Yes, be sure and visit the resorts.
We always take friends on the free "monorail tour." Start by parking at the Polynesian. You get 3 hours, so just tell the gate person you are going to tour the hotel and look maybe at dinner reservations. AT the Poly wander around the original lobby and make sure to wander out by the beach.
Enjoy the thousands of plants.
Hop the monorain to the Grand Floridian and ooooh and aaaaah at the lobby. Take the old fashion elevator or grand staircase down to the main floor. Walk all the way out the back of the hotel to the garden and pool area. There is nice self serve food and drink spot out by the boat docks for snack or drink.
Hop the monorail to the Contemporary. It is not quite as showy but there is a great place for a picture out the rear entrance toward the lake. There is a big stainless steel Mickey with ears big enough to sit in for a great picture.
Drive to see both the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Widerness Lodge (not Fort Wilderness) Both have spectacular lobbies and really neat pool areas.
At AK make sure and go to both viewing areas to see the Animals. At Wilderness Lodge wander down by the pool that bubbles from the lobby.
All of these places have great lunch or dinner opportunities that you can make ressies for or maybe hope for an opening. At Poly it is Kona Cafe, at GF it is the Grand Floridian Cafe, at Wilderness Lodge it is Whispering Canyon, and at AK is Boma's.
Another beautiful lobby is at the Boardwalk Hotel...and also the Beach Club is really pretty. Walk around to the Beach Club from Boardwalk and check out the real sand bottom pool area. Also great ice cream at Beaches and Cream.
We do this most newbies who don't want to use a day in the parks to see the hotels and we have a ball...
Enjoy...Ted
