Just Engaged: An August 2010 Trip Report!

As the title suggests, this was an especially exciting trip for us and I can’t wait to share all of the fun details. Seeing as how I am lucky enough to write one of these every few months or so, I’m going to forego the normal introductions. Instead, why don’t I share five non-Disney things you might not already know about the two of us? Let’s see... non-Disney stuff?! This might be hard!

1 – We love live music! Seriously, aside from Disney, this is what we spend money on. Some of our favorite artists we’ve seen live include David Gray, Ben Folds, Brandi Carlile, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, KT Tunstall, She & Him, Jack Johnson, A Fine Frenzy, Counting Crows, Nickel Creek, and Jimmy Buffett to name a few.

2 – We name inanimate objects and refer to them as such... this is especially true for electronics, and oddly enough they really do take on personalities. No,seriously! For example, our laptops are Petunia (mine) and Frances (his); our Garmin’s are Neville and Navi; and my camera is more affectionately known as Ginger. Weird? Maybe just a little bit. :ROFLOL:

3 – As much as I hate to admit it, we are complete and utter TV junkies. We LOVE our TV. And if I had to pick the one show we are jointly most excited to see this fall season it would have to be Dexter. Bring on the creepy.

4 – We are totally one of those couples who met at a bar. It just so happened that we both worked there while in college. Ahhh... everyone loves a good cliché, right?! :lookaroun

5 – We have a standing tradition of buying one another a book to celebrate each holiday. And when I say holiday, I mean every holiday you can think of from St. Patrick’s Day to Christmas. Usually the only time we stray outside the lines is on birthdays. We’ve built quite an impressive collection so far ranging from popular fiction to non-fiction, children’s books to biographies and we throw in some Disney “coffee table” books and “Art of’s” for good measure every now and then. Amazon is our friend! As are the myriad of used book stores we come across in the different places we visit. We already have enough to fill our own library when we buy a house!

Of course, no introduction is complete without the requisite photo, but for the heck of it, let’s go “old school.” Here we are with the elusive Rescue Rangers in 2004:

We started planning this trip sometime after the Princess Half Marathon and eventually booked when the AP rates came out earlier in the summer. To be more precise, while I was in the midst of a quick weekend trip with my mom, Brett called and made the resort reservations, solidifying our stay at Caribbean Beach from August 13-August 17. And then, as per usual, we decided we would drive down after work on Thursday, so we booked a hotel through priceline for the night of the 12th.

Just the other day I realized that we haven’t repeated a resort since I began writing trip reports... so here’s a look back:
The Contemporary – September 2008
Old Key West – December 2008
Port Orleans Riverside – January 2009
Wilderness Lodge/Animal Kingdom Lodge – July 2009
The Beach Club – December 2009
Pop Century – March 2010
Coronado Springs – June 2010

We were both incredibly excited for this trip because we felt like it was our first truly “us” trip in a long while that spanned a decent amount of time and didn’t include some kind of endurance event to focus on. Okay, so I’m not gonna lie... I went into this trip “hoping” there’d be a little something special, but not really expecting it. There was one small detail that tipped me off ahead of time. I ALWAYS maintain the reservations and type up a minimal list of our dining plans/confirmation #s and before I could do it for this trip, Brett told me he typed it up at work one day when he had some free time. Hmmmm... interesting. I started wondering if he’d made some changes to the dining. And then I started thinking, why would he have any reason to mess with our dining?! I tried to dismiss this thought though, mostly because I didn’t want to be disappointed if it turned out he wasn’t planning on proposing. Thankfully, he did! So let’s get to it…

 

[HollyBelle]

Thanks for the photomerge advice, Holly! I'll have to fool around with it some more.

Love those 'munk pictures! Very cute.

Your report was great, as usual...thanks for posting it. Like everyone else I always enjoy your writing and pictures. Good luck with the wedding/honeymoon planning...don't let it stress you out too much!

Good luck with the merging... some pictures really do lend themselves better to it than others. I'll do my best not to stress over the wedding planning, but I'm totally a Type A OCD nut, and I'm already up to my ears in Dress Stress (mostly because I'm running outta time)!

March 18 for the wedding? That's three days before my birthday! Quality time of the year.
Of course, it also means that it's end-of-semester time.. so raycer creeper wedding pics just aren't going to happen.

Wedding date change?

Looking forward to the wedding planning and pre-TR.. DFTW threads are bomb.

Lovelove, thanks for this wonderful escape and TR =)

Maybe we can eat the cost of our deposit and switch days. Just for you, Kenzie.

Just spent the morning reading your lovely trip report. Congratulations! Brett really did it up right. Just think, one day you can bring your kids to the Poly and show them the waterfall where you got engaged!

