Disney Travel Day
Leaving Shades of Green for the last time of the trip and heading home to Maine.
Tag: Florida
Epcot Guide
Epcot is the adults and couples dream park. Check out all the best things to see and do while you’re here.
Hollywood Studios Guide
Hollywood Studios is one of the more adult leaning parks, which is great if you are visiting without kids. The park is farther away if you’re staying at one of the main resorts on the monorail system, but easy to get to if you are on the Skyliner route or near the boat docks. These resorts include the Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, and Swan Hotel. If you’re staying anywhere else it is a slightly longer bus ride or drive.
Hollywood Studios has an overall retro theme, but is also home to Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Galaxy’s Edge brings in a lot of visitors to Hollywood Studios, and is by far one of the busiest spots in the park. It is a fantastic spot to wander around. Most of the rides here are great for adults.
best rides for adults
- Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Toy Story Mania
- Tower of Terror
- Rock n’ Roller Coaster
best shows
If you are looking for shows that are worth the wait there are several here that aren’t solely for kids here are your best bets. The Green Army Drum Corps isn’t necessarily a show but a quick stop if you see them getting ready to perform in Toy Story Land it’s worth it to stop and watch. Fantasmic is Hollywood Studio’s version of the daily nighttime show. It takes place in an amphitheater overlooking the lagoon at the edge of the park.
- Beauty and the Beast
- Fantasmic
- First Order Searches for Rise of the Resistance
- Green Army Drum Corps
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
skippable attractions
Unless you have been here before and have an attachment to these rides already, these are some of the attractions that we deem “skippable”. That doesn’t always mean it would be a preference for your group though! This list is to help you out if you think your park day is already full, or want to park hop to get other rides in.
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Muppet Vision
- Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
- Star Tours
- Meet and Greets with Characters
food at hollywood studios
Hollywood Studios has an abundance of places to grab snacks or a full lunch. Some are certainly better than others so do your research before your visit. This list is our top picks, but if you were asking me where I would go I would say, Docking Bay 7 for food and Oga’s Cantina for drinks. You’ll notice that some of the themed restaurants such as the Sci-Fi Dine in Theatre, Round up Rodeo, and 50’s Prime Time Cafe are missing from this list. They may be really cool for theme points but the food is not great.
- Baseline Taphouse-$ (Bar/Lounge)
- Oga’s Cantina-$ (Bar/Lounge)
- Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo-$$ (Quick Service)
- Woody’s Lunchbox-$ (Quick Service)
- Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano-$$ (Table Service) Brown Derby-$$ (Table Service)
Overall you’ll find a lot of adults hanging out in Galaxy’s Edge, and the main street leading up to the Tower of Terror. Toy Story Land is an in-between spot, as there more kids here than in the other spots. Hollywood Studios is surprisingly fun at night, and most families have left the parks after dinner time.
There are so many activities, restaurants and rides here that aren’t just for kids. It is a great park to spend either a half day, or a full day adventuring. Don’t miss out by skipping this park entirely.
Magic Kingdom Guide for Adults
Disney World is geared towards families, but there is a large population of Disney Adults. This guide is for the Disney Adults to create their own magical day in Magic Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom Blog
Exploring Animal Kingdom for the day, and spending the evening at Disney Springs.
Animal Kingdom Guide for Adults
There are so many tips and tricks for families when it comes to Disney trips. There aren’t, however, many guides or itineraries for adults. We recently took a trip to Disney World in Orlando, and have made guides for each park specifically designed for adults and couples without children. Even if you’re not a “Disney Adult” visiting Disney is an amazing experience without kids. This guide to Animal Kingdom is for those that want to still do the top rides while experiencing the adult side of the park.
Getting to the park
Getting to the park will heavily depend on the resort you stay at, and if you’re staying on property. In the planning stage of your trip check the bus or monorail schedules in advance so you don’t end up in a giant line. You can’t take a monorail directly to the Animal Kingdom, but you can take it to the Ticket and Transportation Center to catch a bus to Animal Kingdom.
itinerary planning
How you plan your day is entirely up to you and your endurance levels. You can do half days, full days or anything in between. Our personal preference is full days with either lunch at the resort or a long lunch break in the park. This will keep you from wearing yourself out. The older we get, the slower we get…right?
Cushion your day with other activities so you’re not just hopping from ride to ride all day. If you plan on purchasing the fast pass-which in my personal opinion is not worth it at Animal Kingdom-that may change your ride layout. Take time between each ride to enjoy the area of the park you are in, and if you map out your rides ahead of time you’ll avoid zig-zagging across the park a dozen times.
where to hide when you need a break
If you’re like me and need a quiet break without people in your business, I have you covered. The Discovery Island trails near the Tree of Life are a fantastic place to take a snack or coffee break. The crowds are generally really low here, and people pass through quickly. Gorilla Falls Exploration trails are another spot where people don’t linger and there are benches scattered throughout.
The next best idea when you’re in need of a break is stopping for drinks. If you’re not into drinks, snacks work equally as well. Animal Kingdom has multiple great lounge areas that are quiet and work well for afternoon shade. My personal favorite is the Nomad Lounge, try to get a seat on the deck if you can.
best rides as an adult
These are the best rides to do as an adult in Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom has less rides compared to Magic Kingdom, but they are geared more towards adults. If you get motion sick easily beware of Kali River Rapids and Avatar Flight of Passage. Kali River Rapids has round rafts that may end up spinning a little bit, or sending you down the river backwards. Avatar Flight of Passage will have you flying with Banshees, but the ride has you fairly close to a screen playing a 3D video. The fast movement and 3D aspect of the video can be rough for those that get motion sick.
Dinosaur (to be discontinued??)
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Wildlife Express Train
Na’vi River Journey
Avatar Flight of Passage
Things to do
- The Kingdom Takes Flight Show
- Conservation Station
- Discovery Island Trails
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Explore the world of Pandora
Finding Nemo, Festival of the Lion King and The Kingdom Takes Flight are sit down shows. There will be designated show times throughout the day and you should be there well ahead of show time to check out the status of the lines. If you show up last minute to the Festival of the Lion King you might not get a seat. Maharajah Jungle Trek, Discovery Island Trails and Pandora are walking trails. Each walking trail has a different sightline to check out. The Conservation Station may be a skippable stop, but it is interesting to check out the exhibits as you pass by.
best adulty restaurants
Animal Kingdom has limited table service dining, and has a wide variety of quick-service spots. You will also find refreshment spots scattered throughout the park that offer frozen drinks and ice cream. This is a list of our favorites of each:
- Tiffins Restaurant-$$$ (Table Service)
- Tusker House Restaurant-$$$$ (Table Service)
- Yak & Yeti (Quick Service)
- Satu’li Canteen-$ (Quick Service)
- Harambe Market-$ (Quick Service)
Coffee
Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery (bakery snacks)
Isle of Java (Coffee only)
Creature Comforts (Starbucks)
Drinks
The Nomad Lounge is truly the only area with seating that doesn’t seem like the fast paced quick service. Thirsty River Bar, Warung Outpost, Yak & Yeti, and Dawa Bar are all walk-up quick service spots to grab a drink. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t take it to go and find a quiet spot to hangout.
Animal Kingdom is an easy to park to navigate and has plenty of spots to hangout at. If you make it for rope drop I would try and get some of the larger rides out of the way, such as the Na’vi River Journey, Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest. Animal Kingdom closes on the early side compared to the other parks and makes it an easy park hopper pass choice to leave for the afternoon. If you’re visiting during the winter months and have the chance to see Pandora at night it’s worth checking out.