Planning our Disney Honeymoon

[Whitewater]

Oh, my. You'd think it was simple, right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I finally caved in today and got a Travel Agent who's a DisneyWorld specialist to help me plan everything.

There are so many different options and price points and things to do and places to go and so on that I was really getting overwhelmed. Luckily our agent will help us figure everything out and automatically add in whatever discounts they find or Disney releases over the next year.

Additionally there are a TON of websites online with information (one in particular I like has reviews of most of the restaurants in the theme parks) and so I've begun to read through those, then ask my agent my questions, and go from there.

My foggy childhood memories are telling me that this really should be simple, but Disney has grown in the last almost-20 years since I was last there and nothing is simple anymore!

The stuff that we're going for is within our budget, though, just barely. Which is nice. I haven't had a real vacation in well over a decade and I never did get a honeymoon the first time I was married, so I expect that DisneyWorld will be fun :)


Whitewater

[Nekochanpurr]

Yay!! Have fun in Disney! Thats where we wanted to go! :D

[KMS]

Oh wow I bet there are a ton of choices to make for a Disneyworld honeymoon! I'm looking forward to hearing about all of the different things that you choose to do.

[bridal1]

Waaaa....Disneyland!!!
May I go with you..???Lol..
Very fun place.

[ally20o7]

Just an idea, on the Disney website, you can "register" like you would at Kohl's or Target, but for stuff to do there. That way people can help you pay for the things you would like to do. Maybe talk to the travel agent and see what he/she knows.

[bridal1]

Really?Hmm...maybe I should try to register.

[Whitewater]

Oh yeah, we're all about the Disney Honeymoon Registry. Thing is, you have to book your trip (and there's a $200 deposit) BEFORE you can set up your registry. So, even though we're not honeymooning until Sept 2009, we need to suddenly start planning everything NOW and plunk down the $200 ASAP. Not only because of the registry thing, but because Disney rooms apparently book VERY early and our agent suggests that we book as early as possible.

*sigh*

Sometimes I feel, thinking about this whole wedding business, like I want to stand outside somewhere and yell at the universe: "We are not made of money!!!! What will it take to have a nice wedding and honeymoon without winning the lottery?????? What do we have to do to NOT spend a gazillion dollars that we don't have on this thing?????"

I'm starting to be kept up at night worrying about how we're going to pay for it all. We're 9 months out now, and the word "DEPOSIT" is looming large in our immediate future.


Whitewater (we're going to need our honeymoon, you bet!)

[RosieAngel]

Sometimes I feel, thinking about this whole wedding business, like I want to stand outside somewhere and yell at the universe: "We are not made of money!!!! What will it take to have a nice wedding and honeymoon without winning the lottery?????? What do we have to do to NOT spend a gazillion dollars that we don't have on this thing?????"

I'm starting to be kept up at night worrying about how we're going to pay for it all. We're 9 months out now, and the word "DEPOSIT" is looming large in our immediate future.


Oh man, I know exactly how you feel. When we looked at our budget, we thought we had so much money, we could definitely do this!!! AHAHAHA. Now that we're a few weeks away from the big day, it's "WE'RE $2000 OVER BUDGET HOW DID THIS HAPPEN HSLIUSY;JSTK".

Good luck with everything! We're all in the same boat, I'm sure, so we can all scream into the night in unison!

Enjoy that honeymoon and tell us how it goes!

[Whitewater]

Hah, the honeymoon is a year and a week away!!!! yeah, we're getting married in June but honeymooning in Sept to take advantage of the fact that the kids will all be back in school, so hopefully that means less screaming ankle-biters and less crowds (which means, less waiting in line for the rides!) BUT it also means paying less for the rooms --$100/night in our case is the difference between the off-season rate and the prime season rate!

Also Disney has this Free Dining thing where if you book a vacation package with them during the off season you can get their Dining Plan free! The Dining plan is worth it, you get 1 snack, breakfast lunch and dinner in a Disney food place (counter service or sit down) per person and the character meals and fine dining restaurants are included in the dining plan list of places. The plan saves you about 30%. But during the off season, last year and the year before, Disney offered the Dining Plan FREE!!!!!

