Banshee and I just got back from our 25th anniversary WDW getaway. Thanks to the kindness of Banshee’s mom, we were able to make this trip without children… our first child-free trip to WDW since 2001! All throughout the trip, Banshee and I comment how different it is to experience the parks without Little Buster and Little Banshee. Not better… not worse… just different! It did give us the opportunity to explore certain things that we wouldn’t have been able to do with Little Banshee.
Now, there was a little twinge of guilt not having her with us. However, we also realize that it is important for special needs caregivers to get a little bit of respite. It provides a break from the demands and stress that caregivers often experience. So while there was some guilt, the logical part of us realizes that preserving our own mental health is important. It’s sort of like how the flight attendants tell you to make sure to put on your own oxygen mask first before putting one on your child. If you aren’t at your best, then you aren’t doing those in your care any favors!
We generally followed the itinerary that we had outlined previously. However, we did throw in a few audibles, which you can read about as we go.
So without further ago, here’s the trip report!
DAY ONE: Arrival, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs
Originally, our plane was scheduled to arrive in MCO at around noon. Unfortunately, Southwest kept adjusting the flight schedule, pushing our arrival time further into the afternoon. At the rate the times were changing, we were afraid that we might end up losing a day of fun in Central Florida. Therefore, we made the executive decision to switch to an early morning flight, so we could arrive at 9:30am. Even though that would mean that we’d have to wake up long before the crack of dawn, it was worth it if we could squeeze in more vacation!
Prior to the trip, we had booked a 5pm dining reservation for Jaleo, Jose Andres tapas-style Spanish restaurant at Disney Springs. By arriving earlier, this now gave us an opportunity to head to Hollywood Studios first for lunch and a few hours of touring. We figured we had to leave for Disney Springs by 3pm to give us enough time to get to our reservation comfortably.
While on the plane, I took the opportunity to purchase Genie+. I knew that the parks would be crowded because of Spring Break, and we only had a limited amount of time at Hollywood Studios. Therefore, I wanted to maximize our time. Besides, I wanted to surprise Banshee with a spin on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, one of her favorites! I was able to get a 12:00pm Lightning Lane return time, which should give us enough time to get to WDW and grab a quick lunch.
Hollywood Studios: Part One
After landing, getting our rental car, and making a quick Target run, we arrived at the Hollywood Studios gate around 10:30am. While waiting for the parking lot tram, I booked our second Lightning Lane for Tony Story Mania. At first, I got a return time for 3:20pm. However, after some refreshing, I was able to snag a 2:20pm return time.
Lunch at ABC Commissary
We entered the park at around 11pm and decided to head over to ABC Commissary for lunch. Prior to COVID, ABC Commissary was not one of our favorites. The place was always packed and the food was your standard theme park stuff. However, they greatly improved the menu after re-opening after COVID. Plus, with the opening of Toy Story Land and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, the demand to eat at ABC Commissary dropped so it is no longer packed to the gills.
We both got our favorite meal here: the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich! So good! They give you the Buffalo sauce on the side so you can customize the level of heat/flavor you want yourself.
Runaway Railway, Blue Milk, Muppetvision
After our meal, we made a bee-line to Runaway Railway for our LL return time. That is such a fun ride. The background song is so catchy… and not in a “It’s a Small World” annoying sort of way!
After MMRR, we decided to head to Galaxy’s Edge to walk around, wander the shops, and get some Blue Milk. As shocking as it sounds, we had never tried the Blue Milk. We had heard mixed things about the taste, but we both loved it. It was sort of fruity-sweet milkshake (although it is dairy free… gotta love rice and coconut milk)… delightful on a warm day.
Since we had some time to kill, we headed to Muppetvision 3D. This attraction is so fun, funny, and never has a line. I think Banshee and I can recite all of the lines (although we don’t actually do it since we don’t want to be THOSE people).
Woody’s Lunch Box, Toy Story Mania
It was getting close to our Toy Story Mania return time, so we headed back into Toy Story Land. While passing Woody’s Lunch Box, we decided to get their speciality pop tart: a blueberry-lemon concoction. I am not a huge fan of their pop tarts, but this one really worked. The two flavors worked well together. After our snack, it was time to board TSM. I am proud to say that I beat Banshee’s score, although I just missed getting the highest score in the car. Maybe next time!
