Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tip Tuesday: Finding some quiet time to walk

Walkway along the western part of the Seven Seas Lagoon

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

For this week's post, I wanted to take a moment and help you find ways to relax while at Walt Disney World.

"What??? Relax???? Time not spent in the park is time wasted!!!"

Ive heard that statement several times, especially from hardcore, commando-style Disney fans, and, to be honest, I thought the same thing myself at first.

As I spend more time at WDW, I've come to really appreciate those moments where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the parks and even the resorts. There are lots of places to find a quiet place for a romantic stroll with a loved one. Perhaps a relaxing stroll with the family to allow some time to simply talk about Disney, or even a nice, fairly uncrowded place to get in a bit of a jog.

I happened to come across the path leading from the Grand Floridian to the Wedding Pavilion, through the Polynesian and on to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). This path provided some beautiful morning views of the Polynesian and Contemporary resorts.

Walkway along the western part of the Seven Seas Lagoon

As my family and I walked along the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon admiring the beautiful views, we came upon the Wedding Pavilion (why do I have the feeling I will be back here in 15-20 years?). The path from the Wedding Pavilion to the Polynesian was made up of some special bricks I had forgotten were placed here.

In 1994 Disney announced a program to sell special bricks as part of a new "Walk Around the World" program. Guests could purchase a customized brick which would become part of the walkway. The program ended in 2000. These bricks make up part of the pathway in front of the Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary Resort, from the TTC to the Polynesian (short segment) and from the Polynesian to the Wedding Pavilion. I personally never had a chance to take part in this program (and really wish Disney would start it back up).

These bricks are a wonderful testament to the spirit of the Disney fan. As we walked we would see the different messages inscribed on the various bricks. While we didn't see it personally, there is a brick that the Disney family purchased. I have seen pictures of it.

What made this pathway so wonderful was the serenity of the experience. Once we were away from the Grand Floridian, there was no background music to interfere with the sounds of the world around us (aside from the occasional monorail passing overhead).

This pathway would be a fantastic place to take your significant other on a romantic stroll, perhaps walk all the way to the Polynesian and up to Sunset Point for a bit of alone time (hey -- not THAT kind of alone time -- this is Disney after all!). Pretty much anywhere along this pathway is a perfect place to stop and watch Wishes. Depending on where you are (especially if you're close to one of the resorts), you just might hear the music being piped in through the sound system.

This is another example of a larger tip I've talked about before -- take your time. Allow some time to relax. It is a vacation after all.

6 comments:

Scott said...

If we went to Disney World more often, I could really get into taking things at a leisurely pace and doing walks like this, enjoying the grounds of resorts and utilizing the pools. But when we don't get down there but once every year and a half or every two years, it does feel like we have to make the most of every minute. Nice post, made me think.

Tony said...

My wife & I take this exact walk on every trip!

Karen said...

This past trip our family decided to just chill at our resort (Port Orleans Riverside) for a few days and absolutely loved just some down time and walking around the grounds and doing some of the other things around Disney without going to the parks and absolutely had a blast.

Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World said...

This is what it is all about. Taking time with the Family and creating some Magical Experiences. 10 years from now, the kids won't remember how many rides you went on or that you got a Fast Pass for Soaring, But they will remember "The time Mom and Dad watched the Fireworks with us from the Polynesian", or When we all walked around Seven Seas Lagoon, to get to the Magic Kingdom!" Great Post.

Lauren said...

We just finished our first week-long trip at Disney with our three young kids. After the second day it became clear that it was no fun to be in the park with our 20 month old, at all, even though we returned to our hotel for naps the first two days. He just wanted to run, and was not interested in the rides, characters, etc. So my husband and I started trading off time with the baby while the other parent toured the parks with the "big kids" (almost 6 and 8). The time I spent with the baby, walking around our resort (Swan/Dolphin) and up and down the Boardwalk was awesome. And we especially enjoyed our long afternoon naps. It made the touring time with the big kids more enjoyable, as well.

Nelly said...

I think you have just presented a great idea. Walt Disney World is so crowded sometimes and it pays to get away from it and have a relaxing time somewhere around Disney World. Actually there are other sites aside from Disney and it is just being neglected because of the fascinating services being offered in Disney World.

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