what would you do with 10 days?

[GatorMama]

Definitely resort touring and lots of pool time. I'd probably (knowing myself fairly well), plan 4-5 days pretty strictly at the beginning of the trip. Get in enough park stuff to feel like I'd gotten the big stuff "DONE" and then relax and play it by ear. Maybe wake up one morning and think "you know… I think I'd like to go on Splash Mountain, Rockin Roller Coaster AND the Kilimanjaro Safari today… let's do it!"

 

[hsmamato2]

resort touring and pool time imagine WDW is a GIANT cruise ship,with lots of activities and things going on,and you get to decide which you want to do.
Some days, we do commando park touring- some days it's a lazy day,and we hang around the hotel,and eat,and swim,and read,and sunbather,and eat
From POR there's a relaxing boat ride to DTD which is a lovely evening diversion on your way to find dinner ,grab a dessert,people watch,shop,whatever!
Bring a book you want to read. Sit around and do each others nails....resort hopping on boats,monorails and buses is FUN. I like to stop at all the resorts and visit- sometimes eat, sometimes check out the different shops- the landscaping,the activities- Fort Wilderness is very pretty,and great for just walking,wandering,etc. Boat rides to one place,just because, then find another boat that goes elsewhere..... and of course,eating.
My kids have always enjoyed our carless trips the best (go figure)
If all else fails go bowling at DTD or a dinner/movie combo.

 

[abmitch01]

these are all fantastic ideas, thank you so much

is there a place to get mani/pedis? Claire would LOVE that and I bet Disney would make th experience special

 

[hearts8701]

Lots of shops and restaurants located at downtown disney
You can watch a movie at AMC theater or bowling close to were you will need to go for disney quest you can take a boat ride across to Saratoga ride on the characters in flight balloon

 

[PlainJane]

these are all fantastic ideas, thank you so much

is there a place to get mani/pedis? Claire would LOVE that and I bet Disney would make th experience special

There are salons in WDW, but they are PRICEY. There are three full service salons. Mandara Salon is at the Dolphin. Senses Salon is located at both SSR and the GF.

There are other smaller salons on property that may also offer this service, but I'm not sure.

 

[MSSANDRA]

In my experience, trying to find budget ideas for entertainment at WDW besides the parks ends up costing more money!! It usually involves another ticket/entertainment expense, plus transportation, etc.

I would take time in the parks to smell the roses...we love leisurely days at Epcot - snack around the world (try a different candy, drink, etc), take pictures in all of the crazy hats in the gift stores (makes an awesome photo spread when you get home too!), look at all the special details that are everywhere!

Also, the Perry missions are fun... a lot of detail in those too. DHS has a lot of shows that will make you just about crazy trying to catch them all in just one day...Animal Kingdom can be tricky too. If you can spread the park visits out over more days, you can really maximize your park touring w/out additional entertainment expense....extra days on your tix is the most budget friendly option!!

We love to visit the parks in the morning, have a pool break, then head out again in the evening just for a special snack, parade, fireworks etc....no pressure to get to all of the shows on time or maximize ride time.

Happy planning.

THIS.....When you are there 10 days, it really is cheaper to do parks than any other activity. I would for sure do hoppers, and with the super low crowds that time of year, you can pretty much pop in and out of the parks at your choosing. Spend the day at the pool, then head over to WS to stroll and have dinner. Do EMH am at MK, them hang out at the pool most of the day and head to DS to watch fantasmic one night. There are tons of fun stuff to do outside of the parks (spa, DTD, tours, tea) but if money is an issue.....tickets for 10 days is the way to go.

 

[abmitch01]

I got ten day tickets because it was so cheap not to compared to say, 8 day. I made FP reservations for all days thinking I can change them while we're there if we sleep late or swim or something. I didn't spring for the hopper. We've always found enough to do in a park for a day and this was a relatively last minute trip so I didn't have a bunch of money saved. It's sounding nice to maybe do a half day at a park and then go to explore a resort or gasp, not eat a CS meal. We never do the countries in Epcot because my DD thinks they are less fun then the other side but now that we have more time, I think she'll enjoy exploring them and maybe she'll even try new snacks.

 

[yoopermom]

Has your DD been to WDW before? Are you comfortable being apart there?

I ask because I went at about that same age, and one of my best memories was my parents giving me twenty bucks and saying "go have fun, we'll see you back at the room by ten". It gave us all a little alone time, and I had some fun adventures exploring all on my own. As long as she understands the bus system, and not to leave WDW itself, she's really very safe there.

And another vote for the Ft Wilderness campfire and movie, then Electric Water Parade and viewing fireworks from the beach....

Terri

 

[abmitch01]

we've been several time, I could probably send her off on her own but without a friend she probably won't want to .

is the Electrical Parade only viewable from Fort Wilderness?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

that's great advice. I never thought of the boardwalk, we will definitely do that. And the fireworks.

I don't know about the water parks. I have a detached retina and can't see a thing without glasses, can't wear contacts yet, PITA, so a water park ticket would be a waste on me and Claire would be doing everything by herself.

Is it too late to order some prescription goggles? My stepmom cannot see anything without her glasses but loves to swim. So she has used the prescription goggles for years.

 

[yoopermom]

we've been several time, I could probably send her off on her own but without a friend she probably won't want to .

is the Electrical Parade only viewable from Fort Wilderness?

No, you can view it from any of the resorts on that lake, many people mention watching it from the Polynesian.

I've sometimes watched it from the boat going from the MK to Ft W, because it's gotten "caught" and can't get past right away .

We've done the movies at DTD as well (which seemed a total waste to me, but others enjoyed it....).

