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Did you know that it is possible to have Disney fun without the price tag? Take it from me. I have lived near both Disneyland®, CA and Walt Disney World®, FL most of my life. I can assure you that there are many fun activities you can do that you don’t need to pay a dime for. Since I now live only 1.5 hours away from Walt Disney World®, FL this is my list of free things to do at Disney.
Disney Springs
You may have visited here already and know that there is no fee to park , but did you know you can veer off to visit many Disney resorts from Disney Springs? First, let me be clear. Visiting Disney Springs can take you an entire day in and of itself. There is so much to do here. You can shop, eat, and enjoy some entertainment depending on the time of day you go. Make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes.
My top three favorite places to shop at Disney Springs is the World of Disney store because they have everything that you could possible want under one roof. My next favorite store is Star Wars Galactic Outpost because in our household we are huge Star Wars fans. And, my other favorite store is The Art of Disney because there are just so much beautiful artwork there and we own a cell from the Snow White movie.
Walt Disney World® Bus Service
* Post-Covid policy of day guests visiting has changed in which they must have a confirmed resort stay or dining reservation in order to visit any Disney resort. This may change back in the future. Check with each resort prior to visiting for up-to-date information.
I mentioned that you can veer off to visit many Disney resorts from Disney Springs. Well, this is the beginning of your journey. After you have parked the car at Disney Springs, catch one of the busses that goes to a Disney resort. Now, if you want to ride the monorail make sure you catch a bus that will take you to a monorail location because not all Disney resorts have a monorail stop. The only resorts that have a monorail stop are Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. You can ride a bus to a different resort, but you’ll have to keep getting on and off buses, which is just fine as well.
Walt Disney World® Monorail Transportation
The monorail is a fantastic way to get around to three of the most popular and beautiful Disney resorts. One of the best times to visit the Disney resorts, well Disney in general, is at Christmastime! I can’t tell you enough how beautifully decorated all the resorts are during this time. It’s great to compare all of them and make sure you take plenty of photos.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
The Grand Floridian is super elegant. When we got off the monorail and entered this resort, we were greeted by an attendant that reminded me of a butler. He was so friendly and gave us a lot of history behind the resort.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
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THE spot I am talking about to watch the fireworks!
The Contemporary resort is the one most people are familiar with because if you ever take the monorail to get to Magic Kingdom, this is the resort the monorail passes right through it.
It’s shaped kind of like an upside down V. This resort has recently added another building behind it specifically for their vacation club members. However, there are shops and dining areas for anyone to use at this resort, like all the other resorts. To clarify, you don’t need to be staying at any of the resorts in order to enjoy the shops, dining, and even some on-site activities. As an added bonus, we found a special spot to view Magic Kingdom and would also make a fantastic spot to view the fireworks! This is just one of the spots we found for free that you can view Magic Kingdom fireworks!
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
If you’re into all tropical things and are basically a tropical gal like me, you will love this resort. Even if you’re not staying here, an employee at the front entrance will give you a lei. They treat ALL visitors like ohana (family), not just those who are staying here. And, if you love Dole Whip floats at Magic Kingdom, you can find them here as well. The grounds of this resort are stunning and you can also enjoy great FREE views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks! You can literally buy a Dole Whip float, have a seat and watch the spectacular fireworks. This resort makes for a beautiful evening.
Disney’s Boardwalk
There is a Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, but I’m not talking about the resort part here I’m talking about the boardwalk itself. The boardwalk makes for a great afternoon or evening spot to explore. Evenings are best because you’ll have better luck spotting some entertainment acts. If you didn’t get enough fireworks, you’ll get some great views of Epcot’s fireworks from the boardwalk. The boardwalk happens to be the “other” entrance to Epcot if you have tickets or if you’re staying at the Boardwalk Resort and you have Epcot tickets, this would be the perfect entrance. It is a lot less crowded!
Pre-Covid we were allowed to just drive up to the resort and tell them we were visiting the boardwalk and they were good with that. Post-Covid when we drove up, they only wanted resort guests to park there. If you want to visit the boardwalk now, I suggest you park at Disney Springs and take a bus directly to that resort, get off, and enjoy the boardwalk.
Skyliner & Water Transportation
The aerial gondola’s of Disney’s newest transportation system, the Skyliner, is a fantastic way to get a bird’s eye view of Disney in general. It is also absolutely free and makes stops at other Disney resorts you can visit! The stops are Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you might as well make it a fun ride to & from and ride the Skyliner. The easiest, and free, ways to catch the Skyliner is to park at Disney Springs and then take a bus to one of the Skyliner resorts I just mentioned. The water taxi transportation is great as well and it stops at many locations. For more info on this click here.
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Want a Disney zoo experience for free? Drive over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and check out the safari animals. I will honestly say that we have not visited this lodge, but we have had friends tell us you can visit as a day guest and see the animals without staying overnight. It might be worth a phone call to the resort if this is something you are interested in.
If you have other Disney free things to do that I have not mentioned, please comment below! I would love to hear them.
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