLema]

Sorry, I couldn't read past 17 day vacation!

 

[Klayfish]

More great ideas!! OK, so I know most of the abbreviations, but POR and POFQ has me stumped? Love the carriage ride thought.

We're definitely going to the beach. We've made a bunch of trips to Daytona. This time we're doing Cocoa...plan is to use FastPass in the morning to hit some attractions. Leave for Cocoa after lunch and have a relaxing beach evening. Next morning and lunch at Cocoa, then back to a Disney park for early evening FastPass.

Yeah, a 17 day trip is awesome. My wife works for the same school district where the kids go, so they're all off. My job allows some flexibility to work remote. So we're leaving after I get off work on a Thursday. I'm working remote Friday, Monday and Tuesday, so those days we'll just go to the parks after 4pm. Then I'll take the rest of the week and all the next week off completely. Head back home on the 4th of July.