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Author Archives: Melissa

Melissa resides on Florida's beautiful Space Coast with her husband and four Disney-loving boys. She frequently allows skipping school for Disney World visits...because making memories is more important than math. Their family has also been seen on HGTV's hit show "My Yard Goes Disney."

10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

campfire

2. Resort Activities You don’t have to stay at at Disney resort to take advantage of the activities that they offer. You could do tea at the Grand Floridian. You could do parasailing at the Contemporary. You could do the campfire sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness Campground. You could go fishing at the Yacht Club. You could rent boats…well, lots of ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Disney Springs

3. Disney Springs Disney Springs is the place to be when it comes to nightlife. Everyone knows about the restaurants, shopping, food trucks, and concerts and shows. But don’t forget about the fancy bowling alley (check out early bird hours if you’re on a budget) and dine-in movie theater for non-park day activities. With loads of free parking available now, ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Disney Monorail

4. Ride the Monorail You don’t need a ticket to ride the monorail, so if you’ve got a little train lover in your group, the monorail is cheap, thrilling entertainment. If you’re staying on Disney property, you’ll want to take Disney transportation to anything on the Magic Kingdom loop: Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, or Transportation and Ticket Center (from which ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

New Balance Running Trails

5. New Balance Trails The New Balance running trails are accessible throughout Disney property. For a map of the trails and their distances visit the official Disney website and search “Running Trails”. Using the trails is a great way not only to get exercise but also to explore Disney grounds.

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Boardwalk

6. Boardwalk The Boardwalk is such a fun way to spend an evening. Drinks, dining, dancing…the Boardwalk has venues for all! In addition, you can stroll the Epcot resort area or rent a surrey bike built for up to six. Street entertainers arrive around dinner hours to make you laugh and gasp at their funny and daring feats. You can ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Friendship Boats

7. Ride the Transportation Boats The FriendShips are the free boats that hop between the Boardwalk, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and the Epcot Resorts. It’s a fun ride, and if you time it right you’ll be able to see the fireworks. You can also ride free shuttle boats around Seven Seas Lagoon, just use the parking tips from #7. It’s a ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Pop Century Resort

8. Resort Hop Similar to number #2, but without the pre-planning – you can simply visit the different resorts around Disney property. Browse the gift shops, take in the views, or even take a tour (some are free—call ahead). The best time to resort hop is when everything is decorated for Christmas, if you ask me. Again, parking is not ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

D23 Membership

9. Subscriptions If you can’t get on-property but are still itching for a Disney fix, subscribing to a Disney fan website, fan club, or fan magazine could be the next best thing. Of course we highly recommend getting your latest Disney news and travel tips from DisneyFanatic.com and HowToDisney.com. We also recommend WDW Magazine for stunning photographing, high quality articles, ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Walt Disney World Sign

10. Virtual Disney For another taste of Disney magic that you can experience anywhere around the world, just do a google search for “Virtual Disney” and you’ll notice several different sites pop up. For security reasons, we’ll let you be the judge of which sites you browse. I personally used one of these sites recently since I’m planning a trip ...

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10 Ways to Enjoy Disney World Without Going to the Parks

Magic Kingdom

The four parks (and two water parks) of Disney World get all the glory, but there are so many other ways to enjoy a Disney experience without a park ticket. Here are ten wonderfully magical activities that feed your Disney spirit outside the parks—and some of them won’t cost you a dime!

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