We're hoping they do the same again this year :)


Whitewater (a rabid bargain hunter. Blame my mother, the bargain-holic!)

[Goin2thechapel]

Okay Whitewater...

I honeymooned in Disneyworld in November and it was SOOOOOOOo worth it. There were still alot of kids but no where near as many as the first time I went in July. PLUS the weather was unbeatable! It was in the mid to high 70's all week.

A few things to check out that we loved!

In Epcot there is a restuarant in Canada called Lecellier (sp?) Steak house. Very yummy Did not like thier choice of house champagne though..
Here we are at that restuarant
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/rurumydog/wedding019.jpg


Also if you sign up for the meal plan it's SOOOOOOO worth it trust me. We didn't have to worry about what we ordered on the menu or even tipping the people. All we had to pay for was the alcoholic drinks...You get tons of food options. It was well worth it!

To cut down on our price we stayed at the carribean beach resort. It's the moderately priced resorts. We got an amazing view from our room AND they put us really close to the bus stop. So whenever we decided to come back from the parks for a "nap" it was convinient to do so.
this was the view from our room:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/rurumydog/wedding085.jpg


Also, Downtown Disney is a great place to visit. If you book the meal plan you'll get a voucher to eat at Planet Hollywood. Can't really remember what was involved in that though...

No matter what, Being newlyweds in disney is sooo much fun and whatever place you eat at there's something special waiting for you.

My favorite was Tony's in the Magic Kingdom...I won't tell you what happened just incase you decide to go eat there. (great italian food btw)

Any more questions just ask! I don't want to high jack your thread! :bbredface: But I could talk about disney all day long!

[soontobemrs]

To cut down on our price we stayed at the carribean beach resort.



We stayed here for our trip in July 2006 and this is where we'll be staying for our honeymoon too - haha, that's funny!

[Whitewater]

The Caribbean Beach Resort is where WE picked too!!!! HAH! Great minds think alike :)

Yeah, we're definitely doing the Dining Plan, absolutely everybody that I've talked to about this has told us to do it. If we get the Free Dining Plan like we're hoping, we may upgrade to the Deluxe plan, 'cause that's only about $100.

You can talk about Disney all you want! Are those the special Honeymoon Buttons that you can get? I've heard that you get special attention and little extra treats from the Disney staff if you wear those.

And yep, we're planning one night of special adult activities -- going out to eat at a place where you have to dress up (I'm going to bring my rehearsal dress, it's the only dress I have!), and then going to La Nouba, the show that Cirque du Soleil has out there. I've heard good things about the Yachtsman's Steak House and Fulton's Crab House also, as well as Le Cellier, or however you spell it.

This will be my first time at Disneyworld since I was 8. And since I'll have turned 35 by the time of my honeymoon . . . . yeah, it's been a long time.


Whitewater (wondering what has changed)

[KMS]

That dining plan sounds awesome! I wonder if it would work with our modified diet. Something I will have to find out when we go...one day! I remember when I went in high school and the food was all so lame. I've heard it's so much better now and can't wait to experience it for myself!

Going on a Disney honeymoon does sound 'magical'! All of the special perks are so neat. Your adult night sounds wonderful too.

I'm getting all excited for you! :D

[vicky_vicky]

Oh it all sounds so wonderful! I really hope you have the time of your life!

I hope we could go to Disneyland too! We will go to Eurodisney someday with our children maybe:D!

[LovingLife]

Personally I have never been to Disneyland.

No worries everyone once my son is old enough...

DISNEYLAND HERE I COME...(in 5 years lol) :D

[dylansmom011908]

Whitewater.... i'm starting to feel the anxiety of all the different choices to make.

Did you guys find it better to book with a travel agent through the disney site or with an off site company??

I'm look...all inclusive... not expensive...and as easy as possible! lol

ps... what is the "going rate" for a honeymoon there anyways??.. i know prices vary with what you do..but what's the estimte look like.. i mean..are we talking a couple 1,000........several 1,000... just trying to get an idea.. :)

[WBandMe]

ps... what is the "going rate" for a honeymoon there anyways??.. i know prices vary with what you do..but what's the estimte look like.. i mean..are we talking a couple 1,000........several 1,000... just trying to get an idea.. :)

If you want to PM me I'll tell you what we're getting and what we paid, but I don't want to broadcast it :)

[ikkin510]

WE went to disneyworld for our honey moon too in early October. GREAT time of year to go. Your right, the parks aren't too over crowded with kids and such.
Love the dining plan. My fav restuarant was the Coral Reef in Epcot. Great food!! And you get to eat next to a HUGE aquarium!