Now, on to Disney Springs!
Disney Springs
We knew that we wanted to stop at Gideons for some cookies at Disney Springs. However, because the line was pretty long, we decided to wait until after dinner to get them. Instead, we made our way over to Jaleo. Even though we arrived about 30 minutes early, they were able to seat us.
Dinner at Jaleo
Jaleo is a tapas style restaurant. In English, that means that instead of each person ordering their own entrees, you order a bunch of small plates for everyone at the table to share. Then your plates come out semi-randomly throughout the meal.
First, the service here is amazing. Our server knew the menu and was able to offer detailed commentary on each dish, its history/inspiration, how it is prepared, what the best way is to eat it. It was a complete education on Spanish food, and it really enhanced the experience.
The food itself was really good. Because it was a collection of small plates, you could try a wide variety of different things. This might be a personal preference, but all the dishes we ordered, while tasty and flavorful, were super rich… probably not the best thing to have on a warm day. Maybe we just got unlucky in our selections… who knows?
The highlights were the papayas braves (fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli.. our server suggested mixing the two sauces together for the best experience, and he was right), and the carne asada. The carne asada was perfectly cooked and seasoned and came with a tasty green pepper sauce.
Gideons, Shopping
After dinner, we headed to Gideons for our cookie pilgrimage. Gideons is very polarizing, as many people don’t feel like the cookies are worth waiting in line for. However, we think it is worth it! Of course, there was no way we could eat the cookies right then and there. Our plan was to pack them up, take them home, and freeze them for consumption between now and our next trip!
Hollywood Studios: Part Two
We made our way back to Hollywood Studios after our detour to Disney Springs. Our general plan was to tour Galaxy’s Edge at night and watch Fantasmic. On the evening we went, they were running two shows of Fantasmic: 8:30pm and 10pm. Knowing that the 10pm show would be less crowded, we opted for that one. We knew that this would make it a late night for us, especially after getting up so early for our flight. However, it’s our anniversary vacation. You only life once!
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Night
Pictures can’t do justice to how stunning Galaxy’s Edge is at night. We hadn’t experience it after sunset before. Usually, Little Banshee can’t last that long in the summer time, especially when sunset is so late in July/August. Therefore, this was a real treat for us.
One benefit of skipping the first Fantasmic was that Rise of the Resistance was only a 50 minute wait. Since we had plenty of time, we decided to get on the standby line at around 8:20pm. By 8:50pm, we were on the ride. This was a really bonus for us, since we didn’t expect to ride Rise on this trip. It is definitely one of the best experience in all of WDW.
Fantasmic
After Rise, we headed over to Sunset Boulevard for Fantasmic. While we were going in that direction, we saw lots of people heading in the other direction back to Galaxy’s Edge, presumably for one last ride on Rise. Glad we rode it when we did!
We arrived at the Fantasmic queue at around 9:25pm just as a crowd was forming. They let us into the amphitheater at 9:30pm and snagged our seat. The second showing was definitely less crowded and did not fill to capacity.
It’s probably been decades since we’ve seen Fantasmic. With the crowds, the flames, the fireworks, we didn’t want to chance bringing Little Banshee to it. But it really is an amazing show! I am glad that we were able to finally see it together. I would recommend it very highly and I would also recommend seeing the later show if they are running two shows.
After Fantasmic, the park was closed so we headed back to our hotel… the Grand Floridian. At this point, we were both out of energy. It took every last once of strength to make it to the room and collapse on the bed!
DAY TWO: EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival
But First, Easter Eggs!
After being awake for pretty much 20 hours the day before, this day seemed destined to be lazy. We slept in until about 9:00am, then we made our way to the Grand Floridian’s lobby to check out the Easter Egg display. Now they aren’t real eggs. They are mini cake sculptures decorated to depict different scenes from Disney movies or rides. The artistry of the WDW pastry team is absolutely amazing. If you can make it over to the GF during this time of year, I highly recommend checking it out.
Of course, no WDW special event would be complete without food. They also have a stand in the lobby selling all sorts of Easter treats for a limited time. For breakfast, we shared a blueberry-lemon whoopee pie treat which was so amazing that we had to get a second one for later consumption!
