Night at Disney World question/recommendation

[danlj3]

Hi everyone! My family and I (wife, 3 children, and my mom) will be headed to Disney World at the end of December. We are due to arrive at around 6:00 PM on a Saturday, and as of now don't plan on visiting a park that day. We will be staying offsite, about 15 minutes from Magic Kingdom. Any advice on what would be a good activity or restaurant to visit that night? We are very familiar with the 4 parks, but not at all with the Disney-proper area.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!

 

[BigBadBobbyH]

Hi everyone! My family and I (wife, 3 children, and my mom) will be headed to Disney World at the end of December. We are due to arrive at around 6:00 PM on a Saturday, and as of now don't plan on visiting a park that day. We will be staying offsite, about 15 minutes from Magic Kingdom. Any advice on what would be a good activity or restaurant to visit that night? We are very familiar with the 4 parks, but not at all with the Disney-proper area.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!

Head over to Disney Springs! Plenty of restaurants/activities/shops there and can go shopping for Disney souvenirs/shirts/merchandise you want for your trip.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I'm sure you're aware it's going to be crazy busy on a late-December Saturday night at DS. Might want to think about a possible dining reservation (or show tickets like Cirque) so you're not shut out of dining (if you wish to do so!)??

 

[danlj3]

I'm sure you're aware it's going to be crazy busy on a late-December Saturday night at DS. Might want to think about a possible dining reservation (or show tickets like Cirque) so you're not shut out of dining (if you wish to do so!)??

We do know about the crowds. We were at Epcot last New Years Eve and loved every minute of it, so crowds aren't a big concern. I will look into some dining reservations for Disney Springs.

 

[noonew]

You can also go to Disney's BoardWalk. There are a few restaurants there, on the Boardwalk itself and you can walk to other restaurants in Beach/Yacht Club. You can stroll around the Crescent Lake, or rent some surrey bikes. There are also a few street performances (jugglers, acrobats, etc), and you can watch EPCOT fireworks from there. You can also take the Skyliner and enjoy the night view. If you go during late December, there will be some Christmas decorations, you can walk into Boardwalk Inn's or Beach Club's lobbies to take a look at the gingerbread house/carousel there. I think it will be more relaxing and less crowded than going to Disney Spring.

 

[danlj3]

You can also go to Disney's BoardWalk. There are a few restaurants there, on the Boardwalk itself and you can walk to other restaurants in Beach/Yacht Club. You can stroll around the Crescent Lake, or rent some surrey bikes. There are also a few street performances (jugglers, acrobats, etc), and you can watch EPCOT fireworks from there. You can also take the Skyliner and enjoy the night view. If you go during late December, there will be some Christmas decorations, you can walk into Boardwalk Inn's or Beach Club's lobbies to take a look at the gingerbread house/carousel there. I think it will be more relaxing and less crowded than going to Disney Spring.

Thank you! That sounds perfect!

 

[Ricguz]

I like what Noonew gave you for advice. With 3 children it would be less crowded, walk around the boardwalk, take a skyliner ride, or a boat ride on the lake, have dinner at Trattoria, then walk around BWI, BC, YC and see the Christmas Decorations and then watch the fireworks from the bridge by the international gateway. Another idea would be a show at Hoop dee doo at fort wilderness. Have dinner plus a show. It’s more expensive than the boardwalk.

 

[HopperFan]

Disney Springs is going to give you the most to enjoy both Disney & Holiday with dining and shopping.

One thing we have started doing on arrival day is going to dinner at one of the resorts. We don't like to waste park days doing that. Nice way to visit the hotels (with ADR to get in) and enjoy a meal without being hurried. And we dress a bit nicer to make it a special dinner.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thank you! That sounds perfect!

Just FYI, you can park for free at BW if you have an ADR at Trattoria al Forno or Big River Grille or at YC or BC if you have an ADR at a table-service restaurant there. You can park at the Swan or Dolphin too; they charge for parking, but some of their table-service restaurants will comp the parking charge (check the restaurant's webpage or ask on the Swan/Dolphin/Swan Reserve thread, https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...eserve-resorts-information-questions.3264274/).

You can easily walk or take the boat from Swan/Dolphin or YC/BC to the BW.

If you don't have an ADR, you should plan to park elsewhere (DS for free or DHS for $) and take Disney transportation to BW. I expect they'll be pretty strict about parking there that time of year.

 

[rdevans_2000]

Hi everyone! My family and I (wife, 3 children, and my mom) will be headed to Disney World at the end of December. We are due to arrive at around 6:00 PM on a Saturday, and as of now don't plan on visiting a park that day. We will be staying offsite, about 15 minutes from Magic Kingdom. Any advice on what would be a good activity or restaurant to visit that night? We are very familiar with the 4 parks, but not at all with the Disney-proper area.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!

I agree with others who recommend Disney Springs. We love to hit that on our first half-day. Also, check out the putt putt golf courses at Disney. They are great for families.

 

[Mle8308]

Thank you! That sounds perfect!

But make sure you have a dining reservation, otherwise they probably won't let you park at Boardwalk unless you valet (for a charge). Like @CarolynFH said!