Congrats! DH and I stayed at POR for our honeymoon back in 1996 and we loved it. It was quiet and we enjoyed evening boat rides over to downtown Disney. My advice is to spend/go where you feel comfortable. We could only afford POR and I don't regret my choice because although I would have loved to stay at one of the deluxe resorts, it was the person that I was spending the time with that mattered the most. We agreed that for our 25th anniversary, we'll splurge and stay whereever we want...have 10 more years to go We are going back in Feb for our 15th and staying at CSR this time around. No matter what you decide, enjoy it!
I'm assuming you got free dining because it's available for you dates. I agree that if $ is an issue, I'd stick with a moderate - but I also agree that you should switch to POFQ. It's small and intimate and the grounds are gorgeous. If you afford to upgrade, then go for it. I would vote for Boardwalk, or look into Beach Club or Yacht Club. I personally love Epcot and with free dining, you'll have lots of great restaurants walking distance from your resort. I've always wanted to stay at the Poly - never made it there yet. Don't spend the extra $ on the accommodations if you're going to be penny pinching the rest of the trip. It's not worth the stress of that. You will have a great time no matter where you stay. Good Luck and Congrats!
We spend our honeymoon at POR - at the time called Dixie Landings - and it was AWESOME!!! Best time of our lives!
Because it is just the 2 of you, I think I would say AK. It's more out of the way, but you 2 would be able to handle being on transportation longer than if you were dragging 2 kids along. The other option would be one of the Epcot resorts. If you think you will spend alot of time there strolling and nibbling, that would be fun.
My husband and I spent our honeymoon at the Wilderness Lodge, and it was sooo romantic We had a pretty woods view room on the ground floor, and it was very quiet. We loved the ambiance of the lobby and the grounds at night. I'm also a big fan of AKL, which is also beautiful and has a remote, secluded feeling. If you decide to stick with a mod, I agree with everyone who has voted for POFQ. We had some friends spend their honeymoon there, and they said it was amazing, very romantic and quiet. Have fun!!
I disagree about POFQ being better or more romantic than POR. POFQ is smaller and compact, feels more crowded and constricting to us. POR is spread out, romantic, relaxing, and gives you the feeling of more space around you. We spend all day in a cramped park, I don't want a cramped hotel when we leave. We like POR being more spread out and find the mansions to be especially more romantic. However, if money is no object, I would suggest upgrading to the AKL or WL (or whichever themed resort you like best), or.... rent DVC points and stay in a 1 bedroom DVC room - they are bigger, nicer, and by renting points is often cheaper than staying in a deluxe regular room.
Ok this is really hard, you picked my three favorite hotels (GF, AKL, Boardwalk). I think it depends on the type of person you are. Are you planning to be at the parks all day? Or will you spend time lounging at the resort, eating at signature restaurants, having drinks at the bar etc? If so a deluxe is the way to go. For me it makes the atmosphere. I have stayed at almost every hotel on property and I must admit i am a bit spoiled by the deluxes, if it where my honeymoon I would choose one of them over a mod. The ones you listed are so different it is hard for me to pick based on that.
Wait till a code and go for wilderness lodge, nice hoel for a honeymoon, yu can sit by the fire, they have little alcolves ( I see many couples just sitting talking and relaxing)the boat to MK the poly and GF the waterpagnt, the whole hotel is wonderful, try and wait for a cod. That is the way I stay at the deluxes I am going Christmas with a code staying at WL, I cant wait
I would definitely say upgrade!! It is your honeymoon after all, it should be over-the-top and completely perfect. The Grand Floridian is divine, but I also absolutely love the boardwalk. In addition, have you considered the Poly? All great choices. I think Deluxe is the way to go for a honeymoon for sure!
It is your honeymoon. If it was me I would splurge and go deluxe. If money is tight I would suggest renting dvc points from a member. It does take GF out of the picture but you can stay deluxe this way for much cheaper. If youi really want to splurge go for a one bedroom. Then you have a nice big King bed and the huge tub. I don't care for the moderates and values because my DH is over 6' and his feet hang over the end of the beds there. A full size bed just wont do it. CSR does have queen beds so that might be an option. I say splurge though before the kids come.
I voted for "upgrade to another resort", and I suggest The Polynesian. It is lush and tropical and relaxed. During the week, we found the beach and the beach bar area to be pretty quiet (no kids, except ours who were sleeping in the stroller) and we enjoyed watching the fireworks from the beach in a hammock or on a swing, or a private table at the bar. The pool is very nice. And the transportation options are the best you can get- so there was little to no frustration about getting from place to place. If your doing this right...you'll only get one honeymoon. Do it up! Make it something to remember! I know you are considering the GF. The Poly is WAYYY more relaxed (and romantic, in my opinion) Some say the GF is stuffy. I agree. Have fun planning!
Thanks for all the help, y'all! I finally found this thread again (I'm a newbie here, doi) and I wanted to let everyone know that we are definitely going to upgrade our reservation. We were considering it before, but FH just got a new job and so it's going to be a lot more comfortable for us. I'm feeling really blessed about that this week! I'm so interested in the WL now - it was something I'd never considered, I don't really know why. But it actually sounds like it might be an amazing option. I think we'd definitely want a woods view, I think that's what I'm seeing on Disney's website with patios out to the gorgeous greenery. But some people said they liked courtyard better? A standard king room with a woods view really isn't all that much, and I just LOVE the idea of our own balcony/patio. That seems really nice and romantic. Okay, WL is definitely on the list now! Think I am going to eliminate AKL because of transportation issues, and like someone else said, I am not really into the whole African decor thing, so I don't really know how romantic we'd find it. GF is probably a little stuffy for us, and it's definitely a big price jump, and I'm not sure it's worth spending THAT much extra money. The Poly is definitely still in the running. My only concern is that you can only get double beds? That seems kind of odd to me? Boardwalk is also still in, but I'd love to hear from some of y'all who have stayed there. Let me know! So if you haven't weighed in already - WL? Boardwalk? Poly? Let me know your recommendations for specific room types there as well. Y'all are amazing, thanks for everything!!
I also wanted to throw Contemporary in the mix - it seems like they've updated it a lot. Anyone have thoughts on it?
