Diary of an Aussie Disney Honeymooner

[zanzibar138]

It was super fun! The girls and I even made our ball gowns.

Loads of hand-stitching.

Wow that's super impressive I've taught myself some simple sewing and have made a couple of very basic running costumes, but those look totally professional!

 

[Steppesister]

Wow that's super impressive I've taught myself some simple sewing and have made a couple of very basic running costumes, but those look totally professional!

I think the best part was the fun we had while designing and sewing them. We laughed and giggled and had such a great time.

 

[zanzibar138]

Gah... the frustration!

I'm getting a little over this whole flight changes thing. Trying to be organised and lock in well priced flights, but every time I get something booked in, they go and change it on us. Big changes that will significantly impact our plans.

The LAS-MCO saga so far...
* Initially booked direct flights with SW which departed at around 10am and arrived at around 4pm.
* That flight was rescheduled to arrive around 9:30pm. The other alternative was a non-direct flight which left earlier in the morning but arrived not long after 4pm. We'd really prefer direct so stuck with that.
* Decided that arriving at 9:30pm was not going to give us enough time at the Poly on our first night, and struck a compromise with Ben to take the red eye with Spirit Airlines, arriving at around 7:30am.
* Cancelled our final night of accommodation in Vegas since it would no longer be required.
* Spirit have now changed that flight entirely, to be a non-direct flight departing at around 5:30am and arriving a bit after 9:30am. At first I was actually excited, as I'd much prefer not to be on a red eye. Until I saw that it was now a non-direct flight
* I have cancelled for a refund and now beginning the search for yet another flight which might work for us. Preparing to have to change our hotel booking for Vegas again.

I honestly would not have thought it would be that difficult to find a direct flight between 2 fairly major airports that will arrive at a decent time!

Plus, the refund from SW went to the credit card we had booked those flights with. Which has since been shut down. So I have no idea how we're going to access those funds and have put that in the too hard basket for now. Luckily I used a different card for the Spirit flights so that should be more straightforward

Not sure if anyone else is having similar problems, but OMG I'm so over it!

 

[pkondz]

I'm getting a little over this whole flight changes thing. Trying to be organised and lock in well priced flights, but every time I get something booked in, they go and change it on us. Big changes that will significantly impact our plans.

Plus, the refund from SW went to the credit card we had booked those flights with. Which has since been shut down. So I have no idea how we're going to access those funds and have put that in the too hard basket for now.

Oy. No idea how that's gonna work out. Good luck!

 

[zanzibar138]

The countdown is on!

73 days until the wedding
79 days until we leave for our honeymoon
90 days until we hit WDW

So last night I rebooked our travel day. It seems that in addition to our flight into Orlando, Spirit have also rescheduled their flights into Tampa, and there is now one departing Vegas at about 8:30am and arriving in Tampa just before 4pm. It means I don't have to deal with a red eye, and it also means we won't have to deal with MCO. Just means we have to deal with peak hour traffic getting from Tampa to WDW. Hiring a car seems to be the cheapest way to get to WDW from there, and Google maps estimates a drive of between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours at that time of day, so assuming no major delays, we should still arrive by 7ish. That should give us time to check in, get settled and be relaxing with a drink in time for the fireworks.

I also cancelled and rebooked the Vegas accommodation for what feels like the zillionth time, to make it back into a 4 day booking. Luckily it's fully refundable!

Now, no more changes please!

Also in trip related news:

• We completed our ESTAs for entry to the US, and have both received our approval, which is always a bonus
• I have also gotten in touch with our photographer for the Disney photoshoot, and confirmed it for Wednesday 5 Feb (which was originally going to be our wedding date) at 10:00am. We might try to sneak in breakfast at Chef Mickey's first.

