Anniversary Trip in January

[fronkfam]

My husband and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary in January. We haven't been to the park without kids since our 1st anniversary in 1994. Please help me plan! It has been several years since we've been as a family, so I need to do lots of research and get updated on all of the latest happenings. Please give me suggestions of great things to do for just the two of us!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Can you give us an idea of what sort of things you like to do? Tours? Fine dining? Casual dining? Will you have a car? Will you be staying on site? What dates in January? Remember that during low season the nightly entertainment schedule is usually weekends only (Fri., Sat., Sun.).
Off the top of my head here is a list of things to research:
Chef's Counter at Napa Rose (Or even a table in the dining room, order the Vintner's Menu with a wine flight!)
Steakhouse 55 (if steak and potatoes are more your style)
Drinks in the lounge at Carthay Circle (followed by lunch/dinner upstairs if you'd like -- maybe a WOC Dining Package?)
WOC Dessert Party -- the only option that comes with a chair and the shortest wait
F! Dining Package -- BB or RBT (check menus to see which appeals to you)
Dinner with live jazz at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in DTD (or Jazz Brunch)
Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour
Dancing to a live band at the Royal Swing Ball at Princess Fantasy Faire in DL on Saturday nights
Shopping! Buy something really memorable to celebrate this special event.
Order a custom cake to be delivered to any TS restaurant. Call Disney Dining to ask about this and search for the cake thread on this forum.
If you'll have a car, then your adventures could include dinner by the beach, for example.

 

[fronkfam]

Thank you so much for all of the ideas! We will most likely be there over the weekend including Martin Luther King Jr holiday. Our anniversary is the 15th. We won't have a big budget and just really look forward to spending time doing what we want to do instead of the kids' prederences! I think we would really love to do the WOC dessert package.

We won't be staying onsite. Probably just across the street though! We most likely won't have a car. Planning to be in the park for 2-3 days.

It may sound silly, but one thing I'm excited about is being able to wait in line for rides without having to entertain kids!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... It may sound silly, but one thing I'm excited about is being able to wait in line for rides without having to entertain kids!

Not silly at all! Totally get it -- that is precious time you get to spend together! That will be a race weekend at DLR, so being organized and prepared will help you both to get the most out of your weekend away.
If you do the WOC Dessert Party, let the CMs know at check in that you are celebrating a milestone anniversary. If there is a place to note it on your reservation, put it there, too.
For more budget friendly ideas, here are some things that DH and I love doing in the parks:
Sharing a hot fudge sundae at Ghirardelli in DCA
Sharing a popcorn while sitting on a bench and people watching
Watching all the live music in the parks and in DTD
If you dance at the Royal Swing Ball, let the band leader know it's your anniversary. He'll dedicate a song to you. In fact, most, if not all, of the bands and musicians will do something like that for you throughout the parks.
Make sure to get your "I'm Celebrating _______!" buttons and wear them proudly all weekend.

 

[fronkfam]

Thank you! I really appreciate all of the great advice.

 

[DizMe]

You should have lots of fun! I love going to DL in January (it's my birthday month and I try to do it every year). I completely understand the giddy delight of not having the kids along, lol. I have 5 and while I love our family trips, I have grown even more fond of my girlfriend getaways (my dh isn't too fond of DLR). Last year, I was tight on money but my friend asked me if I'd want to go down for the day. We live a couple hours north of Sacramento. We both have SW credit cards and so we booked on points, flew down early, spent a day in the parks with a friend who lives in SoCal and flew home that night It was one of my best birthdays ever!

Anyway, I think theluckyrabbit has given great suggestions!! I would add a couple: go to Trader Sam's (Disneyland Hotel) and have a cool drink to share. I like the Uh-Oa. It's in a bowl for 2 and it has fire and a bit of hoopla when it's brought to you. And you're in a tiki bar! It's so fun. Outside, they often have a nice band that plays island music. If they still have it, the port and cheese tasting in DCA at the wine bar connected to Wine Country Trattoria is very fun If you're not that into cheese, you can bring over some chocolate from Ghirardelli and do a port and chocolate tasting. It used to be an option but sadly it was dropped from the official offering list, but they told us we could do it if we brought the chocolate