Checking out resorts

[cmb]

Is it permissible to roam around resorts other than the one we are staying at? We will have a car and would love to check out other resorts, stores, beaches and so on. Can we park in any other resorts or would we have to use Disney's transportation? Eat a meal or snack anywhere?

[faline]

If you have dining reservations at another resort, they will provide you with a parking pass for several hours. They have been getting stricter about letting cars in just to look around but they have certainly allowed this practice in the past. If you are using Disney transportation, you can absolutely go to any resort that interests you just to wander around the public spaces or have a snack.

[Pooh Fan]

I have done this a number of times and not had an issue. Most recently has been the Boardwalk resort but I suppose that may be a bit of a different scenario as many folks likely visit the actual boardwalk there.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

We've never had a problem doing this, I always made sure that I had my resort parking pass with me. I don't see any of the value or moderate resorts being an issue. You could run into issues with some of the deluxe areas, such as Grand Floridian and the Boardwalk areas. If you have dining reservations there should eleviate any problems. But I've gone to the Board Walk simply to grab a beer at Big River Grill and have been able to do it. Again, the Lagoon resorts on the monorail might be your biggest problem due to the concern of someone trying to avoid paying for theme park parking, but if you are a resort guest anyway, you get free parking, so you can simply park at the MK and use the monorail to visit all three resorts. WL & AKL shouldn't be a problem, but with WL I'd recommend taking the friendship boats there anyway, just as something different.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We have never had trouble in the past checking out other resorts. We just let the guard at the gate know that we are coming to either eat or shop and we are waived through after a check of our resort key (magic band now I guess) or an ID check.

In June I did experience one problem when trying to visit Yacht Club Resort. I was looking for a particular shirt and the CM at the gift shop at Contemporary found the shirt in the size I needed at Yacht Club. When I tried to go to Yacht Club I was told that due to it being extremely busy at the resort at the moment he could not allow me in to park. I even asked to valet and he said that valet was also full. When asked where I could park just to run in and look for a particular shirt he told me he didn't know. LOL. So I had my son drop me off at the front, make a loop and come back and get me. It didn't look particularly busy while I was in there. This was just days after the nightclub shooting so I just chalked it up to more extreme security measures. :shrug: I did get my shirt tho!!

[#1donaldfan]

We always do just that. We love to resort hop and check out the different places and yes, to EAT !! You should have no problem getting in .... have fun !!!

[luvdiznee]

We used to do this to check out the next resort we would be staying at...Yes was always planning..

[Arielfan98]

Yes, just make sure you have dining reservations if you intend on parking. The hotels have become stricter about this. I went in January and had reservations at Kona Cafe at The Polynesian and they definitely checked! They had us swipe our magic bands. I'd recommend parking at a park then using the buses/monorails/boats to get around.

[cmb]

I originally posted the question for a couple of reasons, one being that someone said a good place to watch fireworks was Grand Floridian, "grab an ice cream and enjoy the fireworks", so that would be late at night, maybe not too busy? This comment brings something else to mind if we parked at MK - we won't have tickets to MK until the next day (but we will have checked into our Disney hotel) can we still ride boats/monorail to Grand Floridian? Will someone explain what friendship boats are and where they go?
This is our first trip to WDW. So much to learn before October. Lol

[#1donaldfan]

yes, you can use any Disney transportation without using a park ticket. The beaches are great places to see the fireworks, both from the Poly and the GF. Enjoy your first trip and remember you will not be able to do and see it all, we've been going for years and years and have yet to see and do it all. Pace yourself and enjoy everything ....

[faline]

The Friendship Boats travel from one side of World Showcase to the other in Epcot and from just outside Epcot (through the International Gateway) to all the Epcot area resorts, Disney Sudios and back. You don't need to have activated your par ticket to use the buses, boats and monorails.

[buzznwoodysmom]

It has been my experience that fireworks time is not considered late at night by most guests standards. I find the resorts remain fairly busy through the fireworks, especially the monorail resorts. Just this past June, the 4th floor observation deck at the Contemporary was almost completely filled with guest there to view Wishes. Not saying it will be packed, but don't expect the resorts to be dead just because it's 9-10pm.

You shouldn't have any trouble visiting the resorts as you plan. If parking is not available you could always choose to valet. It will cost you, but at least you'd be able to park at the resort you want. You can also park at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) and monorail over to your desired resort.

If you've already checked in to your Disney resort you can park at the TTC at no cost and you can use the monorail or boats to get to your desired location. I hope you have a magical first visit! Enjoy!!!

[lawgirl]

I was just thinking, if you are staying on property, I think it might be alot easier to just take a bus rather than parking and having to deal with all that. We never have a car, and I do love to visit different resorts for dining and shopping. We always just schedule it to where we are taking a bus to the nearest them park, then transferring, or go to DS and transfer there. I feel like driving and parking would be a bit of a hassle. We usually stay at AKL or SS, so we'll just figure out where we want to go, for instance if we want to do the CR, we just take a MK bus, then either take the monorail (which my kids LOVE) or walk to the CR from the MK bus stop. Then take the boat to the WL. I try to have some sort of plan so I know where we need to be.