Welcome to our Disney Honeymoon Pre-Trip Report! Cue the trumpets, harps and violins…only 26 days and counting! (Wait! That means that it’s only 25 days until my wedding! Sorry, mild panic, but I digress…)
Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Cassie and my wonderful groom-to-be is Brandon. I am the resident Disney fanatic in our house. I have been to WDW about a dozen times starting when I was a child. This will be Brandon’s fourth trip to WDW. He had his very first visit with me and my family in December 2006, and he’s been hooked ever since.
We visited for the second time together in May 2007. My fiancé planned the trip under the guise that we were celebrating my college graduation. But like the true Prince Charming he is, he surprised me by asking me to marry him at Cinderella’s Royal Table inside the Castle with Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, and the whole restaurant looking on. Of course, I said “YES!” and that brings us to my very first pre-trip report…for our Disney Honeymoon!
For the last several trips to WDW, the planning has been almost as fun as the trip itself. And although I have been counting down the days for this trip, it unfortunately has been overshadowed by planning an even bigger event…the wedding! Now as it grows ever closer, however, the excitement that is brewing not only for the wedding but for the honeymoon to follow has grown to epic proportions.
A bit of background…my fiancé and I were dating for nearly five years when we became engaged…waiting for us both to be graduated from college. But we had been talking about getting married for so much longer. Sufficed it to say, I had always known we would celebrate our honeymoon at WDW despite not knowing that I’d have the joy of getting engaged there as well! So long story short (sorry, maybe not so much), the following details, let’s say, were decided very far in advance.
We agreed that we would settle for nothing less than staying at a deluxe resort for our honeymoon. Having stayed at the Polynesian with my family as a teen, I knew it was the perfect place for our romantic Disney getaway. So, last spring I checked every single day (and yes, I mean every day), waiting for the moment I could reserve a room at the Polynesian for May 2010. Trading a longer honeymoon for “a more deluxe one” set us up for an 8-day, 7-night stay at the beautiful Polynesian Resort. Waiting another several months until the 2010 vacation packages were available, we confirmed our Disney Honeymoon package with a 7-night stay in a theme-park view room, 8-day park hopper tickets with the water park fun & more option and the Disney dining plan. When we officially booked the vacation package, I sincerely requested (more like pleaded for) a room in the Tahiti building remembering the breathtaking views of Magic Kingdom from the room. However, I am also hoping that because we are celebrating our honeymoon, we will receive a gratis upgrade to a concierge service level room. Either way, I’m sure the accommodations will be spectacular.
When choosing our vacation package, there was no question that we wanted the park-hopper tickets. We both feel that we can sleep, lounge on a beach, or swim anywhere, why come to WDW and not try to get the most of experiencing the theme parks and other things that Disney has to offer?!
As I know so many other WDWMagic site fans do, we love waking up early and arriving at the parks for “rope drop”. We have long since realized that Early Magic Hours are so much more “productive” than Evening simply because people will drag themselves around tired if already in the parks, but they won’t dare get out of bed too early. We also love how the rope drops have evolved over the years. I remember as a child that when opening the parks, only one or two characters would emerge, and they would simply lead a countdown at the turnstiles. Now, in most parks, it’s a mini show that Disney puts on just for us early birds. It’s magical. Following rope drop, we head straight for the “E-ticket” attractions. We can sometimes ride them more than once before the morning crowds arrive. We can then spend the rest of the day enjoying the less popular attractions and other hidden gems inside the parks.
Having said all of this, we have also agreed that this trip is different in that it is our honeymoon. There are no new attractions that we haven’t experienced, only those that have received recent facelifts (most notably Space Mountain and Hall of Presidents). Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to slow down the pace this trip and take it all in. Maybe we go back to the resort and lay in a hammock…play miniature golf…get a couple’s massage…all things we agree we would love to do if only we can break ourselves of our “gotta get it done” attitudes. So we made a pact that when we get tired, not to head for the nearest air-conditioned theatre-style attraction (no offense to Universe of Energy, but it makes for a great nap), but to go back and enjoy our beautiful resort and try some more relaxing activities.
