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Adults Only Disney World Trip Report - Part II
It's okay to love going to Disney World as an adult without taking children along.
There are lots of things to do and enjoy as an adult at Disney World.
One area to take advantage of is the opportunity to eat at the wonderful sit down (aka Table Service) restaurants that Disney World has to offer.
Whether or not you utilize the Disney Dining Plan, you can still take advantage of a great night out, by having a nice meal at one of the many Disney World restaurants.
Dining
For our 15th anniversary trip my wife and I planned two Table Service dinners. One at our favorite Disney World restaurant - Le Cellier and one at Tutto Italia which we have not visited since it changed from being Alfredo's in Epcot's Italy Pavilion.
Le Cellier is a Canadian Steakhouse that features great steaks as well as some excellent seafood dishes. Our dinner at Le Cellier was wonderful as usual, but our server was not as impressive as we have had in the past. Although our dinner was on our actual anniversary date and we made note of it on our reservation, they did not do anything special for us during the meal. This was a slight disappointment since this is supposed to be the year of "What Will You Celebrate?" at Disney World, but we did not let it ruin our otherwise enjoyable experience. I don't see the point of asking us to note celebrations on the reservations if they aren't going to do anything.
From a food standpoint, Le Cellier continues to be the best in-park restaurant and it is also the best restaurant to go to that only takes one Disney Dining Plan Table Service credit. Just remember reservations must be made very early in order to get a table here.
We enjoyed the meal at Tutto Italia also. Tutto Italia as the name implies serves a variety of authentic Italian dishes. The food was very good. This is a very busy place and has a different atmosphere than Le Cellier. It is not the place for a quiet romantic meal, but certainly was an enjoyable experience.
I would rate Tutto Italia as better than average as far as Disney World Restaurants go, and definitely would visit it again.
Another Disney World gem that we visited on our trip was the Rose and Crown Pub. This special bar that is connected to the Rose and Crown restaurant at Epcot's Great Britian Pavilion is a great place to come inside, enjoy a couple of drinks (especially the Black & Tan), eat some pub food, and meet some great people.
Adult Pace - Discover The Seldom Seen
I love riding the rides and experiencing the attractions probably as much or more than anyone else, but I enjoyed having an adult only trip where the attractions were not high or our priority list.
Our goal was to relax and enjoy the experience. We walked around the parks, but actually rode very few rides and attractions. We soaked up the Disney atmosphere that we had been longing for and that helped us escape the busy and hectic normal life that awaited us when we returned.
At a slower pace it is easier to take in the details of the parks and look for the little things that you have not been able to see before.
I made it a point to check out the phone booth in Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland.
I also had to visit the well near Disney's Hollywood Studios Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular to "Pull the rope" and hear what the results would be.
There was also the chance to read some of the posters and signs posted on the walls that provide some details to the wonderful backstories that the Disney Imagineers have created.
The Music
There was also a chance to take in some of the wonderful musical acts that play at Disney World.
We saw the British Invasion, the Beatles look alike band that plays in the Great Britain Pavilion in Epcot.
We rocked along with Off Kilter. The kilt wearing band that has a home in Epcot's Canada Pavilion.
We also got to watch Mulch, Sweat, and Shears, which may be Disney World's best band at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
During the Food & Wine Festival we also saw Sister Hazel and Kool & the Gang perform during the Eat To The Beat Concert Series.
Run, Run, Run
The last special item the we added to this trip was running in the "Race For The Taste 10K". This was a fun event and I would highly recommend anyone that even remotely likes to run to try one of the great event that the Disney Endurance Series team puts on. For more information visit: http://www.disneyenduranceseries.com/
End of Part II
This brings us to the end of Part II of our Disney World Without Kids Trip Report. Part III will talk about perhaps the best reason for taking a Disney World Trip without kids in October - The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
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Adults Only Disney World Trip Report - Part I
Disney World isn't just for kids!
A Disney World Vacation can be a fun get away weekend for adults to celebrate that anniversary, birthday, or special event, or even a chance to relax and refresh from a hectic lifestyle.
Last week my wife and I spent a long weekend at Disney World on an Adults Only trip to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.
This article is part one of three focusing on enjoying an adults only trip to Disney World.
The Arrival
We chose to fly from NC instead of driving this trip, since there were only two of us and time was limited. We flew into MCO (The Orlando International Airport) and took advantage of Disney's Magical Express Service.
