[ryanrop]

We have been to disney several times and we never have enough time to enjoy the attractions outside of the parks. It looks like we may be going this Thursday through Tuesday and was wondering if anyone has ever gone and done other things besides the parks. I'm interested in any shows, places to eat, things to see, etc. We are staying on the grounds in a disney resort so we will have access to all resorts.

Thanks,
Ryan

[Tao Of Mouse]

I don't know if I could fight the theme park urge enough to even attempt that concept. LoL...But I hope it works out good for you.

[ryanrop]

LOL, it's going to be tough. I'm sure we will fit one park in. Problem is, we only go when there are no crowds and the weather is cool. I'm sure it's pretty crowded and hot right now. We just went a year ago and I don't thing much has changed since then and we always want to see the other things besides the parks.

Ryan

[Park Hopper]

Make a point of going to see Cirque du Soleil La Nouba at Downtown Disney. It's the one not-to-be-missed attraction that we take all our friends to who visit us in Orlando. It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny. If cost is a problem, there are cheaper restricted view seats on sale only at the box office. Even though these tickets are called "restricted view," I've sat in them before and you really don't miss anything.

There are lots of shops and restaurants at Downtown Disney, and you can also go to DisneyQuest and Pleasure Island, the night-time entertainment area. Also check out the Boardwalk, with more shops and restaurants as well as a fun sing-along bar called Jellyrolls.

If you're looking for a great restaurant, go to the California Grill on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. It's one of the best restaurants in Orlando.

[chiasgirl]

I don't know if we could do it! I'm having a hard enough time giving up one day at the parks to go to Kennedy Space Center with my husband! I guess it's a fair trade though 6 days at WDW for 1 day at KSC...

[bumble]

We love Old Town, there are classic car shows on the weekends and they are fun to see www.old-town.com We also like Medieval Times, the show and food are good, but the village there has some very interesting things to see!!

[Storm59]

Originally Posted by ryanrop

... and we always want to see the other things besides the parks.

I've never been able to spend a day in Downtown Disney, and I've never been to Pleasure Island, two things I keep saying "next time" and always run out of time for! Also resort hopping, just wandering thru the different hotels. I believe if you ask, and they have rooms free, they will show you the rooms themselves, which is helpful in choosing your NEXT resort stay! I've also never managed to get to Blizzard Beach, though we do go to Typhoon Lagoon. BB always seemed more slide oriented, and I don't do slides, but I love the wave pool at TL. That's what I would choose, resort hopping and DTD. I'm sure experts in each resort here could tell you of things to do, for instance POR has horse and buggy rides.

Let us know how it turns out. I, too, wonder if I could resist the parks, crowded or not!



-fran-

[Huakai]

And there IS always that 'other place'. IOA was different and fun for something new....although still doesn't compare to WDW.

[bumble]

We also like to go to the beach at the Polly and watch Wishes, pina colada in hand. (the music and narration is piped in to the beach and dining area!) Oh, and we love Ohana for dinner, very nice. We will be doing this again in less then 2 weeks!!

[BuzzLightBeer]

If you haven't been to USF or IOA, then it's probably worth checking out at least once. I am a Disney fan to the core, but there are some pretty decent attractions at these two parks. MIB is superior to Buzz Lightyear SRS, and I can't think of much that even compares to Spiderman at IOA. You'll definitely find, though, that it just isn't Disney. Also, prepare to get wet at IOA.

The only way to spend a whole day at DTD, realistically, is to include a half-day or so at DisneyQuest. It's a lot of fun, especially if you and yours are into video games and interactive adventure. POTC is great fun! But if DQ is busy, it can be an aggravating experience.

I've seen every single Cirque du Soleil show, permanent and touring, and I cannot stress just how good they are. They are expensive, but prepare to be stunned beyond belief. Plus, the trick in every Cirque show is to try and figure out the storyline.

Both the Disney and non-Disney mini-golf courses are also fun, if you are into that sort of thing. The waterparks are also a good time, but again, if it's busy, it can be really annoying to wait 30 minutes for a 1 min waterslide (or a lot shorter for the speed slides). Then again, except in off periods, we all "assume the Disney position" which involves looking at someone's back and mooing. The problem is that the waterparks aren't always enjoyable in off-period (is that REAL ice in Blizzard Beach?).

You can make a neat day of Kennedy by tacking on a trip to Cocoa Beach there, but it was better when Ron Jon Surf Shop wasn't in Orlando as well. That alone is a neat excursion.

