PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks
  About Us  |  Customs Office   |   Register Books   |   Book Updates   |   Blogs   |  Newsletter  |   News Desk   |  Articles  |  Photos  |  
Archive | Disney for Couples | PassPorter Blogs

You Deserve to be Pampered

Filed under Disney for Couples, Fresh Picked Posts by Terri Sellers on March 11, 2012 at 10:30 pm {4 comments}

Hi all – sorry I disappeared last week. I headed down to Disney World for “One More Disney Day”, and of course since I’ve been home, work and my personal life have been go, go, go….

So – now that I am back, I need to get back into the blog…

Today, Chris and I were talking about what we things we love the most at Walt Disney World and we both came up with “spa treatments” and we love them on the Disney ships too!! Talk about a WONDERFUL, relaxing, romantic and pampering thing to do during your vacation.

I have been lucky enough to have spa treatments at both of Disney’s signature spas, the spa at Disney’s Grand Floridian resort and the spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs resort.  I think that one of the most wonderful things you can do together as a couple is have a couple’s massage at one of the spas. Before we started dating, Chris had never had a massage. NEVER (insert my shaking head here)… maybe its a guy thing. For my 38th birthday Chris had our travel agent help him book a couple’s massage at the Grand Floridian spa. I remember Chris’ response being something along the lines of this…..

Hubby after his first ever massage...

when we were done (what a goofy, happy guy). He was VERY happy and nice and relaxed.  We had a couples massage where each of us had a separate massage treatment in the same treatment room with two therapists.  I remember overhearing him tell his therapist that “your husband or boyfriend is a lucky man”. I guess that meant he liked it.

In addition to the Grand Floridian spa, Disney has another full service spa at the Saratoga Springs Resort. Both facilities offer specific couples treatments, for example the spa at Saratoga Springs resort offers a Couple’s relaxation massage.  Although there are two full service spas at Walt Disney World, massage and spa treatments are also available from the Zahanati Massage & Fitness Center at the Animal Kingdom Lodge; and many of the other Deluxe resorts offer massage treatments by appointment.

In addition to spa services at Walt Disney World, the Disney Cruise Line offers full service spas on all four of its ships.  In 2009, while cruising with my family, I introduced Chris to the Vista spa on the Disney Magic. We joke that since we don’t drink, and thus don’t have a bar bill when we are onboard the ships, we take those funds for our spa bill.

Private hot tub in the Spa Suite

We were fortunate to be able to have our treatment in one of the spa suites and chose to have the Couples Choice, which is a 130 minute including a private hot tub, a lime and ginger leg salt scrub, a treatment of your choice for each of you and lastly hot tea and fresh fruit while relaxing on the roman lounge. HEAVEN!!! HIGHLY recommended. I think that all four of the ships offer the spa suites in each of the spas. The really nice thing is that the spas are in rooms where the doors open to a veranda, so you can enjoy the port or ocean views while you soak your tension away.

Couples Massage treatment tables on the Disney Magic

We took advantage of the spa on the Magic again during our honeymoon in April 2010 with four different spa treatments. In addition to repeating the Couples Choice in the spa suite, we also had a massage, and spent time in the Exotic Rasul. Disney did not bring the Exotic Rasul to the Dream, and I don’t think they brought it to the Fantasy either, but this unique and very romantic option remains onboard the Magic and the Wonder.

While Chris and I have cruised on the Dream, I was unable to visit the spa for any treatments (although Chris was…. color me jealous!) which means we have to cruise on the ship again so that I can have a treatment (or two) while onboard!!

One thing to think about, before booking that spa treatment is if your significant other would be comfortable with a massage or spa treatment. I was not sure if Chris would be, and one piece of advice he gave me for this blog installment is to discuss the treatment with your significant other. Some people have issues with strangers touching them when they are nude or covered by a very small undergarment provided by the spa an covered only by a sheet. Or they may not be comfortable with strangers of the same sex touching them. If they have issues along these lines, be sure to request your (or their) therapist be of a specific sex (i.e. a man may not want a male therapist). You could also go to a day spa at home to see how they may react and feel to strangers touching them. Better to find out they don’t enjoy spa treatments/massages before you are on your vacation.

One quick note – if you are planning on a spa treatment while you are at Walt Disney World this year (2012), it appears that your main location will be the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.  According to the Walt Disney World website, the spa at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will be closed for enhancements from September 19, 2011 to early 2013.

If you and your significant other decide that spa treatments and massages are for you while you are vacationing, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do and look forward to those pampering, romantic getaways.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!

“Couple-time” ideas at Walt Disney World

Filed under Disney for Couples, Fresh Picked Posts by Terri Sellers on February 25, 2012 at 4:44 pm {7 comments}

So when Chris and I started to talk about our “couple-time” at Disney World for this blog update, we talked about many, many things that we enjoy doing together as a couple while visiting the mouse. We enjoy dining, going to the spas for a couple’s massage, riding certain rides, but we also enjoy the simple pleasure of time together that we sometimes can’t get at home because of his work schedule and my travel schedule. And that is what this week’s blog is about – simple things you can do as a couple to relax and enjoy your time at Walt Disney World together.

One of the simplest things we enjoy doing is taking a walk. For example, after dinner on the Boardwalk we will get some ice cream at Seashore Sweets and walk around Cresent Lake, hand in hand, listening to the music or to Illuminations.  Sometimes we will grab a spot for the evening Boardwalk entertainers – magicians, jugglers, etc., and partake of the show. Who knows you may even get to be part of the show!  How about a walk along the shores of the Sassagoula River at Port Orleans Riverside, or a walk from the Boardwalk area to Disney’s Hollywood Studios early in the evening as the sun goes down and all the lighting in the resorts and parks begins to turn on?

