Resort Playgrounds?

[Wes1stTrip2016]

We will have 2 non park days, so I'm looking for low/no cost activities. Are there any really neat playgrounds at any of the resorts we should visit. We are staying at Pop.

Thanks!

 

[Jhondy210]

Art of Animation looks to have some neat playgrounds and you can easily walk to those from POP

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

My kids really liked the ones at Fort Wilderness, AKL, and Port Orleans Riverside, but I can't say they are any more special than most playgrounds you will find at community parks around the country.

That being said, just visiting the above resorts can be fun. I would not go for the playgrounds alone, but the other resort grounds and activities are really neat, and the playgrounds can be a fun play break for the kids.

Fort Wilderness has all kinds of fun, inexpensive activities, like viewing the horses, playing in the sand on the beach, taking a wagon ride, the Chip and Dale campfire, and watching fireworks on the beach.

 

[nherbert]

We find most of the playgrounds to be very small, not really worth traveling for even at deluxe. Maybe Coronado (CSR) would be ok, it looks the best in photos but we haven't stayed there yet. Fort wilderness has the biggest we have seen.

Mini golf is good fun and if you have a package you might get some vouchers for it. One of the mini golf places is walking distance from CSR. The other is close to Boardwalk.

Bike hire at some of the moderates is cheap and places like CBR and POR and Boardwalk have lots of paths to ride on.

Fort wilderness is good for a number of activities, eg pony rides if your kids are small.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

If I were you and we had non park days I would maybe do some mini golf, not necessarily the disney mini golf but there are a ton of mini golf places in Orlando alone. I would also maybe take some time and walk around Disney Springs. They are doing a ton of construction right now, but there are some finished areas that are different and really cool or I would go to Disney's boardwalk and walk around. Also just going to other resorts to look around is really fun...specially Animal Kingdom is a lot of fun with lots to see.

 

[HopperFan]

Walk over to AoA, just walking around the whole resort is a treat and great photo op. They have a great playground by the main pool, Lion King Boneyard and Carsland - WOW, you feel like you are there.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

My kids really liked the ones at Fort Wilderness, AKL, and Port Orleans Riverside, but I can't say they are any more special than most playgrounds you will find at community parks around the country.

That being said, just visiting the above resorts can be fun. I would not go for the playgrounds alone, but the other resort grounds and activities are really neat, and the playgrounds can be a fun play break for the kids.

Fort Wilderness has all kinds of fun, inexpensive activities, like viewing the horses, playing in the sand on the beach, taking a wagon ride, the Chip and Dale campfire, and watching fireworks on the beach.

We are going to Hoop De Doo on our 2nd no park day, so we will definitely plan to get there a couple of hours early to explore. Thanks!!

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

Walk over to AoA, just walking around the whole resort is a treat and great photo op. They have a great playground by the main pool, Lion King Boneyard and Carsland - WOW, you feel like you are there.

Thanks, I'm excited to check out AOA since it's within walking distance!

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

If I were you and we had non park days I would maybe do some mini golf, not necessarily the disney mini golf but there are a ton of mini golf places in Orlando alone. I would also maybe take some time and walk around Disney Springs. They are doing a ton of construction right now, but there are some finished areas that are different and really cool or I would go to Disney's boardwalk and walk around. Also just going to other resorts to look around is really fun...specially Animal Kingdom is a lot of fun with lots to see.

We are having dinner at Whispering Canyon, so I'm hoping Wilderness Lodge is a neat resort to check out before/after we eat.

 

[epcotfan]

Here's photo slideshow of Coronado's playground:

 

[skuttle]

We are having dinner at Whispering Canyon, so I'm hoping Wilderness Lodge is a neat resort to check out before/after we eat.

The WL playground is on the beach and is pretty pitiful. My kids had more fun just playing in the sand than the playground.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We are having dinner at Whispering Canyon, so I'm hoping Wilderness Lodge is a neat resort to check out before/after we eat.

Whispering Canyon is an attraction in itself, lol. Its a blast to have dinner at. I can't say much for the resort though. Honestly it was kind of a let down for us. We didn't really walk around the entire resort bc my kids were tired after dinner. But we did visit their gift shop and like I said it really wasn't anything special. Maybe thats just not our cup of tea, lol...maybe if we walked around the entire resort we would of felt differently but oh well, lol. On our next trip we are going for 9 days, just so we can have 1 day as sort of a down day with no parks. I burnt my family out this year, lol. I am a go go go type of person and my kids just wanted to play in the pool, lol. We did go to the pool but at like 8 at night, lol. Anyways on our down day I am planning on doing Disney Springs for a little bit and eating at different resorts that we haven't been to before for breakfast and dinner so we can explore some other resorts. It should be fun and I am excited for it (even though our trip is still over a year away, LOL)

 

[yulilin3]

The playground at AKL Jambo House is neat, plus you can walk around and explore the resort, see the animals and you can do some of the activities, they are not only for resort guests.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

The only thing that would keep me from doing that is most playgrounds are near the pool (AoA and Coronado are pretty much pool side) and my kids would be angry to see the cool pools they weren't allowed to use.

 

[RustManFan]

FYI... Next time a thread like this should be in the Resorts forum rather than Theme Parks

 

[lovndisney12]

We have stayed at POFQ - the playground isn't really that big but fun. One option would be to go to DD / Disney Springs and then take the boat over to POFQ. You could then walk over to POR and then take the boat back to DD / Disney Springs. Perhaps grab some Beignets while at POFQ.

 

[nkereina]

The one at CBR was pretty secluded and usually empty, however I think it's under refurb until Christmas. Either way, I wouldn't commute to CBR for the playground alone as others have mentioned. POR is a good option, especially if you plan to visit Disney Springs on your non-park day, because you can take the boat between POR and Disney Springs which would be a nice change.

ETA - looks like me and @lovndisney12 were typing at the same time! lol

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We are having dinner at Whispering Canyon, so I'm hoping Wilderness Lodge is a neat resort to check out before/after we eat.

The hotel itself is beautiful. Not sure if you there is going to be much to see around the grounds due to the construction.

There is a great bike/walking trail from Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness. We saw deer along it last time we were on it. You could do the trail before or after dinner. If you go early enough, you could also see the horses at FW (I think they close the stables around 3-5 pm). If you don't want to bike or walk, you could take the boat from WL to FW. Depending on the time of your dinner reservation, you could also ride the boat over and do the Chip and Dale campfire at FW. You technically can only park at FW for three hours for dinner, but you still might have time for dinner and a visit to FW. I do see that you have another day at FW with Hoop Dee Doo, so you may not want to do it twice, but the trail itself might be fun if you don't do it on your FW day.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

Thanks everyone! We are driving and will be able to explore a lot!! I'm planing for 2 non park out of 6 days, so that we can really relax and take this first trip at a slower pace.