Everyone needs a break day while on vacation. This is especially true on a Disney World vacation as going every day to the parks can be a little exhausting. Luckily there are plenty of things to do at your Disney resort on these non-park days.

1. Swim at the Pool

All Disney Resort Hotels have multiple pools to enjoy when you are not at the parks. Most of these resorts offer a “feature pool” which is the largest pool at the resort as well as smaller satellite pools. Some Moderate and most Deluxe Resorts will typically also have a waterslide that you can ride on into the feature pool. Some resorts also have areas reserved for younger children to play in an such as a splash pad or a lower depth aquatic play area.

Pool at Polynesian Village Resort

The Big Blue Pool at the Art of Animation Resort

2. Movie Under the Stars

Most Disney Resort Hotels have a Disney movie playing most nights of the week and sometimes even every night. These movies typically start as it it gets darker outside and the cast members even sell concessions such as soda and candy during the movie to snack on. During our stay at the Polynesian Village Resort the cast members even paused the movie while fireworks were going off at Magic Kingdom so that everyone could go to the beach area to enjoy that as well. Check with your hotels guest services to find the weekly schedule of what films will be shown during your stay.

3. Campfire/Smores

Many of the Disney Resort Hotels also offer a complimentary nightly campfire where you roast marshmallows. Smores kits are available for purchase or you can bring your own supplies if you have them. The Fort Wilderness Resort even offers Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long where you can roast marshmallows around a campfire alongside Chip and Dale. This even takes place on Wednesday through Sunday evenings.

4. Activities on and along the water

If your Disney Resort hotel is near a lake you may be able to take part in some water fun. Renting a motorized pontoon boat to drive around the lake is an option. You can also rent a kayak or a canoe at Fort Wilderness Resort. Multiple Disney Resort hotels also offer fishing opportunities such as a guided fishing excursion or fishing off a dock. Another water-related to take part if you are staying around Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake is the electrical water pageant. Every evening this nighttime parade starts by the Grand Floridian Resort and ends near the Fort Wilderness Resort. The parade consists of floats containing sea creatures that dance along to classic Disney music.

5. Resort Hop

One of my family’s favorite activities to take part in when we are not going to the theme parks for the day is to hop around to different resorts. Since most modes of transportation within the Disney World resort are complimentary, visiting a different resort for even just a few hours is a good option to consider. You can go see the animals over in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, ride on the Disney Skyliner to check on the resorts along that route of transportation, or even taking a river boat from the Port Orleans resort to a neighboring resort. We also love exploring other resorts as it can give you ideas of where they would want to consider staying on your next Disney trips as well.

Views from Animal Kingdom Lodge

6. Go to Disney Springs for the day

We love heading to Disney Springs on a day that we are not going to the parks. It is easy to get there as you can use bus transportation for all the hotels. If you are staying in the Port Orleans resorts, Old Key West Resort or Saratoga Springs Resort you can also get there by boat. Once you are there you can go shopping at the assortments of stores as well as head to the large World of Disney store to buy souvenirs and merchandise. There are plenty of restaurants to go to as well for lunch and dinner, of which some you will want to secure a dining reservation. See my blog post for more information on my tips on securing your most wanted dining reservations.

There are also lots of options for dessert and snacks. Our go-to dessert places in Disney Springs are Amorette’s Patisserie for their delicious french pastries and Gideon’s Bakehouse for their amazing cookies. Don’t be surprised if you see a long line for Gideon’s as it is very common to there to be a queue to get in. It is definitely worth the wait though! If you purchased a popcorn bucket at one of the parks, keep in mind that you can get a refill of popcorn at Disney Springs as well so make sure to remember to bring that bucket along.

Disney Springs

Desserts at Amorette’s Patisserie

7. Go to the Boardwalk area

We have made our way over to Disney Boardwalk area multiple times on our DIsney World Vacation. There are many different things to do in this area including renting a Surrey bike to peddle around Crescent Lake as well as playing mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens and Fairways Miniature Golf. There is also lots of entertainment along the Boardwalk especially at night. We have seen magicians, jugglers, as well as a jump rope performance. There is plenty to eat and drink in this area as well with sit-down restaurants, such as Flying Fish and Trattoria al Forno, take-out food at the Boardwalk Deli and the Pizza Window, as well ice cream and even a margarita stand.

Other miscellaneous resort activities

Most of the Disney resort hotels have an arcade with an array of games to play. Some hotels have horse-drawn carriage rides such as at the Port Orleans resort area and there are also pony rides at Fort Wilderness. If you are staying along the Seven Seas Lagoon (Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village and Contemporary), you will have a view of the nightly fireworks at Magic Kingdom. The music from the show is also broadcast to the beach area of the resorts to enjoy while watching the show. Fireworks can also be viewed by the resorts near EPCOT, including along the Boardwalk area.

What activities have you and your family done on non-park days at Disney World? Let me know in the comments!