Disney Resorts and Parks Are for Adults Too

Disney’s Resorts and Theme Parks are for adults too, not just those with kids!

Just last week I was chatting with a couple of my new coworkers in the parking lot. We were standing by my car when one noticed the WDW Passholder car magnet on my car (just one of the perks!) and he asked me if I had kids.

I replied that my kids were both adults and lived on their own. He then said, “Well why do you have a Disney Annual Pass?” I started talking about Military Disney Tips and that I used it for research, but the conversation strayed and I never actually addressed the basic misconception at the root of his question.

He obviously thought that Disney is just for those with young kids.

When people who have this misconception think about Disney World or Disneyland, they just think of the theme parks and the characters, like Mickey Mouse. But Disney’s Resorts are so much more than that (even for kids)! There is such a huge variety of things to do on property and Disney definitely caters to adults too!

My wife and I have been going solo to Disney World since 2007. Here are a few of our thoughts on Disney for adults.

Attractions

Let’s jump right into the theme parks. Yes there’re lots of rides for the kids, but there’s a lot of big kids/adult rides as well. Some of these little kids can’t even ride due to height restrictions. You could take a tour of all the Parks and ride all of the coasters.

Some of our favorite “big kid” rides at Disney World and Disneyland are:

• Expedition Everest – tied for best coaster at Disney World. Be careful of the Yeti, he’s been known to tear up the tracks –  WDW
• Rock n Roller Coaster – Tied for best coaster at Disney World, burn rubber on your way to the concert in the dark while listening to Aerosmith music –  WDW
• Space Mountain – The original “E Ticket” coaster, Star Wars themed at Disneyland – WDW & DLR
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – The wildest ride in the wilderness – WDW & DLR
• Indiana Jones Adventure – DLR/ Dinosaur WDW – A wild bucking ride through the dark
• The Matterhorn – The Disneyland original coaster – DLR
• Incredicoaster – The best Disney coaster in the US! – DLR
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – WDW/ Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! – DLR I just love this ride!!!
• WEDWay People Mover – Take a low thrill tour of Tomorrowland – WDW (my nostalgic favorite)

These are all outstanding rides for adults!

Note WDW = Walt Disney World Resort and DLR = Disneyland Resort

Recreation

There are a lot of other things to do at Disney’s resort destinations besides just the theme parks though. Disney’s goal is to keep you on property, so they provide lots of things for you to do besides just going to the theme parks. The options are extensive!

Some of Disney’s recreation options are:

• Water parks
• Golf (military discounts are available)
• Mini golf
• Fishing
• Parasailing
• Water skiing
• Boat rentals
• Bike riding
• Tours of the theme parks and some of the resorts
• Lounging by your resort’s pool

If you don’t want to, you don’t even need to go to the theme parks to have a great time at Disney!

Check out my post on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour

Dining

While it is true that Disney does have lots of food courts and theme park mega fast food locations featuring hamburgers, french fries, and pizza. There are quite a few fine dining restaurants available for you to try as well. We’ve had some of the best meals ever at Disney fine dining restaurants.

Our favorite restaurants on property at Walt Disney World for adults are:

• Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (now a character Dinner)
• Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Nightlife

There’s plenty of nightlife to be had at Disney. Enjoy Disney World’s BoardWalk area where you’ll find great restaurants and nightclubs. The same goes for Disney World’s Disney Springs and Disneyland’s Downtown Disney.

Also all of the deluxe resorts have from one to several lounges and some of the moderate resorts do as well.

Check out our Sister site – The Disney Drink Blog for more on all Disney has to offer as far as adult drinks.

There’s plenty of shopping available (day and night) at Disney Springs and Downtown Disney, some locations even offer military discounts.

These Disney Springs and Downtown Disney locations offer military discounts:

• Raglan Road – WDW
• Cooks of Dublin – WDW
• House of Blues – WDW
• Chef Art Smith – WDW
• Paradiso 37 – WDW
• The Polite Pig – WDW
• Planet Hollywood – WDW
• Ghiradelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop – WDW
• Rainforest Café – WDW & DLR
• T Rex – WDW
• Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar – DLR
• Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria – DLR
• Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen – DLR
• La Brea Bakery – DLR
• Earl of Sandwich – DLR

See all of the Disney Springs Military Discounts

See all of the Downtown Disney Military Discounts

Resort Hotels

Disney Resort hotels come in three categories, value, moderate, and deluxe. While the values are definitely themed and decorated with young kids in mind, the moderates and especially the deluxes are much more adult in themeing.

Some of our favorite resorts to stay at are:

• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
• Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel

See our Accommodation Overview Page and Disney World Resort Hotel Overviews

Don’t forget to use your Armed Forces Salute  30 to 40 Percent Discount on your Disney resort rooms.

Our recommended Military Specializing Disney Travel Agent Ears of Experience can assist you with your reservations at no additional cost!

Special Events

Disney hosts many special events, quite a few of which are definitely adult in nature, such as the Epcot International Food and Wine festival. Our very first adults only trip to Disney World was for the 2003 Food and Wine Festival.

The Food and Wine Festival which has grown in popularity over the years is held September August through mid-November each year. Many food and wine kiosks are set up around Epcot’s World showcase Lagoon.

We have lots of fun spending time with each other slowly making our way around the lagoon sampling all of the great eats and drinks.

The Epcot Festival of the Arts (January – February) and the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival (March – June) also feature food and wine samplings.

I highly recommend that adults check out the Epcot Festivals.

Late September to early November is our favorite time to go to Disney World! The crowds are lower the weather is cooler, plus there’s all that great food and wine. Just make sure you avoid Friday nights and weekends as it gets very busy with lots of locals (gets kind of rowdy too).

Other Romantic Ideas

There’s lots of other romantic things for couples to do at Disney without the kids, such as:

• Enjoy a spa treatment together
• Take a romantic carriage ride
• Take a fireworks cruise
• Watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort as well as the Electrical Water Pageant
• Have a romantic dinner at one of Disney World’s Monorail Resorts then ride the monorail to the other resorts for a cocktail
• Stroll along Disney’s Boardwalk and wind up on the sandy beach at Disney’s Beach club resort where you can sit in the bench swings with your feet in the sand enjoying the view in each others company

Not Just For Kids

Disney makes a big effort to cater to everyone and those who think that Disney is just for kids couldn’t be more wrong!

Over to you now, share your thoughts on touring Disney’s resorts without the kids below in the comment section!