Walt Disney World is the size of two Manhattans put together. As you might guess, there is A LOT to do, both inside and outside the parks. If you have a good amount of time to vacation, you will likely have some days that are non-park days. These include arrival day, departure day, or a day in the middle of your trip to rest and take it easy. No matter the reason, I want to share some activities with you that my family and I have enjoyed through the years.
Beginning with our favorite activity, we love experiencing our ‘Monorail Mania Meal.’ We developed this years ago and it has been a lot of fun. We don’t plan it the same each time, we change it up. During our last trip we did this very thing on our last day.
You can plan this activity however you want. We have started with drinks at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, followed by dinner at Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and then ending with dessert at the Tambu Lounge (think ‘Ohana Bread Pudding – yum!) inside Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
On our last visit, we started with drinks at the Tambu Lounge at the Poly and then rode the monorail around to the Contemporary and had lunch at the Contempo Café. Then we ended our ‘Monorail Mania Meal’ at the Grand Floridian for dessert. We had the biggest cake pops ever — the size of a cupcake on a stick, no lie.
We love this activity as it gives us time to spend together just talking and having fun. It’s a Disney tradition to which we look forward.
Another activity we really enjoy, especially during the holidays, is resort hopping. The decorations at many of the resorts are awesome and we love being able to see each one. We really enjoy visiting the Gingerbread House at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Seeing all the fabulous displays at the EPCOT resorts is another favorite.
Some light shopping at Disney Springs is also a fun activity. Another favorite of mine is Zawadi at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. That gift shop has unique items you cannot find anywhere else on property.
Meeting up with local friends is a great way to spend your non-park day as well. You may just hang out talking at one of the tables by the pool. You might decide to have lunch somewhere everyone enjoys. It’s a great way to catch up and just spend several hours that day.
Having fun poolside is an awesome way to spend your day. If we are staying at a resort that has a fitness center, we can even swim on check out day. Then we can shower at the fitness center and change for our flight.
Another great activity is mini golf. You actually get a free game of mini golf with your Disney travel package and that is a fun activity, especially when the weather’s cool.
Booking a character dining experience outside the park is a fun way to end your trip. It gives you a little extra magic before you have to go home and back to reality.
Seeing a brand new Disney movie at the AMC theater at Disney Springs is another idea.
Cirque Du Soleil – Drawn to Life is a very unique show at Disney Springs. The show times are 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. so you could easily combine this with a day of shopping or pool time. Whatever you’d like.
I hope you enjoyed this list of ideas for things to do on your non-park days. There are so many other activities you can do; this is just a start. Use your imagination!
What is your favorite non-park day activity to do with your family? Leave a comment.
If you would like help planning your next magical vacation, contact me at Brenda@pixievacations.com.
I would love to help you.
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