41. Romantic Trips at Walt Disney World & Universal

Planning the ultimate romantic getaway to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved one? Wanting something special to do with your pals for Galentine’s Day? I’ve got a LONG list of the best activities, special events, and magical ways you can celebrate at both DisneyWorld and Universal Orlando. Tune in and escape with me to a world of romance and adventure.

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Transcript

Hello, my friends. Welcome back to another episode of Let Me Adjust My Ears and Happy Valentine's Day slash Valentine's Day slash whatever February holiday you are celebrating. I feel like Christmas was over and I immediately Saw Valentine stuff go up in the stores. So might even be just a little late for this episode. But today You get to join me in an enchanting episode, and I'm gonna unlock the secrets to planning the ultimate romantic getaway to both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Strolling hand in hand through the Magic Kingdom, indulging in that fine dining at Epcot, and experiencing the thrills of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. I'm going to guide you through a magical journey that's filled with the love, adventure and unforgettable memories. Before I get too far into this episode, I do just want to let you know that I have a Very special download that you can get.

I'm sharing it with you today because it has all the romantic things there are to do at Walt Disney World. Now I'm going to touch on many of these, but not all of them. So if you want this special download, the link will be in the show notes And you can take advantage of that. And I always say I'm going to remember to say this and then I never do. So before I forget, I do just want to say if you are enjoying, let me adjust my ears. It would help so much if you hit that Subscribe slash follow button. If you leave me a review, if you share it, what is it? Like, Follow and share, I think is the mantra that podcasters use. I really would love to enhance The audience here, and if you are one of my dedicated listeners, I appreciate you so much and I hope that you will share the love.

And now, let's get right to it. So, before you even go on your romantic getaway to Orlando, How about you do some cute matching outfits? We've got romantic mouse ears. We have at Universal where you can find your houses and get your school gear. And then we have Disney's Valentine's Day gift guide! Again, I will put that link in the show notes where you can get a Dooney and Bourke purse with Minnie and Mickey and Donald and Daisy. That is so cute. I want it so badly, but they don't have it in a cross body bag. So I will just enjoy yours when you post it on Instagram vicariously. And of course, you know, that I'm gonna tell you for All of these amazing dress, romantic things you can always call upon my friends at Once Upon A Wardrobe.

If you Tell them that Making Memories Travel sent you. You do get a complimentary travel day look, so an extra look. And you can hear the episode with Lauren and Ashley. It is actually the most downloaded episode of Let Me Adjust My Ears, And it's way back in Episode 3. If you want to hear from my hilarious friends, Ashley and Lauren of Once Upon A Wardrobe. Now, let's talk about all the romance there is in the Magic Kingdom. There is the fireworks viewing party on Main Street, And this comes in multiple formats. So you can have a dessert party before the fireworks and then be escorted to a viewing area.

You can start in the viewing area and then have a dessert party afterwards. Or you can have a dessert party where you can Sit down. Have champagne. Actually, it's a full bar and a dessert bar as well. So a full alcohol adult beverage bar and a full dessert bar, and you can sit and watch the fireworks. I have done all 3 of these, and I Have to tell you that I am actually partial to the have dessert first And then get escorted to the VIP viewing area, as opposed to sitting down during fireworks. And the reason for that is actually pretty simple. If you're sitting down, although you do have the absolute best view of Tinker Bell, she flies from Cinderella's castle, You don't necessarily get to see all the Castle productions.

And now that we have the return of Happily Ever After, I know you want to do that. So you can hold your loved one's hand in the VIP area After you've had a toast of champagne and some very tasty desserts, I might add. And I actually have posted pictures of these Multiple things before on my Facebook and Instagram. But I will be sure and do that in the insider's group, Making Memories Insiders nurse on Facebook. I will post these there. Now, a variation of that is you can do a fireworks cruise, where you can do a private cruise in Bay Lake, and you can watch the fireworks from this private cruise. One of my favorite things to do is to have dinner at California Grill. As you all know, it is one of my favorite Walt Disney World Straunt.

And then do a fireworks dessert party there. Now you actually don't have to eat dinner to do the dessert party. The dessert party, You can have drinks at the bar at California Girl, and then you go out onto a private area that is reserved just for you. And they pipe in the music. And it is truly romantic. I have done that before, and it is both Really fun and really romantic because the view of Space Mountain and you see the sunset and enjoy the fireworks. Dessert party is amazing. That is what is called an enchanting extra.

And so you can work with your preferred travel advisor. I certainly hope it's me and we can book that for you as one of the extras. Another thing you can do is get that magic pass of photos. Get that magic photo pass and go and do the tangled magic shot. If you haven't seen that, all you have to do is ask Any cast member wears the tangled magic shot. It's actually by the tangled restrooms, which is actually a pretty beautiful photo backdrop. And so that is always fun. There is always a pretty long line for that, and it's not a Genie plus thing.

