Fantasia Gardens – Magic Mouse Press

Playing mini golf at Walt Disney World might not be the first thing that you think of when planning your vacation at the theme park capital of the world. But the courses are so whimsical, cute, and fun - not to mention family friendly - that I think it should be at least something to consider when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. I have played at all of the mini golf locations on property. And I recommend to try at least one of them on your trip if you have the time. There are two places to play mini golf at Walt Disney World. Winter Summerland Courses right outside of Blizzard Beach Waterpark, or Fantasia Gardens just outside of the Swan and Dolphin Hotel on the Disney Boardwalk. All mini golf courses at Walt Disney World are 18 holes. Both locations offer family friendly courses good for all ages. Though the Fantasia Gardens location also offers a more traditional putting green style course that emphasizes skill, and might be better suited for adults or older kids. A round of mini golf is a great way to have a more “relaxing” day off from the parks, or on a slower morning or evening. Consider swinging by for a round of golf perhaps on your day of arrival or departure for your vacation. Or other times when you might not have park tickets, but still want to do something special. Or maybe you just love mini golf and will clear your schedule to play a game. No matter what, mini golf at Walt Disney World is a great way to spend some time, and is always fun. Who doesn’t love a friendly competition on vacation?. Cost of Mini Golf at Walt Disney World And How To Get A Free Game Both of the mini golf courses on site at Walt Disney World cost the same, so don’t let price be a factor in deciding which to play. Adults (10 years old+): $14.00, per gameChildren (3 - 9 years old): $12.00, per gameChildren under 3 years old are free However, if you book a Walt Disney World vacation package, such as the hotel and park tickets, you will actually get four complimentary mini golf vouchers. And the vouchers are good for one person, one game each. So if you have a package booked, make sure to bring the vouchers with you for a free game. "Winter Summerland Mini Golf" by Cindy Schultz is licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Hours of Operation for Mini Golf at Walt Disney World Both courses, Winter Summerland and Fantasia Gardens are open the same hours: Open 10:00am to 10:00pm Daily You can confirm the hours for each day on the My Disney Experience App. Or on the Walt Disney World website (Winter Summerland hours; Fantasia Gardens hours). In my experience, hours are usually published online for mini golf at Walt Disney World about a month in advance or so. Less Waiting: Reserve Your Tee Time In Advance If you are able to plan ahead and know exactly when you want to play mini golf during your trip, go ahead and pre-book your tee time. This will save you waiting if there happens to be a line to play when you show up. Call to Reserve Your Tee Time: Currently you can only reserve a tee time by phone. To make your tee time reservation for either Walt Disney World mini golf course, call (407) WDW-PLAY or (407) 939-7529. Or Play as a Walk Up: You can always play as a walk up without planning in advance as well. In my experience, playing mini golf at Walt Disney World has not usually resulted in a long wait to play. For my small group of 2-3 people, I would say that about half of the times we've played mini golf at Walt Disney World there has been a wait to play of around 10-25 minutes. But just keep in mind that if you’re traveling during a busy time, waits can vary. "Walking in Winter Summerland" by Scott Smith is licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 1. Winter Summerland Mini Golf Courses - Outside Blizzard Beach Waterpark The Winter Summerland location offers two different course options, and both are 18 holes. The Summer Course is, of course, themed of summer and utilizes “sand” and other beach-y items and scenes as obstacles on the course. The Winter Course is essentially the opposite as its covered in “snow” and holiday decorations. The two courses do share the same final hole at the end of the course. Winter Summerland is a great course option for families as the courses are not too hard. But it is also still very entertaining so it’s fun for the whole family. Another benefit of playing this course is the shade. The course is built into a grove of trees. So there is quite a bit of shade throughout the day. Considerably more shade than the other mini golf course on Disney property for sure. It is also easy to combine a trip to the waterpark with a trip to the mini golf course as well due to their proximity. Blizzard Beach Waterpark is also open mostly year round. With the exception of a few months in the winter when it is doing annual refurbishments. Check out this article I wrote about visiting the waterparks in the winter for more information about the refurbishment schedule if you’re considering visiting Blizzard Beach as well in the off season. "Winter Summerland" by Cindy Schultz is licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 How to Get To Winter Summerland Mini Golf Course: The Winter Summerland Mini Golf course is located at Blizzard Beach Waterpark. It is located just outside of the park so you do not need waterpark tickets to play mini golf there. You can get to the course either using Disney transportation if you’re staying onsite or by driving on your own. Using Disney Transportation to Winter Summerland Mini Golf: Take a resort bus heading to Blizzard Beach from your Walt Disney World Resort or from Disney Springs. When you arrive at Blizzard Beach, head towards the entrance and look for signs for Winter Summerland. As you approach the entrance the path should split off to the right for Winter Summerland, and to the left for the water park itself. So stick to the right and follow the signs to the course. The image below also gives a good idea as well. Driving On Your Own to Winter Summerland Mini Golf: Search for Winter Summerland Mini Golf on your GPS/Maps App or type in their address: 1534 Blizzard Beach Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. Parking is free at Blizzard Beach as of 2019/2020 when this article was published. Once parked, look for the signs for Winter Summerland. The course entrance is located in front of the waterpark. So it would be behind you to the right if you were looking at the waterpark entrance. You can see more closely in the image below. Minnie Van / Taxi / Rideshare to Winter Summerland Mini Golf: Of course this is always an option when travelling on Disney property. Any resort bell services desk can call you a taxi. Or you can call a Minnie Van from the Lyft App on your phone, as well as other similar rideshare services. If your driver needs help finding the location, just tell them to take you to Blizzard Beach Waterpark or give them the address: 1534 Blizzard Beach Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. "Fantasia Gardens" by Mark Adams is licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 2. Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf Courses - Outside the Swan Hotel in Disney’s Boardwalk Area While the two courses at Winter Summerland are very similar, both of the courses at Fantasia Gardens on Disney’s Boardwalk are distinctly different. The Fantasia Gardens course is classically Disney-themed based around the movie Fantasia, as the name would imply. The gardens course is a great option for the whole family. The other course, Fantasia Fairways, is really more of a traditional putting green style course. Like the kind you’d find on an actual golf course for the pros. The Fairways course (shown in the picture below) requires much more skill. And might take longer to play a full game than the classic Gardens course. The two distinct course options make Fantasia Gardens a good option if some in your group want a challenge and others just want an entertaining yet relaxing, classic experience. There is something to satisfy golf lovers of all ages and skill levels at this location in particular. "Fantasia Fairways" by Dean Shareski is licensed by CC BY-NC 2.0 How to Get The Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf Course Fantasia Gardens is located just outside of the Swan and Dolphin Hotels on Disney’s Boardwalk which runs between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. So that means you have a few different options when it comes to using Disney transportation. There is also a parking lot onsite at the course if you’re driving on your own as well. Using Disney Transportation or Walking to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf: Unlike Winter Summerland at Blizzard Beach, there are several ways you can reach this course using Disney transportation. Mini golf at Fantasia Gardens is located at the Swan and Dolphin hotel in Disney's Boardwalk area. Fantasia Gardens is specifically located across the street from the Swan Hotel. From a Disney Theme Park or Disney Springs to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf: Take a Disney resort bus to the Swan and Dolphin hotel. From the bus stop at either the Swan or the Dolphin, head inside the lobby and walk to the path that runs in between the two hotels. Start walking in the direction heading away from the lake. Then continue following the signs across the street to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf. Depending on how you arrive, by boat or by bus, follow the orange path from your arrival point to where the red path starts in between the Swan and the Dolphin Hotels. Then follow the red path on to the mini golf course. From Epcot to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf: Exit the park through the International Gateway entrance in between the UK Pavilion and the France Pavilion. Walking (0.70 Miles, 15-25 Minutes): From the International Gateway you can choose to either walk straight