By You might think it would be difficult to be “healthy” at Walt Disney World. When you think about all the impossibly rich food, treats, snacks, more treats, ice cream, and other treats you can eat, that’s certainly understandable!
We’re here to say that the first thing to remember is that YOU’RE ON VACATION. Give yourself a beak. We’re not saying to go out and overeat until you’re uncomfortable, but it’s also okay to indulge a bit and enjoy yourself.
Consider that you will probably walk anywhere from 18,000 to 30,000 steps on days you visit the parks. That means you could be logging anywhere from seven and a half to 13 miles! The latter is the equivalent of a half marathon!
So, you’re going to be getting a lot of movement and burning a lot of calories even without doing any workouts or watching what you eat. A fair estimate is that you’ll burn from 750 to 1,300 calories or more.
We still understand that your health is important, and some people don’t want to adopt new habits simply because they’re on vacation. So, we’ll help with a guide on some of the ways you can have a healthier stay at Disney World.
Research Menus Ahead of Time
If you’re conscientious about what you eat, we’d recommend that you review the menus of the restaurants where you plan to eat. Most of them feature healthier options, including plant-based meals.
In particular, the Table Service restaurants do a fabulous job of having healthy proteins alongside a fresh fruit or vegetable. You may not precisely be able to count your macros or log your calories, but you can get pretty close if you are familiar with your typical portion sizes.
You may have heard the mantra, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” When you’re visiting Disney World, this advice makes a lot of sense, because you get your most caloric intake at the beginning of the day before you set out to spend a lot of energy at the parks. Then, you refuel at lunchtime and enjoy a lighter dinner. Since you’ll walk the least after dinner, you don’t want a heavy meal weighing on you at bedtime.
So, it may feel counterintuitive, but consider planning a Table Service meal for lunch and then a Counter Service one for dinner. Not only will doing so help you feel better and fuel your activity, it also gives you a chance to slow down in the middle of the day.
For those who are just rigorously strict about the food they eat, you can order groceries. Some of Disney’s resort room types include full kitchens, so you can certainly prepare your own meals if you just CANNOT risk eating at Disney’s restaurants. We realize some people do better without any temptation at all, and this is a solution for you.
Running and Walking Trails
Do you have a regular running or walking routine that you simply cannot abide skipping? Never fear! The resorts have you covered.
Below is a list of all the running/walking trails on the campus of Walt Disney World. If fitness and getting in this type of cardio is important to you, definitely pick your hotel accordingly.
- Disney’s All-Star Resorts: A one-mile long, paved jogging trail connects these three resorts.
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: This resort offers a 1.38 mile path with fabulous views of the courtyards inspired by Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid.
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort, BoardWalk Inn, and Yacht Club Resort: These three hotels feature several jogging paths, including loops around Crescent Lake and the Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts.
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: This one and a quarter-mile course features views of Barefoot Bay.
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: A three-quarter mile trail loops around Lago Dorado, with an extension to the Ranchos and Cabanos area.
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort: What could be better than the view of Magic Kingdom and the Wedding Pavilion as you run or walk on this one-mile path?
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort: This 1.37-mile path begins at Old Conch Flats and features views of both the golf course and the canals.
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort: This hotel has a 1.1-mile or a 1.38-mile loop that goes past Hourglass Lake.
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter: These two resorts are connected by a 1.7 mile path that goes along the Sassagoula River.
- Disney’s Riviera Resort: Their jogging/walking trail will take you almost one and a half miles, with views of Barefoot Bay.
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa: This spacious hotel campus has paths with views of the golf course. You can choose the .8-mile loop or the 1.44-mile loop.
- Fort Wilderness: Enjoy the scenery as you run or walk on this shaded 3.1 mile path.
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel and Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel: This resort features a .8 mile loop around Crescent Lake, with two, three, and four mile paths also being available.
Healthy Activities
You might be surprised to learn that the Disney hotels offer several unique fitness activities for all ages. You’ll want to check the schedule for your resort, but here are a few examples of classes and other ways to bring more movement into your day.
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort offers Story Time Yoga and a Lion King-themed dance class on certain weekdays. This is one where you’ll want to look at the resort’s schedule.
- Several resorts have pickleball courts if you want to try the trendy sport. You can play at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Resort – Kidani Village, and Disney’s Old Key West Resort. They even offer complimentary equipment if you don’t have your own.
- Rent bikes at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, and Fort Wilderness.
- Rent canoes, try your hand at archery, or ride horses at Fort Wilderness.
- Swim in your resort’s pool.
There may be other opportunities to be active! Pay attention to sites like planDisney and the monthly schedules from each resort to see if there’s something you want to try.
Fitness Centers
If strength training and weights are part of your routine, you’ll want to consider staying at one of the resorts equipped with fitness centers. Also remember that a few of the resorts have spas, too. If you need a massage for your sore muscles, they’ll have you covered.
Below is a list of the resorts that have fitness centers on-site.
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort (also available to Bay Lake Tower guests)
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (also available to Beach Club guests)
Note that the fitness center at the Polynesian opened along with the Island Tower in late 2024.
Needless to say, even the most devoted fitness buffs are going to be thrilled with the different amenities available to them across many resorts. Since you WILL be walking a lot while you’re visiting the parks, be sure to fuel accordingly, though.