Traveling with the Kids

Juli RussDecember 17, 2015When I was about to turn 40 my husband surprised me with a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort without children!  Being the smart man that he is, he surprised me six months early so I could make all the plans which is as much fun for me as the actual trip.  I was beyond excited and started to think of all the adult-only activities we could do.We talked about late nights we could have and were looking forward to Downtown Disney’s nightlife. Sometimes, though, the best-laid plans don’t always turn out the way we think.I started my planning with lodging and wondered if we should splurge on a Deluxe Resort since it would be more affordable for just two people.  My next thought was, “What kind of tickets should we get, one day tickets or Park Hopper tickets?”  Next came dining!  What to choose?  Should we be fancy?  Should we stay casual?  Dining was a big decision.After many hours of research (boy, do I wish I had used a Trained. Traveled. Trusted Wishes Family Travel agent! She would have done all of this work for me) all the plans were made and all I had to do was wait (and shop for fun new outfits and a great pair of shoes...) Waiting is always the hardest part of any trip.Finally the day arrived for departure, we got on the plane and we were off to Orlando!  For me, my Disney vacation starts as soon as I am on the Magical Express. To this day after many, many trips I still tear up as the video starts to play. The Magical Express dropped us at our chosen resort, the Wilderness Lodge. We walked through the Wilderness Lodge years earlier and had fallen in love with it.  It was such a treat to stay at the resort and be so close to our favorite park, Magic Kingdom.  When we checked in, we discovered that our room had been upgraded to a pool view!  Such a fun way to start my birthday trip.Our dining experiences began at the top of the Contemporary Resort at the California Grill.  We opted for a little of each of our dining options, a little fancy and a little casual, California Grill was the fancy.  The view of Magic Kingdom was spectacular. We made our reservations a little later in the evening so we could watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks while we dined.My favorite part of our meal was the sushi. We still talk about how delicious it was. As the time drew near for the fireworks to begin, our server delivered two complimentary glasses of champagne as a birthday treat to enjoy while we watched the fireworks. This birthday trip just kept getting better!Our dining adventure continued the next morning at the Polynesian Resort for the ‘Ohana breakfast.  This was our first trip to ‘Ohana and we loved it so much we have been back every trip since.  The juice they bring to the table is a one-of-a-kind, not to be missed experience!  I loved it so much our server brought me a to-go cup.I think my favorite dining experience was the Hoop De Doo Review.  This dinner show is located at the Fort Wilderness Campground and is a blast!My husband had called Disney and as another surprise asked for front row seats in celebration of my big day. If you get the chance, I highly recommend the front row seats.  The dinner consisted of BBQ ribs, chicken, baked beans and corn bread.  They also served beer and sangria, as much as we wanted, which was included in the price.  The show was an old western vaudeville type show and had me in tears because it was so funny.  We haven’t made it back with the kids yet,but we will one of these days. I know they will love it too.I decided to try the park hopper tickets since we didn’t have the kids and could get around the parks a little easier and quicker without them.  I’m so glad we did because one of my favorite days was the day we went to all four parks and rode each of the big rides before lunch time.A must do for my husband and me is watching the train roll in to the station at Magic Kingdom and enjoying the Opening of the park. This is another tear jerker, every time!We are lucky to have friends who are also friends with one of the stunt car drivers at the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.  We were able to watch the show from VIP seats and then go backstage to meet Curt, the driver and see all the cars.  I think this was my husband’s favorite part of the trip.So you may be wondering what happened to all the Disney night life that I was so excited about!  We spent every day having so much fun and acting like kids that we were exhausted and spent our nights sleeping!  We woke up early and got to the parks before it got crowded, we rode every ride, we saw every show and parade, we ate amazing food,but we never experienced the night life and that was OK with us. We will have to try that on our next Adults Only Trip to Disney. I would love to help you create a one of kind magical vacation, with or without kids!