Moons Over My Disney--11/2015 Honeymoon-Updated5/21

SweetSerenity · Apr 2, 2016

Welcome All!

Hi everyone! Welcome to our November, 2015 Disneymoon report! This exciting (hopefully) tale follows two newlyweds, Beauty and her Beast (hubby's reference, not mine), on an 8 night adventure into Walt Disney World. On November 1st, 2015 the final rose was given, and I walked down the muddy aisle in the rain to marry the love of my life for ten years. After the cake was cut, the dancing was done, and the partying had come to an end, we waited the long week until our vacation could begin.

The Bride:
I'm Shannon, the Disney Dreamer. I can remember as a child sitting in my living room floor with my giant Mickey and Minnie beside me that my aunt and uncel had given me, watching Robin Hood with my Minnie ears on and a blanket over my head as my veil like Maid Marian. Then, I would asked to be addressed as Ariel because I was really a mermaid who was destined to live with the dolphins under the sea. Like many of you, I grew up but my love of Disney never left me. My favorite princess is Ariel, favorite non-princess is Charlotte Le Bouff, I'm True Blue with Eeyore, and think Figment is the best little dragon on the planet.

The Groom:
Jason, my sweet, handsome and good-hearted prince. He may not be the biggest Disney Dreamer, but he allows me to be. He loves Beauty and the Beast -hence the reference- but I don't think him beastly. He also loves Star Wars, which may be his truest love. Therefore, he enjoys visiting the Star Wars themed sites. He also laughs maniacally on Tower of Terror and thinks Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is the coolest train ride ever.

The Trip:
We were in Florida from November 7th-November 15th. The first night we stayed off-site, then we spent 5 nights at Caribbean Beach Resort on Deluxe Dining and 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge on free dining.

There is a brief PTR report here

So, All Aboard and hope you enjoy the ride!

SweetSerenity · Apr 2, 2016

The Installments

Day 1- Holiday Road
Day 1- Springing to Disney

Day 2- Jingling All the Way
Day 2- Mmm Mmm Good
Day 2- One Spark of Light

Day 3- True Blue
Day 3- Around the World in 80 Minutes

Day 4- We're Going to Hollywood

heaven2dc · Apr 2, 2016

Joining in! Congratulations to both of you! Anxious to hear all about your trip!

SweetSerenity · Apr 2, 2016

heaven2dc said:
Joining in! Congratulations to both of you! Anxious to hear all about your trip!

Thank you! So glad you're joining in!

fallonkendra · Apr 2, 2016

I'm joining in! Congratulations on your wedding!

SweetSerenity · Apr 2, 2016

fallonkendra said:
I'm joining in! Congratulations on your wedding!

Thank you! Welcome, hope you enjoy!

frostymojo · Apr 3, 2016

On board, Congrats!

SweetSerenity · Apr 3, 2016

frostymojo said:
On board, Congrats!

Welcome! Thanks! I see you're going soon. pixiedust:

frostymojo · Apr 3, 2016

SweetSerenity said:
Welcome! Thanks! I see you're going soon.

And it can't come too soon. I'm hoping to do my first trip report for this one.

SweetSerenity · Apr 3, 2016

Day 1- Holiday Road

Saturday November 7th at 2:30 A.M. I was doing what any sensible Disney traveler would be doing at that hour: scanning the Disboards. My husband likes to travel in the super early morn so that we miss the traffic going through downtown Nashville. He gets really quiet and serene when he's driving in the dark, which is quite impressive especially considering the snoring coming from the passenger seat. :hyper:

So, he finally wakes up after what seems like forever, takes his sweet time getting ready, and I practically drag him down the stairs to Serenity (our car, which he named for the show Firefly, not me. I just like the word, not the show) after brief kisses to our little dog, Dixie, and my teeny ferret, Evie. We start the long drive from TN to Florida and I drift off somewhere about 2 counties away with my favorite traveling song playing in my head:

I woke up long enough to eat breakfast somewhere in Georgia at Denny's. We don't have those here, and they were offering pumpkin pancakes. Did I mention I love pumpkin? Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin yogurt. . . yum.

Anyway, after our delicious breakfast I fell back into a carb coma. Finally, I pulled myself out of my dreams to find that we were in Florida. Hooray! We stopped at the information center to get our free samples of orange juice, took some pictures with fun cut outs (these are stuck on my phone, sorry) and then went on our merry way to find our hotel in Orlando while I played Disney music on Pandora.

For our first night, we did stay off property. I can't remember the name of the place, but it was rather lovely. BlueGate? We had no time for exploring very much, but I did see a basketball court, was given free popcorn, and felt like the staff were pretty friendly. It was also very inexpensive, which baffled me when I walked into a beautiful two bedroom suite with a television as big as my SUV, a full kitchen, and a balcony overlooking the pool. I quickly looked at my bank app to make sure I really did pay the amount I did for this fabulous suite. Yep.

My sweet hubby settles down onto the couch, turns on the massive t.v. and has a smile on his face like he’s finally ready to relax after a long day of driving. Then, he looks over at me and notices my funny dance in the middle of the kitchen. He asks me what’s wrong and I say in my sweetest tone ever that I’d like to go to Downtown Disney. . . excuse me, Disney Springs. . . because I’m hungry and know this is likely our only opportunity to go. So, without complaint because he is a good soul, he puts his shoes on, and we go find Disney Springs.