Living in Orlando, we've had the opportunity to witness several weddings at Sunset Pointe and I do think it is the prime location in all of Disney for a wedding. And, you are so smart to keep it small and intimate. That way you can really enjoy the experience without being overwhelmed by too many guests. We had a total of 5 at our wedding, including the bride and groom and I highly recommend the small wedding experience.

Finally, I had to laugh at your "non-smart" cell phone, as I have the same one. Works fine for me...I love my Nokia!

Congratulations again and I will look for your pre-wedding report!

Pam

Pam!!! It's good to see you over here on this board. I've totally been looking for your Girls Cruise... did you not write one for this one?! Either way, I hope you had a blast with your daughter.

Now, yes, I have to agree with you, Brett really did do it up right. The Poly was already pretty special to us, now it just can't be beat.

I'm happy to hear you've experienced some great weddings at Sunset Pointe... I'm so freaking out about the weather. I'd hate to have to move into some ballroom for the service. I have to agree with you about the small, intimate weddings. Yours sounds perfect! I'm so happy we're doing it this way.

Love you too, Holly!

Looking forward to all the wedding planning! Good luck with it all. I know everything is going to go smoothly...I have no doubts. It's going to be a beautiful wedding and you're going to make a spectacular bride.

You're ditching me?! Whose shoulder am I going to cry on? I need my partner in crime!

Awww, thanks Nicole. Do you think, in an effort to keep things going smoothly, that you could snap your fingers and make the perfect dress appear for me? :lol:

I loved your thread to pieces! You're the second person that I know using Chip in Dale in pictures, me being the first. XD Last summer was my 4th summer alumni program for Disney and that's where I met my bf and on our last day while in tears, he had a gift for me. It was the Chip and Dale set that was stuck together so with his pocket knife, he cut the string that was holding them together and told me, "I want you to have Dale and I'll hold on to Chip. Every time we meet up (we had decided to do a long distance relationship,) they must meet up together again. Every 2 months for 9 months, Chip and Dale would meet up with each other. Now I'm In MD living with my BF and the two best friends are together next to our beds.

I want to thank you for the following:

1.The Bellini picture. Up to this point I knew what it was but never had seen it so it's good see it.

2. Your Kona report for Dinner. Those plates looked amazing! Was that his plate before he ate or during or what? Do you only get two shrimps and 5 scallops?

3. I loved the Poly shots! On our days off, Poly was our second home seriously. We'd love to just lounge around in the hammocks waiting for the Water Pageant! Beautiful Shots and I know!! Why doesn't Poly have a hot tub! They can easily add one I bet. =/

Your story about cutting Chip and Dale's tags apart makes me kinda tear up a bit. Love, love, love the idea though and the way the two of you reunited them every time you met up. Hooray for Chip and Dale! And hooray for love!

1) Bellini = deliciousness!

2) That was Brett's plate before eating. I have this weird phobia towards pictures of half eaten plates of food. Seriously, they gross me out. :lol: I believe there were like 3 or 4 scallops and 3 or 4 pieces of shrimp. The scallops were jumbo though, and it was a decent portion size. It's just hard to tell in the picture because I took it from such a low angle.

3) Thanks. I'm really thinking there had to be a reason they wouldn't add the hot tub when they refurbed the pool a ways back. There has to be a reason, because I can't really believe that they forgot about it entirely.

A March wedding. Wonderful. I have always thought that a short engagement is the way to go. DW and I got engaged in March of 1997, and were married in August of the same year.

Don't over plan it, it's the little stumbles in the days activities that you will remember.

I'm so with you on the short engagement side of things. I couldn't imagine doing a 2 or 3 year engagement. I'd go crazy. But then again, we've already been together over 6 years so that might have a little to do with how crazy it would make me to continue waiting.

Thanks for the advice. I'll do my best to actually follow through with it. :lookaroun While I don't think I'll over plan it, I do think I'll probably over stress it. It's just my nature.

Yanked myself away from real life in order to finish up reading the TR. This is gonna be a long, quotey post, so I apologize to everyone in advance.

I did not realize this--I love MuppetVision, and skipped it last trip due to the long line! It's one of my very favorites, I will have to make sure and catch it next month!

And yet, it doesn't stop the determined from plunking themselves down in the middle of a row. That is a huge peeve of mine, as well. So very inconsiderate of others.

Good thing you'll be back next month to check out the muppets! How lucky are you, two trips within two months! Please tell me you've been bitten by the trip report bug and will be writing another one?! Pretty please?!

