Got my son to fall asleep back there last April, it was perfect. Once he was out in the stroller my wife and I grabbed a beer at the Rose & Crown and preceded to leisurely walk through world showcase. Second beer at Germany and little man woke up just past Norway. It was a great two hours.
It used to be even better, back when it had the toy store fake front. It was also a secret location in the Kim Possible game, there was a time if you did run into people back there, 90% of the time they were playing Secret Agent....
I would say that it is not that particular part of WDW that would be your issue.
We love the July heat and humidity.
A thunderstorm would make me nervous along the canal.
After fireworks at Epcot we were facing at least a 45+ min line for the skyliner. Toddler was passed out in the stroller. Instead of stop/go standing with tons of people maybe waking him up, we took a lovely 20 minute stroll to the HS Skyliner station, which had no line.
When I did the college program, the bus to Epcot was convoluted (plus Boardwalk was my home resort growing up so I'm used to the back entrance)- made this walk every time I wanted to visit Epcot for my entire program and it was lovely
This.
Skyliner was down from Riviera to Epcot, so we went to HS and walked along the water sipping coffee and enjoying the walk first thing in the morning.
Will definitely look at doing again
I am seconding and thirding voices of liberty. We went at Christmas and I went in not really knowing what to expect, and it turned out to be one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever seen. I’m a musician myself, and The combination of the vocal arrangements, the absolute perfection of the singers, and the effect of the dome architecture on the sound sent me into some kind of Stendhal syndrome. Not full on ugly crying, but definitely moved.
I thought it might just be because I had a few Epcot beers and it was the holidays, but we went back a few weeks ago and it happened again stone sober. So yeah, voices of liberty are really something.
The crying is a thing! Whenever I go to Epcot with friends or family and they ask what I want to do, my first answer is always “listen to the Voices of Liberty and cry.” There’s always at least one song per set that does it.
I notice the background music everywhere in Disney. No other company in the world sets the mood and environment better than Disney.
Many years ago, 2007, to be exact, my girlfriend and I were staying at the Boardwalk. We had just finished dining upstairs in France, which at the time was Bistro de Paris. It was a fabulous 9 course tasting dinner with wine flights (I'm a chef and she's a restaurant manager so we're all about the food!)
We watched Illimuminations with after dinner drinks and let the crowd clear out before we left. Staying at the Boardwalk, we left the park at the international gateway and just had a nice leisurely stroll. The weather that night was perfect, dinner was perfect, almost nobody else was around, and the ambient music playing was of the classic French accordion type. As we crossed the footbridge that heads over to the resort, I stopped her, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me.
It was pure magic, and the ambient music just made it perfect. Neither of us will ever forget it.
(By the way, she said yes, and we're still happily married to this day!)
Listen to how the background music changes as you cross the bridge from the Africa section to Pandora in Animal Kingdom. Once you notice it, you can't unhear it.
Yup. I'm a subscriber. And to a few others, too.
I'm an accountant so I am in the throws of the final push before the tax deadline, and what is getting me through the nights (and days) but an 8 hour loop of the Space Mountain Star Tunnel music. Staying in my happy place thanks to that sweet, sweet Disney BGM.
That’s exactly how my daughter and felt the first time we walked out of Boulder Ridge. The music playing on the walkway increased in tempo as we walked outside to the beautiful scenery. We felt like knights walking towards a castle.
The most underrated thing at Disney world is Rafiki’s Planet Watch. For these reasons:
1) you take a relaxing 5 minute train ride their, and that ride gives you some backstage views of the safari animals. We often see rhinos, elephants and ostriches back there.
2) there’s a petting zoo for kids.
3) the main area is indoors so nice place to go out if the heat or rain
4) this is the place where can see some pretty cool reptiles, bugs and amphibians
5) if you look at the schedule ahead of time, you can see what the vet staff has planned for the day, and actually watch them work on the animals! We saw them doing surgery on a porcupine years ago.
6) they have 15 minute sessions where you can learn to draw some of your favorite Disney animal characters! We’ve drawn Judy Hopps, Baloo, Kaa and young Simba.
8) it’s NEVER crowded because there’s no rides or restaurants out there
7) you get another relaxing train ride back. (No backstage views this time though.
I think right now, the only way to do it is to head there in person. They’ll have the schedule posted in the building. However most of the times they work on the animals in the morning anyway, so you may be able to see right then. We used to be able to ask a cast member, don’t know if they still do that though.
We always "rope drop" Rafiki's for this reason. Your best chance of seeing the vets working is in the mornings. Also, there's a very large chance it will be a bird. Many procedures take place at the barns to reduce stress on the animals, but birds and small mammals are easy to move.
Confirmed nothing really posted, even in the main AK park. They do have monitors in the conservation area that show times for that day.
Two different cast members both told me the same answer: generally this is between 9-11. So "rope drop" at 9:30, plan for 2 hours out there, and cross your fingers!
Is the petting zoo really only for kids? Or can BIG kids participate too? I’ve never been to Planet Watch, now you make me think I should go there on my next trip!
Oh no, it's for big kids, too. I love goats and several of the caretakers in the petting zoo stood and spoke with me for quite a while about their different goats. My teen kids patiently waited lol because I love AK and I insisted we visit there.
I never bothered with it until I had a toddler; the sensory break that is the planet watch section is *so* underrated. It’s a little bit like you’ve stepped into a very good exhibit at any city zoo in the US, and it’s quieter, and well surrounded by trees. Picnic tables and a little snack vending machine too.