So I recommend that you go in in the evening at dusk. Watch the beautiful sunset over Cinderella's castle. And then go wait in line for your Tangled Magic Shot. On the way there, you can stop and get my favorite cheeseburger egg rolls Or some popcorn or cotton candy or a Mickey bar, and then make your way over. Now you have your snacks. You can wait in line with your snacks, and you can be done in time to go watch the fireworks. It's a lovely romantic evening. One thing you can do if you are going into the parks for your romantic getaway is do a private PhotoPass session.

It is actually available at the Magic Kingdom where you can have Cindy's castle as your backdrop, But it's also available at Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Ant Disney's Animal Kingdom. And They have 3 amazing locations that you can choose from at Epcot. It's all in world show Case. And I did mine in Italy, which was a lot of fun. And again, I can post these pictures when this episode comes out, And you can see them in the Facebook insiders group. You can ride the train all the way around to a full loop from the train station at the Magic Kingdom, all the way back to the train station at the Magic Kingdom. It's Fabulous romantic thing to do. Granted, you will be sitting with other people, but there's really never a wait for it.

And so it's Just something fun that most people miss is riding the train. Another great attraction is the people mover in Tomorrowland. Now this is also not an attraction that you can Genie plus And it is becoming so popular that there is often a wait. But it does go through some of the dark rides, and you can Make a little kiss with your beloved. Or you can take selfies. It moves nice and slow. It's a longer attraction Shen. Then your typical 2 minutes and you get to go through Space Mountain.

And I'll give you a hint. When you go through Space Mountain, if you look at asteroids. Think of them as chocolate chip cookies. Okay. Now I may or may not have done this And may or may not have found it extremely romantic, but it rains every A in Orlando. Usually it's around 3, but sometimes you get kind of lucky. And it's early enough that it's getting dark, But they don't cancel the fireworks, and that is to kiss in the rain. Now all of you who are Disney people like me Probably remember Princess Diaries and Anne Hathaway's character says she wants to do the heel flip.

Kiss in the rain. Do the heel flip and get a photo of it. It is super fun. You will treasure it forever. And I bet you will remember the music that is playing in the background. Mine may or may not be Illuminations, the original at Epcot. Now, I know we're getting close to the actual date of Valentine's Day, and this is really about romance to you can do year round, but there are always special treats and special magic photo pass for Valentine's Day. Some of them are actually good all of February, and some of them are only on Valentine's day, but be sure and look at some of those special desserts and treats and you can even share 1.

And that makes to eating dessert romantic so the calories don't count, right? Also, I always try and remind people that at Disney Springs, the PhotoPass location there. It's a storefront. It always has a green screen background. And I promise you for Valentine's day. There will be some romantic or even some great gal pal backdrops for that. So highly recommend all of those things, whether you're celebrating Valentine's Day with your friends or a Special Valentine's Day with your special boo. All of these things can be done at the Magic Kingdom. Now over at Epcot, later in the year, not too far off is the Flower and Garden Festival, and it is The best weather of the year, early on in the festival before it gets too hot.

Flower and garden, and do a festival stroll around all the topiaries. Super fun and a different way to spend your day at Epcot. You know, I'm also a Huge fan of the scavenger hunt. So this is a similar thing to do a festival stroll. And of course, I'm never opposed to eating or drinking around the world, whether it's Flower and Garden or just a day at Epcot. That's always fun. Of course, it's more fun for me during a festival. I know Carly Weisel doesn't do the festivals.

I've never been able to convince her that she is wrong about that, but I love strolling around with the outdoor kitchens. I think it's really fun. There are also special magic shots. So right now for Valentine's, there are special magic shots for the festival of the arts. Later. When flowering garden starts, there will be those as well. And actually, 4 times a year, You can get an Epcot festival special magic shot. The ones for International Festival of the Arts to our, not just back in world showcase where the outdoor kitchens are, but also up in what used to be called future world and is now world of Whatever.

Right at the entrance with spaceship Earth and Figment. It's really cute. It's really cute. I did it. To the the end of January, and I will post that picture as well. Now, if you are not ready to Hold hands on Soarin' and smell the orange groves or do my favorite scavenger hunt with your best gal pal or your special someone. Food and Wine Festival is an awesome place to do a bachelor or a bachelorette or, you know, Get your friends together and do the wine and dine half marathon. But food and wine festival is always a great deal.

