This article does not feature professional advice. This article makes recommendations, by which, fun can be had-- And ya know, fun can lead to many wonderful things.
To continue with this guide we must make a few assumptions:
- You have a date planned (or you're already on the date, which means you're on your phone, PUT IT DOWN!)
- You both love Disney
- You both are Annual Pass holders (unless you're a baller and regular day admission for two is like buying movie tickets for you)
So you're meeting this man or woman in the park; maybe you've met before, maybe you met online or through a friend and thought a Disney Date could provide the perfect atmosphere for getting to know one another...
No matter the case, things can go south pretty quick if you're not careful. After all, Disney magic can only help you so much... If you're a jerk, the smell of warm churros in the night air won't make you seem any more charming.
Because dating isn't easy for anyone, we put this list of tips together to help you stay the best version of yourself while sharing your time in the park with your maybe-someone-special.
Make sure you memorize the Tram Safety Speech
in English AND Spanish! You have no way of knowing if your date is one of THOSE people (and let's admit it, most of us are). If your date gleefully chirps along with the safety rules, you will want to be prepared to keep up. Trust me.. there's no quicker way to let your person know you're on the same page of nerdom than dropping knowledge on the ride that proceeds all rides at the park.
Don't assume your date wants to ride all the rides
and DO NOT be a control freak! The last thing you should be doing is rushing your date along from ride to ride to ensure you hit all your favorites before the tourists swarm in. Be spontaneous! Let the natural flow of the park take you where it wants you to go. Think about it this way: you're going to get to know one another a lot better by walking around and sharing favorite ride & park experiences than you will trying to force new ones to occur.
Talk about everything
and anything. The park is populated with perfect places to stroll or sit and engage in conversation with this (hopefully) exciting new individual. Listen to him/her when they speak. Don't look for a jumping on point in every story they tell... let them tell it, because no one else can, and they've chosen you to hear it. Brave the Peter Pan queue. Ride the trolley or double-decker down Main Street. Grab an Abuelita or coffee from Jolly Holiday and sit beneath a yellow umbrella. Find an empty bench and trade stories until your best ones are all told.
Don't be cheap
you can go back to being that tomorrow. If you've selected a Disney park for a date, pass holder or not, you should already know what you're in for financially speaking. Own it! Now is THE time to treat yourselves. Get popcorn. Get churros. Get a dole whip to share and then another dole whip to share after the first dole whip has been quickly shared. Then get a dole whip float. Sit down for dinner, order that thing you never let yourself have. Flex that AP Discount buying power to its fantastic limit.
Make reservations for some stuff
Let me contradict myself and say some things should be planned. It is Disney after all, and though we think so sometimes, we don't own the place. It fills up fast on all fronts. Lock that table down at your favorite restaurant. Make sure you have a prime spot to take in Fantasmic. Rolling the dice on these things works out sometimes, but this ain't no ordinary trip to the kingdom.
Don't hold back on Astro Blasters
but after you've beat his score and done your cute little victory jig, try not to gloat. Let the moment pass and move on to the next thing.
Be a Kid!
Do not approach the date with anything in particular in mind. You should have no goals, no expectations. While the future could very well hold a relationship for you, maybe even with this person, your objective here should be to have a good time. A person only has a finite number of days, and they've chosen to spend one of them with you. So behave like the day is as special as it truly is! Have fun! Be Silly! Be yourself (unless yourself sucks, then be someone else, but be someone nice)