what do you do at WDW?

[uncspin]

DH and I were talking about our August WDW vacation. We're DINKs that LOVE WDW because of the ease it affords DH with accessibility, etc. We were talking about vacation and realized that all we talk about is hanging out at the Polynesian, riding the monorail, riding Soarin', and eating. What do y'all do?

 

[Brocktoon]

I usually crash with my parents in thier RV at Fort Wilderness. I love just hanging around the fort and knocking back beers. We also look forward to a big table service meal every night.

Epcot is easily my favorite park, and I can spend days in the World Showcase, eating and drinking around the countries, watching the shows, and talking with the international CMs. I can also spend hours in the Animal Kingdom watching the animals on the jungle treks.

Nightime is always fun to hang around the Boardwalk with Jellyrolls, Big River, and the ESPN Club.

Yep, for some reason most of my WDW activities revolve around lounging, eating, and drinking. But the great thing is that once I'm on site, I don't need to drive anywhere.

 

[Bunless]

Lots of lounging, eating and drinking here too!
We love talking to CMs at World Showcase and Animal Kingdom.
--One time we spent two hours on the Paganini Trail.
We take naps every day in the middle of the afternoon.
We take our time to enjoy everything, not just the rides, not just the shows, but all the little things and the quiet things.

 

[TStrickland01]

DW and I usually try to schedule around events like the F&W Festival. I make it a point to try one food item and one drink from as many different booths as possible.
During Christmas time we have tried to visit all of the different resorts to see the special decorations and creations. The giant tree and gingerbread house in the GF is stunning.
Also though this sounds childish, we also try to get as many character photos and autographs as possible. Some of the face characters are very good and it is interesting to see how much and little the change is from each CM year over year. Especially fun are the out of main stream characters that occassionally show up. DW's favorite photo from MK is the one we have of her with Chicken Little and Abby Mallard.
But yes, like the other posters, eat too much, drink too much, nap when possible, and enjoy it.

 

[Hallowishes]

wow. ... im so surprised all of these responses have been about drinking and eating. there is SO MUCH more to do!! i mean, i personally go solo and enjoy eating at a few finer dining restaraunts. but .. i also enjoy the simple things .. like just taking the monorail around the the resorts and shopping around in them, checking out how beautiful and unique they are. i think its great to check out the electrical water pagent. go to downtown disney and shop around checking out all the unique shops. check out cirque du soliel, take a tour in wdw, ect. you will not be bored!! you could spend a month there and still not do everything there is to do.

 

[Bunless]

wow. ... im so surprised all of these responses have been about drinking and eating.

For us, a big reason for this being a big thing for us is that we enjoy the slowing down and taking time to enjoy eating and having a drink. It's not that we enjoy that taco at the place in MK, it's that we love to sit by the fountain courtyard and enjoy each others company in the shade. DH and I have such busy lives that we don't get to enjoy each other's company as much as we'd like to.

So many of our favorite Disney memories revolve around meals, not necessarily because of the food and drink...but because of the interaction of the CMs, the taking the time, the sights and sounds.

EPCOT provides an opportunity to try new foods that inspire us to go out and try new things when we go home.

The different lounges offer opportunites to meet new people.

It also becomes a game, what can we try that we haven't before? At home we get into so many ruts, not just with food, but with everything. Then, we go on vacation and we say 'lets try something new'. It's fun.

...and, I like wine.

 

[chaospearl]

For me, the magic of being at Disney is just that -- being at Disney. There's no specific ride or show or park or hotel or restaurant. As soon as my plane touches down in Orlando, I'm in my happy place and it doesn't matter what I do or where I go. I'll sometimes bring a good novel into the park with me and spend a couple of hours reading and people-watching. Last year, I brought along a little bag of cosmetics and gave myself a manicure while sitting on a curb on Main Street. I've been there so many times that I've done all the rides and seen all the shows, and I don't need to do that anymore. Sure, I usually do anyway because I love it all, but I don't need to go on Haunted Mansion four times in one afternoon.

I spend a lot of my time at Disney doing the same normal, fun things I do at home. Reading, writing in my journal, talking to friends via text, eating at restaurants, playing my GameBoy. Only I'm doing it at Disney, so I'm effervescently happy the whole time! I swear there is absolutely nothing specific about Disney itself that I can point at and say "doing this is what I find pleasurable" -- I've just conditioned myself after so many trips there. Like Pavlov's dog. Disney = automatic happy!

Jenni

 

[LindaR]

Well, for us (me and DD20), its about being free. Free from our normal "rules and responsibilities" and even maybe some inhibitions. We sometimes choose to eat ice cream for breakfast! We play alot of mini-golf. We are both HORRIBLE at mini-golf and because of the "magic" of Disney, it does not bother us that the folks in front and behind us laugh at our skills! We are bad. We know we are bad. But we are there to have fun. And we do!
We also like to just sit and watch people. We don't feel the need to constantly be on the move. We also like to really study the buildings in Epcot, admire the landscaping and enjoy the trip on the monorail for the scenery.....not just the transportation. We do that too with the boats from the Epcot hotels. We ride them just for the ride!

 

[GrumpyOne]

What do y'all do?

Walk. Lots! And generally lose a few pounds. Last time I was there, my pants were falling off by the time I left. When I hopped on the scale, I had lost almost 10 lbs!

This trip will probably be a bit less walking and a bit more relaxing since it's a pure solo trip. When I'm out and about, #1 thing will be photography and flirting with sweet thangs to get back in practice again after being married so long.

 

[princess&her4princes]

Be a kid with my kids!! I'm a stay at home to three very active boys, even though I'm at home with them, I can't always just sit and play (like I would love to!) since there are other responsiblities that go along with being at home...bill paying, pedi appts, laundry, meal making, cleaning, etal...so I like that I can just "play" all week long with my boys and my DH and not worry about the other distractions from home. There is nothing like the smiles on their faces (and mine!) that entire week when we have non interupted, quality time together....when we're enjoying all the new sites, rides, parades, music, meals together!!!

 

[RCharnay]

Time is our plaything at WDW and we love to change back and forth from commando run-and-play mornings to lazy afternoons to relaxing walks in the evenings and then we run to a ride during the parades and laugh at all the "slow" people. We ride a fast ride and then spend 3 hours having dinner, then take off for another adventure. We are always on the go but never feel rushed as Disney. We like the fact that our vacation is our own and we can be relaxed and then race a group of kids to Space Mountain and then take half an hour to walk to the next land while enjoying an ice cream. And I love wandering the streets at the end of the day. I never get the people who run to the busses to stand up and be in the crowd to get back. It's much more fun to shop and munch your way around for 30 minutes and then enjoy a less crowded bus and a comfy seat back to the resort.
We also enjoy non-park days-so much to see and do!

 

[mef78]

We love to rent a boat and go out on Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon, or wander the Wilderness Lodge nature trails (look who we saw the last time we did that!). Also enjoy taking backstage tours when money allows. There's also lots of Resort exploring, riding Toy Story Mania as many times as humanly possible, riding Kali River Rapids over and over again during AK EMH, drinking alcohol out of pineapples, taking fun photographs, relaxing in hammocks, following plans, not following plans...

We also have a habit of ordering way too much food for room service breakfast on our last day there!

 

[M5ward]

We love to just sit and people watch. We'll grab a soda or a drink and maybe a snack then find a nice bench under a tree and just watch people walk by.
We've sat at character meet and greets and watched the little kids go from shy and scared to falling in love with the character.
We do the rides and exhibits, check out the stores, and try new restaurants.
I have come to the conclusion that Disney really is for adults.