Five of our Favorite Ways to Spend a Non-Park Day at Walt Disney World

Good morning!

Here in our house, we are celebrating our new son, who was born just 3 weeks ago! Due to the fatigue that all new mommas are familiar with, my creative juices aren’t flowing as well as usual- however, while looking through photos of our last vacation, I realized that this topic wouldn’t take much thinking on my part, due to our vacation style. All who know my family are aware that we spend quite a few of our vacation days outside of the parks, enjoying all of the amenities of Walt Disney World that others may overlook in favor of the parks. While we do love the theme parks, our everyday lives are so busy that we often prefer just to enjoy each other’s company doing something a bit more relaxing than running from attraction to attraction. Below, I describe five of our favorite ways to spend our days at Walt Disney World outside of the theme parks.

(Playing with bubbles at the pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House)

1- Renting a surrey bike- My son had been asking for MONTHS if we could rent the ‘big bike’ while on vacation, so on our February trip, we did just that! Several resorts offer surrey bikes for rental, but we chose to rent at the Boardwalk because we thought it would be fun to bike over to the other Crescent Lake resorts (Yacht and Beach Club and the Swan and Dolphin), and I loved the idea of being able to bike near the International Gateway at Epcot. We paid $25 for 30 minutes, and this was enough time to make the loop around Crescent Lake twice. My son LOVED helping us steer, and ringing the bell to let others know we were coming up behind them. After our fun trip around Crescent Lake, we walked over to Big River Grille & Brewing Works for lunch, where we were seated immediately, even without an advanced dining reservation (ADR). The Boardwalk is such a fun area to walk around, especially at night when the street performers come out to entertain (for free!) and the area is hopping!

(Riding our Surrey bike around The Boardwalk)

(Enjoying an outdoor lunch at The Boardwalk)

2- Bowling at Splitsville Luxury Lanes- Disney Springs, which has been under refurbishment for some time now, is an excellent place to spend a few hours or even a whole day outside of the theme parks! There is fantastic shopping, great indoor and outdoor entertainment, exquisite food, and more! We love the food at Splitsville- the sushi, as well as the huge pizzas, are both standout items! You can either bowl and eat at the same time, or separate from one another (we’ve done it both ways). This would be a great way to spend a rainy day at Walt Disney World!

(Enjoying the delicious sushi at Splitsville)

(The huge pizzas at Splitsville- sadly I couldn't finish mine!)

(Having fun bowling at Splitsville!)

3- Checking out other Disney Resorts- Ok this is probably our number one favorite thing to do on a non-park day. We often eat our meals outside of the parks because we enjoy the theming at the resorts so much. The resort we probably frequent the most is the Grand Floridian- we absolutely love the restaurants here, from Gasparilla Island Grill, the quick service spot, to the Signature Restaurants Narcoossee’s and Citrico’s, to 1900 Park Fare, which is our favorite character breakfast spot, and the Grand Floridian Café, a casual eatery that we tend to visit for dinner every trip. We love watching the fireworks from the dock outside near Narcoossee's, and it's so enjoyable to grab a drink at Mizner’s Lounge and listen to the live orchestra nearby. Even sitting in the lobby listening to the piano player is relaxing! We can find something enjoyable to do or see when visiting just about any Walt Disney World Resort!

(Watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Grand Floridian)

(Relaxing at Mizner's Lounge at the Grand Floridian)

(Even the lobby of the Grand Floridian is fun!)

4- Pamper yourself at a Walt Disney World Spa- Senses Spa at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa can provide a wonderful morning, afternoon, or even a whole day of relaxation. My husband has done both a Swedish massage and the Gentleman’s Retreat package at Saratoga’s spa, both of which he really enjoyed. Per my husband (I have never used the Spas), here are a few tips:

-Go before your appointment time to enjoy the amenities at the Spa.

-Feel free to stay after your spa appointment, all day if you wish, to enjoy the amenities at the Spa. 

-You can also leave and come back later the same day as your appointment if you wish.

-If you are DVC, you receive a complimentary drink with your Spa appointment.

-Ask for the Spa menu if you wish to order drinks and/ or refreshments (extra fees apply).

-It is less expensive per service to book a package- and he highly recommends the packages for the ultimate in relaxation!

(Senses Spa- Image from www.chipandco.com)

5- Spend the afternoon- or a whole day- at your Walt Disney World Resort pool- Being from the Midwest, where we only get the chance to swim a handful of months throughout the year, we LOVE visiting the pool or pools at our resort! Our favorite two pools currently are the Paddock Pool at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and the Samawati Springs Pool and Uwanja Camp water play area at Animal Kingdom Lodge- Kidani Village (note that when you stay at either Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House or Kidani Village, you are allowed to use either resort’s pool!). My 4-year old son is a water slide aficionado, and these two pools boast AMAZING water slides. All moderate and deluxe Disney resorts feature fun, themed water slides for resort guests to enjoy. We also enjoy the outdoor quick-service spots at both of these pools, which make grabbing a refreshing drink or a quick al fresco lunch easy and fun!

(Water slide at the Paddock Pool at Saratoga Springs)

(My son enjoying the water slide at the Paddock Pool at Saratoga)

(One of my favorite photos- enjoying the pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House)

(Playing at Uwanja Camp at Animal Kingdom Lodge- Kidani Village)

There are truly countless ways to enjoy your Walt Disney World vacation, and each family will have their own favorite ways to spend their day. No matter what you choose to do on any given day at the World, I know that you will have a great time! Thank you for reading, and Happy Travels!