Ask It: Inexpensive Activities at Walt Disney World

It’s Wednesday, and time for another Ask It!

Last week, we asked you:

Which inexpensive activity is worth the time and money during your vacation?

This poll was our closest one yet!  With more than 600 votes cast, the final results were (in order from least to greatest):

Ft. Wilderness activities (14%)

Watercraft rental (17%)

Behind the Seeds tour (34%)

Disney Mini Golf (35%)

There were a decent number of comments that none of these were worth the time out of a vacation. And although these activities take a minimal amount of time, generally an hour or less, getting to the location for some of these activities can take time out of a vacation, especially if you have to rely on Disney transportation. If you’re also watching every penny on vacation, although the costs for these activities is minimal for a single person, for a family of four (or more!), it can add up very quickly. Within my family, we have done all of these activities–some as a family, and some pre-kid, or when we were kids ourselves. Every single one is an activity we would do again in the future, even if we were coming down on a vacation.

I’ll admit, I was rather surprised that the activities at Fort Wilderness ranked so low. Part of this may be one question from a Twitter follower: What exactly do you do at Fort Wilderness? The answer is quite a bit, including horseback riding, pony rides, archery, Segway tours, wagon and carriage rides, fishing, bike rentals, and canoe and kayak rentals. I personally like visiting the horse barn to see the gigantic horses and the vintage calliope. It may be that activities at Fort Wilderness are Disney’s actually best kept secret.

When it comes to watercraft rental, there is quite a bit of latitude as to what type of watercraft you might think of, from a canoe to a private yacht, along with a huge range in price. For most people, when you think of watercraft rental, you’re thinking about the little two-person Sea Raycer boats. And although my husband has fond memories of his time spent as a teen zipping around Bay Lake, this is an activity that is very much hit or miss depending on the age of your family members and their personal interest. No big surprise that it came in near the bottom.

The real horse race was between the Behind the Seeds walking tour and Disney Mini Golf, with Mini Golf just barely squeaking out a victory over Behind the Seeds in our own Super Bowl-like finish. (Okay, maybe not that exciting…)

I’ve done the Behind the Seeds walking tour three times–once as a teenager and twice as an adult, and every time I learn something new. The guides are extremely forthcoming with information for all levels of interest. On my first time through, my brother was seven and still talks about it to this day, decades later. Even if you have absolutely no interest in plants or, like me, can’t grow weeds without professional horticulturalist help, this tour provides a unique experience that hearkens back to the true feeling of “Classic Epcot.”

But our grand winner this week was Mini Golf. And although I have hyped Mini Golf recently, I can’t take credit for its victory. Let’s face it, Mini Golf is fun for all ages and a relaxing way to spend some down time out of the parks. Although there are other mini golf places nearby that may be less expensive (especially if you look for coupon books at local restaurants or hotels), there’s something nice about the little Disney touches at the mini golf courses at Walt Disney World.

And in an exciting twist, we also had a write-in vote for one more inexpensive activity: Surrey Bike rentals. I have to admit, I’ve never taken a surrey bike out for a ride, but even though everyone I’ve seen on them has either been struggling to get them up a big hill or has been careening out of control down the other side of the hill at high speeds, it does look like they are having fun. Maybe that’s one for me to try out at some time!

So there you have it — this week’s popular vote getters. Are there any other inexpensive activities that you like to do when visiting Walt Disney World? Do you think Behind the Seeds should have beaten Mini Golf for the win? Let us know in the comments.

Here’s this week’s Ask It:

Which of the following WDW splurges is the best use of money?

1. Staying Club Level
2. Victoria & Albert’s
3. Private Tour Guide
4. Senses Spa Day

Head on over to Twitter to vote, or leave your vote here in the comments. We’ll tally up the results and have it ready for you next week, on Ask It!