Trip Report "Feel the flow, here we go..." - Our Disney Honeymoon (finally complete!)

And just like that, we’re back!

I knew our honeymoon would fly by but you can never really prepare yourself for how quickly it actually goes. It’s crazy to me that I’m writing this from my office when just one week ago I was in the middle of a full day at Epcot.

At least it means I get to write this trip report! I’m excited to share and also to have a slightly more detailed than normal account of our trip. It’s crazy how the details fade over time!

Some quick details-

Who?
I’m Amanda and I’m bringing my newly acquired husband, Daniel! We met while working in Yellowstone NP but now live in Michigan. We have two dogs and one cat, and both grew up going to Disney (me world, him land). We got married November 4th, 2017 and are still pretty excited about it.

Here we are post-getting hitched:

All the love to Mary Boike Photography for this. If you're in northern Michigan and need a photographer, I absolutely recommend her work!

When?
January 18th-27th, 2018

Where?
Pop Century Resort

Why?
It’s our honeymoon! We just wanted to delay it until after the holidays.

If you want to catch up on our full pre-trip report, it’s here.

Now onward to the good stuff!

 

[Mander]

And finally...



We made it! I love Hollywood Studios and it is still sort of crazy to me that we only spent one afternoon there. We wandered in just as the last Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away showing was part way through. With March of the First Order coming up next, we decided to hang around and wait for it. We ended up with a great location!





It was pretty cool! Once the crowd cleared out we made our way to Star Tours. I love this ride but it really aggravates my motion sickness so I usually only ride it once per trip. I was hoping for the new scene and we fortunately we got it! It was only after we got out that we learned they were running that one more than any other as The Last Jedi had not been out long. Either way, we were excited to see it!

We had some time so I decided to try and get on Rock n' Rollercoaster via the single rider line. Alas, the single rider wait was 90 minutes! So I opted to skip that in the hopes that it would die down later. We snagged a pretzel and drinks at Fairfax Fair (which would ultimately become dinner).

Our next fastpass was for Toy Story Mania, so we headed that direction. The queue was already partially closed so we were waiting outside. This was all fine except we somehow ended up in the middle of a large tour group full of teenagers. I have no issue with teenagers in general but boy these ones were rowdy! It made the fairly short wait feel so much longer than it was. For how many tour groups were visiting during our trip this was the only time we really got frustrated with one, so that's not so bad!

I'm happy to say that after losing rather badly to Daniel on Space Ranger Spin, I redeemed myself by beating him at Toy Story Mania. And I won't let him forget it either!

Next up was a fastpass for Tower of Terror but neither of us were feeling a drop ride that day. I love the theming but it's a rare day I can convince myself to go on ToT. We looked to see if we could swap it for something and got a fastpass for Muppet Vision 3D (not that we needed one). While we were waiting for the next show we took a picture with the future entrance to Galaxy's Edge. So nice that they had it as a photopass location!



While we were waiting for Muppet Vision to start, I was actually able to grab a fastpass for myself for RnRC. Daniel doesn't do anything that goes upside down so I looked for something else for him. Star Tours had more openings, so he decided to give it a second try.



I left our good camera with Daniel for this bit, so not the best pictures.





We had made a plan to meet back up by the Chinese Theater for A Galactic Spectacular and that was simple enough to do. It was waiting for this show that Daniel really started to not feel well. He ended up with the nastiest cough and I even offered to skip to show and head back to the room early but he wanted to tough it out. We enjoyed A Galactic Spectacular though I don't think I would skip Fantastmic for it again.

We went to bed right away after getting back as we would be up early the next morning for the Keys to the Kingdom tour!

 

[bee]

Your TR is reminding me so much of my Disneymoon with my wife.

We stayed at Pop Century.

We took multiple days off from parks to resort hop.

We ate at California Grill.

We are both vegetarians.

We waited a few months after our actual wedding to take the trip.

Also,

I have the same Star Wars shirt your husband is wearing here!

Great report, can't wait to read the rest! Glad you'll be back soon!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

Enjoying reading about your Disneymoon! I thought I wouldn't like anything that goes upside down either, but the upside down part doesn't bother me on RnRC. It's more the 60mph launch that freaks me out!
Can't wait to read where you go next!

 

[Mander]

Your TR is reminding me so much of my Disneymoon with my wife.

We stayed at Pop Century.

We took multiple days off from parks to resort hop.