And in wedding related news:

• We sent out our invitations a few weeks ago and most people have already RSVP'd. So far we're up to 29 guests confirmed. If we get everyone else we're expecting, we will have 44 guests. We've also had a surprising number of people ask to come along to a casual pay-your-own-way dinner we're having that night - now up to 20.
• I have helped my 2 besties coming from interstate to book the same hotel as us for the wedding night and their next night as well. The trip is quite a lot for one of them to manage, so I threw in some Qantas points to bring the cost down to what she had budgeted. I think it will be way more fun if we're all at the same place! The 3 of us (and my friend's hubby) will be staying in a cottage at the venue the night before the wedding, so their accommodation is all taken care of now and they've booked their flights too.
• I have booked a grazing table provider for our morning tea spread. Yesterday my parents came to visit and we discussed the logistics of drinks and how we're going to manage that. They've got some tubs they can bring, but we'll just need someone to bring some ice on the morning. We'll start stocking up on the drinks as we see them on special - we'll only be providing sparkling water, juice, small amount of soft drinks, and bubbly for the mimosas.
• I started working on the floral arrangements. So far I have 3 flowers in place for 1 dog corsage - got a long way to go lol! Having said that, I've only got the 2 dog corsages, a wrist corsage for me and boutonniere for Ben. I'll just give the leftover flowers to the venue manager to use as she sees fit.
• Over the weekend we made some final decisions on our special songs. Surprisingly, nothing Disney really made the cut. Wish I could see our guests' faces when they hear classic rock for our aisle song and then see me appear on horseback lol!
  • Aisle: Sweet Child O'Mine pretty acoustic version with female singer
  • Signing: Lofi versions of the Super Mario theme and A Whole New World
  • First kiss: The little fanfare thing when you finish a level in Super Mario (it's literally 8 seconds)
  • Exit song: Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie
  • First dance: The Disney movie intro, followed by Love is in the Air from Strictly Ballroom
• And speaking of music, we have started our dancing lessons. We're kind of working on a basic version we can do on the grass, with a few optional extra more fancy bits we can do if we're happy with the footing on the day.
• We finished our questionnaires for the celebrant, and discussed some more logistics about how the ceremony will work.
• We also discussed some logistics for transportation. Looks like Ben's mate will be coming to our place in the morning so they can go in together. We'll probably get our other friend who lives nearby (who is on dog sitting duty for the day ) to pick up the boys and the girls (dogs). After the ceremony and photos, he can quickly run the dogs home (it's only a 10 minute drive) and then come back in time to enjoy the festivities. From there, we can either bum lifts with people who are driving, or just grab ubers as required.

Mum decided to unbox her old wedding dress, thinking it would be stained and rotting, but thinking there might be something there I could use... It was in good condition and I tried it on for fun, thinking it wouldn't even go over my hips, but it was actually really close to zipping up and we all really liked it I'm a bit disappointed we didn't think to do this before I had my other dress made, as I would have just got this one altered, but now I'm thinking of getting it shortened and using it for a 'reception' dress for the dinner and dancing we're doing that night. With a petticoat made from the leftover fabric from my other dress for a bit of extra fluff. Mum was just going to give it to an op shop, so she's happy for me to cut it up and use what I want from it. Unlike @Steppesister, I only have very basic sewing skills, so I'll be taking this to my next appointment with my alterations lady and seeing what she can do for me. Expecting another $1k+ for shortening, letting out the bodice (or maybe adding a tie-up back), removing the sleeves and re-jigging the neckline. Which would have been great if that was my only dress expense, but on top of what I've already spent, it's honestly getting a bit ridiculous I'm reminding myself that it's not unheard of for brides to pay similar or even more for a wedding dress and only end up with 1 dress that they'll never wear again. At least I'll be getting 2 tops, 2 skirts and a cocktail style dress in varying degrees of formality.

 

[pkondz]

73 days until the wedding
79 days until we leave for our honeymoon
90 days until we hit WDW

Not that you're counting or anything...

We sent out our invitations a few weeks ago and most people have already RSVP'd.

Still waiting for mine. I'm sure it'll be here any day now.

The trip is quite a lot for one of them to manage, so I threw in some Qantas points to bring the cost down to what she had budgeted

That's very kind of you.

Wish I could see our guests' faces when they hear classic rock for our aisle song and then see me appear on horseback lol!

You will!
And... how cool is that?!?!?

Aisle: Sweet Child O'Mine pretty acoustic version with female singer

Niiiiice.

• Signing: Lofi versions of the Super Mario theme and A Whole New World
• First kiss: The little fanfare thing when you finish a level in Super Mario (it's literally 8 seconds)

Love it!

