Carolina Princess and her Pirate plan their Disneymoon! Updated 11/21!

[jessters7]

Hello Everyone! I’m really excited about writing this pre-trip report! I’ve been lurking on these boards for years, and finally decided to join and try my hand in writing these reports!

I’m getting married on January 2 – and we will go on our disneymoon January 3-10.
I can’t wait!! I’m actually MORE excited about Disney then I am the wedding- Is that bad?

Anyways- let me tell you a little bit about me and my DFi.

Me:



That’s me and my friend’s baby.
I’m Jess, and I’m 25 (will be 26 by the time of our trip). I last went to Disney in 1991, I was 7. I’ve been planning my next trip ever since. I’m not even kidding.. I started ordering the Disney Planning Videos and books when I was like 9. I don’t know how many I’ve collected over the years. It’s kinda sad, really.
So- when I got engaged, one of the first things that entered my mind is: we can FINALLY go to Disney!!!

I’m a professional student, or so my family says. I’m currently in my third graduate program. I’ve been in an English Literature program, a general psychology program- and now I’m doing School Psych. This time- I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.
Anyways- I’ve been in college since 2001. That being said, you can understand why I haven’t been able to take my dream trip to Disney. I’ve been a broke college student for waaaay too long.

Okay- so other random things about me: Besides being a Disney fanatic, I love to read, go to the beach, frequently go see musicals and operas. I am obsessed with The Beatles and Bob Dylan (more on this later).
I am kind of a hippie, like that. But I do bathe frequently. And I believe in shaving. I also don't partake in recreational hippie activities. But other then that...

I have a HUGE family. 4 sisters, 1 brother- who have given me 5 nephews and 2 neices! I keep saying that I want my wedding to be intimate- with just my family and closest friends- all 250 of them. Lol.

I may post information on my wedding as it is being planned at the same time as this trip. I’m an obsessive compulsive planner. But I’m trying to NOT plan every detail of the trip, because my DFi prefers to ‘go with the flow.’ So we compromised, and I can plan the basics- but leave 2 days unplanned so that we can relax a little.

Okay so enough about me. Meet my DFi :



We will call him Dylan. When my father first met him, he said he could tell why I liked him so much. Because he looked just like:



Bob Dylan!! Can you see it?

Anyways. Dylan is 24, and also a professional student. He’s almost finished with a degree in dietetics. He has never been to Disney World. But is (almost) equally excited to go. He is definitely looking forward to the honeymoon more then the wedding. But this may not be Disney excitement as much as the ‘honeymoon festivities.’ He puts up w/ my neuroticism and my OCP, but is completely the opposite. He’s a Type B personality to my Type A. But somehow we mesh together perfectly. He does share my love of Disney movies- He even put a Pinocchio DVD in my Easter basket this year.


Here is one of us together on our first vacation- to Busch Gardens:




These are our Children:


Tito (2) and Calypso (4). They are my babies. And the only ones for a little while!

Here’s another of Tito, showing his UNC pride.




BTW- we are both “Pirates” because where we go to school- ECU- is home to the Pirates! At football games- Jack Sparrow comes out of the ‘ship’ before the team!



And I’m the princess, because, Dylan tells me that I act like one. And at least for one day- I get to be one!

Okay. So back to the trip:

WHEN: Jan 3-10

WHERE: POR (we are staying in Magnolia Bend)

That’s all I’ve got so far. Stay tuned as the planning begins!

I look forward to getting to know some more experienced DISers!

[Stephie77]

welcome! looking forward to hearing your plans. you are arriving for your HM the same day as my wedding! so cool!

[TeaForTulips]

Welcome and Congrats! I'm in! Can't wait to hear more details!

[jessters7]

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t updated more frequently, but as the time gets closer, I’m sure I will have lots more to say.

Right now I’ve been pondering different things we could do. We decided that we really want to stick to the parks, and our resort, and downtown Disney, and not visit the other resorts. Since this is Dylan’s first trip- I feel like there will be enough to do without visiting the other resorts. I also want to have plenty of time to RELAX. I tend to get a little manic on vacations- and want to do EVERYTHING. But, this is our honeymoon- so we need to relax and really enjoy ourselves. So the task at hand for me is to decide the things that are REALLY important- and stick to those. I’m sure you could spend a month a Disney and not do everything- and we are only going to be there for a week!

