Best Things to Do Outside of the Park

[Amy]

Do they require you to show any resort ID to be in that area?

To drive into the resort yes, you have to either be staying there or have a dinner reservation, however one can simply take a bus from one of the parks or DTD, they don't check then. Once inside your free to observe the animals from any of the public viewing areas.

you do not need to be staying at the resort or a dining reservation to enter. I just drove up last year and said I wanted to show my wife the hotel so she may see if she wants to stay there on a future visit. We parked, found a nice fire pit to sit next to for a bit, then found the night vision telescope.(cast members walk around with them).

Good to know. We usually are on Disney transportation so we might need to check out the animals at night the next time we go!

[Mark86]

We usually go to the two outlet malls just outside WDW. We also have dinner at this fantastic Chinese restaurant Ming Court. The only catch is you need to rent a car.