Disney World: Beyond the Theme Parks

Disney World: Beyond the Theme Parks
On this episode of TravelEssary, we share some tips and information to help you navigate the WDW resort like a pro. We'll be stepping outside of the theme parks for this one, and discussing everything that is available to guests of the Walt Disney World Resort. 

Transcript

We're the Essary family and we're exploring America one destination at a time. On this episode of TravelEssary we're going to talk about Disney world beyond the theme parks. There's so much more to Disney world. Than just the theme parks. So stick around. And let's chat.  

Welcome and thank you for joining us. We get into this topic of beyond the theme parks of Disney world. Now this is a critical conversation that we're about to have. We're going to be filling you up with a bunch of incredible things that you may not even be aware that is at Disney world, because usually whenever you think about Disney world, of course, you're going to be thinking about the four main theme parks. Which rightly so. 

I mean, they are fascinating all within themselves, but there are so much other important things that happen outside of the four theme parks that is going to. Create a, even more immersive atmosphere and even a possible greater time. If you were to step away from the four theme parks and get into the conversation that we were about to have.  And I think the great thing about the Disney world resort 

as a whole. Is that outside of the theme parks. There are a lot of things that you can do. That's absolutely free. So if you're a budget savvy, Or you are there for a week or so, but you want to spend a day outside of the parks. There are things that you can do that cost $0. And whenever we went for two weeks, for 10 days.  Although , we went to the theme parks. Eight of those days, we took two days. And just relaxed recuperated. And we're able to visit a lot of the places that we're going to go talk about and had a great time. 

I mean, it was very pleasurable. It was very nice just to kind of. Chill and not worry about the hustle bustle of the theme parks. And I think that's what really is enjoyable about Disney world is how many, how many. Places or how many theme parks can you go to where you're not so worried about, Hey, Trying to do this or get on this ride or go watch this show where you can kind of take a step back. Not have to travel anywhere else, but to enjoy all these other amenities that we're about to talk about.  Yeah. 

So last week we talked about the four main theme parks and the reason we called them the main theme parks. It's because there are actually two other parks on the Disney world resort. However they are water parks.  And so of course, as waterparks, it also depends on what time of year that you go of how.  Much you're going to enjoy the waterpark or not. I don't think they're open all year long. 

I do think they shut down in the winter time. But they are full blown open during the summertime and they can be. Some of 

the most. Intense populations in Disney world could happen at either one of these water parks. So we have never actually been to the water parks. One, we just don't really do waterparks. And to have all the things to do at Disney world. It's at the very bottom of our list of things that we desire to do. 

However, a lot of people do enjoy them very much. Yeah. So whether you're going to the blizzard beach or you're going to typhoon lagoon.  You're still going to have a wonderful time at an enjoying the pools, the slides. All of the water entertainment that they have, uh, the food that they have there, it's just like going to one of the, the major theme parks. But instead of all the rollercoasters and the parades and everything, the shows, you're going to be splashing around in the water. 

And I can tell you going in July, I could definitely see how this is going to be really appealing to a lot of people, which is probably why it's really crowded in the summertime. It is, and the lines can be extensive from what we've read during those high peak times, but it's still enjoyable. It's still one of those things that even like if a real small little rain shower, cause you're in Florida is. Comes through.  They don't really shut down a whole lot. For those, those storms that come in. And so no matter when you go, whether it's. Raining or whether it's sunshine, you're still going to be able to enjoy it. And just like the four main theme parks. The water parks are, of course, part of that Disney atmosphere. 

You're still getting all things Disney while you're in those parks. So just because you're in a water park, doesn't mean that you're missing out on all of that magic. 

Speaking of magic.  One of the things that we were able to do last time, or one of the times that we went is to do a mini golf course. So mini golf course, a little putt putt course, and we didn't have to jump in our vehicle and travel over there. We got onto the transportation that Disney world has, and we kind of hopped our way. To a resort that was close by to the mini golf course. 

And we got to enjoy an entire evening of just putt putt. And it was a really unique kind of thing because.  Once again, you're getting everything Disney. So the puppet courses, no matter which one you go to, they're going to be. Specific to certain themes and that theme is above and beyond. What's your typical meeting golf course looks like.  Of course, neither of these are free. 

The.  Waterparks, you have to purchase a ticket and make your reservations just like you would. One of the four main theme parks and the miniature golf is also not free unless you have purchased a Disney package. And then they usually do come with your Disney packages. So we were able to go. , for free because it came with our package. 

