Disney for Lovebirds
We believe there is something at Walt Disney World for everyone. Previously, we wrote about groups with young children and thrill seekers. Today, we are going to explore a more refined, romantic, adult trip. Yes, adults in love can find the perfect date at Walt Disney World. These are our recommendations for the most romantic experiences.
Where to Stay
Grand Floridian Resort and Spa - Quite possibly the quintessential romantic resort, this victorian themed resort is home to a spa, a wedding pavilion, and the fanciest restaurant at all of Walt Disney World. It also sports a tea room and live piano music in the lobby in the evenings. If you want to feel like Cinderalla and Prince Charming, this is the splurge-worthy place to stay.
Disney's Boardwalk Resort - This deluxe resort is themed after the Atlantic boardwalks and as such as a nice variety of entertainment day and night. You will find lounges, restaurants, sweets, and even a piano bar to keep you and your date entertained in the evenings. This is also a great way to people watch. And what is a more romantic form of transportation than a boat? From this resort, you can boat (or walk) to Disney Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
Animal Kingdom Lodge - This deluxe resort seems to make all of our lists, but it is truly a unique gem. If romance to you means sipping South African wine over a steak dinner, or sitting around a firepit listening to a storyteller, or watching safari animals walk by your room, then you will find it here. Ask for a savannah room, and don't forget to explore the resort at night.
Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter - Romance doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, so a moderate resort option is both of the Port Orleans resorts. At Riverside, you will find two themed sections, one with bayou bungalows, and another with sprawling mansions. In the mansion area, you can request a Royal Room, which we promise is not cheesy. Check out our blog on themed rooms here.
Or, if a trip to New Orleans has always been on your romance bucket list, try French Quarter. The wrought iron and landscaped courtyards of this resort will make you feel like you are in the French Quarter of New Orleans, except cleaner and quieter.
Both of these resorts are located along the Sassagoula river (heyyyyy!) with boat service to Disney Springs where you will find restaurants, lounges, and shopping galore. We think there is little quite as lovely as a sunset cruise down the river.
Where to Dine
Victoria and Albert's - This restaurant, located at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, is truly a special experience. You can dine in the dining room, the chef's table, or Queen Victoria's room. Either way you will enjoy dining at a AAA five diamond and Forbes five star restaurant, which is truly a rarity, especially at a theme park. In the dining room, your servers and someliers will direct you to dishes and wines you will enjoy. At the chef's table, the chef will serve you about 11 dishes in a full tasting experience. Either way, you will have access to a world class wine selection of over 700 varieties. Dining this classy comes at a price, both from the pocketbook, and in preparation. You must dress formally. Men, this means black tie. This place is no joke.
California Grill - Keeping with the high end dining, but moving to the Contemporary Resort, the rooftop California Grill is a wonderful restaurant that serves excellent, fancy, fare. But perhaps the highlight of this restaurant is the private terrace from which you can view the Magic Kingdom fireworks. You can time your reservation to the fireworks, or you can dine earlier in the day and they will save a spot for you on the terrace for during fireworks later in the day.
Jiko - Moving over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, this quiet restaurant specializes in steak and South African specialties and features a lovely selection of wines.
Flying Fish - You might have noticed a theme to which resorts I recommended and with restaurants. At the Boardwalk Resort, Flying Fish is surprisingly yummy and upscale. Try the cedar plank salmon.
Topolino's Terrace - Located atop the Riveria Resort, this rooftop restaurant features flavors of Europe. Just avoid breakfast if you are looking for adult time as breakfast is character dining. However, in the evening, you get lovely views and if you time it right,, you will see the fireworks from EPCOT.
Any dining in the France pavilion - Yep, we said it. Listen, France means romance to many, and pretty much any dining here has that romantic vibe. You have your choice of table service meals between Chefs de France and Monsieur Paul, and then you have unique quick service including a gourmet ice cream shop, a crepery, and the most lovely pastry shop you ever did see.
Drink around World Showcase - Ok, this isn't so much dining as it is imbibing, but hear me out. I'm not suggesting you get schnockered, but a lovely sunset stroll around World Showcase just seems so very romantic to me. If you can catch it in twilight when the torches are lit, it is truly a gem. The only problem is, everyone seems to know this. So you'll want to duck out of the crowd once in a while and grab a nice cocktail in one of the many areas with water views. We are especially fond of margaritas in Mexico, sake in Japan, and ales and ciders in the UK (not together, of course). On one of my trips, my travel companions enjoyed the beer garden in the UK pavilion so much, they spent the entire afternoon there, watching the water, sipping, and conversing, and if that's your thing, go for it.
What to Do
We're going to take the lovebirds a little bit off the beaten path with our suggestions. While there are a few attractions inside the theme parks that could tend toward romantic, it's really the special experienced, both in and out of the parks, that we think of when we think about romantic experiences. To that end, we're dividing this list into mainstream attractions and other experiences.
Mainstream attractions
Soarin' at EPCOT - As long as you are not afraid of heights, we find this attraction exciting and peaceful at the same time. It feels like when you dream you are flying. The only thing I wouldn't recommend about this attraction is the lines, so rope drop it or get a FastPass (when available).
Impressions de France at EPCOT - It seemed like this attraction was in danger, but then it came back! We love this attraction even though it can be classified as a minor attraction. It's an 18 minute circle vision film with lovely music from French composers and it's just a feast for the eyes and ears.
