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If you’re visiting Walt Disney World without kids, there are a lot of romantic, fun, and unique experiences geared for adults. Disney is a popular honeymoon destination, and how to do Disney for adults should be a topic of interest for these couples looking for a romantic experience.
I thought this would be an interesting topic to offer tips on due to the large number of people visiting Walt Disney World for their honeymoons and for adults-only getaways. The popularity of Walt Disney World for adults is at odds with the popular stereotype that Walt Disney World is a place geared solely towards kids. Fortunately, this stereotype is an outright myth. Unfortunately, it’s a myth largely perpetuated by Disney, as its marketing focuses on princesses, fairies, and magical moments flying Dumbo. This marketing is geared towards the lucrative “mommy” demographic. (I don’t mean anything pejorative with that–Disney aggressively markets to websites self-identifying as “mommy” sites.)
Moms planning family trips are an ideal demographic for Disney, as these families with kids hoping to do whatever possible to make the trip special are not only more profitable, but are an easier market for Disney to grab. Families know they’ll love Disney…a trip for them marks a rite of passage for their kids. By contrast, it takes a little more convincing for childless adults, many of whom view Walt Disney World as a tourist trap or an over-the-top cartoon world that presents a sanitized version of reality, and lacks the culture of other destinations. As you may know, my wife and I are visitors of the childless adult variety, and we get a lot of enjoyment out of Walt Disney World…but probably in some different ways than many families.
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If you’re one of the people who can put aside the cynicism and look for the quality adult-oriented entertainment and experiences at Walt Disney World, you’re in for a lot of fun. We’ve already touched upon a lot of these things in our “Walt Disney World Honeymoon Tips” post, so think of this as a bit of a sequel to that post. Since there’s no real distinction between honeymooners and adults without kids, we’ve also given this post a more expansive title. Same concept, different terms.
Everyone’s idea of how to do Walt Disney World for adults is a bit different. Some adults enjoy things like character meet & greets, and some adults like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I’m not passing judgment on these folks (I like characters and PB&J!), but I’m going to aim for the experiences and adult activities that I think will have the broadest appeal to average adults. Things like renting cars, drinking PBR, burlesque shows, and balancing checkbooks. You know–typical adult things.
If those things aren’t the “adult” kind of experiences you’re looking to have at Walt Disney World, try these out instead…
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Hotels
The first question when planning this type of a trip is where to stay? If you’re doing an adults-only Walt Disney World trip, we don’t recommend Disney’s Art of Animation Resort or one of the other resorts featuring larger-than-life Disney characters. These resorts are primarily themed towards children. Unfortunately, these are the cheapest resorts at Walt Disney World, so you’re going to have to spend a bit more to do a romantic adults-only Disney trip and still stay on property.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be too much more expensive. The “Moderate” tier of Walt Disney World resort-hotels has several nice options. You can read more about these in our Walt Disney World Moderate Hotel Rankings, but suffice to say, Port Orleans Riverside is a great option for a charming take on the Louisiana Bayou. It benefits from having unique type of theming that you’d expect from Disney, while also having a romantic and adult flair. Its downside is that it’s not as luxurious as Deluxe Resorts, nor does it have the same caliber of dining options. It does offer romantic carriage rides, though!
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If luxurious hotels are more your style, we prefer the Epcot resorts (BoardWalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club, and the Swan & Dolphin). They’re all within walking distance of Epcot’s World Showcase (the highlight of the theme parks for adults) and within walking distance of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re not a fan of walking, boat service is available to both parks.
Another great option is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is especially good for those who don’t have as much interest in the theme parks. This resort is filled with rich cultural theming, and just outside the hotel is a savanna with animals roaming it. If you have the money, a room overlooking this savanna is a great option and a balcony overlooking the savanna could provide you with the perfect romantic hangout spot. The other great benefit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is that three very nice restaurants (Jiko, Sanaa, and Boma) are located at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Alternately, if you like luxury, but don’t need to stay in a Disney hotel, there are a variety of nice hotels in Downtown Disney and just off property. Among these hotels are a Waldorf Astoria, Ritz Carlton, and JW Marriott. The overall experience off-property isn’t the same as it is when staying within the confines of Walt Disney World, but luxury travelers may find that the Disney accommodations aren’t up to snuff or don’t offer good value for money.
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Nightlife
When Walt Disney World closed its Pleasure Island nightclub complex a few years ago, Disney’s most “adult” form of nighttime entertainment died. While the current offerings don’t compare to Pleasure Island, there’s still fun to be had at night.
The BoardWalk, which is part of a hotel that we recommend above, has good nightlife. Starting an evening at the excellent Flying Fish Cafe and concluding the night at Jellyrolls (dueling) piano bar with stops to see the boardwalk entertainers along the way is a great way to spend an evening. From there, you can also see the nightly Epcot fireworks, Illuminations, without going into the park.
Even though Pleasure Island is gone from Downtown Disney, there are still several other locations there that have good nightlife. Raglan Road, Bongos, and Paradiso 37 are all said to have solid nightlife. Going to Downtown Disney is too much of an inconvenience for us, so since Pleasure Island closed, we don’t bother with it. But, if you want to take the time to head there, you should be able to find alternate adult entertainment. Plus, there’s a Cirque de Soleil there. Don’t get too excited…it’s a family friendly one.