Coming up next, Disney Springs. With pictures!

SweetSerenity · Apr 3, 2016

frostymojo said:
And it can't come too soon. I'm hoping to do my first trip report for this one.

I look forward to reading it when you get back.

SweetSerenity · Apr 3, 2016

Day One- Springing to Disney

It was a relatively short drive from our resort room over to Disney Springs. The last time we visited WDW, Disney Springs was still Downtown Disney so I was excited to see the new additions. We parked close to the entrance to La Nouba and hurriedly (okay, I was the one in the hurry) made our way inside. As I mentioned before, I was ready for a snack. The first thing we came upon was Wetzels Pretzels. I like pretzels. Stuffed with cream cheese. Dipped in cheese. Dunked in potato soup. Twisted around pepperoni. I'm good with pretzels.

*I should take this opportunity to offer a disclaimer. I usually try to do a trip and dining report. I don't think my work schedule is going to allow me the extra time to do both so I will be giving brief reviews on food. Feel free to skip those parts if so desired.*

I had a plain pretzel dog, I think, and a frozen lemonade. I wish I had skipped this and went for a candy apple instead. I think the hot dog was from the week before and the lemonade had fermented. :crazy2:

Jason felt the same way about his cheese dog.

As daylight was fading above us, we checked out the new food trucks, the Candy Cauldron and the Star Wars motif. Of course, we had to stop by the Lego store.

We also have a holiday hat tradition called the Holiday Hat Extravaganza that shall be temporarily dubbed Disney Hat Extravaganza.

By now, my excited little feet are starting to drag. Suddenly, I just want to sit on the ground and cry until someone carries me home. Any takers? No. Onward we go!

We have never had the pleasure of eating at Cookes of Dublin. Since we were likely not to reappear at Disney Springs again for the remained of the trip, we decided to try it.

I don't remember what it was called but it's like the Dalkley Duo at Raglan Road: battered and deep fried sausages with chips:

I had the Hog in a Box-- pork roast with roasted baby potatoes, onion sage stuffing, and a pork rind on top. This was pretty interesting, but the stuffing was a little overpowering.

Then we got this. . . liquid Heaven in a cup. Some sort of Irish cheddar concoction. I'm pretty sure it could make anything taste good. :worship:

After dinner, we decided to call it a night. After all, our vacation was just beginning.

ALEXandFAB · Apr 7, 2016

Ready for your report...CONGRATS on your wedding and marriage!

Oh, those hot dogs look like shriveled up mummies :crazy2:

But that soup looks :love:

I LOVE me some cheesy soup.

Grumpy's Wife · Apr 8, 2016

Joining in. :wave:

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

SweetSerenity · Apr 8, 2016

ALEXandFAB said:
Ready for your report...CONGRATS on your wedding and marriage!

Oh, those hot dogs look like shriveled up mummies But that soup looks I LOVE me some cheesy soup.

Thank you! Welcome aboard!

Ha, mummies! Perfect! It was more of a dip than soup. Very thick. It went well with everything we tossed in it. Great flavor. Better than the soup from le cellier in my opinion.

SweetSerenity · Apr 8, 2016

Grumpy's Wife said:
Joining in. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

Yay! Glad to have you!

fallonkendra · Apr 8, 2016

Those hot dogs do not look good at all... but that soup looks delicious! Sounds like a great start to your trip!

SweetSerenity · Apr 9, 2016

fallonkendra said:
Those hot dogs do not look good at all... but that soup looks delicious! Sounds like a great start to your trip!

I'm thinking that cheese may have helped those dogs, but they were likely beyond help :laughing:

SweetSerenity · Apr 9, 2016

Day 2- Jingling All the Way

After falling into a soft bed coma and sleeping like the dead, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. This was it. Today, we were checking into 8 nights of Disney galore. We dressed quickly, said good-bye to our fabulous suite, loaded up in Serenity, and headed over to Caribbean Beach resort. Jason has to frequently remind me to slow down or else I'll give him sciatica by making him try to catch up with me. I can't help it, I have long legs, and these legs are always on a mission in Disney.

While I had already checked in online, I had never been to the resort so I wanted to talk to a CM just to get a real feel for the place. He informed us our room wasn't quite ready, which was fine, but handed us our Happily Ever After buttons (that I had waited 10 long years to have) and told us we were welcome to explore the parks. Oh goody! I had a FP to Jingle Cruise at 9:20 so I was ready to book it. We made our way over to the closest bus stop, hopped on a Magic Kingdom bus, and I relaxed against my husband while thinking I had never been so happy in my entire life. I was married to my soulmate and spending our first vacation together as husband and wife in a place I loved as well. Life was good, come sickness or health, richer or poorer (probably a little of the latter after that honeymoon.)