But if you don't have a Disney package and you just want to do mini golf, , you don't have to make reservations or anything for the mini golf. 

You can just go and have a great time. Okay. Yeah. So whether you go into the Fantasia gardens and fairways, which is where we went. That was a really cool experience. Or if you're going to the winter summer land. Both of them are, are absolute amazing 18 hole mini golf courses that you can go play. And of course we're talking about Disney world miniature golf. 

So it's not like the one down the street from your house. It's Disney world, which means it's all out. It's Disney themed. It's immersive. It's magical. It's a lot more fun than I.  Any other miniature golf I've ever been to? Oh, absolutely. And I guess one of the other thing is if you know, you're looking at your mom and pops place or something that could be a little older, a little bit ran down, they may not have the funds to keep up with everything. And these mini golf courses, 

all the animatronics were working all of the, the watercourses.  Are any of the other moving parts of the miniature golf course? Was moving along and it just made it that much more enjoyable because you didn't have to worry about, oh, is the windmill broken today? Or, you know, Hey, is this part going to open up? 

Is it doing what it needs to be doing? So it was definitely one of those hassle-free miniature golf courses to go to. And. The hotel that the Fantasia was beside was absolutely stunning. It was a, it was a beautiful hotel.  I believe it was the grand Floridian. I believe so. And of course, where we get dropped off before we had just the small, like three minute walk to the, the miniature golf course, you get to see the whole. Glass front that is their, their dining area that's set out there. 

And it was, it was a really beautiful place to go to.  But if you're not looking to do a miniature course and you want to do a larger course, they do have a golf course located inside of Disney world. It is the Disney Mongolia golf course, 18 hole. Wad  fairways, beautiful greens, luxurious landscaping.  And a awesome place now. I will tell you this, I'm not an avid golfer. I do like playing golf. You know, I'll go smack the ball around and lose a couple and have a good time with, you know, friends or family and not really think that much about it.  But.  We saw a golf course whenever we went to South Carolina last time, that was absolutely stunning. 

We could see it from where we were staying. And I was like, oh, that's so pretty. I would love to go play there. And then we drove by the golf course in Disney world. A few days later. And I was like, never mind, I want to go play this course while the golf courses at Disney world are PGA level courses. 

And I guess that's what makes the difference. Because the one that we stayed in South Carolina. Was just half a step below that. And the one at Disney world was just, I mean, It was done. Disney style. And don't think that you're just going to go to Disney world and jump on one of these PJ level golf courses. You have to reserve tee times, you're going to be paying the price for those amazing courses. 

And there are days where they're actually not available at all, because they are doing some sort of tournament on them. Yeah, so definitely plan ahead. And we will talk about that in another episode of what you need to know before you just decide to wake up one day and go play golf. Cause it's not your typical.  Country club. It's definitely one of those high-end reservation type places. 

Yes. I don't think we're fancy enough to play on one of these Disney world. Hey look. If Disney world was to shoot us an email or give us a call and be like, Hey, come do a review over our course. I would definitely go smack the ball around.  

We might get kicked out. I might hit, I might tee off on hole one and hit someone on hole seven. But. It would still be a fun time.

There's a lot of things that you can do at Disney world, though. That's absolutely free. There's. There's a lot. 

So one of the things. That I've wanted to do that. We have not done yet, but I am absolutely going to schedule it. And next time we're in the area. Is take a day. Of doing a self guided scenic tour.  Of the entire Disney world resort, because there is so many transportation options. Like we talked about, you have this Skyliner, which is free. 

You have the monorail, which is free. You have the ferry, which is free and they take you to all the different areas around Disney world.  It's such a beautiful resort, obviously it's Disney, which is like one of the top companies in the entire world. And so everything is maintained extremely well and kept up very well. 

And it's absolutely beautiful. But then to visit each of the resorts themselves, the individual resorts, there all have a different theme and they all have different architecture and they all have  hidden Mickeys. We talked about the last week in the theme parks, but it's also all over the entire resort. 

There are hidden Mickeys and restaurants in hotels everywhere,  and everything is just so scenic. So I would love to take a self guided tour of just exploring the entire Disney resort. I think that would be an awesome encounter to go do is just get out there and just explore.

Just to take pictures and to take videos and just,  eat at little places that we see in. I think that would be a really enjoyable day. Yeah. Because , it's stuff that, especially if you're staying at one of the hotels, the easiest thing to do is just jump on a bus and then that to head to whatever theme park. That you're headed or waterpark that you're going to, but to take the other transportations and just  jump around from one resort or one theme park to another, just the different ways of doing it.  I mean, especially the monorail, because it goes from like one hotel to the magic kingdom. 