Yes those buttons you and get and they do bring some extra attention. Sometimes you can get moved to the front of lines on ride and such. WE got a bunch of free stickers which I used for scrapbooking.

FYI a lot of the sit down restaraunts book fast. So if you know where you want to eat a certain night, it's a good idea to call and make reservations as soon as possible. I believe they except them 3 months out.

[Whitewater]

We're using a Disney Travel Agent -- she works out of Long Island, I think, and we communicate via email. I found her via this Disney forum: http://www.wdisneyw.com/forums/ There's a lot of UK folks on that forum, so don't be surprised if it gets a little England-centric at times :) Marie is based in the US, though. Her forum name is DizneePrincess, or something close to that, and mine is Whitewater, same as it is here.

Personally I would *never* go with an on-site, works for Disney, Disney travel agent. They will try to upsell you every which way to Sunday. Go with an official Disney Agent but one who's not actually working for Disney, like Marie, and you can be assured that they will be working in YOUR best interests, and not Disney's. Marie, for example, is known for getting her clients the best deals she possibly can -- without you even asking :) As Disney releases specials and whatnot, Marie knows about them and will work them into your trip if at all possible.

Disney agents won't do that. Save yourselves some money by working with a travel agent who's a Disney specialist but who's NOT working directly for Disney.

Regardless of anything else, when you book your Disney trip they want a $200 deposit. Once you do that deposit, though, you can change anything, even cancel (up to 90 days beforehand, I think it is) and rebook if you need to in order to get a better rate. However, you'll also need to pay for your trip in full before you go too, and I think that's 90 days also. Could be 30 days -- your travel agent will know.

Here is the original quote that Marie got for us:

Port Orleans Riverside
September 9,2009-September 15,2009
King Bed
2 Adults
7 Day Magic Your Way + Park Hopper Tickets
Disney Dining Plan
No Insurance
$2248.88

If you take off the Dining Plan, then the quote winds up being approximately $1800-1900 -- but then you'd have to pay for your food yourself and Disneyworld is NOT CHEAP. I think they assume most folks will be on the Dining Plan and charge accordingly . . . a restaurant equal to (not the same exactly, but the same level of service and so on) what we have up here at Disney is charging $15 for a hamburger entree that up here would be $9 max. I've discovered that all Disney food is about twice (sometimes closer to three times) as expensive as you would get at home, so plan accordingly.

The main reason we're getting the Dining Plan is because it's the only way we'll be able to afford most of the Disney restaurant prices.

Keep in mind that this quote is for a 'moderate' resort in the OFF season, trust me, it makes a HUGE difference. We have two main reasons (and a couple minor reasons) for waiting until September to take our honeymoon, when we're actually getting married in June. 1) Less children and less crowds in general, meaning less lines (and hopefully less temper tantrums and shrieking brats)

and 2) Disney cuts its hotel rates considerably -- enough to make it worthwhile for us to wait until we get into the off season.

Marie also gave us a quote for a 'value' resort but frankly, none of Disney's Value resorts, while fun, speak to us about romantic honeymoons :)

Pop Century
September 9,2009-September 15,2009
Preferred Room
2 Adults
7 Day Magic Your Way + Park Hopper Tickets
Disney Dining Plan
No Insurance
$1731.92

Again, without the Dining Plan it came to about $1000 total. We're willing to pay the extra to upgrade to a more honeymoon appropriate hotel. I know most people who go to DisneyWorld think about their hotel rooms as places to only sleep and shower, because otherwise they're at the parks all the time, but I'm in my mid 30's, Fiance is in his mid 40's -- we'll probably be spending more time at our resort than if we were in our 20's with two kids! If nothing else, we'll be utilizing the hot tub and the hammocks on the beach -- I am deliberately planning in some relaxing time because both of us get cranky if we feel constantly pressured to rush around and have fun. So a resort with a bit more in the way of 'honeymoon amenities' was important to us -- important enough for us to spend the extra money.