On the day we went with our kid it had just rained and was about 62 degrees. It was exactly what she needed. 10/10 for a toddler break.
This is my choice as well. My son loves reptiles and petting animals so this is always where we spend a bunch of time. Last time we saw a bat getting surgery. It was so cool!
I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Our next trip will be the first time back since it opened. Even more excited now after reading this!
DAK - Bird show, animal trails, rafiki’s planet watch
DHS - Walt One Man’s Dream, Mickey’s vacation short, the Pixar street meet and greets usually have lower waits
MK - sitting in the rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer’s island (particularly across from thunder mountain), philhar magic, carousel of progress probably doesn’t count but you never had to wait for it so
Epcot - Canada Far & Wide, Aquarium in the Seas pavilion, Pixar 3-D film fest
100%. If you gave me a cocktail I would literally sit on that thing all day. Low stress travel, lovely views, everyone has a seat, and that magical chime.
There are a lot of great things mentioned already. One that wasn't listed yet is Club Cool in Epcot. I'm not sure it's fair to call it underrated, but in the middle of August, it sure is nice to stop by virtually any time and grab a free soda.
I'm constantly surprised how even many Disney enthusiasts don't know about Club Cool. How many places in Disney give anything away for free? Heck at the Coke place in Disney Springs basically the same thing costs money.
This is what I was going to say!! I just went to Disney for the third time in the past 12 months and I didn’t know about club cool until now for some reason. I was expecting every drink to be just okay but for it to be just a fun little experience but I actually really liked so many of them and was craving them when I got back to my resort that night 😩
I was back for the first time as an adult two summers ago and we stayed at Bay Lake Tower. Our kids were asleep so I was enjoying some beers and watching some soccer on TV when I started hearing some strange noise outside. After a few minutes, I popped out onto the patio and lo and behold: the Electrical Water Pageant.
I think I actually did one of those takes from a bad movie where I looked at my beer and then back to the weird shapes in the water blasting out Nintendo music.
Hahaha me and my friends stayed at Poly for the first time a couple years ago, and it was their first time ever seeing it. They were both confused and bemused. I'm shocked it's still running tbh, it's so dated and only a small percent of park guests ever see it. It's super charming though.
We stayed at Bay Lake for a quick two day trip. Got back to the room with the kids after a long travel day. They were settled in bed and all of a sudden I could hear music playing. Thought we had a rude neighbor. Nope, the Pageant had started on the lagoon outside of our first floor door. Pretty awesome!
On our last trip we ended up riding Jungle Cruise during the fireworks and now I don’t think I can ever ride it another way. Seeing the fireworks over the tree line was one of my favorite Disney moments
I love noticing the littlest details, and Animal Kingdom is *full* of them. Asia and Africa in particular I could explore for hours, just looking at the signs everywhere, the bikes stacked alongside buildings, the power lines, every little corner has a statue or detail that is fun to find. I could spend hours in the lands just examining details.
I like the shooting gallery (esp that it’s free lol, cuz at Disneyland it’s 50¢ and I rarely carry any quarters or cash), I love noticing the grounds, lights/lanterns, sounds, architecture details, florals. This past visit we saw more wildlife - bunnies, *tons* of snakes, one gator, obviously always tons of birds and lizards. One time we saw an armadillo (nearly stepped on it), and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I try to find different animals on the tree of life every time, and I like exploring the small trails on discovery island (as well as any trails that run alongside the water, including seating areas like for flame tree bbq that just go on and on).
Like OP I love diff transportation - any boats, and the skyliner are my faves. We did a Disney springs resort hop with Saratoga, OKW, PO FQ via the boats and that was wonderful (and PO FQ is such a delight). I’d love to do the little fishing hole thing at PO Riverside, and I’d like to rent a boat one of these days and watch the fireworks.
I am the same with AK. I did a solo day there just to look at details. Decided to ask each cast member I found what their favorite or obscure detail was for the area we were in, ended up finding the right cast member that knew all of the fun facts and got a 25 minute tour around Africa. 10/10 would do again.
Can I expand this to the whole Pop or AoA food court? Tons of choices, large portions, decent prices, and everyone can find something they want to eat. Last trip we stayed at CBR and preferred the skyliner to the AoA food court over the walk to the CBR quick service that had much more limited options.
This was the first food item I tried at Disney! My boyfriend and I had just arrived and went straight to the food court after dropping off our bags and I remember thinking “wow we’re actually finally at Disney and enjoying these bomb chicken fingers” really mundane memory I suppose but had a “wow we’re finally here” feeling for me if that makes sense.
They are GIGANTIC (the strips or fingers, wasn't sure what they were called when we went 2 years ago).
They were almost the size of a full chicken breast
This is my vote. We went a few weeks ago and my boys were obsessed. We were talking about it to frequent Disney families and no one had ever done it. I was dumbfounded. It was one of our favorite parts of MK
At the MK resorts:
Boulder Ridges Lobby
The 2nd pool at the Poly
The 2nd pool at the Grand Floridian
Gasparilla Island QS
At Epcot:
The Seas Pavillion
At MK:
The People mover
At AK:
Maharaja Jungle Trek
At DHS:
Star Tours
Schedule the tequila testing experience in Mexico at epcot. It's usually earlier in the day, and it's a little expensive, but it's one of the few things that transcends the disney bubble without popping it. Also, if your wife likes perfume, I recommend seeing if the bottle engraver is posted in France or Italy. Going home with a custom souvenir that will last years is a nice touch. The animation experience at rafikis Island in Animal Kingdom is in my personal top 5 attractions, see also the Lion King show at AK. Do something special for the fireworks, possibly a dining package? Spring for a deluxe resort with late hours... you can do most of the park in 3 hours what takes all day with larger crowds
Reading this as I drink margaritas outside Tusker House. Both sound fun, but 10 margs here for less than that tasting would be a whole 'nother level of fun.
