There’s something about having a young family and making a pilgrimage to Disney. Perhaps it’s a rite of passage. Maybe it’s because families are drawn to the parks to see characters so well known to little ones through shows and movies. Maybe it’s the desire to live the magic through the eyes of your children, watching as their faces light up when they see Mickey or Buzz Lightyear. Maybe it’s just good marketing with their tagline, the happiest place on earth at Disneyland or the most magical place on earth at Disney World. Whatever the reason, many families will go at least once while the kids are young. 

But as we found, going to Disney World as an adult is way more fun!

Flexible Timing

Traveling to Disney as a family means going during school vacation weeks when the parks are extremely busy - unless you pull your children from school. As an adult, you choose when you want to go - like in September when the weather is still nice and school has just started or at the end of January and beginning of February. Check out this Crowd Calendar to plan a trip when it’s least busy. 

Magic Uncovered

When you go with children, you want to keep the magic alive. You don’t want them to know Ariel and Cinderella are just people in costumes or that there are secret entrances to an “underground” network of tunnels. But as an adult, there are plenty of behind-the-scene tours that are fascinating to go on. 

We took a backstage tour at the Magic Kingdom. Very interesting. The “utilidor” as it’s called is a tunnel that is actually not underground; it’s just made to feel that way. It is built at ground level with Main Street USA above it. On the backstage tour, we saw people zipping around in golf carts, the laundry facility, costume shop, the Christmas storage area, and the place where all of the floats are stored. We learned about secret doors and entrances to the park from the tunnel. What you think is a solid wall of a storefront might actually be a secret door!

Ride/Line Experience & Park Hopping

No need to be concerned about jumping on Tron or Space Mountain because there are family members under 44 inches or parents switching off, one staying behind with the smaller child while the other goes on the ride with the older one. No whining or crying while waiting in line. (At least not by the children. 🤣)

It was so much easier to hop from park to park when it was just the two of us. We could log in plenty of steps walking from Epcot to Hollywood Studios and from Epcot to the Swan and Dolphin hotel where we were staying.

Using the park hopper pass is a great way to visit multiple parks in a day and traveling to and from various parks was much easier when it was just us. We could quickly board the monorail at Epcot to get to the Magic Kingdom. And hopping on a bus to get to Animal Kingdom was much easier without a stroller.

Just the Fun Stuff from Morning to Night . . . or Not

Standing in long lines to get a picture with a favorite character and an autograph (an important activity to a little one) takes valuable time away from going on rides or strolling the park to find the “hidden mickeys.” As a couple, we chose what we really wanted to do - like spending a lot of time examining the Tree of Life to appreciate seeing all of the animals carved in it. We could leisurely walk from one attraction to another instead of excitedly racing to the next ride.

Being at the parks can be exhausting for little ones. When we went with our young daughter, we built in down time during the middle of the day to spend by the pool or in the hotel room. When we went as a couple, we had the flexibility to arrive and depart the parks when we wished. Some days, we ventured out first thing in the morning and stayed until the very end. Other days, we relaxed a bit in the morning and spent more time there in the afternoon and evening.

Adult Dining Options

Character themed dining can be skipped. When we went to the Magic Kingdom as a family, we really enjoyed the Princess Storybook breakfast. Watching our daughter interacting with the princesses as they came to the table was delightful. The food? Let’s just say we were there for the experience.

When visiting Disney World as an adult, there are some pretty fantastic dining options with really delicious food. At Magic Kingdom, we took a stroll over to Liberty Tree Tavern, where our lunch was served family style with a pre-planned, all-you-can-eat  menu. It was delicious and relaxing. The Edison at Disney Springs has the best burgers and candied bacon. It was great fun to enjoy our meal to the sounds of a band playing 80s music. And whether a Star Wars fan or not, Oga’s Cantina in Hollywood Studios is a “can’t miss” bar with fun drinks like the Jedi Mind Trick and the Outer Rim. 

Enjoy the “Boring” Stuff

Epcot is not appreciated as much by young children, but as an adult, it is a wonderful place to stroll - especially when going during the International Food and Wine festival, the Festival of the Holidays, the Flower and Garden Festival or the International Festival of the Arts at Epcot. 

Drinking around the world is a common practice, and we saw many walking around with adult beverages.

Each of the pavilions in the World Showcase has a restaurant. You can sit at a hibachi table in Japan, eat pretzel rolls and drink beer in Germany, or eat dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub in England while watching the Illuminations show. After a boat ride in Mexico, we dined at the San Angel Inn, where they served wonderful Mexican fare and a host of different kinds of margaritas.

Disney Springs offers plenty of upscale shopping as well as a host of celebrity chef restaurants from Guy Fieri at Planet Hollywood and the Wolfgang Puck Cafe. We had a great time at the Raglan Road Irish Pub. 

So the next time you’re in the mood for a vacation with plenty of rides and attractions or just an escape from reality, you might consider visiting the most magical place on earth and experiencing Disney World from an adult perspective. 

If you’ve gone as an adult, what are your favorite memories, things to do, or tips and tricks? Please share in the comments.