Downtown Disney date nights: Hot days, hotter nights

Love is in the air: Be seduced by the Cirque performers’ aerial feats at La Nouba in Downtown Disney.

By Deborah Bowen

How often do you hear the phrase, “I had the BEST margarita … at Disney!”? One trip to Mexico Pavilion and you’ll hear it plenty.

Too often people make the mistake of dismissing the Walt Disney World Resort as a “kids’ place.” So take my advice, grown-ups: Explore your inner child during the day then turn that Disney magic into date night once the sun goes down.Start your rendezvous with a good meal at Paradiso 37 in Downtown Disney. With a diverse menu that trots the North, Central and South Americas, the restaurant sparkles at night, when couples gather at lakeside tables for live music and libations from the unique tequila tower. Entrees are gussied-up comfort food, from Mac and Cheese Bites to Colombian-style Crispy Hen and Chargrilled Filet Mignon. Desserts indulge sweet tooths. Split rich Tres Leches cake or outrageous Chocolate Stack: chocolate cake and chocolate mousse layered on warm caramel, topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and sprinkles.

After dinner, be sure to take in a movie at one of the 24 state-of-the-art theaters in the Downtown Disney AMC. Or since this is Disney, go see Cirque du Soleil’s world-renowned, La Nouba, in its permanent location on Downtown Disney’s West Side.

Housed in a towering white tent, this is a much richer, highly-sculpted version of a traditional circus. Acrobats perform breathtaking feats of strength and grace. A narrative thread ties the acts together, while soaring original music provides a backdrop for the spectacle of movement.

Seats in the front of the theater are great; it’s fascinating to watch the performers from close-up. However, a visually stunning (and less costly) option is to sit in the top section. These seats afford a glorious panorama of the action, much of which is aerial.

Cirque du Soleil is located on the West Side of the complex, so a wonderful stroll will take you over to the Downtown Disney Marketplace, where shops and entertainment abound. As you walk, be prepared to enjoy Disney’s attention to detail and all the surprises along the way – music, mimes, jugglers and twinkling lights.

For grown-ups seeking romance, “a whole new world” awaits at Downtown Disney.

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Deborah Bowen, an English professor at the University of South Florida and member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, has lived the majority of her life less than an hour from Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts.

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