I'd figure out what you want in your resort first, and not worry about the other stuff for now. Put down your deposit and then figure out everything else. You've got plenty of time -- and they won't even take Advanced Dining Reservations until 180 days before your trip, so you won't have to worry about that either.

Oh, and I recommend working with a travel agent! I like Marie, she's very patient and knows just about everything there is to know. And she has a lot of first hand experience, she goes to WDW on a regular basis.


HTH!


Whitewater

[Jacklynn]

Hi! I actually live very close to Disney World and DH and I have annual passes and go at least once a week or so. If there are any questions I can help you with/pictures I can get you, info ect. let me know, since we are there often I'm sure I could help get you any info.

BTW When you go don't forget to stop by City Hall and get your "Just Married" buttons, all of the Cast Members will say congrats!

[Tadswife]

Oh Whitewater how you have made an excellant choice in honeymoon destinations. We loved every minute of it...we stayed at the carribian as well and mentioned we were honeymooners..they left balloons and a picture signed by Minnie and Mickey that was addressed to us pesonally.They also provided bus service to all the disney parks so there we didn't have to drive at all. The pins you get at city hall in magic kingdom are very much worth it, we got a mickey hat with ears and minnie ears with a veil as a gift from a friend of mine. My dh says it was the "keys to the kingdom" Everything we went to we got moved to front and center because we were the bride and groom. There was a place we had to make reservations to eat at and didnt know, made room for us, bought us champaine and dessert on the house. So if you can find the hat and veil, DISNEY IS YOURS:D for 7 days. We did do the meal plan, THAT WAS DEFFINALTY WORTH THE MONEY WE PAID FOR IT!
the only thing we ended up paying for on our trip was souviners. We were definatly well fed on our trip thanks to the meal plan. I do recommend makeing reservations at the places you choose to eat. Most places will not take you with out them. They book rather quickly. Not to mention the "congratulations" we heard a million times while at the parks. It made us feel so special.I do recommend Mama Melroses Ristorante in MGM studios. It felt like home. My dh didn't eat his vegtables so the waitress used the plane sounds as she fed him the vegtables he didn't eat. This place felt very much like home. Our waitress was named Aunt Jenni and told my dh that momma gets upset if her kids don't eat their veggies. So that is when she fed him his. It was so hilarious. If you have any ?'s feel free to ask. I could go on and on about disney for hours....Here is a picture of us at Magic Kingdom..


http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/12/l_d9c821c9625e4aab861a92ff3c39eb35.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhoto&albumID=1172438&imageID=10602432)

[He_calls_me_Angel]

lol I was going to ask you if you did get the dining plan, but obviously you did.... first of all you are so very smart for coming during September, I try to tell people that all the time! It is so much better if you visit while school is in. Anyway did your agent set up all of your reservations? take advantage of the dining plan and make sure you have your reservations booked! EARLY! It's nearly impossible to get a res during the free dining plan (much to a castmembers dismay)

Are you guys going to have kids with you?

Some places that I recommend, Le Cellier above all, love love love this place but it is always booked solid, I have guest that have told me that they mark their calender and wake up at 7 am to call 180 days out (which is all that is allowed, you can book 6 months in advance) Ohana is our favorite, the desert is to die for and they will give you a lay (sp?) and have you slow dance in front of everyone if they see your just married button lol

Tony's is great and if you are a fan of fish the Coral reef is wonderful as well. Fulton's at Down Town is not included in the dine plan (at least it wasn't several months ago) but I really don't think it is worth the prices... Yachtsman is also ok, but keep in mind it will take two of your dining plan points- so does any kind of character dining- so basically to go to Yachtsman you will have to pay for dinner yourself one night since yachtsman would basically be costing you two meals worth of points.