And you probably heard last week where Caitlin said food and wine half marathon is the best bang for your buck because you get a special after hours party. So tell me that's not fun. Now, there is a lot of ways to do romance at the Walt Disney World Resort Resorts. And probably my favorite is the monorail crawl. Now, technically, you can just get on the monorail and spin around, and it doesn't cost you anything. But think about how much more fun it would be if you start at a lounge at one of the monorail resorts and get to a lounge and an appetizer. My favorite is the lounge at Disney's Grand Floridian. It's themed to beauty and the beast, and it's got a replica of the rose And they have fabulous French fries and beautiful Beauty and the Beast themed drinks.

So that's where I like to start my monorail call. That puts me at dinner where I have a choice of either Steakhouse 71 or California Grill. Both have great food. Both have Different Vibes. And then that puts you at the Pali for dessert where you can get a Dole Whip, sit on the beach and watch the fireworks. It's my perfect night. You can also do a twist on this by doing a skyline or pub crawl. And if you choose to do a Skyliner Pub Crawl.

You can do it in multiple ways. That's when you wanna have the help of your travel advisor. And one thing I always recommend though, is when you take the skyliner over to Riviera to make sure and take a photo at the tile mosaics. There's 1 for Tangled and one for Peter Pan, so you don't want to miss those. You can walk from Riviera over to the Caribbean Beach and then take the Skyliner to Epcot and walk along the boardwalk. Lots of variations of the Skyliner Pub Crawl. Of course, A great spa day at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, or if you really want a great couples spa day, the 4 Seasons is the place to Bee. Now, if you do decide to go to Disney's Grand Floridian, either for the monorail crawl or to go to the spa.

Don't miss the special photo past photographers who are on the 2nd floor. There you can get a magic shot with Cinderella's Glass Slipper and Gus Gus. Now, if you have it in your budget and you can get reservations, Lord knows it's really difficult. Dinner at Victoria and Albert's and even more so at the chef's table. Now that is a special anniversary type place. Ladies. It is for a very special evening. You do have to dress, there's a dress code, But I promise it is probably one of the top 10 meals you will ever have in your life.

Now a little less than dinner at Victoria and Albert's, but Still a signature dining is Citrico's, which is on the 2nd floor. You can also get a view of the fireworks there. And they do pipe in the music. And if I didn't say it, Victoria and Alberts and Citrokos are at Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort and Bob. As is Narcusi's, which is out on the dock. It's a little bit more casual. The food is fabulous. And you also get a view of the Magic Kingdom, but it's eye level instead of higher up like Citricos.

Citricos being on the 2nd floor. Now, if you want to go over to Port Orleans French Quarter, you can take a carriage ride. How romantic is that? And then you can go to ScatKatz for adult beverages and beignets that may or may not be able to be piped in with Kahlua. Can you say beignet with Kahlua and Cream? That's over at Port Orleans French Quarter. Now, if you go to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, there is Victoria Fall's Lounge, which also has some great signature cocktails. And then you can do s'mores by the fireplace. Also a really great romantic way to spend an evening. Now, if you want to spend a day over at Typhoon Lagoon, Be sure and rent yourself a cabana.

That way you are getting the most out of your day over at the beach. You can rent a cabana and then that comes with some butler type service and some food and beverages. So You will be waited on hand and foot. Again, an awesome way for your girlfriends or your bachelor party Or your besties. It doesn't matter if they're all girls or boys or thems. Great fun to rent a cabana at Typhoon Lagoon. Now, going back to the boardwalk, there is chili rolls and abracadabra bar, which is, if you don't know the Boardwalk, it's at the Boardwalk Inn. It's one of my favorite places to hang out, and that is always a great way to spend an evening.

You can also do a Surrey bike ride, which most definitely takes at least 2 people, if not a double date of 4. I did it all by myself and I had to get help pushing me up one of the hills. So don't try it solo. Do it with your special someone. You can also on certain evenings, catch a movie on the green and that's free. You just have to bring a blanket and spread out and watch a movie on the green, get your popcorn, you're all set. Actually, you can typically watch a movie every night of the week at any of the resorts, but I think it's particularly fun on the green at the boardwalk. It's just got a great Backdrop to it.

And it's actually not usually very crowded, so I really like that. And sometimes Chip and Dale will come and play with you before the movie. So I always think that's a lot of fun. So I talked about resorts spending a day outside of the parks is always super fun. You can go bowling at Disney Springs. You can play putt putt, which I admit, I've never found time to go play on the putt putt course. So that is definitely on my Disney bingo card. I have to do that.

You can go to Disney Springs and See a movie? You can dine in or you can just get your popcorn. There is the aerofile balloon, Something else that's on my Disney bingo card that I've never done. Amarette's pastry shop, take one of those Fabulous celebration cake decorating classes. That is again, an enchanting extra that you can do, and it's 2 for the price of 1. Because I really wanted to go and do it, but it's the same cost for 1 as it is for 2. And I was like, I need someone to take pictures of me making an ass of myself, Trying to decorate a Disney Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse shaped celebration cake. I actually think you can also do Giphy and Pluto, but I haven't done it yet. So I'll let you know when I check that off.

