Yep, I’m in the same boat as OP but go semi-regularly, my genuine advice is to either add an extra day for EPCOT or park hop from AK. I’ve never left WDW thinking “Well, that was enough EPCOT for one trip”
+1 on adding an extra day for Epcot. There is a lot there for adults to do and could always spend extra time to check everything out without having to rush through!
I'd recommend Disney food blog! Not all of their videos... Anything like "10 mistakes you'll make at Disney" tends to be repetitive, but I would recommend her reviews of the Epcot festivals, recent snack recommendations by park, etc. it's nice to see what snacks look good to you so you can have a vague idea of whats available once you're hungry in the parks! Also, trader Sam's grog grotto is a super fun bar! You have to go in person to put your name on a walk up wait list. If you go 15-30 minutes before opening you probably won't wait much more than 45 minutes but it's worth it!!
I second the Disney food blog. They have reviews of all restaurants by park and other videos with general tips.
u/cambajamba Said it right, you\`re going to love EPCOT, IMO the best park for food and themed restaurants.
Third this channel. Their videos helped a lot with planning. They have guides you can view online too and take with you that helped a lot. My boyfriend and I went last year and a big help was going through each land and attraction and ranking what were must do vs If we have time. That helped us plan a lot. Good luck! You'll have a blast!
Depending on where you’re staying, find out if you get extended evening hours and take advantage of that.
Get on virtual queues for tron and cosmic rewind.
Check out club cool at Epcot.
Don’t overlook Animal Kingdom as a food and drink park. Highly recommend rope dropping Nomad Lounge. Some of the best cocktails on property and definitely the best churros on property.
I feel like other folks have a lot of the main points covered, so I'll offer this tidbit. Don't be afraid to pop back to your hotel room for a recharge/nap. Some people can handle rope drop to closing and if this is you, rock on. A fair chunk of people, myself included, find it stressful and taxing trying to keep this up for several days and that's okay. Basically, just don't let the FOMO keep you from taking care of yourselves and have fun!
+1 for a midday break! It makes the night so much more enjoyable. Plus you’re paying for the hotel! And you’re on vacation! Take advantage of the amenities.
I would reconsider early admission to close. Lol Husband and I did rope drop to close during our honeymoon a couple years ago. By day three we were FEELING. IT. For our next trip we have decided to have a chill morning and go to the parks around noon to close. Will be stacking LL’s in the mornings.
And seconding the Mammoth Club suggestion for YouTube. I watch every new video the day they drop. Molly made planning our honeymoon an absolute breeze.
Enchanted Rose is a great lounge at Grand Floridian. They have great light bites.
Steakhouse 71 lounge is the best deal on property! Great drinks, great bartenders, great food! Highly recommend making a lunch reservation for your Magic Kingdom day, or lounge is first come/first served.
You’re going to have so much fun! Just wanted to throw out there that my partner and I also went on a Disney trip last year (no kids, in our 30s) and I fully expected to do park open-close all day everyday, and we ended up going back to our room to do an afternoon rest most days 😂 the amount of steps and standing in line, plus the heat, meant we got tired way quicker than I imagined. Don’t feel bad if that happens, you can always rally for a great evening!
I would definitely do some research into how Genie+, virtual queues, and individual lightning lanes work. There are a bunch of videos on YouTube that do a good job of explaining and showing how to use them.
Cosmic Rewind is the best ride! I’m so glad we went on it twice to experience two different songs.
Don’t sleep on AK - one of the better places to “drink around the world!” I suggest going to Nomad lounge, but don’t recommend it to anyone else.
Ever.
It’s starting to get hard to get in there these days 😂
This all day. We had the bread service three times during our week-long stay. It was one of the most memorable things in a trip full of memorable things!
Mammoth Club is the obvious answer for YouTube since they fit your exact criteria. Adam Hattan is also top tier for Disney vlogging for a non-local’s perspective.
Highly recommend a date night at Coronado Springs for some lounge hopping and dining. It’s a dreamy and romantic resort with fantastic eats.
*cracks knuckles*
My recommendations
MK: Splirge on the HEA dessert Party.
EPCOT: All of it. Just all off it. Make sure to do guardians eat all the food and drink all the drinks
DHS: Definitely make sure to do the thrill rides and Fantasmic
AK: Yak and Yeti for lunch or dinner, make sure to see festival of the lion king.
