Things to do on a day with no park admission?

[opus_00]

We will have 5-day passes to WDW for our October, but will actually be in the WDW area for 6 full days. We plan to take it easy on that "extra" day, probably swimming at the resort and maybe spending a little time at Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk.

Can you think of anything else we can do that day that doesn't require admission to the parks? Can we do any of the character meals (I'm thinking maybe the one at the Contemporary...you don't have to have a park admission for that one, do you)? Can you see any of the nighttime shows/fireworks from an off-site location?

Also, which day would be best to take this "off-day"? In the middle of the week? Our last day? We will be there from a Sunday through Friday (using the Saturdays before and after for travel). By the way, we will be with our two kids, ages 1 and 3.

Thanks!

Paula

 

[scottsalisbury2003]

This event out of the Grand Floridian is one activity for a day away from the parks. Maybe Cirque du Soleil in the evening?

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Both of your children are too young for the pirate cruise. That is ages 4 and up I think, Though I think it used to be three. I would suggest a trip out to the fort Wilderness campground. You can catch the boat out from the MK. Once there you can check out the petting zoo, play on the playground ( not a great one) and visit the horses. It's a neat trip. If it's in the budget, make a PS and do HDDR while you are there.
There are things also that they would like at DD. The lego store and the toy store are big hits.
Hanging at the pool or even resort hopping and just checking out the resorts will be great.
I would take the day mid week to give you all a break!

Have fun.
Jordan's mom

 

[opus_00]

Thanks for the suggestions...those sound great!

 

[ahutton]

We had a great time doing a tour of monorail hotels. We visited each hotel, went to their arcade and played some games. Our older DD was just under 3, the younger was 9 months. There were several games at the Contemporary the older one could play, she won a bunch of tickets and got to pick prizes. No admission is required for any of the resort meals. You can watch MK fireworks from the roof of the Contemporary on the balcony - great view...

Downtown Disney is another fun option. They have a train and a couple playscapes for the kids. They also have the Lego store and a few others that were huge hits with our kids.

 

[Kirby]

I haven't done this but I believe that I have read somewhere that you can seen the MK fireworks from the Poly beach. Isn't there a boat parade too?

There is some kind of campfire at Fort Wilderness too (I think) where you make smores and watch a movie.

 

[Scarlett & Rhett]

You could explore the other resorts.

 

[crazymomof4]

Mary at Mousavers.com has a bunch of great ideas!

http://www.mousesavers.com/otherwdw.html#free

 

[Cameo]

I agree with the trip to Ft. Wilderness. That's what we are going to do. They have pony rides for the little ones. We will do this for my son. We are also going to go to Animal Kingdom Lodge for lunch and check if we can see any animals while we're there. I would definitely do it in the middle of the week so you can end your trip at the parks. Have fun!

 

[GlennandAnn]

Hi Opus, and welcome to the DIS. There are plenty of things to do on a non park day. Someone suggested heading to Fort Wilderness to the petting zoo- this is a great idea. You could go first to WL and rent a surrey bike and take a ride to Fort Wilderness. There are also pony rides that your 3 year old could take. We like riding on the monorail, exploring other resorts or just going to DTD for an afternoon. There is plenty to do there. They have a little park, a choo choo and a merry go round for the kids. There is also the Lego store with tons of Legos to play with for your older child. Have a great trip!!

Ann