Hello, Alyssa! Thanks for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question.
I actually love planning a few days during my vacations to
Walt Disney World that are not at the Theme Parks. There is so much to see and do. I always kick off our first day of vacation by lounging poolside for a few hours. Even if your room isn't ready when you arrive at
Disney's All-Star Music Resort you can use all of the amenities including the pool. Typically starting in the late morning going through the afternoon, your resort will be having a pool party! You can expect poolside games, activities and music. My daughter is 12 now but the pool party has appealed to her at all the stages of her life so far. You'll be able to see a schedule of events for the day posted typically near the lifeguard stand. After an afternoon of swimming, if your family is anything like mine, I'm sure they'll have worked up an appetite. I suggest heading over to
Disney's BoardWalk area for the evening. This area is a beautiful promenade to walk around offering some shopping,
dining and entertainment. I actually love grabbing a slice of pizza from the
Pizza Window and a margarita from
BoardWalk Joe's Marvelous Margaritas and enjoying the entertainment like stilt walkers, jugglers and magicians that might be performing throughout the night. I'm sure all of your kids will love the ice cream at
Ample Hills Creamery and checking out the arcade. A fun way to burn off some energy would be to rent
surrey bikes to pedal around the lake. We've done this a number of times and I can't tell you how many laughs we've had over the years! After you've spent some time enjoying the BoardWalk, I suggest heading back to your resort for the nightly
movie under the stars. The nightly movies are complimentary to you and a great way to end the day. When you check in, you can ask for the movie schedule so you know what's playing when.
On your last day, I also suggest you start out by the pool. Mickey waffles by the pool seems to me like the only way to end your vacation. If you plan to leave later than the check-out time, bell services is more than happy to store your luggage for you at no charge. After swimming, I think a trip to
Disney Springs would be great for your whole crew. This is another dining, shopping and entertainment area but much larger than the BoardWalk! No trip to Walt Disney World is complete for my family without stopping here. You can grab all those last minute souvenirs at the largest Disney store in the world. I'm not kidding when I say you can spend hours at Disney Springs. Whether you want a grab and go option or a fancy sit down meal they've got all of it and everything in between. This area will appeal to your whole family, I'm sure of it!
I hope you like the ideas I've given you. If you have any other questions or need more suggestions, please come back and ask me. I am happy to help! Enjoy your vacation.