Exit song: Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie

 

[Steppesister]

That's quite an eclectic and fun music list! I love the dress idea in having it become deconstructed for various occasions. GREAT plan!!! You must be getting so excited as your big day and trip get closer!

 

[zanzibar138]

That's quite an eclectic and fun music list! I love the dress idea in having it become deconstructed for various occasions. GREAT plan!!! You must be getting so excited as your big day and trip get closer!

Yeah we thought we'd have some fun with the music!

The deconstructed idea with the dress would have worked out better if the dressmaker had understood what I really wanted, but I am determined to get more use out of each piece, even I need to alter some of them slightly. I'll have to shorten the main fluffy skirt to be able to use for ballroom dancing, and I'll see what I can do with the 'underskirt' she made that is not my style at all (heavy satin mermaid style fitted to mid-thigh and then flaring out). I can probably shorten it with a 'high-low' hem and get some use out of it for Latin dancing. The top I'll be able to dress down with a pair of jeans for more general use, but I'll just always need help getting into it. I'd really wanted pieces for more daily style wear.

It is definitely starting to all get very real and exciting!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Wow, so fun!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Thanks so much for sharing! I really enjoyed reading this pre-trip report!

 

[zanzibar138]

Thanks so much for sharing! I really enjoyed reading this pre-trip report!

Thanks for joining in, glad you're enjoying it

 

[zanzibar138]

Unfortunately I have some sad news to share this morning. Our old girl Sabah had a seizure on Monday. For a while there she looked like she was going to be ok, but yesterday she deteriorated again and started to show signs of something neurological. The vet suspected a brain/spinal tumor and suggested that it was only worth proceeding if we were prepared to go all the way, starting with emergency hospitalisation and brain scans at a specialist clinic. Being a 14 year old German Shepherd, we decided it wasn't worth putting her through any further trauma and let her go peacefully.

We knew something like this was coming, but it's always so tough when the time comes

 

[pkondz]

Unfortunately I have some sad news to share this morning. Our old girl Sabah had a seizure on Monday. For a while there she looked like she was going to be ok, but yesterday she deteriorated again and started to show signs of something neurological. The vet suspected a brain/spinal tumor and suggested that it was only worth proceeding if we were prepared to go all the way, starting with emergency hospitalisation and brain scans at a specialist clinic. Being a 14 year old German Shepherd, we decided it wasn't worth putting her through any further trauma and let her go peacefully.

We knew something like this was coming, but it's always so tough when the time comes

View attachment 910902

I’m sorry to hear this. Losing a pet is never easy.

 

[zanzibar138]

Onto some happier news again... We've gone ahead and put together a bit of a plan for our time at WDW, so that we can be prepared for our ADR window opening up. This is just a framework for now, so I've got an idea of when we might want to book restaurants, but open to any feedback! You may note we don't have many early mornings planned. I figure with the amount of time we've got, and the currently forecasted wait times on Touring Plans, we don't need to put too much pressure on ourselves, but we'll definitely be open to doing more early starts if we feel like we need to.

Monday (arrival day)

• Grab a 6:15am uber to the airport in Vegas for an 8:40am flight to Tampa.
• Arrive at Tampa just before 4pm, pick up hire car and drive to WDW. Drop off hire car at WDW car centre, uber to Poly.
• Check in at Poly, freshen up in room.
• Enjoy the MK fireworks, either from our room or Trader Sam's Terrace with a drink.
• Take the boat to MK for the after hours party.
• Crash and burn

Tuesday

• Sleep in
• Head over to EPCOT at leisure. Explore and enjoy some of the less popular rides which Ben is super excited about lol!
• Finish the evening with fireworks dining at Rose & Crown if we can get it.

Wednesday

• Another more leisurely start to the day, head to AK for the day. Enjoy what we can with minimal waits.
• Head over to MK for EEH.
• No ADRs to allow for more flexibility with timing.

Thursday

• Start the day with an early breakfast at Garden Grill. Hopefully be ready to hit the park not long after opening (assuming 10am opening as per current Touring Plans estimate).
• Spend a few hours at EPCOT, then hop to HS in time for an early dinner at Sci-Fi Drive In as part of a F! package. Doing this early in the trip in case we run into poor weather and need to do F! another night!

