This is the my first attempt at a pre-trip report so here goes nothing. What else is a senior in college supposed to do during exam week? Study? I think not.
The cast: Myself, Nathan, 21, and my DF (then-DW) Sarah, 22. Sarah is (almost) as big of a Disney nut as I am, and we've each been nine times (three times together).
Our trip begins at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame where we'll be getting married at 11:00 on July 9.
Our reception will be here in South Bend, where we'll be spending the wedding night. The next morning, we drive to Chicago and fly nonstop from Midway to MCO! We land at about 6:30 PM, then take Magical Express to Old Key West where we check in to our one bedroom villa. Dinner reservations that night are at 9:30 at Paradiso 37. Never been there before so we're very excited.
This is the first time we'll be going without Park Hoppers, so fingers crossed that all goes well with that. We'll be at the parks before opening every day.
First park day is Monday when we do Future World at Epcot. Dinner reservations are for 7:50 PM at the Rose & Crown. Hopefully we can get a seat on the water to watch IllumiNations!
Next day is Hollywood Studios. 2:05 PM lunch at Mama Melrose's with the Fantasmic! dinner package. I'm not a huge fan of the food at DHS, but Mama Melrose's is always pretty good and filling, and I'll grab a turkey leg on the way into Fantasmic!, which is scheduled for 9:00 PM that night.
Wednesday is our day off and also happens to be my birthday! Breakfast reservations at Chef Mickey's for 10:00 AM, then we'll relax and spend some time at the pool and Downtown Disney. I also have to swing by Casting at 1:00 PM to get my fingerprints taken, as I start work for Disney on August 1 and this was the only time in their 25-day window that I could do my background check. At 9:10 PM we'll be back at the Contemporary for dinner reservations at California Grill. Hopefully a great meal and a great view of Wishes!
Thursday is Animal Kingdom, Sarah's favorite park. We'll be there from 9:00 AM open until 7:00 PM close. Dinner that night is Boma at 8:00 PM. Another new experience for us, so we can't wait to try it.
Friday is the longest day of the trip. We'll be at the Magic Kingdom when it opens at 9:00 AM, then leave four lunch reservations at Whispering Canyon at 2:30 PM. After lunch, it's a quick nap then back to the Magic Kingdom. Evening Extra Magic Hours that day, so we'll be there until 2:00 AM.
After a long night, we'll want to sleep in a bit so we'll get to World Showcase when it opens at 11:00 AM. Dinner is at 5:00 PM at Les Chefs, then back to the room for a quick shower and Cirque du Soleil at 9:00 PM.
Sunday morning we pack, hop a ride over to the Car Care Center, and pick up our rental to drive to Tampa. Our Carnival Cruise leaves port at 4:00 PM. Honeymoon round two officially begins.
Monday is a day at sea so nothing too exciting.
Tuesday we arrive in Cozumel. We have reservations for an ATV tour through the rainforest with snorkeling stops along the way. My first experience snorkeling was in Hawai'i over Christmas break and I absolutely loved it.
Next day is Belize. We have two excursions planned: Cave tubing and zip lining. Neither of us are particularly adventurous so this should be interesting, to say the least.
Thursday is a lazy beach day in Roatan.
Friday we go to Grand Cayman and take a catamaran to Stingray City. This will be a totally new experience, and we're both really looking forward to it.
After a final day at sea, we make port back in Tampa on Sunday, July 24 with our bellies full and our wallets empty. My first day with Disney is one week later, so its back to Orlando to get settled in our new apartment!
The cast: Myself, Nathan, 21, and my DF (then-DW) Sarah, 22. Sarah is (almost) as big of a Disney nut as I am, and we've each been nine times (three times together).
Our trip begins at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame where we'll be getting married at 11:00 on July 9.
Our reception will be here in South Bend, where we'll be spending the wedding night. The next morning, we drive to Chicago and fly nonstop from Midway to MCO! We land at about 6:30 PM, then take Magical Express to Old Key West where we check in to our one bedroom villa. Dinner reservations that night are at 9:30 at Paradiso 37. Never been there before so we're very excited.
This is the first time we'll be going without Park Hoppers, so fingers crossed that all goes well with that. We'll be at the parks before opening every day.
First park day is Monday when we do Future World at Epcot. Dinner reservations are for 7:50 PM at the Rose & Crown. Hopefully we can get a seat on the water to watch IllumiNations!
Next day is Hollywood Studios. 2:05 PM lunch at Mama Melrose's with the Fantasmic! dinner package. I'm not a huge fan of the food at DHS, but Mama Melrose's is always pretty good and filling, and I'll grab a turkey leg on the way into Fantasmic!, which is scheduled for 9:00 PM that night.
Wednesday is our day off and also happens to be my birthday! Breakfast reservations at Chef Mickey's for 10:00 AM, then we'll relax and spend some time at the pool and Downtown Disney. I also have to swing by Casting at 1:00 PM to get my fingerprints taken, as I start work for Disney on August 1 and this was the only time in their 25-day window that I could do my background check. At 9:10 PM we'll be back at the Contemporary for dinner reservations at California Grill. Hopefully a great meal and a great view of Wishes!
Thursday is Animal Kingdom, Sarah's favorite park. We'll be there from 9:00 AM open until 7:00 PM close. Dinner that night is Boma at 8:00 PM. Another new experience for us, so we can't wait to try it.
Friday is the longest day of the trip. We'll be at the Magic Kingdom when it opens at 9:00 AM, then leave four lunch reservations at Whispering Canyon at 2:30 PM. After lunch, it's a quick nap then back to the Magic Kingdom. Evening Extra Magic Hours that day, so we'll be there until 2:00 AM.
After a long night, we'll want to sleep in a bit so we'll get to World Showcase when it opens at 11:00 AM. Dinner is at 5:00 PM at Les Chefs, then back to the room for a quick shower and Cirque du Soleil at 9:00 PM.
Sunday morning we pack, hop a ride over to the Car Care Center, and pick up our rental to drive to Tampa. Our Carnival Cruise leaves port at 4:00 PM. Honeymoon round two officially begins.
Monday is a day at sea so nothing too exciting.
Tuesday we arrive in Cozumel. We have reservations for an ATV tour through the rainforest with snorkeling stops along the way. My first experience snorkeling was in Hawai'i over Christmas break and I absolutely loved it.
Next day is Belize. We have two excursions planned: Cave tubing and zip lining. Neither of us are particularly adventurous so this should be interesting, to say the least.
Thursday is a lazy beach day in Roatan.
Friday we go to Grand Cayman and take a catamaran to Stingray City. This will be a totally new experience, and we're both really looking forward to it.
After a final day at sea, we make port back in Tampa on Sunday, July 24 with our bellies full and our wallets empty. My first day with Disney is one week later, so its back to Orlando to get settled in our new apartment!