One final detail before we look further at our honeymoon plans is that we were also blessed to receive an amazing wedding present from Disney…even prior to arriving at the theme parks! Because we chose to stay during certain arrival periods (i.e. Late April to Early August) and are staying at a deluxe resort, we were eligible to receive a $750 gift card! I admit that my fiancé didn’t believe me when I first shared with him that it would be there upon check-in at our resort. But I received an email confirmation that confirms it in black and white. So, as for that couple’s massage, here we come! And any other frivolous things we originally wouldn’t have splurged for…I’m still coming up with ideas!
So, without further adieu, here’s a look at our plan for the week…
Day One
Our flight leaves at 11:15 AM, which means we will have to leave our hotel at around 8 AM. Our flight arrives around 1:30 PM in Orlando and with Disney’s Magical Express, this probably puts us at the Polynesian around 3 PM. After checking in, we plan to head over to EPCOT to enjoy the last day of the Flower & Garden Festival. I must say that I was disappointed when they announced that they were staring the festival much earlier this year. We decided to get married in May, in part, because when we had visited in May 2007, EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival was magnificent, and we wanted to visit this time of year again. But all things change…and EPCOT is beautiful no matter what time of year.
Following a grand circle tour of Future World and the World Showcase, we plan to have our first dinner at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada. We have never experienced Le Cellier before, but we both look forward to the amazing food that everyone raves about. After dinner, we will explore EPCOT a bit more before heading to Disney Studios for EMH. It will be a long, long day for us, but we’re looking forward to it.
Day Two
For our first full day in WDW, we plan to head to Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning for EMH. We hope that while we have had little sleep that our “first day” excitement will help get us out of bed in the morning. We are avid thrill-ride fans, so our first stop this morning will have to be Expedition Everest, directly followed by Kilimanjaro Safaris. We both really enjoy the sights and sounds of Animal Kingdom, so although we plan to hit some of the major attractions, we are both looking forward to “taking it all in” and taking lots of pictures.
We’ve also chosen to try the new Picnic Lunch. I think this sounds like a lot of fun and a good way to find some nice, romantic spots off the beaten track to enjoy lunch. The final thing we plan to do for the day is to see Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade. I can’t say this was on my list of things to do, but my fiancé really wants to see it, so I said ok. Who knows, it might be really fun?! Hopefully we are able to make a relatively speedy exit from the park following the parade so that we can head to resort to clean up and change for our dinner ressie’s at Rose & Crown Dining Room. They are a bit earlier than I wanted…I know the secret’s out that this is one of the best places from which to enjoy Illuminations so here’s hoping the service is slow.
After that, we plan to take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom for EMH. Our routine for evening magic hours at the Kingdom is to head to Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain (depending on the temp). My fiancé is usually tuckered out by this point so we will probably head back for some much-needed sleep.
Day Three
Day three starts with another early morning rope drop at EPCOT. First stops will be Mission:Space and Test Track. We have enjoyed Soarin’ in the past, but we both agree it’s not worth wasting time to get Fastpasses or standing in line for. Following the thrills, we will have breakfast at the Land..,they have some of the best counter-service breakfast at WDW. At 11, we booked the Behind the Seeds tour. Living with the Land is one of my fiance’s favorite rides so he is really excited for our tour. This will be our first new adventure on our honeymoon trip. After the tour, we will explore what we can of Future World before World Showcase opens because we want to be check out the Kim Possible Adventure as soon as it opens. I know that we are not kids anymore, but I am so excited to try this!
We plan to head back to the room for a nap (?) in the early afternoon to clean up and change for the evening. We have plans to dine early at San Angel Inn in Mexico before heading over to Downtown Disney for Cirque du Soleil. We sprung for Front and Center section tickets…this is another first for us so we hope it won’t disappoint. The shows starts at 9…so we have no plans afterward except to make a beeline for bed!
