The personalized mouse ears. The Mickey-shaped ice cream. Meeting Mickey, Minnie and all their friends for the first time. Everyone remembers some element of their first trip to Disney World, even if their first trip was when they were only 3 or 4 years old. However a lot of people are of the opinion that they don’t need to re-visit Disney World until they have a 3- or 4-year-old child of their own to take with them.
Since the opening of the Magic Kingdom in October 1971, Disney World has expanded in astounding amounts with the addition of Epcot in 1982, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998; thereby making Disney World four worlds in one. This doesn’t even include the two water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), Downtown Disney area (complete with restaurants, shopping and Disney’s own Cirque Du Soliel show La Nouba), golf courses, spas, and wide variety of resorts (from value to luxury) that are right within the Disney property. Disney World has come a long way since 1971 in both size and technology, and offers so much for young adults traveling without kids that it is worth a visit or two without children to reminisce old Disney memories while making new ones.
(1) Thrill Rides That Are Actually Thrilling!
Dubbed the big three mountains you needed to conquer in the Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain (1975), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (1979) and Splash Mountain (1992) were, for many years, the only thrill rides/roller coasters that Disney had to offer patrons. In comparison to other theme parks such as Six Flags Great Adventure (offering rides such as The Great American Scream Machine and Batman: The Ride) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (with roller coaster thrill favorites such as Alpengeist and Loch Ness Monster), these rides, while still beloved classics, didn’t add up on the “thrill” front many amusement park goers were craving. While each have been updated and renovated over the years, many argue that Disney did not truly break into the thrill ride sector until Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened the Twlight Zone Tower of Terror in 1994 (a free-falling elevator ride that plummets riders down, and back up, and back down again, at varying intervals and speeds) and Rock’n’Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith in 1999 (a looping roller coaster that accelerates riders from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds). Epcot also got in the thrill ride mix and opened Test Track in 1999, which is currently Disney World’s fastest attraction that puts the rider in the role of a crash test dummy on a General Motors test track. In 2006, Animal Kingdom proudly opened Expedition Everest, an elaborately themed roller coaster that zips riders front wards and backwards at speeds between 30 and 50 mph through the Himalayan mountains as they try to escape the fearsome Yeti. With height requirements that most children under the age of 8 cannot meet, these rides were designed with thrill-seeking adults in mind; quite a change of pace from It’s A Small World!
(2) Disney Imagineers Utilize Technology in the Most Magical of Ways
If thrills aren’t your thing, Disney offers newer, flashier, “tame” rides as well. 3D has been an exploding trend among those simply buying televisions, and Disney World has taken this technology and put people right in the middle of it with Toy Story Midway Mania, an interactive ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that debuted in 2008. Riders don 3D glasses and play carnival games among all their Toy Story favorites. Wait times can still exceed over 2 ½ hours, even two years after the debut of this attraction, due to its popularity among visitors. Simulators have come a long way at Disney World as well; Soarin’ (2005) and Mission: Space (2003) at Epcot both champion the simulator sector at both parks, allowing visitors to “fly” over various cities or blast off into space, respectively.
(3) Golf, Tennis and Spas—oh my!
6 hard tennis courts, 2 clay tennis courts, 5 golf courses and 3 full-service spas await you right on Disney property. Amenities that are generally dubbed “boring” by younger children, these areas of Disney world offer children-free environments for a different kind of relaxation; leave the screaming kids on line for Dumbo in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. After a relaxing day, eat to your heart’s content. Epcot’s World Showcase, Downtown Disney MarketPlace, Downtown Disney West Side, and a wide variety of the luxury resorts (such as the Grand Floridian) offer visitors specialty sit-down dining establishments devoid of character greetings with finer fare than your typical amusement park cheeseburger and Coke. Book your dining reservations well in advance of your trip (up to 90 days ahead); those working at Disney Dining aren’t kidding when they tell you that restaurant reservations fill up fast.
(4) Get Your Drink On
Epcot’s World Showcase boasts eleven countries for visitors to walk around to get a taste of eleven different cultures. Set up conveniently in a circular pavilion, visitors can either start in Mexico or Canada and work their way around all eleven to make sure all are experienced. Young adults have turned this into a way to experience specialty alcoholic beverages from all eleven of these countries as they “drink around the world.” From margaritas in Mexico to sake in Japan, you’ll truly get a sampling of worldly beverages without having to take more than a few steps between countries. Visit Epcot in the fall and experience the International Food and Wine Festival, another great way to sample exotic cuisines and specialty wines from around the world.
(5) Go Behind the Scenes
Disney World offers a variety of backstage tours to guests, allowing them to see just how the Disney magic runs and operates on a daily basis. Depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend visitors can choose from a variety of backstage touring options, such as a 6-hour tour that showcases everything from Disney’s famed Audio-Animatronic figures to the legendary underground “Utilidor” tunnel system, or a simple 1-hour “Behind the Seeds” tour through the greenhouses in Epcot’s Living with the Land pavilion that provide vegetables for restaurants used throughout the Disney World property. As adults, you’ll appreciate not only the magic itself but just how the magic is made; this type of knowledge is never something children are interested in experiencing.
Have your own ideas/suggestions on ways adults can re-experience Disney World before they take their own kids? Post ‘em below!
I drank around the world in May… I highly recommend it!