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In the resorts, besides Jellyrolls, our favorite bar is probably River Roost Lounge at Port Orleans Riverside, thanks to Yehaa Bob, who performs there regularly. Another good one for a more romantic experience is Tambu Lounge at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Other great options include Territory Lounge at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Crew’s Cup Lounge at Disney’s Yacht Club, Mizner’s Lounge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Bellevue Lounge at Disney’s BoardWalk. Really, you can’t go wrong at any of the Deluxe Resort lounges.
Surprisingly, some of the best bars are actually located inside the parks! With the exception of Magic Kingdom (where you can only order alcohol for dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant), every park has at least one excellent bar. There’s La Cava del Tequila at Epcot, Tune-In Lounge (part of the 50s Prime Time Cafe) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Dawa Bar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Just don’t have one too many there and fall into an animal area!
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Dining
There are a lot of nice restaurants at Walt Disney World, but the vast majority of them are in the resort-hotels, so most people never experience them. Instead, they eat at the large counter service restaurants, many of which churn out uninspired options in order to quickly service a high volume of guests. If you’ve ever heard any of your friends complaining about the dining at Walt Disney World–that’s why.
If you’re doing an adults only trip, make an effort to eat at restaurants outside of the theme parks (if you’re really ambitious, make it your goal to eat at least one non-theme park meal per day). Even if it’s only doing a counter service restaurant at the Mara, eating outside the parks will make you more likely to explore the resorts in which they’re located, taking a romantic stroll along the beach or sitting in front of a lobby fireplace while you’re there. If you really want to have an inexpensive but romantic Walt Disney World dining experience, head over to Captain Cook’s at night, grab a couple of Dole Whips, and then grab a hammock on the beach and watch the Wishes Magic Kingdom fireworks show while enjoying the snacks. A romantic experience for less than $10!
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As far as nicer table service restaurants go, there truly are too many to list comprehensively. We’ve compiled our list of the Top Romantic Walt Disney World Table Service Restaurants, but there are countless options that didn’t make the list. Although we have not dined at them, we’ve also heard great things about the restaurants at the Swan & Dolphin hotels, and those options are high on our list of places to try in the near future.
It’s on that list, but the restaurant that really bears separate mention here is Victoria & Albert’s. It’s by far the best restaurant for adults at Walt Disney World (not just according to me–Zagats agrees!). There are some other restaurants that we really enjoy that didn’t make our “top” list–you can read all of our Disney restaurant reviews here. Even if you are on a trip with kids, you might consider getting a babysitter and having a date night at one of these restaurants!
One thing worth noting for those who aren’t Walt Disney World regulars: some restaurants at Walt Disney World are “character dining” meals. If you’re not interested in meeting Disney characters, you should avoid these restaurants. By and large, they are loud and filled with kids. We happen to enjoy character dining, but we’re big Disney geeks who get kicks out of that sort of thing.
In general, we seem to find fewer children at the resort-hotel restaurants late at night. Families generally eat earlier and in the parks, so going at the end of the night can be a respite from kids (if they bother you).
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Attractions
Are certain Disney attractions more romantic than others? Ehhh, if we really wanted to bump up the word count of this article (a noble goal, indeed), we could come up with a tortured list, but I think it would serve little purpose. By and large, the attractions are a constant. They’re the main draw of Walt Disney World, and you should experience the attractions that you most enjoy, or the ones you most expect to enjoy. They won’t really set the tone of the trip one way or the other. The only recommendation here is to avoid anything with even a moderate wait time. Whereas there are some “rite of passage” attractions that parents with kids shouldn’t miss, as adults, there’s nothing that should be all too devastating if you miss (unless you have an absolute favorite attraction you simply cannot miss). Plus, there’s nothing romantic about spending hours in line with other peoples’ children. That is, unless you need some “motivational” birth control.
To prevent this section from being totally superfluous, we do have one recommendation for doing “non-attraction” attractions. What does this mean? We have no idea, to be honest.
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Actually, what it means is doing things that aren’t listed on the park maps as attractions, but can be such enjoyable experiences that they ought to be considered attractions. Our favorite non-attraction attraction is Drinking Around the World Showcase. If you’re not a drinker, try replacing alcohol with snacks. (If you love snacks and booze, combine both for the ultimate experience!) World Showcase is a great place to find great food and beverages, with some fun entertainment along the way. Your own self-driven “exploration” tours of the parks also fit the bill here. For example, if you’ve got a green thumb, you can wander around the parks looking at the numerous types of flowers used (for a low-cost alternative, check out the Behind the Seeds at Epcot tour). If you’re interested in old Hollywood, wander around Disney’s Hollywood Studios examining the different props throughout the parks. Interested in a certain type of architecture? Find a park or resort that includes examples of that architecture.
The possibilities are truly endless here, and these self-driven explorations will give you a greater appreciation for Walt Disney World. Not only will you have a lot of fun in the process, but you’ll see that Walt Disney World isn’t the simple kiddie park many people degrade it as being.
Anything Else?
While we’ve listed a lot of things here that are great for adults that we personally do (and some we don’t), this just begins to scratch the surface of things adults could do to have a great time at Walt Disney World. If you have your own tips for adult activities at Walt Disney World, please share them in the comments!
:)
