My Honeymoon PTR...The real love bugs are coming in September 2011 (Final Update!)

[Disneymoon23]

Hello Everyone,

I've decided to make my first ever PTR because I will be coming to Disney World this September for my HONEYMOON!!! After countless hours trying to explain to my fiance why Disney World would be a great place to spend our first days as husband and wife, he finally agreed that he would love to go. (Although he is not nearly as excited as I am.) We will be arriving to The World on September 24, 2011 and staying until October 2.

First, let me introduce myself and my fiance and give you a little glimpse into our lives. My name is Christina and I'm 24. My fiance is Matt and he is 23. We were both born and raised in West Virginia.` We have been together for 7 years as of February 21, 2011. So yes we are high school sweethearts (you can say "awww" now or gag or whatever you'd like haha.) Matt proposed last August, and of course I said "Yes!" We are getting married September 23, 2011.

Here's a nice picture of us during a trip to Virginia Beach

And here is a picture that reveals our true selves

We're just big kids who like to have fun and monkey around (sorry bad pun).
That is why we thought Disney World would be the perfect place to go on our honeymoon. So here I am ready to share with you guys about all the stuff we hope to do. I would also love any opinions or advice from all you more experienced disney visitors.

 

[Disneymoon23]

So here is what I've got so far...

We will be staying in a preferred king room at Coronado Springs Resort! Does anyone know what buildings the preferred rooms are in yet? This will be my first time in a moderate resort (I stayed at ASMu last time) and Matt's first time staying on Disney property. I'm hoping to get in the Casitas buildings because I love the whole courtyard look (I think it's romantic) and because it's close to bus stop #2. Pepper Market sounds like a good place to have breakfast, and I'm looking forward to checking out Cafe Rix and some of the other bars at the hotel. I'm also excited to check out the Dig Site. It looks awesome.

Another thing that I'm super excited about is the great food we will get to have on our trip. Matt has never eaten at any of the table service restaurants at Disney before, so he is definitely in for a treat. Here is a list of restaurants that we plan to visit so far in no particular order.

1. California Grill
2. Sanaa
3. Coral Reef
4. San Angel Inn
5. Sci-Fi Drive-In
6. T-Rex (DF loves dinosaurs)
7. Kouzzina

I am sooooo impatient right now. The 180 window cannot come soon enough. I really wanna make those ADRs

Anyone have any suggestions of restaurants we should add to the list (or take away)?

 

[athenna]

Awww how wonderful I'm in for this report
I'm so happy to see Sanaa on your list, it is our favorite restaurant in all of WDW
Oh, and congratulations!

 

[Disneymoon23]

Hi, athenna. I'm so glad to see you here! I am so excited about Sanaa. It looks amazing. We have a place called the Kenyan Cafe here that serves African inspired dishes, and we just love it. I love trying new foods, so I am looking forward to all of the different options disney has. I am also realllly excited about the Food and Wine Festival!

 

[iheartbelle87]

Everything sounds great! One suggestion I do have in regards to to room requests I would recommend room #5152 it's in Casitas and has a "fountain view", seems to be pretty much an equal walk between El Centro & Bus Stop #2. We stayed here in May 2009; this exact room. Looking fwd to hearing more! PS Good luck with the wedding plans!

 

[Disneymoon23]

Everything sounds great! One suggestion I do have in regards to to room requests I would recommend room #5152 it's in Casitas and has a "fountain view", seems to be pretty much an equal walk between El Centro & Bus Stop #2. We stayed here in May 2009; this exact room. Looking fwd to hearing more! PS Good luck with the wedding plans!

Thanks for the room suggestion. It sounds like exactly what I'm looking for

 

[Disneymoon23]

Since I'm so excited to the point that I can't think about much else other than Disney World, I have already started hashing out some day plans. They definitely aren't set in stone or anything. I promised my fiance that I wouldn't go too crazy and plan every detail down to the minute. Plus, I really want to relax and enjoy our trip since it's our honeymoon. When I took my family in 2009 we went commando because none of them had ever been there before and I wanted to make sure they got to see as much as possible. While that was fun, it was sooo tiring.

This time here are the things that are important to me:

1. Taking our time and doing whatever we feel like at that moment
2. Beating the crowds so we can spend less time waiting
3. Eating at some nice restaurants and trying new foods
4. Making time for relaxation instead of trying to spend every minute of our time in the parks

It's going to be hard for me not to try to cram everything into this one trip. I really do want to make rope drop most days. But on the other hand I need to keep in mind that it's not the end of the world if we can't ride every single ride or eat at every restaurant I want to. If we miss stuff then we will just have an excuse to go back in the future.

 

[Welshcakes]

Congratulations

I too honeymooned there 14 yrs ago coming up.

Take a look at my ticker!! Yippee we'll be arriving on the same day.

So I am in and looking forward to hearing all your plans.

Welshcakes

 

[Disneymoon23]

Congratulations

I too honeymooned there 14 yrs ago coming up.

Take a look at my ticker!! Yippee we'll be arriving on the same day.

So I am in and looking forward to hearing all your plans.