Fall is my favorite season, hence why I chose a November wedding. At home, the leaves are beautiful, especially in the mountains. I love the crisp air and the smell of autumn. . . I'm not really sure how to describe it. While I knew I wouldn't find that at Disney, I was surprised to find a little Christmas magic along the way. The park was already decorated, and the scene at the Disney Emporium behind the glass was Mickey's Christmas Carol. I have always loved that cartoon; I watch it every year. We didn't have much time to dally as I had 3 FP before lunch time, and one of them I was not willing to miss.

First up was Jingle Cruise. I haven't been on Jungle Cruise since I was little, and Jason has never ridden it. I liked that it was spruced up for the holiday. We were the first to board on our boat. We sailed along, listening intently to the corny jokes. It was a tough go for a while as the anaconda threatened to squeeze us like juice in a box, the lions looked at us like lunch, and the playful elephants thought of drowning us. Somehow, we made it out alive and headed toward Pirates of the Caribbean.

Again, we found ourselves on a boat up against pirates who wanted our loot. I held on tightly to my new camera and told them that if they must take something to please take my husband and not my camera! Kidding. . . mostly. After that, my beloved found himself a new friend.

My next FP was coming up at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is our favorite rollercoaster at the parks. It's thrilling enough that we both giggle, but I don't feel queasy at the end. We had enough time to stop for a snack. Now, Disney Marketers certainly know what they're doing. The smell of popcorn wafting through my nose practically lassos me into finding a popcorn stand. I'm like a hound on a trail until, wait, there it is! I'm ready to use my first snack credit when the CM informs me that her machine had just gone down and she couldn't run my Magic Band. I'm okay with that, but she kindly hands me a small popcorn and tells me it's on the house. She didn't have to do that, but I greatly appreciated it. I'm about to dig in when I'm reminded to stop and take a picture for you folks. Alright, alright.

There isn't much to say about it. It was fresh and crunchy with the right amount of salt, and it satisfied my bloodhound desire for popcorn.

We sped along to the Mountain, yahooing and yodeling around the curves. Then, it was time. It was the moment I had been waiting for since I was a little girl. I grabbed Jason's hand and practically dragged him across Liberty Square to the new FantasyLand. He didn't stop me because he knew there was no point. This 3rd FP was the greatest of them all. You're probably thinking I'm lucky enough to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Nu uh. This is WAY BETTER. Y'all (I'm breaking out the y'all because it is that important) I'm about to ride Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE. Okay, so as I mentioned in my very first post, this film was probably my very first favorite movie ever. When the DVD came out several years ago it had a virtual "ride" on the special effects. Ever since then, I imagined what it would be like to be on a movie ride through. Then, it happened. They actually did it! I skipped along through the line, hopped in my clamshell, and waited for Scuttle to take me under the sea. I really loved it. It was a perfect depiction of the movie, and they had all the right scenes. I probably could have ridden it 37 more times, but we had to get a move on it.

Jason saw his friend Gaston's statue from his favorite Disney movie and wanted to pose with him.

After that, we rode It's a Small World before heading out of the park. It was almost lunch time, and one of our favorite restaurants was anxiously awaiting our arrival. Stay tuned for Round 2.

SweetSerenity · Apr 10, 2016

Day 2- Mmm Mmm Good

While we thoroughly enjoy exploring Epcot, especially around the countries, it has become our "eating stop." We really like many of the restaurants there; we feel like we probably go to the park more for reservations than to do any of the attractions. I was excited for Epcot this trip, not only because we had a reservation there just about daily, but we had never experienced Food and Wine Festival. I couldn't wait to stop by the booths to see what they were serving. It was pretty hot that day so we didn't stray far from our course toward Teppan Edo, but we did pass some of the booths. Teppan Edo is one of our favorites on property. We have hibachi restaurants here at home, but they're just not quite the same. Sure, they put on a show as well, but it's not a magical Disney show. :rotfl:

We arrived pretty early but were seated rather quickly. As we were on the Disney Deluxe Plan for this portion of the trip, we were entitled to appetizers. I ordered the Wafu Ribs. My oh my, these were mmm mmm good. The flavor was very mild, almost like they were lightly soy basted but they were so tender they just fell right off the bone. While I was chowing down on these, Jason was enjoying his tempura: lightly battered and crunch shrimp, chicken, sweet potato, zucchini, and an onion ring. According to him, these were all perfectly cooked even though he doesn't like sweet potatoes.

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We each ordered our entrees. I had filet mingon while my hubby decided on. . . he can't remember. For some reason, I didn't snap a photo of his. Likely, he was glaring at me so I just let him be. We both think he had steak and shrimp. Anyway, these are served with a side of rice, noodles, and vegetables along with shrimp sauce (yum yum sauce), ginger sauce, and another one I forgot to snap a picture of. Feel free to help me out here! They had changed the vegetables to include cabbage, carrots, onions, and zucchini. This was a perfect combination for me and also cooked tenderly, as I prefer. My filet was so succulent I can taste it right now.

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Noodles

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Rice

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For dessert we both ordered the chocolate ginger cake. It's a pretty moist chocolate cake with a mild ginger mousse in the middle. It's not my favorite, but it's not terrible. Because it was our honeymoon, the sweet ladies there brought it out to us with a candle on it and wished us a happy marriage. :cloud9: