Experience Disney World Without Buying a Park Ticket

Disney World is an amazing experience that we think everyone should have at some point in their travels. Over the years, Disney has expanded outside of the actual parks. You could spend an entire vacation at Disney and never actually buy a ticket and enter a park. Would you want to do that? Likely not as the parks are magical and an experience you will never forget. However, we have found that there are many reasons to explore outside of the park. Reasons to explore outside of the parks might include:

• Escaping the crowded parks and avoiding the expensive entrance tickets

• Exhaustion from spending all day at a park for multiple days in a row

• Staying at a campground in the surrounding area for a season and wanting to experience a little Disney

• Wanting to experience Disney without spending a fortune

Or maybe you are like us, you just want to experience everything Disney has to offer. The experiences outside of the park are some of the best that Disney has to offer its guests. Whatever your Disney Goals are for your trip, here are some ideas to consider.

Disney Springs has become so big that it could be considered a park on its own, but it still does not require an entrance ticket or parking fees. This area has everything you could possibly imagine as far as entertainment. Including restaurants, desserts, shopping, outside music, live performances, and so much more. We have two favorite ways to spend time at Disney Springs. The first is to go to The Springs at opening to enjoy the shops without the crowds, have lunch, and then leave before the crowds start arriving. The second is to go for dinner and enjoy a show at The House of Blues. Obviously, this takes a little more planning, buying a ticket to HOB and making dinner reservations. Did you know that many good tribute bands cover our favorite artists at HOB? The shows are amazing and the tickets are inexpensive. We usually try to make our dining reservations early, so we have plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the springs. We never go to the Springs without stopping at The Ganachery for a yummy treat.
Christmas at Disney is spectacular. Just as they go all out at the parks, they go all out at the hotels and other areas. One of our favorite things to do near the holidays is tour the hotels to check out the decorations. The hotels around Disney Boardwalk, as well as The Grand Floridian and The Contemporary, are all decorated in a gingerbread theme, including a full-size gingerbread carousel and gingerbread house. Fort Wilderness might be the most decorated place in all of Disney, but it is not the “corporate” decorations, it is the campers and the campsites that you should not miss. I have heard about this for years, but until you experience it in person you cannot imagine the magnitude.

Disney’s Boardwalk is reminiscent of Coney Island and Atlantic City. We love to grab a drink at the AbracadaBar before dinner at Trattoria el Forno. After dinner there is Ice Cream at Ample Hills Creamery for dessert and then a stroll around the Boardwalk. As you walk around you will find street performers, nightly movies outside of the hotels, and the dueling pianos at Jelly Rolls for the party crowd. If our evening is not what you are looking for, each of the hotels have additional dining opportunities, including character dining, karaoke at Kimonos, and of course ESPN Zone for your sporting needs.

Animal Kingdom Lodge has three amazing restaurants that I would recommend, Jiko – The Cooking Place, Boma – Flavors of Africa, and Sanaa. These restaurants offer amazing menus and will delight your taste buds. Your selection will not be a decision on quality, but whether you want a fine dining or a more casual experience. When we head over for dinner, we like to go over early to enjoy the wildlife enclosures that surround the lodge, including, zebras, giraffes, gazelles and more. Then we like to stop by the Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar or the Victoria Falls Lounge for a pre-dinner drink before heading to dinner. If you are not in the mood for the whole dining experience, or maybe you did not make a reservation, the lounges all serve food and have a great atmosphere.

Have you ever found yourselves Boating around the Seven Seas Lagoon? I do not mean the rentals, although those are a ton of fun too, I mean the normal resort boats that run between Fort Wilderness, Contemporary, Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. It is a great way to explore the hotels surrounding the Seven Seas Lagoon and have a little fun. The hotels have great bars, restaurants, stores, and fun themed décor. We love to grab a drink and a snack as we travel around the hotels. If you get tired of the free boat ride, you can also take a whirl on the monorail.

We love Character Breakfasts outside of the park. There is already so much inside the parks, that we find it nice to separate breakfast with characters because they are a big experience all in themselves. It takes out that time-table of rushing to get back out to the park. When you opt for the experience at one of the resorts, you can take your time, get all the pictures, take time to eat your food, and you can explore the resorts. Disney resorts are fun, they have their own styles, decorations, and unique stores to explore.

Have you played Miniature Golf at Disney? We play at both Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland courses. The game is a little more expensive than an off-site miniature golf, but it is the fun to play Disney style. Of course, the Disney magic did not help my score… but I guess magic cannot do everything. They did sell me a nice cold beer to help to ease the sorrow of my golf score.

I think that everyone will agree that Disney has some of the best Restaurants in Central Florida. There is so much variety and options that you always find something you will love. Whether you are looking for a fun place to go with the kids or maybe something for a romantic couples evening, there is something for everyone. Remember as you plan that all the hotels have uniquely styled restaurants and you do not have to be a hotel guest to visit. One of our latest favorites is the Toledo on top of the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resorts. The food is even more amazing than the views, which are terrific from the top of this high-rise resort building. If you are not in the mood for a sit-down dining experience, they do have an adjacent bar that you can visit for the experience. Keep in mind if you cannot find a reservation on My Disney Experience App, many of the restaurants also take reservations on OpenTable where we find more last-minute availability.

I hope some of these tips help you plan out your next Disney experience. And I hope that you enjoy the Disney Magic as much as we do when we visit!