WDW for three weeks suggestions?

[Canadian Tom]

Hello: We're off to WDW for three weeks(2 at BCV and 1at OKW). We have no plans to go into the parks. Any suggestions on things to do? We won't have a car but enjoy a lot of walking. Thanks Canadian Tom

 

[Best Aunt]

That seems like a long time to be on Disney property with no car and no parks.

You could check on the resort (not DVC) threads for Yacht & Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Swan/Dolphin. See what questions people are asking, walk over to the resorts, and see if you could find the answers for them. (People are often asking things like: Does BC Marketplace have toasters for guests to use? What are the current pool hours?)

If you have a favorite snack food, you could see what the offerings are in places you can get to without a car. So, for example, you could see what cupcakes are available at YC, BC, BW, Swan and Dolphin.

You could plan to visit a different hotel every day. See what the free activities are. Pre-COVID, AKV seemed to have the most going on. Also, see how much of a pain in the neck it is to get there on Disney transportation.

People might tell you to spend time at Disney Springs, but personally I am always disappointed when I go there, and I get motion sick on the bus from the BCV area. It seems like it's mostly expensive stores.

You could always Uber/Lyft/taxi if you want to get off property.

 

[Brian Noble]

When I'm looking for something to do as a person who enjoys walking, I usually check out AllTrails. https://www.alltrails.com/

There is a nature preserve not too far that might be uber-able. https://floridahikes.com/tibetbutler

A car might be worth it for at least part of the time to be able to go a bit farther afield. Many state parks also have good hiking, and Lake Louise is not too far. https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/lake-louisa-state-park

 

[PalmettoPath]

If you're outdoorsy or athletic...Foot Golf at Oak Trail; Horseback Riding at Fort Wilderness; a morning or late-day fishing charter excursion (Bay Lake/Seven Seas Lagoon is our fave); even archery at Fort Wilderness is fun. You can also just do a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness or Port Orleans. Those are a few of our favorite outside-the-parks activities.

 

[Judique]

Hello: We're off to WDW for three weeks(2 at BCV and 1at OKW). We have no plans to go into the parks. Any suggestions on things to do? We won't have a car but enjoy a lot of walking. Thanks Canadian Tom

Did you sign up for Moonlight Madness at Epcot? March 8th is the next opportunity to sign up if you didn't get it last week.

Rent a car and go to the Gulf for a day. I like to go to Honeymoon Island State Park and walk the beach as well as do the trails. Bring bug spray although I'm not sure if they are bad this time of year. There is a very small entrance fee.

 

[cvjw]

We went down for 11 nights and only did the parks twice. We stayed at BWV and walked everyday. Some days around the boardwalk at BWV, but most days we took the skyliner to Riveria and walked around their lake. It was our very favorite thing to do. Be aware that the skyliner lines to come back can be long with everyone going to Epcot.

We would also take the bus to MK and walk the trail around the lake. With the opening of the GF trail, that is another nice long walk.

We also just enjoyed the pool and lots of nice dining. It was a great vacation.

 

[Donna M]

Walking around anywhere without the cold and snow sounds nice to me!

 

[Geomom]

Mini golf, can walk to the Fantasia gardens one from BCV, it's near the Swan/Dolphin. Winter Summer land is near Blizzard Beach. Disney Springs has Cirque du Soleil show, bowling, movie theater, shops, etc. I agree with visiting the other resorts, walking around there. Obviously lots of walking areas from BCV--walking all around crescent lake, and can walk towards Hollywood studios... could always do that walk and take a bus from. Hollywood studios to some resort. Visiting AKL would be great to see the animals, can take a bus to animal kingdom park then grab a bus to the lodge. Can also take some boat rides--crescent lake area, bay lake--fort wilderness, wilderness lodge, magic kingdom, etc.

 

[Sandisw]

We have done the Skyliner and Monorail crawl…took those to each of the resorts and had a drink…or, if you don’t drink a dessert to share…and explored the resort.

It was fun. For my friends who don’t go often, they got themselves something with the resort name on it..pin or magnet…to commentate.

 

[ABCanada]

Hello: We're off to WDW for three weeks(2 at BCV and 1at OKW). We have no plans to go into the parks. Any suggestions on things to do? We won't have a car but enjoy a lot of walking. Thanks Canadian Tom

We go for 3-4 weeks every January and the last few times we have not gotten WDW passes.

Our standard day starts with a 5 + mile walk in the morning. This is easy in the Disney Springs area but not as easy at some of the other resorts. Wilderness Lodge used to have a nice walk to Fort Wilderness but I am not certain that is open. You could still walk around Fort Wilderness.

We tend to split our stay a bit more than you have. We find the EPCOT Resort area walks and restaurants more limited.

We get a car for at least part of the trip. DH likes a day or two at Kennedy especially if there is a launch. (You can sometimes get a reasonable one day rental from one of the WDW locations.)

If there is an evening event while we are there we may go to the park for that.

To get our park fix for a reasonable cost we often buy a seasonal Universal AP and book a night or two at Universal.

