Disney World the Grown Up Way

My Husband and I try to get to Disney World at least two times a year. Ok, truth be told, I like to go to Disney at least two times a year and I drag him along with me. He usually complains about going right up until we are there and then magically he is swept away into a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable vacation.

We are newly weds of just two and a half years and with no children to entertain Disney World is a completely different type of vacation. Often, our friends and family ask us why we choose to keep going back to Disney when clearly there are so many other choices. The answer to us is simple. Disney offers us every single thing we could want in a vacation without compromise.

We have Disney for grown ups down to a science. We choose to stay at a deluxe resort, usually the Wilderness Lodge, for the quiet atmosphere and fantastic restaurants. If you have never been to Artist Point, make reservations now and thank me later. We wake up each morning, grab a quick bite to eat and head off to the park of our choosing. We are thrill seekers and we know that getting to the parks before they open will allow us the enjoyment of seeing the opening festivities that occur at rope drop and it will get us on the rides we want without any wait at all. Most families with small children don’t arrive at the parks until later in the morning and if they are there at park opening they will not be heading straight for the big thrills. We usually fast pass one attraction as we walk right onto another. The Animal Kingdom is a fabulous park to do first thing in the morning as Expedition Everest usually runs out of fast passes by mid day. We can usually ride it two times before heading over to the safari or the river rapids.

As lunch approaches the parks really start to fill up. This is when we make our escape. If we are at Epcot we will eat lunch at the world showcase, otherwise we head back to the hotel to eat, lounge at the pool with a cocktail, and rest. At the Wilderness lodge you can lay on the sand beach with a rum runner and your Disney vacation becomes a Caribbean get away! Sometimes we may choose to draw the curtains in our room, turn on the AC and nap! As an adult we start to miss out on the luxury that is napping. Doing this for an hour not only recharges your batteries, but it lets you indulge in something that our normal day to day routines don’t allow! Vacation is all about indulgences after all!

I always schedule dinner in the vicinity of the park we will be attending for the evening. Knowing what parks have extra magic hours is a bonus when making advance dining reservations. You can make dining reservations up to 180 days in advance of your trip and park hours are usually posted way ahead of time so knowing where you are going to be on any given night of your vacation is pretty easy! If we are spending the evening at The Magic Kingdom I make sure to book the California Grill. This is one of our favorite restaurants on the property. It is a signature dining experience and for that reason it will cost you 2 table service credits if you are on the dining plan. It is very important to note that the Grill is one of the most spectacular views you will ever have of the fireworks over the castle. They also go the extra mile here and pipe in the music so it is like watching the show on Main Street USA! If you dine at the California Grill early in the evening, save your receipt and you can go back up at show time! If our evening is at Epcot I book into a restaurant in the World Showcase. We love Le Cellier steak house in Canada for a sit down meal and the Tangerine Café in Morocco if we want to play things by ear at a quick service venue.

As adults we have figured out that there is truly only so much time we can spend in the amusement parks and want some of our vacation to reflect the fact that we are actually on vacation. Before each trip we pick 2-3 activities that we would like to do. These activities cost extra and we make sure to budget accordingly. We have had spa treatments, gone horseback riding, rented sea raycers, shopped at down town Disney, and been canoeing just to name a few! We have also made time for tours that are specifically for adults! One tour we went on was the backstage safari tour at Animal Kingdom. If you attend the early outing, the group is generally small and you usually beat the heat! This tour is for guests over the age of 16 and as an adult doing Disney sans children, we found that it was a great escape from the crying babies and stroller brigades!

Enjoying Disney World can be done at any age, but it is really special to be able to enjoy this magical place as an adult. Disney can actually be a romantic getaway, a fantastic pal’s trip, or a fabulous place to celebrate a graduation! Finding activities, amusements, and restaurants that reflect your age and interests will make your vacation everything that you want it to be!

Some Great Grown Up Ideas

• California Grill
• Horseback Riding
• La Cava del Tequila
• Spa Treatments
• Bike Rentals
• Victoria and Alberts
• Guided Fishing Excursions
• Boating
• Richard Petty Driving Experience
• Golf
• World Show Case
• Artist Point
• Down Town Disney
• Cirque Du Soleil
• Back Stage Safari
• World Showcase

Article by Jessica Hayes

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