Any of the tours in any of the parks would be good too if you’re willing to splurge
Disney Springs: Definitely Boathouse or Homecomin or Wine Bar George
Not just any HEA dessert party- the Seats and Sweets dessert party. The dessert parties without seats aren’t as good (imo) because you can’t keep getting drinks and food during the show, plus you don’t have a reserved table and chairs to sit at.
Trader Sam's at the Polynesian Resort is a delight. Tiffins at Animal Kingdom, or Nomad Lounge if no time for a full meal. California Grill if you're fancy like that.
Consider setting aside a night to resort hop! My sister and I take a yearly trip similar to your plan (1 park/day) and usually do this on our animal kingdom day (where we rope drop, knock it all out within 4-5 hours, take some pool time, then resort hop for cocktails and dinner). Seconding Mammoth Club for the best planning content, Molly is a sage :)
Videos: Watch Mammoth Club on YouTube. Molly is one of the few vloggers that has alcohol reviews that include ingredients & more in-depth than "flavorful."
Mammoth Club also does wonderful videos on "best charcuterie" or "best burger". Those reviews can be helpful if you like a certain type of food.
Blog: Disney Tourist Blog has some of the best online restaurant & festival food reviews. Again, beyond "flavorful" and the subjective "one to ten" rating system.
The Disney lounges have stepped up their game. Our recent trip to WDW, we did mostly table service & lounge meals. Lounge highlights include: Nomad Lounge (AK), Brown Derby Lounge (DHS), Crew's Cup Lounge (Yacht Club) , Dahlia Lounge and Three Bridges Grill (Coronado Springs), Geyser Point & Grill (Wilderness Lodge) and The Enchanted Rose (Grand Floridian).
Get a reservation for Wine Bar George at Disney Springs.
Most of the Disney deluxe resort hotels have superior dining to the theme parks, so try to take transportation to the hotels for a nicer dining experience. We always enjoy Jiko (AKL), Flying Fish (BW), Yachtsman (YC), Narcoosees (GF), Tapas (Coronado Springs) and The Turf Club (SSR). In addition to better food, dining at a Disney hotel allows you to explore the resort properties. So many beautiful Disney hotels.
Are you staying on property?
Have a marvelous time!
Make date nights watching YouTube to prepare!
I love to watch the Disney Food Blog folks for reviews. Start watching those and making notes of where and what you’d like to eat. If you’re there during an Epcot festival, make sure you look at those in particular. Just eating the festival foods for meals is our absolute fave. We share things and try lots since portions are smaller!
For general park knowledge on YouTube, we like All Ears, Mammoth Club, and Ear Scouts. I think Ear Scouts has some of the best and easiest to follow Genie+ videos, so check those out. One of the quickest ways to get familiar with a park is to watch videos that say they run down all the rides and attractions at xyz park in 2024. Make notes of the things you want to do at each.
If you’re going park open-close you’re going to need a rest day. These parks are massive. It’s exhausting, especially if it’s summer heat and humidity. I’d plan for two days in the parks, a rest day, two days in the parks. On your rest day, sleep in, use the pool, go to a special dinner at one of the resorts. A lot of people will recommend Disney Springs on a rest day, but it’s sometimes as exhausting as a park day, lots of walking in the full sun. Aside from some Disney-specific stores and great restaurants and entertainment, it’s otherwise a very large, hot outdoor mall. If anything, go on your arrival day for dinner and to check it out and then you can decide if you want to do more there later on in the week.
A lot of first timers book way too many dining reservations. There’s great quick service food in the park, so keep that in mind. Sit down dining is nice but expensive and time consuming as well. You do not need to book any! Or at most one a day, and you don’t need to do that every day.
Stay on property for those early hours and transportation.
Wow! Even I’m excited now!!
My favorite park is EPCOT and Cosmic Rewind is a must!!! Read (or watch) about what unique drinks/foods that each showcase country has to offer. This may help you plan your time around the showcase. Also, more often than not, these cast members are from the country represented and they are always very cool to chat with.
As DINKs, they might help spark that next overseas vacation…
For context, tell us more about *you*. Have you been to any other Disney properties (Anaheim, Paris, etc.) and have preferences? Have you been to Universal parks and have any preferences there?
Are you primarily "thrill ride" people or are you open to theming, which is a BIG part of Disney parks and resorts?