Day Four
Following three super-packed days, my fiancé and I decided to plan a more relaxed day in the middle of our week. We plan to spend the bulk of the day at Blizzard Beach (weather permitting). Because the water park does not open until 9, we look forward to enjoying breakfast at the resort before heading out for our day of fun in the sun.
The rest of the day...the plans are really loose. If we’re enjoying the water park, we’ll stick around there for most of the day (maybe even hop to Typhoon Lagoon if we’re feeling adventurous). In the evening, we plan to head to EPCOT to travel the World Showcase and eat at Teppan Ido Grill at Japan. Then it will be dessert while enjoying Illuminations (at our own little special location…unfortunately not part of the Grand Gathering experience) and then off to bed at the Polynesian.
Day Five
At last, our first full day at Magic Kingdom beginning with Extra Magic Hours in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. I hope to get in most of our favorites (Space, Pirates, Big Thunder, Peter Pan) before the busy afternoon. We were not originally planning to tour Mickey or Minnie’s house this time around, but now that we know this will most likely be the last time we ever get to visit them, we will probably make a stop there. We plan to then have lunch at Cosmic Ray’s. I can’t say that any bride’s diet includes juicy hamburgers so I am definitely looking forward to this good old fashioned hamburger with all of the fixins!
We may head back to the Poly for some rest and relaxation before heading back to MK for dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table…the scene of our Disney Engagement. I am wishing with all of my might that we get the best table in the house again to celebrate being back at Walt Disney World as husband and wife!
We will then spend the evening at the park and enjoy the phenomenal Spectromagic Parade and Wishes Fireworks. Then it’s back to the Poly for some much needed sleep.
Day Six
We plan to spend a full day at Disney Studios. We plan to ride Toy Story Mania as many times as possible without our bodies revolting from standing in long lines for too long. We do have plans to hit some of our other favorites as well (RRC, Tower of Terror, Magic of Animation, Great Movie Ride, and Muppets). We plan to skip American Idol…I haven’t heard anything so exciting for us to waste time doing this. Our evening plans for this day are still up in the air. Thanks to Disney’s wedding present (i.e. gift card), we have two sets of dinner plans for this evening. We had originally planned on staying the entire day at Disney Studios and doing the Fantasmic Dinner Show package at Hollywood & Vine in the very early evening and then watching Fantasmic at 9 PM. This is a favorite of Brandon’s. BUT because we were graced with some extra Disney magic, I really would love to eat at Bistro de Paris at EPCOT. (I even have the perfect black cocktail dress for the occasion). This will be a game time decision (well, we will make the decision after we arrive at WDW but before the day of). Either way, we plan to head over to EPCOT for EMH. I am still unsure of how I am going to manage a wardrobe change in there somewhere, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. =)
Day Seven
Our second to last day, we plan to kick the day off with some time at Animal Kingdom. And, dare I say it, we have a FREE AFTERNOON. We actually have nothing scheduled or planned or thought of until 4:30. This is a first for us, but we are really looking forward to it. Just think of the options….water park, miniature golf, watercraft rental at Seven Seas Lagoon, carriage ride at Fort Wilderness, the possibilities are endless. Then, after all of that fun, we are going to top off our day with a couple’s massage at Grand Floridian. I cannot tell you how excited I am for this! My tired body will be very very grateful. Then, to celebrate the second to last night of our honeymoon, we will be attending the Polynesian Luau. Ah, what could be more perfect?
Day Eight
The last day. =( We will start at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast and then park hop until there is absolutely no time left and we must meet Disney (Not-So-Magical) Magical Express bus home. (Just a note: the Magical Express is only not-so-magical because it’s the ride home….it is otherwise a wonderful service.)