Welshcakes

That's so cool that we're arriving on the same day. Any special things that you did on your honeymoon that you would recommend?

 

[Disneymoon23]

Our First Day in Disney World

So even though I am not too sure about park hours and plans for our whole trip, I'm pretty sure about what I'd like to do on the day we arrive. So here is my plan for our first day at Disney.

We plan to catch a flight around noon on September 24. I'm excited that we decided to fly because I have never flown before. We want to fly with Southwest because they seem to be the airline with the most direct flights from Pittsburgh to Orlando and because Matt has flown with them before and like it. Plus, they have a deal going on where we can get 2 free flights if you sign up for their credit card!!! I am still waiting though to hear if I've been approved for it

If we get the flight we want, we will arrive at MCO around 2:40pm. From their we are going to hitch a ride on Disney's Magical Express. I have never used this service before, but it seems like it will be pretty convenient for us.

I want to get a seat near the front of the bus so I can get a clear viewing of this...

I will be sooooo excited when I see that sign. It means our Disney honeymoon will have officially begun.

I plan on using online check-in so we can get settled in to our hotel room at Coronado Springs as soon as possible. After we get to our room I have a few options of what I'd like to do. I don't plan on visiting any of the parks on this night. So my options are these:

1. Explore our resort. Maybe walk the loop around the lake or check out the Dig Site. We'll probably grab a quick bite to eat at Pepper Market.

2. Take a ride on the monorail and check out some of the resorts it stops at.

3. Possibly go to Downtown Disney for a bit if time allows and if I don't decide to make time for it another day during our trip.

I'm sure we'll figure out what we want to do by the time our trip arrives. Keep reading on to the next post to see what the rest of our arrival night holds in store...

(cont)

 

[Disneymoon23]

Our First Day in Disney World (Continued)

So here is the most exciting thing I have planned for the first day of our honeymoon.

Dinner at California Grill!!

We want to have a nice dinner on the first night so we thought this would be the perfect place. Just look at that view

I hope I can get a castle view and a reservation around 8pm so we can watch this out of the window while eating dinner.

I just looooove fireworks. And Disney definitely knows how to do them.

But what will I do if I can't get that coveted window spot and perfect reservation time?? No worries (that's right I'm sticking to my vow to not stress out about the perfect plans). If we have to have dinner at the California Grill a little earlier than hoped for, we still have some options for watching my beloved fireworks.

We can see them on the observation deck at the California Grill if we don't have the perfect window seat.

If we can't get the right time slot then we can hop on the monorail and catch a ride to the Polynesian Resort. I hear it's lovely to view them from the beach. I think this will be equally as romantic. Don't you?

Or perhaps we can head over to Fort Wilderness Resort for an aptly timed carriage ride. I know this can be a long shot, too. But my guess is if I tell the driver that we're on our honeymoon then he won't mind stopping for a minute to let us view the fireworks. And if we don't quite catch the fireworks we will still have a nice time riding around in a horse-drawn carriage.

After dinner and fireworks, I plan on heading back to CSR for some relaxation. Maybe a drink from the Rix Lounge? Or maybe a champagne toast? Definitely some sleep to prepare for our first day at the parks tomorrow. Stay tuned...I should have some tentative plans for our second day soon.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Hey Disneymoon23 hadn't realised you'd started a PTR. Am subbing and looking forward to reading more!

Firstly congrats on your upcoming wedding and Disneymoon! What a perfect way to spend it and am going to say awww on being high school sweethearts!

You will love CSR...it does seem like a really romantic place to stay. Your plans seem great so far! I like the way you have different options so you have a backup plan

CG sounds like a great first night meal but the horse drawn carriage is also very romantic Whatever you decide you will have a great evening!

Have you previously eaten at Kona Cafe? Have heard great reviews of the place and we are looking forward to our meal at Poly. It's just a suggestion so feel free to ignore it if it doesn't fit in with your plans.

 

[Disneymoon23]

Hi Tanz! Glad to see you here. I hope you enjoy reading my trip report as much as I enjoy reading yours. I have thought about Kona Cafe. It looks yummy (especially the coconut chicken). I would like to fit it in if possible. Maybe even for breakfast because I've heard so many good things about the Tonga Toast.

 

[Disneymoon23]

Day 2: First Full Day at the Parks

Alright, now that I've seen the hours on Disney World's website and confirmed where we want to eat, I do have an official game plan. We will be heading to the parks on our second day in The World, and the first park we visit will be...

EPCOT!

Acutally, Epcot is going to be the most visited park on this trip. I love the Seas and the World Showcase. Matt loves Mission Space. Plus we have never got to experience much of innoventions, so I'm looking forward to that. I'd like to make rope drop today, but if not, it won't break my heart.

On this day in Epcot we plan to head over to Soarin' first either to ride or grab a fastpass.

We will ride or get fastpasses for test track and mission space at some point during the day as well. But we will have to make time to eat lunch at San Angel Inn.

I'm looking forward to having a delicious margarita and a churro and hot chocolate for dessert.

I would also like to ride Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, and Ellen's Energy Adventure. We will definitely be checking out Innoventions. One thing I want to try is the Sum of All Thrills.