Terri

 

[AineDeBruggh]

We never do the countries in Epcot because my DD thinks they are less fun then the other side but now that we have more time, I think she'll enjoy exploring them and maybe she'll even try new snacks.

Wow, that's really opposite of how I look at that park. To me the front of the park only has a couple of interesting attractions and the main (and most interesting part) is the trip around the world. Perhaps now that your daughter is older she may appreciate what the world has to offer. It takes me almost all day just to wander through the gift shops in each of the world pavilions. We also enjoy the Maelstrom ride in Norway and the nice, relaxing gondola ride in Mexico. I suppose that for younger children some of these may not be appealing, but at 15 (and a fan of shopping) I would think your daughter may appreciate seeing the incredibly high-quality pearls in Japan, or the delicate, silver jewelry in Mexico or Perfume from France.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Definitely spend at least a day at the pool just lounging around. We go every August (going again this year) right after you and I could never imagine down time without lounging at the pool. Another vote for the Ft Wilderness campfire and movie, then Electric Water Parade and viewing fireworks from the beach. We love DTD, there is always something going on; performers, dancers and interactive shows. Plus I just love to people watch, especially the little ones.

Boardwalk is always a fun place to visit, always some kind of entertainers there. August is hot, brutally hot in Florida. You could always take in a movie, bowl etc. I would not go to the outlets either...

 

[abmitch01]

outlets are definitely out. DD can spend. The only outlet we don't have near here is Crocs. But my family staged a coup, I'm not allowed to wear them anymore.

My last pair were mary Janes. I was running through a downpour at Bjs, jumped over a median of mulch and was in mud up to my knee. I couldn't get out. This kind man helped out but alas, the croc was a goner. Claire practically peed she was laughing so hard. I do still have 2 winter pairs that are good when we have have snow because they are so easy to slide off in a patient's home.

 

[Glenn]

I can see visiting the parks all 10 days. Do the parks differently, actually slow down. MK, take the train for a complete loop before getting off at your stop. On main st check out the windows & sounds. Need to relax? Get some snacks & hang out on Toms Sawyers Is. Epcot. You certainly can do lots of shopping around the world. Each country have some neat things. England has a nice little square where the band plays, nice place to relax. Morocco has some quiet areas that are pretty. Check out the stave church in Norway. When have you rode the ferry at MK last? Just go back & forth some evening, cooler & pretty at night. They also have small boats to visit the polly & ft wilderness. The ride is relaxing. When you enter each park get a list of the days entertainment. Lastly, there have been several threads lately about the little hidden gems in all the parks. Great things to check out. Have fun.

 

[chabs]

My DD 15 yrs old and I are going 8/9 for 10 days. She says she doesn't want to do the parks all 10 days. She wants to rent a car and go to the outlets. We are not doing this, it's not in the budget, 10 days staying on property for the first time was a huge stretch for us. And we have similar outlets not far from home. We got passes for mini golf and Disney Quest in our package. We'll surely spend some time at the pool. What other budget minded things would you suggest? We will visit DTD but we aren't big souvenir spenders. We're staying at POR. From the dining suggestions we got, maybe we'll visit some other resorts. Is there anything cheap but fun that we're missing?

Tell your DD she is not missing anything at the outlets. They are pretty similar to Woodbury. My DD likes to go the Victoria Secret store at the Orlando outlets, but they never have anything good in Pink there-so she never buys anything. It's mostly the Pink sports stuff and basically junk. Other than that, we pretty much have most of all the other stores near us (I am outside of Albany too).

I would definitely spend some time visiting the other resorts-especially to eat if you have the dining plan.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

My DD 15 yrs old and I are going 8/9 for 10 days. She says she doesn't want to do the parks all 10 days. She wants to rent a car and go to the outlets. We are not doing this, it's not in the budget, 10 days staying on property for the first time was a huge stretch for us. And we have similar outlets not far from home. We got passes for mini golf and Disney Quest in our package. We'll surely spend some time at the pool. What other budget minded things would you suggest? We will visit DTD but we aren't big souvenir spenders. We're staying at POR. From the dining suggestions we got, maybe we'll visit some other resorts. Is there anything cheap but fun that we're missing?

We are going for 9 nights and only doing 5 day hoppers. It is myself and my daughter who just turned 18. I run my own business and have been pretty stressed out, so we plan to take it easy and relax. We plan on doing 2 waterpark days for sure. We can lay and relax or swim and slide- as our energy dictates. We aren't into mini golf. We also can kill a few hours at DTD pretty easily. We have planned our days to sleep in (we are not early risers), either water park or park and a late dinner 8-9pm most evenings, either in park or at a resort. This gives us time to relax, swim, nap, eat and have park fun. We are not the types to just go go go in every park all day -especially in the heat! Its amazing how you can kill time relaxing

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

I can see visiting the parks all 10 days. Do the parks differently, actually slow down. MK, take the train for a complete loop before getting off at your stop. On main st check out the windows & sounds. Need to relax? Get some snacks & hang out on Toms Sawyers Is. Epcot. You certainly can do lots of shopping around the world. Each country have some neat things. England has a nice little square where the band plays, nice place to relax. Morocco has some quiet areas that are pretty. Check out the stave church in Norway. When have you rode the ferry at MK last? Just go back & forth some evening, cooler & pretty at night. They also have small boats to visit the polly & ft wilderness. The ride is relaxing. When you enter each park get a list of the days entertainment. Lastly, there have been several threads lately about the little hidden gems in all the parks. Great things to check out. Have fun.

Us Chicago people think alike