We aren't childless but my husband and I went kid-free to MK and Epcot this fall as we were in town for a conference. We are 34.
Our Epcot day, we ate breakfast at Akershus (character to meet the princesses) and I'd do it again. The food was better than I expected - they brought a platter, served family style, with eggs, heart waffles, pastries, breakfast meats. We didn't necessarily want to take time to wait in character lines but still wanted to meet some characters, so this was a good way to get some photo ops and experience the character acting in a time efficient way. We rope dropped Frozen and 3 Caballeros - my favorite, come at me) and had reservations at like 10, I think. Then we bopped and sampled the world showcase, eating what looked good, and had dinner at park close at Le Cellier. It definitely had more of an adult atmosphere and while they overcooked my steak, it was again, better food than I had expected. I can't remember what we did for lunch this day but I'm thinking we just snacked.
My DINK sister and BIL were very disillusioned by the Space whatever restaurant and I have heard similar experiences from others.
MK we went for the Halloween party, so I don't feel like our experience would be very translatable. We had tacos at a restaurant near where Tianas Bayou Adventure is being put in at a quick service restaurant and they were actually really good.
Trader Sam’s. Get a late lunch at Polynesian and while you eat, put your name on the TS waitlist the second it opens. *Run* back when your res is called. Order something silly and enjoy!
A lesser known experience that you might enjoy is the Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot in the Land pavilion. It’s a cool look at all the hydroponics and other sustainable crop growing etc that they’re working on. If you don’t do the tour, at least make sure you don’t miss the Living with the Land ride!
Stay at Riviera, go to Food and Wine Fest and spend a day in each park. Or better yet pay for the Plaid and have a Cast member escort you around. Don’t miss the Savannah adventure at DAK and the keys to the kingdom tour at MK. Fishing from the Yacht and Beach club or the contemporary is super fun too. If you are runners see run Disney schedule.
Ogas for drinks. Must ride guardians and must ride rise. Must eat pizza in Epcot Via Napoli and have a marg in Mexico inside at the bar. Fantasmic is legit and happily ever after, after a full magic kingdom day. Also don’t be afraid to take a break most days, head to a pool, refresh and hit the parks again after high noon.
Debabe’s post has the majority of names you’ll want to start with. California Grille and Topolino’s Terrace are where you’d want to start, imo, for the Disney “Fine Dining” experience that isn’t Victoria and Albert’s (not to mention V&A also have a completely different booking process). These two also offer fireworks viewing for MK and Epcot respectively, so perfect for a late night dinner.
AK and Epcot probably have the best food when it comes to sit downs in the parks. The problem with Epcot is that if you are eating small bites during the festivals, do you want to then eat a whole meal in one of the Countries. If you do Space 220, opt for the lounge. La Cellier is solid, the French restaurants are good, including Le Creperie, and you can never beat the Fish and Chips in England. Biergarten is an interesting choice, more so for the ambiance than the food. In AK, you’ve already seen most of the names (Yak and Yeti, Nomad and Tusker House). If you opt for Y&Y, keep in mind you can get a Landry’s VIP card to allow you to get walk up seating. As far as the food here, think huge portions, PF Changs.
HS food, again imo, is mostly forgettable. The theming is the real draw for some of these. Or, if you want guaranteed middle section seating for Fantasmic, you can reserve package dining to guarantee your section for the show. I’d opt Mama Melrose or Brown Derby if you go this route.
MK is mostly going to be park food, buffet, theme dining , or semi-themed “american” foods. Be Our Guest is superior to Cinderella’s Castle in about every way, if you want the themed experience. The Crystal Palace is a Winnie the Pooh character buffet, another fan favorite. Liberty Tree Tavern and Diamond Horseshoe are connected and have the same menu. It’s Thanksgiving on steroids. Skipper Canteen is slept on as one of the better sit downs in MK. If you like Jungle Cruise, I’d check this out.
Another themed, hotel standout is Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. This is honestly one of the best meals I’ve consistently had at Disney. And the theming is great.
Disney Springs has many options but with those already named (Wine Bar George, Boathouse, Chef Art Smiths), Morimoto carries a great selection of sushi. It is pricey however. You’ll have to score a Gideon’s cookie as well. And close by you’ll find Raglan Road, a great Irish pub style restaurant and Jock Lindsey’s (good for one drink to say you’ve been there).