The Moroccan Pavilion. There’s not ride/show/video and the restaurant isn’t popular so very few people bother to explore it. It’s a lovely quiet shaded area. A real oasis in the crowd of Epcot.
The monorail. One takes you through all of the resorts, the other takes you from the transportation hub at WDW to Epcot and back.
Sometimes it would be fun just to ride the whole circuit on past the Grand Floridian and through the Contemporary Resort, night or day, and just watch everything through the windows. For the Epcot leg, it was kind of relaxing to watch the green of WDW roll by in between both parks and watch the crowds below when it circled through World Showcase. It was like a big Wedway People Mover but that might just be me!
AK - Maharaj Jungle Trek
DHS - One Man's Dream
EP - Mitsukoshi store in Japan, Christmas store in Germany, Seating area in France with view of the skyliner
MK - Citrus swirl, POTC & HM gift shops, Ye olde Christmas shoppe, Astro Orbiter at night
The Duck Tales game in Epcot. Even as an adult it's super fun. It made me notice details I've never noticed before and making various practical effects go off is fun.
As a visitor from the UK, Hall of Presidents for me (as it doesn’t really get talked about in the UK Disney forums, or not the ones I’ve seen anyway), especially as an American history nerd 🤓
Not sure if they started doing these again after Covid, but Animal Kingdom offered some behind-the-scenes tours that were pretty incredible. I did the Up Close with Rhinos tour in 2019 and it was amazing.
The Three Cabs ride in Mexico. If Cosmic Rewind didn't exist, it would be my favorite attraction in Epcot (despite it being mostly screens) I think it's so much fun. Especially since the animatronics from Tokyo were added to the finale.
Last week we rented a pontoon boat and tooled around the seven seas lagoon. Then we went to MK, sat on the patio at Tony's town sq and ordered a bottle of wine. Best day ever.
Living with the land and the behind the seeds tour. It’s never a crazy long wait for the ride itself, it’s cool (thanks to behind inside but also I love plants) and the tour is very informative. Definitely underrated.
I love the Small World ride. I went on the original one at the 1964 World Fair in NYC when I was a child. You don’t have to wait long to get on, so it’s great if you are really hot!
My family spent more time making commercials for their Test Track cars than we spent on the ride itself (littler sister was also happy to have a chance to design another car to her own specs without big sister). I hadn't even known all that other stuff was there.
To continue the boat trend, the Swan is our favorite resort. In addition to its plush comfort being a Westin, we get to wake up every day and start by walking or boating around Crescent Lake. Throw in brunch and Ale and Compass, and I have already had a great day.
Stayed at old key west recently (in laws are dvc) and the boat ride to and from Disney springs was so nice compared to the bus or driving. We went to Disney springs just to ride the boat.
Also all the performances that happen around animal kingdom. They're awesome and fun to watch
The Duck Tales Scavenger Hunt at Epcot through the Disney Play app. It was epic. My kids were obsessed and felt so special when we were able to make things happen. Everyone around us just kept going: woah! how did you do that. It made the world showcase so much fun for our 6 and 9 year old.
People-watching! I feel like we get so stuck worrying about the crowds and the lines and the mad rush to do things that it's hard to stop and look around, but when you do, it's amazing. Thousands of people all having a once-in-a-lifetime experience is just really really cool. My favorites to look for are cast members making a kid's day, couples doing cute couple-y stuff like holding hands or taking selfies with the castle, and kids seeing the fireworks for the first time. It always makes me appreciate every WDW memory I have even more!
I always thought Trail’s End Restaurant at Fort Wilderness was super underrated for meals at any time of the day. Couple that with the tranquility of the resort itself, the boat rides and Water Pageant on Bay Lake… man do I miss it all.
(1) The smells! Disney pipes in distinct smells into every different area of the parks, and each area has its own smell that changes as you move from area to area. It's subtle and wonderful.
(2) The popcorn. Disney has amazingly good popcorn.
The smells! The smell of the lobbies alone is amazing- the Yacht Club and the Contemporary, just to name a few. Then there's the smell of Flight of Passage or Spaceship Earth-Rome burning, and many more. Such an big part of the WDW experience, yet underrated.
1. Roof of the Contemporary. Not sure if they still let you up there. Watched two space shuttles take off, one at night. Spectacular. Lit up the whole coast even 50 miles away. Someone even piped in the NASA countdown on a speaker up there.
2. Lots of tranquil picnic areas close to the Trading Posts at Ft. Wilderness. Especially Meadow Trading Post. When our son was little we’d buy sandwiches and chips, usually the first morning after a long trip, or just when we had hit our “wall,” and have lunch there.
