We rode 12 rides at Disney World without paying for Lightning Lanes. The secret was leaving our kids at home.

The author and her friend went to three parks at Disney World.

Courtesy of the author I went to Disney World with a friend instead of bringing our children.

We visited Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot in a single day.

It was surprisingly empty.

Without kids slowing us down, we rode 12 rides and explored at our own pace.

My friend and I felt like we were overdue for a trip without our kids .

Between the two of us, we have seven children, ranging in age from 6 to 10, including three pairs of twins.

We knew we wanted it to be a warm-weather destination to extend the feeling of summer, as the leaves are already turning red in Maine, where we both live.

The author grew up going to Disney World.

Courtesy of the author The one destination we kept coming back to was Florida.

And because we are both huge Disney fans , I threw the crazy idea of going to the parks without our kids.

Getting to feel like a kid again alongside my friend was one of the most uplifting experiences in my years as a mom.

We got Park Hopper tickets Because we still wanted to lounge by the pool and drink frozen drinks, we figured we'd dedicate one day and one day only to Disney World.

So we got Park Hopper tickets that allowed us to move between parks.