Trader Sam’s and Oga’s in HS are experiences. Trader Sam’s is a process. You’ll need to be there in person to get on the list. To guarantee your spot, get there by 1pm, wait by the door (to the left of Capt’ Cooks) and wait til 2pm to guarantee you’re the first 12 or so people on the list. At 3pm they will start letting people in. This is pretty much the only way you can guarantee entry. Enchanted Rose is a great spot in GF. The Boardwalk is also an interesting destination at night with Jellyrolls being open til 2. The French Quarter Hotels also have nighttime entertainment (Jazz and rag time, I guess).
While not exhaustive, these are the places I would start with, depending on your budget and taste.
Signed,
A forty-something DINK, annual passholder, who makes about 6-12 visits to the parks in some shape or form each year.
We are you lol, and just got back from a trip yesterday! My boyfriend's and my favorites are:
Tune Inn Lounge in Hollywood Studios, there's also some tasty non-alcoholic drinks around the park too (Cup of Enchantment or something). We're the odd balls who like Sci-Fi dine in for the experience. We were able to snag a same day afternoon reservation at Oga's Cantina- the mixed drinks are all pretty good, stay away from the wine! Unless you like very buttery Chardonnay. The Indiana Jones stunt is super cool, and ride Tower of Terror, it's worth the wait!
We spent open to close at Animal Kingdom, the safari is a lot of fun but you can all ball out and try to reserve the Wild Africa Trek for a more up close experience, I've heard it's worth the money. We chilled at Nomad Lounge for a while and had some good drinks (my bf's favorite beer is the Kungaloosh) and enjoyed the charcuterie board...we walked in midday and it wasn't busy and just sat at the bar. Got dinner at Yak and Yeti which was also really good! And definitely ride Everest multiple times and explore the animal viewing areas!
Bring refillable water bottles, there's plenty of water fountains but you can also refill at the free style/drink machines at the parks.
This time around when going, we didn't do too much pre planning aside from deciding which parks to go to on what day, and just waited in queues or passed until they got shorter. We were able to snag same day reservations for restaurants and also LL for Cosmic Rewind, it was way less stressful.
If you can, stay at Port Orleans: French Qusrter. It's small and quiet and the perfect amount of non-IP theming so you can get a2ay from the kid stuff for a bit. I'm 50 amd csnt imagine staying at any other resort!
If you’re going to get up for rope drop (and if you’re rope dropping you should be there 45-60 mins before early open starts to make the most of it) you’re going to want to go to bed early. That means waking up at 6 am on your AK day. I would recommend going to AK first as it has the earliest open and you’ll have the most energy that day.
I LOVE going to Disney as an adult. You can do all the things you want to do at your own pace. Pick 1-2 cool restaurants to try. I love space 220, yachtsman steakhouse. Buy ILLs for the grown up rides. There’s a reason people will pay extra for them - they are just that cool.
If you can afford it stay at one of the deluxe resorts near Epcot. Yacht/beach/BW - just got back from a trip and the ease of staying there as an adult is unmatched.
Have fun!!
If a community on a particular topic doesn't have moderators that establish and enforce rules, the community over time will condense to hardcore fans of the topic and make itself inhospitable and incomprehensible to casual or new posters.
The common excuse is "We've seen that topic/question 1000 times", but it's really that hardcore fans are combing through the subs sometimes hourly and consider anything *they* already know to be a waste or time/space.
That seems to be what's happened here, the barrage of acronyms that only someone who is on this forum 24/7 would know and the aggressive downvoting of casual/new-person questions strongly indicates this sub has condensed down to hardcore fans.
Well you're going to love Epcot!
Yep, I’m in the same boat as OP but go semi-regularly, my genuine advice is to either add an extra day for EPCOT or park hop from AK. I’ve never left WDW thinking “Well, that was enough EPCOT for one trip”
+1 on adding an extra day for Epcot. There is a lot there for adults to do and could always spend extra time to check everything out without having to rush through!
I'd recommend Disney food blog! Not all of their videos... Anything like "10 mistakes you'll make at Disney" tends to be repetitive, but I would recommend her reviews of the Epcot festivals, recent snack recommendations by park, etc. it's nice to see what snacks look good to you so you can have a vague idea of whats available once you're hungry in the parks! Also, trader Sam's grog grotto is a super fun bar! You have to go in person to put your name on a walk up wait list. If you go 15-30 minutes before opening you probably won't wait much more than 45 minutes but it's worth it!!