I’m not sure about the order yet- but I do know that I want to spend the first full day at MK- and either the last night, or the departure morning.
Also, we’ll only do 1 day at AK and 1 day at DHS.

I know we are going to spend one evening ‘drinking around the world’ at Epcot. But other then that- everything’s still up in the air.

Here are the places I’m thinking about using TS credits on(Any suggestions would be GREAT!)

-Coral Reef (Dylan’s choice)
-Yak & Yeti (AK day)
-Le Celliar
-Chefs de France or Restaurant Maarkeesh
-Cinderella’s Castle (for dinner)
-Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner package)
-Sci Fi (for lunch)
-Boatwrights

Also- I want to do a character breakfast our last morning- I would consider going to a resort for this one- but only one of the 3 monorail resorts. Here are the possibilities:
1900 Park Fare
Ohana
Chef Mickey’s
Or the Princess Storybook Breakfast at Epcot.


I’m also building a honeymoon registry, so I’m thinking about things to add. So far I have our resort stay and the tickets. I think I’ll put both lounges at POR and POFQ on there (Scat Cat’s and River Roost). I’m thinking about putting the cane pole fishing and carriage ride too. They are both offered at POR.

Okay and now for wedding updates! I bought my dress!!!! It’s a lot more formal then I ever thought- I’d post a pic- but Dylan can’t see it! We’re getting our engagement pics taken in a couple of weeks and then the save the dates go out. So exciting!

Anyways, thanks for reading! And any suggestions you have for dining – or other activities- let me know! Especially romantic things to do. I’ll update soon with my ‘must dos’ for each park!

[JPFamilyMom]

subbing, will go back and read it later tonight or tomorrow

[deslynnpatterson]

congrats on your engagement and disneymoon planning how exciting!! you and your Fi make a adorable couple i can't wait to read more!!!

[jessters7]

Sorry for the lack of updates! I promise to post something soon.

But I did want to say:
6 months until the wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Okay- I went a little overboard there- I'm just excited!
Time has flown by- and there's so much left to do!!
I've got some pics to add a little bit later. I'll try to get those up in the next couple of days!

Thanks everyone for reading!

[deslynnpatterson]

Originally Posted by jessters7

Sorry for the lack of updates! I promise to post something soon.

But I did want to say:
6 months until the wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Okay- I went a little overboard there- I'm just excited!
Time has flown by- and there's so much left to do!!
I've got some pics to add a little bit later. I'll try to get those up in the next couple of days!

Thanks everyone for reading!

how exciting!!!! trust me those 6 months will fly by!!! Is your puppy a chihuahua too? so cute!! and so is your kitty Oh and the picture of your with the baby in the beginning of your report is adorable your look so natural with a baby!! I can't wait to read more and see more pictures

[JPFamilyMom]

Congrats on the 6 month countdown

Definitely do a carriage ride, we did on our disneymoon, so romantic, but we did ours in the wilderness area where the campsites are, we saw a few peacocks along the way, which was really cool.

Sci-Fi diner was a lot of fun.

It was my first trip to the World when we went, so we were on the go constantly, and I was jumping on the bed early in the am which my DH didn't appreciate, but I think we saw a lot, but didn't nearly see enough.

A meal in the castle would be really great, we tried, I didn't know we needed reservations though so we ended up eating at Crystal Palace, which was nice too.

Can't wait to see your dress

[jenn-]

Sounds like you are going to have a fun 6 months planning. I had a Disneymoon in 2003. I recently wrote about it in my PTR (I seriously hope yours goes better than mine did). I would definitely try to get into Le Cellier for dinner if you can, but I think Chefs de France is a great second choice. I have eaten at both places and they are both very nice. It sounds like you guys are doing the dining plan and if that's the case, most things I have read recently say the castle isn't worth the 2 credits. Limited character interaction and only so-so food. I haven't been, but that's just what I have read. We ate at the Storybook Breakfast in Epcot and they had great princess interaction and decent food. Lots of yummy looking pastries that I couldn't eat (darn low carb diet). I think your picture is now included with the meal (before it was seperate). I can't wait to see what you guys end up planning for both your wedding and your Disney trip. Make sure when you make your dining reservations in a few months that you make it known you are there for your Disneymoon. Some of the restaurants will do special things to celebrate it.

