Tips for an adult couple with no baby Disney addicts (yet ;) )

[binareneee]

BF and I will be in Disney for 4 days in late February. We're looking to have some date nights and just generally experience Disney like never before. Fancy, not fancy, we've budgeted to be able to splurge if we want this time.

Side Note: Our first trip as a couple almost two years ago (way too long ago for this Disney addicted GF but we opted for USH for last years trip which in my book was a bust compared to the growing up on Disney vacations I grew up with) was very shortly planned so money was very, very tight.

Anyway, we've budgeted and saved much in advance for this trip and we've given ourselves plenty of play room in the budget to REALLY enjoy it. So I'm basically not just looking for tips for date night but for tips just to generally have an amazing time and really experience it as a couple who doesn't have children yet. No offense intended. I've seen some Disney fans get crazy over at Micechat, lol.

I feel like due to us not having children yet, we have an advantage that some may not have when visiting DL with their children and I'm really excited to take advantage of it before we have little future Disney addicts who may not be able to enjoy or be able to do everything we can yet.

Any tips or advice would be very greatly appreciated!

 

[Staceycs]

Sounds like you two will have a fantastic time- nothing like being able to spoil yourselves!

One suggestion I would make is to do a tour, like 'Walk in Walt's Footsteps'. We have picked a new tour to do each time and even though we are huge Disney fans, we always find them fascinating and exciting. It's fun to get priority boarding onto rides and you won't find many kids, if any at all, on these tours.

The other thing I would do with a healthy budget is to stay in one of the resort hotels for a totally immersive experience.

We've just had a baby and I'm a bit unsure about how our trips will go from now.... enjoy your trip .

 

[binareneee]

Sounds like you two will have a fantastic time- nothing like being able to spoil yourselves!

One suggestion I would make is to do a tour, like 'Walk in Walt's Footsteps'. We have picked a new tour to do each time and even though we are huge Disney fans, we always find them fascinating and exciting. It's fun to get priority boarding onto rides and you won't find many kids, if any at all, on these tours.

The other thing I would do with a healthy budget is to stay in one of the resort hotels for a totally immersive experience.

We've just had a baby and I'm a bit unsure about how our trips will go from now.... enjoy your trip .

We've already booked our (unfortunately non-refundable) room but it's somewhere we always stay while in California and it's only about 5 miles away from Disney is maybe a 15-25 minute car ride depending on traffic.

But we are definitely excited about being able to spoil ourselves. Thank you for the tip about the tours, I will have to look into them. I've never done one and have been going to Disney since I was about. 2. So around 22 years. :|

 

[TheChapman6]

I hope you have a great time. If I was you I would book at tour, and make reservations at a few places you want to eat. Go over the menus first to make sure there are things that appeal to you on the menu first.

Also, my parents live in Henderson and we usually fly there stay a few days and then fly to Disneyland. I'm not sure if you plan to drive but I've gotten super cheap tickets from MCcaren to John Wayne airport for 59 bucks on Southwest air and we fly at 9am and land at 940 easy and cheap! Then we fly back to my moms at like 9pm maximizing our time at the parks. Then we fly home to Colorado.

 

[MontanaMickey]

I enjoyed an adults only trip to DL this summer We enjoyed dinner at Napa Rose, and cocktails at Carthay Circle. Neither of these would have been possible or pleasurable with my kids. I would also enjoy the Cove Bar, Trader Sam's and Catal without kids. As you can see, dining is the thing I tend to miss the most once I have have children. Otherwise Disneyland is a blast with kids!

 

[YukonMommy]

As a Mom of 4 ...I say go and enjoy your time together pre babies!
Disney is amazing with children but I hope one day to experience it child free as I think it would be amazing in different ways.

As for suggestions::::
* I think getting matching shirts (the Princess/Prince ones or the Mickey/ Minnie ones) would be super cute!
*Also get ears hats or headbands, the trying on is half the fun.
*Take the time to just sit on a bench eating a special treat from the candy store and watch the crowds go by.
*eat a few nice sit down meals (don't forget to make reservations)

Enjoy this very special time in your life and have a magical time!

 

[MouseEXP]

Restaurant wise...
The basic ideas... Blue Bayou, Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55, drinks at Trader Sams

But also take a look at a place called "the Cellar" in nearby Downtown Fullerton. It's literally a hidden gem and was themed by some Imagineers that worked on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.

 

[binareneee]

Restaurant wise...
The basic ideas... Blue Bayou, Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55, drinks at Trader Sams

But also take a look at a place called "the Cellar" in nearby Downtown Fullerton. It's literally a hidden gem and was themed by some Imagineers that worked on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.

Just looked into the Cellar, definitely going to have to check that out while we're there. Looks awesome. Thank you.

 

[fairy8i8]

DH and I went together several years ago. What kind of touring people are you? We had fun doing ride "challenges" - seeing how many rides we could go on when the park first opened. Not having kids makes it much easier to get around the parks quickly.

We ate at the great restaurants mentioned. Sometimes you can find a quiet garden corner to appreciate, which can be romantic (cameras everywhere, so don't get any ideas, though).

Rides like California Screamin' are fun either first thing in the morning or at night when everything is lit up.

Enjoy Main Street in the evening or the little bands playing around the park.

The great thing about being without kids is that you can do what you like to do and are not limited by height restrictions or the interests or attention span of a toddler.

 

[CheshireGato]

I would suggest a tour or two, fantasmic dessert package, and a nice lunch or dinner at some of the already mentioned dinning locations.
DBF and I love getting there early (before many of the families make it to the park) and try going on as many rides as possible with little or no wait. Last trip we went on 5 rides in the first hour and a halfish, including having our own log on splash mountain!
Also, take advantage of photopass so you can get some nice couple photos on your trip

 

[Topazure]

DH and I are in a similar situation to OP. The dinner options are definitely something to take advantage of and I would echo the sentiment to try and go on one of the tours. We've been on "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps" and most recently the "Happy Haunts" tour. Both were fantastic. We like people watching in some of the quieter areas. Have fun!

 

[lalasmama]

Hubby and I adore our adults-only trips! Have a great time! It's definitely very different once you go with kids, lol.

Some things we enjoyed:
Eating at the already mentioned places... Blue Bayou, Carthay, etc. Of course, make sure to have ressies made! I always try to put down something that we're celebrating, even if it's a no-big-reason trip. So, when BFF and I went, we were celebrating "best friends" at our meal, when hubby and I went once we were celebrating "love." Really, it's just about the acknowledgement that you are there together, and that in and of itself is something special!

Many couples' photos, both of us and others. It seems like there's always a couple near certain landmarks (like in front of the castle, or in the "Once Upon A Time" entrance of the animation building), so we would offer to trade them pictures. We'd take their picture, they'd take ours. We had a TON of fun with this (and my husband may have photobombed a few times), and we came back with more pictures of he and I than we had ever had before.

People watching... Many times, we would just sit somewhere, hold hands, and watch the Disneyland-world go by. If we were in a silly mood, we would make up stories about the people we were seeing.... Other times, we would just sit there holding hands in silence, enjoying the scenes around us.