Finding the Disney Magic for Adult First Timers?

Disney has always been a part of my life. My father grew up in St. Augustine FL and I spent time there when I was quite young. I don't remember but I have seen Home video of myself as a toddler eating in The Magic Kingdom with my family and the memories I have of spending time in the Disney parks are some of my favorite. Not only the parks though but all other areas of my life have been influenced by the Disney Magic.

I was born in 1985 so I grew up in the 90s for the most part. In the 90s I was exposed to the Renaissance of Disney animation. I remember watching Aladdin, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and so many others as well as the beginnings of Pixar and being enthralled as a child at how amazing these movies were. The Lion King is still one of my favorite movies of all time. Now as an adult there is nothing better to me than sharing my love of all things Disney with everyone else.

I am currently an independent travel consultant for an online travel company and book mainly Disney vacations, including my own. I am now in the process of planning a new vacation for myself, my wife, my good friend from high school and his wife. I have been to Walt Disney World many times and am looking forward to feeding my pin trading obsession. My wife will be going for the 3rd time and is looking forward to good times and memories made with great friends. My high school friend and his wife will be going for the first time. They are incredibly exited for this trip and while the are hoping to enjoy some of the adult offerings such as drinking around the world they really want to experience that Disney Magic that I have come to love so much. So what are those quintessential Disney things that are “must do’s’’ for you? What do you do in the park to feel that spark that Walt built this idea to inspire?

Well I first create luggage tags for myself and friends. Then DH and I always get a grocery shop with our town car service and that process starts the trip. We eat at certain places but we are DVC so returning to AKV is so comfortable that it feels "like home". We ride the same rides and eat usually at ou favorite places. Mostly we just rest and walk around slowly taking it all in and just enjoy not being here in reality. Have a great time with your friends and wife.

I'm kind of doing the same thing! I was born in 87, so I grew up with Disney Renaissance too (Little Mermaid was my first movie in theaters) and my parents honeymooned at WDW and have been bringing me and my brother periodically since was like 3. The friend that I'm taking this year I've known since middle school and this will be his first time to WDW. He's super excited. And I'm loving thinking about all of the Disney stuff I've loved to do since I was a kid that I'm going to get to show him.

Other than the obvious fireworks shows at night, I've always loved doing the dark rides in Fantasyland (even though I'm well over the age bracket that they're intended for). I kind of miss Snow White's Scary Adventures, but Peter Pan's Flight will always be a favorite. I also really like the Carousel of Progress since I found it when I was in high school. I love that and Spaceship Earth because they're both kind of kitschy and dated but in the best way possible. And the PeopleMover. I've always loved the PeopleMover. It's the perfect mid afternoon ride.

I now have a new one which will be implemented every time I bring someone to the parks who hasn't seen it before: the new queue for the Peter Pan attraction! It's awesome!! Do it at RD as one of your first attractions without a FP to experience the queue. It's a great way to start the day!

OP, you did not mention what time of year you were going. I just went through this with my 50 yo BFF. We went down the day after Thanksgiving and spent a week. The very first thing we did was dinner at Minnie's Holiday Dine with F! tix. It gave me a chance to gauge her reaction to character interaction, and F! has so many unique elements not seen elsewhere. We stayed at AKL the first night, and seeing giraffes right outside your room is magical in itself! I tried to include the special holiday activities, like booking a CP package so we would have good seats without standing in a long line for her first time to see it. And we did the Merry and Bright dessert party to give us an opportunity to just soak in the whole Osborne Lights thing. I also made sure we spent a little time at Disney Springs, and we played Fantasia mini-golf. As far as attractions go, I am another fan of COP and the Peoplemover, and I explained how although they may seem hokey now, they were truly innovative at the time and exemplify Walt's progressive thinking.

I am a DVC member, and we stayed at 3 different resorts because I wanted her to see how each resort is special - AKL, OKW and Poly. And we visited lots of the other to see the holiday decorations. If you are DVC, a trip to TOTWL to have a drink and watch the fireworks is great. If not, watch them from the beach at the Poly.

I tried not to overplan so I could take some cues from what she seemed to enjoy. I think if you show your friends some of the things that make you feel the magic, they will see it too. Best thing she said to me was that now she understood why I liked to go down there so much. And she ended up buying DVC on day 4 - so she must have felt the magic, too!!

jillt2ph said:

OP, you did not mention what time of year you were going. I just went through this with my 50 yo BFF. We went down the day after Thanksgiving and spent a week.

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We are actually going Oct. 12th-19th. We are hoping to partake in some of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and MNSSHP in the Magic Kingdom.

Some of the things outside the parks, depending upon what you and they are into:
sports: golf, mini-golf, fishing, marathon, bowling, ESPN Club, WWS/ESPN Zone, etc
shopping: DTD, area outlet malls, large scale malls
drinking: Jellyrolls, Raglan Road, monorail tour of resorts, walking tour of resorts in the Boardwalk area
movies: DTD 24 screen theater some with meals served by waiters
night clubbing: Jellyrolls, Atlantic Dance, Raglan Road, Citywalk
resort tours: monorail tour of resorts, Boardwalk around the lake tour of resorts, horse drawn tour of FWC, AKL/AKV
offsite: Gaylord Palms Resort, Citywalk, swamp tour
eating: Formal GF 5* Chef's Table @ V&As

Another '85 right here. For me it's the fireworks. Whether it be in the parks or seeing them from a restaurant, it just speaks there Disney magic in me!!!

I'm and '87 and grew up going to Disney every year with my grandparents. When I started dating my now husband he thought my obsession with Disney was crazy and couldn't understand how in my 20s I still jumped at any chance to go and why a 10 day park hopper was the best graduation present ever. That was until I finally dragged him on a trip when we were 24. Now 5 years later he is equally obsessed if not more than I am. The one thing we did that totally won him over was the Keys to the Kingdom tour. If you haven't heard of it the tour is for 18+ and takes you through the park and backstage and you learn so much about Walt and the makings of Disney and the parks. It's truly a magical experience for anyone who loves Disney and really wants to appreciate how it came to be not to mention its for adults only so you learn things that won't ruin the magic for children.

Other than that I recommend taking advantage of wonderful food the Disney culinary team has to offer - it's not all burgers and fries! One of our favorite spots to hide away and relax is the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in Italy at Epcot (especially if its super hot out!). The ambiance is wonderful and who doesn't love some wine and cheese in the middle of the afternoon. Or if you would rather Tequila then there is La Cava de Tequila in Mexico which has a similar cave like ambiance and lots of adult drinks and snacks! All in all you really can't go wrong with anything you do - just enjoy all the little details like you were a kid again. Disney is the one place you don't have to 'adult'! Have a wonderful trip!

I just took my BF for his very first time last year and I discovered something that really enhanced our experience.. We fast passed Wishes in MK and it was wonderful! No hassle of finding a spot just to be shoved and squished. Not sure what drove me to use a fast pass on fireworks, but for us it was definitely worth it!