Sometime in 2009, I'm pretty sure. It's a great addition to the benefit, and I'm pretty sure it was extended to Disney Visa cardholders, too. With very few exceptions, the discount is available at all Disney merchandise stores.

This has to be the best character "get" EVER. And I loved the part about Gaston's "call me".

I LOVE Gaston and his vanity. Not to sound ungrateful, but I was sooooo sad when we rounded the corner and he wasn't out there with Belle and the human Beast.

Good decision to take your time and relax!! I think the muted atmosphere at the Wave probably lulled you into that decision. When I ate there, I was the only one out of my party who didn't get the pork dish! It got rave reviews from them, too.

Look at that! Another excellent decision. Newcastle is one of my favorites, too, so I totally appreciated that picture! And the view from your table is a gorgeous shot.

I love the Wave. We've had dinner there twice now, and both times it has felt more like a signature dining experience from the food to service and everything in between. And breakfast there is delicious. I hope it doesn't disappear because I think it's a bit of a hidden gem.

I could go for a Newcastle right about now!

I've come to think of these as "morning parades". In fact, the last time I walked into Magic Kingdom, the Move It, Shake It parade was heading straight towards me, obliviously walking right up the middle of Main Street USA--it felt like the parade was welcoming me, and I felt very special. Right up until a CM had to shoo me onto the sidewalk!! :lol:

:ROFLOL:LOVE this story. I can just picture you now!

Those are quoted from your replies to several people, but I had to add:

1. Funny, but true. Anyone else remember waaaay back to Blackthidot's report of his first trip with Colleen? He had broken up with the "date" he'd brought on a previous trip because that girl hated WDW, and was so hoping that Colleen would love WDW because he really liked her a lot. I was so happy for him that it all worked out!

2. I have to agree that the wedding you have planned does seem absolutely perfect for you (and romantic, to boot).

3. Kenzie totally rocks every look. If I was her age, I would probably be very jealous (not really, but I probably would be trying to copy her).

Of course, you are not to be left out, Holly--somehow, you bring an easy-breezy-cruisey vibe to your vacation wardrobe, even at WDW (because I just made up the word "cruisey", I'll have to define it for you. It's a sort of casual elegance)

I totally loved the 'munks in MK pictures--adorable!! How do you think these things up? So clever. That was a perfect end to your park time.

1) I so totally couldn't imagine my and Brett's life together without Disney being a major part of it because it has been since the very beginning. It's all intertwined with who we are as a couple and there's really no way to extricate it. John and Colleen ended up with a Disney engagement too, so I guess there really is something to it!

2) Ya know, it all fell into place without us really even discussing much. It was meant to be at the Poly. Now if I can only keep myself from freaking out about the things I can't control (ahem.. I'm looking at you weather!).

3) You're right, Siobhan, I too would so totally be copying Kenzie, while trying not to admit it if I were her age. And thanks for the compliments on my own attire. I try to go for comfort with a little bit of personal style. Glad you think I have some! :sohappy:

I finally got caught up on your TR! What a great report, I LOVE the pics of chip n' dale stowaways! I can't wait to hear all about your DFTW wedding! We're currently in the lottery for the last week of September 2011 at the Wedding Pavilion. I won't be signing the contract until January. I would sign today if they would let me!! (For those of you who don't know...Wishes weddings can book 12 months in advance but Escape weddings can only book 8 months in advance. Thus the lottery business.) Congratulations again and I just know you two will have a magical wedding

Yay! I saw your pre-trip thread over on the Weddings board, but haven't had a chance to delve into it yet (due to stupid work!). Hopefully, I'll get a chance this weekend. We can be planning buddies here on wdwmagic. Because while I peruse the other site for information, I just feel more at home here.

September is going to be perfect for a wedding! Fall is my favorite time of year at Disney. Such a good choice!

Hollybelle, your trip report is awesome and your photos are beautiful!

I believe from seeing your photos that my bf and I sat at the same table as you and your fiance at Ohana. Maybe that means we will have the same kind of happy blessings in Disney as you two did!

And your obsession with Gaston is awesome. I have a minor obsession with Boo from Monsters Inc in the Pixar Block Bash. She's no where else to be seen and I think she is the cutest thing ever! So I take like 15 photos of her!

Congratulations and best wishes!

Thanks so much, MillerPoppins! Oooh, here's to wishing for some good Ohana karma! Maybe a marriage proposal on a future trip?!?

I LOVE Boo, too. I've always wanted to meet her, ever since seeing the BPB at the Studios. I had it in my mind that she'd be out for the marathon in 2009 and I was soooooooo disappointed when we got to DHS and she wasn't around. Although, I don't know why I had psyched myself up for her, seeing as how there was nothing that should've lead me to believe she would be out. I guess I was just really hoping!

