Parking and Surprise Free Time

[ArielSparrow]

I'm putting this here although it encompasses Disney, Universal, and other.

It is looking like we are going to be coming in a lot earlier than originally planned - we are going to be doing a red eye but will have at least a few hours to kill before we can check in (off-site). We will have a car and are thinking of using the time to check out some things outside the parks. If I understand correctly, hotels now charge parking? Is Disney Springs the only thing we can do without paying for parking? Or if we book an ADR, that would be free?

Ideas include: checking out Disney resorts, CityWalk, the VOID (was planning on doing this another night), or gator golf. I don't want to commit to a full day thing such as adding a day at Disney or doing a water park, as we are hoping to be able to check-in earlier and will be calling the hotel when we land, so I want to keep the plans open and flexible. It could be anywhere from 3-8 hours that we have available.

So I'm looking for ideas while being mindful of price (since this was unplanned, I do not want to put down too much extra money. And requiring relatively low energy, which is why I don't think I want to do Star Wars VR that day - we'll be operating on little sleep and adjusting from PST.

 

[disneysteve]

It's my understanding that the Disney hotels only charge for parking for overnight guests, not people just visiting, so resort hopping is an option. You can park at Poly or Grand and do the monorail loop or park at Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach and do that loop.

Disney Springs is another good option. You could just shop or could do a movie at AMC if you'd like.

Have you ever been to Celebration? Driving over there and spending some time strolling around the shops, grabbing a meal or snack, and just taking in the surroundings is a nice way to pass the time.

There are also offsite attractions like the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussaud's, the aquarium, etc.

 

[ArielSparrow]

It's my understanding that the Disney hotels only charge for parking for overnight guests, not people just visiting, so resort hopping is an option.

Disney's site says:

Day Guests
Complimentary standard self-parking is available while enjoying select dining, shopping, entertainment, and recreation experiences at Disney Resort hotels."

I thought we checked out Celebration last time, but I don't remember any shops, just houses. I'll double-check with my husband. I'll add Madame Tussaud's to the list.

 

[HopperFan]

I'll add Madame Tussaud's to the list.

Google for combo discounts for Tussauds, SeaLife and The Orlando Eye. Parking was free and all three in same building. We enjoyed doing the combo. We also bought groupons for The Skelton place there, impressive.