Dreams Do Come True - An October Honeymoon Trip Report

Well, I’m back from my honeymoon! We had such an amazing time. We got back just two weeks ago. I wish the honeymoon could have lasted longer than a week but I guess we had to go back to reality at some point, right? Now that I am back and have gone through the wedding gifts, unpacked and more importantly, uploaded all of my pictures, I figured it was time to start my trip report.

A Little Introduction
This report includes Ashley (me) and my now husband, eek Wes. We got engaged at the Boardwalk Resort back on our December 2010 trip and I managed to work out a honeymoon trip on the Disney Dream and then a 3 night stay at the Beach Club Resort. I always said I either wanted to be engaged, married or honeymoon in Disney World and I was able to accomplish 2 out of 3. That ain't too bad, if I do say so myself.

Saturday October 22nd – Wedding Day
We got engaged back in December and it seemed like our wedding day was so far away. Well before we knew it, our wedding day was here and we were getting married! 10 months of talking to our venue coordinator, meetings with the florist, food tastings, trips to Michael's for wedding supplies, making seating charts and escort cards...It had all come to an end. Finally our wedding day was here and all the planning would pay off. And pay off it did. Our wedding was absolutely wonderful! I kept telling Wes that I wanted to spend the majority of the reception on the dance floor and I am happy to report that I was a dancing machine! :lol: I think I danced from about 9pm until midnight (with occasional trips back to my table to take a swig of my drink, of course). It was such a great night and everyone we talked to said that it was the best wedding they had ever been to! I would say that is a pretty successful party!

I don't have my professional pictures back yet but here is a couple that my cousin took from the reception.

Sunday October 23rd - Honeymoon Here We Come!
It was an early start to the honeymoon with the alarm going off around 7am the morning after our wedding. Our reception wasn't over until midnight the night before and then there were goodbyes to family and friends and we didn't get home until around 1:30am. So that 7am wake up time was a little harder than usual. I kept reminding myself that I could sleep on the plane and by the pool on the Disney Dream to make waking up a little easier. We left our house around 7:45am and were sitting at our gate in RDU by 8:10. I love being so close to the airport! Our flight was uneventful. We left and arrived on time thanks to the wonderful crew of Southwest airlines. We arrived at MCO and made our way to DME to check for our cruise.

This was our first cruise ever so we weren't exactly sure what to do. The cast members directed us to the DME counter to check in. I didn't realize that you checked in for the cruise at the airport but I thought that was a great idea. We received our room keys, our bus boarding pass and then got in line to board our bus. Luckily we didn't have to wait very long and we left the airport to make our way to Port Canaveral.

As you can tell, Wes was super excited

I was delighted that the bus ride was just under an hour. We pulled up to Port Canaveral and all I can say is Wow. The ship was huge! We made our way through the terminal and boarded the ship rather quickly, since we had already checked in at the airport. It was funny when we first boarded the ship and the cast member asked me for the family name. It was the first time I got to use my new last name! It sounded very weird but it was really exciting too. As soon as we walked into the main atrium of the ship I was blown away. That chandelier is amazing.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

It was then time for a drink from the Caribbean. I went with the Frozen Rock Coconut Mojito. :slurp:

We continued our tour and I decided to let Wes be my photographer for a little while. I love taking pictures but I have a million pictures of the same things so I thought that a new perspective might be good.

We stopped in China so Wes could get a barbeque chicken stick. I had a little taste and thought it was just okay. Wes liked it though.

After that we decided to check out the China pavilion and we saw a PhotoPass photographer outside so we stopped to get some pictures. The cast member walked up to us and started speaking with a really heavy Chinese accent. The only thing that was weird about that was that the lady was white. I thought okay, maybe she was from China…then I read her nametag and it said New Jersey. :lol:

She started telling us to pose and telling Wes that he was a “noble warrior who needed to protect his princess”. As inappropriate as the accent was it was comical because of its awkwardness.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

After the photo session, we decided to go see Reflections of China. I have never taken the time to see this movie so it was nice to get to see it. Wes was still acting as photographer.

That's real nice, Wes.

Next stop was Germany for some beer and a sausage in a pretzel roll. The pretzel was good but the sausage wasn’t so good.

After our snacks I wanted to get something from the Worther’s shop so I went in there while Wes took some pictures of Germany.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

I decided to get a chocolate and caramel covered strawberry. It was delicious.

After Germany, it was time for more food in Japan. I really had my heart set on some California Rolls and they did not disappoint. Very tasty. Wes wanted to try some sake and he really didn’t care for it. He didn’t want to waste it since we paid for it so he tried to drink it but eventually he had to give up. I tasted some of it and I really couldn’t blame him for trashing it.

I really wanted to try some items at the Hawaii booth so we skipped over a lot of booths after Japan and made our way to the UK. We took a break from food and checked out the shops.

