2024 is a special year for Buster and the Banshee. In March, we will be celebrating 25 years of marital bliss! To commemorate a quarter century together as a married couple, we will be taking a trip to, where else…. Walt Disney World!
Why Walt Disney World?
There are a couple of reasons why we have decided to celebrate in Walt Disney World. First, one of our first big trips as a couple was to Walt Disney World, back in 1997. Banshee has just graduated from veterinary school. She had always wanted to go to WDW but never had that opportunity as a child. Buster had only been there once (high school band trip) but had also wanted to make a return trip. Therefore, we loaded up the car and road tripped down I-95 to Orlando, with many stops and adventures along the way. What better way to rekindle that nostalgia than spend our anniversary there?
Second, because of the logistics of caring for Little Banshee, we are only able to get away for a few days. Therefore, we couldn’t really go anywhere too far away, like Europe. Nor did we want to go someplace we had never been since we wouldn’t have enough time to really appreciate the experience.
Third, there are a number of Walt Disney World items that we have always wanted to do. However, some aren’t very easy to do with Little Banshee logistically. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to check off those adult bucket list items.
Fourth, it’s Walt Disney World! Enough said!!
High Level Logistics
With the destination set, next we needed to figure out when we would go, and where we would stay. We were sort of limited on dates based upon Little Banshee’s care. It had to be a mid-week trip. During the week, Little Banshee is in school most of the day, so we only had to organize her care for the mornings and evenings. We decided to go with a three-night trip during our anniversary week: March 11th through 14th.
For accommodations, we decided to splurge a little bit and use Disney Vacation Club points to book a studio room at the Grand Floridian. On our 1997 trip, we sort of lucked into staying at the Grand, so staying there for our 25th seemed like a no-brainer.
Normally when we go to WDW as a family, we drive down. That way, we save money and we don’t have to worry about the logistics of flying with Little Banshee. However, given the short length of the trip, we will be flying for this trip. We have two tickets booked with Southwest Airlines!
Finally, we decided to rent a car for the trip. While Disney transportation is generally very convenient, I am a fan of having our own transportation available. Besides, a car rental isn’t that much more expensive than round trip shuttle service for two. I have various discount codes with Avis, and you can save even more by pre-paying. Yes, you run the risk of having to cancel, but I don’t mind rolling the dice.
Tentative Itinerary
Here is our current anniversary trip plan. Of course, it is subject to change based upon when we can get the various dining/experience reservations. However, here is what we have so far.
Day One: Arrival Day
We currently scheduled to land in Orlando at around noon. Our plan is to head directly over to Disney Springs for the afternoon: lunch/snack, a trip to Banshee’s BFF.. Gideon’s, explore, etc. Then we plan to have a nice dinner at Jaleo. We’ve heard so many great things about Jose Andres’ Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant. I have never read a bad review of this place. This might not be the type of place that Little Banshee would enjoy, but it seems like a perfect start-of-trip date night meal.
After Disney Springs, our plan is to head to Hollywood Studios to catch Fantasmic. We haven’t watch this show in years, mainly because Little Banshee is a bit unpredictable when it comes to fireworks shows. Sometimes she enjoys them, and other times they make her very upset. Since we will be without her, we can enjoy the show without worrying about how she will react.
Day Two: Epcot
We are looking forward to spending the day at Epcot without the children. Nothing against the kids, but there are a number of things that we want to try that might not appeal to them. We currently don’t have a set plan. However, we know we definitely want to give La Cava de Tequila a try. Everyone raves about the margaritas here. Plus, we’ve heard that the chip and dip trio (guac, quest, salsa) is pretty special too. Beyond that, we might eat and drink around the world a bit. We might be there at the start of the Flower and Garden Festival, so that will add to the festivities.
In addition, we are looking forward to see the new Journey of Water attraction and the new Luminous show for the first time. Again, without Little Banshee, watching this nighttime spectacular will be less stressful for us.
Day Three: Magic Kingdom
This is the day we are most looking forward to. We have some really great experiences planned out.
We’ve always wanted to do a behind the scenes tour at Walt Disney World, so we decided to go all out and attempt to get a spot on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. This is the premiere group tour at the Magic Kingdom. Not only do you get to learn more about what goes on “behind the scenes”, a portion of the tour takes you through the famous utilidoors. These is the underground hallways that run beneath the Magic Kingdom. I am told that this tour is a must-do for any Disney park fan.
The tour begins before park opening and ends in the mid-afternoon. At this point, we plan to go back to the hotel for a little rest. Then we will change our clothes and head out for a signature dinner at Citricos! We knew we wanted to do an extra special anniversary dinner. After perusing the menus of several of the nicer dining establishments, we both agreed that Citricos was right up our alley. It seemed fancy, yet approachable. Besides, it is super convenient since it is located right at the Grand Floridian!
After what is hopefully a special anniversary meal, our plan is to head back to the Magic Kingdom and watch Happily Ever After from Main Street. Magic Kingdom fireworks seem like the perfect way to end a trip!
Day Four: Homeward Bound
Our flight home is at 9am. Therefore, there isn’t much we can do on our departure day, other than wake up and head out!
Wrap Up
So there you have it: our plan for a short adults-only anniversary trip. What do you think? Does this sounds like an ideal itinerary, or are there other suggestions that you have? Feel free to leave us a comment if you have any thoughts on our plan.
AD: We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are coming to Central Florida and need a place to stay, please consider the Encore Magic Villa. It sleeps up to 12 and features a game room, theater room, themed bedrooms, and private pool… located within a short drive of the Magic!
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