Friday

• Pack up and check out of the Poly.
• Aim to get to MK for EE, so we can do a few things before a late breakfast at Crystal Palace.
• If we feel like hopping to EPCOT or AK we can, we'll probably avoid HS though as it's forecast to be busy that day.
• Check in at BLT when we can, and either stay there or head back to MK for the fireworks.

Saturday

• Leaving as a free day, maybe check out Disney Springs, maybe go for a drive to see some manatees, maybe do a water park if the weather's reasonable. It's forecast to be busy for EPCOT and AK so we'll probably avoid those parks.

Sunday

• Start with breakfast at Chef Mickey's.
• It's forecast to be a quieter day for MK and HS. I'm thinking we might start with MK and maybe hop to HS in the evening. Another potential opportunity for F! viewing if we need it.

Monday

• Leisurely start, head to EPCOT in time for a late lunch at Space 220.
• EEH at EPCOT.

Tuesday

• Day at AK.
• Storybook dinner at Artist Point.
• Hopefully we can take the boat back to BLT (will have to look up the schedule).

Wednesday

• Post-wedding photo shoot at 10am, so we'll spend the morning getting ready (I will anyway - Ben can go get me coffee ).
• Not sure how long to allow for the photo shoot, but we'll do some photos around the Contemporary to start with in full wedding attire.
• Then my plan is to do a quick change into something less bridal, then take the monorail over to the Poly for more photos.
• We might have lunch/drinks at the Poly before heading to MK.
• Still undecided if I feel the need to book a Capture Your Moment actually inside MK.
• Dinner at CRT - I like the idea of aiming for fireworks timing for something a bit different, but not sure if you can see much from inside. Otherwise we'll have an earlier dinner and watch the fireworks afterwards.
• Stay for EEH.

Thursday

• No specific plans for this day, but I have time at both EPCOT and HS pencilled in.

Friday

• Pack up and check out of BLT.
• Leaving as another mostly free day. MK is forecast to be busy so we'll avoid that. The other parks shouldn't be too bad, or we can do a non-park day.
• Check in at AKL when we can. Maybe relax with a drink depending on what we've done that day.
• I'll book a late-ish dinner at Boma to give us flexibility.

Saturday

• Another free-ish day. I can see us wanting to spend some time at the resort, maybe spend some more time at AK. HS is forecast to be busy so we'll avoid that one.

Sunday

• Our last full day.
• We'll aim to get to AK for EE so we can knock out a few rides before breakfast at Tusker House.
• I'll be open to hopping to any other park for a last hurrah, most likely finishing the day with fireworks at MK.

Monday

• Pack up and get outta there by 5:30am in time for our 8am flight to LAX

 

[Steppesister]

• Grab a 6:15am uber to the airport in Vegas for an 8:40am flight to Tampa.
• Arrive at Tampa just before 4pm, pick up hire car and drive to WDW. Drop off hire car at WDW car centre, uber to Poly.

I think I missed why you flew into Tampa instead of MCO.

Head over to EPCOT at leisure. Explore and enjoy some of the less popular rides which Ben is super excited about lol!

Those are the BEST! Especially LwtL! And don't miss the Shorts up near Figment.

a late breakfast at Crystal Palace.

This is one I've never done.

Leaving as a free day, maybe check out Disney Springs, maybe go for a drive to see some manatees, maybe do a water park

I've always wanted to try some mini golf there. Might be another option, then you could walk over to Beaches and Cream for lunch,

Hopefully we can take the boat back to BLT (will have to look up the schedule).

You should be okay unless there is impending weather. I know some routes have been discontinued but I've always enjoyed the water launches for Bay Lake.

We might have lunch/drinks at the Poly before heading to MK.

My fave! Huge and so tasty!

Pulled Pork Nachos- ,topped with cheese, spicy mayonnaise, pico de gallo, and pineapple salsa $10.99

 

[zanzibar138]

I think I missed why you flew into Tampa instead of MCO.

You must have missed this post...

Came down to me cracking it after booking and rebooking those flights so many times, and just going for something completely different in the hopes that we might be able to avoid any more major changes.

