A visit to Walt Disney World doesn’t always include a theme park visit. Sometimes, you have other plans for the day and don’t have the extended window that you need to justify a ticket purchase. Whether you’re in town for a business meeting at Disney facilities or stopping in Orlando on the way to a Disney Cruise, you have free time at the Most Magical Place on Earth. You just don’t want to spend $100 for a partial day at Magic Kingdom. Here are some other lovely ways to spend some time at Walt Disney World when you don’t have admission tickets.
Visit the zoo
Image: DisneyDisney’s Animal Kingdom has the same admission price as the other Disney parks. When you don’t have tickets, your first instinct is to think that you can’t see any of the animals. You’re wrong!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge also has animals living on site, and you don’t have to pay anything to see them! Instead, you may take Disney’s transportation service from any of the parks or resorts to Disney’s Animal Kingdom or, when possible, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. From there, you’ll simply walk through the lobby of the resort and out the back.
Image: DisneyThe animals are in their natural habitats, which makes them secure and playful. They’ll interact with one another and may even take an interest in you, at least from a distance. The entire encounter is wonderful.
PS: After you’re done, head back inside and spend some time in the resort lobby. I think of Jambo House as one of the most serene places at Walt Disney World. I seem to fall asleep sitting on a couch in the lobby here 100 percent of the time.
Hang out with Disney characters
Image: DisneyYou may think of Disney character meetings as park-exclusive experiences. That’s not the case at all! Several resorts host interactive character meetings each week, although times aren’t always easy to anticipate. You may contact the hotel for further information if you’d like to attend one.
Alternately, you should book a character meal. A few resorts such as Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort host them, although the latter two are for breakfast only. Similarly, the BoardWalk’s Trattoria al Forno has a Tangled character breakfast also.
Image: DisneyThe safest bet for slow risers, however, is Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary. Here, you’ll interact with five of your favorite Disney characters in the happiest of environments. I always describe Chef Mickey’s as pure joy, as it’s the place at Walt Disney World where you’re most likely to hear the uproarious laughter of children. A meal here isn’t cheap, but you have to eat while you’re in Orlando anyway. You might as well have a great time while doing it, right?
Catch a sporting competition
Image: DisneyThe ESPN Wide World of Sports complex is one of the hidden gems of Walt Disney World. Generally, the only people who pay attention to the activities here are the ones who are either participants or the loved ones of said competitors. When you’re looking for something to do at Disney, however, it’s a terrific place to spend some time.
Disney hosts a multitude of academic competitions at ESPN Wide World of Sports, most of them involving children, teenagers, and college students. Through 2019, you can also watch Atlanta Braves baseball here during Spring Training in February and March. For most of the year, however, the entertainment involves the 21-and-under crowd, as they compete in soccer, volleyball, baseball, dancing, and cheerleading events.
Image: DisneyYou’ll find an updated schedule of events at ESPN Wide World of Sports on the official site. By perusing this page, you can see which competitions Disney’s hosting on the days you’ll be in town. You should also understand that you’ll likely have to pay…something to see the events. The current fee at time of publication is $19.50 for adults and $13.50 for children aged 3-9, but some competitions have individual admission fees, too.
Movie night!
Image: DisneyMany Disney Resorts them have outdoor exhibitions of Disney movie classics. For example, we watched The Lion King the last time we were at Walt Disney World.
Notably, Disney sometimes shows brand new movies, too. For example, they had a Moana showing at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort weeks before the film came out on in theaters. You could feasibly kill two birds with one stone by watching a Disney movie that you haven’t seen for free at a Disney resort!
Image: DisneyOn a personal note, I love the atmosphere of these outdoor screenings. Families bring blankets and chairs and sometimes even picnic baskets. Strangers interact with one another as everyone celebrates their childhood love of Disney movies. It’s a magical way to spend the evening.
To participate, you should check the individual Disney resorts to research their daily schedules. These pages list movie screening information. Alternately, our friends at Build a Better Mousetrap have compiled a full list.
The Disney Springs seek and destroy visit
Image: DisneyDisney constructed the area that we now know as Disney Springs as an attempt to corner the market on Orlando shopping. Their entertainment district features dozens of shops and restaurants, virtually all of which are worth your time and money. When you only have a day in town, grab a Disney bus to Disney Springs. You’ll receive a veritable cornucopia of entertainment options as your reward.
I could list dozens of activities worthy of your time, but for the sake of brevity, I’ve filtered the list down to three. The first of them is bowling at Splitsville Luxury Lanes. For around $20 per person, you’ll get to bowl on some of the nicest lanes in the country. Plus, you can kill two birds with one stone by eating a surprisingly tasty meal there, too. You’ll even find a bunch of televisions if you want to watch a live sports event as you bowl.
Image: DisneyFor a high-end entertainment option, you could do something inimitable. The BOATHOUSE is a Signature Dining restaurant at Disney Springs. I happen to love it, but you may not want to spend the money for a meal with so many delicious Quick Service restaurant options in area. You should still splurge on one of their upcharges, though.
The BOATHOUSE has a fleet of Amphicars, the car of tomorrow according to a few automobile manufacturers in the 1960s. An Amphicar is something straight out of James Bond movies, a car that works on land and sea. For a not-so-modest fee, an Amphicar captain will drive/sail around the waters of Disney Springs. It’s about a 15-minute trip highlighted by an unprecedented view of the entertainment complex and the nearby resorts. It’s a divine experience that every theme park tourist should do at least once at Disney.
Image: DisneyThird, you should get a t-shirt made at Disney Design-a-Tee. It’s a specialty store where you’ll use a computer model to scroll through hundreds of potential t-shirt designs. Once you find the one that you like, you can choose the color and size. Most importantly, you can also choose the writing that will go on the shirt. It’s a rare level of customization for Disney intellectual properties, one that allows you to marry your favorite characters and expressions. It’s also a keepsake that will always remind you of that day you spent in Orlando when you didn’t go to the parks.
Finally, I think it should go without saying that you’ll also want to shop until you drop at Disney Springs. Nothing heals the pain of being this close to a Disney theme park without going in like retail therapy does. A few great purchases will make you feel like you did your Disney trip right, even if you didn’t get to take a ride on Space Mountain.
