Rest days at Disney World are important when planning your Disney World holiday. Disney parks are huge and there is so much going on that no-one can keep going forever. When we plan our itineraries, such as our 10 day Disney World itinerary, we always plan some rest days into it.
If you’re wondering what to do on a non park day at Disney World, then these ideas are a great way to enjoy some down. There’s plenty of Disney magic to be found outside of the theme parks.
Visit Disney Resorts
There are plenty of things to do at Disney resorts, and you can visit them to look around and eat in their restaurants. The only thing you can’t do is swim in their pools unless you are staying there. This is a great way to spend a non park Disney day.
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We like to enjoy rest days at Disney World by getting on a bus to one of the parks. We may get on the first bus that arrives which determines which resorts we will visit. For example:
- Bus to Magic Kingdom, take one of the resort boats to either The Grand Floridian and Polynesian Village resort, or the other resort boat to Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Resort.
- Bus to Hollywood Studios and then Friendship boat to Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Club Resorts.
- Bus to Epcot and then walk towards the Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Club Resorts via the International Gateway.
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If we have a resort in mind that we want to visit then we will often take the first park bus that arrives and then change busses to visit that resort. If you have a car, travelling will be quicker as you can go straight to the resorts.
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Enjoy a Pool Day
A pool day is a great change to enjoy some rest and relaxation from the parks. If you’re staying in a Disney World resort, then you will often find activities are provided around the pool during the day. This is a great way to keep the kids entertained and enjoy some sunshine and relaxation at the same time.
Need to do laundry? A pool day is a great chance to do this as often Disney resorts have their laundry section near the pool. We tend to load the machine, enjoy some swimming and sun bathing, all whilst checking on the laundry periodically.
Play Mini Golf
Disney World have two places to visit to play mini golf. The first, Fantasia Gardens which is home to two 18 hole mini golf courses. You can find Fantasia Gardens at Disney Swan Resort in the Epcot area.
The second is Winter Summerland Mini golf at Blizzard Beach. Enjoy some great winter theming in the sunshine whilst you play two different 18 hole adventures.
If you’re wondering if Mini Golf is included in your Disney tickets? I can tell you that if you are from the UK and have the ultimate ticket which gives you access to all four Disney parks and both water parks. If you have this, then you can play one round of golf before 4pm included in your ticket price at either venue.
Other ticket options include free mini golf so check your tickets before travelling to see if you have it included.
Visit Disney Springs
There are plenty of things to do at Disney Springs. It’s a great place to visit when enjoying rest days at Disney World. I would avoid going during the weekend as this is the busiest time at Disney Springs. You can enjoy some shopping, plenty of places to eat and enjoy the views of the springs.
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Disney Springs changes each time we visit, so there’s always something new to see and do. I can’t visit Disney Springs without going into World of Disney and the Christmas shop.
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Visit A Water Park
Both Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are great places to visit. They can be as relaxing as you make them. We love to arrive at either water park and spend hours on the lazy river. This is such a great way to spend a few hours floating around the river on an inflatable tube.
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Boat Rentals
If water is your thing, you can rent a variety of different boats from Disney resorts and spend some time out on the water enjoying the views. A 2 guest sea racer will cost in the region of $32 for half an hour, up to a 10 seater sun tracker which costs in the region of $45 per half an hour.
You may also want to enjoy a speciality fireworks cruise. We loved ours when we set sail from the Contemporary resort.
Ride The Monorail
The monorail is a fun way to see the sights of the Disney parks from higher up. There are two different monorail loops at Disney World, the Epcot loop and the Magic Kingdom loop.
If you choose to board the monorail at Magic Kingdom, you will stop at Disney’s Contemporary resort. This is a great way to get a view inside the resort as it stops inside. you can see Chef Mickey’s restaurant at this point at well.
Onwards to the ticket and transportation centre, where you could exit the monorail and board the Epcot monorail.
The next stop is Disney’s Polynesian Resort, before reaching The Grand Floridian. If you want to see the wedding pavilion, this is a lovely way of seeing it without walking around the resort. Back to Magic Kingdom and you could exit, or continue to change monorails for Epcot.
The Epcot monorail loop goes from the ticket and transportation centre through Epcot. The monorail actually goes inside Epcot so it’s a great way to see the park from a different angle.
I would suggest taking your monorail tour outside of peak park times. I.E not at park opening, closing, or over popular meal times.
Check out our Walt Disney World resource page for plenty more tips and tricks