Boardwalk evening entertainment

You could also finish dinner at either the Kona Café or ‘OHana and then go sit in a swing, lie in a hammock or just sit on the sandy beach at the Polynesian and watch Wishes across the Seven Seas Lagoon. I love the idea of having my shoes off and my toes in the wet sand while listening to the music and watching the fireworks of Wishes. Toe curls in the sand over and over while having the Wishes soundtrack playing. AHHHH. Now that is relaxing.

Wishes fireworks over the Seven Seas Lagoon

We love to get many, many photos taken by Photopass photographers in lots of different locations, funny photos when we can let down our guard and goof around. Since we often travel as a couple, the only way for us to get photos together is to use a tri-pod and timer, or to utilize the photopass photographer. In addition to having them take “official” photos, we will also give one of our cameras and they take photos with that as well. Often these photos are as good (or better) than the Disney photos.

Miss Tinkerbell surprised us!

On our last trip to Disney World, on our last day we were in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’d spent the morning touring, and then after lunch, found a bench across from the American Idol Experience and sat together and talked. I think we sat there for over an hour surrounded by the hubbub that is DHS. We did a little people watching and quite a bit of relaxing, delaying our departure and return to the real world. Sometimes I think we (or at least I) are in a hurry to commando tour from ride to show and show to ride and “get it all done”. At that pace, we miss the little things that make WDW a magical place. So – I think you should always make some time to just sit together, talk to each other, even maybe hold hands like you did when you were first dating.

Another no cost, easy to do evening “couples-time” activity is a soak in the hotel spa (hot tub). You could even grab a nice Frosty Adult Beverage from the nearest pool bar (if you are so inclined) to help keep you cool while you soak away any tension from a long day of touring in the hot tub. I prefer my grown up “tubbing” in the evening, as it does tend to cut down on the number of younger folks also in the spa and makes it feel more like “couples-time”. You can also grab a couple of loungers by your hotel pool, soak up the warm Florida sun while reading a great “vacation” book on your Kindle, Nook or Ipad.

Wilderness Lodge spa

One other thing that Chris has done when I have visited WDW solo (sometimes I can get off work and he can’t) is to have Disney Floral deliver flower arrangements to my room. They don’t have to be big (and frankly they don’t have to be from Disney) but I think it is truly wonderful to come back to your room and open the door to the lovely scent of flowers with a little card telling me how much he loves me and hopes I am enjoying my time at the “Happy place”.

Disney Flowers on a Solo Trip

There are so many things you can do on your trips to Walt Disney World to capture that magical time with your significant other/spouse.  Sometimes it means setting aside the touring plans, the fastpasses and all the ADRs to just relax and reconnect with that special person in your life.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!

 

Welcome to Walt Disney World for Couples

Filed under Disney for Couples by Terri Sellers on February 20, 2012 at 10:10 am {9 comments}

We are Terri and Chris Sellers – better known on the Passporter Boards as Passporter Guide DrDolphin, and her better half – Crick85. We are two 40-somethings without kids, but love to share Walt Disney World with friends and family – especially our nieces and nephews. We enjoy traveling to WDW a few times a year and enjoying our couples time there and thought it would be good to share some “have quality couples time” ideas with all the Passporter Blog readers – whether the trip be a “couples only” trip for a special occasion like an anniversary, or finding small romantic moments in the middle of a busy family trip.

Chris & Terri Sellers

One of our favorite "couple" places!

First a little bit about us. I am a marine biologist who works for a federal government agency as well as teaching Environmental Science for a small liberal arts college and Chris is a pharmacist at a major hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.  We enjoy traveling around the country and taking planned and impromptu trips to Walt Disney World, and being members of the Disney Vacation Club makes that possible.

Disney Vacation Club's Saratoga Spring Resort and Spa

I (Terri) have been a Disney fan since I re-discovered Walt Disney World (WDW) in 2001 while running the Disney Marathon, and began to make multiple trips a year after moving to Jacksonville in the fall of 2001. Chris sort of stumbled (still stumbles) into WDW because of me. We made our first “couples trip” in August 2008 when my sister and her family were visiting WDW and Chris and I had been dating for only two months. He had no clue what was in store for him. Chris’ previous trip before this one was when he was about 8 years old with his family and his only memories of the trip are of riding Space Mountain with his eyes closed and screaming quite loudly.

When we started dating, and decided that Chris would join the family on our trip in August, I don’t think Chris knew what to expect with the size, breath and wealth of things to do at Walt Disney World.  He still doesn’t.  Since that first trip, we have gone from “a couple” to being engaged and since been married – celebrating many of these events at either Walt Disney World, or onboard the Disney Cruise Line ships, making the most of the romantic offerings in all those locations.

Chris tends to leave the planning up to me, and 95% of the time, really “doesn’t care” what we do… So – for those of you who have significant others/fiances/spouses that travel to WDW with you, but really don’t care about all the magical details that make you love Walt Disney World so much, welcome to our world.

We plan to talk about many different romantic and special things you can do as a couple at Walt Disney World, and even do some reviews of things that we do while on our Disney trips, as well as how to plan for romantic/couples events while in the parks.

We’d also love to answer any questions you might have about Romance at Disney/ Disney for Couples, so we’ll be checking the boards – (http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/disney-romance/)  for great questions or blog topic ideas.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!