3 Reasons Why Disney World Without Kids is the Best Vacation

Top: Madewell | Bottoms: Levi’s | Shoes: Tory Burch | Bag: Tory Burch, here in tan, similar here | Lips: Nars Lipstick Pencil in Cruella with Nars Audacious Lipstick in Annabella

Kurt’s outfit- Top: Vineyard Vines | Bottoms: Express | Shoes: Converse | Backpack: Lululemon

Top: Target | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (old), similar here | Kurt’s tee: Amazon

Kurt’s Outfit- Top: Vineyard Vines | Shorts: Express | Shoes: Nike | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Backpack: Lululemon

I’m going to warn you in advance that this is going to be a wordy post. There is so much I want to say, so hopefully I don’t lose you 🙂 A few weeks ago, Kurt and I went on the most magical vacation to Disney World. And I really believe that everyone needs to experience Disney World without kids. We had a blast and if I could, I would book another trip there again ASAP!!!!! Everyone thought we were crazy for going before we had kids. There weren’t a lot of couples like us there, but that didn’t stop us from experiencing everything Disney and still having the best time. So when you are planning your next vacation, look into Disney World. Here is a little convincing as to why everyone should go without kids:

You don’t have to worry about strollers (or cranky kids)

Navigating thru Disney World is tough. There are people everywhere and people can be rude and stand in the middle of the road, not knowing you are trying to get around them. I can’t imagine also having a stroller and having to worry about not hitting anyone. And not to mention that you can’t take the strollers on any of the rides. I would be worried that someone would accidentally take the wrong one.

The best part is not having to listen to cranky, tired kids complain. Kids get overstimulated and hyped up on too much sugar quite easily which can make them not so pleasant to be around. Although, I do recommend a quick nap every day even as an adult. We went at the end of September and it was HOT!!! 95 and full sun the whole time (thankfully we didn’t get any rain). The sun really can suck the energy out of you. So everyday around 2 or 3, we headed back to the room to cool down in the AC and relax. We even took a short snooze, so we would be re-energized for the evening festivities.

Selflishly you can have a good time and not feel guilty

I am all about me, myself and I. But then again I don’t have kids, so I CAN be that way right now. I got to do what I wanted, got to rest when I wanted and got to see everything I wanted to. And I didn’t have to spend my whole day at the kiddy rides- just saying! You don’t have to worry about making your child happy and making sure they are having a good time.

You can go, go, go

From the second we landed in Florida, we were on the go. That is how we like to travel though. There is really nothing relaxing about the way we travel because we want to take in as much as we can while visiting. And I want to see it ALL. We didn’t have to worry about nap schedules, feeding times, rest time. We just did what we wanted and went with the flow. And even though my feet hurt every morning, I just kept going because I wanted to make sure I checked everything off my list!

^^ Our room at the Grand Floridian

Backpack: Tory Burch, here in tan, similar here

Where to Stay

We decided to splurge and stayed at the Grand Floridian. As a kid, I went a few times to Disney with my family and we always stayed at the Polynesian Village Resort. I knew I wanted to stay on the monterrail system because it was super easy to get to all of the parks. And I remember as a kid, having breakfast with Winnie the Pooh at the Grand Floridian and I was in awe. I mean, what little girl wouldn’t love this hotel- it looks like a castle! And even as an adult I couldn’t get over how beautiful everything was. The Grand Floridian is only one stop away from the Magic Kingdom . The rest of the parks like the Animal Kingdom and EPCOT are also super easy to get to.

The hotel rooms were so nice and I couldn’t get over how spacious they were. The room was huge. Maybe it’s because I live in a teeny tiny apartment in the city, but we had way more space than we needed. It had a couch, huge bathroom with two sinks and a separate room for the toilet and shower. It also had a balcony with a gorgeous view of the water. You could easily fit 4-5 people in here and not feel crammed. And the beds were extremely comfortable. Maybe it’s all the walking or the heat, but I slept good the whole time I was there. And I am the worst sleeper when I’m not in my own bed, so that’s saying a lot.

What to do

We kept our trip short and sweet only staying three nights, but it was jam packed every day. We decided to do one park a day, but tickets are available where you can park hop if you want. It is more expensive and at the time, I didn’t think it was worth the extra money. Looking back, I would pay the extra money for at least one day because some of the parks aren’t as great as the others. For our trip we visited the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.

Top: Madewell | Bottoms: Levi’s | Shoes: Tory Burch | Bag: Tory Burch, here in tan, similar here | Lips: Nars Lipstick Pencil in Cruella with Nars Audacious Lipstick in Annabella

^^ I loved all of the Halloween decorations!

