A Fool's Disneymoon Adventure! (4/3-4/9)

[CyberFey]

Hello there!!

After much hemming and hawwing over my planning I realized, "what better place to help vent my frustrations/worries/etc about this Disneymoon than the DIS?" Hahaha!

So, let me begin by introductions.

First there's me.

My name's Andie. I'm 24 and born and raised in Oklahoma. I say "Ya'll", "cattywhompus" and "cattycorner". And I expect everyone to know what I mean by that. I'm a city girl, not a country girl. They really exist in OK. But I'm sweet. Least I like to think I am. I only say this because I met future DH in a very, very country town and his family is umm... very country. But I love them and they're paying for our trip! As far as Disney goes, I was raised on the movies! I knew every lyric of almost every current princess movie (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin), but didn't ever really watch the older stuff, (Mary Poppins, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) and am working on watching them. But I gave birth to a boy and that kinda limits my princess watching, lol! I love Alice and Belle, and Aurora. And Mulan, though I am a bad asian girl and have never seen the original (though I sat through the sequel, and that counts for something, right? hehe) My mom calls me Snow White, but that's cause my rosy cheeks and dark hair. She's so nice.

Now on to my honey, Gary.

He's nuts. And very proud of that silly dang mustache! It's a recent development, and it makes him happy. He's from the western part of OK, where seeing cows outside his front door is very normal. In fact, his family raise cattle. Though the only farming he's ever done is in Harvest Moon. I think my thumbs may be greener than his. Disney-wise he LOVES Pixar (I do too), and we have almost all the Pixar movies. His favorite character right now is Dr. Facillier (as I recently learned how to spell his name... LOL), and the Mad Hatter.

A non-player whom we (I) will refer to constantly is the love of our lives, our son, the Gabberwok. (I know it's not spelled that way, but that's his nickname!)

He has his daddy's eyebrows. He won't be making it with us this trip as we are finally getting married and don't want to take a baby on a honeymoon. It's just not relaxing. Though I know I will complain about missing him dearly. He is the reason Gary and I can quote most Pixar movies. His favorites are Woody, Buzz, and Lightning.

Now on to why it's a "fool's" disneymoon.

Wait for it...

Wait...

We're getting married on April 1st!!


It'll be the exact date of our four year anniversary.



It's a cute story, I promise. Convoluted as to how he hunted me down, but sweet. It'll follow, but he just called and said we're celebrating Christmas tonight with his family, so I must get the Gabberwok ready for public.

Anyway!

We'll be getting married April 1st at 7 pm, go home to sleep, wake up a 5 am on April 2nd, hop in a car and drive all the way from OK to WDW!! There are times I think I've lost my mind about driving there. : But with modern technology, we'll be fine, right?

We were going to stay at the POP, but with a discount code we've upgraded to CSR! Yay! I look forward to a pretty bedspread!

Anyway... I really must be getting ready. TTFN!!

 

[CyberFey]

Reserved for links...

 

[CyberFey]

Hello again!

As I said before, the story of how Gary and I met:

First you must know about Tony.

Tony and I were 11 when we first met. I was a teacher's daughter, so whatever school he taught at. That year we were at a school just north of Midwest City, in a very small town. We were in Orchestra together and the only violinists. (It was a small class... the school was big, but Orchestra was tiny) We were rivals and were "frenemies" before it existed.

So my Dad ended up transferring schools when I was 13, so I didn't know what became of him...

Until my parent's divorce two years later.

My Dad gained custody of me so I moved with him to a town east of OKC--Shawnee. Shawnee's high school was over capacity, so I had to transfer to an even smaller town's school.

One day while waiting in line at the cafeteria, I hear, "Andie Freakin G!" I turn around (as nobody knew me here), and there Tony was. We reconciled and chatted every now and then, as Meeker didn't have Orchestra and he had moved on to band anyway.

I got out of there the following school year, never to see Tony again.

Fast forward to the age of social networking.

I was in college (or at least, dabbling at it), 20 years old. Tony and I were friends on MySpace. (We were too young for FaceBook) Gary was perusing Tony's friends list and happed upon me. He remembered me from high school. He hadn't talked to me then. Didn't even say hi. Honestly, I wouldn't have talked to him if he tried.

But here we were, our wiser selves. I accepted the friend request and we began chatting. I was convinced he never talked to me (he says otherwise), and we just kinda clicked.

We had a lot of things in common. We were geeks/nerds, had a passion for food and role playing games. We even loved Renaissance Fairs... until he said he had never been to one.



WHAT!?

