What can you do at Disney without spending anything at all.

[POLY LOVER]

I just entertained 2 friends that did not want to go into the parks. I managed to give them an impressive taste of Disney without entering the parks at all. I was pretty amazed at how much I was able to do. I'm interested if others have tried this.

 

[s&k'smom]

I would love to hear some ideas too. Great topic.

 

[Figments Friend]

Yes, I have.
Usually on the day I arrive in town as I typically don't want to use a admission for just a few hours in a Park.
So I would do a few other things in the area that did not require any admission.

Some of the things I enjoyed doing on property without entering the Parks were -

Riding the monorails around to all the connected Resorts, stopping at each one to enjoy the surroundings.
Grab a bite to eat, take a look around the grounds, peek in the shops, etc.
I used to do this at the Poly and Contemp a lot back in the day....not so much the Grand Flo.
Time it right, and you can watch the MK fireworks or The Electical Water Pagent from the beam.

Riding the monorail over to Epcot..just for the 'round trip' ride.
Scenic, exspecially once you enter the Park and get that great view from above it all.
Back in the days when Guests were still allowed to ride in the cockpit with the Monorail Pilot the entrance into Epcot was even more scenic - the view of Spaceship Earth as you approached from the beam was awesome!


Taking a cruise on the Seven Seas Lagoon via the ferry boat.
This is exspecially nice at sunset or early evening, or time it right and watch the fireworks from the water.


Walking around and exploring any of the Resort Hotels in the areas near the Parks.
All typically feature some unique things to see.

And lastly, there is always Disney Springs.


-

 

[ewensell3]

Go see the animals on the Savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Head towards the Sanaa restaurant. To the right of the restaurant entrace is a door leading to a wooden walkway that goes into the Savannah. There's usually a keeper out there more than happy to talk about the animals.

 

[jengrey]

Visit the monorail resorts, maybe get a bit or a drink at one of them.
People-watching is a big thing for me, too. Resorts & TTC are perfect for that.

 

[Disney-Trains]

Boardwalk buskers are out each evenning and you can always take a free cruise on a Friendship boat. EPCOT and Studios fireworks are both visible from these areas.

Take a boat from Disney springs to Port Orleans Riverside and enjoy yeehaw Bob in the piano bar wed-saturday.

Take a boat to Fort Wilderness and visit the horse barns.

Grand Floridian has been mentioned but the Orchestra and Piano play in the lobby each afternoon and evenning

 

[MMFanCipher]

The Electric Water Pagent from the Fort Wilderness Beach.
The campfire Sing-a-long at the Fort with smores.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Visit the BoardWalk and Disney Springs.

 

[disney4life2008]

The problem is that its hard.

Where ever you go you will smell delicious food. And i hate to visit the resorts and not try the speciality of the resort.

 

[MickeyMomV]

I would check into what is going on at ESPN WWoS while you are there. The last couple of time we were there in March and early April we were able to watch MLB warm up and practices for free. We have never been able to time a trip to actually catch a game.

There is always something going on there I just don't know if the high school and college events have a charge to them.

 

[Walter Elias Disney]

• Try the exercise trail from The Wilderness Lodge to the campgrounds. http://runningatdisney.com/2012/02/05/wilderness-lodge-fort-wilderness-exercise-trail/
• Roaming through the Animal Kingdom Lodge is well worth the time.
• Depending on the season...the campgrounds can be elaborately decorated by campers...They know how to show the Disney spirit.
• All the live entertainers at Disney Springs!
• Free chocolate sample at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company..Disney Springs
• Stop by Basin's at Disney Springs for a free hand salt scrub and moisturizer or Origins for a Warm Down Warming Lava Scrub to detox and smooth your hands.
• Free meet and greet with the iconic Coca-Cola Polar Bear at the Disney Springs Coca-Cola Store Orlando. http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/explore/explore-inside/explore-coca-cola-polar-bear/

 

[Gelatoni]

Wishing you were inside the gates is always free

 

[ml123_9]

Hotel hop and ride the transportation. My son and I did that last year for half a day and really enjoyed it.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Horrors....You could never get me that close to the parks and keep me out.... Hopefully you impressed them enough with what little they saw that they will want to experience the full effects by going inside next time.

 

[DfromATX]

Wait, my question is why didn't they want to go into the parks?

 

[Epcot82Guy]

A couple personal favorites...

-If you have a small group, head up to California Grill while it is still light outside. Grab wine and dinner at the bar. Go out on the north platform to see MK and Epcot. Then hop the monorail to Poly for drinks at Trader Sams. Time it correctly to end the evening along the beach (there or GF) where - surprise - the fireworks start.

-Grab sushi at Kimonos later in the evening to listen to karaoke. Then take the boat to the Boardwalk to grab dessert at the Bakery or Ample Hills.

-Take a bus to POR or POFQ or OKW. Use the boat to go to Disney Springs. Adds a nice touch.

-An even at AKL. Grab a drink at Uzumi to be "at the pool". Watch the animals for awhile. Have dinner at Boma, Jiko or Sanaa (or at Cape Town if a couple of you).

-Do a pool bar comparison! Nice way to be at the pool at several hotels without staying there (or breaking the rules). Some favorites are Uzima at AKL, Cabana at Dolphin (since it is actually at the pool), On the Rocks at Saratoga (same) and Barefoot Bar at Poly.

 

[GoofGoof]

Good topic. I did this once when my oldest son was only 6 months old. We were in FL visiting relatives but I could only stand so much time with the in-laws. We checked into a hotel for a few nights but didn't bother with park tickets since my son was so little. We went to DTD and walked around and we went to CR and rode the monorail and visited the monorail resorts and even rode through EPCOT.

We also visited AK Lodge but I almost got us arrested there. I had never actually had a car with me at WDW before that trip so when we decided to stop in at AKL to check the place out I didn't really expect there to be security. When the guy at the booth asked if I was checking in I just said yes figuring he would just tell me where to pull up. Instead he asked me for my license and of course couldn't find my reservation because I didn't have one. He told me to park and check-in at the front desk and then come back for my parking pass. We parked and walked around a little then blew out of there. When we stopped at CR the next day I just told the guard we wanted to check the place out and maybe grab a bite to eat and he just told me where to park and gave me a 4 hour pass. If I knew it was that easy I would have just done that at AKL too

I think Fort Wilderness is another cool place to check out for free. Just have to get there.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

I do this all the time there are so many things to do!

Dining or having drinks at any of the restaurants and lounges
Resort hopping
Riding the monorail and other forms of transportation
Shoping in the resort stores
Wandering around the Disney Springs

 

[JIMINYCR]

Wait, my question is why didn't they want to go into the parks?

Don't know what the OP's friends reasons were but I've heard of others not wanting to spend the money on a day ticket because they didn't appreciate the value of what they were getting or they weren't going to spend enough hours in the park to warrant the spending.

 

[SAV]

Go to Disney Springs and take a bus over to Poly. Take a monorail to the TTA and take a ride through EPCOT. If timed right, you can get a glimpse of Illuminations. Get a Dole Whip float and indulge while watching Wishes(or the new show) from the Poly Beach.

Also you can go and Visit the Boardwalk Resort and while there stroll along the Boardwalk and visit Beach Club and Yacht Club. The Swolphin are right there too.

As was mentioned above, visit Animal Kingdom Lodge.

While not totally free, you can play a round of Miniature Golf.