Staying Off-Property, Visiting Resorts Questions

[KuzcoRules]

We're staying at our timeshare in July and won't be going to parks every day. It's been 7 years since we've been in Orlando and I feel so out of the loop! I'm a rule follower and want to know what's allowed if we visit some Disney resorts while we're there. I know they don't mind us spending money to eat in the restaurants and of course we can't go in the pools. Beyond that, though, are there programs and other activities that the kids in our party are allowed to participate in? And which resorts and resort restaurants do you think 9, 7, and 5 year old girls would enjoy visiting most?

 

[HopperFan]

We're staying at our timeshare in July and won't be going to parks every day. It's been 7 years since we've been in Orlando and I feel so out of the loop! I'm a rule follower and want to know what's allowed if we visit some Disney resorts while we're there. I know they don't mind us spending money to eat in the restaurants and of course we can't go in the pools. Beyond that, though, are there programs and other activities that the kids in our party are allowed to participate in? And which resorts and resort restaurants do you think 9, 7, and 5 year old girls would enjoy visiting most?

There will be resorts that will not let you enter/park unless you have a dining ADR. Factor that in. It might be easier to park at Disney Springs (for free) and take Disney buses to the resorts.

 

[Marthasor]

For theming and food, I would recommend considering Topolino's breakfast at Riviera, 'Ohana breakfast (if you like characters) or dinner at the Polynesian, Sanaa lunch at Animal Kingdom Lodge (for animal viewing), 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian (more characters) and Whispering Canyon or Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge. You could also, simply, park at TTC and do a monorail loop to visit the MK hotels without any ADRs (you could also get on a boat to go to WL or Ft. W) We also love visiting Ft. Wilderness to go to the stables (your kids may be small enough to do pony rides), gem mining and kayak/canoe rentals. You cannot make an ADR at Ft. W, however, so consider taking a boat from MK which is a fun adventure as well.

 

[CarolynFH]

This thread might be of interest. It holds the monthly activity schedules for the resorts. There are no requirements to be staying at that resort. Some activities cost $, some don’t.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/monthly-resort-recreation-calendars.3871996/

 

[WEDWDW]

I think most kids would love seeing the Toy Story section of All-Star Movies and the Cars section of Art of Animation(especially at night)

 

[scrappinginontario]

There are lots of great suggestions above but I second @HopperFan and recommend parking at Disney Springs as most/all Disney resorts will stop you from driving into their property unless you are staying there or have an ADR.

 

[TCRAIG]

For theming and food, I would recommend considering Topolino's breakfast at Riviera, 'Ohana breakfast (if you like characters) or dinner at the Polynesian, Sanaa lunch at Animal Kingdom Lodge (for animal viewing), 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian (more characters) and Whispering Canyon or Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge. You could also, simply, park at TTC and do a monorail loop to visit the MK hotels without any ADRs (you could also get on a boat to go to WL or Ft. W) We also love visiting Ft. Wilderness to go to the stables (your kids may be small enough to do pony rides), gem mining and kayak/canoe rentals. You cannot make an ADR at Ft. W, however, so consider taking a boat from MK which is a fun adventure as well.

I would check out the menus prior to booking resort dining - if you haven’t been in years, the prices may surprise (shock, terrify..) you! Topolinos breakfast is $49 per adult and $30 for each child ages 9 and under…that’s a lotta $$$ for 3 kids plus adults for scrambled eggs and bacon…even if it includes characters.

 

[BuzzLightyr]

Cape May Cafe for breakfast (which goes on until noon) is a nice character breakfast option for a non park day. I have breakfast where I am staying and do this as an early lunch. It's a nice walk along crescent lake before or after the meal, and you can stroll on the boardwalk.

Food is nothing fancy at cape may, expect a typical hotel breakfast except you get waffles with mouse ears. The draw is the character dining and the characters and the magic are really the draw of wdw.