I told him he was too geeky to not go to one and that we must remedy it immediately. Luckily, OU's Medieval Fair was fast upon us, March 31st--April 2nd. I told him we had to go that Saturday as I was off work.

And we did.

I didn't know it was April Fool's Day. I just didn't think about it. He was worried I wouldn't show, or tell him to get lost or something.

Somedays I tease him I should have.

Our relationship went fast. We were planning a wedding when one night in September I found out about our greatest surprise ever: our son.

So the wedding was off. I didn't want to walk down the isle 9 months pregnant.

That was our story. Now our son is old enough to be in the sanctuary with us and we are getting married! I couldn't be more excited...


Up next: How we ended up going where we always wanted: Walt Disney World!!!

 

[DisneyKira]

Congrats on getting married! I am planning a Disneymoon, too. I am excited to see how your planning goes. I'm subscribing

 

[ronnmel]

Hello fellow Disneymooner. I'm joing you on your PTR.

 

[CyberFey]

Hello fellow Disneymooner. I'm joing you on your PTR.

Yay! It's nice to have you! Welcome

Congrats on getting married! I am planning a Disneymoon, too. I am excited to see how your planning goes. I'm subscribing

Thank you so much! I'm thinking I'm almost done... until DFi opens his mouth!

 

[CyberFey]

I hope I'll eventually pick a font and such that I will stick with, hehe.

Okay. So where were we? Oh yeah, how we ended up deciding on WDW.

Well we had wanted to go before we found out we were pregnant. We thought, "oh how fun! Epcot! Yay!" And then we realized how much money it would be, and with a baby on the way it just wasn't going to happen. (At that time it was mostly my income supporting us, and WDW was much more a dream than a reality.) So when we postponed the wedding, we just planned that eventually when we get "grown-up jobs", we would take our son.

How upsetting!

So when it came time to begin wedding planning it went something like this:

Me: He's two now.
Gary: Yeah.
Me: We can do this whole marriage thing now.
Gary: Sure honey. If you want to and all.
Me: Well it would be nice.
Gary: Okay then.
Me: What about the Honeymoon?
Gary: I dunno. Who would watch the kiddo?
Me: I guess he'd come with us.
Gary: No bed and breakfasts. Those are for old people.
Me: Oh. I thought they were romantic.
Gary: Your parents do them.
Me: And?
Gary: Let me plan it. I'll think of something.



So I'd come up with a roadtrip idea, like cruising Route 66. Nope, he wasn't really interested. Nice but not relaxing. Hmmm. Then it was back to the drawing board. A weekend in Dallas? Nah, not special enough.

I was very tired of it and finally gave up submitting ideas.

I was also getting a little upset about the wedding planning in general as Gary's mom didn't seem as excited as she was initially. She didn't seem as helpful or eager or anything. Like she just didn't care. My mom was happy as a judgmental mother could be (she didn't like Gary at first. It's amazing what a good job can do to improve your relation with your future in-laws!)

Then one afternoon while we eating with his mother, J (Gary's mom) had been talking about our honeymoon and asking what the plans were all through lunch, but I hadn't thought much about it. She offered to watch our son while we go and do whatever it was. Yay! And so, the meal went on without much ado. I ran to the bathroom and came back to her shutting up really quick about something. I was curious, but didn't put much thought into it. I figured she was commenting on a fellow diner or something.

A few days later Gary and I are doing something or other, and he tells me he just can't keep a secret. (This is very true. I got all my Christmas presents early, guessed my birthday present... you get the idea. Gary just gets so exicted he can't contain himself.) So I ask him what it is. And he says...

HIS MOM WILL PAY FOR THE HONEYMOON TO DISNEY WORLD!!!



I was floored. This was why she wasn't helping with the wedding.

He said he knew it would be a big thing, and that there was no way he could plan it all on his own. (After hours on the DISboards, he kinda agrees with this even more. Some days. He had no idea what ADRs were, how FPs work, any of that!)

So the planning has fallen over to me. I'm very ecstatic, but some days it's really overwhelming! To this date I think I have our ADRs mostly ironed out. I think. And our resort. I'm not changing that again! More about what we plan on doing will be in the next installment. I'm about to check the ADRs over again!

See you next time!

 

[DisneyKira]

To this date I think I have our ADRs mostly ironed out. I think. And our resort. I'm not changing that again! More about what we plan on doing will be in the next installment. I'm about to check the ADRs over again!

Where are you planning on eating?

 

[ronnmel]

Wow! That's awesome that his mom will be paying for your Disneymoon AND watching over your son while you enjoy some quality time together as a couple!

