The Happiest Place on Earth: Orlando from an Adult’s Perspective

I had the compulsion one day to visit the proclaimed happiest place on earth: Walt Disney World. I’ve been to Disney World in Orlando once before, when I was 10 years old, but I wanted to experience it again as an adult, to find out if it is truly the happiest place on earth. My sister and cousin accompanied me on the random adventure. We planned a weekend getaway for this visit to see Mickey Mouse and friends, a nearby beach, and some nightlife. Let me just say Orlando and Disney World is a dream come true when you’re little, but also lives up to the hype as an adult.

This is how the weekend went…

Day 1

We arrived in Orlando on a Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel in Downtown Orlando. Since half of the day was already over, we decided to see what the nightlife was like in Orlando. We asked around for some suggestions of the best clubs and bars around the city, and the Ice Bar was suggested to us by one of the hotel staff. We decided to check it out and it was definitely the coolest part of our trip (no pun intended). So first let me say, the entire building is not cold inside, the actual ice bar is a separate room inside of the building. The rest of the building is the Fire Lounge, which is an “upscale” lounge/club. The bar is for ages 21 and up after 9 pm., and ages 8 and up are welcome from 5 pm to 9 pm. 

How the whole thing works is, you pay or check in at the front to show tickets from online purchases or Groupon, which was how we purchased our tickets. The host provides coats and gloves, included with entry price (faux fur coats, were an additional price, and I couldn’t turn down the faux fur). The ice bar is below freezing temps, so it’s probably best not to wear shorts, a short dress or skirt. Everything in the bar is made of ice, and I mean literally EVERYTHING! The glasses the drinks were made in, the chairs and stools, the tables and bar, and even the walls were made of ice. There were also a bunch of amazing ice sculptures everywhere. The atmosphere of the ice bar was very chill (again no pun intended), they played hip hop and R&B music, but the music was not too loud, and there were also not too many people inside. So if you’re looking for something more turned up, you will likely spend more time in the Fire Lounge. After we realized we couldn’t feel our limbs anymore, we enjoyed the rest of our time in the lounge, and on that night the club played hip hop and R&B to top 40 and house music. It was such a fun experience, and we enjoyed being Ice Princesses for the night!

Day 2

Disney World Day! I was most excited for this part of the trip. There’s nothing like reliving your childhood, and it still be just as amazing. Walt Disney World is made up of four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. We initially wanted to visit Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, but realized we would need more days to do both. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom park at about 2 pm and was there until about 10 pm (yes, it was that much to do). The first thing we did was purchase the obligatory mouse ears (had to).  Then made the second stop to see the castle, it was enchanting to say the least. Our day was filled with getting on rides, eating, meeting characters, taking photos, and my favorite: the grand finale, Happily Ever After fireworks show. The show was truly magical and made me feel like a kid again. The show happens at 9 pm every day, don’t visit Magic Kingdom without planning to stay long enough to see it. I was in awe just as much, if not more, than I was when I was 10 years old. I definitely will return again to visit all of the theme parks, especially to attend the annual Food and Wine Festival at the Epcot. I’ve heard wonderful things about the festival, and it sounds like a great event for adults.

Day 3

Sunday was beach day! And the weather was perfect for it. Being that we were in Orlando, there really wasn’t a beach nearby. The closest beach would require at least an hour and 15-minute drive. Cocoa Beach vs. Clearwater Beach was the great debate. Cocoa Beach is east of Orlando and considered Orlandoan’s home beach. It’s easy to reach, being only an hour and some change away, and has a bunch of restaurants and shops. Then there is Clearwater Beach, which is west of Orlando on the Gulf coast, near Tampa. Clearwater is a bit further from Orlando, with an hour and 45-minute drive from Orlando, but also has many restaurants and shops on the beach. After talking with some Orlando locals, it was advised to go to Clearwater Beach, and the extra distance drive, was absolutely worth it. Clearwater Beach had powdery white sand and clear water, that was the warmest I’ve ever felt.  They have plenty of beach chairs and cabanas available that are free to the public, I was sold! It definitely became one of my favorite U.S. beaches. That summed up our weekend trip and we went back home on Monday morning!

Random Weekend Getaway was a success!