Interested in resort hopping at Walt Disney World resorts?
Most people spend about 90% of the their time at Walt Disney World in the parks. I mean that’s what your paying for right? I want to share with you something fun my family and I like to do while at WDW to break away from visiting the parks from rope drop till they shoo you out the door in the evening. This tip is also great for rainy days or on days you want a break from the parks.
Resort Hopping is time honored tradition with my family dating all the way back to the 80’s and my first trips to the House of Mouse. My family would stay off site and we would drive to and walk around some of the Disney resort just to get a feel what it was like to stay in these super expensive, posh resorts.
As I got older and started taking my own trips with my wife we would make our Disney Dining reservations at places like O’hana’s and just find ourselves walking around, exploring, shopping and taking tons of photos around the various resorts. After more and more trips to Disney we started to work them into our planning till we started to make a check list of resorts we have been to and ones we still needed to visit. Needless to say there are still a few we haven’t been to.
The Big 3 as we call them are the Resorts that the Disney’s Monorail stops off at, and some of the easiest to Resort Hop. All you have to do is jump on the Monorail and your there. Depending on where you are staying you might have to take a bus to the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) first then ride the Monorail to the resorts.
We like to resort hop for meals and to break up the days. It’s nice if you have a child in a stroller as they can nap as you are walking around and shopping. Be sure to bring your camera Disney’s attention to detail is everywhere. You can easily do all 3 resorts in a day. Each one is different and has tons of things to view and experience. My favorite is the beach at the Polynesian Resort. Stop off for a snack or drink, check out the arcades, or go for a leisurely stroll.
If you have never tried Resort Hopping and have never spent time at the Big 3 Resorts I suggest jumping aboard the Monorail Express and checking them out, it is very relaxing and a welcomed change from the Disney Parks. Stay tuned next time as I talk about the Epcot Area Ferry Hop.
Don’t miss the tips on hopping to Animal Kingdom area resorts.
When Chip isn’t having a great time at Walt Disney World he is busy blogging about it over at Chip and Company – Your Source for Disney News, Food, and Views.
Learn more tips and tricks for your next Walt Disney World vacation. Destinations in Florida can also help you add tips and tricks to your next vacation.
I have been lucky to say Disneyland is my home place. However a few years ago I had the wonderful chance to fly to WDW. Resort Hopping is a must in my book. We enjoyed the time we spent going from one resort to the next. And with being on Disney site, it was so much easier. Breakfast, at one, lunch at another, and even with staying at PQR, a nice little walk to the FQ for dinner. You could just spend a day going to all the resorts.
great idea to spend some time
I like to resort hop to see the decorations, we make sure to go to the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread house being constucted (starting in mid-November). We also plan to eat some family meals at the other resorts this year.
Great idea Erin did you just buy the pins from the shops or did you actually trade some with the cast members? I have found alot of the resort cast members have some nice pins as people dont trade with that often.
We just got back yesterday from Disney and yes, resort hopping is a blast! We like going to the polynesian and enjoying the soft serve icecream. Hopping is also a great way to pin trade!
We LOVE to resort-hop! We, too, started years ago. We always stayed off-World in those early days, so we visited the resorts to experience the magic for free. Since we started staying on-property several years ago (we won’t go back to off-property hotels now!), we have kept the tradition. It does make for a relaxing away-from-the-parks-but-not-missing-any-action day. We love to get to the Polynesian for lunch or supper. Captain Cook’s is one of my favorite spots in all of the World to eat. We’re currently planning our next trip to Disney — Christmas! — and we will surely set aside a day to see the big 3 and their beautiful Christmas decorations.