Hey Howdy Hey Amber and welcome to planDisney!
I am so excited to hear that your big trip to the Walt Disney World Resort is coming up later this spring. While no trip to Walt Disney World is official until you visit the theme parks, one of my favorite things to do is resort hop. I am so glad you stopped by with your question about all there is to do outside of the parks for your trip and will be happy to give you a little more information.
Amber, despite the resort you are staying at for your upcoming trip, you have the grand opportunity to visit any of the Disney resorts during your trip. This is an activity we call resort hopping. You can feel free to visit any of the resorts to just walk around the property, do some shopping or stay for a meal. If you purchase the refillable mugs at your home resort, feel free to bring them along as they will work at any Disney resort you visit. You can drop by a quick service location for a meal during your visit or make reservations for a table service offering as well.
When our family visits Walt Disney World, resort hopping is always factored into a couple of days. One of the cool places to visit is
Disney's Boardwalk. An evening walk around the boardwalk will give you a relaxing feel and options to experience dining, shopping and amenities at several of the resorts. You can watch a
Movie Under the Stars over at
Disney's Boardwalk Inn in the evening, stay for the local entertainment and catch a glimpse of the nighttime fireworks show in EPCOT
Luminous The Symphony of Us from the bridge. Make sure to stop by
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop over at Disney's Beach Club resort before you leave. They have a walk-up window and some super tasty treats you can indulge in!
The other area to check out is the Magic Kingdom Resorts.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa,
Disney's Contemporary Resort and
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort are all connected to the Magic Kingdom by the Walt Disney World Monorail. It is super fun to take a bus to Magic Kingdom and then hop aboard the monorail to visit all three resorts. We love sitting at the Contempo Cafe for a snack while we watch the monorail cruise overhead. At the Polynesia resort, feel free to visit in the evening, grab a Dole Whip from
Pineapple Lani and a spot on the beach in time to watch Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom. You will be able to see a great deal of the show and the music is pipped in for an amazing experience. Make sure you stay to watch the
Electrical Water Pageant afterward.
There are so many unique things to do at each resort and it is super fun to spend time outside of the parks to experience. We didn't even cover all of your transportation options such as Disney Skyliner which are attractions outside of the parks kids usually love! I hope this gives you a few things to keep in mind on your next trip to check out other resorts. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach back out and let us know, we are always happy to help!
To Infinity and Beyond,
Nick