Onward to EPCOT
After checking out the Easter display, we headed over to the monorail station. Getting from the GF to EPCOT is a breeze when you use the monorail. It was a 10 minute ride over to the TTC, where we transferred to the EPCOT line. From there, it was another 15 minute ride to our final destination.
Because of the spring break crowds, we decided to get Genie+ again. At EPCOT, the Big Three Genie+ attractions are Remy, Frozen, and Test Track. However, since we didn’t care to ride any of those three, we figured that we wouldn’t have much trouble getting Lightning Lanes. On a normal day, we probably would have just used the standby line, but given the crowds, it seemed like Genie+ would be a big time saver, even for the “minor rides”.
Our first LL was for Spaceship Earth at 11:50pm. Since we had time to kill, we headed over to Journey of Water. This is the new Moana-themed walkthrough attraction that takes you through the life cycle of water. We absolutely loved it! It was so beautifully done, and it really gets back to the roots of EPCOT’s mission to educate guests about the world around them.
After Journey of Water and Spaceship Earth, we decided to start grazing the food booths for the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. While I won’t go into heavy detail about each dish in this article, the consensus favorite was the Banana Fosters Bread Pudding at the American pavilion. We also explored many of the beautiful topiary displays. Hats off to the Disney landscaping and horticulture team. How they can keep alive all those flowers in the Florida heat is beyond me!
The other highlight was our trip to La Cava del Tequila. We’ve always wanted to try this place, but it isn’t very Little Banshee friendly, so we have always avoided it. However, being an adults-only trip, this might be our one and only opportunity to check it out. We were lucky enough to snag a table (the lounge is super tiny so be prepared to wait if you want a table). In addition to drinks, we got the chip trio: salsa, queso, and guacamole. While the salsa was a bit too spicy for me, the queso and guac were some of the best we’ve ever had! Definitely worth it!
To round out the day, we also got Lightning Lanes for Figment, Living with the Land, and Soarin’. Originally, our Soarin’ return time started at 2:40pm. However, we were able to refresh and push it back to 5:25pm. That way, we didn’t have to rush our time in the World Showcase.
Tambu Lounge = Hidden Gem
After Soarin’, we decided to head to the Polynesian for dinner. We weren’t in the mood for a big sit-down meal, so we decided to give Tambu Lounge a try. Tambu Lounge is bar area right outside of Ohana. Because it shares a kitchen with Ohana, you can get some of the same dishes that you get at Ohana without having to pay a premium.
We got drinks and an order of the world-famous Ohana pot stickers and noodles. Yum! I can see why people talk about these dishes in such reverent tones. And the portions were extremely generous. For $13, we must have gotten over a dozen pot stickers. They were so plentiful that we had to take a few back to the room with us.
If you are looking for a place to eat at the Polynesian and you don’t already have a dining reservation, I highly suggest checking out Tambu Lounge. This will definitely not be the last time we eat here. Can’t wait to come again on our next trip!
DAY THREE: Magic Kingdom
Bucket List Morning
This was the day that we were most looking forward to. We were fortunate enough to snag a reservation for a bucket list item: the Keys to the Kingdom tour!
This is the ultimate Walt Disney World fan experience. It is a five hour guided tour around the Magic Kingdom, which includes a peak at several backstage areas that guests don’t normally get to see. We were super excited!
Because our tour began at 8:00am when the park opens, we wanted to make sure to get there with plenty of time to spare. We got to the GF monorail station at around 6:45am and were at the front gate by 6:50am. It was still dark out but there was a pretty good size queue to get into the park. All those Seven Dwarves Mine Train rope droppers were ready to go!
They opened up the gates at 7:00am, and off we went! Because we had time to kill, we took some photos on Main Street USA, browsed some of the shops (which were practically empty at that time of day), grabbed a coffee, and waited for our tour check-in time.