And just being able to do that and to get up as high as it is, or take the sky lifts . Now, we did take a ferry at one point in time. I love the ferry. It was amazing. We've talked to in previous podcasts of how much I enjoy boat rides in general. And so the ferry was absolutely beautiful. And of course it goes by like the grand Floridian and everything like that. 

And it's, it's just beautiful. , it was very pleasant , if you're just jumping in the bus or if you're just driving in from outside, one of the entrances. And you're specifically driving just to a theme park with it itself. 

Everything that you're missing. That each resort has on its own. And the way that every resort is themed a different way, every resort has a different food.  Now. Almost all of them have some type of pool, but some of them are themed differently than just to be able to go experience those. 

And I think , the coolest resort to go to is the Fort wilderness resort.  Oh, yeah,  Fort wilderness . If you're an outdoorsy family, it offers a lot. Because you have hiking.   You have bike trails that you can do. There's horseback riding that you can do . You can rent like jet skis and boats and do all of the water sports.  There's the Chippendale campfire singalong that you can do. I mean, Fort wilderness is just one of those things that if you're used to  camping or you're used to the lake life to be able to go there and enjoy the lake life, but still have.  For theme parks, two water parks, golf courses, eating places. All within driving distance. Upscale campaign. 

Oh yeah. I mean, It's definitely on our bucket list to go and enjoy Fort wilderness to its fullest.  And still enjoy the theme parks that are around us because isn't that the place that has the, uh, the RV spots. Yes. That's Fort wilderness. They have the tree houses that you can stay in their RV spots , 

it's camping themed in general. I think it's supposed to encompass  the lake life.  Yeah, so I would totally choose. To go to lake. The hoop Dee do musical review is also in that area. It's as show, you have to get reservations for, you have to get tickets for it, but it's one of the more popular shows on the entire Disney resort. 

It's talked about so much, and that's another cool thing about each individual resort is they do all offer something unique, like. Fort wilderness offers all of that and including the hoopty do, but then each resort, , from the lowest tier up until the big fancy ones. They do things like outside movie night at the pool, they do interactive games and dances with the kids.  They do crafts. 

They'll have crafting time. They have lounges that have live music. , there's of course the theming, each one has theme and architecture. That is just amazing.  You could spend, I think a whole day just at your resort. But especially, it would be easy to spend a whole day. Exploring what each resort has to offer. 

I don't think you could get more than a handful in, in one day. Yeah. With everything that they  have to offer, even at our resort, whenever we , took a day off, just went to the pool. They had movie by the pool. They had different water games that they would play.  And of course every place or every resort has a restaurant. 

So if you have the dining package, then you can go in. And eat it at any point in time. I think there is one resort that does not have a restaurant and I cannot for the life of me. Remember which resort that is, the lower tier resorts have quick service. Restaurants, anybody can go in and do that at any time of the day. And then your mid to higher tier resorts, have your reservation, your seating. , Dinner. I think they're mostly just lunch and dinner. There are two that you can make breakfast reservations at, but they have to have reservations. 

I don't know if you can just walk into any of those restaurants, unless it's a.  Time of the year where it's not very crowded. Yeah, they do have open spots that are just walk in and you just take your chance with them. 

Yeah. , reservations are definitely going to have to be the way to go on a lot of those. But we, we enjoyed the, just the half a day that we spent of just relaxing, getting our energy back. Kind of getting refocused about what is going to happen for the next five days and just taking a time and just exploring even what our own.  Hotel or  resort was because it was just, there was so much to look at. 

There was so much to do while you're there. , ours had  an old arcade room inside of it. And you were able just to do so much stuff.    Without even going to. , a park and so definitely going  resort hopping from one to another would  be pretty cool because they all have their own individual thing. , I think recently,  They have started asking. , for people not to go swimming and the resort, unless you are staying in that resort.  I don't know how they could enforce that.  Or how they would know. But I, I have seen that.  And multiple places recently. 

Yeah, because I do know that, , there's a pirate of the Caribbean. Resort theme one that has a really cool little water. Paul area's got slides and some other stuff to go along with it. , I could definitely see a lot of people go into that.   If they were given the opportunity to do that,  Beyond the resorts 

there are other locations. You don't need a ticket. You can drive in off of the freeway and go visit and go , just like you can, the resorts. But, , Disney boardwalk. Disney has a boardwalk and there's so much to do on the boardwalk. There's entertainment like street performers, there's dueling, pianos, and jugglers, and all kinds of things at different times of the day. Up and down the boardwalk. Lots of food options and shopping options. 

