Empty nester suggestions please!

[Shellybird]

Hi all!

My hubby and I recently retired and are beginning our first adult-only trips to WDW. Our first trip was a short one in late April and we are going back in September. We discovered that we loved the Seeds tour in Epcot and the value of not getting up at the crack of dawn. I am researching other things that are new to us. Do any of you have any advice on other tours — especially at Epcot, the member lounges (I didn’t even know they existed), the classes offered at Reunion Station or any other things you enjoy now that you may not be traveling with kids? It feels weird to plan just for the two of now, but in a good way! Would love to hear any suggestions. We will be staying at VWL (now BR.)

Thanks,
Shellybird

 

[gharter]

We have traveled as empty nesters for 4 years and loved it. The kids still join us on some trips.
We love going in the fall for F&W. We can now do the Food and Wine Pairings at noon.
We haven't done any of the tours yet.
We can go to a lounge and spend as much time as we want. Top of the World is really nice at night.

 

[CraigInPA]

The Keys to the Kingdom tour in MK is the best I've been on.

The architecture tour of Epcot was actually kind of boring.

We liked the Twining's Tea experience at Epcot, but thought it was a bit over-priced for what it was.

I can't say enough good things about being able to crash at the Epcot member lounge on a hot day. It would only be enhanced if it had an ice cream or dole whip machine (oh, to dream).

 

[DVC Jen]

I can't say enough good things about being able to crash at the Epcot member lounge on a hot day. It would only be enhanced if it had an ice cream or dole whip machine (oh, to dream).

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!! Can you imagine?

 

[cvjw]

We’ve done several tours. Our favorite was the wild Africa trek.

 

[jerseyduke]

Keys to the Kingdom is a cool tour.
Wild Africa is next on my list.
I love nomad lounge (next to tiffins in animal kingdom)
Geyser point at WL and watch the electric water pageant .

Of course food and wine (and the Epcot DVC lounge since its hot in september)

 

[jerseygal]

Enjoy your "new found freedom"! We also have been traveling DH and I without the adult kids, but certainly love taking trips with them as an extended family! As others have said, Fall is such a great time to enjoy F&W(weekdays if you can), Epcot DVC lounge for a break from the heat and recharge phones. We don't do many tours, we enjoy relaxing at the pools. We are looking forward to Geyser Point also. Leave the International Gateway entrance and take a walk around the Boardwalk, love BCV and BWV. We stayed at BLT last October, enjoyed a nice dinner at the Wave, walked around a bit by the Contemporary, then went up to TOW Lounge. That's easy to get to by boat from Boulder Ridge. If you haven't walked around Poly or Grand Floridian, always a nice walk in between the two resorts.

 

[CarolynFH]

I'll echo what the others have said and add that one of our greatest joys has been not having to go commando to the parks! We get up when we want to, we spend as much time getting ready as we want to and might even spend time sipping coffee on our balcony. We almost always book a 1 bedroom so we have the full kitchen and can fix breakfast before or while we're getting dressed - if we're in a studio, it's usually in a resort like CCV/BRV that has a good QS where DH can go to pick up breakfast to bring back to the room. When we're in the parks we walk slowly and look UP at the architecture (the windows on MK Main Street and the buildings in AK are amazing) and enjoy the details of the parks. We love FP+ because we no longer have to run to get FPs and hope they're not at an inconvenient or impossible time for us. We have taken a number of tours over the years and haven't had a bad one yet, so I'd recommend reviewing the list and choosing based on your interests (MK railroad, AK animals, Epcot) and budget (time as well as money). We stop to watch performances instead of rushing to the next ride, and if we get tired we find a seat in a lounge (Nomad Lounge in AK is wonderful) or on a walkway and enjoy something to drink or eat while we people-watch. Then we amble on!