Now if you are looking for something to go to at downtown disney.... I don't think anything there is included on the dine plan that is a sit down kind of place, I believe they are all quick service (keep in mind it has been about a year since I've had to study the dining plan for work, things can change) So I think I would maybe do Planet Hollywood and then la nuba (I'm not sure how that voucher works, it's new since I've studied the dining plan)

Also, I think they have changed the dining plan to no longer include tips... we were having a problem with servers who knew they were getting an 18% tip regardless so they stopped working for their tips and guest were complaining so now they have to work for it again since it's up to the guest to tip them... I know they were talking about changing it and when DH and I went to Ohana last week they had a card in the check that said tips were not added anymore so I guess they did change it....

anyway Boma at the animal kingdom lodge is really great to (AMAZING for breakfast!), but I don't recommend booking any res at another resort unless you have your own car there, you have to do a bit of bus hoping to get to them, but if you are staying at the Caribbean it isn't to bad, you just hop a bus to Down town Disney and then hop another one to what ever resort you are going to.



OOO just remembered, if you like hibachi grills and Japanese food there is a hibachi in Japan in epcot (I can't remember the new name of it, but it's great!) I would personally skip the Italian pavilion, I've heard bad things about the food... um.... I'll let you know if I think of any other places lol I'm a little Disney happy lol but once you get the info study it, and use it, it's worth it to not be confused over how it works once you get here.

Also don't miss fantasmic, go about 30 mins or more before the show to get good seats, it's worth it, I never get tired of that show! Philharmagic is amazing as well... ok I'll shut up now, I could go on for days lol

[He_calls_me_Angel]

Oh also go to the prime time cafe, (you need a res for that to) the whole place looks like a kitchen out of the 50s the servers pick on you (my dad had to stand in the corner while everyone shouted "shame shame" at him for putting his elbows on the table) the servers bicker back and forth at each other and they TRIED to put a bib on me because I spilled something... it's pretty funny... all home cooked food, meat loaf, fried chicken...

great place!

[dylansmom011908]

whitewater... i got a hold of Marie..thank you so much for the referral!

FH is soooo excited that i agreed to go to DW... he just loved it last time he went.

I'm taking the tips that everyone is giving and hanging onto them... i'm so excited and from the sound of it.... i made a good choice giving into FH! lol

[He_calls_me_Angel]

whitewater... i got a hold of Marie..thank you so much for the referral!

FH is soooo excited that i agreed to go to DW... he just loved it last time he went.

I'm taking the tips that everyone is giving and hanging onto them... i'm so excited and from the sound of it.... i made a good choice giving into FH! lol

You made a very good choice, if it wasn't for the fact that DH and I met in the magic kingdom and worked there, that's where I would have wanted to go for a honeymoon lol you guys will have a blast!

[KMS]

So, everybody has made Disney World look so good that we are planning a trip for next Fall! :D Haha! Now comes all of the decisions that Whitewater is already trying to make. I'll definitely find this thread useful!

[Tadswife]

Oh also go to the prime time cafe, (you need a res for that to) the whole place looks like a kitchen out of the 50s the servers pick on you (my dad had to stand in the corner while everyone shouted "shame shame" at him for putting his elbows on the table) the servers bicker back and forth at each other and they TRIED to put a bib on me because I spilled something... it's pretty funny... all home cooked food, meat loaf, fried chicken...

great place!


I deffinalty would have to say ditto to this.. we did this on our honeymoon..awsome place

[Tadswife]

So, everybody has made Disney World look so good that we are planning a trip for next Fall! :D Haha! Now comes all of the decisions that Whitewater is already trying to make. I'll definitely find this thread useful!

We loved it so much were going back on our 5 year wedding anniversary, possiablly even renewing our vows there...Disney World is AMAZING

[dylansmom011908]

So, i have a question for those who have stayed at the Caribbean resort... or will be staying.. do you think it still have a romantic feel to it? or does it feel more like a family vacation resort?

Just wondering as i'm trying to find the right resort without paying through the roof!

Whitewater... marie's working on getting my quotes..i can't thank you enough for you referring her..

[RevMatty]

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/12/l_d9c821c9625e4aab861a92ff3c39eb35.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhoto&albumID=1172438&imageID=10602432)

Don't you two look cute.:D

[lize566]

We were disney honeymooners as well!! We went last September, from the 17-24 I think. It was AMAZING!!! The buttons should be in your welcome package thing, and definitely wear them everywhere! We also got to bypass some lines, such as the Kilamanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom, which was over an hour long!

