Hi Nathaniel, and welcome to planDisney! I love exploring the different Disney resort hotels, and Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorites. It’s such a unique and relaxing retreat away from the busy theme parks. So I’d be happy to suggest a possible itinerary for your free day.
With a full day of park hopping ahead, I’d suggest making a reservation for
Boma around 9:00 a.m. for a hearty breakfast! This will give you plenty of time for a leisurely meal before the Jambo House Lobby Art Tour starts (currently it runs on weekdays at 11:00 a.m.). From the Yacht Club, you can take the complimentary bus to Animal Kingdom Theme Park and then switch to a bus headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge (be sure to get off at the Jambo House stop, not Kidani Village). Or, to save time, you can use a ride share service to go directly between the two resort hotels.
Once you’re done with the art tour, take a bus to Magic Kingdom for the next part of your resort hop! From Magic Kingdom, get on the
Resort Monorail, which stops at the Contemporary Resort (where the monorail travels right through the building!), the Grand Floridian Resort, and Polynesian Village Resort. Depending on what you’re interested in doing, you may not have time to visit all three resorts, but here are some of my favorite things in this area.
At the Contemporary, I love the Magic of Mosaics Craft, which currently takes place on Mondays and Fridays at 1:00 p.m. It’s recommended that you sign up in advance at the Community Hall, or by calling the phone number listed on the
Activities Schedule. If you’d rather play things by ear, they’ll usually take walk-ins if they have space.
After all this exploring, a great place to relax is in the Grand Floridian’s lobby. There’s a new bar,
The Perch, where you can enjoy drinks while listening to the
Lobby Pianist (on Monday, the pianist is currently scheduled to start playing at 3:00 p.m.).
And finally, at the Polynesian Village Resort, one of my must-dos is
Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, which is a unique tiki bar with tropical vibes and fun surprises! You can also get your drink in one of their iconic tiki mugs, which makes a great souvenir! And, while you’re at the Polynesian, I love to grab a DOLE Whip from
Pineapple Lanai to enjoy on the beach. With a view of Cinderella Castle in the distance, it might be the most magical stop during your resort-hopping day!
Once you’re ready to check into your conference, you can take the monorail back to Magic Kingdom to transfer to a bus to the Yacht Club. Or use a ride share service for a more direct route.
If you have extra time before your conference, you can walk over to the BoardWalk Resort to get a snack from Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs or the Cake Bake Shop Bakery. Or if you want to squeeze in a little workout, you can also rent a
Surrey bike and take it around Crescent Lake!
I hope this gives you some ideas for a magical resort-hopping day. And if you have any questions, we’re always here for you at planDisney!
JoAnna