The tour itself was absolutely amazing. I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but you learn about the history of the park, including all of the little “attention to details” items that people don’t notice as they are rushing to the next ride. Going into the backstage areas, especially the famous underground “ultilidoors” was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Shout out to our tour guide, Darlene. She is literally a Disney treasure. As the daughter of a Imagineer, she had to privilege of getting to know Walt Disney himself when she was a child. When she was old enough, she got a job as a ticket taker at WDW and has been part of WDW ever since. During her long career, she has worked for Disney in pretty much every capacity you can think of, culminating in her current role as tour guide and ambassador. Listening to her personal stories about Walt and Roy alone were worth the price of admission!
Anniversary Dinner
After the tour ended at 1:00pm, we went back to the room for a bit of a break. After a nap, swim, and shower, we donned our finest dinner outfits and made our way to Citricos for an early dinner!
Citricos is one of the many fine dining establishments at the Grand Floridian. It isn’t quite as fancy as Victoria and Alberts, but it also isn’t quite as expensive.
As fitting a signature dining location, everything was amazing. The service was impeccable. Because they knew that this was our anniversary dinner, they brought out complimentary glasses of champagne for us to enjoy before the meal. What a great way to start things off!
The server was super friendly, answered all of our menu questions, and made sure that we were well taken care of.
We both decided to order the Guava-barbecued Short Ribs as an entree. I guess after 25 years of marriage our tastes are starting to merge. The ribs were top notch, as you would expect, but cheddar cheese grits that accompanied them were some of the best I’ve ever had. *Chef’s Kiss*
After our dinner, we didn’t have enough room for a full dessert. However, they gave us complimentary passion fruit truffles with a lovely Happy Anniversary chocolate bar. Disney signature service is alive and well at Citricos!
Back to Magic Kingdom
After dinner, we headed back to Magic Kingdom for “round two” in the park. Our main goal was to watch the Happily Ever After fireworks from Main Street USA. Because Little Banshee can be a bit unpredictable around fireworks shows, we usually will watch the MK fireworks from outside of the park. However, this means that we miss out on the full effect of the castle projections. Since it was just the two of us, we really wanted to get the experience as nature intended.
Because we got there early, we decided to take a risk and ride Pirates of the Caribbean first. Based upon the wait time, we would be cutting in close, especially if we wanted to get a decent viewing spot. However, the prospect of standing around for 90 minutes waiting for the fireworks didn’t thrill us either.
Fortunately, we were able to ride Pirates, thread our way through the crowd, and snag a decent viewing spot on Main Street about half way down the street. All this with about 15 minutes to spare!
And it was absolutely worth braving the crowds to be on Main Street USA for the show! It was a perfect capstone to a great day!
But not so fast…
After the fireworks, while most people started exiting the parks, we decided to catch some more attractions. The fireworks were at 8:30pm, but the park didn’t close until 11:00pm, so we had quite a bit of time left.
We made our way to one of our favorite classic attractions: the Enchanted Tiki Room! While it certainly is a bit dated, I dare you to watch this animatronic performance and not leave with a song on your lips and a smile on your face.
At this point, we were starting to run out of steam, and we knew we had a morning flight out of Orlando the next morning. We decided to end the night with a proper dessert at Sunshine Tree Terrace. While most enjoy the classic Dole Whip from Aloha Isle, we prefer our soft serve to be orange. We grabbed our snacks, found a seat on a nearby bench, and ended the night with a sweet treat!
Final Thoughts
If you made it this far through the trip report, congratulations! I know it was long, but as you can see, we packed a lot into our three days at WDW.
Spring Break season has definitely started at WDW! Based upon the ride wait times and the crowds in the parks, attendance is definitely up. In fact we both thought it was more crowded for this March trip than it is when we usually go in July/August. I think the word has gotten out that summer in Central Florida is hotter than the surface of the sun, so perhaps more people are avoiding that time.
I can’t say that I blame people for traveling during this time of year. The weather was absolutely amazing. 70’s during the day. Reasonable humidity. Picture perfect skies.
Finally, traveling to WDW as a couple is definitely a different experience versus traveling there is a family. Not to say that it is better or worse… just different. Perhaps that is the beauty of Walt Disney World. There is so many different activities… so many different experiences. You could probably visit dozens of times and have each trip be completely unique. I guess that’s one of the reasons we keep coming back for more!
I hope you enjoyed this trip report. Hopefully it gives you some ideas for your own couples-only trip!
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