 

[sjrec]

We’ve taken one of the behind the scenes tours at AK-that was great. And are they still doing Caring for Giants? We took our grandson but the rest of the group was adults.
Year before last we splurged a little and took the river cruise offered by the Boathouse. That was fabulous! There was supposed to be another couple, but they didn’t show up-we had all these lovely trays of fruit and cheese and other snacks and wine! Plus a waiter (who was so nice!) just for us-and the captain kept us out longer than the allotted time. I would highly recommend this if they are still doing these.
We love our trips with family, but our trips by ourselves have been wonderful. We stay at the pool til after lunch and then go out for a couple hours in the evening . We love having dinner in the lounges.
Enjoy!

 

[Ms.Minnie]

My husband and I bought into DVC in 2000, at that point we were already empty nesters and have thoroughly enjoyed our time at WDW. We have taken both family and friends many times and have many good memories. Without DVC we couldn't have done that. Disney isn't just for kids, I think adults enjoy WDW as much if not more then kids.

I agree with others, Keys to the Kingdom was very good. This is the only behind the scenes tour we have taken but I have often thought about taking the Behind the Seeds tour in the Land. I see that they have a new Star Wars guided tour that might be interesting but it's 7 hours long...

We love to ride the monorail, one of the stops we like to make after spending a few hours at MK is the Poly. We like to take a break at the Tambu Lounge on the main floor close to Kona Cafe, nice place to get an adult beverage after visiting the MK. We have always met interesting people there, fun to meet new people and fellow Disney lovers.

I agree that Geyser Point is also a nice place to relax, we took the boat from MK over to WL and had lunch there this past Jan. It was very nice I would go there again although they don't accept Tables In Wonderland card...

We also love the Lava Lounge behind the Rain Forest at Disney Springs. You can sit there, relaxing with an adult beverage while enjoying the amphibious cars riding by on the lake, people watching and enjoying the beauty of the area. We find this a very enjoyable way to spend part of an afternoon. We also enjoy riding the boats from DS to either OKW or Port Orleans. You get to see parts of WDW that you don't normally see, I love the boats...

I'm looking forward to riding the Gondola's, I think they will add another layer of interest (eye candy) to WDW. I have to say I am concerned about how they will affect the entrance at IG. I guess I will be finding out in Jan when I will next be at WDW.

 

[Ed597]

Hi all!

My hubby and I recently retired and are beginning our first adult-only trips to WDW. Our first trip was a short one in late April and we are going back in September. We discovered that we loved the Seeds tour in Epcot and the value of not getting up at the crack of dawn. I am researching other things that are new to us. Do any of you have any advice on other tours — especially at Epcot, the member lounges (I didn’t even know they existed), the classes offered at Reunion Station or any other things you enjoy now that you may not be traveling with kids? It feels weird to plan just for the two of now, but in a good way! Would love to hear any suggestions. We will be staying at VWL (now BR.)

Thanks,
Shellybird

My friends are empty nesters and they own at Animal Kingdom Villas. They Love the Savana view rooms. They love sitting on the deck in the morning, they said the giraffe’s came very close to their balcony. I Love Epcot also but you might think about Animal Kingdom also ? Good Luck have fun on your trip.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We're older and have been going to Disney since, well, forever! We too love EPCOT. Last year we took the DestiNations Tour and it was quite interesting. We were there during F & W so we were able to start our tour before everything opened and we had a great tour guide and it was quite enjoyable. We ate at Rose & Crown (included in price) and got 10% off for using Disney Rewards Visa. We especially like the Eat to the Beat concerts at F & W.

We often spend a day on the monorail, starting at the Poly for Tonga Toast...we happily hop on and off and check out the gift shops and we bring our refillable mugs and sometimes buy a snack later on. This is often our most enjoyable day. Reunion Station is closed, however Boulder Ridge is a great place to stay. The architecture is stunning and you can sit out on the veranda in rocking chairs. Take the boat to MK so you get hop on the monorail.

Boma at AKL is another favorite though it wasn't quite as good last year. We go for dinner and arrive at least an hour early to enjoy the animals, talk to the rangers and sit in the rockers - or inside near the fire pit if cool. We stayed at AKL last year and are happy to make it a destination location as it too is stunning.