 

[CyberFey]

Where are you planning on eating?

Posting itinerary now.

Wow! That's awesome that his mom will be paying for your Disneymoon AND watching over your son while you enjoy some quality time together as a couple!

I know! I'm so happy! She often watches our niece for long stretches of time (I reeeeaaaalllly don't like my future sister-in-law's parenting style, but anyway) so she's used to watching the grandkids. She hardly ever gets to watch my son longer than a work weekend though, so she's itching for the opportunity.

 

[CyberFey]

Hello again friends!

Now to lay out what the schedule looks like. We'll be on the Deluxe Dining Plan, which is a very big thing for us. I'm the kind of person who looks at the prices before the description when ordering food. Always have been. Gary is certainly not, and never had to (before we moved in together, that is!) What a shock for him! I know it's a TON of TS meals, but we'll be picking at our food and Gary is a big eater sometimes, so it'll be fine. Worse comes to worse we skip munching in between meals and only have a bite or two of desert. Who knows? But I'm going to enjoy picking whatever I want.

Anyway.

After a small quaint wedding 7 pm on Friday, we'll be hopping into the car and driving non-stop. I'm sure we'll be eating sparse gas station food... though I would like to have a real dinner, I don't think it will happen. Gary will probably be just waking me up and getting ready for his turn to sleep around dinner time.

So we'll arrive bright and early Sunday morning. I'm thinking with the time change it will be around 8 am. Which is great timing. Now on to ADRs!

SUNDAY
This is our Magic Kingdom day. They'll be open until 2 am for EMH, so we're gonna be there until we tucker out!

9:30 am - Crystal Palace Character Breakfast
Pooh and friends always reminds me of my little brother, and because of him I had The Many Adventures memorized. Not sure if this is still true, but I'm keepin an eye out for a DVD copy for my son. The food looks good, and we could use a hearty breakfast after all the road food.

2:30 pm - Liberty Tree Tavern
This place looks pretty good for lunch. It's a lot of American food, which we can get anytime, but it seems good. There's not a whole lot of TS options in MK it seems like... we may cancel this and do a small CS instead.

7:30 pm - Tony's Town Square
I'm a little worried about the bad reviews this place seems to get. But they have Calimari, so we won't go hungry. I'm hoping we'll get out early enough to see the Electrical Parade and Wishes. I can't remember what time those are for that day, but I remember that's why I scheduled it so early.

Then on to running around MK until the wee hours of the mornin. Woo hoo!

Places I must see/do in MK:
Chapeau - I need some ears! I want the bride headband, and may order it ahead of time. Gary hates the new groom ears with the beanie and tux style... it seems most men do! We'll be picking an ear hat out for him anyway. He loves PoTC, so maybe one like themed like that? I wish they had an online store.
PoTC - Gary would be SO upset if we missed it. His mom too, lol. We have to show her pictures.
IASM - I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!! Gary says I have to. Oh well.
Dumbo - Who goes and doesn't do Dumbo?
The Mad Tea Party - This just seems to be too much fun!
Haunted Mansion - Gary wants to do this.

That's kinda it. I'm trying to keep this list small so if I don't do it all, I'm not disappointed. I know I can't do it all, I know. But Splash Mountain and the other big stuff is a want to do also.

MONDAY
This was originally our second MK day... it still kinda is, but I wanted to keep it open and light. Also, DHS kinda bust in on this day! It's a possibility to switch 50's PT to lunch and eat at a signature restaurant that night... maybe Narcossee's or Citricos so we could see the fireworks... not sure and Gary says, "whatever you want to do, honey!"

7:00 am - Maya Grill
I figured breakfast in our resort would be a good way to start the day after the 2 am trek through MK.

6:05 pm - 50's Prime Time Cafe
I think this may be the end of the American food... And mostly because this will put me in DHS in the later hours. They have EMH that night. I know, how on earth will I see TSM? I don't know. If I miss it until I take my son in a few years, oh well. I don't mind.

Places I must see/do:
Finish up MK.
See some Pixar peeps!
*Note: ToT would be nice, but Gary HATES big rides. His mom traumatized him by making him ride a scary coaster when he was very little, and ever since he won't ride them. Sigh. He said he might do this one.

TUESDAY
This was originally our DHS day. Instead, Gary said he wanted a spa day. A day to just relax. I agreed this was a good idea and promptly freaked out over ADRs and all the planning I had done needing to be rearranged. This is what we have. We also were going to do DTD after DHS closed, so now we're just wondering around DTD after massages.

