Questions about visiting hotels but staying off-property.

[ItlngrlBella]

My cousin, sister and I are visiting the area on a family matter and renting a house in Davenport for 3 nights.

If we have have time to get-away in the evenings and unwind we are considering visiting a hotel for dinner, and/or the new tiki bar at the Polynesian or the Boardwalk.

What is the policy of visiting and patronizing these establishments if we aren't staying on property? Do we have to pay a parking/valet fee at the hotels?

 

[Tuvalu]

If you have an ADR for dinner at a resort you will be allowed into the lot and can self-park or use valet. To visit the Boardwalk, you can self-park in the lot across the street. You cannot park in the Poly lot just to visit Trader Sam's; according to @wdwmagic you would need to park at the TTC and ride the monorail to the Poly.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

^^^ thank you
Love the monorail but it's going to be weird (and sad) that we'll be riding it and not going to a park.

 

[rob0519]

Actually, you could walk to the Polynesian from the TTC in about 5 minutes or less. The bad part is you will have to pay the fee to park in the main lot. You could always pull up the Polynesian Gate and ask the guard if you could park in their self park lot. The worst that happens is they say no.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

The even-more-elaborate ploy would be to park at the Boardwalk, do stuff there, then ride a bus to MK and a monorail over to the Poly. Then take the monorail back to MK and ride a bus back to the Boardwalk.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

^^^wow - you are good! I think we may try to get an ADR somewhere if we plan to eat at a hotel anyway. May be cheaper and easiest option.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Depending on when you're there, you might get denied from parking at the Boardwalk. If it's Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, or if there's some kind of convention, they might turn you away.

The even-more-elaborate ploy would be to park at the Boardwalk, do stuff there, then ride a bus to MK and a monorail over to the Poly. Then take the monorail back to MK and ride a bus back to the Boardwalk.

Rather than bus to MK, you could also walk to and through Epcot, then monorail from Epcot to the TTC.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

^ Unless you have an ADR.

Edit: To clarify, you should not be turned away with an ADR, even if it's a busy time of the year.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

^ Unless you have an ADR.

Right. But the BW is the one resort (at least I think it's the only one) that you can generally visit without an ADR.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

Rather than bus to MK, you could also walk to and through Epcot, then monorail from Epcot to the TTC.

I assumed they didn't have an annual pass or ticket to Epcot just to walk through, but if it were me with my annual pass, that is what I would do.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

We'll be in town July 17-20 - so no big festivals or special events that I'm aware of. We'd be hanging out the nights of 18th (definitely) and maybe the 19th.

Seems like an ADR is the way to go.
Now...where to do the ADR is the question?!

 

[plutoismyhero]

My cousin, sister and I are visiting the area on a family matter and renting a house in Davenport for 3 nights.

If we have have time to get-away in the evenings and unwind we are considering visiting a hotel for dinner, and/or the new tiki bar at the Polynesian or the Boardwalk.

What is the policy of visiting and patronizing these establishments if we aren't staying on property? Do we have to pay a parking/valet fee at the hotels?

Best idea is to go to DTD or DS whatever it is called now and take the buses to any resort you want. Mind you that some pools you cannot go to but other then that it should work I have done this when working down to visit different resorts. I used to go to the Bar outside of Ohana's when waiting for my DW to get off work at MK.