Middle-aged women in WDW

[evedein]

We are 3 middle-aged women (first trip in many yrs for 2 of us) going to WDW in May 2013 for my 60th birthday. I'm looking for ideas on how to make the most of our time. We will have the regular dining plan. Staying in DVC - don't know which one yet. I'm doing the planning. It's my 12th trip, but traveling with all mature adults is different from traveling with family. I would appeciate any suggestions for showing them the best of WDW for adults.

 

[willowsnn3]

I usually travel with dd & grandkids so can't help with just adults, lol. Just wanted to suggest a side trip over to POP Century & have your picture made in front of the huge psychdelic 60. I did that the year I was 60 & love it. We also took pictures in front of the signs for our year of birth that are around the path by the lake.

 

[evedein]

Oh I love that idea!

 

[goofyernmost]

We are 3 middle-aged women (first trip in many yrs for 2 of us) going to WDW in May 2013 for my 60th birthday. I'm looking for ideas on how to make the most of our time. We will have the regular dining plan. Staying in DVC - don't know which one yet. I'm doing the planning. It's my 12th trip, but traveling with all mature adults is different from traveling with family. I would appeciate any suggestions for showing them the best of WDW for adults.

I really don't have any suggestions because everyone is different and intense planning can be a real disappointment for the planner. I suggest that some time before you go you have a little get together. If they all have been at some point it should be easy, but if some haven't been then it is important to lay out the possibilities and try to make decisions as a group for as much as you can.

Other then that, I must comment on your descriptive title of Middle-aged! I'm 64 myself and know for a fact that I am so far beyond middle age that I can't even see it from here. It's a dot to me. Unless I somehow live to be 128 that title is gone forever. That said...optimism is a good thing!

 

[evedein]

I'm middle-aged until I decide I'm not. LOL

 

[bz8bls]

I too am middled age (will be 60 in December), however, most people believe my young grandchildren are my children.
Go for it middle age

 

[SnowMaryBelle]

Traveling without the family is much easier because there is far less hassle. Seriously though, I've never seen much difference between an 'adult' vacation and a 'kids' vacation at WDW. Except for the bonuses of not having to deal with strollers or autograph books. Most of my time in the parks is spent with adults. We relax and go to our favorite restaurants. We stay in the parks until closing (the Magic Kingdom at night is my favorite). Unless there are health issues, we ride all the rides. My great aunt rode Tower of Terror at the age of 77 or 78 (can't remember the exact year she was there).

Depending on the dates you are there next May, the Flower and Garden Festival will be going on in Epcot.

There are also the options of the guided tours, for more backgound information.

I'd make time with your traveling companions to discuss which attractions are most...attractive and to pour over menus deciding which restaurants are most intriguing.

 

[Pooh2]

We went for our 25th anniversary and did a few shows like Hoope Dee Doo and Cirque De Soleil. Other than that, we just liked not being rushed from roller coaster to roller coaster and enjoyed being at a leisurely pace. We did go during the Flower Festival and took in the Chubby Checker concert and stopped to appreciate the incredible flower displays.

Happy 60th!

 

[Straughn]

Another middle aged woman here! Remember 60 is the new 50, so yes we are still middle aged. The thought of what comes after middle age is scary enough to keep me referring to myself as that.

I have introduced two adult friends, in separate trips, to the wonders of WDW. What both of them seemed to enjoy was the restaurants. They were both amazed at the high quality of the food and the variety- Jiko was a favorite for both.

One of them enjoyed seeing the theming at the different hotels. The other is a roller coaster lover and enjoyed doing those types attractions.

I agree with the previous poster who said that a planning meeting where you can discuss options is a good idea. After we had been there several days, I asked each of my friends to decide they wanted to do or redo which they enjoyed immensely. I (or you) can organize all the activities because we have been there many times before. Letting your friends chose something makes them feel less like they are on your schedule and they get to do something that appeals to them that you might not think of.

 

[goofyernmost]

Another middle aged woman here! Remember 60 is the new 50, so yes we are still middle aged. The thought of what comes after middle age is scary enough to keep me referring to myself as that.

OK, you win! I suppose it does sound better than "Sliding down the hill to Dead age".

 

[nurse.darcy]

1. I will refer to myself as middle aged until I decide I am old. . .just sayin. . .

2. As for what to do at WDW with a bunch of middle aged women? Really depends on what you like to do. I can spend a few hours in a water park or at the resort pools just hanging out in my swim suit and enjoying a drink with an umbrella in it. . .some people need the rides, shows and attractions. I agree with some of the previous posters who said meet up with said travelers and get a list going of some must do's. You can then plan your travels around that.

3. Wanting some not-so-mundane been-there-done-that ideas? Why not try a tour. . .for me personally I would love to do any tour in Epcot. . .behind the seeds. . .segway. . .etc. There are many tour options to choose from. How about a fireworks cruise or Illuminations cruise? These are memorable and fun.

4. Every adult who drinks enjoys the "drinking around the world" idea. This is not a guided tour but can be fun if you are staying on-site and enjoy having a libation or several. . .lol.

5. Monorail resort tour. Hop on the monorail and tour around the different resorts that are available. Have a cocktail in the lounge, visit the pool area, trapse through the gift shop and find the unique items in each resort. You can visit the Contemporary, Poly and The Grand Floridian.

