Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog, if it’s your first time here then welcome in general! Today we’re talking all about things you can do at Walt Disney World besides the rides and attractions. We all know the parks are great fun and the main thing that you’ve booked your entire trip for, however, if you have a 2-week stay or longer, sometimes, you just need a break from the hustle and bustle of the parks. Here are some things you might find fun to do instead of waiting in those queues…
Hidden Mickeys – Anywhere on WDW Property
Probably one of my favourite things to do besides the rides at Disney. Walt Disney World is full of ‘Hidden Mickeys’ for you to find, sort of like a scavenger hunt! Hidden Mickeys started as a little inside joke with the WDI (Walt Disney Imagineers) who would incorporate cleverly hidden/disguised images of Mickey Mouse in and around the parks, resorts, attractions and pretty much anywhere on Disney property, just like the ‘easter eggs’ they hide in Disney movies. It is now one of WDW’s worst kept secrets and is a super fun activity to do! Hidden Mickeys can be in many different forms, for example, the most common is the classic Mickey shape but Hidden Mickeys can be a profile of Mickey’s face or head, a side profile of Mickey’s body or even a full-length silhouette of Mickey Mouse. Here are some examples…
Some resorts do a specific hunt for Hidden Mickeys, whereby you can go to the resort hotel and ask for a Hidden Mickey hunt sheet. The sheet includes hints to all of the Hidden Mickeys that you can find in and around the hotel. You can also buy the Hidden Mickeys book from Amazon which is an unofficial guide book to all the Hidden Mickeys that can be found at Walt Disney World. As it is an unofficial guide, this means that a really dedicated team of people have set out to find every Hidden Mickey around Walt Disney World and published hints to them all in a book for our enjoyment! Now that’s commitment! I love the Hidden Mickey book and I can’t wait to take it with me when we take another trip to Disney!
A Pirates Adventure – Treasures of the Seven Seas – Adventureland, MK.
Pirates Adventure is an interactive treasure hunt around Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. You can enrol on this interactive game at the Crow’s Nest in Adventureland, just opposite Tortuga Tavern. The aim of the game is to use the various maps you will be given at the crow’s nest and follow the clues to gain treasure cards. Once you have finished all the maps, you will be given a special reward signed by Captain Jack Sparrow himself! The best part is, you get to keep all of the maps and treasure cards at the end as keepsakes!
Sorcerers Of The Magic Kingdom Interactive Game – The Main Street Fire House, Magic Kingdom
Another fun interactive game to play. You can start the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom at the Fire House on Main Street, here you will receive a starter deck of Sorcerer Trading Cards and a map of the kingdom. The map shows you where each portal for the game is and all you need to do is find the portal and use your Sorcerer spell cards to defeat the Villains!
Pin Trading – Anywhere On WDW Property
Pin trading is a great activity for when you want a break from the rides. If you are a pin collector like me, you may want to consider buying some tradeable pins (I bought a bundle of pins from eBay) that you can trade around Walt Disney World for pins that you would rather have! You can trade with both guests and Cast Members, however, I would suggest sticking to Cast Members as some guests may be a little pushy when it comes to pin trading or try and scam you if you have a pin that is worth a lot, they may try and trade you for it with a fake/not so valuable pin. The best thing about trading with Cast Members is that if they have a pin you like, they have to trade with you, i.e they can’t say no. With this in mind, please be kind and respectful to all Cast Members and other guests that you may trade with, keep it fun!
Shopping – Disney Springs
If you are anything like me, you might like to do a bit of shopping on your trip to WDW! There are so many great places to shop at Disney but Disney Springs really tops the list! Disney Springs is like the shopping mall/nightlife central of Walt Disney World. There are bars, restaurants, a bowling alley, cinema, live entertainment and so much more! My favourite store at Disney Springs has to be the World of Disney – the biggest Disney store in the world!
Shows and Entertainment – Various Locations Around WDW, Disney Springs
There are so many great shows around Walt Disney World, from full-scale staged shows to street performances, you can find these all around the parks. My favourite show is Finding Nemo The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and I love watching the Dapper Dans on Main Street!
Relaxing
Walt Disney World can be pretty full-on! I would always suggest splitting up your days, for example, visiting a park in the morning and then chilling in the afternoon or even taking a few rest days to just relax by the pool or at one of Disney’s great waterparks! Disney also has a few spas on property, including Senses at Disney’s Grand Floridian and Saratoga Springs Resorts. So you could book yourself in for a nice massage or a relaxing hot tub/sauna session!
Resort Exploring
Another fun thing to do instead of the rides is to go resort exploring. Each Disney resort is so unique and has something different to offer, You can go and check out any of the Disney resort hotels and see what they are like! A great way to see lots of resorts is to use the monorail loop outside the Magic Kingdom and visit The Grand Floridian, The Polynesian and Contemporary resort.
Food – Anywhere On WDW Property
Probably one of my favourite things to do instead of rides is to try out all the amazing snacks that Disney has to offer. From Dole Whip to popcorn, cupcakes, turkey legs, corn dogs, Mickey waffles, churros, nachos, mac & cheese, fries, pretzels, funnel cake, Mickey premium bars, donuts – the list is endless! Disney snacks are worth a trip alone, so make sure you try some when you go!
Sticker Collecting – Various Locations Around WDW
This is a great one for all the kiddos out there! It’s a little-known fact that most WDW Cast Members usually carry stickers with them to give out to guests. It can be really fun to go around collecting these stickers from Cast Members and even the gift shops have them too. It’s always worth asking CM’s if they have any stickers to add to your collection! Here are some that we were given/found on our trip last year…
For the Haunted Mansion stickers, head to Memento Mori and ask the Cast Member behind the desk if you can have a sticker, the girl who we asked gave us 2 each! Also, we never ate at the 50’s Prime Time Diner but found the ‘clean plate club’ stickers outside 🙂
So there you have my top ideas of things to do in Walt Disney World besides the rides. Let me know if there are any things you would add to the list or that you enjoy doing at Walt Disney World. See you next time!