You can see the fabulous Cirque du Soleil show drawn to life. I mean, when you mix Disney animation with the magic of Cirque du Soleil, it is truly like, it brought tears to my eyes. It was a beautiful experience, and that is really fun. And there are certain nights where there's Florida resident rates or annual Pass holders get a discount. But if you can make time in your packed vacation, I highly recommend that as a special night for another romantic way to spend a special night. Now, I'm having a love affair with Universal experiences. You guys all know that. So I couldn't leave out the ways to have a romantic experience or weekend over at Universal experiences.

So first, of course, you have to stay at either Portofino Bay, Loews Portofino Bay or the Hard Rock Hotel. Because they have the best pools, they have the best dining. But you should definitely get over to Loews Sapphire Falls for their rum tasting at Strong Water Tavern. You did probably see my pictures of that when I was there with Nikki. Shout out to Nikki for our advanced training on Universal. I will again post these in the insider group. I'll post all these pictures with an album with the episode number for you. You can enjoy a romantic boat ride together on the waterways of the Universal Orlando Resort.

You can take in the sights and sounds of the parks from the unique perspective that is offered there. I love the Mandara Spa, which is to Portofino Bay. It's amazing. And also every afternoon, opera singers come out and sing at Portofino Bay. It's an all around truly. Romantic resort. It just is. You feel like you're in Tuscany.

Live entertainment over at Hard Rock Hotel is fun. And then, of course, there's City Walk where you can do many of the same things you can do at Disney Springs. You can go bowling. You can play Putt Putt. You can see a movie. They have an escape room also on my Orlando theme park bucket list, or I should say bingo card. I haven't done that yet, and I really want to. But so many of my trips are by myself, but I really need a group of people to help me with an escape room.

Really, I need mister Michele visits Mickey to help me with an escape room. Then of course, you have to get a milkshake at the Twosome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen. I was very lucky, we actually got a table and ordered lunch and the food was Really really good. A shout out to their French fries. But, we totally did not have any room left to drink the milkshake. I, of course, ordered it because you have to do it for the gram, but I was so full. I had maybe 3 sips of it. Now at the park, you absolutely have to share a butterbeer at the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

You can indulge in the iconic beverage. Together, you can savor the magical atmosphere of Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. I highly recommend the Hot. Holy moly. It is good. Another shout out to Nikki for getting me hooked on that. But I also like the frozen, and don't forget they don't serve Draws With the Frozen, because they don't want you to mix up the topping that's on the top of the drink. Definitely, experience the romantic charm of the nighttime lights at Hogwarts Castle.

It's a great projection show, and it eliminates Hogwarts castle. It has visuals. It has music. It's really good. They usually do it more than once a night, so you can check on that time. You can definitely do an evening ride on the Hogwarts for us as long as you have a park to park ticket. It takes you between Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure. And it has scenic views and a touch of magic.

Again. You are going to be sharing your cabin on the Hogwarts Express with others. But be sure and get a window view and sit across from one another. You can touch knees if you have to have some PDA going. But you wanna sit next to that window to experience the Hogwarts Express. And it is different each way, by the way. So write it over and then get on it and ride it back. Definitely do ET's adventure at the OG Universal Studios.

And ET is the OG ride. I mean, it was there when the park opened. And you can fly over the city just the way E. T. Did in the bike. It's super cool. It's a magical journey through his home planet even. You get to go and see how E.

T. Saves his own planet. And don't forget to touch fingers. ET, phone home. It's really cool. It's an OG. It's just got the sentimental feel to it. Don't forget about Florian Fortescue's ice cream parlor in Saigon Alley.

You can and also share a delicious butter beer flavored ice cream. I personally don't like the butter beer flavored ice cream, but they have Awesome. Other delightful flavors. So don't forget about indulging in sweet treats at Universal. Definitely have a thrilling ride on amazing adventures of Spider Man. Fight alongside Marvel's favorite to superheroes and feel the adrenaline rush together. And don't miss the opportunity to make memories together by taking a photo with your favorite characters. Hi.

This is free. Use your phone with Marilyn Monroe or Optimus Prime, fun, romantic keepsake And theme park insider, who you actually heard here on a previous episode of let me adjust my ears, Voted Mythos restaurant, which is in Islands of Adventure, the best theme park food. So have dinner over there. Also, you want to be sure and book that in advance. So wow, I'm tired now. That is all my hot takes on how to have a romantic getaway adults only trip to the theme parks in Orlando. And with that, I will see you real soon.