I think it looks pretty cool. I want to design the most intense ride possible. I'm not sure if Matt will be up for that. We'll see.

I also want to take Matt over to Club Cool. He doesn't know about the Beverly yet...I'm not sure if I should tell him before he tries it. I'll bet that he actually likes it. He has weird taste sometimes. Plus he'll eat and drink almost anything.

We will leave Epcot around 6pm so we can head over to

Hollywood Studios

We are going here tonight so we can see Fantasmic! I'm excited to see the show because I've never seen it before. I'm hoping that we won't have to wait too long, but we are planning on being there early just in case people are already lining up. If we don't have to wait then we will just check out some of the shops and maybe grab a bite to eat.

If we aren't too tired after Fantasmic, we will head over to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours until 1am!

Then it's back to CSR for some well deserved rest.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay we will be at Epcot the most as well...it sure is a great park

Was checking our plans but we will not be in Epcot on this day. We will however be at Fantasmic, so may see you there.

Nah don't tell Matt about Club Cool...let him experience it first!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Hi

Congratulations on your Disney Honeymoon! We did the same thing, 11 years ago September!

We have stayed at CSR but we didn't have a roon with a view. We were in Ranchos.

We loved Kouzzina. We had a horrible CM however the food made up for it big time. We've been there a few times and have really enjoyed it there. I think you will too.

The Sci-Fi is fun. The food is okay, but most people go for the ambiance.

Your planning sounds great. I can't wait to hear more.

 

[klacey1]

Hi, I'm joining in! Congratulations! Your plans sound great so far-- I think CSR is so pretty! If only DBF liked it (he's much more a POR kind of guy).

 

[Disneymoon23]

I just got my Southwest Visa in the mail today. I had previously signed up in February for the card when I noticed they were running a promotion that said I would get 2 FREE roundtrip flights after my first purchase on the card. I was nervous because they just implemented a new rewards system on March 1st and the promotion was no longer happening. However, I called and made sure I could still get the 2 flights before I activated the card and the person on the phone said yes! So now I activated it and am ready to make a purchase, pay it off, and most likely cancel this card. I hope all goes well. Getting these flights are so amazing especially since the airline ticket prices keep rising.

Oh, and I just applied for yet another credit card like three days ago. I got an offer in the mail for a Disney Visa card, and I will get a $200 gift card after its first use! I will most likely hang on to this card since it has no fee and I get some Disney perks. Keep those offers coming!

 

[TanzUnited99]

That's great news - on getting free flights!! Wish I could do the same - the flights are so expensive for the two of us.

Am thinking about getting the Disney Visa card but am not sure...suppose if there is no fee then I can't really go wrong with it

 

[Disneymoon23]

So, after some thought and some consultation with the future husband, I decided to tweak our park plans. I knew this would happen after I started my PTR. We aren't changing any of the places we want to eat. I just switched the days we are visiting certain parks around. Here is the new schedule, and I'm determined to stick to it because I get to make ADRs tomorrow morning.

September 24th
Arrival day: Check in to Coronado Springs Resort and explore
Dinner at California Grill (hopefully during Wishes)

September 25th
Animal Kingdom
Dinner at Sanaa
Possibly MK EMH

September 26th
Epcot
Dinner at Coral Reef

September 27th
Magic Kingdom
Dinner at Kouzzina

September 28th
Hollywood Studios
Lunch at Sci-Fi
MK for MSEP and Wishes

September 29th
Animal Kingdom in the AM (if we want more time there)
Epcot
Lunch at San Angel Inn
Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic!

September 30th
Hollywood Studios in the AM (if we want to revisit)
Downtown Disney day
Lunch at T-Rex
MK for MNSSHP!

October 1st
Sleep-in
Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival

October 2nd
More sleep plus checking out
That's okay though because we will be heading to Universal Studios to check in to the Royal Pacific Resort Hotel
We are going to stay there until October 8th
We will visit Sea World and Discovery Cove as well!
We will also be attending Halloween Horror Nights

So those are the plans. I like the flexibility they give us, and I like that we visit all the main parks in the first four days then have the option to revisit them if we'd like to. I'm a little concerned about going to MNSSHP on a Friday Night because it might be more crowded. But, I think it will be okay since we will have already had time at the Magic Kingdom. Plus it will be a great thing to look forward to all week. I know F&W is going to be packed on Saturday. But we plan on getting there right at 11 and hitting the booths hard A couple of these

and we probably won't care much about the crowds or anything else for that matter.

On a side note, I got a letter from Chase and they denied my application for the Disney Visa. I am not happy about this because I really wanted that $200 gift card for Disney World. It just doesn't make sense to me because I have good credit, and Chase just gave me a Southwest credit card. They say it's because I don't have a high enough credit limit and a long credit history. Well I'm only 24 so how long can my credit history possibly be? Plus the credit report they used doesn't even show my new credit card on it. I guess I will call them up and ask about all this. If you're still reading, thanks for listening to my rant. I just needed to vent about that.

Well, I guess I will talk to you guys tomorrow and tell you how the ADRs turn out. Goodnight