Dr. Cinderella's Happily Ever After! WP/GF 2/14/12- End of Honeymoon & Trip Report!

[Dr.Cinderella]

Day 6...Last Day in Disney!

I woke up at 4 am today to start hair and make-up for our park photos, and was done by about 6. So I woke Chris up to get dressed, and Laine from Beaute Speciale tied my corset of my dress up for me. Our Disney Photographer for the day, Ty, picked us up from the Grand Floridian in an SUV at 6:15 and we were off to the Magic Kingdom! I was a little disappointed that it was already starting to get light by the time we got to the park, because we didn't really get any dark shots. We drove right through the park in Ty's car, it was so cool! It was also awesome being alone in the park before it opened, we felt like celebrities! We spent the next hour shooting around the castle, and didn't make it anywhere else because the time flew by so fast. I didn't mind though because castle picture were most important to me anyways. Next, we headed over to Epcot's World Showcase for the second part of the shoot. We started out in Mexico, then went to Italy and France, and finished off in Morrocco. Ty actually wanted to keep going to more countries but we had a breakfast reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table at 10:30, so we couldn't stay too long. It was an amazing experience! The photos here got distorted when I uploaded them to Photobucket for some reason, so they look a little stretched out. But we are so happy with them! We just got our album this week, and love it!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Day 6 Continued....

After our portrait session, Ty dropped us back off at the Grand Floridian and we got changed for breakfast and headed back to "My Castle". It was neat being back only a few hours later to have all the hustle and bustle back around the castle after being the only ones there that morning! We met up with Chris and my immediate families to have breakfast with the princesses! Our god daughter Sienna is princess obsessed and she loved it! The food was delicious too! I ordered both the sweet and savory plates! One with stuffed french toast and one with eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, etc. I was so hungry!

After a delicious breakfast, we set off to conquer the Magic Kingdom! We did a few fun kiddie rides that Sienna would like- Its a Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic, etc. and then we found a spot to watch the parade from! We grabbed a small lunch together after the parade at Columbia Harbor House and then split up with Chris's family so they could finish the baby rides and we could move on to the big ones. We even ran into some more of my family at the Haunted Mansion! It was a super fun park day!

We left the park in the late afternoon, and my family was dropping my siblings off at the airport so we went along to say goodbye and then stopped at the bank on the way back to the hotel to deposit our wedding gifts before the honeymoon. When we got back to the Grand Floridian, it was almost time for dinner so we said goodbye to my parents and gave them all the bins of wedding stuff they were driving back home for us and got dressed for our last meal in the world! We again went to the concierge lounge for a glass of wine and a few appetizers before dinner, and then headed to dinner literally right in front of our building at Narcossee's! It was our first time eating here and we had a delicious meal here! I remember we both had the same thing, crab cruster mahi mahi and it was delicious! We watched the fireworks right from our table, and as the show began I started bawling and couldn't stop the whole show. I was glad it was dark in there! I just had this overwhelming feeling of happiness in that moment, and with our whole week and couldn't help it. After our wonderful dinner we packed up all our things from our suite as we were leaving for Hawaii in the morning! After packing we brought the last of our champagne gifts left in our room down to the hot tub with us and relaxed in the water for a while. It was really nice. We were sad to leave Disney but so excited to have a relaxing vacation and some alone time together!

 

[Lisa29]

Just caught up again.

Wow!! I think that is the only word to describe the rest of your wedding and following days. I would absolutely love to do that MK and Epcot shoot.

I think you spent a lot of money and it really shows, everything looked and sounded perfect. Your wedding would rival any Disney princess wedding! Ooh next Disney princess could be marissa!

Are you going to write about your honeymoon? Would love to read what you thought of Aulani.

 

[Fay]

Your photos are beautiful, congratulations!