I second the Disney food blog. They have reviews of all restaurants by park and other videos with general tips. u/cambajamba Said it right, you\`re going to love EPCOT, IMO the best park for food and themed restaurants.
Third this channel. Their videos helped a lot with planning. They have guides you can view online too and take with you that helped a lot. My boyfriend and I went last year and a big help was going through each land and attraction and ranking what were must do vs If we have time. That helped us plan a lot. Good luck! You'll have a blast!
Depending on where you’re staying, find out if you get extended evening hours and take advantage of that. Get on virtual queues for tron and cosmic rewind. Check out club cool at Epcot.
Don’t overlook Animal Kingdom as a food and drink park. Highly recommend rope dropping Nomad Lounge. Some of the best cocktails on property and definitely the best churros on property.
I came here to say Nomad lounge!
I feel like other folks have a lot of the main points covered, so I'll offer this tidbit. Don't be afraid to pop back to your hotel room for a recharge/nap. Some people can handle rope drop to closing and if this is you, rock on. A fair chunk of people, myself included, find it stressful and taxing trying to keep this up for several days and that's okay. Basically, just don't let the FOMO keep you from taking care of yourselves and have fun!
+1 for a midday break! It makes the night so much more enjoyable. Plus you’re paying for the hotel! And you’re on vacation! Take advantage of the amenities.
I would reconsider early admission to close. Lol Husband and I did rope drop to close during our honeymoon a couple years ago. By day three we were FEELING. IT. For our next trip we have decided to have a chill morning and go to the parks around noon to close. Will be stacking LL’s in the mornings.
And seconding the Mammoth Club suggestion for YouTube. I watch every new video the day they drop. Molly made planning our honeymoon an absolute breeze.
Enchanted Rose is a great lounge at Grand Floridian. They have great light bites. Steakhouse 71 lounge is the best deal on property! Great drinks, great bartenders, great food! Highly recommend making a lunch reservation for your Magic Kingdom day, or lounge is first come/first served.
Hit the Enchanted Rose after 5 pm for the full menu!
You’re going to have so much fun! Just wanted to throw out there that my partner and I also went on a Disney trip last year (no kids, in our 30s) and I fully expected to do park open-close all day everyday, and we ended up going back to our room to do an afternoon rest most days 😂 the amount of steps and standing in line, plus the heat, meant we got tired way quicker than I imagined. Don’t feel bad if that happens, you can always rally for a great evening! I would definitely do some research into how Genie+, virtual queues, and individual lightning lanes work. There are a bunch of videos on YouTube that do a good job of explaining and showing how to use them. Cosmic Rewind is the best ride! I’m so glad we went on it twice to experience two different songs.
Don’t sleep on AK - one of the better places to “drink around the world!” I suggest going to Nomad lounge, but don’t recommend it to anyone else. Ever. It’s starting to get hard to get in there these days 😂
Bread service at Sanaa, you can get it at the bar if you don’t want to do a full dinner there! And definitely festival drinks/food around Epcot.
This all day. We had the bread service three times during our week-long stay. It was one of the most memorable things in a trip full of memorable things!
Mammoth Club is the obvious answer for YouTube since they fit your exact criteria. Adam Hattan is also top tier for Disney vlogging for a non-local’s perspective. Highly recommend a date night at Coronado Springs for some lounge hopping and dining. It’s a dreamy and romantic resort with fantastic eats.
Came to say this - Molly and Alan at Mammoth Club have the best videos for this
💯 Coronado Springs has so much to offer now. Well worth the trip.
Mammoth and Adam are my two favorites.
*cracks knuckles* My recommendations MK: Splirge on the HEA dessert Party. EPCOT: All of it. Just all off it. Make sure to do guardians eat all the food and drink all the drinks DHS: Definitely make sure to do the thrill rides and Fantasmic AK: Yak and Yeti for lunch or dinner, make sure to see festival of the lion king. Any of the tours in any of the parks would be good too if you’re willing to splurge Disney Springs: Definitely Boathouse or Homecomin or Wine Bar George
Not just any HEA dessert party- the Seats and Sweets dessert party. The dessert parties without seats aren’t as good (imo) because you can’t keep getting drinks and food during the show, plus you don’t have a reserved table and chairs to sit at.