Although general opinions about the Magical Express Service are mixed, I have to say that I think that this is a great service. Over the years I have used rental cars, Mears Shuttle, and Towncars to get from the airport to Disney World. I like the convenience of the Magical Express and the fact that they take care of getting my baggage to my resort room.
This is a wonderful free service that Disney provides and I will continue to use it. I also like how they update the video you watch to include some of the newest attractions at the parks.
We arrived at our resort: The Boardwalk Villas around 7:30 pm on a Friday night.
Check in was quick and smooth and in just a couple minutes we were in our room. We were pleasantly surprised that our room had a view of the Boardwalk (see picture) and it just added to the magic of the trip.
For an Adults Only trip I would highly recommend staying at one of the Epcot Resorts (Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan or Dolphin). The biggest benefit is that you can walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios and you have easy access to Disney's Boardwalk. Not having to wait for a bus at the end of a night at Epcot is priceless.
Taste Of The Food & Wine Festival
Since it was nearing 8:00 pm we walked over to Epcot to check out the 14th Annual Food & Wine Festival to get something to eat.
We spent the hour before the closing fireworks strolling around the World Showcase trying foods that looked interesting and having a couple of drinks.
I will talk about the Food & Wine Festival experience during Part III, but suffice it to say that this is a wonderful way to spend an evening.
Experience Disney's Boardwalk
If you are on an Adults Only trip Disney's Boardwalk should be high on your list of places to visit regardless of where you are staying. You can get there via Disney Transportation by catching a bus to the Boardwalk Resort from any of the Disney Parks or Downtown Disney. You can also walk there from both Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios.
After Epcot's fireworks on Friday night, we exited via the International Gateway and walked to Disney's Boardwalk. Our destination this evening was Jellyrolls.
Jellyrolls is a dueling piano bar that features piano players that play your requests and engage in fun banter throughout the evening. Jellyrolls has a $10 per person cover charge and you must be 21 years old or over to enter.
Fun is a word that describes Jellyrolls. It is a time to relax and enjoy the atmosphere and the great entertainers. Each night there are two sets of piano singers that rotate every hour.
This should be considered a must do on at least one night of any Adults Only trip.
Despite our late arrival, we had a great start to our trip with a taste of the Food & Wine Festival and a few hours at Jellyrolls.
Relax You’re On Vacation
When travelling without children, the priorities for the trip change. Food, relaxation, and entertainment move higher up on the list. The need to do all of the park attractions doesn’t exist. Sleeping in is OK, because there is no rush to get to the parks in the morning.
When we woke up on Saturday morning, my wife and I enjoyed coffee in the room and then decided that we were in a mood for Tonga Toast, so our first destination of the morning was going to be Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort to get the tasty breakfast treat that you can only find at Disney World.
After enjoying our Tonga Toast, we took a leisurely boat launch to the Magic Kingdom and spent the rest of the morning wandering through the park, checking out the Halloween decorations and riding our old favorite the TTA (Tomorrowland Transit Authority) that had recently reopened after its lengthy refurbishment.
Back To The Boardwalk
For lunch we decided to try something new (for us). We travelled back to the Boardwalk to check out the ESPN Club. With all of it’s television monitors, it was a great place to check out all of the Saturday afternoon college football games during a leisurely lunch.
We were both impressed with the ESPN Club and wondered why we had never taken the time to eat there before.
Although families do come here, it is also a great Adult place to visit and take in a game and enjoy the food and beverages.
End Of Part I
This is the end of Part I of the trip report, with the focus being on experiencing Disney’s Boardwalk. Part II will talk about other activities for adults to enjoy during their trip without children, and part III will talk about why Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival makes October the perfect time of the year to visit Disney World for an Adults Only trip.
This should be considered a must do on at least one night of any Adults Only trip.
Despite our late arrival, we had a great start to our trip with a taste of the Food & Wine Festival and a few hours at Jellyrolls.
Relax You’re On Vacation
When travelling without children, the priorities for the trip change. Food, relaxation, and entertainment move higher up on the list. The need to do all of the park attractions doesn’t exist. Sleeping in is OK, because there is no rush to get to the parks in the morning.
When we woke up on Saturday morning, my wife and I enjoyed coffee in the room and then decided that we were in a mood for Tonga Toast, so our first destination of the morning was going to be Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort to get the tasty breakfast treat that you can only find at Disney World.
After enjoying our Tonga Toast, we took a leisurely boat launch to the Magic Kingdom and spent the rest of the morning wandering through the park, checking out the Halloween decorations and riding our old favorite the TTA (Tomorrowland Transit Authority) that had recently reopened after its lengthy refurbishment.
