Walt Disney World For Couples and Adults (part 1)

Part 1: How Could Walt Disney World Really Appeal To Adults? Come On Now!

Walt Disney World is no longer the families-only getaway we remember from our childhoods. One never thinks of WDW as the perfect spot for a honeymoon, people looking to reconnect and “recharge” their relationship, single friends wanting to take a vacation together, or as a great getaway for couples who are dating. For many people without children or looking to take an adults-only vacation, Walt Disney World may not come to mind immediately or it may be ruled out quickly. Talks of a cruise to the Bahamas always come up as does other locales such as Europe or Hawaii. These are all great travel destinations in their own right, but the fact of the matter is couples traveling without children don’t always give Walt Disney World the consideration it deserves. Another problem is it’s difficult to find information meant for couples or adults only. I’ve spent countless hours looking for vacation options for my husband and me. Most travel articles regarding Disney vacations are family oriented; when I first started looking into Disney vacations years ago, I learned how to do Disney World with young children, but I couldn’t find anything regarding what Walt Disney World could offer couples (or singles) traveling without children. So, over for the next few months, I’m going to be delving into Walt Disney World Vacations for couples.

Getting There

By “getting there”, I mean coming to the decision that a Disney trip is right for you and your someone special. I know what you’re thinking; “Character meals? Meeting princesses and mice? That can’t possibly be romantic nor could it appeal to adults traveling without children!” That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Walt Disney World is one of the best domestic honeymoon destinations according to WeddingChannel.com. Disney World also boasts some of the best restaurants in the Orlando area according to many online sources. Tempted yet?

What’s So Great About Disney?

Ok, it may take a lot more than a nice restaurant and a wedding site to win you over. No problem! When you start thinking about a Disney vacation, you may be hesitant at first if you’ve never experienced the resort as a whole or at all. I don’t mean the theme parks, water parks, and things people generally associate with Disney World. Those aspects are amazing, however, there is so much more to it than just a few rides. It’s an experience like no other. When you’re staying on property at Disney World, you can’t help but be overcome by a feeling of sheer joy. You feel your stresses melt away and your care free self tends to emerge. (“Hey! Who’s that person wearing my pajamas?” you ask yourself as you look in the mirror one morning. “I haven’t seen you since high school!”) You smile a little easier and you’re more likely to strike up a conversation with the Dad from New Jersey sitting next to you on Main Street USA holding spots for his family for the parade. Every muscle in your body relaxes and you feel like a kid again.

My husband and I have made repeated “homages to the mouse” for the last few years. We go at least once a year. We call it therapy; Walt Disney World really can be a romantic place. We always stay at the Wilderness Lodge and spend every evening after returning from the parks sitting on our balcony, ordering mixed drinks to be delivered to our room or putting on a pot of coffee and talking. We’ve also started our own tradition of secretly purchasing a pin or other trinket for the other person that reminds us of something about that day. It’s usually a huge feat to get my husband on the “big boy rides” so I usually get him his “wings” in the form of a pin from that ride. All of these things may seem minor, but when we return home, we still have that sprinkling of pixie dust over us. We feel like a newly dating couple all over again because we’ve let our worries disappear and we have learned how to reconnect again.

Disney World also helps people not in a relationship connect. My mother-in-law was skeptical when we took her for her birthday last year. The last time she had been was 1983. My husband was 7 at the time and my brother-in-law was only a couple of years old. She only grudgingly agreed because, well, we gave her no choice! It took a whole year of convincing her she was going.

The first couple of days she was her “typical adult self”: she was self-conscious interacting with Brer Fox and was a little confused when he pointed out they were wearing the same color shirt and he thought it was the bee’s knees. It wasn’t until a few days later when she was finally able to break out of the 30-year long “Mom” mode and be a happy-go-lucky woman without a care in the world. She wasn’t worrying about how many Weight Watchers points she was eating per day– she had Toll House Ice Cream Cookie sandwiches and loved them. She was having a blast interacting with Tigger & the entire 100 Acre Wood gang. The furrow in her brow slowly dissolved and I saw my mother-in-law as another woman: she wasn’t just my mother-in-law. It was an amazing transformation. Having been in an environment where she and I could learn more about each other outside of our daily stresses (which let’s face it, people can be a bear to get along with when they’re stressed out) and we understand each other now. She understands my sense of humor, where before, it always fell short. I understand her more as well. Believe it or not, my mother in law and I connected in a way I didn’t believe possible! I actually call her now just to say “Hey what’s up?” and we chat for thirty minutes! She’s anxiously awaiting the next trip. It’s amazing what the power of Disney magic and pixie dust can do!

Coming Soon: Walt Disney World Resorts