, but one of the coolest things about it, besides the dueling pianos and all the events and the shopping, and of course the food that is there. It is right across the lake to magic kingdom. So you could go to the boardwalk, enjoy the pianos, and then watch the firework show that happens at magic kingdom every night.  A good thing to note about the boardwalk. Is the boardwalk location does not have a lot of public parking.  Not a lot of parking spaces and it's very slim. So you can either park at Epcot, which is like right next, like a short little walk. There you can park in the visitor guest parking of Epcot and walk over, or if you're staying in anywhere else on the resort, I highly recommend doing what we did and. You take different.  Ways of transportation, depending on where you're staying at, whether it's the ferry. Or buses or something. Out of the boardwalk, because it's not very likely, depending on what time of the year that you're going to find a parking spot in that area. 

Right. Because it is.  Resort as well. So it does have people that are staying overnight, hotel rooms. , and so. Yeah, you can either take the ferry from magic kingdom or you can get to Epcot, go out one of the side exits. , it's a small 10, 15 minute walk max. To get to the boardwalk and enjoy everything that's there. 

And if you hit it just right, you can watch the magic kingdom show. And then jumped back on public transportation to get you back to the hotel that you're staying at.  That's the way that I would suggest doing it. Now the Disney boardwalk. Is a much smaller area compared to Disney Springs. As these Springs is one of those places that if you're looking for a downtown area , that has all the shopping that you want,  different entertainment and some cool little eating places. 

This is definitely the place to go. And it's absolutely free yeah, I think we spent a whole day at Disney Springs. We did spend a majority of the time. , . We went at the time where a lot of, High schools were taking trips. And so they're. There was a cheer competition going on to. There was a cheer competition going on in Hollywood studios. 

There was at Disney Springs, some bands were playing.  Periodically at . They're live concert music area. , got to hear a couple of those. This is also the place where they take motorized vehicles that look like boats and they drive them into the water. And then you float around. Get on those and take rides with those. 

Yeah. Definitely need to make reservations for that. Yes. , but that's one of those little cool miss dollars. You hear things that you always see of people riding around on boat cars and.  It goes land and water and it's, it's just one of those really cool things. 

But man, there are so much more. To do. At Disney Springs, then just kind of walk up and down and look at the shops. When there's tons and tons of shopping, of course, which I think outside of world, showcase that. Which is one our personal favorite place to go shopping Disney Springs would definitely be my second favorite just because there's so many options. It has more than almost all the resorts put together as far as shopping as there are 96 stores and it's still growing. I think the largest Disney toy store in the world, like the largest Disney store is right there and Disney Springs. 

And almost every mall you go to, there's a Disney store. Well, , in Disney Springs, there's like a version of that that is a hundred times bigger than any store you've ever been to in any mall. And I believe it's the largest Disney toy store in the world. Oh, yeah, because , the ones that you get from the mall, whenever you go and , you go look at the Disney world. Merchandise is so tiny. It's so. 

So 80 pity compared to the one . That is that Disney Springs. Yes. We took our kids there and. I was like, begging them, please, please pick something. Cause we said you can pick one thing in here. And we were in there for a good hour and I was like, look. Pick something so we can leave. It was so massive. 

And there were so many things to look at and go through. I think every Disney toy ever made and available is inside of that store will all the collectibles you can get there.  All the merchandise that you can get at all the other different places. Except for a few specific themed items that are inside of those theme parks, you can get there. , so not only in this. Place. , the Disney store and Disney Springs, but also some of the stores throughout the parks, there is merchandise that you can only get in that very specific location. 

So inside of the Disney store, there are items that you can buy that you can't purchase online and you can't purchase at any other store. They are only available there. And the same goes with, , some of the parks. There is merchandise that is very much themed to that park. And you cannot purchase it anywhere else. 

But even if you're not looking for. . All the merchandise, or if you're not doing the Disney pin trading. That our kids got into that was really fun. That you could do at all the different parks. . Whenever you're shopping. 

. You're bound to find something that you like. Yeah, one year when we went, my walking shoes that I had was no bueno and I had to get some new ones. 

They were creating blisters on the back of my feet. Because if there's one thing about Disney world is that you're going to do a lot of walking a lot and the shoes were just not cutting it that I had. So I bought a pair of the sandals. At one of the stores and the Disney Springs. And I still have those today because . They are amazingly comfortable. 