Back To The Boardwalk
For lunch we decided to try something new (for us). We travelled back to the Boardwalk to check out the ESPN Club. With all of it’s television monitors, it was a great place to check out all of the Saturday afternoon college football games during a leisurely lunch.
We were both impressed with the ESPN Club and wondered why we had never taken the time to eat there before.Although families do come here, it is also a great Adult place to visit and take in a game and enjoy the food and beverages.
End Of Part I
This is the end of Part I of the trip report, with the focus being on experiencing Disney’s Boardwalk. Part II will talk about other activities for adults to enjoy during their trip without children, and part III will talk about why Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival makes October the perfect time of the year to visit Disney World for an Adults Only trip.
Has The Disney Dining Plan And Le Cellier Ruined Dining Out With My Family Forever?
It has been a week since my family has returned home from a wonderful week of visiting the Walt Disney World Resort and 6 days of the Disney Dining Plan during the first week of the FREE Dining Promotion that Disney World is having.
We took full advantage of the Disney Dining Plan, and why not? We were on vacation. Each night we ate great Table Service restaurants including our favorite, Le Cellier, twice.
In hind sight it was probably overkill and it may have ruined dining out with my family for the foreseeable future.
My family is made up of myself, my wife, our 12 year old son, & our 10 year old daughter. Since she is now 10 this was her first Disney World trip to eat on the Dining Plan as an adult.
Being the good father I told the family to order whatever entrees they wanted, as long as they were going to eat them (we don't want to be wasteful). This of course undid years of training to focus the children's attention to the more reasonable part of the menu. But I threw caution to the wind and let them make their choices with little push back or discussion.
To their credit they both did a great job of eating what they picked and thoroughly enjoyed the dining experiences.
To those of you that haven't had the opportunity to try Le Cellier let me tell you a little bit about it.
Le Cellier is located in the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot. It is the best steakhouse on the Disney property that you can eat at for 1 Dining Plan Table Service credit. If you are paying cash the entrees run from $25 - $37 apiece.
The ambiance is quieter than most Disney World restaurants and the feeling is that you are in the cellar of an old castle. The dining area is not large and reservations can be very difficult to come by, especially during busy times of the year. We were fortunate that my wife called to make reservations on the morning of the beginning of our 90 day reservation window and got reservations for us at the beginning and end of our trip.
Le Cellier has been our family's favorite place to dine at Disney World for the last several years.
I can honestly say I was surprised when my 10 year old daughter, who currently has an affinity for steak, ordered the “Le Cellier” Mushroom Filet Mignon I didn't even flinch.
This is where the Disney Dining Plan is great and dangerous at the same time. How many of you actually let your 10 year old order an entree with a menu price of $34.99? She actually got to have this twice in one week and loved it!
Of course, the other Disney Dining plan feature of everyone getting dessert at every meal also creates habits that are difficult to break.
My children quickly got used to the concept of Lunch dessert and Dinner dessert. It was something that they wanted to vote to have the family adopt this as a new tradition to continue after our Disney World trip.
Maybe I am blowing things out of proportion, but I am already fearful of the day when I hear, "Why can't I order Filet Mignon? You know I love it?" or "Why can't we ALL order a separate dessert like we did at Disney World?"
The Disney Dining Plan and the Disney World Restaurants that we ate at were wonderful and created fantastic memories. I just hope they didn't create expectations that can't be lived up to in our "normal life".
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Trip Report
Trip Report - Day 5
Day 5 is here already, the last day of our Food & Wine festival getaway trip. It is amazing how fast time goes by when you are at Walt Disney World.
We have a 3:30 pm flight home, so our Magical Express bus leaves the resort at 12:30 pm.
We got packed early and took our bags to Bell Services to store until our flight. We then caught a bus to Epcot to enjoy FutureWorld, since we had been spending our time almost exclusively in the World Showcase.
We arrived at the park at 8:45 am. Since it was an Extra Magic Hour morning, we were able to show are Resort ID and go right in, instead of waiting with the others at the gate.
I hurried over to Soarin’ to get FastPasses while my wife headed to Test Track. I met her there and we waited about 30 minutes in the regular line in order to ride. This is a very enjoyable ride and the level of detail and theming they put into the cue line is unmatched.
After Test Track we walked to the Land building to eat breakfast in the Seasons counter service area. We still had about 15 minutes until our FastPasses were good after we finished, so we walked over to the Living Seas.