So last night I rebooked our travel day. It seems that in addition to our flight into Orlando, Spirit have also rescheduled their flights into Tampa, and there is now one departing Vegas at about 8:30am and arriving in Tampa just before 4pm. It means I don't have to deal with a red eye, and it also means we won't have to deal with MCO. Just means we have to deal with peak hour traffic getting from Tampa to WDW. Hiring a car seems to be the cheapest way to get to WDW from there, and Google maps estimates a drive of between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours at that time of day, so assuming no major delays, we should still arrive by 7ish. That should give us time to check in, get settled and be relaxing with a drink in time for the fireworks.

I also cancelled and rebooked the Vegas accommodation for what feels like the zillionth time, to make it back into a 4 day booking. Luckily it's fully refundable!

I've always wanted to try some mini golf there. Might be another option, then you could walk over to Beaches and Cream for lunch,

Mini golf is definitely an option too. The international 14-day passes we have include the water parks and more option, so I'd definitely like to try to take full advantage of that!

You should be okay unless there is impending weather. I know some routes have been discontinued but I've always enjoyed the water launches for Bay Lake.

Sounds like we should be ok then, just wasn't sure what time they finished. I think boats will be our preferred method of transportation where available.

My fave! Huge and so tasty!

Pulled Pork Nachos- ,topped with cheese, spicy mayonnaise, pico de gallo, and pineapple salsa $10.99

Good tip, sounds delish! I can't eat mayo, but I'm guessing we could get it without

 

[zanzibar138]

I had been hoping to get confirmation on the CM appreciation day at MK before planning our days, but I was too impatient lol! It's just come through now, will be on 30 January, so I'll have to do a bit of a reshuffle to accommodate that. Might be a perfect night for our EPCOT fireworks viewing package!

 

[pkondz]

Drop off hire car at WDW car centre, uber to Poly.

Not necessary. I've dropped off at the car centre and they will shuttle you to any onsite resort for free.
At least this was the case when I did this a few years ago, but doubt they'd change that. Google around to confirm.

Crash and burn

Sleep in

This is possible at Disney?

early dinner at Sci-Fi Drive In as part of a F! package.

Don't wish to influence too much but... while the Sci-Fi ambiance is really cool, and fun to dine in a "car"... the food is not that great. I don't know what other options you have for a F! package, but...

Just saying.

I've dined there 2? 3? times.... Won't willingly go back. (Last time was because my DD really wanted to go, so we did.)

 

[zanzibar138]

Not necessary. I've dropped off at the car centre and they will shuttle you to any onsite resort for free.

Good to know! That will certainly help to streamline things.

This is possible at Disney?

I'm hoping that out of 14 days, we can manage at least 1 or 2 sleep ins after late nights

Don't wish to influence too much but... while the Sci-Fi ambiance is really cool, and fun to dine in a "car"... the food is not that great. I don't know what other options you have for a F! package, but...

We have definitely chosen our ADRs based primarily on atmosphere/novelty-factor. And cost. This is the cheapest option. Having said that, I'm not a fan of burgers at the best of times, so maybe it's worth reconsidering.

The other options are:

• 50's Prime Time - actually looks pretty cool, but I'm not sure the interactive thing will work for me!
• Hollywood & Vine - potentially an option being a character meal, but we've already got a few character meals so it's hard to justify the cost
• Mama Melrose - might be worth it for the food, but the novelty factor is minimal
• Hollywood Brown Derby - probably too fancy for us and also expensive

 

[pkondz]

I'm hoping that out of 14 days, we can manage at least 1 or 2 sleep ins after late nights

Having said that, I'm not a fan of burgers at the best of times, so maybe it's worth reconsidering.

And it's definitely not the best of burgers.

50's Prime Time - actually looks pretty cool, but I'm not sure the interactive thing will work for me!

Good fried chicken. The onion rings are very good. And (barring allergies) the PB&J shake is sooooo good.
Don't let the "interactive thing" throw you. I've laughed a lot there (been... 3? 4? times). It's very non-threatening and good natured.

Hollywood & Vine - potentially an option being a character meal, but we've already got a few character meals so it's hard to justify the cost

Can't comment as I've never been.

Mama Melrose - might be worth it for the food, but the novelty factor is minimal

It's not bad... but you're right; the novelty factor is low. It's a nice Italian restaurant.

Hollywood Brown Derby - probably too fancy for us and also expensive

Not too fancy.
You can go in park attire. And the their cobb salad is the best I've ever had.