Don't forget about Busch Gardens on the West Coast, either. It's a 2 hour drive (or so), but if one hasn't been, it's not too bad. Hey, free beer...what else could one ask for???

Finally, there's the gems around the resorts. Hop on the monorail and check out each hotel. See the lobbies, the stores, have a meal, do some swimming (one may need to carefully pack swimsuits and such, but it's do-able). There are gifts unique to some of the resorts, like miniature Disney-fied totem poles at Wilderness Lodge, and such. Many gift shops will look similar at the surface level, but there's almost always unique items at the prime shop (even if you have to dig for them). My father started collecting Disney baseballs a few years back -- it started innocently enough and now he has over 30, I believe. Fort Wilderness is also worth a trip - there are great playgrounds and it's very nice to go and rent bikes to ride around. If you can get to a few quiet loops, it's also prime for rollerblading (great pavement and little traffic).

Best of luck!

[ilvminnie]

Originally Posted by chiasgirl

I don't know if we could do it! I'm having a hard enough time giving up one day at the parks to go to Kennedy Space Center with my husband! I guess it's a fair trade though 6 days at WDW for 1 day at KSC...

Ditto!!! We're talking about moving to FL so we'll have the chance to do something besides WDW. When we're just down there for 7-10 days at a time I just can't tear myself away from WDW.

[pbharris4]

My sister doesn't go to the parks in the summer (they go in Feb. and we will too from now on.) They hang by the pool, shop, ride bikes or boats, go to other resorts, etc. I like the parks in Feb. or the off months because they are less crowded. We went a few weeks ago & to be honest..if I am going to spend $50 or more on a ticket to a theme park..I want to be able to go on rides & see attractions w/o having to wait forever. When we go in the summer we will do Disney Quest, Circque du Soleil, DD, the movies, maybe a concert or even Wide World of Sports..we may even take a day trip to Cape Canaveral. You can also do some of the dinner shows.

[ryanrop]

Well I'm back and here is what I did and let me tell you we had the best time ever not going to the parks everyday:

Friday: Arrived, checked in to OKW at 8pm, took the boat to DD and ate at Rainforest

Saturday: Took my 4 year old to the pool and playground for a few hours, ate at the buffet at fort wilderness (best deal in disney), took my girl on a pony ride and petting zoo, back to the room for a nap, dinner at Ohana's (awesome)

Sunday: Char Breakfast at chef Mickeys at 10:30, resort hopping (boardwalk, GF, Poly), Hoopdee doo dinner review

Monday: Char Breakfast at GF (loved this one), walked around GF and shopped for a little while, Downtown Disney for some shopping, went to boardwalk and ate at espn and walked the boardwalk

Tuesday: Lunch at Olivia's, Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day

Wednesday: Travelled home

This was one of the most relaxing times we have ever had at disney world. Maybe because it was just Me, Wife and 2 babies without any other family :). Normally we go for 7 days and cram all parks including busch and universal/islands and never have time to relax.

I would recommend doing this at least once rather than running around all the parks getting tired everyday.

Ryan

[inluvwithdisney]

Originally Posted by ryanrop

Well I'm back and here is what I did and let me tell you we had the best time ever not going to the parks everyday:

Friday: Arrived, checked in to OKW at 8pm, took the boat to DD and ate at Rainforest

Saturday: Took my 4 year old to the pool and playground for a few hours, ate at the buffet at fort wilderness (best deal in disney), took my girl on a pony ride and petting zoo, back to the room for a nap, dinner at Ohana's (awesome)

Sunday: Char Breakfast at chef Mickeys at 10:30, resort hopping (boardwalk, GF, Poly), Hoopdee doo dinner review

Monday: Char Breakfast at GF (loved this one), walked around GF and shopped for a little while, Downtown Disney for some shopping, went to boardwalk and ate at espn and walked the boardwalk

Tuesday: Lunch at Olivia's, Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day

Wednesday: Travelled home

This was one of the most relaxing times we have ever had at disney world. Maybe because it was just Me, Wife and 2 babies without any other family :). Normally we go for 7 days and cram all parks including busch and universal/islands and never have time to relax.

I would recommend doing this at least once rather than running around all the parks getting tired everyday.

Ryan

This sounds great!!! I wish we could take a trip just to do all the outside the park things at WDW!! Or take a really looong vacation so we could do it!! Sounds like you had fun!!!

[llama]

Glad you had such a great and relaxing time. I've always thought that WDW is way more than just the parks. We spent 2 weeks at WDW last January and took days "off" from the parks. They were some of our best times. But next time, please, please, PLEASE try Cirque de Soliel!