Disney

A World Of Activities That Won't Break The Bank

Free Activities:

My family and I have tried just about everything on this list over the years. Many of them more than once. We have had a World of fun discovering and in many cases just stumbling over new and exciting things to do.

As Floridians we spend a good deal of time in Orlando and particularly Disney. Many times we don't go near a Park but spend our time exploring, shopping, riding Monorails and Boats, and soaking up the unique atmosphere that only Disney can provide.

If you have either an annual pass, any multi day park hopping pass, or are a guest at any Disney Resort you have total access to all Disney Transportation (monorails ,boats, and buses free of charge). This makes getting around the vast Disney world Resort easy as well as FUN !! If you drive your own car each resort will provide you with a temporary parking pass. Self parking is free but you must provide a picture ID.

Canals, walking trails, and bike paths crisscross this vast wooded campground, a stones throw from the Magic Kingdom . Relax on the beach, rent a bike or a canoe, explore the walking trails and canals. Ft Wilderness offers all kinds of activities at little or no cost. To find out more about Fort Wilderness Click Here

This area close to Epcot and MGM has a Coney Island type theme. This is a fun place to hang out at any time of day but after dark it really comes alive and takes on a whole different atmosphere. Boardwalk is a mix of shops, restaurants, clubs, and a hotel all served up in a unique carnival theme reminiscent of a New Jersey seaside resort sometime around the turn of the 20th century.

It is not unusual to encounter Carnival barkers, stilt walkers, fire eaters, jugglers and all manner of other street performers while taking an evening stroll along the promenade. Boardwalk is a cheaper and much less crowded alternative to Pleasure Island. Of the two clubs located here Atlantic Dance has no cover charge and Jellyrolls charges $5 to $10. Click here for a full description of Disney's Boardwalk. Many attractions.

You have to see these fabulous hotels to believe them!! They all have very extravagant and very different themes, in fact they are almost attractions in there own right. They are free to enter and fun to explore. Some even offer guided tours. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has its own private game reserve and its absolutely FREE!!

You don't have to be staying at a resort to enjoy it's facilities, day visitors have access to almost everything the resort has to offer, with the exception of swimming in the resort pools which is restricted to hotel guests only!!!. click here for more detailed information on what each Disney Resort has to offer.

The Marketplace is a mix of unique shops and restaurants.

Pleasure Island is party central with its many clubs and restaurants.

Westside has shops, more restaurants, and a state of the art AMC movie complex as well as Cirque du Soli and Disney Quest.

There is a lot to see and do here.Live entertainment is often presented free at one of the stages scattered through the complex especially at holiday times. There is no charge to enter Downtown Disney but the clubs at Pleasure Island, Cirque Du Soli and Disney Quest require an admission charge.

Food and drink at the table service restaurants is not cheap but you won't find many of these unique restaurants in your neighborhood back home and they are great fun. Examples of the restaurants to be found at Downtown Disney include Rainforest Café, Planet Hollywood, House Of Blues, Gloria Esterban's Bongos café, Wolfgang Pucks, and Fulton's Crab House. A new addition is The Raglan Road Irish Pub at Pleasure Island which offers Irish food and drink along with Pub style entertainment.

One of my families favorite places to eat is The Earl Of Sandwich, a counter service restaurant in the marketplace. It has great made to order sandwiches and salads at very reasonable prices. Note: There is no longer an entrance fee to access Pleasure Island at night. But admission to the clubs will still require an admission charge.

Celebration is well worth a visit. It has something for everyone, a lake with miles of walking trails, picturesque old fashioned shops, a fitness center and day spa, golf coarse, movie theaters, restaurants, and The Celebration Hotel( this is a great place to sit in a wicker chair sipping a cold drink and watching the world go by).There are carriage rides available in the evenings and bikes can be rented. It really is an idyllic spot. My wife would move there tomorrow. She loves it.

Disney operates a large fleet of boats everything from ferries to launches and pontoon boats. There is nothing finer on a sunny Florida day than to cruise around on the ferries and other types of water craft that ply the canals and lakes of Disney World between the various resorts, theme parks, and entertainment, and shopping areas.

One of my family's particular favorites is the cruise from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney along the Sassagoula River. We often make a whole day's worth of entertainment out of riding the boats and monorails getting on and off as we please and exploring the many areas of Disney largely ignored by most themepark guests . Total cost Free!!

These sleek futuristic looking trains are fun to ride as well as being a fast, convenient way to get around Disney World.. There are two main loops which both use the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) as a hub. One loop runs to Epcot and actually does a circuit of Future World giving riders a tantalizing glimpse inside The Park, before stopping at the station just outside the park gates,and returning to the TTC .