We ate at California Grill.

We are both vegetarians.

We waited a few months after our actual wedding to take the trip.

Also,


I have the same Star Wars shirt your husband is wearing here!

Great report, can't wait to read the rest! Glad you'll be back soon!

That's too funny! So many similarities. Our honeymoon was my first trip after going vegetarian and I am so, so glad it was. I was spoiled the whole week with good things to eat!

Enjoying reading about your Disneymoon! I thought I wouldn't like anything that goes upside down either, but the upside down part doesn't bother me on RnRC. It's more the 60mph launch that freaks me out!
Can't wait to read where you go next!

I love RnRC but that launch always has me nervous! When you are sitting there waiting for it I'm always second guessing my decision! Daniel doesn't do upside downs due to an incident when he was a kid. I can't remember if it was at Knot's Berry Farm or a Six Flags but someone let him onto a coaster with an inversion before he was tall enough. The restraint didn't fit him well so he felt like he was going to fall out the entire time if he hadn't held on (not sure if that's reality or not, he was young). It appears to have forever ruined inversion coasters for him, which is understandable. I'm just thankful Disney has so many that don't have them!

 

[Mander]

01.25.2018 | Keys to the Kingdom & Epcot

Our second to last day was to be split between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We originally had dinner reservations at the Rose & Crown Pub that we were hoping to line up with Illuminations. When Daniel started getting sick we decided to cancel to give ourselves more flexibility. Especially since our day was starting with the Keys to the Kingdom tour! This was a wedding gift from my younger sister and I am still so thankful for the experience. Given the backstage nature of the tour, I did not take a lot of pictures. Apologies for the incoming wall of text!

Daniel was moving slow the the morning of the tour. We had purchased some medication in the Pop gift shop the night before but it didn't seem to help much. While he got ready I placed an order for a larger, cheaper supply of meds with Amazon Prime. We didn't have anything for him before we left but at least it would be there afterward! Once he was ready we headed for the bus stop and had a very short wait. This was one day we seemed to time our arrival to the park well! Even the security line at MK was quicker than our previous days.

With about an hour to spare before we checked in, we headed for Starbucks and got some coffee and breakfast. We found a bench near City Hall to eat and wait for our check in time. It was cooler and Daniel was really not feeling well, so I was super concerned with how a five hour tour was going to go! After our breakfast we headed for check in and got our name badges, ear piece, and water. I'd never actually be in this building before (at least not that I remember) so we looked around and poked our head's into Tony's Restaurant.

Soon enough it was time for the tour! Our guide's name was Brad and he was fantastic. His passion for guest service and Disney just showed through and it was so lovely! We walked along Main Street and he gave us a lot of information about the design and Disney service. We even managed to catch part of the trolley show. From there, we headed for Adventureland to take a spin on the Jungle Cruise. I have to admit, having a plaid get us on the ride in front of the regular line was quite fun! Once again he gave us a lot of information on the ride and how it came to be what it is. Next up we were heading backstage but along the way he pointed out things in the lands that I had never noticed before. We went backstage near Splash Mountain and got to see some really neat areas! The parade storage area was my absolute favorite. From there it was over to the Haunted Mansion for our second ride of the tour. This time he gave us information ahead of time and had us look for certain things on the ride. After a spin with the happy haunts we went to lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace. I was really impressed with the veggie burger. I had a few over the course of our stay and it was definitely my favorite. We also got the opportunity to sit with Brad and ask some questions about his time at Disney. After lunch we got more information on the castle and Fantasyland before heading down into the Utilidors. It's definitely an impressive system! He showed us so many things down there, I honestly don't even remember it all. We went back above ground near Casey's Corner and got a bit more information about Main Street before he dropped us back off at City Hall. It was such a wonderful experience, I would highly recommend it! Daniel was also glad he made it, despite being sick.

Before heading straight back to the hotel, I had us stop for a quick picture.



Once back at the hotel we picked up Daniel's meds and some lunch. He settled in for some sleep and I headed out for a solo adventure.

 

[Mander]

I was admittedly pretty sad about Daniel not feeling well enough to go back to the parks but knew there was no way I could stay in the room when I could be at Epcot. He was hopeful he could take a short nap and feel well enough to meet me there but I was doubtful. After making sure he was all set, I made for the bus stop. I was the only one on the bus this time so I called my Mom and updated her during the drive. Soon enough I was back at my favorite park.