And so that’s it….our Disney Honeymoon pre-trip report. I hope you enjoyed it and it wasn’t too lengthy. =) Stay tuned for our actual trip report when we return officially Mr. and Mrs! Ta ta for now!
Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Cassie and my wonderful groom-to-be is Brandon. I am the resident Disney fanatic in our house. I have been to WDW about a dozen times starting when I was a child. This will be Brandon’s fourth trip to WDW. He had his very first visit with me and my family in December 2006, and he’s been hooked ever since.
We visited for the second time together in May 2007. My fiancé planned the trip under the guise that we were celebrating my college graduation. But like the true Prince Charming he is, he surprised me by asking me to marry him at Cinderella’s Royal Table inside the Castle with Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, and the whole restaurant looking on. Of course, I said “YES!” and that brings us to my very first pre-trip report…for our Disney Honeymoon!
For the last several trips to WDW, the planning has been almost as fun as the trip itself. And although I have been counting down the days for this trip, it unfortunately has been overshadowed by planning an even bigger event…the wedding! Now as it grows ever closer, however, the excitement that is brewing not only for the wedding but for the honeymoon to follow has grown to epic proportions.
A bit of background…my fiancé and I were dating for nearly five years when we became engaged…waiting for us both to be graduated from college. But we had been talking about getting married for so much longer. Sufficed it to say, I had always known we would celebrate our honeymoon at WDW despite not knowing that I’d have the joy of getting engaged there as well! So long story short (sorry, maybe not so much), the following details, let’s say, were decided very far in advance.
We agreed that we would settle for nothing less than staying at a deluxe resort for our honeymoon. Having stayed at the Polynesian with my family as a teen, I knew it was the perfect place for our romantic Disney getaway. So, last spring I checked every single day (and yes, I mean every day), waiting for the moment I could reserve a room at the Polynesian for May 2010. Trading a longer honeymoon for “a more deluxe one” set us up for an 8-day, 7-night stay at the beautiful Polynesian Resort. Waiting another several months until the 2010 vacation packages were available, we confirmed our Disney Honeymoon package with a 7-night stay in a theme-park view room, 8-day park hopper tickets with the water park fun & more option and the Disney dining plan. When we officially booked the vacation package, I sincerely requested (more like pleaded for) a room in the Tahiti building remembering the breathtaking views of Magic Kingdom from the room. However, I am also hoping that because we are celebrating our honeymoon, we will receive a gratis upgrade to a concierge service level room. Either way, I’m sure the accommodations will be spectacular.
When choosing our vacation package, there was no question that we wanted the park-hopper tickets. We both feel that we can sleep, lounge on a beach, or swim anywhere, why come to WDW and not try to get the most of experiencing the theme parks and other things that Disney has to offer?!
As I know so many other WDWMagic site fans do, we love waking up early and arriving at the parks for “rope drop”. We have long since realized that Early Magic Hours are so much more “productive” than Evening simply because people will drag themselves around tired if already in the parks, but they won’t dare get out of bed too early. We also love how the rope drops have evolved over the years. I remember as a child that when opening the parks, only one or two characters would emerge, and they would simply lead a countdown at the turnstiles. Now, in most parks, it’s a mini show that Disney puts on just for us early birds. It’s magical. Following rope drop, we head straight for the “E-ticket” attractions. We can sometimes ride them more than once before the morning crowds arrive. We can then spend the rest of the day enjoying the less popular attractions and other hidden gems inside the parks.
Having said all of this, we have also agreed that this trip is different in that it is our honeymoon. There are no new attractions that we haven’t experienced, only those that have received recent facelifts (most notably Space Mountain and Hall of Presidents). Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to slow down the pace this trip and take it all in. Maybe we go back to the resort and lay in a hammock…play miniature golf…get a couple’s massage…all things we agree we would love to do if only we can break ourselves of our “gotta get it done” attitudes. So we made a pact that when we get tired, not to head for the nearest air-conditioned theatre-style attraction (no offense to Universe of Energy, but it makes for a great nap), but to go back and enjoy our beautiful resort and try some more relaxing activities.
