Going to Disney World without Kids

Going to Disney World without kids might seem like a crazy idea, but it completely changes your Disney experience! Here’s why every parent should go to Disney without their kids at least once!

Save big on Disney World vacation packages from Get Away Today! Check out all the current deals here! And don’t forget to use promo code LITTLES to save an extra $10 off your already discounted package! Check it out HERE! (affiliate)

Eight days ago, my husband and I ran the Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. We both had so much fun, were happy with our finish times, and we got to visit the different parts at Disney World the two days before. And we didn’t bring our kids.

What? I know. What kind of parent goes to Disney World and doesn’t bring their kids?

Honestly, it was because it was going to be a short trip and we didn’t want to spend all the extra money on our three kids. Plus, we would’ve had to find someone to watch them during our race on Sunday morning.

Sure, I felt a little bad about not bringing them, but I don’t regret the decision in the slightest! Going to Disney World without kids is a dream!

If you’re trying to decide whether or not you want to go to Disney World without kids, or you are just trying to plan a kid-free vacation and can’t decide where to go, here are some reasons why you should consider going to Walt Disney World sans kids:

It’s cheaper.

We all know Disney World is expensive. A one park per day child ticket starts at $104, and if you add on the park-hopper option so you can visit multiple parks a day, it’s $164 for a child ticket. And that’s just for one child, one day! And if you add in the cost of travel (in our case, flying) and food, the price can double pretty fast. Going to Disney World without kids is just cheaper!

You don’t have to share food.

Besides the half marathon, the thing I was looking forward to the most was the food. Disney is famous for having delicious food, and we came prepared. I had a big list of things I wanted to try, and if we had brought the kids, I would’ve had to share. No kids means more delicious food for me.

You can get around faster. 

Going to Disney World without kids means you can walk at your own pace, without leaving any little legs in the dust. Walking around Disney World in a group is a challenge because there are so many people and you have to make sure you aren’t losing someone every few minutes. When it’s just you two, you can weave through crowds, walk briskly (or run) to get to your next ride, and you take less bathroom breaks!

You don’t have to go on lame rides you don’t want to go on.

Kids are great, but they usually want to go on different rides than adults. I’m going to get some crap for this, but I hate It’s A Small World. I don’t want to stand in line for the Dumbo ride. And the teacups make me so sick I wouldn’t be able to do anything the rest of the day. When you don’t bring kids, you don’t have to wait in line for any of those rides! We were able to do Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train, Expedition Everest, and Slinky Dog Dash without having to worry if our kids were tall enough or brave enough to ride them! 

You don’t have to worry about naps.

When you bring kids who still nap (our youngest does) you have to plan around their nap time. Usually that means a nap in the stroller with parental supervision or going back to the hotel for a few hours and then coming back to the park. But when you go to Disney World without kids, you can just power through as long as you want! No naps means more Disney time!

You can stay out late and go in as early as you want.

Again, you don’t have to plan your schedule around your kids getting enough sleep! We were able to go do Magic Morning both days we were there without having to worry about the kids losing steam halfway through the day. And if we had wanted, we could’ve stayed until closing! We didn’t since we had to run 13.1 miles on Sunday morning at 5:30am, but we could’ve if we’d have wanted to!

No stroller to push around!

Okay, this is a biggie (especially with all the changes around allowed stroller sizes starting May 1st). Not having to push around a stroller is amazing when it’s busy, and like I said, you can get around faster! Plus you don’t have to worry about it getting wet if it rains, or trying to find a place to put it when you go on rides!

No bulky diaper bag.

When you don’t bring your kids to Disney World, you also don’t have to bring a diaper bag! All I brought with me was my Fawn Design Fawny Pack with my wallet, my phone, a phone charger, and my sunglasses. It was so nice not having to take it off every time we got on a ride, and my back didn’t get hot or start hurting halfway through the day! Yay! 

We didn’t have to wait in line to meet characters.

I say we didn’t have to, but we did wait in line to meet Chewbacca because he’s our two-year-old’s favorite and we wanted to send him a picture. But with kids, a lot of time spent at Disney can be spent waiting in lines to meet characters. So instead of doing that, we got to ride more rides and eat more food! It was great! 

Disney World without kids is a lot less stressful.

Disney is fantastic and so magical and just the best trip with kids, but it’s also exhausting and stressful. So take those kids away, and it’s a lot more relaxing! Personally, we didn’t feel like we needed to ride every ride or make sure it was the perfect, best day ever (which we have always felt like when going with kids). We were able to take breaks and just sit down when we wanted and we didn’t feel the pressure that comes with bringing kids to Disney World. It actually felt like a vacation!

You can eat wherever you want and whenever you want.

If you have kids, I’m sure you’re familiar with the scenario where your kids can’t agree on where to eat, or they refuse to eat where you want to, and then an hour later, they’re hungry and you have to get them something else. It’s frustrating, and when you’re at Disney World, it’s especially frustrating. Leaving your kids at home means you can eat wherever you want (whether that’s something quick at Magic Kingdom or a sit-down place in Epcot), whenever you want (because adults can manage hunger a little better than kids!). Seriously, it’s a dream.

Going to Disney World without kids at first sounds crazy, mean, or even like bad parenting, but I can assure you, it’s none of those things. We loved visiting Disney on our own, and it really made a difference in how much we got to do, how much we spent, and how much we enjoyed our trip. I don’t know if we’ll ever get a chance to do it again, but if we do, I’m all for it! And I hope if you have the chance to go without kids, you jump on it, too!