[jessters7]

Originally Posted by deslynnpatterson

how exciting!!!! trust me those 6 months will fly by!!! Is your puppy a chihuahua too? so cute!! and so is your kitty Oh and the picture of your with the baby in the beginning of your report is adorable your look so natural with a baby!! I can't wait to read more and see more pictures

My puppy is a chihuahua! We want to get him a g/f-and breed them one time. Just for the experience- and I'll probably give their puppies to family members. But I want to wait until we get in a house b/c our apartment is crowded enough right now!

Originally Posted by JPFamilyMom

Congrats on the 6 month countdown

It was my first trip to the World when we went, so we were on the go constantly, and I was jumping on the bed early in the am which my DH didn't appreciate, but I think we saw a lot, but didn't nearly see enough.

I will be jumping on the bed too!!

Originally Posted by jenn-

Sounds like you are going to have a fun 6 months planning. I had a Disneymoon in 2003. I recently wrote about it in my PTR (I seriously hope yours goes better than mine did). I would definitely try to get into Le Cellier for dinner if you can, but I think Chefs de France is a great second choice. I have eaten at both places and they are both very nice. It sounds like you guys are doing the dining plan and if that's the case, most things I have read recently say the castle isn't worth the 2 credits. Limited character interaction and only so-so food. I haven't been, but that's just what I have read. We ate at the Storybook Breakfast in Epcot and they had great princess interaction and decent food. Lots of yummy looking pastries that I couldn't eat (darn low carb diet). I think your picture is now included with the meal (before it was seperate). I can't wait to see what you guys end up planning for both your wedding and your Disney trip. Make sure when you make your dining reservations in a few months that you make it known you are there for your Disneymoon. Some of the restaurants will do special things to celebrate it.

Thanks for the recommendations- I'll update about our dining plans soon! I'm thinking Storybooks is a must at this point. And I will be sure to tell EVERYONE we are on our Disneymoon! If I can convince Dylan to wear the ears- we will also wear those everywhere! If not- we'll make sure to have on our buttons,

[jessters7]

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to put in a quick update, as promised.

We registered for a digital camera at target- and decided we would probably purchase it ourselves before the wedding. Well, we went a couple of weeks ago and it was on sale- 100$ cheaper then the original price. So of course, we bought it!

I don’t know a lot about cameras- this is more Dylan’s domain. But it’s a Nikon 10.0MP Super-Zoom Digital Camera. And here is the pic:



We got an 8gb card. Any idea if this will be enough for all the Disney pics I plan on taking? Or should we purchase an additional card? I’m sure I will take close to 1000 pics. I’m going to do a dining review and TR- so there will be plenty of pics! We went to a wedding this past weekend and took 250 pictures of just the one day- so I think 8days of Disney will warrant close to 1000.

Here’s a pic of me & Dylan from the wedding:




I’ll put some more about ADR choices and why in a little bit.

[jessters7]

My ADR date is October 5th (the day before my birthday)
So I have plenty of time, but I just wanted to let everyone know where we are coming from.

First of all, we originally planned to stay in one of the Deluxe resorts, Dylan was rooting for Contemporary. However, since the 2010 prices weren’t out we had to pay the average rate for the first night (which was well over 400$) and the TA couldn’t tell me what the new prices would be. Sooo- we decided we would stay in a moderate. Which I’m actually very very happy with our choice in POR. We decided that with the money we saved, we would get the Deluxe Dining Plan.

That was the plan.

Then- I thought 3TS a day is an awful lot of time eating. Even if we did a couple of 2TS meals, it probably wasn’t worth it for us. Besides the fact that we wanted to spend most of our time in the parks and not at resorts, where a lot of the 2TS options are.

The other thing is, if we get appetizers at restaurants, we usually split them- so having 2 appetizers at a meal is just too much food for us!

