Honeymoon help!

[donkthemagicllama]

Hi Everyone! I'm new to this board, and I've got a fun dilemma...

My fiancee and I are getting married on August 14, and going to WDW for our honeymoon.

We're planning on going for around 2 weeks, so we're going to get APs.

We were in WDW about 3 years ago, where we stayed at ASMus and had a great time. We'd like to stay somewhere a little more upscale this time around. This leads to my next two questions.

1) Which moderate is the nicest? We've seen pictures on various boards, and determined that we can't tell from the pictures. Isn't one of them just coming out of rehab?

2) Since we're getting an AP, history suggests we might be able to get a pretty good discount at a deluxe resort (AKL) in August. Of course, the AP rates, if they're going to exist for that time, haven't been posted yet. Can we book a moderate now, wait until the AP discounts are announced, and if they're suitable, change our reservation to, say AKL? If you can't do a direct switch, how much deposit would we lose for canceling moderate reservations? I seem to remember the deposit being one night's payment when we stayed at ASMus, but perhaps that's changed.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions you can provide!

Donk, the magic llama

 

[Kimberle]

Welcome!

I don't know which mod is the "best". I haven't stayed at any. I've heard good/bad things abt them all. I think it depends on which themeing most appeals to you.

I think booking at the resort that you can afford now is very smart. If discounts come out, you can "upgrade" easily. Keep your eye on AKL & WL as they are the least expensive of the deluxes.

Happy planning!

 

[Kimberle]

Welcome!

I don't know which mod is the "best". I haven't stayed at any. I've heard good/bad things abt them all. I think it depends on which themeing most appeals to you.

I think booking at the resort that you can afford now is very smart. If discounts come out, you can "upgrade" easily. Keep your eye on AKL & WL as they are the least expensive of the deluxes.

One more idea for you, if you can't swing a deluxe the whole trip and one really appeals to you, think abt splitting your stay. Do 2 or 3 nights in a deluxe and the rest in a mod. Disney will transfer you luggage so you don't need a car.

Happy planning!

 

[donkthemagicllama]

Thanks for the tips!

So, are you saying that if we do book a moderate, and an AP discount comes out for a deluxe, we can switch our reservations without losing our deposit?

Also, I guess I should clarify what I mean by best, because that's a pretty vague question.

Here's what we are concerned about:
1) Upkeep (we were very impressed with upkeep at ASMus in spring 2001 when we went)
2) Theming (this is why we'd prefer a moderate over value)

Here's what we're not concerned about:
1) Kids running around (we like kids!)
2) Convenience (no trouble walking around, and we're renting a car)

 

[justhat]

We stayed at CSR and liked it a lot, but I'm not sure if it has the best honeymoon feel to it. It was a beautiful resort and had plenty of places to walk around and explore, but some feel it has too much of a convention feel to it. We didn't notice that and thought it was fine, but it's something to consider. POFQ is the mod under rehab now and if it's finished by August then I would stay there. We wanted to stay there this past October, but were relocated to AKL because of the rehab (which was a great upgrade!), but we did visit it in Dec/Jan and Feb and it looked like a beautiful resort. There's always POR which I'm sure is equally as nice, though we've never stayed there. CBR is nice, but tends to have lots of families (though they all do) and it's very large. It all depends on what you're looking for in the resort. If you do upgrade, you won't lose any of the deposit so don't worry about that. They'll apply it to the new reservation and then you can just add the difference.

 

[harleyquinn]

My fiance and I went in August and stayed at POR. We LOVED it! It was very romantic and quiet (though you said you don't care bout that). You can take a carriage ride too. They have a bunch of quiet pools which Df loved b/c we almost never had to share them. POR is up for renovation soon and there have been some reports of beat up rooms (though ours was spotless). Because of this I would suggest POFQ if the remodel is finished there (that's where we're hoping for for our honeymoon in June).

PM me for more info if you want! I've been planning my honeymoon forever so I should be able to answer any other questions you might have.

BTW Mr. llama did you enjoy the Emperor's New Groove cuz it's one of my favs!

 

[Terk-1]

First, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Second, I would choose Port Orleans French Quarter for a moderate hands down. This is the best moderate on property. It is small and not spread so far out as the other moderates. It is very quaint, quiet and easy to get around.

Also, being an AP holder, I know about seeking those discounts. I would book a standard view room at the Wilderness Lodge under another discount like AAA (book it directly through CRO though, not through AAA), then keep your eyes and ears open for the AP discount and try to upgrade to a "woods" view (specifically Room #5032). When you make the original reservation, make sure to indicate that you are going to be there for your honeymoon.

 

[TJA]

I agree with the others re Port Oleans. We stayed there for our honeymoon (part of land/sea Disney cruise package). It is gorgeous. BUT, let me twist your arm and tell you that AP discounts can be fantastic for WL and AKL (least expensive deluxes) and I would choose either one of those resorts over any moderate hands down. We stayed at WL last year and AKL in November -- both are wonderful resorts. We paid $109/night plus tax for AKL in November. I think we paid $119/night for WL last year. So if those rates are do-able for you, go for it! That is, if AP rates are available for that time......

I know you didn't ask this question, but being that we go every year as a couple, let me suggest dining at LeCellier at EPCOT in Canada. Great food (especially filet mignon!) and romantic.

