WDW Trip Without Going To MK, AK, MGM or Epcot

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WhyMama

New Member
Original Poster
We are season pass holders and were wondering if anyone else who goes weekly ever went just to see places like Fort Wilderness, The High End Hotels, and Downtown Disney? For example: Is there really anything cool to do at Fort Wilderness? Can you even go there? Is Downtown Disney worth a half day trip? We now go to WDW once a week and we don't want to "burn out" the place.
We would appreciate any suggestions from long term Florida locals who go to WDW all the time.
THANKS!
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
DTD is really not much more than a Disneyfied strip mall so there is not a tremendous amount to do other than shop, eat or catch a movie. We are Seasonal pass holders as well and we generally spend the black out periods at the water parks.

If you are going every weekend it would be well worth it to upgrade to a premium AP. Then you can go to the water parks, DQ and PI when ever you want. Not to mention you will save $10 a day on parking. Span that over 52 weekends and it is a pretty substantial chunk of change.
 
PhilharMagician

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
I really wish I could help you, but I do not suffer from your dilema. For our 22 hour drive I just don't think visiting once a week would work for us.
 
csaguy

csaguy

Member
Other stuff to do

When we go, we have to spend at least a half day at DD to look and then stop in later in the week to buy. We also cruise, get on a boat(s) and go from one resort or park to another. We've gone to the different hotels just to see what they are like. Just go out and search, spy and have fun.

PS, went to Lion King on stage last night, it's great. Now we miss WDW more.
 
goofyfan13

goofyfan13

Well-Known Member
WhyMama said:
What is Disney Quest?
Click to expand...

It's a five story interactive arcade, you pay admission and all the high end games are free for the entire time your in there. The only ones you have to pay for if I remember correctly are the ticket dispensing ones. It's really a good time even though they haven't done a whole lot to update the place in a while.

Heres a link.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wd...stIndoorInteractiveThemeParkEntertainmentPage

EDIT: ^Ah, beat me to it! :lol: ^
 
sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
Every week?!?! :lookaroun I'm just as big a WDW nut as the next guy, but, for me, that would be a bit much. Living in Florida and going every week, IMO, would take away much of the excitement and magic of WDW and make it just part of everyday routine. Living in IL and having an 18 hour drive, and thus only being able to go once a year (if that), I wouldn't mind living a little closer and being able to go a little more often, but I wouldn't want to go once a week. I think the ideal for me (if it was all about distance to WDW, which it isn't), would be to live in Tennessee or Georgia. We would be significantly closer and thus able to go more often, but we would still be far enough away to make it a special treat and something to look forward to. Having WDW right in my backyard, IMO, would ruin it for me. But that's just me.
 
W

WhyMama

New Member
Original Poster
We are going alot for now, but we certainly will be going backto Busch Gardens since its 20 minutes away with FREE BOOZE! We also plan on switching to Universal Studios Season Passes for next season and we won't go for a full year. By switching parks we keep them fun and interesting and the beauty of it is that we NEVER RUSH thru the parks. We used to live in NJ and when we came down we would KILL OURSELVES trying to see all the major attractions. We would end up dead tired and never saw ALOT of the parks! For example we never went to Tom Sawyer Island in 20 years since we had more important things to see. As a daytripper we go out to the park and just "hang out". We go on rides but we more or less use the parks completely differently than we used to since we come back every week. I too thought it would ruin the place but frankly I think it adds to the fun of the place! We now see so much more and have time to speak with cast members, look for hidden mickeys, look in the stores etc. The place is so MASSIVE that it will take a VERY LONG TIME to get bored!!
 
Moustronaut

Moustronaut

New Member
WhyMama said:
We are season pass holders and were wondering if anyone else who goes weekly ever went just to see places like Fort Wilderness, The High End Hotels, and Downtown Disney? For example: Is there really anything cool to do at Fort Wilderness? Can you even go there? Is Downtown Disney worth a half day trip? We now go to WDW once a week and we don't want to "burn out" the place.
We would appreciate any suggestions from long term Florida locals who go to WDW all the time.
THANKS!
Click to expand...
Downtown Disney would be like going to an extended shopping trip with a night out added to the end. Shop for a couple hours, then go eat, then go to the clubs of Pleasure Island or see a movie. To a lesser extent Disney's Boardwalk would be the same way. Eat a nice dinner then go dancing at Atlantic Dance or Jellyrolls.

Disney quest is an attraction in its own right... even comes with the admission price to prove it.

Cirque du Soliel is also worth going to see just by itself, but again requires it's own ticket.

You are always welcome to explorer the resort hotels. Some of the resorts do have activities that you can participate in. You can go out at look at the animals at animal kingdom lodge. I believe you can rent boats from any of the resort marinas even if you are not a resort guest. That's a fun way to kill an hour or so, especially if the weather is nice. And any of the resort restaurants make a nice meal out as well.

You can go to either Fort Wilderness or Polynesian Resort to catch their dinner shows (Hoop-De-Do Review or the Spirit of Aloha). Both of those are entertaining and worth doing if you go often.

Don't forget golf (both regular and mini). Don't have to visit the parks to do either of those.

My wife and I will be in Orlando in January for a wedding and have already made a reservation for breakfast at Kona Cafe before we head back to Atlanta. We'll probably take a lap around the Monorail just to get that disney feel.

So yes, you can go to Walt Disney World and never set foot in the parks but still have plenty to do.
 
SarahBella82

SarahBella82

Well-Known Member
I would suggest spending time at some of the resorts. Among my top three are the Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the Wilderness Lodge. You can people watch, if you're into that, wander the grounds (especially fun at AKL), and eat fantastic food (the Boma, O'Hana, and Whispering Canyon are fun choices). If you're photography buffs, you might consider taking a self-guided grand tour of Disney resorts to snap pictures of Disney's beautiful architecture.

You may also, though some on this board would disagree, enjoy the pools at various resorts. Some feel this is inappropriate for those not actually staying at the resort, but it's a relaxing way to spend some time.

:)
 
Epcot82Guy

Epcot82Guy

Well-Known Member
I second the resorts wandering idea. Before going on my CP, I was in the "from the midwest and see Disney once a year after an 18-hour drive" crew. However, living down there, I went to the parks/resorts leisurely at least twice a week. I really found a lot of places I loved to see that I never knew existed. In fact, even after doing this for 7 months, there are still resorts I have not seen. Also, when doing this, use Disney transportation. It eats up some time and fills in the day a bit.

In fact, for a solid two months, we would start at Epcot (just to see the attractions we worked at and ride/see a couple things) for maybe 2 hours and then travel to a new resort each week just to poke around. That way you have the feeling of going to a park but don't really risk having it be burnt out (especially if you rotate where you go/what you do).
 

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