One final detail before we look further at our honeymoon plans is that we were also blessed to receive an amazing wedding present from Disney…even prior to arriving at the theme parks! Because we chose to stay during certain arrival periods (i.e. Late April to Early August) and are staying at a deluxe resort, we were eligible to receive a $750 gift card! I admit that my fiancé didn’t believe me when I first shared with him that it would be there upon check-in at our resort. But I received an email confirmation that confirms it in black and white. So, as for that couple’s massage, here we come! And any other frivolous things we originally wouldn’t have splurged for…I’m still coming up with ideas!
So, without further adieu, here’s a look at our plan for the week…
Day One
Our flight leaves at 11:15 AM, which means we will have to leave our hotel at around 8 AM. Our flight arrives around 1:30 PM in Orlando and with Disney’s Magical Express, this probably puts us at the Polynesian around 3 PM. After checking in, we plan to head over to EPCOT to enjoy the last day of the Flower & Garden Festival. I must say that I was disappointed when they announced that they were staring the festival much earlier this year. We decided to get married in May, in part, because when we had visited in May 2007, EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival was magnificent, and we wanted to visit this time of year again. But all things change…and EPCOT is beautiful no matter what time of year.
Following a grand circle tour of Future World and the World Showcase, we plan to have our first dinner at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada. We have never experienced Le Cellier before, but we both look forward to the amazing food that everyone raves about. After dinner, we will explore EPCOT a bit more before heading to Disney Studios for EMH. It will be a long, long day for us, but we’re looking forward to it.
Day Two
For our first full day in WDW, we plan to head to Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning for EMH. We hope that while we have had little sleep that our “first day” excitement will help get us out of bed in the morning. We are avid thrill-ride fans, so our first stop this morning will have to be Expedition Everest, directly followed by Kilimanjaro Safaris. We both really enjoy the sights and sounds of Animal Kingdom, so although we plan to hit some of the major attractions, we are both looking forward to “taking it all in” and taking lots of pictures.
We’ve also chosen to try the new Picnic Lunch. I think this sounds like a lot of fun and a good way to find some nice, romantic spots off the beaten track to enjoy lunch. The final thing we plan to do for the day is to see Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade. I can’t say this was on my list of things to do, but my fiancé really wants to see it, so I said ok. Who knows, it might be really fun?! Hopefully we are able to make a relatively speedy exit from the park following the parade so that we can head to resort to clean up and change for our dinner ressie’s at Rose & Crown Dining Room. They are a bit earlier than I wanted…I know the secret’s out that this is one of the best places from which to enjoy Illuminations so here’s hoping the service is slow.
After that, we plan to take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom for EMH. Our routine for evening magic hours at the Kingdom is to head to Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain (depending on the temp). My fiancé is usually tuckered out by this point so we will probably head back for some much-needed sleep.
Day Three
Day three starts with another early morning rope drop at EPCOT. First stops will be Mission:Space and Test Track. We have enjoyed Soarin’ in the past, but we both agree it’s not worth wasting time to get Fastpasses or standing in line for. Following the thrills, we will have breakfast at the Land..,they have some of the best counter-service breakfast at WDW. At 11, we booked the Behind the Seeds tour. Living with the Land is one of my fiance’s favorite rides so he is really excited for our tour. This will be our first new adventure on our honeymoon trip. After the tour, we will explore what we can of Future World before World Showcase opens because we want to be check out the Kim Possible Adventure as soon as it opens. I know that we are not kids anymore, but I am so excited to try this!
We plan to head back to the room for a nap (?) in the early afternoon to clean up and change for the evening. We have plans to dine early at San Angel Inn in Mexico before heading over to Downtown Disney for Cirque du Soleil. We sprung for Front and Center section tickets…this is another first for us so we hope it won’t disappoint. The shows starts at 9…so we have no plans afterward except to make a beeline for bed!
