Childfree (by choice) Disney Lovers!

[zima-cheryl]

Going with my boyfriend in December for my 21st birthday! Wanting to do dinner somewhere fun and good on the night of my birthday. Any recomendations? Were thinking about somewhere at DD.

Also, wanting to plan something romantic one night. Any ideas??

On a budget also, so not expensive ideas, haha!

At Downtown Disney we are partial to Paradiso 37. If you can get an outside table it is a lovely view of the lake.
Ragalan Road is another of our favorites - amazing food!

For romantic, what about a carriage ride? We did that at Fort Wilderness on our honeymoon (many years ago). Had a small bottle of champagne & timed it so we could catch glimpses of the MK fireworks through the trees.

 

[glaserjm]

I've looked on the boards a bit, but have other CF people gone to MNSSHP? We're going to our first one this fall and although I'm anticipating it being a lot of children, I'm hoping there will be plenty of stuff to entertain me and DH (although since just the thought of going to a Halloween party at Mickey's house in costume is even appealing to us, I'm assuming we'll be fine!!)

 

[zima-cheryl]

I've looked on the boards a bit, but have other CF people gone to MNSSHP? We're going to our first one this fall and although I'm anticipating it being a lot of children, I'm hoping there will be plenty of stuff to entertain me and DH (although since just the thought of going to a Halloween party at Mickey's house in costume is even appealing to us, I'm assuming we'll be fine!!)

We did our first MNSSHP last trip & can't wait to do another one!

I know there were kids around, but honestly we don't even notice them 99% of the time. Of course that isn't the party, that is all the time @ WDW for us, we are in our own little world

Will you be entertained? What do you like? We collected candy, rode rides, took advantage of the extra photo spots and love, love, loved the parade! I also loved the decorations & took tons of pictures. Not being big show people we skipped the Halloween show & I don't do the loud noise, so fireworks were not a priority for us (my priority was actually being as far away from the noise as possible when they started )

For costumes, nothing too racy or over the top (think 'family friendly'). That said we saw some amazing costumes. We kept it simple. Our costumes were t-shirts (mine read 'Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.').

I would suggest that you take the day off & relax at your resort. Sleep in, enjoy the pool, have a nice lunch. Then around 4p head to the park & get your wrist band (assuming they still do those). 4p is when they started letting party guests in the day we had ours. You will have the cooler part of the afternoon & all evening to enjoy the park.

Personally I would go back in a heartbeat (actually already planning it for our 2014 trip ). If you have never been, I say go for it & give it a try.

 

[glaserjm]

We did our first MNSSHP last trip & can't wait to do another one!

I know there were kids around, but honestly we don't even notice them 99% of the time. Of course that isn't the party, that is all the time @ WDW for us, we are in our own little world

Will you be entertained? What do you like? We collected candy, rode rides, took advantage of the extra photo spots and love, love, loved the parade! I also loved the decorations & took tons of pictures. Not being big show people we skipped the Halloween show & I don't do the loud noise, so fireworks were not a priority for us (my priority was actually being as far away from the noise as possible when they started )

For costumes, nothing too racy or over the top (think 'family friendly'). That said we saw some amazing costumes. We kept it simple. Our costumes were t-shirts (mine read 'Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.').

I would suggest that you take the day off & relax at your resort. Sleep in, enjoy the pool, have a nice lunch. Then around 4p head to the park & get your wrist band (assuming they still do those). 4p is when they started letting party guests in the day we had ours. You will have the cooler part of the afternoon & all evening to enjoy the park.

Personally I would go back in a heartbeat (actually already planning it for our 2014 trip ). If you have never been, I say go for it & give it a try.

Thanks Cheryl! We bought our tickets today and are thinking up costume ideas as we speak. I don't do racy Halloween costumes, I hate that for a lot of women Halloween is just an excuse to dress trashy! So we will definitely be keeping it family friendly. I love creative costumes, so I can't wait to see what people come up with!

We are definitely doing a resort day and relaxing before heading to the party, I think it will be much more enjoyable if we aren't drained from being in another park earlier in the day.

This trip will also be our first F&W and I cannot wait!!

 

[mkaccountant]

Yay! DH and I are not the only DINKS that love Disney!

The one thing that frustrated me on our last trip was the other guests w/children at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Hello - we paid extra for this event and I don't think you have a bracelet yet you try to push in front of us so your child can see - excuse me! Sorry, I am still slightly irked almost 6 months later.