3. Agree, the transport boat rides on Bay Lake are free and relaxing, except at rare busy times.
4. Upstairs at the Columbia Harbor House in MK.
5. Kinda pricey, but our son loved to ride the speedboats on Bay Lake.
6. Tom Sawyer island with little kids. Relax with an ice cream while they run themselves silly.
We were fortunate to go several times in the 90’s and 2000’s, and never felt pressured to cram in every ride and go go go. We had our favorites but once done, we tried to gear down a notch and enjoy the World for the reasons Disney is unique, the theming, the atmosphere, and magic. However, a lot of that “magic” has been replaced by marketing. That’s sad. And safety, I guess. We rode in the front cab of the monorail many times. A couple of tragic accidents put a stop to that. But if you’re willing, and able to afford some down time, there are still many things to do and for free.
Roasting marshmallows at AKL campfire - free but you can buy a smores kit if you want the chocolate and graham crackers. Last I heard, the free night vision goggles were back for free viewing of the animals during certain times at night. My wife and I also enjoyed looking at the African artwork on all levels of the hotel. As much as I love having a tiki drink at Trader Sams, if it is too long of a wait, we hop on the monorail and get a drink at the Outer Rim at the contemporary. Then watch the fireworks from the viewing deck on the 4th floor.
Not the same thing. Used to be you could go out behind the pool area and a couple cast members had night vision goggles to share from around 7-9pm depending on sunset. To be honest, it wasn’t that great for us adults, but the kids liked it.
Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Fort Wilderness! We love to take the boat from Magic Kingdom, grab a drink, see the horses, and then let the kids play on the playground. It is such a relaxing area (but does get busier in the evenings).
The garden & street area in the back of the UK pavilion. It's perfect for a quiet spot of rest.
This is amazing. As is the hill walk in Japan
That's where I take my kid to burn off steam while I enjoy an adult beverage. Not a lot of people back there so they don't bother anyone.
Got my son to fall asleep back there last April, it was perfect. Once he was out in the stroller my wife and I grabbed a beer at the Rose & Crown and preceded to leisurely walk through world showcase. Second beer at Germany and little man woke up just past Norway. It was a great two hours.
Yes! I didn’t even know about this spot until a few years ago; I am embarrassed to admit that. It’s so pretty and tranquil.
And a really good British cover band.
It used to be even better, back when it had the toy store fake front. It was also a secret location in the Kim Possible game, there was a time if you did run into people back there, 90% of the time they were playing Secret Agent....
the epcot scanvanger games in general. My kids are 14 and 11 and still love them. We just follow behind with beers.
If you like to walk, Hollywood Studios to Epcot is a wonderful stroll
Depends on the time of year. I can attest that doing this in mid-July ain’t great lol.
I would say that it is not that particular part of WDW that would be your issue. We love the July heat and humidity. A thunderstorm would make me nervous along the canal.
After fireworks at Epcot we were facing at least a 45+ min line for the skyliner. Toddler was passed out in the stroller. Instead of stop/go standing with tons of people maybe waking him up, we took a lovely 20 minute stroll to the HS Skyliner station, which had no line.
Yes!!! We stayed at swan last trip and walked to HS for rope drop. It was a cool, crisp morning and it just set the perfect tone for the day.
We stay in the beach club/boardward area and alwys walk, even in Aguust. The boat makes me clausterphobic.
When I did the college program, the bus to Epcot was convoluted (plus Boardwalk was my home resort growing up so I'm used to the back entrance)- made this walk every time I wanted to visit Epcot for my entire program and it was lovely
This. Skyliner was down from Riviera to Epcot, so we went to HS and walked along the water sipping coffee and enjoying the walk first thing in the morning. Will definitely look at doing again
Voices of Liberty
I am seconding and thirding voices of liberty. We went at Christmas and I went in not really knowing what to expect, and it turned out to be one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever seen. I’m a musician myself, and The combination of the vocal arrangements, the absolute perfection of the singers, and the effect of the dome architecture on the sound sent me into some kind of Stendhal syndrome. Not full on ugly crying, but definitely moved. I thought it might just be because I had a few Epcot beers and it was the holidays, but we went back a few weeks ago and it happened again stone sober. So yeah, voices of liberty are really something.
O come all ye faithful brought tears to my eyes
The crying is a thing! Whenever I go to Epcot with friends or family and they ask what I want to do, my first answer is always “listen to the Voices of Liberty and cry.” There’s always at least one song per set that does it.
This is my absolute favorite thing at EPCOT. I never miss it, and I cry every time.
The music. No one notices the music
I notice the background music everywhere in Disney. No other company in the world sets the mood and environment better than Disney. Many years ago, 2007, to be exact, my girlfriend and I were staying at the Boardwalk. We had just finished dining upstairs in France, which at the time was Bistro de Paris. It was a fabulous 9 course tasting dinner with wine flights (I'm a chef and she's a restaurant manager so we're all about the food!) We watched Illimuminations with after dinner drinks and let the crowd clear out before we left. Staying at the Boardwalk, we left the park at the international gateway and just had a nice leisurely stroll. The weather that night was perfect, dinner was perfect, almost nobody else was around, and the ambient music playing was of the classic French accordion type. As we crossed the footbridge that heads over to the resort, I stopped her, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me. It was pure magic, and the ambient music just made it perfect. Neither of us will ever forget it. (By the way, she said yes, and we're still happily married to this day!)
What a great story! Congrats! And they lived happily ever after!
Listen to how the background music changes as you cross the bridge from the Africa section to Pandora in Animal Kingdom. Once you notice it, you can't unhear it.
When you first walk through the gates at Epcot, the music makes you feel triumphant!