While we were in the area, we decided to try the cheese selection from Ireland. It was pretty tasty. Not the best cheese plate I have ever had but it was good.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We passed by Canada and Wes just couldn’t resist getting some chicken chipotle sausage.

While Wes was in line some Cast Members came up to me and asked me where I got my Just Married button with Prince Eric and Ariel. I told them that I got the button on the Disney Dream and then we started talking about the Disney Cruise line. It was really fun talking about the cruise with Cast Members who hadn’t had a chance to vacation on the Dream yet.

After talking with the Cast Members at the Canada booth a Cast Member from the Greece booth named Charlie came up to us to congratulate us on our wedding. Since we were wearing our ears, we got a lot of congrats from Cast Members and guests throughout our trip. Charlie asked us if we would like an item from the Greece booth for free. I tried to politely decline since I was trying to save room for the Hawaii booth but he persisted and I have a hard time passing up free food. When we got close to the booth, Charlie asked us our names and then said “Attention everyone! Wes and Ashley just got married! Opa!” Then all of the people around the booth also yelled “Opa!”. It was a really nice gesture and made for a special memory. So thank you Charlie! For my free item, I decided to get a Greek salad with pita bread. It was very good.

We finished our food and finally made our way to the Hawaii booth. I really wanted to try the Kalua pork slider and a Seven Tiki Mai Tai. They were both delicious! :slurp:

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

It was funny because the Hawaii booth was the first booth to actually ask me for my ID. I was shocked that I wasn’t carded before that but I think that my Minnie bride ears helped people realize that I wasn’t 12. :lol: In fact, when the Cast Member at the Hawaii booth asked me for my ID she pointed to my ears and said “I know but I have to ask”. I said “That’s okay. I could be a child bride.” :lol:

We had hit up the majority of the booths we wanted to so it was time to head back to the Beach Club to take a little break before dinner. We made our way towards the International Gateway and stopped for some quick PhotoPass pictures.

The PhotoPass photographer told us to switch hats so we did it. Wes asked “Do a lot of people do this” and the PhotoPass photographer said, “No, I just wanted to see if you would actually do it.” :ROFLOL:

We got back to the Beach Club to get ready for dinner. I decided that I needed a little nap so I fell asleep and as usual, I slept a little longer than I had planned. I had about 30 minutes to get ready before we needed to leave but I made it work and we were out the door a little before 5.

As we were walking out the door, I saw what Wes did with our ears. So cute.

Tonight dinner was at Jiko so we got on the first bus that pulled up which was a bus to the Magic Kingdom. When we got to the Magic Kingdom we saw that there was a bus for the Animal Kingdom Lodge there so we ran around to the other side of the buses. We were lucky again with catching the bus. It took us a little under an hour to get to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We had a really great waiter at Jiko. He was so friendly and was really funny too. For appetizers, Wes decided to try the artisanal cheese selection and I went with the Jiko salad off our waiters recommendation. Both were really good. I am glad that I tried the Jiko salad. From the description I would have never thought to try it but it was really good.

For our entrees, Wes and I both got the filet. This filet is Wes’ favorite steak in Disney so I decided to get one too. Another great choice.

Finally for dessert, I got the creamy Madagascar vanilla cheesecake and Wes got the one last cup.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Our entire dinner was amazing. After we paid our check, our waiter came over and said “Happy Halloween…oh, I mean Happy Honeymoon”. It was pretty close to Halloween so he wasn’t too far off. It was a very nice evening.

After dinner we were going to Epcot so we could see IllumiNations. First on the agenda when we got to Epcot was a PhotoPass picture.

Nighttime PhotoPass pictures are so hit or miss with quality.

Next up was a journey through the history of our planet on Spaceship Earth.

After that we decided to go find a spot for IllumiNations. We ended up finding a spot in between the UK and France pavilions down the stairs under the bridge. There was a nice ledge where we could sit so we grabbed a spot and then Wes went to go get some snacks. We had just eaten but I couldn’t pass up a soft pretzel.

IllumiNations was great. Afterwards we went back to the resort to call it an early night. It had been a long day and tomorrow was our last full day in Disney.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Saturday October 29th – Food, Food and More Food

This morning we were having breakfast at the Cape May Café. We had never eaten there before but since we were staying at the Beach Club we figured we would give it a try. We were going to have three sit down meals today so we needed to have an early breakfast. Our reservation was for 8am and we got there right at 8.

We were given a buzzer and didn’t have to wait too long in the lobby before our table was ready.

I really am not a big fan of buffets but for breakfast, I love them so I really liked Cape May Café. As soon as we were seated, we got ourselves some breakfast.

Mmmm :slurp: My yummy breakfast plate.