and pass the Beach and Yacht Club Resorts. Or turn left shortly after leaving the International Gateway and walk through the Boardwalk. From either direction, you will end at the bridge crossing over the lake to the Swan and Dolphin. You should be on the path that runs between the two hotels. So continue walking straight away from the lake and follow the signs across the street to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf. Taking the Friendship Boat (20-35 Minutes): Exit Epcot at the International Gateway and hop on a Friendship Boat, which launches just outside of the park gates. The boat will stop at either the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach Club first. And then at the Swan and Dolphin boat dock where you will disembark. From the boat dock, facing away from the lake, turn left to head towards the walking path that runs in between the two hotels. Keep walking on that path away form the lake following the signs across the street to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf. The red path shown through the Boardwalk is slightly faster than walking by the Yacht and Beach Club on the orange path. But it's only a few minutes faster so if you want to visit either the Yacht or the Beach Club don't worry too much about going that way. From Hollywood Studios to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf: Exit the park from the main entrance and decide if you want to walk or take the Friendship Boat... Walking (1.0 Miles, 20-25 Minutes): From the Main Entrance/Exit start walking towards the boat launch. You will see a sign for a walking path to the Boardwalk Area Resorts. Follow this path and the signs to the Swan and Dolphin hotel. Continue on this walking path past the Boardwalk Resort and the Boardwalk Tennis Courts. Once you near the Swan and Dolphin you will be behind Jelly Rolls and the Dance Hall. Cross the bridge there heading towards the Swan and Dolphin. Then continue walking straight on this path in between the Swan and the Dolphin. And continue following the signs across the street to the Fantasia Gardens course. Taking the Friendship Boat (10-30 Minutes): The boat ride itself from Hollywood Studios to the Swan and Dolphin is a little under 10 minutes. But a boat might not be there for you to board right away. So you might have a wait up to 20 minutes for a boat to arrive. From the Boardwalk or a Boardwalk Area Hotels: If you are staying at a Boardwalk area hotel like Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club, or Disney’s Boardwalk, you can also walk to the Swan and Dolphin Hotel from these resorts or take a Friendship Boat. Use the two maps shown above for more details about specific instructions from each resort. Or use your GPS/Maps App or ask a Cast Member onsite if you need more help. Driving on Your Own to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf: Search for Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf on your GPS/Maps App or type in their address: 1205 Epcot Resorts Blvd, Orlando, FL 32836. Parking is free at course’s parking lot onsite. Though word of warning: I do not believe you are able to leave your car there all day. So don’t try to park here to play golf and then head to the theme parks. Instead, park at the theme park you’re ending the day at. Then use Disney transportation to get back to the Swan and Dolphin if you plan on doing that. Minnie Van / Taxi / Rideshare to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf: As with this option for Winter Summerland, see your resort bell services desk to have them call you a taxi. Or you can call a Minnie Van from the Lyft App on your phone; or other similar rideshare services. If your driver needs help finding the location, just give them the address so they can get you to the closest course entrance: 1205 Epcot Resorts Blvd, Orlando, FL 32836. "Fantasia Gardens Dancing Elephant" by Alex is licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Comparison Chart: Which Mini Golf Course at Walt Disney World Should You Play? Deciding which course to play I think will depend on your vacation schedule and family preferences. The Winter Summerland course is great for the shade that the course provides and is convenient to add to a Blizzard Beach Waterpark day. While the Fantasia Gardens course is great to add on to a visit to Disney’s Boardwalk or Boardwalk area resorts, or even after a day at Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Use this comparison chart for the ultimate quick reference when planning your visit to the mini golf courses at Walt Disney World: If you’d like to, you can also download this chart as a FREE printable PDF file via the button below: Mini Golf Comparison Chart:Download We Want To Hear From You! Leave a comment down below and let us know which course if your favorite if you’ve played before. Or if you haven’t played one of these courses yet, let us know which one you’d most like to visit first. Good luck and may you get all of the Hole-In-Ones!