Tips for a solo half day

[Mr Mannn]

I'm arriving around Sunday noon late January 2014.
I have 4 full days to spend in the parks and I fly back Friday morning.

So. I have a half day to kill. What to do? I hear Sunday is the busiest day at the parks, and I really want to keep things fresh for the next morning.

Is Downtown Disney all that great? I am not much of a shopper. Malls bore me.
The only thing I want is fudge, and I can get that at MK the next day.

I'm staying at the Art of Animation (never been there), and there is a long bridge crossing a lake to the Pop Century...is Pop worth exploring?
--How about the hotels? anything entertaining at a hotel?

I was thinking Ohanas for dinner but the only time I can book is 9:20. Too late for me. I want to crash and get up early.

I'm looking for something simple. Not too much walking.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

You can go to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and walk around and see the animals. Head down to Boma's at 3:45 for the free food tour of Boma and Jirko complete with food samples.

 

[BrianL]

Maybe try DisneyQuest. It's small, but fun if you like video games. They even have a floor of classic arcade games (like TRON!) and the virtual Pirates of the Carribbean game is great (though if solo see if you can be grouped with others). You should get a voucher for DQ with your resort stay.

I've stayed at POP recently and it's not that exciting. You're going to have to go to a deluxe resort for that. Maybe check out the Boardwalk? I'm not really familliar with it but it has things to do too.

There's also golf (and mini-golf) if you're into that, but I'm not familliar with it.

 

[undchefreak]

Here are some things that I did on a day outside the parks:

Visited several of the deluxe resorts: The lobby of Grand Floridian has a piano player and lots of comfortable seating to relax in; Polynesian has a beach and dole whip if you're into that, along with some good restaurants; the Boardwalk Villas have evening entertainment (similar to a beach boardwalk) that just pop up after about 4 pm-jugglers, magic tricks, stunts, etc.; Wilderness Lodge (accessed by a boat ride from Contemporary and Magic Kingdom) has fun outdoor theming similar to a national park and a wonderful craftsman style lobby; Beach Club has the Beaches and Creme ice cream shop, but my experience there was not great; you could probably find similar things at Swan and Dolphin (a bridge away from Boardwalk) however I never ventured to them.

Downtown Disney - Earl of Sandwich is a shockingly inexpensive place to eat, with high quality sandwiches and sides. I'm a window shopper, so I thought this was fun. The Christmas shop is interesting to go to in the middle of March. There are music experiences outside of some of the restaurants and in open areas throughout DTD (Reglan Road had a band, there was a string quartet playing modern music in one of the open areas, and a guy playing a saw - I think - in another open area). These acts rotate. There are boat launches from DTD to some of the resorts, so if you like boat rides, hop aboard (you can't get too lost). There's also a balloon that takes you up a fair distance, but I've never done it, so I can't vouch for it's entertainment value.

I ate at Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge (watched animals before and after - they have night vision goggles at night and a small fire to keep you warm).

Have a great time. Really, you could just relax on the beach at the Polynesian or squeeze in everything possible in an afternoon, it's up to you.

 

[Mr Mannn]

Here are some things that I did on a day outside the parks:

Visited several of the deluxe resorts: The lobby of Grand Floridian has a piano player and lots of comfortable seating to relax in; Polynesian has a beach and dole whip if you're into that, along with some good restaurants; the Boardwalk Villas have evening entertainment (similar to a beach boardwalk) that just pop up after about 4 pm-jugglers, magic tricks, stunts, etc.; Wilderness Lodge (accessed by a boat ride from Contemporary and Magic Kingdom) has fun outdoor theming similar to a national park and a wonderful craftsman style lobby; Beach Club has the Beaches and Creme ice cream shop, but my experience there was not great; you could probably find similar things at Swan and Dolphin (a bridge away from Boardwalk) however I never ventured to them.

Downtown Disney - Earl of Sandwich is a shockingly inexpensive place to eat, with high quality sandwiches and sides. I'm a window shopper, so I thought this was fun. The Christmas shop is interesting to go to in the middle of March. There are music experiences outside of some of the restaurants and in open areas throughout DTD (Reglan Road had a band, there was a string quartet playing modern music in one of the open areas, and a guy playing a saw - I think - in another open area). These acts rotate. There are boat launches from DTD to some of the resorts, so if you like boat rides, hop aboard (you can't get too lost). There's also a balloon that takes you up a fair distance, but I've never done it, so I can't vouch for it's entertainment value.

I ate at Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge (watched animals before and after - they have night vision goggles at night and a small fire to keep you warm).

Have a great time. Really, you could just relax on the beach at the Polynesian or squeeze in everything possible in an afternoon, it's up to you.

Oh, yeah. Exploring hotels sounds like fun. I've seen pictures of the wilderness lodge...magnificent! and a boat ride to boot!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

While at the Wilderness lodge you can walk over to Fort Wilderness campgrounds. And see the horses that are in the parades. There is a nice paved path between the two resorts. Stop and have dinner at Trails End.

 

[MissM]

The Boardwalk is a fun little place to explore if you have some time to kill. You can rent a bike if you want to ride around.

You can see fireworks from The Grand Floridian and the Polynesian if you go the hotel-exploring route, but you said you wanted to crash and that's at the end of the night.

I usually do Downtown Disney at the end of my trip to kind of chill from the craziness of the parks and pick up a few souvenirs.. so I'm a fan! There are a ton of great restaurants (Wolfgang Puck's is really yummy for late breakfast/lunch.) And the shops are super adorable.