These are some ideas that just popped into my head. I have many more circulating there and it depends on the time of year you are visiting. I saw May. . .flower and garden festival at Epcot comes to mind. . .always a nice time.

 

[evedein]

Thanks for the great ideas. Keep them coming.

 

[scrappinDW]

I am 'middle aged' too!!! I have also been to WDW 12 times, some times with kids and some times with all adults.
We love the tours. My nephew's younger girlfriend even thanked me for booking a tour because they learned so much. (It was 'Wild by Design' at Animal Kingdom) but I have enjoyed all of the tours. Riding the segway in Epcot was fun too!!!
We also love the shows, especially Festival of the Lion King. And some nice meals are always a plus. Sanaa at the new Kidani Village is one on my favorites.

Make sure everyone has knows what the plans are, one time in Las Vegas we walked all the (long, long) way to something and after we got there no one wanted to do it, so we had to walk all the way back.

If you pick out a few favorite things to do in each park, the rest is all a bonus. Don't be afraid to get autographs and I love looking for hidden mickeys.
Have a great time.

 

[DonnaL]

As others have said, some of the tours are a lot of fun. We've done Keys to the Kingdom (adults) and the Family Magic Tour (with our grandson). Wild by Design and Backstage Safari also look great.....if you're physically fit the Safari Trek one looks awesome also. Another thing my husband and I like to do is head over to the Wilderness Lodge marina and rent a pontoon boat for an hour or so and just cruise around Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon (you just sort of need to have minimal boating skills.....enough to steer the boat and stay out of the way of bigger craft on the lake and lagoon). In the evening we always enjoy heading to Port Orleans River Roost Lounge (Wed thru Sat) to see Bob Jackson. Bob is a true entertainer of all ages.....he plays piano and truly gets his entire audience involved (sometimes even those who say "I'll never run around the room pretending I'm riding a stick horse'!!) We always have a great time at his shows. Also, as someone else said you could just do a monorail tour of resorts....that's always fun......just walk around the lobbies, check out their gift shops, maybe have a snack, dessert, or adult beverage and continue on to the next resort. As another poster also said, a favorite pasttime of mine is grab my book, bathing suit, and head to my resort pool (Animal Kingdom Lodge/both Jambo and Kidani are great for this) for a lounge chair and one of those drinks with an umbrella!

 

[wdwtheplacetobe]

We had a group of 10 with ages from 45 to 64 (most in their 60's). We did a Photo Scavenger Hunt with couples as the teams. We had them take pictures with each thing (if they had both people in the picture, it was bonus points).

Anyway, you could do it as a group. Our friends saw much more than they would have and came home with a unique set of pictures. They had a blast!

 

[LovesTimone]

I think Flower an Garden will still be going on check it out.

I would up grade to DDXDP - so you can enjoy 2 credit table service meals, Buffet with the characters.

Sch time for the pool or checking out another resort.

Head to the outlet mall for some shopping therapy.

 

[djblu883]

when I take older ones to the park with me I always suggest a trip over to POR to see Yehaa Bob! He is great and girls your age (like myself) will enjoy him greatly!!!

 

[Mokat76]

I'm middle-aged until I decide I'm not. LOL

I love you, evedein!!!

I'd take in some of the shows--Lion King, Beauty and the Beast--because they're so good. I'd stroll Epcot and snack in all the countries. Be kids and do Dumbo and the Teacups. Take plenty of time for leisurely meals. My friends and I loved doing long sit-down lunches at each of the parks. Gave us time to regroup, decide whatever other must-do things there were and recharge our batteries (aided by a glass of wine and creme brulee). Do the tours that sound neat to your gang. Have fun, have fun, have fun. We middle-aged women deserve it.

 

[CheshireCatsGrin]

(50 each that is - although I am keeping a close eye on scientific developments with a view to coming back again when we are 200!)

Enjoying reading this thread.

Me and the missus have just booked a second honeymoon in Floridia, - our first Disney holiday without the kids, who are now all growed up. Its encouraging to know we won't be the only people of a "certain age" there without kids in tow!

We noticed as the kids got older and less demanding that we could spend more time just sitting around soaking up the atmosphere in between the rides. Disney do an incredible job of immersing you in the sights and sounds, so that once you're in the Park, you're in the magic Disney bubble regardless of whether you're on a ride.

 

[Califgirl]

I'm definintely one that likes a couple of 'events' when I go to WDW. Pick a tour, or a restaurant show (Hoop de doo, or the Luau) so you have a little structure to the trip.

I don't advocate upgrading your dining plan, for women, that is a lot of food, unless you are naturally big eaters. I 'd take the existing dining plan, schedule a couple of 2 credit dinners and wing it a couple of nights - but that's just me. Don't over plan the meals, sometimes it's just fun to sit in the bars and talk (La Cava, or the bar at Prime Time) or you might want to do the monorail crawl, having appetizers and drinks at the different bars on the monorail line.

With a DVC villa, it's also fun to get a bottle of wine or two at France or Italy, pair that with some snacks and have a relaxing evening at the villa.


I always do a spa day (morning) when I'm at WDW. I usually do it the first day I'm there since I come in on the red eye and it's a nice way to get the trip started. (and get refreshed and get a shower if my room isn't ready.) If you're staying at SSR, try the SSR Spa (the nicest on property), if you're staying BWV or BCV try the Mandara spa at the Dolphin, it's very beautiful and the treatments have always been great!