 

[steph0188]

Oh gosh, everything is just gorgeous. Your photos are amazing, you looked stunning on the day & I just get shivers when I look through your day- thank you so much for sharing. Everything is so beautiful and it looks like such a magical day.
I think I'll be having a welcome high tea party at GF a day/few days before the wedding, it looks fab

xxx

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Thanks so much girls for your sweet comments! I felt like a true princess! Yes i am going to start on our honeymoon in Hawaii next! Be back soon!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Honeymoon Day One!

The next morning we woke up bright and early around 6 am at the Grand Floridian, excited to be leaving for Hawaii! We checked out and were picked up in a town car for the airport. Our first flight took off around 8:30 am and it was our first time flying First Class! It was so nice, we were served a three course breakfast of pastries, fruit, and our choice of entree on the first flight and we had a few cocktails and watched some movies on the portable movie players we were given to pass the time. We flew over the Rockies and saw Mount Ranier in Washington which was beautiful!

We landed in Seattle around noon Pacific time, and had a layover for a few hours. First we had lunch at a really nice seafood restaurant at the airport, I think it was called Anthony's. We shared some delicious fish taco's and something else I dont remember, but it was great! Then we went to our airline's First Class lounge during the rest of the time, which was really nice as well. There were nice couches, and complimentary drinks and snacks here too!

Soon we were off on our second flight to Hawaii! I watched Bride Wars on this flight I remember, so funny! We had a really delicious dinner on this flight, 3 courses again, and all Hawaiian themed! We had a yummy hawaiian salad, amazing short ribs, and a parfait dessert, oh and lots of Mai-Tai's too! We arrived in Oahu at about 8 pm Hawaiian time, a bit tired but excited to go to Aulani!

We picked up our rental Jeep Wrangler and were off! It was about a 45 minute drive from the airport to Aulani. We stopped at a grocery store accross the street before we checked in, and picked up some breakfast foods, fresh fruit, snacks, water, and a bottle of rum. We knew we had a little kitchenette so it was nice to have some essentials in the room! Then we headed to Aulani! Right after driving up, we were welcomed with a fresh floral lei for me and one made from beads for Chris and some yummy pinneapple orange water. We were taken into the lobby to check in, and were absolutely blown away by it's beauty. It was close to 10 o'lock by then, so there were not many people around but we could see the beautiful pools and ocean, and hear live Hawaiian music playing in the distance. We were just in awe!

We were then taken to our room, it was a studio so not huge but really beautiful. It had a king bed, a little sofa area, a desk, a little kitchenette, and a beautiful bathroom with waterfall shower! All the details were very Authentic Hawaiian looking with a few Disney touches. We were very tired so we pretty much went right to bed after our luggage was delivered. But we made it to Hawaii, and were in absolute bliss!

In non wedding news, I graduated from Medical School this past weekend! So I am officially an M.D.! Chris had a really nice party for me on Friday night with all my family and friends. So now I have off for the summer until I start my residency in Pediatrics in July!

 

[tric8783]

Love everything!!! We will be arriving at Aulani a week from today! Do you remember who you rented the Jeep through? Was it a national company or a local one? I haven't done much planning ahead for Hawaii so caught up in the wedding stuff! I'd take any pointers you have! We have a one bedroom at Aulani for 10 days

and Congrats, Doc!!

 

[*Pixiedust1438*]

Everything turned out so beautiful Marisa! I love your Epcot photo shoot pictures, especially the one in front of the "Eiffel Tower." Congratulations on becoming an M.D.! I'm looking forward to reading about your honeymoon!

 

[CinderALLIE]

Congratulations on graduating. Enjoy your time off before you start in July.

 

[tinydancr06]

Aulani looks amazing! I'm so excited to hear more about it!

Congrats on graduating!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Thanks girls! We just rented the Jeep through Budget at the airport, but it worked out perfectly!

Honeymoon Day 2!

We woke up around 9 am (we didn't get up early the whole honeymoon, it was awesome!) and made our our breakfast on the balcony. I think we had bagels, yogurt, papaya, and pineapple-orange-guava juice. This became our morning ritual at Aulani! How could we not spend some time our there enjoying our fabulous views?!