Other activities that we enjoy which may not be available yet (COVID closures)
Dine with an Animal Specialist at Sanaa (used to be Wed or Sat)
Tours that did not require a park pass like Backstage Magic or DiveQuest

We always visit Raglan Road a number of times and may do a Character meal or special dining experience. We schedule dining etc. at off hours which makes it easier to get a reservation and more enjoyable.

 

[Simba's Mom]

BCV is a great place for a non-park trip. I took the Skyliner to Pop Century resort one day(never been there), went around reading all the signs (such nostalgia!) then ate in their food court. Another day I went to Wilderness Lodge (had to take the bus to MK, then another bus to WL for that one), but what I liked about BCV is that to get back from any resort that's not on the Skyliner, just take the bus from the resort you're at to DHS, then either walk along the canal or take the boat back to BCV. I did that one day when I was at AKL, too. And once, just because I hadn't been on the Skyliner enough, I took the Skyliner from Epcot over to CBR and back-35 minutes or so. And they offer some nice activities at BCV too. I highly recommend the Sea Salt Scrub you can make-that's held in the Solarium once or twice a week.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We go to DW every March for 2 weeks. We might go to parks one day. This time we stayed at boardwalk for 3 nights and are staying at OKW the rest of the time. We are pool people and can lay around all day reading.
At boardwalk we logg by e the restsurants especially Il Mulino at swan and blue ? At dolphins. At night there is entertainment on the boardwalk, movies, dueling pianos and various bars.
At OKW we love the pool and boat to Disney springs. We might go to a movie and or bowling at Disney springs, see a cirque show, and visit lots of dining establishments. Without a car it’s not hard to get around. Take a bus to MK and get on the monorail. Visit all the hotels around the boardwalk. Try to get dinner at narcosees to see MK fireworks. Our fav restaurant is Toledo at Coronado. You can take a cab there for a great dinner and see the epcot fireworks. Food and service is excellent.

 

[Brian Noble]

One more idea: my son and I took a private golf lesson at several years back. The pro was a fantastic instructor, and we had a great time. You do not need your own clubs; they will set you up.

 

[Canadian Tom]

Tnaks for all the advice. It will be put to good use. Canadian Tom

 

[Song of the South]

Within Uber distance:

Discovery Cove is amazing. Kind of like a cruise ship private island type oasis. We went in February and I thought we'd be done around 1pm. We were there from around 9am until they closed. They provide everything--breakfast, lunch, sun screen, wet suit, locker, shower, toiletries. There is an amazing lazy river that goes through a bird aviary and by animals. It is so long we didn't even realize there was the animal part until just before closing! There are 3 pools--the one with the lazy river going through it that has a waterfall, the dolphin swim area, and a reef full of fish. One cool thing was the shark tank. We did not pay the extra to swim with the sharks but walls of the shark tank are clear so from the reef you can see in to the tank. We were able to stand and listen to the tour guide talk about the sharks and see the sharks. Very cool! We enjoyed the dolphin swim part but not doing that wouldn't ruin the day. It would still be worthwhile to go even without that part.

If you can get a car I have some new things on our list that might be good ones for yours--

Kissimmee Prairie State Park, on Saturday mornings you can take a 2-2.5 hour long "Prairie Buggy" tour through the state park and learn about the cowboys/crackers that used to ranch this area. It is a singular biome with several endangered birds that are good for watching for. The tour is $20 and is on our list for a future trip.

The Cracker Trail museum in Zolfo Springs is near the state park and chronicles the history of the Florida cowboy.

The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden looks interesting in Winter Park.

Winter Haven has a cute downtown area and, if you like legos, Legoland. We spent hours looking at the miniature models in the center of the park, it is a place to see even if you don't do the rides (they aren't as intense as Disney rides). There are some interesting discounts/deals around.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We have done 3 weeks. We have broke it up with a few days at the Vero resort in between.
Makes for a nice primer and unwinder.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

I’ve always wanted to spend a day or two at Fort Wilderness. Rent a golf cart, take an archery lesson, ride horses, take a carriage ride.

You could also look into renting a cabana at the Contemporary for a day. You don’t have to be a guest to do so. I can’t remember if it’s that way at GF.

A fireworks cruise is still a relatively affordable luxury experience I think. We did the one in front of MK and it was our favorite experience of the entire trip!

You could also try a hidden Mickey scavenger hunt. I think there’s several books online.

 

[Canadian Tom]

Some great ideas, Thanks

 

[a742246]

Did you sign up for Moonlight Madness at Epcot? March 8th is the next opportunity to sign up if you didn't get it last week.

Rent a car and go to the Gulf for a day. I like to go to Honeymoon Island State Park and walk the beach as well as do the trails. Bring bug spray although I'm not sure if they are bad this time of year. There is a very small entrance fee.

Fort De Soto on the gulf is a great place also, you can rent bikes, kayak or just go to the beach. After that go to the St Pete Pier for dinner. Do a mural walk in downtown St Petersburg.
Dunedin is thespring training for Toronto Blue Jays go see a game.

 

[Jo-Anne]

Thanks for the ideas! We will be staying off site and I'm wondering if we can park at a hotel and ride monorail/skyliner and then eat at a hotel or is that still not allowed?