Disney (and Universal) for Grownups

If you are like me, you have never 100% grown up. I love fairy tales, Disney movies, and all that comes with those things. I also have never grown out of my love of Disney World. I have gone to Disney (in Florida) a few more times than I should probably admit – but it never gets old.

The husband had never been to Disney or Universal, so it was so much fun to go and see the park through his eyes. Needless to say, we had a blast running around, and often felt like two kids in a candy store. We drank “around the world” in Epcot, went on roller coasters, watched 3D shows, and induldged in park food more than I would like to admit. It was spectacular.

Disney has entertainment for all ages, and it is just a matter of learning what to skip (It’s a Small World) and what to enjoy (The Rockin’ Roller Coaster). Here is my quick “how to do Disney with just adults over the age of 21″ guide.

Before we get to Disney, let me say a quick word about Universal Studios, Florida. Both Island of Adventures and the origional Universal parks are very adult friendly. In fact, I think that the parents who take their young kids to these parks might find that a lot of the rides are not kid friendly. Oh, and if you don’t like lines, splurge on the VIP fast pass they have – it makes everything so much more enjoyable!

Back to the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney, it can be a bit trickier to find the good stuff. I would suggest doing all four of the parks over a two day period (get the two day hopper pass) in this order:

Day 1:

- Animal Kingdom

- Hollywood Studios

Day 2:

- Magic Kingdom

- Epcot

Here is the method behind the madness:

You should always go to Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning – as in get there before the park opens. You will want to basically run to the safari ride – the first few rides out get to see the coolest animals. The Husband and I were the second ride out on our honeymoon and we got to see giraffes walk right by our bus, a lion very close, a Rhino baby and its mom, and so much more. Later in the day your chances of seeing that many things decreases (I know this from experience!). There are also a bunch of fun rides to go on in this park – my favorite Disney ride lives here – the roller coaster called Mt. Everest. On hot days there is a water ride that is fun, and there is a Dino ride (not in the “carnival” like section) that is really cool. Unless you want to spend a lot of your day exploring and looking at animals, this park can be easily completed in 4 hours.

Once you are done with Animal Kingdom, it is time to hop onto the bus that leads you to Hollywood Studios. Now, this park is the home to The Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster (I would recommend going straight there to get a fast pass for later – the lines tend to be really long). The thing about Hollywood Studios is there are a lot of shows. There is a cool, live stunt show, a bunch of 3D shows, an Indiana Jone’s show, and a “backlot” tour. If you aren’t a fan of shows (cough, like the husband, cough) then this might be a quick day for you. But there are still fun things to do for those anti-show people in rides like StarWars, Tower of Terror, and The Rockin’ Roller Coaster. There are also a lot of fun little shops and food places that you can spend time in if you want.

Day 2:

On your second day, I would say that you should start at Magic Kingdom. This is the most kid geared park in my opinion, and there are a lot of things that you might want to skip. Some rides not to miss however are: Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Rocky Mountain. The haunted house is pretty cool as well. I like to go here early for two main reasons: It allows me to avoid the parades (they are geared towards kids) and this is the only park that doesn’t serve alcoholic beverages. Another great thing about Magic Kingdom is that it is open the latest, so if you get done with parks early on either day you can go back there and have fun until 11!

Once you have had your fill of Magic Kingdom (typically 3 hours) it is time to hop on the monorail and glide over to Epcot. This was the husbands favorite spot, and it is definitely a grownups playground. Future world (the first part of Epcot) is fun, there are lots of interactive things to do. There is also a ride that makes it feel like you launched into space – So cool! But don’t spend your whole day there. Make sure to move onto the World Showcase. The World Showcase is situated around a Lake. There are basically little villages one right after each other that represent a different country. Each country has people from that country working there, shopping items from that country, Food from that country, and alcoholic beverages from that country. Yes, this is where you can drink around the world and try many different drinks. I for one think this is a great way to do it, and have now gone around the world drinking twice – once with my family right after I turned 21 (my dad did it with me) and once on the honeymoon with the husband. We had a blast drinking, eating, browsing through shops, and just enjoying the day.

My biggest recommendation for Epcot is that you plan a few days ahead and call the main restaurant at Mexico and make dinner reservations – their food is SOO good! If you do that, make sure to turn right towards Canada when you start your tour around the world so you end up in Mexico.

That is how I do Disney, and I think that it is the best way to go for grownups.