I have heard some mixed reviews about service being slow and the characters not making their way around the restaurant quick enough but we had a great waitress and were able to see all three characters really quickly. There was a lady at the table next to us who was really nice too and offered to take our pictures with the characters.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We were done with breakfast and had seen all of the characters so it was time to go to Epcot. We were only at breakfast for 45 minutes. That’s one quick table service meal and I liked it.

Today we decided to start in the Land pavilion since we didn’t get there the day before. When we got to Soarin it only had a 20 minute wait so we decided to do standby which turned out to be more like a 5 minute wait.

I love Puddy

We ended up getting a seat in section B and row 1. This was the first time I had ever gotten to be in the top row and to be right in the center too was great. We decided to grab a fastpass and then went for a ride on Living with the Land.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

By the time our boat returned, it was time to use our fastpass for Soarin. We ended up getting a spot in section B and row 1 again. How crazy that I have never been seated in that row before and then we sat there on back to back rides. Very cool.

We were done with the Land so next up was seeing Captain EO! I LOVE Captain EO! The cheesy 80’s-ness of it just makes me smile. :lol:

On our way to Captain EO, we saw this little guy hanging out and he was nice enough to pose for a picture.

When we got to Captain EO it was going to be another 17 minutes until the next show so we decided to go kill some time on Journey Into Imagination with Figment. It seems that the only time I ever go on this attraction now is to kill some time before Captain EO. We finished our journey with Figment and went back to Captain EO. Unfortunately we missed a little bit of the awesome 80s intro video but I knew that we would see it again this trip so it was okay.

World Showcase was now open so we decided that we wanted to try the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. We have seen people do this for awhile but we have never made time to do it. Funny enough, Wes really wanted to try this. He tried to play it off like he was just tagging along to please his wife but really he willingly wanted to participate. :lol:

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We had 45 minutes to kill before we could pick up our Kimmunicator so we started making the rounds on the Food and Wine Festival booths.

First up was Brazil where I got a frozen caipirinha. It was pretty tasty. Then we stopped in Mexico so Wes could get a strawberry margarita. His was even better than mine so we ended up switching.

We didn’t get a chance to tour Norway the day before so we ventured into the Church. I actually didn’t know that anything was in the Church or that you could even go in there so it was neat to check it out.

We decided to stop in the Kringla bakery to try the infamous school bread and to give us some more time to finish our drinks. I thought the school bread was just okay. I thought there was a little too much of the custard but Wes really enjoyed it.

After our snack it was time for a ride on Maelstrom.

It was now time for us to check in to get our Kimmunicator and our first assignment as Kim Possible agents. We picked up our Kimmunicator in Italy and our first mission was in Japan.

We had a little trouble finding the wind chimes but after that it was smooth sailing on our mission.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We had time for one more mission before lunch so we made our way to Germany.

We really enjoyed the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. I was bummed that we couldn’t solve more missions but we had lunch at Via Napoli. We turned in our Kimmunicator and made our way to Italy. I gave Wes my camera again so he was the photographer for these next photos.

We had another really friendly waitress who was really talkative. We learned a lot about our waitress during our lunch. She was super nice. For appetizers, I went with the calamari and Wes got the fried risotto balls. Both were very good.

When I took the picture of my calamari the waitress asked if we would like our picture taken. She was so nice.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

For entrees, I went with the spaghetti and meatballs and Wes got the pepperoni pizza. Both were good. The only thing that was bad was that I got my food way before Wes did. Our waitress did tell us that before we ordered though so I shouldn’t complain.

We were really full so for dessert we both went with the chocolate gelato. It was really good but I couldn’t eat much of it because I was so full.

I really enjoyed Via Napoli. It is not my favorite restaurant in World Showcase but I would go back. After lunch, we decided to head back to the resort for a little relaxation.

Up next: Sister Hazel, Dinner and Fireworks

 

[disneygirl1]

Great update Ash!!! Man you and Wes sure did some good eating and drinking around the world!!! Looks like you had a great time!

Thanks for the info about disembarkation from the Dream. I think once we get closer to the cruise I am just going to call to get all the info directly from them. I don't want to be up at the crack of dawn that day, but at the same time I do want to be checked into the Boardwalk and on my way to Epcot by at least noon!

 

[njDizFan]

Great update Ash!!! Man you and Wes sure did some good eating and drinking around the world!!! Looks like you had a great time!

Thanks for the info about disembarkation from the Dream. I think once we get closer to the cruise I am just going to call to get all the info directly from them. I don't want to be up at the crack of dawn that day, but at the same time I do want to be checked into the Boardwalk and on my way to Epcot by at least noon!