 

[Tiggerish]

Is the weather bad in March? I've visited WDW three times in March over the course of several years, once at the beginning, once in the middle (we were there for St. Patrick's Day), and once at the end (2 years ago? it was during the "get in free on your birthday" promotion), and the weather was beautiful each time, sunny and warm.

I think Mother Nature has a soft spot for brides.

 

[pcrum]

Pam!!! It's good to see you over here on this board. I've totally been looking for your Girls Cruise... did you not write one for this one?! Either way, I hope you had a blast with your daughter.

Now, yes, I have to agree with you, Brett really did do it up right. The Poly was already pretty special to us, now it just can't be beat.

I'm happy to hear you've experienced some great weddings at Sunset Pointe... I'm so freaking out about the weather. I'd hate to have to move into some ballroom for the service. I have to agree with you about the small, intimate weddings. Yours sounds perfect! I'm so happy we're doing it this way.

Yes, Hollybelle, I totally flaked on the trip report for the girls' cruise. We had a fantastic time though and DD and her friend discovered the teen club and had a blast! I still have all my Cruise Capers though and may still write one, but have been so busy, as school started right after we got back and it's been a roller coaster ever since! I still hope to get one together though and will let you know if I do!!

I think you should be good with March as far as weather goes. My wedding (the keeper one::animwink was March 22, 2009 and although it got dark and threatened to rain, by the time of the ceremony (dusk), it was fine. We did ours at the Hyatt Grand Cypress (right outside Disney) and the wedding coordinator actually tried to get us to move inside, but I stuck to my guns, and being a FL native, I knew these things blow over quickly, and I told her I felt by the time of the wedding it would be ok and it was. And, the advantage of having a small wedding is that you can wait until the last minute to make those type of decisions! But, don't even think those thoughts, March is not rainy season in FL and you will have a wonderful wedding on Sunset Pointe! And, the advantage of March is that it is not so hot, so you won't be sweltering in your dress! Good luck dress shopping! Enjoy it and try not to get too stressed. You will look stunning no matter what you wear because you are marrying your true love! If you remember that, then the little upsets that inevitably happen in any wedding (even an intimate one) won't get you down! Best of luck to you both!

 

[MillerPoppins]

We'll see! I would absolutely love that! Yeah I actually only saw Monsters Inc this year and fell in love with Boo. She is the cutest thing ever! I could load a whole page of photos of Boo that I took but I just really really wish that you could get pictures with her!

 

[popsicletrees]

Which restaurants in particular are you thinking about trying now? I'm just curious, because dining is my most favorite thing EVER. Next to character stalking, of course. :lol: And I LOVE capture-the-moment shots!

Ok, I know this took me weeks to respond to but here goes. I am a big foodie, and I want to try every restaurant on property. First off, I definitely want to try Citrico's. The food looks amazing! Plus, I would like to give O'Hana another try. I haven't been in a few years, and my family used to go a lot for breakfast way back when it was Minnie's Menehune breakfast. I married a downright carnivore, and I know that he would love dinner there. He also really likes breakfast, but that isn't typically a meal that we do for table service. What do you suggest for that?

 

[tiaragirl]

Maybe we can eat the cost of our deposit and switch days. Just for you, Kenzie.

Damn girl, you know how to sweet talk me Ahahah.

3. Kenzie totally rocks every look. If I was her age, I would probably be very jealous (not really, but I probably would be trying to copy her).

3) You're right, Siobhan, I too would so totally be copying Kenzie, while trying not to admit it if I were her age.

Can I just say that you guys are the SWEETEST? I'm laying in bed waiting for Camer to get back from some hockey thing, deciding to be a total creep and read the comments on Holly's TR (not even MY TR, someone else's!) and I get these really nice comments. Thank you =) And you both have 'da stylez - and I think I've said before that Holly was my inspiration for dressing like a real person and not my momma when at Disney. You're both lovely, thanks for making my night!

 

[HollyBelle]

My apologies for this crazy thread bump... I've been totally lost in work (and wedding dress shopping!) for the last month or so and just realized I hadn't responded to these posts.

Is the weather bad in March? I've visited WDW three times in March over the course of several years, once at the beginning, once in the middle (we were there for St. Patrick's Day), and once at the end (2 years ago? it was during the "get in free on your birthday" promotion), and the weather was beautiful each time, sunny and warm.

I think Mother Nature has a soft spot for brides.

I don't think the weather is too bad in March. I know it's not the rainy season... so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed. I can't believe it, but we're just shy of three months until our wedding!!