Both Flight of Passage and Na'Vi River Journey in Pandora at Disney's Animal Kingdom - The best way to do Pandora is at night, but the best way to do Flight of Passage is whenever you can rope drop, FastPass, or otherwise avoid lines. Despite its wild popularity, we highly recommend it. You will fly a banshee over a surreal landscape. It's like Soarin' on steroids. This ride did make our "thrill seeker" list as well, so take precautions if you are subject to motion sickness. Na'Vi River Journey, on the other hand, is a soothing boat ride down a river in the illuminated Pandora nighttime. There is nothing scary about this ride. It's calming and we dare say, romantic.
Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom - We recommend either an early or late safari because what is NOT romantic is sweating your eyes out in the middle of the day on the African savannah of Florida. Sometimes, a night safari is offered which might be a fun twist, be we find the vistas of the savannah, and the unscripted animal sightings to be a real treat.
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disney's Hollywood Studios - Go on a double date with Mickey and Minnie, but expect the unexpected.
Toy Story Mania or Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - If you and your date are competitive, then these rides/games are for you. Toy Story Mania can be found at Disney Hollywood Studios, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin can be found at the Magic Kingdom.
Fireworks - We find all fireworks to be date worthy, but we especially find the fireworks at EPCOT and of course at the Magic Kingdom to be romantic.
Other Experiences
Fireworks dessert parties or cruises - If you want to "plus" your fireworks experience, there are several options from dessert parties with a reserved viewing area and tables of desserts to cruises which will get you out of the crowds and onto the water for your viewing, and some of which feature desserts as well. Be aware that with the pandemic there are currently no fireworks and so therefore, none of these experiences, but we expect them to return as soon as fireworks return.
Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs - A new Cirque du Soleil show is coming soon to Disney Springs called Drawn to Life. If you've not heard of Cirque du Soleil, it's hard to describe. It's not quite like a circus you might have ever seen, and it's for adults as much, if not more, than it is for kids. Expect aerialists, acrobats, dancers, trapeze, balancing, but don't expect three rings and sad looking animals. It's an amazing show.
Aerophile at Disney Springs - If you and your date are not afraid of heights, then ride this tethered hot air balloon to a view of the entire Disney property.
Amphicar rentals from the Boathouse at Disney Springs - It's a boat, and also a car, and you can rent a tour with your own captain from the Boathouse.
Campfires and Horse Drawn Carriage Rides - at Disney's Fort Wilderness resort you will find both a campfire and the horse drawn carriages through wooded trails. At Disney's Port Orleans riverside, you will find the horse drawn carriage through the streets of the bayou settlement.
Spa treatments - Disney runs two Senses spas on property, one at Saratoga Springs Resort and the other at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. These are full service spas so you can book any treatments you desire.
Electrical Water Pageant and Fireworks from the Beach - Many of the experiences we listed come at extra cost, but this one is a FREE treat. Get yourself to the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, or Polynesian resort around dusk (we prefer the Polynesian). There is an electrical water pageant of different lit boats, with their own special music, that will float by each resort's beach each night. Shortly after this, the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom are usually scheduled and the music will be piped in to the beaches as well so you can watch the fireworks away from the crowds. Just don't go in the water at night. There can be gators. It is still Florida, after all.
Other Things to Know
As a couple of adults, sometimes traveling at Walt Disney World can feel frustrating because there are so many kids and families around. This is why for many of our recommendations, we tried to select more adult-oriented, off the beaten path experiences. If you want to avoid children, we recommend staying clear of the theme parks in mid-afternoon. Early morning will find children, of course, but fewer people in general. And as evening wears on, the crowds tend to trend more toward adults as the young children hit their personal walls and families head out. We think evenings are the best time at Walt Disney World because the Florida sunsets are always so spectacular and the weather tends to cool, especially after whatever rain the day may have called for.
Nevertheless, you might need to wear your patience cap, and have a plan to get out if the park gets annoying. This could be a plan to park hop to another park if the one you are in is no longer pleasing you, or a plan to go to a resort or Disney Springs instead.
Definitely try to spare yourself some Disney transportation frustration during park opening time and especially after fireworks. These are the times that all transportation services tend to be most crowded. Of these two times where transportation is crowded, we think after fireworks is probably the worst time. If the park remains open after fireworks, we recommend you stay a while to let all those families who were holding out for fireworks before bed to get out. Otherwise, we have taken this one topic and dived deep in our Exit Strategies series and we recommend you take a look at:
Also, as a PSA, Walt Disney World tries to keep the vibe wholesome. This means if you got a little too drunk on your drinking around World Showcase tour, you might be asked to leave. It also means if you are making out and guests are finding your behavior lewd, you might be asked to stop or leave. Kisses and hugs are ok. Full blown making out is not ok.
And for your own personal comfort, two bits of wisdom:
1) Even lovebirds get snippy when they are hot and tired. Recognize when exhaustion is setting in and have a little bit of forgiveness with each other. If you've been hitting the theme parks hard or neglecting sleep, someone is bound to get cranky. Recognize the factors playing into this and hit the brakes if you need to get back on the right track. Don't let an argument caused by heat or fatigue define your relationship.
2) Dress shoes are not great walking shoes. Maybe you have a fancy dinner or date planned so you try to go to the park in your dress shoes and dress clothes. I can almost guarantee this is going to be uncomfortable. I recommend allowing extra time to change at your resort and get to your reservation. Or, if you don't want to head all the way to your resort, at least wear good walking shoes to the park and carry the dress shoes with you so you can change only when it is necessary.
We hope that we've shown you, once again, that Walt Disney World can be fun for everyone. Have you had a date at Walt Disney World? Did we miss something on our list that you would recommend? Let us know over on our Facebook page where you can follow us to see new posts each week. Until next time...
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