I will never get tired of looking at Spaceship Earth.

I will also never get tired of riding it! It was my first FP of the evening.





After the ride I wandered through Mouse Gear at a more leisurely pace than normal. I'm always so tempted by all of the Epcot merch! I ended up with quite a few things this time.

After my shopping it was time for the next FP- Test Track!



I was happy to get to make a car this time since we had done single rider before. She did well in efficiency but not much else.



I was very focused on not losing my camera on the ride this go around!

My third FP was for the Character Spot but I really didn't feel much like character interactions on my own, so I opted for a trip around the World Showcase instead. This is picture heavy as most of what I did was wander, enjoy the ambiance, and take pictures (for myself and other people).















Of course I had to stop for a second round of this dessert! I loved it so much. I really wish it were offered year round! I'm fairly certain I also had a Mickey pretzel at some point but I'm not sure when or where.





The mural we had helped with earlier in the week was done (or close to it)!







The plan for the evening had been to stay and watch Illuminations again but I just wasn't feeling up to waiting by myself. So I walked back to the front, thinking I was saying my final goodbyes to Epcot for this trip. We had plans to visit Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom for our final day, so I was more than a little teary eyed as I left.





Until next time, old friend! Or at least that is what I thought.

I got back to Pop fairly quickly and found Daniel awake. He had had an interesting experience at the food court while I was gone. He had gone down to pick up dinner and on his way back to the room he tripped and dropped the whole thing on the sidewalk. He cleaned it up and went back to see if they would be willing to give him a replacement. Whoever he asked checked with a manager and the manager said no. So, frustrated but not wanting to spend more money on another meal, he went back to our room. Shortly after getting back there someone knocked on the door. He opened it to find a bellman waiting with a replacement meal! It wasn't exactly what he ordered but we really appreciated the gesture.

With that we went to sleep. I had my fingers crossed that Daniel would feel better tomorrow. We had Flight of Passage in the morning followed by an evening in Magic Kingdom with Disney After Hours.

 

[heatherhy01]

I am following along! I would love to get some solo time at the parks! It sounds so relaxing! I hope Daniel felt better. It is the worst getting ill on vacation. That was nice of them to replace his meal...but couldn't they have just done that in the first place?

 

[Mander]

01.26.2018 | The Final Day

I woke up on our last day to find that delightful paperwork hanging on our door! Why do Disney trips always go so fast? I try to remind myself of that and appreciate the anticipation that comes with planning one (currently at 183 days on the next one).

Anyway. Daniel was, unfortunately, still not feeling well. We had planned to do Animal Kingdom again that morning with FPs for Flight of Passage, DINOSAUR, and Expedition Everest. We talked things over and he was pretty certain he wouldn't be able to handle any of the more intense rides. We decided we might enjoy our time more in another park if he wasn't going to be able to ride FOP or Everest. I comforted myself thinking someone probably really appreciated snagging those FOP fastpasses.

So, we slowly got ready and made for the bus. Our destination?



Epcot!

So much for that long, sweet goodbye the night before!

Our plan was to wander the World Showcase, attempt to eat more food, and maybe try one ride. But first, more Spaceship Earth pictures.





We made our way back to World Showcase and stopped for some breakfast (though in reality it was probably closer to lunch at this point).



A Popt' Art! This thing was so much better than any actual Pop Tart I've ever had.



After our treat we were able to get a FP for Test Track. I thought it might be a bit rough for him considering how he was feeling but he really wanted to try. So off we went.



Our goal was to make the most ridiculous looking car we could. Little did we know this would also translate to coming in 1st in our car! First time we've ever managed that!

I'm not sure what happened to our ride photo here- it looks like we never actually got it.

Daniel did not feel great afterwards. I knew we had a long evening ahead of us with Disney After Hours so I suggested we hit Mouse Gear one last time and then head back for some rest. So that's what we did.



My actual goodbye to Epcot.

Once back at the hotel we grabbed some food for Daniel and went back to the room for a bit. Daniel decided he would rest up for the evening and I decided I would once again venture out on my own- this time to Magic Kingdom!

 

[Mander]

I am following along! I would love to get some solo time at the parks! It sounds so relaxing! I hope Daniel felt better. It is the worst getting ill on vacation. That was nice of them to replace his meal...but couldn't they have just done that in the first place?