We waited about 10 minutes in line to ride the Clam-mobiles in the Living Seas. The technology that they use to put the characters into the real tanks is pretty cool.
Afterwards we headed back to use our FastPasses for Soarin’. This is truly a great ride. You really feel like you might be hang-gliding along without the overwhelming fear of falling or crashing.
It was time to head back to Saratoga Springs by then. When we got back to the check-in area, we retrieved our bags from Bell Services (very pain free process), and caught our Magic Express Bus back to the Orlando Airport.
I can’t say enough about this free service. I think it is wonderful. It takes a lot of the stress out of getting to and from Disney World.
During previous trips we were able to get checked in and receive our boarding passes and check luggage right at the resort. This time since we were flying on Southwest we needed to keep our luggage with us and check in at the airport. This was still very simple and not a big deal. Again, I highly recommend using this service if you fly to Disney World.
Now I will have to sort through the nearly 1,000 pictures that I took during this trip and start to think about when I will plan the next one.
Highlights include:
- Saratoga Springs resort was very nice.
- Food & Wine festival is always fun.
- Jellyrolls was much better than expected.
- Another great meal at LeCellier.
- Magic Express and Disney Transportation was great.
Lowlights: - Crowds higher than expected for October.
- Another Disney Trip had to end.
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Trip Report - Day 4
Day 4 of our trip started out at Hollywood Studios. We made it to the park shortly after 9:00 AM. We headed straight for Toy Story Mania to get a fast pass. The FastPass line was probably over 200 people long, so we skipped it. Although this is a great ride that we enjoyed several times during our June trip, I couldn’t believe the line to even get a FastPass in October. This was much worse than June. The overall park did not have extremely high crowd levels, but the 3 main rides (Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster) all had lengthy waits.
Our highlight at Hollywood Studios was seeing the Lights, Motors, Action show again. We have seen it previously, but it is very enjoyable and does not disappoint. The driving that they do in the confined spaces is pretty amazing.
We then took the boat to Epcot to enjoy more of the Food & Wine festival. We sampled a variety of the foods at the different booths. I think what we would dub the best booth for quality and value would be the San Francisco Booth. Both the Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad and the Seared Beef Medallion with Cheese Polenta were excellent.
The Cape Town, South Africa – Durban Spiced Chicken on a skewer also got high marks.
Making a meal from sampling the food and beverages from the different booths is not cheap, but it is a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Crowds at Epcot on Monday were much more typical for October from what I remember from years past. The waits were much shorter for the food booths. During the weekend the lines were very long for almost every booth. Today they were short everywhere.
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Trip Report - Day 3
Here we are on Day 3. Today we started out at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I was again reminded that Disney World's newest park paid a lot of attention to detail and theming when they designed it. You see the detail every where you look.
We saw the Nemo the Musical show and it is truly amazing. The acting/singing is top notch and the costumes and effects are wonderful. This is without a doubt the best live show that you can see on the Disney property.
On the Kilimanjaro Safari we were able to see a baby giraffe that was only about a month old. Even though we caught the safari a little after noon there were a large number of animals out and about, making the safari very enjoyable.
The crowds were very high again for October with the Kali River rapids reaching 90+ minute waits in the early afternoon.
For dinner we went to Epcot to eat at Le Cellier in Canada. This has been our favorite Disney World restaurant. We have liked it before its recent trendiness that has made the reservations difficult to get. I had the Cheddar Cheese Soup and the Prime Rib and my wife has the mixed green salad and the Halibut. We were both very happy with our food and the service from Chris the Cast Member was excellent.
We exited Epcot at about 10:00 pm and caught a bus back to our resort to end another successful day.
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Trip Report - Day 2
Day 2 was a great day in WDWorld. We carried an umbrella all day to keep the rain from coming and it worked. A small umbrella is a must take item for your trip to Disney World to be ready for those brief Florida showers.
We started our day at the Magic Kingdom. The crowds were heavier than we expected, but we still didn't wait very long for the attractions we wanted to ride.
The park is decorated for Halloween and it looks very nice in the fall colors. I was amazed at the extent of the decorations that are used for this season.
The park is decorated for Halloween and it looks very nice in the fall colors. I was amazed at the extent of the decorations that are used for this season.
We looked for the area where Tinkerbell will be located in Mickey's Toontown Fair starting at the end of the month, but could not find it. It will be called Pixie Hollow and Tinkerbell and other fairies will be doing daily meet and greets.
Around noon we took the monorail over to Epcot to check out the Food and Wine Festival. Again the crowds were higher than expected for an October Saturday. The lines for Spaceship Earth appeared to be long upon entering the park.