After getting dressed, we headed down to the spa for our couples massage! We debated doing this in Disney or Hawaii, and when the Grand Floridian's spa closed due to construction that made our choice easy. I am so happy we waited to have it in Hawaii! Aulani's spa was absolutely amazing! When we arrived we were given a tour of the facilities, and asked to choose a special stone with Hawaiian writing on it to toss into their fountain. My stone's word meant "Happiness" and Chris's meant "Listen" and I told him it must have been a sign of something! We were given body scrubs that went with each of our special words, and shown to the outdoor hydrotherapy garden which we had to ourselves to relax in for an hour before our massages. It was a beautiful day out, and there were all different hot tubs, pools, and showers to try as well as comfortable lounge chairs to relax in. When it was near our appointment time, we were taken to the "Relaxation Room" where there were more nice chairs, and we were served 3 different flavors of Hawaiian tea, organic gummy bears, carrott cake muffins, and other little snacks. It was amazing! After a little while, we were brought back to our treatment room which was really nice with an attached private outdoor patio. The massages were absolutely amazing! We felt so relaxed afterwards, and it was just what we needed after a long day of traveling. After our massages, we took our time showering and getting dressed. We didn't want to leave! It was just a fantastic experience!

We had a pool & beach day planned at Aulani today, but we really hungry for lunch so first we stopped at one of the restaurants on the pool deck and ordered some food and drinks to go. We each got a cocktail and chicken lettuce wraps, it was the most delicious meal! We enjoyed it with a gorgeous view of the ocean as well. It was just the perfect paradise there!

We wanted to experience both the pools and beaches so we sat by each for a few hours. Our pool spot was right at the edge of the property, overlooking the ocean so both spots were pretty amazing. We also walked around the property of Aulani to take in all the scenery and surroundings, and we even checked out their beautiful wedding chapel!

After a perfect day taking in the beautiful sun, we went back to our room to relax for a bit and then get dressed for our Luau Dinner Show! We went to the Paradise Cove Luau, which was right in Ko'Olina with Aulani, very convienient. We went to the bell stand to ask them how to walk there, and they offered to drive us over in a golf cart. Talk about service! Once we got there, we were given some lei's made from shells and some drink tickets. We each started off with some yummy Pina Colava's, and then there was about an hour or so of different crafts and activities before the show started. We participated and watch a few, then watched the beautiful sunset before the show. Soon it was time for the show to start! We were called to the buffet about halfway through, and it was all authentic Hawaiian food, but all delicious! We also talked to a lot of nice people from all around the world at our table, and had a great time. The show was awesome, but we were so exhausted by the end! We walked the short distance back to Aulani afterwards, and went to sleep after an amazing first day in Hawaii!

 

[Lisa29]

Congratulations on your graduation. Enjoy your time off before you have to start again.

Aulani looks amazing! My brother went for 2 nights at the end of his honeymoon and now gets why we love the disney properties so much!

It sounds like you had a wonderful first day. Can't wait to read more.

 

[luvs2cruise]

Congratulations on your medical school graduation!!! Bet that feels like a huge relief. Your honeymoon at Aulani looks fabulous! What a beautiful resort.

 

[elleinad16]

Everything looks beautiful, Marissa! Aulani does look like paradise--I hope to get out there soon.

Congrats on Medical School!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Honeymoon Day 3!

This morning we started our day by visiting Pearl Harbor, we weren't really sure if we wanted to see it but everyone kept telling us we had to so we decided to make a quick visit. It was actually very windy that day, and they weren't letting boat over to the Arizona Memorial so we just saw it from afar and walked around for a bit.

Afterwards, we stopped at this amazing huge Flea Market at the Aloha Stadium, right next to Pearl Harbor. It is only open on weekends for limited hours, but had amazing deals. I got this pretty shell floral necklace for $2 and a cute straw hat for $3! We also bought a really nice large beach blanket for $10, some shot glasses, and some bathing suits. We were so happy we found this place because they shopping was so expensive in Waikiki and we got a lot of great inexpensive souveniers here.

