When planning a Disney vacation, you often consider how many park days and whether or not to splurge on a hopper pass and/or genie plus, but what about planning a day to enjoy your resort?
You most likely spent a considerable amount of time and research choosing where to stay on your Disney vacation. Or perhaps you had many conversations with your travel planner on the topic. Different priorities and criteria likely helped you to determine where to book your stay. The pool, additional recreation activities, entertainment, theming, the list could go on. You chose your resort for a reason!! So take some extra time to enjoy it!
Did you know every resort has specialty entertainment options? You can go for a carriage ride at Port Orleans French Quarter. You can design your own Spanish mosaic or take a painting class at Coronado Springs. At Fort Wilderness you can visit the Circle D Ranch or take an archery lesson. The Boardwalk has family surrey bike rentals and carnival games. These are just a few examples of extracurriculars your resort might have to offer you. There will be daily kid programing as well. Ask for a schedule when you arrive to your Disney resort. They may have tie dying, jewelry making, or campfires and an outdoor movie at night.
Leaving an extra day to explore your resort is a great idea for families with young and old alike. With your youngsters, it makes sense to plan your resort day for the middle of your vacation to give your little ones (and you!) a break from the parks. In our families we call this a rest day. Getting up early every morning for extra magic hours and staying as long as we can in the parks takes a toll on everyone. On our resort rest day we sleep in, finally take the time to enjoy one of the dining options at our resort, participate in a resort programming family activity, and spend a few hours at the pool. When we stay at Pop Century we love splitting our time between the splash pad and the pool. Over at the Beach Club we might spend our afternoon at Stormalong Bay and relax on one of the swings in the sand.
A resort day is also a wonderful time to explore your neighbor resorts. If you are staying at the Magic Kingdom resort area then hop on the monorail or boat and go for a ride! Stop at the Polynesian and walk around the Great Ceremonial House, and then visit Pineapple Lanai for some DOLE Whip. Make a dinner reservation at Storybook Dining over at Wilderness Lodge, meet characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and then take in the ambiance of the American Northwest National Park themed resort. If staying at Art of Animation, cross the Generation Gap Bridge over Hourglass Lake (look for turtles!) and over to Pop Century. Or hop on the Disney Skyliner and stop at Caribbean Beach or the Riviera Resort. The views from the Skyliner are fantastic and the ride is nice and relaxing, and hopefully our favorite Pirate Adventure Excursion at Caribbean Beach will return soon (updated March 2022) because this is the perfect activity for a rest day with kids!
When booking your trip were you torn between several resorts? Why not use your resort day to check out the one(s) you did not choose! Then you will have a better idea of where you want to stay on your NEXT Disney vacation :)
One of the things that makes Disney World so unique and special are the theming and design of the resorts. They are all truly magnificent in their own way. We highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy and explore your resort, and if time permits venture to several others as well. We promise you won't regret it!
Have you included a resort day in your plan for your stay at Disney World? Where are you staying? Comment below, we'd love to hear from you!
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