Thank you! I really did like the alone time in the parks though I'd have preferred to have less of it on my honeymoon! He didn't feel "good" again until almost a week after we were home, unfortunately. And those were exactly my thoughts about the food. I worked at a hotel and our response definitely would have been just replacing it! But at least they did. We really appreciated whoever made that happen!

 

[Mander]

Arriving back at Magic Kingdom definitely felt bittersweet. I was so fortunate to have a long evening there but saying goodbye is always so difficult! The first thing on my agenda was to try and catch the next showing of Mickey's Royal Friendship Fair.



I had opted out of bringing my rain coat and it looked like I might regret that for quite a while! Fortunately, it never did rain.



By the time I got up to the castle it was about twenty minutes until the next show, so I decided to wait it out. I filled the time with castle pictures and people watching. It was honestly so nice. Daniel would generally not be interested in waiting that long for a show, so I was happy to be able to do it!









This was my first time seeing the show and I quite enjoyed it! I loved all the characters they feature.

Afterward I was getting fairly hungry and decided to see where I could mobile order from. I ended up getting a kid's meal from Cosmic Ray's. I don't know what it is about it but Disney's mac n' cheese has ruined all others for me!



I did get quite a bit of sympathy from the CMs at Cosmic Ray's when they asked about my Happily Ever After button and I explained my newly acquired husband was back at the hotel sick. I really appreciated having someone to chat with for a bit!

After my meal I was able to get a fastpass for It's a Small World- but first a spin on the People Mover!





Space Mountain would have to wait until later. I decided to walk the path from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland as I could not remember the last time I had gone that way. I did end up having good timing for a train!



It was finally time for It's a Small World and then a wander around Fantasyland.



When I exited I discovered that I had a text from Daniel- he was on a bus heading my way! I made my way back to the entrance to meet him.

 

[Mander]

After popping into the gift shop to make a few last minute purchases, I exited so that I could wait for him outside. We met up and got our Disney After Hours badges before going back in. Daniel was still definitely not feeling well but we knew we wouldn't want to skip the after hours event given how much we had paid for it! We went over the Columbia Harbor House to get him some food before they closed.

We didn't prioritize seeing Happily Ever After again because we figured we'd never get a view as amazing as our dessert party night, so we headed for Frontierland and a spin on Big Thunder Mountain. I was hoping we'd be riding with HEA started but we were just a few minutes too early.



After exiting Big Thunder, HEA had started and I decided I couldn't actually skip watching it entirely. So we stopped on this bridge and had an excellent view of the fireworks!

I don't have many pictures of the after hours event (though the ones I do have are my favorites) but it was amazing how quickly the park emptied! We stopped by Adventureland for a ride on Jungle Cruise and our first ice creams of the night. Then we went to Fantasyland for Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (the only ride with any wait at all). From there we hit Tomorrowland for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We even decided to give Tomorrowland Speedway a go since it was also a walk on. We stopped for more ice cream and soda at some point as well.







I have to give some serious credit to Daniel. He felt awful but kept up with me throughout the whole event and put on the happiest face he could muster. I really hope we get the chance to attend again when he is feeling better!

We stopped by the castle to take some pictures.













After our castle pictures I noticed Daniel was really, really crashing quickly. There was about an hour left of the event so I suggested we choose one last ride and then head home. We decided to head back for Big Thunder Mountain and one last ride through the wilderness.



Frontierland was a ghost town!

After our ride we head for Main Street. All in all even though it seems like a bit of a money grab, I would recommend the Disney After Hours event. We got a lot done and, had Daniel been feeling better, we could have done so much more! We just had the best time all things considered.

I did make us stop for one last photopass picture- and I am so glad we did! It's one of my favorite castle pictures of the two of us (tied, I think, with our one from Disneyland).



With one last look at the castle, we sadly made our way back to Pop. I did some packing so we were ready to go for our very early Magical Express pick up. The flight back to Michigan and drive home went smoothly enough. We both kept saying we just couldn't believe our trip was really over after the year of planning. Overall we felt very melancholy.

There was one good thing to look forward to though. Or three, to be technical- our animals! Our two pups and sweet cat were very happy to have us home. Oliver, our youngest who was not quite a year in January, gave us the most joyful welcome. And he quite liked his Mickey ears too (they lasted almost two full months, which is impressive for him).