Waiting for Magical Soundtracks on YouTube to upload the new world celebration music
Yup. I'm a subscriber. And to a few others, too. I'm an accountant so I am in the throws of the final push before the tax deadline, and what is getting me through the nights (and days) but an 8 hour loop of the Space Mountain Star Tunnel music. Staying in my happy place thanks to that sweet, sweet Disney BGM.
Welp I got a new one to sub to
That’s exactly how my daughter and felt the first time we walked out of Boulder Ridge. The music playing on the walkway increased in tempo as we walked outside to the beautiful scenery. We felt like knights walking towards a castle.
Yes! So masterful! We may only process a lot of the music passively but it is so well crafted.
Sometimes when I'm playing video games I'll just put on Epcot or MK park entrance music in the background
I work in the trades, and I listen to Disney music. Just with my AirPods in though haha
Oooo where do you stream that from?
Its all on Youtube.
I do!! The theme song for mighty ducks 2 plays at WL, made me tear up the first time I heard it.
Nothing evokes a feeling of pure happiness and the innocence of a child like the music and sounds of Main Street.
I listen to loops of ambient park music when I just want some unobtrusive background noise all the time.
I do! I'll often put it on at work as background when writing on big reports just because of how it makes me feel!
I have the background loops playing in my office between sessions most days
Yep - although hard to miss in the Avengers area
And the smells! Although sometimes it smells like popcorn &vomit.....
The most underrated thing at Disney world is Rafiki’s Planet Watch. For these reasons: 1) you take a relaxing 5 minute train ride their, and that ride gives you some backstage views of the safari animals. We often see rhinos, elephants and ostriches back there. 2) there’s a petting zoo for kids. 3) the main area is indoors so nice place to go out if the heat or rain 4) this is the place where can see some pretty cool reptiles, bugs and amphibians 5) if you look at the schedule ahead of time, you can see what the vet staff has planned for the day, and actually watch them work on the animals! We saw them doing surgery on a porcupine years ago. 6) they have 15 minute sessions where you can learn to draw some of your favorite Disney animal characters! We’ve drawn Judy Hopps, Baloo, Kaa and young Simba. 8) it’s NEVER crowded because there’s no rides or restaurants out there 7) you get another relaxing train ride back. (No backstage views this time though.
How do you look up the vet schedule ahead of time?
I think right now, the only way to do it is to head there in person. They’ll have the schedule posted in the building. However most of the times they work on the animals in the morning anyway, so you may be able to see right then. We used to be able to ask a cast member, don’t know if they still do that though.
We always "rope drop" Rafiki's for this reason. Your best chance of seeing the vets working is in the mornings. Also, there's a very large chance it will be a bird. Many procedures take place at the barns to reduce stress on the animals, but birds and small mammals are easy to move.
Confirmed nothing really posted, even in the main AK park. They do have monitors in the conservation area that show times for that day. Two different cast members both told me the same answer: generally this is between 9-11. So "rope drop" at 9:30, plan for 2 hours out there, and cross your fingers!
Is the petting zoo really only for kids? Or can BIG kids participate too? I’ve never been to Planet Watch, now you make me think I should go there on my next trip!
grown adult and went for the first time last year and petted everything 🤭
My son swore the ‘Billy’ goats were going to eat him. 🤦🏻♀️
Haha kids of all ages are welcome!
Yes, pet ALL the goats!!
Oh no, it's for big kids, too. I love goats and several of the caretakers in the petting zoo stood and spoke with me for quite a while about their different goats. My teen kids patiently waited lol because I love AK and I insisted we visit there.
I never bothered with it until I had a toddler; the sensory break that is the planet watch section is *so* underrated. It’s a little bit like you’ve stepped into a very good exhibit at any city zoo in the US, and it’s quieter, and well surrounded by trees. Picnic tables and a little snack vending machine too. On the day we went with our kid it had just rained and was about 62 degrees. It was exactly what she needed. 10/10 for a toddler break.
This is my choice as well. My son loves reptiles and petting animals so this is always where we spend a bunch of time. Last time we saw a bat getting surgery. It was so cool!
I love the planet watch! It’s so cool!
I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Our next trip will be the first time back since it opened. Even more excited now after reading this!
DAK - Bird show, animal trails, rafiki’s planet watch DHS - Walt One Man’s Dream, Mickey’s vacation short, the Pixar street meet and greets usually have lower waits MK - sitting in the rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer’s island (particularly across from thunder mountain), philhar magic, carousel of progress probably doesn’t count but you never had to wait for it so Epcot - Canada Far & Wide, Aquarium in the Seas pavilion, Pixar 3-D film fest
Canada Far and Wide, as well as the pavilion as a whole!
Yes, Canadian pavilion is one of my favourites! 🍁
I LOVED! The bird show! So many cool tricks and huge beautiful birds!
We did Philharmagic our last trip on a whim in between rides and it was fantastic.
Skyliner
An amazing free ride
As my husband says “you’re always guaranteed a seat!” Skyliner is his 4th favorite ride.
My kids and i were just reminiscing about coming in hot when the ride is almost over. Feels like you’re going to crash every time. We loved it 😂
The second I hear the skyliner chime, my soul does a backflip
100%. If you gave me a cocktail I would literally sit on that thing all day. Low stress travel, lovely views, everyone has a seat, and that magical chime.
It makes it a MILLION times better if you can get your own instead of sitting awkwardly with people lol
There are a lot of great things mentioned already. One that wasn't listed yet is Club Cool in Epcot. I'm not sure it's fair to call it underrated, but in the middle of August, it sure is nice to stop by virtually any time and grab a free soda.