Yes, Hollybelle, I totally flaked on the trip report for the girls' cruise. We had a fantastic time though and DD and her friend discovered the teen club and had a blast! I still have all my Cruise Capers though and may still write one, but have been so busy, as school started right after we got back and it's been a roller coaster ever since! I still hope to get one together though and will let you know if I do!!

I think you should be good with March as far as weather goes. My wedding (the keeper one::animwink was March 22, 2009 and although it got dark and threatened to rain, by the time of the ceremony (dusk), it was fine. We did ours at the Hyatt Grand Cypress (right outside Disney) and the wedding coordinator actually tried to get us to move inside, but I stuck to my guns, and being a FL native, I knew these things blow over quickly, and I told her I felt by the time of the wedding it would be ok and it was. And, the advantage of having a small wedding is that you can wait until the last minute to make those type of decisions! But, don't even think those thoughts, March is not rainy season in FL and you will have a wonderful wedding on Sunset Pointe! And, the advantage of March is that it is not so hot, so you won't be sweltering in your dress! Good luck dress shopping! Enjoy it and try not to get too stressed. You will look stunning no matter what you wear because you are marrying your true love! If you remember that, then the little upsets that inevitably happen in any wedding (even an intimate one) won't get you down! Best of luck to you both!

I totally know what you mean about getting too busy to get a report written up... they're so darn time consuming. That's so fun that your daughter had a buddy with her to experience the teen clubs. Ahhh... I can kinda/sorta remember that age. :lol:

Thanks for all the encouragement regarding Florida weather in March, Pam, and more importantly the advice about letting the little things go. Just reading your comments calms me. I finally found a dress, after trying on a bazillion... seriously, I was that girl that just could NOT make a decision.

We'll see! I would absolutely love that! Yeah I actually only saw Monsters Inc this year and fell in love with Boo. She is the cutest thing ever! I could load a whole page of photos of Boo that I took but I just really really wish that you could get pictures with her!

LOVED all the Boo pictures in your trip report... A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

Ok, I know this took me weeks to respond to but here goes. I am a big foodie, and I want to try every restaurant on property. First off, I definitely want to try Citrico's. The food looks amazing! Plus, I would like to give O'Hana another try. I haven't been in a few years, and my family used to go a lot for breakfast way back when it was Minnie's Menehune breakfast. I married a downright carnivore, and I know that he would love dinner there. He also really likes breakfast, but that isn't typically a meal that we do for table service. What do you suggest for that?

No worries... I took another month to respond. We're totally on the same page with wanting to try every restaurant on property. Foodies unite! Believe me when I tell you that your carnivore of a husband will love the skewers of meat the "cousins" at Ohana will keep loading onto his plate.

For breakfast, my number one suggestion would've been Boatwright's, but sadly that is no longer an option. My top three now are Kona, Olivia's, and the Wave. Kona because of unique items like Tonga toast and pineapple macadamia nut pancakes. Olivia's because I love it's quaint vibe and they have delicious banana rum French toast. And the Wave because of the organic menu items, plus they have some killer scrambled eggs with tomato and feta (and I don't even like tomatoes).

Damn girl, you know how to sweet talk me Ahahah.

Can I just say that you guys are the SWEETEST? I'm laying in bed waiting for Camer to get back from some hockey thing, deciding to be a total creep and read the comments on Holly's TR (not even MY TR, someone else's!) and I get these really nice comments. Thank you =) And you both have 'da stylez - and I think I've said before that Holly was my inspiration for dressing like a real person and not my momma when at Disney. You're both lovely, thanks for making my night!

Awww... an inspiration?!? There might be a tear in my eye. Now with that, I need to go put together some outfits for our December trip that will make you proud. :lol:

 

[sleepybear]

I've been away from this site for months now. I finally come back and I see this fantastic news! Congratulations to both of you! May you lead a long, happy (and Disney-filled) life together!

P.S. Holly, your pics are awesome, as usual.

 

[LeafsFanNL]

THis TR has staying power, when is the honeymoon again, I forget?

 

[foreverbelle]

I know this is old. But I just reread and it brought a huge smile to my face. And if I did my math, your getting married the day we leave to return home. So I will. dif. be thinking about you!

 

[DisneyFan1003]

Excellent report! (Just like yesterday, I'm reading trip reports at work out of protest of being here rather than on our trip that was cancelled due to flights!)

Nice to know we're not the only couple to find the enjoyment in totally slowing down our normal "fast paced" trips!!

Also engaged at Disney and there's no better way to start the adventure together. Congrats to you both....looks/sounds like to have fun together and that's one of the most important elements to a happy marriage! :sohappy: