Which Disney Resorts/Hotels to visit?
 

We'll have a free day to explore other things besides the parks. Which disney resorts/hotels are worth seeing or other attractions outside of the parks?

The Grand Floridian is lovely, especially over the holiday season.

Sea World and Universal Studios are close by. Cape Canaveral is a short drive and the beaches are an easy day trip away.

The resorts are worth staying at - not seeing asa tourist attractions. If you have a free day suggest Sea World.

What are the ages of the people in your party? I'd recommend different attractions for teens than I would for toddlers.

I definitely think the resorts are worth visiting. We usually do a monorail loop (GF, Contemporary, Poly). AK Lodge is also extremely cool. And don't forget Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk area.

I'll be bringing our 1.5 yr old toddler boy.

With a toddler in tow, I'd suggest SeaWorld for an attraction outside of Disney. It's more laid-back than the Disney parks and very enjoyable. I agree with rncheryl that the Grand Floridian is beautifully decorated for the holidays - the gingerbread house there is wonderful.

Am a big fan of the Animal Kingdom Lodge and restaurants, especially Boma with children. The hotel interior is interesting and walking around the grounds to look at the animals is a good way to spend half an hour. Concur that Grand Floridian is lovely at Christmas. Don't particularly recommend the restaurant, but the Fort Wilderness Lodge is interesting (inspired by the historic Pacific NW Nat'l Park lodges). When our kids were little, we used to go to Fort Wilderness for the day and rent pedal boats or tandem bikes and cruise around the paths or creeks; there's also a petting zoo. If you just want a quick look, you could do these hotels for dinner after the parks but would miss the animals at AK Lodge after dark. Some people want a break from the crowds and go to a resort for lunch, though it would take rather long to do AKL since it's not on the monorail.

I agree that I might go to Sea World instead of to resorts and just take quick looks at the hotels and Downtown Disney, but with a toddler, you might want a relaxed day without a demanding agenda. (Older children might enjoy spending some time playing with the Legos at the Lego shop at Downtown Disney, for instance.) I assume your free day will follow a day or more at the parks, so you could just play it by ear and see how everyone feels after a grueling day or two or three.

If you like active outdoor activities, take a bus to Fort Wilderness and rent bikes. There are great bike trails all over the campground with many areas to explore. You can also ride to the Wilderness lodge and explore there as well. You would have to make sure they have child seats with a toddler though.