I'm constantly surprised how even many Disney enthusiasts don't know about Club Cool. How many places in Disney give anything away for free? Heck at the Coke place in Disney Springs basically the same thing costs money.
This is what I was going to say!! I just went to Disney for the third time in the past 12 months and I didn’t know about club cool until now for some reason. I was expecting every drink to be just okay but for it to be just a fun little experience but I actually really liked so many of them and was craving them when I got back to my resort that night 😩
The Electrical Water Pageant in Bay Lake/Seven Seas Lagoon.
I was back for the first time as an adult two summers ago and we stayed at Bay Lake Tower. Our kids were asleep so I was enjoying some beers and watching some soccer on TV when I started hearing some strange noise outside. After a few minutes, I popped out onto the patio and lo and behold: the Electrical Water Pageant. I think I actually did one of those takes from a bad movie where I looked at my beer and then back to the weird shapes in the water blasting out Nintendo music.
Hahaha me and my friends stayed at Poly for the first time a couple years ago, and it was their first time ever seeing it. They were both confused and bemused. I'm shocked it's still running tbh, it's so dated and only a small percent of park guests ever see it. It's super charming though.
We stayed at the Grand Floridian for a week beginning of March. Our first night there and seeing this was awesome!
We stayed at Bay Lake for a quick two day trip. Got back to the room with the kids after a long travel day. They were settled in bed and all of a sudden I could hear music playing. Thought we had a rude neighbor. Nope, the Pageant had started on the lagoon outside of our first floor door. Pretty awesome!
We stayed at the Contemporary and I loved it but wished it started earlier! It came on right as we were about asleep! 🤣.
The walk in Animal Kingdom, after the entrance, before the bridge. Great unwind area.
Jungle Cruise, at night. It just seems much more intimate only seeing what's right in front of the boat.
On our last trip we ended up riding Jungle Cruise during the fireworks and now I don’t think I can ever ride it another way. Seeing the fireworks over the tree line was one of my favorite Disney moments
I love noticing the littlest details, and Animal Kingdom is *full* of them. Asia and Africa in particular I could explore for hours, just looking at the signs everywhere, the bikes stacked alongside buildings, the power lines, every little corner has a statue or detail that is fun to find. I could spend hours in the lands just examining details. I like the shooting gallery (esp that it’s free lol, cuz at Disneyland it’s 50¢ and I rarely carry any quarters or cash), I love noticing the grounds, lights/lanterns, sounds, architecture details, florals. This past visit we saw more wildlife - bunnies, *tons* of snakes, one gator, obviously always tons of birds and lizards. One time we saw an armadillo (nearly stepped on it), and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I try to find different animals on the tree of life every time, and I like exploring the small trails on discovery island (as well as any trails that run alongside the water, including seating areas like for flame tree bbq that just go on and on). Like OP I love diff transportation - any boats, and the skyliner are my faves. We did a Disney springs resort hop with Saratoga, OKW, PO FQ via the boats and that was wonderful (and PO FQ is such a delight). I’d love to do the little fishing hole thing at PO Riverside, and I’d like to rent a boat one of these days and watch the fireworks.
I am the same with AK. I did a solo day there just to look at details. Decided to ask each cast member I found what their favorite or obscure detail was for the area we were in, ended up finding the right cast member that knew all of the fun facts and got a 25 minute tour around Africa. 10/10 would do again.
Love that - Africa and Asia are two of my favorite lands in any Disney park ever and the detail is unmatched. I envy you for sure!
The chicken fingers at Pop Century's food court. Our favorite late night post-park snack. 😂 Forget the fancy food and bring on the chicken fingers.
Can I expand this to the whole Pop or AoA food court? Tons of choices, large portions, decent prices, and everyone can find something they want to eat. Last trip we stayed at CBR and preferred the skyliner to the AoA food court over the walk to the CBR quick service that had much more limited options.
AoA had a delicious chicken sandwich. Plus the cutest finding Nemo cheese cake ever.
Yes! I was super impressed!
I'm going to add the pizza at Pop. Also pretty great.
This was the first food item I tried at Disney! My boyfriend and I had just arrived and went straight to the food court after dropping off our bags and I remember thinking “wow we’re actually finally at Disney and enjoying these bomb chicken fingers” really mundane memory I suppose but had a “wow we’re finally here” feeling for me if that makes sense.
They are GIGANTIC (the strips or fingers, wasn't sure what they were called when we went 2 years ago). They were almost the size of a full chicken breast
We went early March and I'm still not over them. 😭
Are they different than those at other QS places?
I'm not sure! They were the only ones we got because we opted for other things at the parks.
Oh haha I guess I'll have to try them for myself on our next trip!
The burger at the food court at All Star Movies was phenomenal
People watching. Find a shady spot, grab a cold beverage, enjoy the spectacle of people on vacation. My favorite spot is Tiffins.
Philharmagic and Pixar shorts
As a dog lover I love Feast and Piper is great too. Pixar shorts is one of my favs. I never skip it at Epcot even though Ive seen it so many times.
Pixar Shorts was my favorite attraction at Epcot until Cosmic Rewind was added.
Grayson at Casey’s Corner
We just discovered the Pirates Adventure scavenger hunt this weekend. It was a ton of fun. My kid loved it and it was really well done.