The dining plan is the way to go, but make sure you make reservations as soon as possible. The steak house in Epcot that Amanda was talking about it booked up so fast last year!! We didn't get to go, but I've heard wonderful things!

Our favorite Restaurant was also Coral Reef in Epcot. They give you a personalized menu, which is so cute!

La Nouba was absolutely the best thing we did while we were there. It's a lot of money, but we would do it again in a heart beat. Take in everything you can, because it's amazing!

Hmmm....I can't think of anything else I wanted to say. I'm so jealous though, we want to go back SOOOO bad!!! Let me know if you have any questions!

[He_calls_me_Angel]

So, i have a question for those who have stayed at the Caribbean resort... or will be staying.. do you think it still have a romantic feel to it? or does it feel more like a family vacation resort?

Just wondering as i'm trying to find the right resort without paying through the roof!

Whitewater... marie's working on getting my quotes..i can't thank you enough for you referring her..
Only my opinion... lol I don't want you to get mad at me if it wasn't what you were looking for once you go.... but I think Caribbean is a good call for honeymooners... my personal fave is the polly and Animal kingdom lodge.... but as far as a moderate hotel goes, I think it is your best bet. It for sure does not feel like a family vacation resort to me. I think it is very lovely and I think you will be happy with the room (try to check in as early as possible to try to get a king bed, last time I worked at a resort this couldn't be promised in a res it was first come first serve, but they were talking about changing it) it is very quite and romantic in my opinion and they have several pools (at least 3 maybe 4?) so if one is full of kids you can search for one that isn't. The only real con of the Caribbean is that everything is very spaced out which, depending on where your room is, could mean quite a bit of walking for you to get to park buses...


Also, make sure when you are checking in to let the person you are checking in with know that you are honeymooning, if they don't mention it (which they should, any good travel agent should put on the notes that you are honeymooning!) they should have the buttons for you at the desk, also if you happen to see someone standing in the lobby dressed in plain clothes (not a dorky costume lol) with a name tag on, that is the guest services manager, his or her job is to literally stand there and greet people all day and deal with complaints. If he or she is not busy it never hurts to strike up a conversation with this manager. Depending on the mood of the manager they may offer you an upgrade being that you are honeymooning. I worked at the boardwalk and our managers had more leeway than those at the moderate resorts... but if you get the right manager he may help you out... I've had managers move around reservations to make sure a honeymoon couple got a king bed (there are only a handful of kings in each resort, because they cater more to family vacations) and I had one couple check in with me, I didn't have a king to give them so I told them to go over to my manager and just start talking to him, a few minutes later he walked up to my desk and pounded his hand on it and said "lets find this lovely couple a two bed room to stay in" which is a MAJOR we are talking several more hundred a night of an upgrade....

I can't swear to you that it will work, but if it's during the low season, it never hurts to try :-)

[acidcookie]

Oooh! How fun! FH and I did the whole all-inclusive package this last spring break--stayed at the Caribbean too. We decided we were going to take a real spring break vacation and it was great!

And he proposed there, in the castle :-P We looooove Disney!

[Ninedays9]

Disney definitely sounds like a good idea. I started considering doing the same thing... getting married as we are in the summer and then having the honeymoon in September or October... but I'll have school then, :(. So maybe we'll have to try and go there as an anniversary thing later on.

[KMS]

This may sound crazy, but we're thinking of camping at Disney! They have a campground. I had no idea. A romantic atmosphere is not our top priority since we've already had our very romantic honeymoon. At $40/night we could stay for $200. That also means that we could cook some of our own food. That would save money and probably be easier than finding food that we could eat anyways. Breakfast is especially hard to find for us! We're also gonna drive there...so this may not turn into such a big investment after all. Which is very, very good!

[Jacklynn]

This may sound crazy, but we're thinking of camping at Disney! They have a campground. I had no idea. A romantic atmosphere is not our top priority since we've already had our very romantic honeymoon. At $40/night we could stay for $200. That also means that we could cook some of our own food. That would save money and probably be easier than finding food that we could eat anyways. Breakfast is especially hard to find for us! We're also gonna drive there...so this may not turn into such a big investment after all. Which is very, very good!

They also have little cabins there too :) They aren't nearly as cheap as camping, but it seems pretty cozy and I believe it has a kitchen.