I'm tagging along with my wonderful husband to a conference in Orlando next week. We are staying at the Caribe Royale. We are leaving our young kiddies at home, and after 10 years of marriage, we could use some fun! I would appreciate any suggestions for romantic dinners, entertainment or maybe even some dancing to help us feel young again! We will only be together in the evenings as he will be sitting in conferences during the day. Also, we do not have a rental car so will be at the mercy of the hotel shuttle or taxi's. I would be very grateful for suggestions.... I know I can trust my disney-friends much more than the hotel concerige!!

P.S. my hubby is also a big Disney fan!

My husband and I have also been married 10 years, and we went to Orlando in March without our kids for the first time (business trip also).

We went dancing at the Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk. They played quite a bit of 80's music, which we liked. It wasn't crowded, but I can't say if that is always the case. Plus, with PI being closed now, nightlife at the Boardwalk may pick up. Jellyrolls is a dualing piano bar at the Boardwalk, but we never made it inside there. We were having too much fun dancing.

As far as transportation goes, you can take a boat from Epcot or Hollywood Studios to the Boardwalk. I don't know what your plans are for park touring, but if your hotel offers shuttle to the parks (and I believe they do), you could shuttle to HS and then take the boat from there. Of course, depending on how late you stay out and how late the hotel shuttle runs, you could still be stuck calling a cab.

I'm afraid I can't offer any advice on romantic dining. We haven't managed to do that yet.

Thanks a bunch!! I'm going to print off your reply so I have it ready to go. The boardwalk sounds great, especially the 80's music :) I also appreicate the tips on the transportation. I had to laugh when you said "depending on how late you stay out".....ummm, since we don't have the kids I am really hoping we can make it until 9:00 p.m...maybe 10:00p.m if we get really crazy!!!! :)
Thanks again!

I think the Boardwalk would be a great thing. If you get transportation from your hotel to the Studios, and then take the boat to it, you don't need park admission!

And unless cash is super tight (I'm thinking that hotel is really close, but I'm not sure why I think that, since I've never looked into any of the offsite locations!) I'd still take a cab back even at the late hour of 9:00. It's just so much more relaxing. I'll often do that if I'm dining at a restaurant at another resort for dinner, even if I can get back to my hotel without too much hassle using free transportation. It just lets me relax into the rest of my evening (usually hitting the hay!) just a little bit easier.

If you're going to the Atlantic Dance Hall or Jelly Rolls, get off the boat at the Swan/Dolphin dock and you're much closer to those two places. OR you can take the boat all the way to Epcot and walk back to the Boardwalk and that way walk the whole length of it and see 'everything'. That might be good to do the first night, so you can scope it out and see if you want to do it again the next evening, or try something different!

There are tons of 'grownup' restaurants there. There are a few in the Swan and Dolphin - and there's Flying Fish at the Boardwalk and Yachtsman's Steakhouse at the Yacht Club which are both signature dining locations. Or Spoodles or the Cape May Seafood buffet (that name looks wrong...) or even the Big River Brewhouse or ESPN club. Ok, maybe the Brewhouse and ESPN Club aren't exactly Grownup restaurants - but you still might be in the mood for them.

Have fun!!!

The wife and i love the evening boat tours/rides that you can schedule. they are a bit expensive, but they are a fantastic treat fro 2 adults. The boats can hold 8 but we did them just for us to a few times. one is a water tour of the MK reosrts, the other a water tour of the Epcot resorts.

They end with an excellent water view of the MK fireworks or Epcot Illuminations. The pilots we had were all very nice and offered little bits of information about the resorts, how things were built... The nicest thing was that it felt like just the 2 of us were there, it was quiet, comfortable, and relaxing. Those are sometimes hard to find in WDW.

Dinner at the Californai Grill is another of our top picks, if you can get an ADR that overlaps with the Wishes/fireworks at MK, they will "hold" your order, and you can go out to the viewing platform. Unless you are lucky enough to get a window seat, in which case you just get a nice view without leaving your table.

...(I'm thinking that hotel is really close, but I'm not sure why I think that, since I've never looked into any of the offsite locations!)...

I just posted this in another section, but here it is - the Caribe Royale is indeed very close to Disney property. It's on the road that you take from the Epcot area out to the airport, just east of the Orlando World Marriott. I'd guess it should be no more than $20 or so from most places on Disney property.

The Caribe Royale website says that the hotel offers onsite rental cars, so it might end up being less expensive and more convenient to rent a car than use taxis frequently.

Favorite romantic restaurants? My top pick would be Victoria and Albert's in the Grand Floridian. My husband and I also liked the California Grill in the Contemporary. The Wilderness Lodge's Artist's Point is also another wonderful choice. You should call Disney Dining to check on availability and make advance dining reservations: 1-407-WDW-DINE (939-3463).

Enjoy!