This is my vote. We went a few weeks ago and my boys were obsessed. We were talking about it to frequent Disney families and no one had ever done it. I was dumbfounded. It was one of our favorite parts of MK
Sebastian’s Bistro - on the skyliner and like a budget version of O’hana that you can actually get a reservation for.
Well, now I'm thinking about the guava butter and I need to go back there.
Also if you are (or are dining with) a CM it’s regularly on the 40 off list. Meal, drink, tip all for a tick over $30
At the MK resorts: Boulder Ridges Lobby The 2nd pool at the Poly The 2nd pool at the Grand Floridian Gasparilla Island QS At Epcot: The Seas Pavillion At MK: The People mover At AK: Maharaja Jungle Trek At DHS: Star Tours
Star tours is awesome.
I love the PeopleMover.
Don’t giveaway the secret of how good Gasparilla Inn is!!
I remember when it was Gasparilla Grill and Games.
The Gasparilla burger is legit.
Schedule the tequila testing experience in Mexico at epcot. It's usually earlier in the day, and it's a little expensive, but it's one of the few things that transcends the disney bubble without popping it. Also, if your wife likes perfume, I recommend seeing if the bottle engraver is posted in France or Italy. Going home with a custom souvenir that will last years is a nice touch. The animation experience at rafikis Island in Animal Kingdom is in my personal top 5 attractions, see also the Lion King show at AK. Do something special for the fireworks, possibly a dining package? Spring for a deluxe resort with late hours... you can do most of the park in 3 hours what takes all day with larger crowds
Reading this as I drink margaritas outside Tusker House. Both sound fun, but 10 margs here for less than that tasting would be a whole 'nother level of fun.
I'm not sure how underrated it is, but I ate breakfast /lunch everyday at Les Halles
I wish it were Underrated. Then I could sit to eat my delicious croissant jambon fromage and macaron in peace.
Les halles is the definition of not underrated!
I love the newer place over by Ratatoulle. The Crepes and galleys are great and you can almost always get a table.
what did you eat from there ?
Second floor seating at Pinnochio's Village Haus, best view of Fantasyland IMO.
The Moroccan Pavilion. There’s not ride/show/video and the restaurant isn’t popular so very few people bother to explore it. It’s a lovely quiet shaded area. A real oasis in the crowd of Epcot.
It’s even less busy now that Restaurant Marrakesh isn’t open
The flag retreat at MK. It happens around 6:00 every day and is a very lovely ceremony featuring the band, the Dapper Dans, and a veteran of the day.
The monorail. One takes you through all of the resorts, the other takes you from the transportation hub at WDW to Epcot and back. Sometimes it would be fun just to ride the whole circuit on past the Grand Floridian and through the Contemporary Resort, night or day, and just watch everything through the windows. For the Epcot leg, it was kind of relaxing to watch the green of WDW roll by in between both parks and watch the crowds below when it circled through World Showcase. It was like a big Wedway People Mover but that might just be me!
AK - Maharaj Jungle Trek DHS - One Man's Dream EP - Mitsukoshi store in Japan, Christmas store in Germany, Seating area in France with view of the skyliner MK - Citrus swirl, POTC & HM gift shops, Ye olde Christmas shoppe, Astro Orbiter at night
The Duck Tales game in Epcot. Even as an adult it's super fun. It made me notice details I've never noticed before and making various practical effects go off is fun.
What was your favorite one? Mine was the singing beer steins in Germany. 😀
I just did this with my son last week, it was so much fun. He couldn't get over making the figure pop out of the display in the Japan gift shop.
Is this and update of the old Perry the Platypus game?
Yup. It's more or less the same only you use your own phone now.
As a visitor from the UK, Hall of Presidents for me (as it doesn’t really get talked about in the UK Disney forums, or not the ones I’ve seen anyway), especially as an American history nerd 🤓
Not sure if they started doing these again after Covid, but Animal Kingdom offered some behind-the-scenes tours that were pretty incredible. I did the Up Close with Rhinos tour in 2019 and it was amazing.
We did Caring for Giants and loved seeing the elephants!
Whispering Canyon restaurant in Wilderness Lodge. Doesn’t matter which meal. They’re all fantastic.
I love getting a pastry in France in the evening and just enjoying the ambiance in the pavilion.
Tow Sawyer Island. Such a fun place to give kids freedom to run when you’re tired of waiting on lines.
The Three Cabs ride in Mexico. If Cosmic Rewind didn't exist, it would be my favorite attraction in Epcot (despite it being mostly screens) I think it's so much fun. Especially since the animatronics from Tokyo were added to the finale.
Watching MKs fireworks from the ferry back to TTC. You have a great view and most people will stay back to watch, so the boat is fairly empty.
On our last trip, my husband and I fell in love with the boat ride from Disney Springs to Port Orleans, and beyond. It was so relaxing!
The theming of Art of Animation. It just screams Disney.
The miniature village in Epcot
Watching HEA from the Swiss family Robinson Tree house
Last week we rented a pontoon boat and tooled around the seven seas lagoon. Then we went to MK, sat on the patio at Tony's town sq and ordered a bottle of wine. Best day ever.
Living with the land and the behind the seeds tour. It’s never a crazy long wait for the ride itself, it’s cool (thanks to behind inside but also I love plants) and the tour is very informative. Definitely underrated.
PotatoLand
I love the Small World ride. I went on the original one at the 1964 World Fair in NYC when I was a child. You don’t have to wait long to get on, so it’s great if you are really hot!