, other than just shopping, lots of really great food options. On the Disney Springs area. So, , even if you're vacationing in the area of Orlando or Kissimmee if you're in the area. And you have no plans of visiting any of the theme parks. But you want some really good eating, you can go into Disney Springs and eat at some of the world renowned restaurants that are there. 

Oh, absolutely. 

You're going to have 70 either table service, quick service lounges. Or different kiosks that you can go to, to order food or to pick up a small snack or a bite. And all of them are so scrumptious they're. So. Tasty. And you won't be disappointed in anything that , you get from there, whether it be from pizza to fry, chicken, to tacos. I mean, the list goes on and on to all your normal American foods to those exotic foods that you could be craving from another country. 

So one of my favorites is again, a quick service.  And it is the Earl of sandwich. And this is, I love the oral of sandwich because, , so we're just finishing up Thanksgiving. And our family is kind of obsessed with the holiday sandwich. . Thank you, Ross and Monica for that idea. So we've been making that for years. The day after Thanksgiving, we make ourselves the holiday sandwich and Earl of sandwich at Disney Springs makes the best holidays sandwich. 

It's so good. It's all things. Thanksgiving crammed into one sandwich. And that's my favorite place to stop at when we're in Disney Springs. If the line's not excruciatingly long. 

Yeah, but even if you're looking for. , some Italian food or some sushi or churros.  They're all there. They're all fantastic. They have different bakeries that are there, which is definitely one of our places to go. Whenever we went, we got there early enough to enjoy the breakfast. , we got breakfast sandwiches and they were all wonderful. 

We enjoyed them a lot before we did all the walking into the shopping, as the stores were starting to open up. But even if you want to go, like in the evening time, , there's so much like there's live music that starts to happen  you can literally spend all day in Disney Springs and not really get bored. 

. So you can purchase tickets to Cirque de Solei, which is in the Disney Springs area. Yes. Which will always be some type of Disney theme.  Yeah, it's Cirque de Solei, Disney, something. Cirque de Solei Disney style. And then there is a Lego store. , it's not just all adult things. There's the Lego store, which is massive, huge Lego store that our kids enjoy visiting. So there's things for kids too.  You're looking at a 24 hour dine-in theater. That's there. You're looking at. , different photo ops. , the Coca Cola. They have a store there that you can get pictures with.  The bear, there is a bowling alley. That's there. , there's over 25. Events experiences that you can get like entertainment, entertainment while you're there. At Disney Springs. 

 So there's  almost 200 things to do in Disney Springs alone. Yeah. It's like a giant downtown. 

It's the vibe of a downtown district.  With the eating and the shopping and the entertainment. Right. That's all Disney themed. Yeah. That's all. Well, not all Disney themed, but yes, a great portion.  Disney experience.  Immersed in.  In Disney. I mean, cause you, although it's probably the easiest and probably the quickest, like if you were traveling from the outside or from a highway. That you can get into. Do what you want to do and get out without having to deal with a whole bunch of traffic or deal with a lot of twist insurance inside Disney world itself. . 

And then,  beyond Disney Springs, there is another unique place that, I don't think a lot of people realize is in Disney world, but there's the ESPN wide world of sports complex that is in Disney world. It's on the resort. And it's massive. The complex. So they hold all kinds of tournaments and competitions.

You're talking about. , Track. Football soccer, baseball, tennis, volleyball. Cheer 

so they host tournaments and competitions and all kinds of things. And you can purchase tickets and go watch one of these competitions or one of these tournaments. If there's, you know, someone in your family who, maybe it's a dad, maybe it's big brother, maybe it's grandpa. I don't know. And they absolutely refused to step foot inside of Cinderella's castle or anything related to a theme park, a Disney theme park, because for whatever reason, they're crazy and they don't want to do that. There are things that they could go and do and enjoy and still be together as a family on vacation. 

And the sports complex is definitely one of those areas you want to check out? If you have someone like that in your family, or if you are really into sports or your kids are really into sports. 

At different times of the year, you can check on their calendar events and see. What is going on. 

So there is so much to do. And Disney world other than just go to a theme park. Disney world is not just a theme park and it's not just about theme parks. There's so, so much to do. Outside and beyond the parks.  📍 And in fact, Disney world is not just for kids. 

It's absolutely not just for kids and next week. We want to get into  what there is to do for adults. You can absolutely take an adult only vacation to Disney world. In fact, Jeremy and I are already making our retirement plans for doing just that. So tune in next week, as we talk about Disney world, not just for the kids.