The lines were also long for the food kiosks, but we were able to get a variety of foods to taste and we really enjoyed it. We also tried the Sam Adams History of Beer Seminar (a F&W staple). The Festival is a great atmosphere and a wonderful time to visit.
During the evening we went to the Boardwalk. After watching the Epcot fireworks, we tried out Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk. Jellyrolls is a Dueling Piano Bar. We had never been there before. It has a $10 per person cover charge and you must be over 21 to enter.
I was very impressed with the quality of the piano player/singers (I guess I shouldn't be surprised the is Disney, right?). There were a number of return patrons who sang along and the atmosphere was very fun. I would definitely recommend this as a great adult night out this to do.
I was very impressed with the quality of the piano player/singers (I guess I shouldn't be surprised the is Disney, right?). There were a number of return patrons who sang along and the atmosphere was very fun. I would definitely recommend this as a great adult night out this to do.
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Trip Report
Trip Report - Day 1
Hello from Walt Disney World! Even though it has been only 4 months since I have been here, it is wonderful to be back.
Disney's Magical Express
I love this free service. This makes getting from the airport to your Disney World resort very easy.
Once we landed on our Southwest Airlines flight, we headed to Level 1 on the B side of the main terminal. There was a large check-in counter where I had a 30 second wait in line until someone helped me. Two minutes later we were on our way to the line for the buses. Another 30 seconds and we are getting on one of the large especially outfitted buses to head to the resorts. Each bus may carry guest from 4 to 5 Disney resorts so there may be a couple of stops until you get to your resort. We happened to be on the 2nd stop at Saratoga Springs.
There may be a quicker way to get to your resort, but I will take this stress-free and cost free method any time.
Check-In at Saratoga Springs
When we arrived at Saratoga Springs there was no line at check in so I was helped right away. During check-in I asked if there was a room available in the Congress Park section (the closest walk to Downtown Disney). This wasn't my originally assigned room, but the cast member made a phone call and was able to find an available room in that section for us. This was another example of a cast member that went the extra mile to help make our vacation better. I realized since I hadn't put the request in ahead of time I may not get it, but the fact that the cast member took the time to check, was greatly appreciated.
Our studio room at Saratoga Springs was wonderful with a great view of Downtown Disney. It was exactly what I wanted.
Dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express
Since we were hungry we decided to head to one of our favorite eateries at WDW. The Wolfgang Puck Express. This smaller, more casual restaurant compared to the Cafe on the other side of Downtown Disney, is the absolute best counter service deal if you use the Disney Dining Plan. We aren't using the Dining Plan during this trip, but we still enjoy the food and the prices are reasonable considering where we are. I had the Spicy Chicken Pizza, and my wife had the Roasted Vegetable Pizza and we both very happy with our choices.
This is definitely a place you should consider eating at Downtown Disney.
Rain and more rain
The evening brought rain, and we saw quite a bit of it during our dinner. After dinner we caught a bus from Downtown Disney to the Boardwalk Resort. After arriving at the Boardwalk Resort we walked in the rain to the International Gateway in Epcot.
Fortunately as we arrived at Epcot the rain subsided. We then made our way through the heavy Friday night, Food & Wine Festival Crowds. We weren't looking to hit any attractions, but rather just stroll around the World Showcase and take in the night time sights. The last show for the Smithereens was starting as we got to the America's Gardens Theater and we were able to get a 2nd row seat to watch the show. It started out a little slow, but really picked up near the end as they played their more popular tunes and did a wonderful Who cover.
We ended the evening by catching the Illuminations show from a vantage point in Canada and really enjoyed the show.
After the show we shopped for a while to let the crowds thin out, then we exited and caught a bus back to the resort, because we were exhausted at the end of this long day.
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Trip Report - Introduction
Tomorrow my wife and I head to Walt Disney World for a 5 day and 4 night trip without the kids.
We are looking forward to spending a lot of time at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival and making our way to each of the parks during our stay.
We will be staying in a Studio at the Saratoga Springs Resort.
During the next five days I will be posting live blogs from our trip, sharing all of the highlights.
You will get reviews for Disney's Magical Express Service, the Saratoga Springs Resort, crowd levels in the parks, the food that we eat, Disney transportation, etc.
I also hope to take over a thousand pictures during this trip that I will use over the next several months on a variety of blog topics covering Disney World.
The wait is almost over. It's about time to yell: "I'm going to Disney World!"
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