 

[HGD24]

Another vote here for POFQ!!! We've stayed at POFQ, POR and Coronado Springs. Of all of these, I like POFQ the best for theming and it's size...small and intimate...perfect for a honeymooning couple!

POR was where we spent our honeymoon (in the 'mansion' style buildings) and it is also really nice...very quiet and you feel a little more secluded because the grounds are much bigger than POFQ. You can take nice walks along the river and now they offer the carriage rides that were mentioned above.

We met a couple also staying at POR for their honeymoon who did not request a 'mansion' style building and they were put in one of the "bayou" buildings. They found that area of the resort too family oriented for a honeymoon....so beware of that.

Congratulations and remember to have fun while planning your wedding and honeymoon...after all, at the end of the day, all that matters is that you'll be married and heading off to Disney World!!!!!!!!

 

[harleyquinn]

We stayed in the bayou section at POR and like I said before we really loved it. I would probably ask for the mansions but don't worry if you get the bayou. It was great!

 

[Sara1026]

Hi!

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and on picking the very best place to honeymoon.

We honeymooned at POFQ back in 96 and it was great for us. It has a more intimate feel than POR, I think. And since they're remodeling it now, it should be in perfect condition when you go.

If you do find you can get a great rate with your APs, let me put in a plug for AKL. It's very romantic feeling and has especially yummy food available at Jiko and Boma.

If you do reserve your mod and then decide to upgrade, you shouldn't lose any deposit money as long as you make your change within the terms on your reservation-- they are pretty reasonable about changes. The deposit we paid on our last trip was indeed the amount for one night. I think that's still the case-- it was just a few months ago. I'm sure another expert will be along soon to help with that detail.

The planning is part of the fun, for sure.

 

[donkthemagicllama]

Wow, thanks for all the great replies!

I showed my fiancee and she was pretty excited about this too. We've been debating how we should go about this for a while, and hadn't got anywhere.

Here's what we're planning on doing, thanks to your help...

- booking POFQ for the entire time we're there, as soon as possible (hope it's not booked yet)
- watching for a AP discount code for AKL or WL
- if they appear and aren't out of our range, we'll try upgrade, otherwise, POFQ sounds awesome anyway

Now, we need to decide if we're going to try do a 3 day cruise as well... decisions decisions! Any input from you guys on doing a cruise for a honeymoon? It sounds kind of like you spend a lot of time with strangers on a cruise (or at least eat with them), which we're not sure appeals to us (for our honeymoon anyway). Thoughts?

Thanks again!

BTW, Emporer's new groove was one of my favorites... although I'd come up with my nickname before it came out.

 

[TJA]

We did the 4 day disney cruise and 3 day land package at POR for our honeymoon. I'll be honest here, and keep in mind that it's only my opinion. We didn't enjoy being seated with other couples for dinner (same feelings as you and your fiance have). We did request a table for 2 after the 1st night of eating with another couple, but there wasn't one available. So we ended up skipping the dinners, which was unfortunate, but we wanted to be alone. There are other options, though. You can order room service as often as you want (which we did at dinner time), but we were sad to miss out on the great eating at the restaurants. At breakfast, we could seat ourselves out next to the water (alone!). As a side note, there was a movie theatre on board, so we saw movies at night. Anyway, it was a fantastic time...except for the seating at dinner. Maybe if you request a table for 2 when you make your reservation they can accommodate you. Good luck, congratulations, and enjoy disney!

 

[justhat]

We are including a 4 night Disney cruise in the middle of our WDW stay. My fiancé and I have been on 2 cruises together before and we enjoyed eating with others for the most part. It was only 2 hours of our day and we got to hear what activities others did, which gave us ideas for things to try. On both occasions, we were at a table for 8, so having more than 1 other couple probably made a difference. On each cruise, we had dinner in the 'specialty' restaurant (that's what Celebrity Cruise line called it) and there you got to sit at your own table and order off of a much larger menu than the regular dining room. We plan on doing that on our honeymoon cruise too, at the adults-only restaurant, Palo I think. I would guess you can eat at your own table there, but haven't really checked into it. The others at our table also ate at the specialty restaurant too, but on different nights than us, so there were times when we ate alone in the main dining room too (they were 7 night cruises). Otherwise, there were always other options for dinner on Celebrity so I would think Disney has that too (an informal dining room where you seated yourself at your own table, etc.). But other than the 1 night we eat at the adult only restaurant, we'll be eating in the main dining room, presumably with other couples. Of course, we'll have our 3 month old daughter with us anyway, so no matter where we're seated we won't exactly be alone. But we did think eating with others was a great experience, so don't rule out the cruise because of that.

 

[TJA]

YES ~ Disney has that specialty restaurant too! I forgot we did do that for one night. People did sit at their own tables at the restaurant too. In the main restaurant, we sat one on one with another couple (just the 4 of us) so it was a bit uncomfortable. But justhat is right -- don't let this scare you off. It was a wonderful experience!

 

[justhat]

I could see how sitting with one other couple for the whole cruise would be much different than sitting at a table for 8 like we did. That way at least we had variety and didn't feel forced to talk ot the 'other couple' since there were plenty of other people would would be conversing at any time. If you can't get a table for 2, I would defnitely ask to be at a larger table.