No rides and just walk around the parks?

[k5thbeatle]

Anyone ever go and just walk around the parks without actually doing any rides? Just walk around taking in the sights and do a little people watching? Epcot is a favorite for this.

 

[sponica]

30 years ago that's basically what my grandparents did. They might have ridden dumbo or its a small world.

Park tickets cost way too much for me to just amble through the parks.

 

[tileman]

Yea have done it I’m local so it’s fun to do at times.
Or just stop in the park to eat lunch or dinner

 

[Sarahslay]

I don't mind doing this in World Showcase because there are other things to do besides rides, and AK would probably be fine too with all the animal trails and shows, but in DHS and MK I think I would get bored or feel like I wasted my money since there just isn't as much to do outside of rides at those parks.

 

[richmo]

Sure...and I agree that Animal Kingdom and especially Epcot World Showcase are best for that.

 

[Blended Disney]

My DW and I like to go over to MK in the morning for the shows on Main Street and the Castle and afternoon for parade without needing to go on a ride, but we have AP's. It would be difficult to justify without the AP.

 

[OKW Lover]

My wife and I do this often since we are local. Love just being in the parks taking in all the small details.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

Yes we do. DH isn't a huge ride fan, so we do spend a lot of time just wandering around and people watching. It's amazing what you see when you slow down and smell the roses.

 

[Sarahslay]

My DW and I like to go over to MK in the morning for the shows on Main Street and the Castle and afternoon for parade without needing to go on a ride, but we have AP's. It would be difficult to justify without the AP.

I have an AP (I'm out of state but still go about 6 times a year), and I have spent time just walking around MK and not riding just eating snacks and taking it all in, but I don't think I could make a day of it.

 

[Kaadk]

I'd consider it, but only if I was a local and had an AP. When I'm flying down there for a week's vacation, it seems like too much of a waste to not leverage the rides on the park days. One of the things I really like about Disney, over pretty much every other theme park out there, is that their rides are designed for everyone, so even if you didn't like thrill rides, or are prone to motion sickness, etc.. there are still a ton of options there.

Instead, I'd do my wandering and people watching at Disney Springs, where I'm not out a park ticket.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Anyone ever go and just walk around the parks without actually doing any rides? Just walk around taking in the sights and do a little people watching? Epcot is a favorite for this.

If you have an AP sure. I cant see paying nearly 150 bucks just to walk around though.

 

[rwdavis2]

Depends on how many days for which you have tickets. If you don't have an AP and you are only there 3-4 days then, IMHO, it's a wast of money. We've always found in the course of a day while doing attractions there is plenty of time to just stroll.

 

[bridgetz03]

I used to do this all the time when I was on my college programs. It was actually quite peaceful to grab something to eat and then just people watch and roam around the parks. I wouldn't do it again unless I had an AP though, just too much for a ticket to NOT go onto any of the attractions.

 

[PamNC]

I've done it once - one day and I lived there at the time. I spent the day at AK walking around and enjoying the trails and watching the live entertainment and snacking. Live entertainment... a lot of it is gone now. :-( I loved the ensemble in Africa. I can't believe they are no more. :-( I have so many pics and videos of them and even videos of me dancing with them. ah, the memories.

 

[DisLiss]

As we've been getting ready for our upcoming trip DH has said multiple times that he's happy just walking around the parks. (His favorite rides are the MK railroad, the People Mover, and Spaceship Earth, so he's down 2 of his 3 faves for our next trip already. Which is why he keeps reminding us that he'll be fine every time one of us mentions that we feel bad for him.)


I've had some non-rides days before and thought they were great and I know I'll have more in the future. I don't need to ride rides every day that I'm there, but I don't think I'd go an entire trip without rides unless there were extenuating circumstances. Opting out of rides for a day can reduce some of the park related stress people may feel in regards to lines, getting Fast Passes, etc. So that could be a plus. Mind you, if they keep cutting entertainment that could be a minus.

 

[Remy is Up]

As many have said, with an AP or a local Resident AP, its a lot easier to do this. We have done it mainly again as others have stated, at AK or Epcot due to WS. Sometimes people watching while having drinks and such isnt a bad day.

 

[bakerworld]

This is something we're starting to do more and more. Back when we first visited we wondered why people would do this but the journey was new. Now that we've returned multiple times we have started to relax and absorb the parks themselves. There is so much detail everywhere that we for years as we rushed from ride to ride we would miss. We actually enjoy some of the standby lines - Frozen - more than the FP lines. I love to sit at Italy, either at a table or on the steps to enjoy the views.

 

[kiford]

We've typically done this at Epcot. We spend a lot of time in World Showcase going through the shops, watching the performers, and snacking. We also have done it a lot in Animal Kingdom especially through the trails. Now that we have APs we do it even more. In fact, now we do maybe 2-3 attractions in a park at most and spend most of the rest of the time just wandering around. Lots of times we don't do any attractions.

 

[Remy is Up]

We've typically done this at Epcot. We spend a lot of time in World Showcase going through the shops, watching the performers, and snacking. We also have done it a lot in Animal Kingdom especially through the trails. Now that we have APs we do it even more. In fact, now we do maybe 2-3 attractions in a park at most and spend most of the rest of the time just wandering around. Lots of times we don't do any attractions.

We have found for us with refresh and drops it actually makes leisurely walking touring and enjoying the little details of the parks easier. We are never in a rush at the parks these days. And the details and people watching can be more interesting than rushing to and from attractions

 

[havoc315]

Anyone ever go and just walk around the parks without actually doing any rides? Just walk around taking in the sights and do a little people watching? Epcot is a favorite for this.

That's basically what Epcot's World Showcase is for. It barely has any "rides."

Magic Kingdom is also great for just taking in the sounds and sights., especially at night. Though this was even more true back when they had a night time parade.

This is true of all the parks -- they have cut down on just scattered ambience entertainment. DHS used to have far more "people of Hollywood" or whatever they called it. MK recently ditched the Muppets American history.

So there is less to enjoy just wandering around than their used to be, but still fun. I also take photography seriously, so I can enjoy chasing great images with my camera.