Visiting resorts while staying off property?

SJH'72

SJH'72

Active Member
Original Poster
Apologies in advance for my naivety and I’m sure this has been discussed heaps before but....

What’s the deal with off site WDW guests visiting resorts? To visit restaurants or just to have a stroll around after leaving a park etc?
Not to visit pools or anything more clearly guest only orientated. But just to see what’s there? In case you ever wanted to stay on-site?

This trip is my 3rd but we only ever stay off property and so I have absolutely no idea.

Thanks in advance - and please be kind! ;)
 
drwadadli

drwadadli

Well-Known Member
Maybe I am a little confused. Guests stay off-site can visit resorts and restaurants after leaving the parks. There is nothing that says they can't. You are correct that off-site guests can't use the pools but they are allowing to stroll round the resorts. I have done it for years and still do when staying off-site. We were in February and went to WL, GF, Poly and POR-R and no one asked if we were on-site or off-site guests and no one tried to kick us off property.
 
wdwfan22

wdwfan22

Well-Known Member
You may visit other Walt Disney World Resorts by using Disney transportation. However, you won't be allowed to park at many Disney resorts without a confirmed dining reservation.
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
At most resorts during most of the year, it's not a problem. You can drive up to the gate, and tell them you want to walk around. Some resorts that have limited parking may stop you at the gate without a dining reservation. Poly and the Contemporary tend to have parking issues and will very likely turn you away, Same goes for Boardwalk.
 
drwadadli

drwadadli

Well-Known Member
wdwfan22 said:
You may visit other Walt Disney World Resorts by using Disney transportation. However, you won't be allowed to park at many Disney resorts without a confirmed dining reservation.
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I have parked at many resorts when staying off-site and I just tell them I want to look around. The only resorts that have said no are the ones mentioned by @dreamfinder.
 
wdwfan22

wdwfan22

Well-Known Member
drwadadli said:
I have parked at many resorts when staying off-site and I just tell them I want to look around. The only resorts that have said no are the ones mentioned by @dreamfinder.
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I can tell you from a recent visit in August that parking isn't permitted without reservations at Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Yacht/Beach Club.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Disney would prefer you become a resort guest. They want you staying on site because you would possibly spend more on their merchandise and food. And a satisfied guest will want to come back to the same resort or try others on return trips. So they wont stop you visiting and looking around. Youll find a variety of differences in whats offered in the food courts and gift shops from resort to resort. Some resorts just seem more suited for you and others you know right away that youd never stay there because it just doesnt feel right.
 
SJH'72

SJH'72

Active Member
Original Poster
JIMINYCR said:
Disney would prefer you become a resort guest. They want you staying on site because you would possibly spend more on their merchandise and food. And a satisfied guest will want to come back to the same resort or try others on return trips. So they wont stop you visiting and looking around. Youll find a variety of differences in whats offered in the food courts and gift shops from resort to resort. Some resorts just seem more suited for you and others you know right away that youd never stay there because it just doesnt feel right.
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Fantastic! Thank you. As I said I have NO idea what one can and can’t do as an off site guest other than what’s available in the parks. So this is all great to hear. We are travelling with my elderly in laws and they in particular would love to look round some of the resorts.

Thanks for all your instant replies! :happy:
 
Tyaloo

Tyaloo

Active Member
We stay on property, but always visit other resorts to have a look at see where we'd like to stay in the future! We also like to eat at other resort restaurants :)! We're eating at 1900 Park Fare this year, and will definitely wander around the Grand Floridian and take in the sights - it's part of the trip!

Sometimes we monorail over to the Contemporary and eat in there too!
 
T

tractor tipper

Well-Known Member
If you go to Disney springs you can take the buses or boats to the various resorts. I recommend the boat to POR and POFQ, you can visit two very nice resorts on one boat ride.
 
drwadadli

drwadadli

Well-Known Member
tractor tipper said:
If you go to Disney springs you can take the buses or boats to the various resorts. I recommend the boat to POR and POFQ, you can visit two very nice resorts on one boat ride.
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In February, we stayed at the Wyndham at Disney Springs and did just that. We took the bus to the Poly, walked around Poly and took the monorail over to Epcot. We also took the bus to POR for breakfast (beignets) and then the bus to Epcot.
 
jaklgreen

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
SJH'72 said:
Fantastic! Thank you. As I said I have NO idea what one can and can’t do as an off site guest other than what’s available in the parks. So this is all great to hear. We are travelling with my elderly in laws and they in particular would love to look round some of the resorts.

Thanks for all your instant replies! :happy:
Click to expand...

You will enjoy looking around the resorts. We stay on property but still like to take the monorail crawl around to those resorts and look in their gift shops, etc. When we do that it is usually around mid day, taking a break from the parks and having lunch at one of the resorts. Enjoy
 
E

ELM

New Member
As others have said, you can absolutely wander around the resorts while being an offsite guest. We were in FL two weekends ago staying onsite at Universal (Cabana Bay is FAB) and took an Uber over to Disney (around $15 one way) for dinner at the Wilderness Lodge. From there we caught the boat to Magic Kingdom, hopped on the Resort monorail at MK (you'll have to go through security), grabbed Lapu Lapus at the Poly, and watched the Electric Light Parade and Happily Ever After (with music piped in) from the Poly beach. All without purchasing a park ticket or staying onsite at WDW. If you're worried about parking or making a dining reservation in order to get parking, taking a rideshare like Uber or Lyft is a great way to go and we found it to be quite painless. The cast members at the TTC and at Wilderness Lodge security were very familiar with Uber, and the driver simply had to tell them that he was Uber dropping us off and we were waved right on in.

There's really quite a bit you can do for free on property, and if you plan it out to avoid using the bus system, you can see a lot in a relatively short amount of time. The monorail crawl (I'd strongly recommend also adding on a boat trip to the Wilderness Lodge and/or Ft. Wilderness) is a great option, as is walking around the Boardwalk/Crescent Lake loop, or, as others have mentioned, parking at Disney Springs and taking the boat up to the Port Orleans resorts. There are several places at the Seven Seas Lagoon resorts where you can watch the Happily Ever After fireworks with the soundtrack, and it's a great way to end the day.
 

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