8:00 am - 1900 Park Faire Character Breakfast
I love Alice in Wonderland, and would like to see the Mad Hatter and Alice! Plus, it's in the Grand Floridian, so we'll already be there for massages! Yay!

2:00 pm - Planet Hollywood
Since we'll have the souvenir voucher, I figured why not?

9:50 pm - Fulton's Crab House
This is Gary's only must do dinner. It will be out of pocket, but he's worth it. I'm not a big seafood person myself, but the have some steak and chicken so I'll be fine.

Must do/see/buy:
Lego store! The displays are freaking amazing.
The World of Disney Store - I can feel my bank account crying already.
Vinylmation Store - I want a keychain! Also, Gary LOVES vinyl toys. In fact, our wedding toppers will be vinyl toys... which reminds me I need to get some paint! OOPS... I'm not sure where it is though...
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain - Mmmm.

WEDNESDAY

Our Animal Kingdom day. Pretty busy!

8:10 am - Tusker House Character Breakfast
It'll be nice to see the originals, and I'm interested in the food... Hmm. It'll be a change from my load of waffles!

12:45 pm - Sanaa
Ooooohhhh yeah. Gary and I love Indian food. I can't wait for this!!

8:55 - Teppan Edo
After DHS closes we'll head over to Epcot for dinner and a preview of the next two days.

Must see/do for AK:
At least one safari.
The Tree of Life
Dinosaur

So sad, this honeymoon is halfway over.

THURSDAY

Epcot!!! The most exciting part of our trip. Gary and I want to travel around the world when we're old folks. And we love different cultures and foods, etc. We just can't wait for this part.

8:10 am - Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Character Breakfast
I couldn't pass up meeting the princesses. Epcot opens at 9 that morning, so we'll get to go in before! Yay!

1:30 pm - Coral Reef Restaurant
Again with the seafood. LOL. I hope Gary enjoys this. I'm excited about dining in a giant aquarium! I hope we get a window seat...

7:00 pm - Rose & Crown Pub
Hmmm... I've never had English food. This will be interesting. Gary said he has to try the Scotch Egg. I'll have a bite I think, but oh my... it seems so much. I'll have a Shepard's Pie, I think.

Must see/do:
EVERYTHING!!
Pick a Pearl
A grey goose slushie for me, a GM one for Gary
Soarin

FRIDAY

A second Epcot day. I really think this will be fun!

7:30 am - Kouzzina
Gary and I love food shows and the opportunity to dine in one of Cat Kora's restaurants is amazing.

12:00 pm - Les Chefs de France
Seeing Remy would be fun! Otherwise, nice French food is good too.

8:50 pm - Beirgarten
Not sure about the communal seating, but I let my German coworker read the menu (good luck trying to get me to pronounce those items!), and she said it was really authentic. She said there was a sausage on there that was her favorite and I had to try it. She said it was white.

Must see/do:
Hmmm... whatever I didn't do the day before.

SATURDAY

This is our wrap up day before we get in the car and drive home. I am pretty sad about this.

7:30 am - 'Ohana
This was the only day it would fit... though now I look at it, I'm thinking about switching it to Monday. I don't know. I LOVE Lilo and Stitch. (My mom is Hawaiian Japanese, so the culture really speaks to me. She lived in Hawaii when she was very very little until her dad was stationed elsewhere.) The food sounds yummy too.

12:15 pm - Bongo's
Lunch before we go home. This place was recommended by another coworker who used to live in FL. I may skip this in favor of Wolfgang Puck or something else... I don't really know yet.

Then the long ride home.

Of course, this is all subject to Gary saying casually that he'd like to do something else. Who knows.

But that's the plan. At the end of each day, I'm lying next to my husband. That's what really matters.

Hahaha.

 

[DisneyKira]

Chapeau - I need some ears! I want the bride headband, and may order it ahead of time.

I think I am going to order mine ahead of time, too. I am paranoid that I won't be able to find them once I get in the parks! My fiance's head is huge and I have heard complaints that the groom ears are too small, so we will wait until the trip to get his ears.

That's kinda it. I'm trying to keep this list small so if I don't do it all, I'm not disappointed. I know I can't do it all, I know. But Splash Mountain and the other big stuff is a want to do also.

It is really difficult to get everything done. I have been there three times and I haven't done everything! Ridemax helps, though. You should check it out (ridemax.com). It tells you when the rides are going to have the shortest waits. You plug in your date, the park you are going to, your ADRS, and the rides that you want to go on. I wouldn't go on a Disney trip without it.