We are planning to head back for the Christmas season this year, but we will not be going to the MVMCP for the reason above. Slightly OT but, we are considering the Williamsburg Busch Garden's platinum passes which get us in to SeaWorld and Busch Garden's Tampa, anyone go to either of these at Christmas? Thoughts? TIA

 

[zima-cheryl]

The one thing that frustrated me on our last trip was the other guests w/children at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Hello - we paid extra for this event and I don't think you have a bracelet yet you try to push in front of us so your child can see - excuse me! Sorry, I am still slightly irked almost 6 months later.

Even if they had paid admission you have every right to be there too.
We just had to deal w/that this weekend & it is sooo frustrating!
We were at the railroad museum in Baltimore & a family seemed to be touring at the same pace & on the same route we were. Every time we got somewhere for a photo opp or chance to play, the kids came tearing in & crawling all over.
Yes, you paid admission for your family, but so did we & if I want a pix of my husband or FIL in the engineers seat you need to wait your turn. What gives now days?!? When I was a kid, if I or my brothers tried that my parents would have made us wait our turns. And if we did jump the line we had to appologize to the folks we cut off.

 

[shaqie1]

Good for you! DH is turning 35 and we will be celebrating at the F&WF. Can't wait. We are also CFBC and love everything WDW! Been there too many times to count. We are staying at AKV for the first time and we are so excited. Can't wait 145 days!

 

[mkaccountant]

Yes, you paid admission for your family, but so did we & if I want a pix of my husband or FIL in the engineers seat you need to wait your turn. What gives now days?!? When I was a kid, if I or my brothers tried that my parents would have made us wait our turns. And if we did jump the line we had to appologize to the folks we cut off.

I so understand, same thing happens when you want a picture with a character at WDW. Some parents will stare at you like you are a lunatic when they realize you do not have a child. To the parents who allow their children to run in front of adults, I want to ask if their parents allowed them to misbehave like that when they were kids. Really are manners, etiquette, good behavior, whatever you want to call it not taught anymore?

 

[cbeeindisney]

Going with my boyfriend in December for my 21st birthday! Wanting to do dinner somewhere fun and good on the night of my birthday. Any recomendations? Were thinking about somewhere at DD.

Also, wanting to plan something romantic one night. Any ideas??

On a budget also, so not expensive ideas, haha!

I LOVE Raglan Road, live music, step-dancer, good beer, it's a great place to turn 21!

I'm still trying to plan something romantic myself, so I'm no help there! DBF is turning 27 and I have no plans

 

[zima-cheryl]

More details on Food & Wine.

Talk about a great adult event. We've had some amazing food at F&W in the past. Last year we went to the dessert party & wow! Bummed we will miss it this year.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/...ne-festival-news-menu-items-events-and-chefs/

 

[Artoo]

Hi everyone! I'm very happy I found this thread. Anyway, I am child-free by choice and WILL remain that way. In fact, I'm not really a kid or baby person (I'm more of a dog and parrot-type person!). All my relatives (not my mom, but more like aunts and uncles) always balk at the fact that I'm not nuts over my cousin's 2 year old son and that I never want kids of my own, but to each their own, you know? I was married for a while, then divorced. I now realize that I'm probably never going to get married again (I just turned 34) and that really doesn't bother me. I never really lived my life for ME, I always put myself on the back burner for other people. Now I am back in school, taking charge of my life and am going to Disney World in January for my first solo trip!!!

 

[mkaccountant]

Hi everyone! I'm very happy I found this thread. Anyway, I am child-free by choice and WILL remain that way. In fact, I'm not really a kid or baby person (I'm more of a dog and parrot-type person!). All my relatives (not my mom, but more like aunts and uncles) always balk at the fact that I'm not nuts over my cousin's 2 year old son and that I never want kids of my own, but to each their own, you know? I was married for a while, then divorced. I now realize that I'm probably never going to get married again (I just turned 34) and that really doesn't bother me. I never really lived my life for ME, I always put myself on the back burner for other people. Now I am back in school, taking charge of my life and am going to Disney World in January for my first solo trip!!!

Good for you! You will never regret your decisions for your future! I totally agree with to each their own on the kids choice! I am not saying I will never have children but that isn't in the plan right now. I really get frustrated at my sister who thinks everyone needs to drop everything they are doing to see her kids! I understand that her husband's family does that, but that isn't me. I do not dislike kids, but a cat or dog can make you smile too. Good luck in your studies!

 

[glaserjm]

I totally agree with the shopworn "drop everything for the kids". My parents were very involved with us but they also routinely took time to go out on their own and follow interests that they had prior to having children; it not only created two independent children, but taught me to respect them as people not just parents. The current climate to me seems to be that if children are not all consuming at all times and you're not constantly indulging their whims, than you're not doing it right...this may be one of the reasons that I am balking at having children (and one of the reasons I often take issue with the behavior of some children!)