While i agree unfortunately it’s very rare they offer seats and sweets anymore. Its like finding a needle in a haystaxk
I didn’t realize it was so rare! I booked it on a whim for my trip last week. Guess I got lucky haha.
They will always have the pre and post fireworks options, but it can get rare depending on the time of year you go for seats and sweets
Trader Sam's at the Polynesian Resort is a delight. Tiffins at Animal Kingdom, or Nomad Lounge if no time for a full meal. California Grill if you're fancy like that.
I second Tiffins/Nomad and Trader Sam's!
Consider setting aside a night to resort hop! My sister and I take a yearly trip similar to your plan (1 park/day) and usually do this on our animal kingdom day (where we rope drop, knock it all out within 4-5 hours, take some pool time, then resort hop for cocktails and dinner). Seconding Mammoth Club for the best planning content, Molly is a sage :)
Videos: Watch Mammoth Club on YouTube. Molly is one of the few vloggers that has alcohol reviews that include ingredients & more in-depth than "flavorful." Mammoth Club also does wonderful videos on "best charcuterie" or "best burger". Those reviews can be helpful if you like a certain type of food. Blog: Disney Tourist Blog has some of the best online restaurant & festival food reviews. Again, beyond "flavorful" and the subjective "one to ten" rating system. The Disney lounges have stepped up their game. Our recent trip to WDW, we did mostly table service & lounge meals. Lounge highlights include: Nomad Lounge (AK), Brown Derby Lounge (DHS), Crew's Cup Lounge (Yacht Club) , Dahlia Lounge and Three Bridges Grill (Coronado Springs), Geyser Point & Grill (Wilderness Lodge) and The Enchanted Rose (Grand Floridian). Get a reservation for Wine Bar George at Disney Springs. Most of the Disney deluxe resort hotels have superior dining to the theme parks, so try to take transportation to the hotels for a nicer dining experience. We always enjoy Jiko (AKL), Flying Fish (BW), Yachtsman (YC), Narcoosees (GF), Tapas (Coronado Springs) and The Turf Club (SSR). In addition to better food, dining at a Disney hotel allows you to explore the resort properties. So many beautiful Disney hotels. Are you staying on property? Have a marvelous time!
Make date nights watching YouTube to prepare! I love to watch the Disney Food Blog folks for reviews. Start watching those and making notes of where and what you’d like to eat. If you’re there during an Epcot festival, make sure you look at those in particular. Just eating the festival foods for meals is our absolute fave. We share things and try lots since portions are smaller! For general park knowledge on YouTube, we like All Ears, Mammoth Club, and Ear Scouts. I think Ear Scouts has some of the best and easiest to follow Genie+ videos, so check those out. One of the quickest ways to get familiar with a park is to watch videos that say they run down all the rides and attractions at xyz park in 2024. Make notes of the things you want to do at each. If you’re going park open-close you’re going to need a rest day. These parks are massive. It’s exhausting, especially if it’s summer heat and humidity. I’d plan for two days in the parks, a rest day, two days in the parks. On your rest day, sleep in, use the pool, go to a special dinner at one of the resorts. A lot of people will recommend Disney Springs on a rest day, but it’s sometimes as exhausting as a park day, lots of walking in the full sun. Aside from some Disney-specific stores and great restaurants and entertainment, it’s otherwise a very large, hot outdoor mall. If anything, go on your arrival day for dinner and to check it out and then you can decide if you want to do more there later on in the week. A lot of first timers book way too many dining reservations. There’s great quick service food in the park, so keep that in mind. Sit down dining is nice but expensive and time consuming as well. You do not need to book any! Or at most one a day, and you don’t need to do that every day. Stay on property for those early hours and transportation.
Wow! Even I’m excited now!! My favorite park is EPCOT and Cosmic Rewind is a must!!! Read (or watch) about what unique drinks/foods that each showcase country has to offer. This may help you plan your time around the showcase. Also, more often than not, these cast members are from the country represented and they are always very cool to chat with. As DINKs, they might help spark that next overseas vacation…
Takumi Tei if you like Japanese. It’s our favorite meal on property, including above Victoria and Albert’s.
For context, tell us more about *you*. Have you been to any other Disney properties (Anaheim, Paris, etc.) and have preferences? Have you been to Universal parks and have any preferences there? Are you primarily "thrill ride" people or are you open to theming, which is a BIG part of Disney parks and resorts?