Our trips have changed since the early 1980's as a young married couple and then in the early 90's with our son, friends and family through the years. We first bought OKW in 1996 and have enjoyed every aspect of going annually, especially being DVC members. We bought BWV recently to use at F & W, but have also owned SSR, BRV and VBR. We've pretty much seen it all so we don't hurry and sometimes don't bother with parks...slower pace

Enjoy together!

 

[Simba's Mom]

We've been empty nesters at WDW for about 15 years, retirees for 5. If you like AKL, the lunch with an Animal Keeper at Sanaa as great. And does your DH golf? If so, do they still allow riders at the at WDW? It's been a few years, but I used to love riding in the golf cart when DH golfed.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We were empty nesters when we purchased DVC in 2002. We have since sold all of our contracts (19 contracts and about 1700 points).
There were several reasons we sold, including job loss, but we would have likely kept some if Disney was keeping more adult style entertainment. The demise of Pleasure Island is one example. I’m also a traditionalist, and making every attraction into a movie theme really seemed to appease kids and lose the adult feel.... think Pirates of the Caribbean and the Norway ride.

ETA: I don’t mean for this post to sound negative. We truly loved our DVC when we were Members, it’s just that it’s time has come and gone for us.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Our son is now in grad school and with his job and school, he just can't join us anymore (he lives about two hours away from us). Plus we have to board our dog and the vet is closed on Sunday. So we drop her off on Monday and do Monday to Thursday or Friday. We go for the festivals in Epcot, Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, Holidays and, our newest one in January, Festival of the Arts. We are only 3.5 hours away by car, so we can do the shorter trips now. And we can get Florida resident tickets. We stay mostly in one bedroom villas, but get an OKW studio in early December and it only uses 30 points for three nights.

We might sleep in or get up early. We might eat breakfast someplace or just snack until lunch. We might only go to Epcot for the entire trip. We haven't been to AK since before Pandora opened. We haven't been to DHS for years. We went to the MK last Dec to see the castle lights, but only stayed about 30 minutes. We hardly use fast passes if we book them. We wind up eating most of our meals at the Festivals. Or we might head offsite to a few restaurants that we don't have at home any more since we moved.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We've been empty nesters at WDW for about 15 years, retirees for 5. If you like AKL, the lunch with an Animal Keeper at Sanaa as great. And does your DH golf? If so, do they still allow riders at the at WDW? It's been a few years, but I used to love riding in the golf cart when DH golfed.

You have to pay a fee to ride along in the golf cart and your husband might be paired up with three other golfers.

 

[Simba's Mom]

You have to pay a fee to ride along in the golf cart and your husband might be paired up with three other golfers.

Yes, it's been that way, but I heard recently that they were discontinuing allowing riders that don't pay to play golf (riders were only charged about $15 or $25). The only way you could ride in a golf cart was to at least pay the full amount as a golfer, even if you didn't play.

 

[GeorgiaTiggerGirl]

I have been an empty nester for several years. Although my son and I might have a park day together every few years, I mostly travel solo. My only tour has been The Keys to the Kingdom, and I loved it!!
I enjoy the fall the best, usually just visit one or two parks, and enjoy downtime! I own at Boulder Ridge and adore reading and people watching!
I do look forward to retirement so I can make week-long trips again!!

 

[Karlrob]

In January we took a brand new food tour in the Magic Kingdom. It was $99.00 each, spent 3 hours eating, walking and eating, even going backstage for a bit. Got to taste things we thought about but never want a whole order of - turkey leg, the Grey Stuff, Disney popcorn. Felt it was worth every penny. You can book it as a dining reservation in the list of Magic Kingdom places to eat. If you do it, don't book a lunch reservation, you won't be hungry til near dinner!

 

[MickeyMouse3!]

My wife and I went to WDW over spring break this year, without kids (although our kids are now young adults). We joined the Wilderness Explorers at Animal Kingdom and had a blast "earning our badges". We still did fastpasses, shows and other attractions, including some dining reservations. The WE's seemed to take the crowds out of the picture and slowed the day down for us to the point we started noticing things like we never did before, such as street musicians, the designs, decor and even the smells of the lands. It was easy, fun, relaxing and best of all.....free.