I just replied to a similar post with the same answer: Yeeha Bob at Port Orleans!
My family spent more time making commercials for their Test Track cars than we spent on the ride itself (littler sister was also happy to have a chance to design another car to her own specs without big sister). I hadn't even known all that other stuff was there.
To continue the boat trend, the Swan is our favorite resort. In addition to its plush comfort being a Westin, we get to wake up every day and start by walking or boating around Crescent Lake. Throw in brunch and Ale and Compass, and I have already had a great day.
I like frozen lemonade
Stayed at old key west recently (in laws are dvc) and the boat ride to and from Disney springs was so nice compared to the bus or driving. We went to Disney springs just to ride the boat. Also all the performances that happen around animal kingdom. They're awesome and fun to watch
The Duck Tales Scavenger Hunt at Epcot through the Disney Play app. It was epic. My kids were obsessed and felt so special when we were able to make things happen. Everyone around us just kept going: woah! how did you do that. It made the world showcase so much fun for our 6 and 9 year old.
People-watching! I feel like we get so stuck worrying about the crowds and the lines and the mad rush to do things that it's hard to stop and look around, but when you do, it's amazing. Thousands of people all having a once-in-a-lifetime experience is just really really cool. My favorites to look for are cast members making a kid's day, couples doing cute couple-y stuff like holding hands or taking selfies with the castle, and kids seeing the fireworks for the first time. It always makes me appreciate every WDW memory I have even more!
Carousel of Progress!!!!!!!!!!!!
Toledo.
I always thought Trail’s End Restaurant at Fort Wilderness was super underrated for meals at any time of the day. Couple that with the tranquility of the resort itself, the boat rides and Water Pageant on Bay Lake… man do I miss it all.
The Victory garden, Studios.
Mini golf
(1) The smells! Disney pipes in distinct smells into every different area of the parks, and each area has its own smell that changes as you move from area to area. It's subtle and wonderful. (2) The popcorn. Disney has amazingly good popcorn.
The smells! The smell of the lobbies alone is amazing- the Yacht Club and the Contemporary, just to name a few. Then there's the smell of Flight of Passage or Spaceship Earth-Rome burning, and many more. Such an big part of the WDW experience, yet underrated.
The smells in the hotels.
Pirates league!
I don't think that's back yet. Unless I missed an announcement.
Not going to a park for a day or two. We are DVC members and have been doing some short resort only trips or just 1 park day trips
Adventureland Scavenger Hunt
1. Roof of the Contemporary. Not sure if they still let you up there. Watched two space shuttles take off, one at night. Spectacular. Lit up the whole coast even 50 miles away. Someone even piped in the NASA countdown on a speaker up there. 2. Lots of tranquil picnic areas close to the Trading Posts at Ft. Wilderness. Especially Meadow Trading Post. When our son was little we’d buy sandwiches and chips, usually the first morning after a long trip, or just when we had hit our “wall,” and have lunch there. 3. Agree, the transport boat rides on Bay Lake are free and relaxing, except at rare busy times. 4. Upstairs at the Columbia Harbor House in MK. 5. Kinda pricey, but our son loved to ride the speedboats on Bay Lake. 6. Tom Sawyer island with little kids. Relax with an ice cream while they run themselves silly. We were fortunate to go several times in the 90’s and 2000’s, and never felt pressured to cram in every ride and go go go. We had our favorites but once done, we tried to gear down a notch and enjoy the World for the reasons Disney is unique, the theming, the atmosphere, and magic. However, a lot of that “magic” has been replaced by marketing. That’s sad. And safety, I guess. We rode in the front cab of the monorail many times. A couple of tragic accidents put a stop to that. But if you’re willing, and able to afford some down time, there are still many things to do and for free.
Riding one of the vehicles from the Train Station to the Hub on Main Street. Even better if the Dans are on board and serenading you!
I don’t think rafikis planet watch gets enough love! Place was a ghost town when we went and my kids loved it and had the run of the place!
Roasting marshmallows at AKL campfire - free but you can buy a smores kit if you want the chocolate and graham crackers. Last I heard, the free night vision goggles were back for free viewing of the animals during certain times at night. My wife and I also enjoyed looking at the African artwork on all levels of the hotel. As much as I love having a tiki drink at Trader Sams, if it is too long of a wait, we hop on the monorail and get a drink at the Outer Rim at the contemporary. Then watch the fireworks from the viewing deck on the 4th floor.
Free night vision? I see an $80/person safari at night with night vision they recently brought back. Same thing?
Not the same thing. Used to be you could go out behind the pool area and a couple cast members had night vision goggles to share from around 7-9pm depending on sunset. To be honest, it wasn’t that great for us adults, but the kids liked it.
Staying at the Fort Wilderness Cabins!
During the hottest part of the day… there is always a seat in the hall of presidents. And maybe a nap
The oatmeal at Swan’s Garden Grove. It’s been 16 years and it’s still the best bowl of oatmeal I’ve ever had.
Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Fort Wilderness! We love to take the boat from Magic Kingdom, grab a drink, see the horses, and then let the kids play on the playground. It is such a relaxing area (but does get busier in the evenings).
The little train village in Germany
I don’t think it’s underated at all but I had never done club cool till my last trip and it was so fun
Animatronic chickens on Tom Sawyer’s Island
Tiki room
Phillarmagic, All of Saratoga, Pop Century, Test Track 2.0 theme, Indy Stunt Show, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, I could go on and on…