Next, we headed to Waikiki for the rest of the day! We parked in a local garage, and first went to Duke's Canoe Club at the Outrigger on the Beach for lunch. It was a great location right in the sand, with a view of Diamond Head Volcanoe and live music! We had some great drinks and food here, we ate seafood for just about every meal in Hawaii and it was all amazing!

Then we laid out our blanket and towels in front of the "Pink Palace", the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and soaked up the sun for a few hours. I really wanted to take surfing lessons, but it didn't work out because every day we were there the winds were high and the waves were huge!

We had a really fancy dinner planned tonight in Waikiki at La Mer at the Halekulani Hotel, it was like the hawaiian version of Victoria and Albert's! We drove over to the Halekulani and used the valet service, and then they allowed us to their concierge lounge to shower and get ready which was great after being at the beach all day! After we were all dressed and ready, we still had about an hour until our dinner reservation so we went to the hotel's beautiful outdoor restaurant and bar called "House without a Key" and ordered some yummy drinks. We watched the sunset while enjoying the live band, and they also served us hawaiian chips with our drinks. It was a wonderful start to our evening!

Then it was time for dinner, we went upstairs to the second floor restaurant and were taken to a beautiful table right by the open windows with the most gorgeous view I have ever seen! We were brought out complimentary champagne and an amuse buse while we chose our meals. It was similar to Victoria and Albert's in that each diner got a certain fixed number of courses and then you chose from a limited selection of choices of high quality foods. Some of my selections included scallops, shrimp, and Chilean Sea Bass-unbelievable, this was my favorite! We also got mutliple courses of dessert- a cake with Congratulations written in chocolate and then a sampler of 5 different desserts as well! Everything was amazing, it was our best meal in Hawaii for sure! After dinner, it was about a half hour drive back to Aulani and it was late and we were very tired again by the time we got back!

 

[Lisa29]

Another great update. Your food looks and sounds delicious.

 

[CinderALLIE]

So pretty. Hawaii looks amazing. Glad you are having a great time

 

[CourtenayB]

Day 3 looks great! Congrats on finding some inexpensive souvenirs, that's exciting.

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Honeymoon Day 4!

Today we did a lot of island exploring! We took the top off of our Jeep and it was wonderful to drive around with the sun on our backs. First we drove accross the island to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling. We stopped at some scenic points along with way there too. The reef was absolutely amazing for snorkeling, there were beautiful fish and coral everywhere! It was a beautiful day and we spent a few hours there before we started getting hungry for lunch.

We decided to go to a nearby restaurant called the Kona Brewing Company for lunch. It was on the water and had a beautiful view. We had some delicious seafood for lunch again, and Chris really liked the Longboard Hawaiian Beer which I have since found that they actually sell in our local supermarket! There is a 6 pack of it in our fridge right now actually!

After lunch we went to a nearby beach called Lanikai to soak up some sun and relax. It was really cool because we almost had the whole beach to our selves, the only people there were a few local surfers. I loved it. We only stayed for a few hours because it was really windy again that day. It had some cute little islands that I would have like to canoe out to if the weather was better.

After we got back to Aulani, we relaxed in our room for a bit and then got ready for dinner. That night we were eating at the resort's signature beach restaurant Ama Ama. The food was delicious but the view was stunning! We watched another beautiful hawaiian sunset as we ate. The experience was even better! The weekend we were staying at Aulani, Kelly Ripa was hosting the Live with Kelly show from our resort and they were giving away a dream wedding. It turned out that the contest winner's wedding reception was going on at Ama Ama while we were dining there, they had it on the front patio so we got to enjoy their live band and watch the dancing etc. right from our table! Kelly Ripa was also sitting at the table next to us, so we asked her if we could take a photo with her. She said sure! and talked with us for 10 minutes or so about our honeymoon and wedding in Disney. She was so sweet! It was a great way to end our time at Aulani before moving on to our second resort.