The second loop has two tracks, one is an express line direct to the Magic Kingdom, the other makes a circuit of the Magic Kingdom and the Disney resort Hotels. One very popular activity is to ride in the front cab with the driver. This adds a whole new dimension to the ride. Be sure to ask a cast member if this interests you, they will try their best to help. Total Cost: Free!!

Boats of all shapes sizes and speeds can be rented at Downtown Disney as well as all Disney Hotels that have water access. Boats range in types from canoes and kayaks, to pontoon boats and speedboats (sea raycers) prices begin at $7 per ˝ half hour- $11 per hour for canoes to around $42 per half hour for pontoon boats.

(Check marinas for current pricing and renting regulations.) (Resort ID, Drivers License, or Passport is required for all boat rentals.) Note: Types of boats available for rental will vary from location to location.

Biking is a great way to explore the many rustic and scenic trails running through and around a number of Disneyworld Resorts. My personal favorites are at Fort Wilderness and Port Orleans. Bikes are available for rent from the following resorts: Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, and Boardwalk. Helmets are required but are free with bike rentals. Cost around $8 an hour or $22 per day.

Canopied surrey bikes that seat four adults can be rented at the Boardwalk Resort, great family fun. A ride around crescent lake is a terrific way to work up an appetite for lunch or dinner at one of the Boardwalks many lively eating spots. Surrey bikes are also available at Port Orleans.

There is something about riding in a horse drawn carriage that makes you feel special. Whether it is a romantic moonlight ride for two or a family outing, I can't think of a more relaxing, enjoyable way to tour the scenic beauty of Disney World.

Carriages are available for rent at the Fort Wilderness Campground and Port Orleans Resort. Carriages carry from 2 to 4 adults and cost around $35 for a 25 minute ride. Operating times are from 6pm to 9 :30pm weather permitting.

Reservations are suggested but tickets can be purchased from the driver if the carriage is not in use or reserved. (Resort ID with charging privileges and cash are the only accepted forms of payment. Credit Cards are not accepted.)

This is a fun and scenic ride through Fort Wilderness in an old fashioned wagon. The ride lasts about 45 minutes and costs around $8 for adults and $5 for children age 3-9.( There is no charge for Children 3 and under but they must be accompanied by an adult.) On nights when the Magic Kingdom has an evening performance of the Wishes fireworks spectacular, there is a special fireworks trip where the soundtrack from the Magic Kingdom is relayed to the wagon, making for a truly memorable experience. No reservations are accepted, strictly first come first served.

Cane poles and bait can be rented at Fort Wilderness for fishing in the canals that criscross the campgrounds. Fishing is also available at Port Orleans Riverside, Ole Man Island fishing hole. All fishing at Disneyworld is strictly catch and release.

For lovers of mini golf, Disney has you well served with two complexes, Fantasia Gardens which is close to the Epcot resort area and Winter-Summerland which is close to Blizzard Beach water park. Each complex has two courses.

Fantasia Gardens, as the name suggests, is themed around Disney's Fantasia movie. The Fantasia Fairways course is more of a scaled down golf course complete with sand traps, water hazards, and dog legs. It has been known to reduce even serious golfers to pulling their hair out!!

The Fantasia Gardens course is pure fun and is a typical mini golf experience but with Disney whimsy there are holes with dancing Hippos, brooms dumping buckets of water, fountains, topiaries, etc lots of fun for everyone.

Winter-Summerland's two courses are a contrast in styles designed as a winter vacation spot for Santa and his elves. One has a sunny Florida setting and the other a snowy north pole feel.

Both are equally as much fun with Christmas carols playing in the background and Christmas ornaments hanging from trees. one course, snowy, one course, sandy, this is mini golf as only Disney could dream up.

A round at any of Disney's Mini Golf locations costs around $10 for adults and $8 for children, cost to play a second round is half price.

Each Disney resort has areas where you can take romantic strolls especially the resorts that have beaches .There are so many paths where it is possible to get away from the crowds and take romantic moonlight walks. My favorite is the Polynesian especially at night. Strolling the pathways when the Tiki torches are lit is a pleasure but the beach path between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian is the very best.

Along the way are cabanas and benches where it is possible to sit and watch the moon light glinting over the water and the Magic Kingdom Fireworks bursting in the air over Cinderella's Castle. The electrical water pageant can also be seen from Polynesian's beach as it makes its nightly rounds of the Magic Kingdom Resorts. The path also takes you past luau cove and if you time it right and a performance is in progress, Polynesian singing can be heard drifting from the theater. It doesn't get any more romantic than that.