Anyway, this thread seems to have become less active than it once was! Some of you founding posters need to help bring it back to life!

 

[aiminator]

Hi everyone! I am so glad I found this thread! DH, 38, and I, 34, are child free and love Disney World. We have both traveled a lot, but Disney is our favorite place. We went to Santa Fe last month for vaca. Although it was nice and beautiful weather, we agreed we'd rather have gone to Disney. I see that everyone here gets the "Why Disney if you don't have kids?" routine. We just love it. We know that we will have a great experience, great accommodations and the restaurants are unbelievable!

I got the "there is no reason to go to Disney unless you have kids" response from a lot of people - some were a little more rude than that. I agree with you... I just love it. Great experience, great hotel, great food and ambiance!

To be completely honest... I was so excited to have my picture taken with Mickey and Minnie. The two characters really played it up for our adult-only photo. I was happy that Mickey and Minnie didn't act like we were two weirdos for wanting our pics taken with them ha ha. The photographer looked annoyed though and just snapped two quick pics. However Minnie pointed at the photographer and had her take another one of just the two of us. Minnie also stepped in to rearrange the photo - you could tell who was in charge of that photo-op!

 

[mkaccountant]

I am so glad I am not the only one who get's frustrated with parenting expectations now days, glaserjm! My sister get's mad b/c she has lost friends over the years. She cannot understand the reason of her turning them down every time they ask her to do something but do not ask her to bring her kids is the main cause. I do not think she can be herself anymore. I am glad your parents stayed true to themselves.

aiminator - I hate the "but you don't have kids" statement when we talk about going to Disney (yearly). I personally think that most of the parks offer just as much if not more for adults! I hope kids aren't drinking their way around the world I <3 your experience with Minnie! I so swoon when Aladin or a Prince (or the chef who came out to talk to us at Whispering Canyon Cafe about DH's allergies) call me "princess!"

 

[franandaj]

I had to laugh about the "kids drinking their way around the world" statement!

I was so happy to hear that the Grand Mariner event will be back this year, just relocated to the Festival Center. I guess the whole Disney without kids being foreign must be a Disneyworld thing because there are tons of adult AP holders at Disneyland. At the Carsland preview there were tons of folks there without kids. There were kids there too, but the place wasn't over run with them. Maybe since there was a $50 surcharge on top of the AP to attend the event.

 

[LillsnJills]

Yay! DH and I are not the only DINKS that love Disney!

The one thing that frustrated me on our last trip was the other guests w/children at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Hello - we paid extra for this event and I don't think you have a bracelet yet you try to push in front of us so your child can see - excuse me! Sorry, I am still slightly irked almost 6 months later.

Can't blame you at all for still being irked six months on - I'm irked now on your behalf! That's one of the things I'm least looking forward to on our upcoming trip (my first as a fully fledged adult). I HATE when childed people act like their little brats have more of a right to a view just because they're a child and small. If you wanted to ensure a view for the shorties, then pay more for an event/get there early to get a spot up front. Don't think I'm going to yield my spot just because your kid can't see. My partner is petite and often has difficulty seeing over heads in a crowd, and no one yields a spot to her, nor would we expect them to.

 

[Artoo]

Good luck in your studies!

Thank you! Going back to school was a very big step for me and I'm so glad I did it!

 

[CurlyJo224]

More details on Food & Wine.

Talk about a great adult event. We've had some amazing food at F&W in the past. Last year we went to the dessert party & wow! Bummed we will miss it this year.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/...ne-festival-news-menu-items-events-and-chefs/

That Key Lime Wine sounds intriguing. And the Australian lamb chops with a mint pesto? I'll go for that!

 

[zima-cheryl]

Hi everyone! I'm very happy I found this thread. Anyway, I am child-free by choice and WILL remain that way. In fact, I'm not really a kid or baby person (I'm more of a dog and parrot-type person!). All my relatives (not my mom, but more like aunts and uncles) always balk at the fact that I'm not nuts over my cousin's 2 year old son and that I never want kids of my own, but to each their own, you know? I was married for a while, then divorced. I now realize that I'm probably never going to get married again (I just turned 34) and that really doesn't bother me. I never really lived my life for ME, I always put myself on the back burner for other people. Now I am back in school, taking charge of my life and am going to Disney World in January for my first solo trip!!!

Good For You!
I give you a lot of credit for re-starting school like that!

That Key Lime Wine sounds intriguing. And the Australian lamb chops with a mint pesto? I'll go for that!

THey had a lamb chop last year too & it was great. I think they do every year & just change up the preparation of it. The mint pesto sounds very yummy!!