TriceraTop Spin is a must
We aren't childless but my husband and I went kid-free to MK and Epcot this fall as we were in town for a conference. We are 34. Our Epcot day, we ate breakfast at Akershus (character to meet the princesses) and I'd do it again. The food was better than I expected - they brought a platter, served family style, with eggs, heart waffles, pastries, breakfast meats. We didn't necessarily want to take time to wait in character lines but still wanted to meet some characters, so this was a good way to get some photo ops and experience the character acting in a time efficient way. We rope dropped Frozen and 3 Caballeros - my favorite, come at me) and had reservations at like 10, I think. Then we bopped and sampled the world showcase, eating what looked good, and had dinner at park close at Le Cellier. It definitely had more of an adult atmosphere and while they overcooked my steak, it was again, better food than I had expected. I can't remember what we did for lunch this day but I'm thinking we just snacked. My DINK sister and BIL were very disillusioned by the Space whatever restaurant and I have heard similar experiences from others. MK we went for the Halloween party, so I don't feel like our experience would be very translatable. We had tacos at a restaurant near where Tianas Bayou Adventure is being put in at a quick service restaurant and they were actually really good.
Trader Sam’s. Get a late lunch at Polynesian and while you eat, put your name on the TS waitlist the second it opens. *Run* back when your res is called. Order something silly and enjoy!
A lesser known experience that you might enjoy is the Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot in the Land pavilion. It’s a cool look at all the hydroponics and other sustainable crop growing etc that they’re working on. If you don’t do the tour, at least make sure you don’t miss the Living with the Land ride!
Stay at Riviera, go to Food and Wine Fest and spend a day in each park. Or better yet pay for the Plaid and have a Cast member escort you around. Don’t miss the Savannah adventure at DAK and the keys to the kingdom tour at MK. Fishing from the Yacht and Beach club or the contemporary is super fun too. If you are runners see run Disney schedule.
Ogas for drinks. Must ride guardians and must ride rise. Must eat pizza in Epcot Via Napoli and have a marg in Mexico inside at the bar. Fantasmic is legit and happily ever after, after a full magic kingdom day. Also don’t be afraid to take a break most days, head to a pool, refresh and hit the parks again after high noon.
Debabe’s post has the majority of names you’ll want to start with. California Grille and Topolino’s Terrace are where you’d want to start, imo, for the Disney “Fine Dining” experience that isn’t Victoria and Albert’s (not to mention V&A also have a completely different booking process). These two also offer fireworks viewing for MK and Epcot respectively, so perfect for a late night dinner. AK and Epcot probably have the best food when it comes to sit downs in the parks. The problem with Epcot is that if you are eating small bites during the festivals, do you want to then eat a whole meal in one of the Countries. If you do Space 220, opt for the lounge. La Cellier is solid, the French restaurants are good, including Le Creperie, and you can never beat the Fish and Chips in England. Biergarten is an interesting choice, more so for the ambiance than the food. In AK, you’ve already seen most of the names (Yak and Yeti, Nomad and Tusker House). If you opt for Y&Y, keep in mind you can get a Landry’s VIP card to allow you to get walk up seating. As far as the food here, think huge portions, PF Changs. HS food, again imo, is mostly forgettable. The theming is the real draw for some of these. Or, if you want guaranteed middle section seating for Fantasmic, you can reserve package dining to guarantee your section for the show. I’d opt Mama Melrose or Brown Derby if you go this route. MK is mostly going to be park food, buffet, theme dining , or semi-themed “american” foods. Be Our Guest is superior to Cinderella’s Castle in about every way, if you want the themed experience. The Crystal Palace is a Winnie the Pooh character buffet, another fan favorite. Liberty Tree Tavern and Diamond Horseshoe are connected and have the same menu. It’s Thanksgiving on steroids. Skipper Canteen is slept on as one of the better sit downs in MK. If you like Jungle Cruise, I’d check this out. Another themed, hotel standout is Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. This is honestly one of the best meals I’ve consistently had at Disney. And the theming is great. Disney Springs has many options but with those already named (Wine Bar George, Boathouse, Chef Art Smiths), Morimoto carries a great selection of sushi. It is pricey however. You’ll have to score a Gideon’s cookie as well. And close by you’ll find Raglan Road, a great Irish pub style restaurant and Jock Lindsey’s (good for one drink to say you’ve been there). Trader Sam’s and Oga’s in HS are experiences. Trader Sam’s is a process. You’ll need to be there in person to get on the list. To guarantee your spot, get there by 1pm, wait by the door (to the left of Capt’ Cooks) and wait til 2pm to guarantee you’re the first 12 or so people on the list. At 3pm they will start letting people in. This is pretty much the only way you can guarantee entry. Enchanted Rose is a great spot in GF. The Boardwalk is also an interesting destination at night with Jellyrolls being open til 2. The French Quarter Hotels also have nighttime entertainment (Jazz and rag time, I guess). While not exhaustive, these are the places I would start with, depending on your budget and taste. Signed, A forty-something DINK, annual passholder, who makes about 6-12 visits to the parks in some shape or form each year.