8:10 am - Tusker House Character Breakfast
It'll be nice to see the originals, and I'm interested in the food... Hmm. It'll be a change from my load of waffles!

I love Tusker I am torn between going there for breakfast or going there for lunch/dinner. I love the juice at breakfast, but the desserts they serve at lunch/dinner are awesome!


It sounds like you have some amazing ADRs!

 

[CyberFey]

I think I am going to order mine ahead of time, too. I am paranoid that I won't be able to find them once I get in the parks! My fiance's head is huge and I have heard complaints that the groom ears are too small, so we will wait until the trip to get his ears.

I am worried about that too! And I couldn't help but laugh about the head issue. Gary's the same way. I can never find hats for him! You think Disney would make some bigger ones. I think it's best for the big headed men to wait until they're there to try them on.

It is really difficult to get everything done. I have been there three times and I haven't done everything! Ridemax helps, though. You should check it out (ridemax.com). It tells you when the rides are going to have the shortest waits. You plug in your date, the park you are going to, your ADRS, and the rides that you want to go on. I wouldn't go on a Disney trip without it.

Thanks! I'm definitely going to check it out! I hadn't heard of it before. I'm trying to keep my mentality of, "if we do it, we do it. If not, there's always a next time."

I love Tusker I am torn between going there for breakfast or going there for lunch/dinner. I love the juice at breakfast, but the desserts they serve at lunch/dinner are awesome!

I keep hearing awesome things about them! What's the juice? Is it tropical tasting? Does it have bananas? I haven't heard much about it... or maybe I'm confusing it with 'Ohana... I'm still earning my ears. ^_^

It sounds like you have some amazing ADRs!

Thanks! The ADRs are certainly the most fun I've had during the planning.

 

[DisneyKira]

I keep hearing awesome things about them! What's the juice? Is it tropical tasting? Does it have bananas? I haven't heard much about it... or maybe I'm confusing it with 'Ohana... I'm still earning my ears. ^_^

I think the juice is called POG (Pineapple, Orange, Guava I think). I am pretty sure it doesn't have bananas. It is amazing

Thanks! The ADRs are certainly the most fun I've had during the planning.

I agree. ADRs are really fun to make.

 

[CyberFey]

Hello Friends!

Well inevitably there's always some changes! After reading a few reviews that rated Teppan Edo just about as good as local habatchi places, Gary and I have switched around some ADRs. I also neglected the fact that I want to see Illuminations and La Nouba, so there was more switching around. Then we found a signature we actually thought looked delicious. So yeah... New ADRs!

Monday ~ MK overflow / DHS
I nixed the early breakfast in favor of sleeping in.
12:05 pm - 50's Prime Time Cafe....(changed this to lunch instead of dinner)
9:15 pm - Yachtman's Steakhouse....I'm really excited about this! A romantic dinner that I know we'll both enjoy.

Tuesday ~ Spa / DTD
No changes to ADRs,
6:00 pm - Bought tickets to La Nouba!! :banana

Wednesday ~ AK
Breakfast same, lunch same.
8:50 pm - Coral Reef Restaurant....moved this to dinner after AK closes.

Thursday ~ Epcot
Breakfast same
1:25 pm - Le Cellier....I added this because it sounded really good and Gary mentioned that he wanted to try pretzel bread.

Friday ~ Epcot
No changes

Saturday ~ Extra / leaving
No changes

The trip is paid off now!

And a tiny wedding update:
We have a themed reception now. We're going with a Mad Tea Party theme. My centerpieces are hand painted (by me) tea cup planters with silk flowers in them. The cake was already pretty wild for a wedding, but we're keeping it kinda low key. Since it's a desert reception, I'm making mini cupcakes that say "eat me" on them. Yay! Planning has come along so much fast now that there's a theme.

Anyway, that's it!

 

[DisneyKira]

And a tiny wedding update:
We have a themed reception now. We're going with a Mad Tea Party theme. My centerpieces are hand painted (by me) tea cup planters with silk flowers in them. The cake was already pretty wild for a wedding, but we're keeping it kinda low key. Since it's a desert reception, I'm making mini cupcakes that say "eat me" on them. Yay! Planning has come along so much fast now that there's a theme.

Anyway, that's it!

Awww! That theme is sooo cute I love the mini cupcake idea! We are going with mini cupcakes, too. My wedding is in a movie theatre and so it is kind of movie themed. It is amazing how things come together when you pick a theme!

 

[ronnmel]

I like the Mad Tea Party theme, and the mini cupcakes.