There are many interesting walking trails throughout the many Disney resorts. Below are just a few ideas.

3/4 mile Trail from The Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness.

From the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian around Bay Lake

From the Boardwalk to the Yacht and Beach Club around crescent lake.

1.4 mile nature trail at the Caribbean Beach Resort

3/4 mile trail around Lago Dorado at Coronado Springs Resort

Port Orleans Riverside has several pleasant walking trails. Maps of walking trails and all other areas are available at the check in counters of all resorts.

This is one of Disney's best kept secrets. Only guests who stay at a Disney Resort Hotel are aware that this fabulous water based electrical parade takes place nightly (weather permitting) on Bay Lake near the Magic Kingdom and its free!! You don't have to stay at a Disney Resort to enjoy this parade. You just need to know at what time it passes the resort from which you wish to view the Pageant and be on the beach or boat dock at the correct time. That's all there is to it.

The Pageant is a parade of water bourne floats depicting exotic sea creatures animated by thousands of moving lights synchronized to a catchy synthesized sound track. This short (about 10 minute) show is pure Disney magic. My family wouldn't miss it, it's the best value on Disney property! FREE !!! The Electrical Water Pageant starts at the Polynesian Resort around 9PM and moves around to The Grand Floridian, Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, and Contemporary in that order. It takes the floats about 15 minutes to get from one resort to the next. For exact times call Resorts ahead of time.

Think you have to enter a theme park to view fireworks, think again! There are many areas on Disney property where a very good view of fireworks can be found, in particular, the Magic Kingdom Wishes Fireworks display. The beaches and boat docks of The Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness all have great views.

One of the best views is from The California Grill on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. At fireworks time, the lights are dimmed and the soundtrack to wishes is piped in from the Magic Kingdom. It is necessary to have a dinner reservation to enjoy this experience, but it is well worth it! Both the food and the view are superb !!

Narcoossee's Restaurant at the Grand Floridian is another great place to experience Wishes Fireworks. Like the California Grill, the Wishes soundtrack is piped in. Both restaurants have an outdoor deck so you can take a drink and stand outdoors to watch if you wish. Another great vantage point is the boat dock at The Grand Floridian. It is very close to Narcoossee's and the music sound track carries over from the restaurant to the dock.

Epcots Illuminations is best viewed from inside the park as many of the effects are ground based on the lake. However, the pyrotechnic part of the show can be viewed from several places. One of the best is the bridge between the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Another is from the Boardwalk Resort. This is nice as you can sit outside one of the Boardwalk restaurants and enjoy a drink while watching the show. A walk to the International Gateway (Epcot's backdoor) gets you closer to the action and it is possible to catch a glimpse of parts of the show and hear the dramatic music. As I stated earlier, though, this show is best viewed from inside the park.

MGM Studio's Fantasmic, like Epcot's Illuminations, is an inside- the- park experience as many of the effects are water based but as with Illuminations, the firework portions of the show can be viewed from outside the park.

If you have ever wondered what central Florida was like before the arrival of Disney check out Disney's Wilderness preserve. Located about 15 miles south of Disneyworld the preserve covers around 12,000 acres of pristine Florida wilderness. There are miles of self guided walking trails and you never know what you will see. Every visit will be different.

This is not the place for thrill seekers but for those looking for a change of pace from theme parks, the preserve is the perfect place. The only thing Disney about it is the name.

A two hour swamp buggy ride is offered on Sundays at 1:30PM..This requires an advance reservation and is great fun. Few people realize that Orlando and the surrounding area were mostly cattle ranches and orange groves before it became the entertainment metropolis everyone knows today. A tour of wilderness Preserve reminds us all that there is another side to the beautiful state of Florida, a side that is sadly missed by the majority of visitors that pass through Orlando and its theme parks every year.

Disney's Wilderness Preserve is jointly operated by Disney and The Nature Conservancy. Hours of operation are Monday To Friday 9AM to 5PM . Open Sunday for swamp buggy tours only (reservation necessary) from October 1 to May 31st hours are 12PM to 4PM. Closed on major holidays. Admission costs are $3 for adults $2 for ages 6 to 17. Buggy Tours $10 Adults and $5 for ages 6 to 17. For details visit http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/florida/preserves/art5523.html or call (407) 935-0002.

Note: Don't call Disney for information on The Wilderness Preserve. In my experience Disney representatives know little or nothing about it. There is no connection between Fort Wilderness, The Wilderness Lodge, and the Wilderness Preserve, other than the name Wilderness.