Resort Day Visits?

[Penmac]

We are heading to Orlando in August. We have been to Disney several times but stay offsite due to budget and our large family size (5 kids).

We have a few free days to hit the pool at our resort this trip, but also thought when they are feeling water-logged, it would be fun to visit a couple Disney resorts. My son is a big Cars fan, and I think he would love to see the Cars area at AofA. I would also love to walk around the GF and simply take in grandeur or buy a sweet treat.

Is this allowed? Will we need to pay to park? Not trying to be a resort freeloader or illegal pool hopper. Just interested in doing something different this trip.

 

[buzznina]

Yes this is fine, we have done it many times. The only time it may be an issue is during the very busy times when some (deluxe) resorts parking lots may get full, but the guard will just tell you that you cannot park there.

 

[siren0119]

You can visit any resort without being a guest, as long as the area you are visiting is open to the public/doesn't require MB access.

Parking - it kind of depends. The resorts don't charge for day parking, but not all will allow you to park just to visit. Some that have limited parking lots may choose to restrict parking to guests and people with dining reservations at the resort. Some may let you in and park as long as they aren't super busy and have room for onsite guests and people with reservations. It's kind of hit or miss but I think they are cracking down. For the Value resorts, I am not sure if the parking lots are gated or open access, if they're open access you should be fine parking there to peek around.

If you can't park at the resort, you have a couple of options:

1. Park at Disney Springs (no charge) and take a Disney bus to the resort you want to visit. This is probably easiest if you only plan to visit one resort, but I'm not sure how often the buses run earlier in the day. For an afternoon visit they should be running fairly often.

2. Park at the Disney TTC ($22 i think) and use the monorail to get to the entrance of MK - you can get a bus or monorail to any resort from there. Probably easiest if you want to resort-hop or visit a few of the Deluxe resorts. Transport to and from MK will be more frequent throughout the day.

 

[PVTim]

Allowed? It is encouraged. Take in the sights- it is the best free advertising for Disney - we often choose our next hotel based on visits.

As far as parking- you will get a lot of answers as the only consistent policy on parking is inconsistency! You can try to park (if you have an ADR it is usually allowed) at the hotel or at the TTC (paying for that). Another thing to try is get a quick lunch in Disney Springs and then take a bus to the resort of your choosing. Then take that bus back.

I also recommend the Boardwalk at night- live entertainment and sweets available, rent a Surrey bike and watch the end of illuminations.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We are heading to Orlando in August. We have been to Disney several times but stay offsite due to budget and our large family size (5 kids).

We have a few free days to hit the pool at our resort this trip, but also thought when they are feeling water-logged, it would be fun to visit a couple Disney resorts. My son is a big Cars fan, and I think he would love to see the Cars area at AofA. I would also love to walk around the GF and simply take in grandeur or buy a sweet treat.

Is this allowed? Will we need to pay to park? Not trying to be a resort freeloader or illegal pool hopper. Just interested in doing something different this trip.

It's not an issue to visit and yes it's allowed but parking at the resorts is not always accessible and possible/likely you will be turned away at the guard gate, especially at GF unless you have a dining reservation there. We have tried at GF at different times of the year since we drive to WDW and out of 4 visits over the last year, were only allowed to park one and we had an ADR at 1900 Park Fare.

I don't know how far off property you stay but if it's not a far drive, you can try to park at the GF and if turned away head to the MK parking lot and the TTC and monorail over. I cannot speak to trying to park at AoA, we've never tried. But you can tie that in on the same visit and just take a MK bus to AoA on the same day. Or another option is park at Disney Springs and take the resort buses, but IMO that is more of a hassle than parking at the TTC but of course, that will cost $.

 

[KenHutch]

We stay onsite but I do this every trip. The girls go to town and I and my camera hit as many hotels as we can. The friendliness of the CMs is what lead to us staying at Animal Kingdom this past vacation. A CM let me into the pool area and even arranged for me to tour a room. As for parking you might want to start your touring at a value or moderate. They seem to be a lot friendlier about parking.

 

[Wild4Walt]

We resort hop all the time. You should have no issue parking at AoA. GF may be a bit more difficult due to the size of the lot. There is usually time time limit also of 3 hours. BUT you can also valet park as an option.