 

[Skippyboo]

I would check out the menus prior to booking resort dining - if you haven’t been in years, the prices may surprise (shock, terrify..) you! Topolinos breakfast is $49 per adult and $30 for each child ages 9 and under…that’s a lotta $$$ for 3 kids plus adults for scrambled eggs and bacon…even if it includes characters.

Character dining is always going to be more expensive plus there are only a limited amount of places outside the park. I enjoyed the food at Topolino’s because it wasn’t the standard buffet breakfast plus the character interaction were great.

 

[KuzcoRules]

Thanks for all the responses so far. If we take an Uber, would we be allowed past the gate without an ADR?

 

[dansdad]

Thanks for all the responses so far. If we take an Uber, would we be allowed past the gate without an ADR?

Some resorts yes, some no.

 

[Rpo0921]

Thanks for all the responses so far. If we take an Uber, would we be allowed past the gate without an ADR?

You can Uber to a park and take Disney transportation. HS would probably be a good place to do that or the TTC if you want monorail area resorts.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I can only give you my actual experience with visiting deluxe resorts when staying at another resort. We drive to WDW and we have done this a good number of times during our trips. We have yet to be turned away from GF, POLY, WL, AKL or BW and this included our last visit in March of 2023, where we drove to GF and told the guard we wanted to shop and have a snack. The guard asked if we were staying onsite and we told him yes, then he wanted to scan my MB, he scanned it and waved us on. CR will definitely not let you just visit and we have never tried BC/YC. Also, we never had any issues at any of the Mods or Values. The one that comes to mind is POFQ for beignets. LOL

 

[rstevens333]

A great way to visit resorts is to park at Hollywood Studios. You'll have your choice of boats, buses, and the Skyliner with the least walk of any park. Beats Disney Springs by a mile.

And if one of you has an annual pass, you can even park for free.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks for all the responses so far. If we take an Uber, would we be allowed past the gate without an ADR?

As above, it depends - on resort (near-park resorts are more persnickety than those requiring a bus trip to get to a park), time of day (near park opening time you're more likely to be turned away), and how busy the resort is (e.g., near Christmas and New Year's, when resorts are booked up, you're less likely to be allowed in). Contemporary Resort is the most restrictive to parking and to rideshare, because SO many people want to use it as a dropoff point to walk to MK, which is why rideshare to MK has to drop passengers at the TTC. The Epcot Disney resorts (BW, Yacht, and Beach) and the Skyliner resorts (Riviera, Pop and AoA, sometimes CBR) are also more restrictive, although as PP reports above they aren't as difficult as CR is. BTW the Swan and Dolphin, because they charge for parking, have no restrictions as far as entry for rideshare dropoffs or parking.

 

[Simba's Mom]

The one that comes to mind is POFQ for beignets. LOL

When you mentioned POFQ and beignets, it reminded me-we got into POFQ with no difficulty. We just told the security guard "We're here for the beignets!" and he laughed, lifted the gate and welcomed us in.

 

[lanejudy]

Just to add... if the resort activities take place within the fenced pool area, it is restricted even if you don't intend to swim. Several resorts have their afternoon fun activities in the pool area. So check the schedules someone posted and pay attention to location.

 

[jimmymc]

Thanks for all the responses so far. If we take an Uber, would we be allowed past the gate without an ADR?

At most resorts yes, at places like the monorail and Boardwalk area resorts probably not.

For the monorail area, you can just get dropped off at the TTC and take the monorail to the resorts. For Boardwalk area, Swan and Dolphin don't have a gate if you're just getting dropped off at the lobby.

 

[hertamaniac]

You don't have to take the buses from DS to visit 4 resorts. You can take the boat from The Marketplace at DS to either OKW, POFQ, SSR or POR. And actually, you can take a boat from DS to The Treehouses at SSR (I personally recommend this one as it lured us into staying there).

 

[KuzcoRules]

These replies are really helpful and giving me a better understanding of 'resort-hopping'.