Wow...great trip and trip report. So jealous...a honeymoon, food and wine, a cruise, Halloween party, Jiko, cheese plate......man all my favorites in one trip.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Disneyfalcon]

That is hilarious that the photographer got you to switch hats! What a cute picture!:lol:

All that food looks yummy. We don't take near enough advantage of the food and wine festival and next time we definitely need to!

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Great update Ash!!! Man you and Wes sure did some good eating and drinking around the world!!! Looks like you had a great time!

Thanks for the info about disembarkation from the Dream. I think once we get closer to the cruise I am just going to call to get all the info directly from them. I don't want to be up at the crack of dawn that day, but at the same time I do want to be checked into the Boardwalk and on my way to Epcot by at least noon!

we ate so much delicious food on our honeymoon! i don't think i was ever hungry on that trip. :lol:

i don't think you will have any problems getting to disney world well before noon. you do have to wake up kind of early to disembark the ship but you can always sleep on the bus ride.

Wow...great trip and trip report. So jealous...a honeymoon, food and wine, a cruise, Halloween party, Jiko, cheese plate......man all my favorites in one trip.

Thanks for sharing

thanks! we had a great time and we were able to fit so much into our 3 nights at wdw.

That is hilarious that the photographer got you to switch hats! What a cute picture!:lol:

All that food looks yummy. We don't take near enough advantage of the food and wine festival and next time we definitely need to!

isn't that picture great? it was too funny that wes willingly switched hats.

i really recommend the food and wine festival. it was so great to get to try all of the different foods and drinks at each booth. i will say that if you get annoyed by drunkards, make sure you go early in the day and then get out of there before it gets too crazy.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Sorry for the delay. Things have been crazy with Christmas coming up but I wanted to get this done before the New Year so here is the rest of my report. Enjoy!

When we got back to the room we found this on our bed.

How cute.

We decided to spend a little time by the pool so we quickly changed into our bathing suits and went down to Stormalong Bay. I was really excited to try out this pool since it always gets such great ratings.

We found a nice spot and both took a little nap. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that hot so I didn’t really get to enjoy the pool as much as I would have liked to. I did take a quick dip in the pool and thought the sandy bottom was really cool. The water was pretty cool too.

We had to leave the pool and get ready to see Sister Hazel. I was really excited when I saw that Sister Hazel would be performing at the Eat to the Beat concert series when we were there. I saw them once my freshman year of college so I was excited to see them again. On our way through World Showcase pavilion to America we decided to stop in France to get a quick Photopass picture.

The show was really good. It was funny seeing so many die hard fans in the audience. There were also some intoxicated people in the audience who kept trying to dance in the aisle. It was very entertaining.

After the show it was time to head to dinner. Tonight we were dining at the California Grill. Mmmm…:slurp: As we made our way to the monorail, we stopped for even more Photopass pictures.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We got to the Contemporary pretty early for dinner so we did some browsing in the shops.

I LOVE these glasses! Unfortunately I didn’t buy any.

And I love this shirt! Again, I don’t buy half of this stuff that I love which is very good for my bank account. :lol:

We had gone through each store twice now and it was finally time for us to check in to dinner.

That Cast Member in the picture is actually from North Carolina and lives about 15 minutes away from me. Pretty cool. It’s so neat meeting people in Disney World who you live near back home.

When we checked in for dinner we were told that they were about 30 minutes behind schedule. That’s one of the bad thing about this restaurant. It is great that they let you watch the fireworks but everyone tries to drag out their dinner so they can stay and watch. And I have to admit that I have done this in the past so again, I shouldn’t complain since I am also to blame. :lol:

We made our way up to the restaurant and figured we would grab a seat and get a drink. We were actually really lucky because we got a table right at the window.

Our view while we waited.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

I decided to go with a Mai Tai. :slurp: This was my drink this trip.

Wes went with a vodka tonic.

We were called for our table and I was sad that we did not get a table next to the window. At least we were able to get a good seat while we waited for our table. We were seated at the back of the restaurant and I have actually never sat back there. I have always been lucky getting a seat up by the front with a great view of the Castle.

For appetizers, I went with the California Rolls. Mmm. I LOVE these! Wes got some other sushi thing that was also tasty.

Since we were seated so late, our entrees weren’t going to come out in time before the fireworks so our waitress decided not to put the orders in until afterwards. We went out on the observation deck and it was really windy. Again, it wasn’t the best conditions for me since I was wearing a dress so I used Wes as a shield again and kept putting my dress in between my legs so I wouldn’t flash anyone. :lol:

The fireworks were great but my pictures were terrible. I realized that there was no way that I would get a good picture so I stopped taking pictures after taking only a couple. Since I wasn’t taking pictures, I got to really enjoy the fireworks.

We went back to our table and our dinner arrived shortly after. I got the snapper and Wes went with the steak. Mine was good but the portion was so big! And I had just eaten a ton of my appetizer so I barely ate half of my entrée.