I'm also just so thankful I had us take an extra day after our trip to recover. We definitely needed some rest! Plus I had one other thing I needed to take care of. At the beginning of our trip, we decided that if we could save $200 from our spending money until the end we would let ourselves use it to place a deposit on our next trip. That was definitely great motivation for keeping my spending down! There were no bounce back offers for our weekend but the day after we got home I booked us for a stay this November at All Star Movies! It will be our first anniversary and my 180 days is in two days! I'll post a pre-trip soon because that trip has already changed so much!

Thank you all for following along on our adventure- especially through the very delayed updates!

 

[riverside]

Great trip report!!

Congratulations to you & Daniel!! Bummer that he got sick on the trip. Last year I spent a few solo days at the parks
& I actually enjoyed it.

 

[ELeigh]

After popping into the gift shop to make a few last minute purchases, I exited so that I could wait for him outside. We met up and got our Disney After Hours badges before going back in. Daniel was still definitely not feeling well but we knew we wouldn't want to skip the after hours event given how much we had paid for it! We went over the Columbia Harbor House to get him some food before they closed.

We didn't prioritize seeing Happily Ever After again because we figured we'd never get a view as amazing as our dessert party night, so we headed for Frontierland and a spin on Big Thunder Mountain. I was hoping we'd be riding with HEA started but we were just a few minutes too early.



After exiting Big Thunder, HEA had started and I decided I couldn't actually skip watching it entirely. So we stopped on this bridge and had an excellent view of the fireworks!

I don't have many pictures of the after hours event (though the ones I do have are my favorites) but it was amazing how quickly the park emptied! We stopped by Adventureland for a ride on Jungle Cruise and our first ice creams of the night. Then we went to Fantasyland for Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (the only ride with any wait at all). From there we hit Tomorrowland for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We even decided to give Tomorrowland Speedway a go since it was also a walk on. We stopped for more ice cream and soda at some point as well.







I have to give some serious credit to Daniel. He felt awful but kept up with me throughout the whole event and put on the happiest face he could muster. I really hope we get the chance to attend again when he is feeling better!

We stopped by the castle to take some pictures.













After our castle pictures I noticed Daniel was really, really crashing quickly. There was about an hour left of the event so I suggested we choose one last ride and then head home. We decided to head back for Big Thunder Mountain and one last ride through the wilderness.



Frontierland was a ghost town!

After our ride we head for Main Street. All in all even though it seems like a bit of a money grab, I would recommend the Disney After Hours event. We got a lot done and, had Daniel been feeling better, we could have done so much more! We just had the best time all things considered.

I did make us stop for one last photopass picture- and I am so glad we did! It's one of my favorite castle pictures of the two of us (tied, I think, with our one from Disneyland).



With one last look at the castle, we sadly made our way back to Pop. I did some packing so we were ready to go for our very early Magical Express pick up. The flight back to Michigan and drive home went smoothly enough. We both kept saying we just couldn't believe our trip was really over after the year of planning. Overall we felt very melancholy.

There was one good thing to look forward to though. Or three, to be technical- our animals! Our two pups and sweet cat were very happy to have us home. Oliver, our youngest who was not quite a year in January, gave us the most joyful welcome. And he quite liked his Mickey ears too (they lasted almost two full months, which is impressive for him).



I'm also just so thankful I had us take an extra day after our trip to recover. We definitely needed some rest! Plus I had one other thing I needed to take care of. At the beginning of our trip, we decided that if we could save $200 from our spending money until the end we would let ourselves use it to place a deposit on our next trip. That was definitely great motivation for keeping my spending down! There were no bounce back offers for our weekend but the day after we got home I booked us for a stay this November at All Star Movies! It will be our first anniversary and my 180 days is in two days! I'll post a pre-trip soon because that trip has already changed so much!

Thank you all for following along on our adventure- especially through the very delayed updates!

Best cure for Disney blues is to book another trip I hope your next trip will be even better!

 

[MinnieM123]

I enjoyed your TR. Congratulations to the happy couple. And you had some very good photos, too. Nicely done. Hope you both go back again soon, and best wishes.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

What a bummer that your DH was so sick, especially on the honeymoon! I'm so glad you were able to enjoy the ambiance of Epcot and MK! I'm happy DH made it back for the last night! Ending with Big Thunder is always special! Watching the fireworks from over there is truly magical!

Smart move, with your spending money!!! Looking forward to reading your pre-trip report on that one! We've stayed at ASM before and really enjoy it!