Thanks again everyone! I'm getting very excited for our trip, especially with all the great advice. My next question...if we rent a car.....how easy is it to park in the Magic Kingdom. Do they have big parking structures at each park or is there central parking? I guess this has probably been asked a ton before....
Thanks again,
JoAnna

Just big parking lots. You will park at MK and if you are far from the "entrance" you can take a tram that will bring you to the gate. I say "entrance" because it isn't really. It's called the Ticket and Transportation Center and it is the central hub of WDW. From there you hop on either a boat or a monorail to MK.

wishiwasthere, just a couple of tiny points here. First, the TTC is the Transportation and Ticket Center, not the other way around. But then even a lot of Disney employees get this one wrong. Second, while I think it was designed to be the hub of WDW, it turned out to be mainly the hub for the MK with a connection to Epcot. The Studios and the Animal Kingdom receive no benefit from the TTC. Too bad - it would have been cool if a monorail network extended out all over the property, with everyone parking in the one big lot. But then that probably would have been a logistical nightmare, parking that many cars at once and then having them all leave at the end of the day.

Conferences at WDW rule. I've got one in three weeks and will be flying solo all week. For "adult" fun, Jellyrolls is a blast. If your goal is to escape kids entirely, that will be very difficult unless you go to places that are 21+, which there are only a couple. But for a quieter meal, try Jiko's at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Better call NOW though to book a reservation. And bring your credit card. :p

BTW, my wife and I have been to WDW 10 times or so and we are childless (I'm 36 and she's 35).

We have stayed at the Caribe Royale three times and loved it (we had a 2BR, 2BA villa) but most of the conference folks stay in the one BR suites (which we have never seen). They have a great pool, with a long slide and waterfalls. The hotel is very close to Disney and is a straight shot when you turn right out of the driveway for Caribe Royale.

We always rent a car and had free parking with our Annual Pass, so we never used the shuttle service from Caribe Royale. There is a small strip across the street from Caribe Royale (Walgreens/Rite-Aid type store, pizza place, Chinese takeout) which is walkable (although you do have to cross about 6 lanes of traffic unless you walk to the corner light to cross). Otherwise, you will need a car.

Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate all the advice...especially the tidbit about the Walgreens/Rite Aid type place across the street. We are trying to pay as little as possible for our luggage (US Air charges $15 per bag) and will probably just buy many of our toiletries in Orlando!

Just got back from 10 days this past Sunday and my mom joined us thus 5 nights of date nights.....

Romantic...we went to

California Grill
Raglan Road
Brown Derby
Quick burgers in MK and lots of rides
Grand Floridian Cafe


Also, we had a carriage ride at POR, and wow...we loved that. Reservations Required.

Just got back from 10 days this past Sunday and my mom joined us thus 5 nights of date nights.....

Romantic....

I had to read the above through a few times before I figgered it out. I'm assuming that your mom took your kids, leaving you with romantic time with the hubby? The way it's worded, you had romantic time with your mom, which is just creepy. . .

LOL!!!:p

LOL...Yes dan, it was with my husband. Still laughing. Sometimes I shorten what I am trying to say like I am texting and it comes out wrong.:p

My husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary at WDW back in April '07. Friends and coworkers couldn't believe we would go without the kids. They just don't get "IT". We had the DDP and 5 nights/6 days and not a cheese pizza or chicken finger in sight!

My husband and I have been traveling to the world kidless for quite some time! We love to have a quiet dinner at Jiko's the Cooking Place in Animal Kingdom Lodge, it has such a wonderful menu and it's a beautiful resort! After dinner we will stroll out and sit in the big rocking chairs around the fire pit and watch the animals on the savannah! It's such a unique experience!

Our second choices are too close to separate, we love both Artist Point and Yachtsman Steakhouse. Both because they are not quite as crowded and a bit more off the beaten path! We also tried the new restaurant, The Wave, in the Contemporary when we were there in June and the service was excellent and the food quite tasty!

As for nightlife, we love Jelly Rolls! It is so entertaining, you also might want to check out the concert line up for the House of Blues or take in La Nouba!

And what about your days? We have been to WDW when one or the other was conferencing and had enjoyable days as well! I enjoyed a spa day at Saratoga Springs Resort, saw a movie at the theater at DTD, spent an entire day catching all of the live entertainment in the World Showcase and took a day to lounge about in a hammock at the resort and read a book all day! It was wonderful!

Have fun!

All of the great replies, and I can't wait to go back. :) I just got home 2 weeks ago. Have an awesome time.

Check this out: I'm going solo in December, then DH has a conference there in September so I'm going with him. I was looking forward to going with just him, but youngest son will only be in 1st grade, so I think we will be able to take him too. 9th grader will be out of luck and will have to stay with the gparents, but he and I went by ourselves last October for a 10-day extravaganza. In fact, we got home one year ago today!