So we decided that we would do the Regular Dining Plan- and pay out of pocket for any appetizers or additional TS meals we want.


So after countless hours pouring over menus and dining review threads and talking with family members who have been to Disney recently- here are the ones we have narrowed it down to. Some of this is a repeat from earlier, but I wanted to give my reasons behind each one!

MK Day:
Castle for dinner. I know that some say it is not worth it. I’ve read the reviews- where they say the food is mediocre for the price. But I can’t think of anything more magical then eating in Cinderella’s castle. When I write my TR and Dining Reviews, I may add to the list of people who say it isn’t worth it. But as far as it’s concerned, I’d like to find out the hard way. Also, in all honesty, none of the other TS restaurants at MK appeal to me. At least for this trip.


AK day:
Yak & Yeti- the fried wontons look amazing! We will probably do this for lunch. And we may pay OPP. I’m thinking we may get one meal and split it. Do they let you do that? Is there a surcharge?

HS day:
Sci Fi lunch: I think the atmosphere is nice and I’m all about drive in movies and cheesy Sci Fi flicks. This will definitely be out of pocket. Also, none of the CS meals at HS look overly appealing- so I’d rather fork out the money for a REAL burger.

IF I can get a fantasmic dinner package- we’ll do Mama Melrose. I like Italian, but as far as the dinner package is concerned, I prefer it over Hollywood & Vine, or the 2TS for Brown Derby. If not, then we’ll forgo dinner at HS, and either eat at the resort or at Epcot (where most of the TS we want are located.)

Epcot
This is the place where most of the TS we want are located.
Definites are:
Le Celliar -Dylan thinks the steak looks good, and I want to try that soup! And the chocolate moose is too cute.

Biergarten- This wasn’t on my first list. And in all honesty, I would’ve skipped over it. For one, I don’t really like buffets that much. But my sister insisted it was the best place they have eaten- and they went there 3 times on their last trip. So, I decided we would add it. Dylan is all for this place too.

These are the Maybes:
Chefs De France- I would prefer this for lunch. And I’d just get the soup and sandwich- so it may be an OPP place.

Coral Reef- Dylan really wants to go here. Which is weird, because he doesn’t eat seafood. But the ambiance seems really cool. We could do either lunch or dinner here.

Marrakesh- I think this would a unique experience, and the belly dancers would be fun to watch.


Others:

Boatwrights- It’s at our resort, so I think this would be nice either after a long day at the parks, or on a night we just don’t feel like going anywhere.

Breakfasts:
I decided to stick with 3 breakfasts. And I want to get the character interactions with them. We aren’t morning people, and usually my breakfast consists of cereal and a banana. That being said, we’ll definitely do one on our departure day- and then 2 additional days.


Storybook- This is looking like a definite. I want some good character interaction, and since the picture is included, that would be awesome.

1900- I love Alice in Wonderland- and the strawberry soup looks yummy. We may do this our last day.

Chef Mickey’s- Because I would like a character interaction with Mickey.
If not Chef Mickey’s then we would do Tuskar House at AK. I’ll have to ask Dylan his preference on this one.


This was probably way more information then you guys needed- but I wanted to type it all out to get it clear in my head. Since I have 3 more months until the ADRs, this could very well change. But thanks for reading!!

[jenn-]

Looks like a good camera. With as cheap as memory cards are these days, I would definitely get another one. You might need a back up in case the first one goes screwy. Also if you camera takes a propiritory battery, you might want to get a second one of those. Those would be great things to add to your wedding gift wish list. It was definitely a good idea to get the camera before the wedding. Now you have time to learn the ins and outs of it before the Disneymoon.

Your restaurant choices look very good. I have eaten at several of them. I hope you can get into Le Cellier as I find it a nicer romantic location. Make sure when you make your ressies that you attach the Disneymoon celebration to several of them. Some of the restaurants will acknowledge it, some won't. I know Biergarten did when we were there for ours in '03. Can't wait to see more of your plans.

[Lynn5700]

Hey!! I'm here You so have to post wedding details! I want to see that pretty dress!!!

I can't wait to make ADRS!! We get to make ours the same time as you!