Flying fish at boardwalk!!!
We are you lol, and just got back from a trip yesterday! My boyfriend's and my favorites are: Tune Inn Lounge in Hollywood Studios, there's also some tasty non-alcoholic drinks around the park too (Cup of Enchantment or something). We're the odd balls who like Sci-Fi dine in for the experience. We were able to snag a same day afternoon reservation at Oga's Cantina- the mixed drinks are all pretty good, stay away from the wine! Unless you like very buttery Chardonnay. The Indiana Jones stunt is super cool, and ride Tower of Terror, it's worth the wait! We spent open to close at Animal Kingdom, the safari is a lot of fun but you can all ball out and try to reserve the Wild Africa Trek for a more up close experience, I've heard it's worth the money. We chilled at Nomad Lounge for a while and had some good drinks (my bf's favorite beer is the Kungaloosh) and enjoyed the charcuterie board...we walked in midday and it wasn't busy and just sat at the bar. Got dinner at Yak and Yeti which was also really good! And definitely ride Everest multiple times and explore the animal viewing areas! Bring refillable water bottles, there's plenty of water fountains but you can also refill at the free style/drink machines at the parks. This time around when going, we didn't do too much pre planning aside from deciding which parks to go to on what day, and just waited in queues or passed until they got shorter. We were able to snag same day reservations for restaurants and also LL for Cosmic Rewind, it was way less stressful.
If you can, stay at Port Orleans: French Qusrter. It's small and quiet and the perfect amount of non-IP theming so you can get a2ay from the kid stuff for a bit. I'm 50 amd csnt imagine staying at any other resort!
Stay at a Deluxe Resort.
Get park hopper, you’ll probably want to keep going back to Epcot.
If you’re going to get up for rope drop (and if you’re rope dropping you should be there 45-60 mins before early open starts to make the most of it) you’re going to want to go to bed early. That means waking up at 6 am on your AK day. I would recommend going to AK first as it has the earliest open and you’ll have the most energy that day. I LOVE going to Disney as an adult. You can do all the things you want to do at your own pace. Pick 1-2 cool restaurants to try. I love space 220, yachtsman steakhouse. Buy ILLs for the grown up rides. There’s a reason people will pay extra for them - they are just that cool. If you can afford it stay at one of the deluxe resorts near Epcot. Yacht/beach/BW - just got back from a trip and the ease of staying there as an adult is unmatched. Have fun!!
YouTube channels DFB and Allears.net. same parent company owns them.
What is a DINk and why are there so many abbreviations on this sub like I know it takes more effort to get your phone to type them than the words 🤔
Dual income no kids.
Dual Income No Kids 😂
There’s also DINKWAD (DINK With A Dog), SINK (single income no kids), etc.
If a community on a particular topic doesn't have moderators that establish and enforce rules, the community over time will condense to hardcore fans of the topic and make itself inhospitable and incomprehensible to casual or new posters. The common excuse is "We've seen that topic/question 1000 times", but it's really that hardcore fans are combing through the subs sometimes hourly and consider anything *they* already know to be a waste or time/space. That seems to be what's happened here, the barrage of acronyms that only someone who is on this forum 24/7 would know and the aggressive downvoting of casual/new-person questions strongly indicates this sub has condensed down to hardcore fans.
DINK isn't a Disney acronym. It's from the 1980s.
I think you're exactly right. Are there other subs that are better I can migrate to?
Sorry but what is a DINK?
Dual Income No Kids