Day Four
Following three super-packed days, my fiancé and I decided to plan a more relaxed day in the middle of our week. We plan to spend the bulk of the day at Blizzard Beach (weather permitting). Because the water park does not open until 9, we look forward to enjoying breakfast at the resort before heading out for our day of fun in the sun.
The rest of the day...the plans are really loose. If we’re enjoying the water park, we’ll stick around there for most of the day (maybe even hop to Typhoon Lagoon if we’re feeling adventurous). In the evening, we plan to head to EPCOT to travel the World Showcase and eat at Teppan Ido Grill at Japan. Then it will be dessert while enjoying Illuminations (at our own little special location…unfortunately not part of the Grand Gathering experience) and then off to bed at the Polynesian.
Day Five
At last, our first full day at Magic Kingdom beginning with Extra Magic Hours in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. I hope to get in most of our favorites (Space, Pirates, Big Thunder, Peter Pan) before the busy afternoon. We were not originally planning to tour Mickey or Minnie’s house this time around, but now that we know this will most likely be the last time we ever get to visit them, we will probably make a stop there. We plan to then have lunch at Cosmic Ray’s. I can’t say that any bride’s diet includes juicy hamburgers so I am definitely looking forward to this good old fashioned hamburger with all of the fixins!
We may head back to the Poly for some rest and relaxation before heading back to MK for dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table…the scene of our Disney Engagement. I am wishing with all of my might that we get the best table in the house again to celebrate being back at Walt Disney World as husband and wife!
We will then spend the evening at the park and enjoy the phenomenal Spectromagic Parade and Wishes Fireworks. Then it’s back to the Poly for some much needed sleep.
Day Six
We plan to spend a full day at Disney Studios. We plan to ride Toy Story Mania as many times as possible without our bodies revolting from standing in long lines for too long. We do have plans to hit some of our other favorites as well (RRC, Tower of Terror, Magic of Animation, Great Movie Ride, and Muppets). We plan to skip American Idol…I haven’t heard anything so exciting for us to waste time doing this. Our evening plans for this day are still up in the air. Thanks to Disney’s wedding present (i.e. gift card), we have two sets of dinner plans for this evening. We had originally planned on staying the entire day at Disney Studios and doing the Fantasmic Dinner Show package at Hollywood & Vine in the very early evening and then watching Fantasmic at 9 PM. This is a favorite of Brandon’s. BUT because we were graced with some extra Disney magic, I really would love to eat at Bistro de Paris at EPCOT. (I even have the perfect black cocktail dress for the occasion). This will be a game time decision (well, we will make the decision after we arrive at WDW but before the day of). Either way, we plan to head over to EPCOT for EMH. I am still unsure of how I am going to manage a wardrobe change in there somewhere, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. =)
Day Seven
Our second to last day, we plan to kick the day off with some time at Animal Kingdom. And, dare I say it, we have a FREE AFTERNOON. We actually have nothing scheduled or planned or thought of until 4:30. This is a first for us, but we are really looking forward to it. Just think of the options….water park, miniature golf, watercraft rental at Seven Seas Lagoon, carriage ride at Fort Wilderness, the possibilities are endless. Then, after all of that fun, we are going to top off our day with a couple’s massage at Grand Floridian. I cannot tell you how excited I am for this! My tired body will be very very grateful. Then, to celebrate the second to last night of our honeymoon, we will be attending the Polynesian Luau. Ah, what could be more perfect?
Day Eight
The last day. =( We will start at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast and then park hop until there is absolutely no time left and we must meet Disney (Not-So-Magical) Magical Express bus home. (Just a note: the Magical Express is only not-so-magical because it’s the ride home….it is otherwise a wonderful service.)
And so that’s it….our Disney Honeymoon pre-trip report. I hope you enjoyed it and it wasn’t too lengthy. =) Stay tuned for our actual trip report when we return officially Mr. and Mrs! Ta ta for now!