Top: Vineyard Vines | Bottoms: Express | Shoes: Converse | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Backpack: Lululemon

Magic Kingdom

The day we went to the Magic Kingdom, was by far my most favorite day. I didn’t want the day to end!!! It was quintessial Disney and I was soaking up every moment. They really do an amazing job at decorating. We were here in September so the park was already decorated for Halloween and Fall, and let me tell you, they do not miss a beat. I remember walking into the park that morning and our travel agent told us to head straight to the Seven Dwarfs ride because the line gets really long. Kurt literally had to drag me there because I just wanted to look at all of the amazing details!

A few favorites of the day included Cinderella’s Castle (you can’t miss it!), the Mickey parade during the day, but the best part was at night. The fireworks are just amazing! They play movies that project onto Cinderella’s Castle and also light off fireworks. It is a must see! The most precious moment was looking over at the little girl standing next to us and she was singing her little heart out to the princess songs. She was in her glory and it was such a sweet moment!

^^ The Wold of Avatar. The details were unreal!

^^The Safari is also a must see!

Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom was our first stop when we arrived in Florida. Once we landed we went straight to the park (no time wasted here!). The second you walk into the park you are greeted by the huge giving tree which is spectacular. The Animal Kingdom by far has the best rides. Make sure you get a fast pass to ride Expedition Everest. That was one of my favorite roller coasters.

And the Animal Kingdom has the new Pandora exhibit which is unbelievable!!! The Avatar Flight of Passage ride is hands down, the best ride at Disney. We weren’t able to secure a fast pass, but we had heard so much hype about it, that we decided to wait in line. We waited an hour and a half (which wasn’t bad considering at one point the line was 240 minutes!). The time went by pretty fast because the exhibits you walk thru are neat and interactive. The ride itself is unbelievable!! You are flying on a banshee thru the pandora world and it was crazy how real it is. You get the rush of flying and there were these amazing smells and as you flew over the ocean, there were splashes of water. It was so lifelike. If you make it all the way to Disney, trust me that it is well worth the wait!!

^^ The Christmas store at the Germany stop

EPCOT

We spent our last day at EPCOT and it was my least favorite. I remember as a kid, loving EPCOT, so I was a little disappointment. Yes, the EPCOT ball is really cool to see and take some pictures at, but that’s about it. The rides are just so so and very early 90s. We went on the ride Misson Space and literally felt sick for a few hours after. So, I don’t recommend that one at all!

The Food & Wine Festival was going on, but we weren’t that crazy about the food. We did enjoy a delicious lobster role from the Hops & Barley Market and also a funnel cake-mmmmm. Germany was by far my favorite country! They had the cutest Christmas shop with so many ornaments. Every place we travel to, I buy an ornament for our tree. It’s so fun when put your tree up and you can look back at your vacations for the year and reminisce about your trips!

^^Mickey Mouse shaped Rice Krispie treats!

Top: Target | Bottoms: Levi’s | Shoes: Adidas | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (old), similar here | Bag: Tory Burch, here in tan, similar here

Kurt’s outfit- Top: Amazon |Bottoms: Express | Shoes: Nike | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Backpack: Lululemon

^^ Dessert at California Grill

Where to Eat

Disney isn’t known for their food. It was just ok, but then again I am spoiled in Chicago with some of the best steak houses and food in the country. I did LOVE how everything was shaped like Mikey Mouse. We had ice cream chocolate bars and also rice crispy treats and even the waffles in the morning were shaped like him!

Our best meal was at the California Grill inside the Contemporary Resort. The service was superb and the view is amazing. You see all of Disney World. And we just so happened to be there at sunset, which was gorgeous. The ambiance was very relaxed, which was no nice because we were on the go the whole trip. It was so nice to unwind with a delicious steak and nice glass of wine.

Tips & Tricks

Be on the lookout for the rose gold Minnie Mouse Ears. I couldn’t find them ANYWHERE!!! I looked at every shop, stand, you name it and nothing. They are the new ‘it’ Minnie ears and they can’t keep them on the shelves.
Make sure that if you add the meal plan to your trip, you review it before you leave. We ended up running out of credits and had to pay for some meals. No big deal, but we could have planned a little better.
Use a travel agent. Here is the one we used and they were absolutely amazing. It was so nice having the knowledge of someone with a ton of experience (they only book trips to Disney!).
Download the My Disney Experience app on your phone. At anytime you can pull up wait times for rides, make dinner reservations, find your way around the park, add more fast passes, etc. It was so helpful!
Make sure to schedule all of your Fast Past rides in the morning. Fast Passes lines are MUCH shorter so you don’t have to wait as long. You can only book three in advance and once you use them up that day you can add more.
Disney World at night is the best! Each park does their own show at night and you do not want to miss it. My favorite was the fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom.
Eat early dinners. When we booked our trip, I was a little annoyed at first that we had dinner reservations at 5:30 or 6:00 every evening, but it worked out to our advantage! You got to eat and still have time to get back to the park for some evening activities!

Phew! So there it is. Disney World in a nut shell. Going back thru all of my photos really makes me miss our trip. I can’t wait to go back again someday! What is your favorite part about Disney World?

xoxox Amanda

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