How do they work room bookings for the happy couple?

[BriarRoseBride]

I've read that the night of the wedding is free for bride and groom. Do you get to pick which resort you stay at? Also, since we are Disneymooning, can we book a magic your way vacation package through AAA instead of dealing directly with Disney?

Sounds bad, but we would like to have the Disney Dining plan. I realize they also give you annual passes, so paying for MYW tickets would be redundant, however, I've done the math and the MYW package still seems to save money in the long run (I could be wrong, though).

My other question would be on the room block itself. Can other people in your party be considered on it even if they've booked a seperate vacation package?

I guess I just have no clue how all of this works and I can't talk to Disney about details until June.

We always stay at Fort Wilderness and LOVE it!! In fact, that's why we chose December for our date... because we go every December for vacation. I just don't know if we want to stay there for our wedding. Anyone have any recommendations for resort? We like the Polynesian, but they don't have king size beds! BUMMER!!

Did anyone stay somewhere pre-wedding and then switch resorts for Disneymoon?

((looking for all experiences and opinions))

 

[lurkyloo]

I've read that the night of the wedding is free for bride and groom. Do you get to pick which resort you stay at? Also, since we are Disneymooning, can we book a magic your way vacation package through AAA instead of dealing directly with Disney?

If you meet your room block requirement, they give you a free night at the WDW resort of your choice. You can use it any time during your stay, which is good b/c then you don't have to potentially change hotels or rooms just for the free night.

You can book your stay any way you want - through AAA, through Disney, through DVC. You just have to call DFTW and give them your ressie number so they can add it to your block. The same for your guests - it doesn't matter how they book, they just have to give DFTW their reservation numbers to add to your block.

You only have to buy one day's MYW admission for each person to get the dining package. You can then convert those days into one-day park passes to use after your AP expires.

The Dining Board has a whole forum devoted to the dining plan, and I'm pretty sure there's a sticky about how to figure out whether or not the DDP is a good value (ultimately, it's all personal preference).

We switched resorts three times, staying at four different places over 14 days. We had two five-night stays, so it didn't feel like we were moving all the time. We just wanted to try as many different places as we could. We did Beach Club, Contemporary, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Grand Floridian (free night for our last night).

 

[meryll83]

Am I right in thinking that you only get the free night if you meet Wishes minimum room requirements, and there isn't a free night for Escape, even if you meet the 4 night minimum?

Sorry - brain block and I can't remember!

 

[cappygirl]

I booked our complimentary night through my wedding planner - she passed on my email to the reservation department and that was that.
I stayed at the GF the night before the wedding and our free night (and next few days) were at the Poly (a queen size bed was fine for us). If I could do anything differently - I would have stayed at the Grand the entire time. I know people LOVE the poly but after spending time in the Grand - the poly just didn't seem as nice to me.

 

[lurkyloo]

Am I right in thinking that you only get the free night if you meet Wishes minimum room requirements, and there isn't a free night for Escape, even if you meet the 4 night minimum?

Sorry - brain block and I can't remember!

Correct - the free night is tied to the fulfillment of a room block requirement of 25 or more nights, so it is not available with Escape weddings.

 

[Cindyrella1]

We booked our whole wedding/honeymoon stay (3 weeks at 4 different resorts) through a TA, and just gave our ressie numbers to our WP.
We wanted to stay in the GF honeymoon suite and knew it wasn't guaranteed if DFTW booked the regular GF room for us as the free night. So our WP just gave us one night's standard room credit for our free night. Meaning we only paid the difference between standard and honeymoon room for one night

We stayed at the Poly for one of our resorts and loved it - very romantic! AKL was also nice and we got the king size bed there

 

[pixie2416]

I read on mousesavers that Disney now offers a Dining Plan package for Annual Passholders. You may want to check that out...not sure if that's bookable through an agent or not.

 

[BriarRoseBride]

I read on mousesavers that Disney now offers a Dining Plan package for Annual Passholders. You may want to check that out...not sure if that's bookable through an agent or not.

Awesome! Thanks! I'll check it out.