Newlyweds need your help! :)

[hollyrose]

It's not true that it's better with kids and you can't truly experience Disney parks if you don't have kids. Not if you make it so. As Captain Picard might say.

Spring for a deluxe resort and signature restaurants if you can afford them. (personally I can't ever recommend the dining plans for adults under any circumstances but others will have different opinions on that). As for which ones, that will depend on your taste.

Thanks! We def. won't be doing a dining plan. It doesn't make sense for us. haha.

 

[hollyrose]

Congratulations, Holly!!! Sounds wonderful. And what a great wedding picture you shared.

YOu might pick up some ideas here on the adults and solo forum here on the dis.....

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

Have a wonderful trip, enjoy. (your favorite, at least at age 5)

Thanks so much!

 

[hollyrose]

The last few trips I have thought were the last hurrah before having kids, but I haven't felt compelled to go down that road yet, if at all!

We just did WDW at the end of September. I think Food and Wine started mid-month. It was a nice addition to our trip an we went to Epcot almost every day to try out the food booths or go to events. I'm not sure if they will do it again, but the Free Dining offer for that time of year came out in May. We both heavily scrutinize our budget at home so we do like we really like Free Dining because it gets us away from thinking about money.

We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort. It suited us fine because we really just need a comfortable place to crash. Also, this was or second trip of the year, so the cost of a Deluxe was out of the question. We had a well situated room close to parking and right next to a quiet pool and laundry. We were ill-prepared for how hot it was so I ended up doing a few loads of laundry so we could wear our "coolest" clothing again.

Our two favorite meals this time were Narcoosees an Raglan Road. Boma was a favorite our last trip, but this time we didn't enjoy it as much because of some waitstaff issues; but I would certainly go again. Biergarten is always fun and there is something for everyone to eat. Primetime Cafe was okay too, but nothing spectacular. Kona is also worth a try, I think I ordered poorly, and our sushi appetizer was the pits, but my BF's food was delicious. Also, you must make sure to get a Fast Pass for lunch at Be our Guest. The food really isn't all that great, but you will certainly want to check out the dining rooms.

My biggest piece of advice is to just enjoy yourselves. If you miss something or wake up late, it isn't the end of the world!

Interesting. Oh how silly of me....I didn't even think about Food + Wine festival starting in September. Are the crowds still low during Food and Wine?

 

[hollyrose]

My wife and I have done California Grille for our honeymoon and Anniversary's and would say it's the best...if you get the later reservation you get to walk out on the roof and watch wishes along with the music. Also the food and service has always been amazing. It really makes for such a unique experience not to mention romantic. Best of luck!

We did California Grill on our last trip and LOVED it. We will def. be wanting to do it again. Man it is good!

 

[hollyrose]

Fully agree with this. Stay at one of the Epcot resorts and walk or take a boat to dinner every night!

Well...see...we stayed at the Beach Club on our last trip and of course it was lovely....but this is what I'm thinking:

Since this is going to be our last trip before kids...I was thinking that we should just stay at the Pop....since it's Value and from what I've heard it requires a LOT of walking since it's such a large resort.....I'm thinking since I've never stayed at a value resort (see details in my signature) this would be the right time to try it out---without kids, a stroller, etc.--- Maybe save a more "luxury" deluxe resort stay for when we have kids and need to be closer to the monorail and such.

Does this make sense??? Basically, spend less on the resort, more on nice dinners and downtown Disney shopping, etc. Hmmmm...??

 

[hollyrose]

Can I just say I'm jealous? My husband and I have been twice together before our son was born (and I went several times as a kid before that). While I'm anxiously planning our son's first trip for his 3rd birthday next year - I'm secretly disappointed we didn't have one more trip sans kid! I had one trip planned and subsequently got pregnant and high risk - ended up miscarrying and we never rebooked the trip. Total hindsight disappointment.

Awe--- well you just might change your mind after you take your son because it's going to be a whole new level of great with him!

 

[hollyrose]

Interesting Thread.
Personally, I don't think of a couple married 3 years as newlyweds

I hope you have a great trip

We've only been married a year and half...I meant it's been 3 and half years since our last trip to Disney.

 

[hollyrose]

She didn't say she got married in 2012, she said she has gotten married since 2012. It could have been yesterday for all we know.

We honeymooned at WDW. Stayed at WL and have gone back at least once a year since then just the two of us. Our a baby moon was actually to WDW and on the Disney Dream (yes, our final adults only trip and we choose 100% disney ). Take some tours (the best ones you have to be 16 years old to take so it will be a while after kids), eat at the nice places that kids won't like. Stroll slowly through the world showcase. Go on all the thrill rides together since you will have to baby swap going forward and won't ride together for a while. Watch some of the videos and educational attractions since it may be tough to get kids to sit still for them. Stay out till 2 or 3 or 4 am (late emhs are great)

LOL...Ok first of all-- I have to apologize to anyone following this thread-- I'm way out of practice with the DIS Boards-- so I was doing the "quick reply" to any comments people have made and wondering why they weren't showing up. Quoting the comment then replying like this is the better way to do it right?

ANYWAY- this comment from Raenstoirm is my favorite so far-- because it clarifies that yes, I did indeed say it's been since 2012 since I've been to Disney World...in 2012 I went with my then boyfriend...who is now my husband....we got married in June 2013. I also like all the advice you gave Raenstorim- good points made! Thanks!

 

[vdoucet78]

Lol we're a childless (not by choice, fertility treatments for 10 years) married couple of 15+ years and people still think we are newlyweds sometimes. I'd recommend doing a lot of things that may be more difficult to do with younger kids. Stay out late and catch all the evening shows, parades & fireworks, signature dining experiences, try all the tasty adult beverages in the World Showcase, and ride anything you want without worrying about height restrictions or a dark ride being too scary! Maybe schedule a massage too! We have a ton of fun by ourselves, though we would love to experience WDW through the eyes of our own child, that will likely never happen for us and we still act like big kids and probably have more fun than some of the little kids!

 

[NavyDad]

Well...see...we stayed at the Beach Club on our last trip and of course it was lovely....but this is what I'm thinking:

Since this is going to be our last trip before kids...I was thinking that we should just stay at the Pop....since it's Value and from what I've heard it requires a LOT of walking since it's such a large resort.....I'm thinking since I've never stayed at a value resort (see details in my signature) this would be the right time to try it out---without kids, a stroller, etc.--- Maybe save a more "luxury" deluxe resort stay for when we have kids and need to be closer to the monorail and such.

Does this make sense??? Basically, spend less on the resort, more on nice dinners and downtown Disney shopping, etc. Hmmmm...??

If you want to save money on the resort Pop is very nice and I'm sure you will be happy there. We took our kids their on our first family trip and everyone loved it!

Another suggestion would be POR. BIL & SIL stayed there on their honeymoon and really enjoyed being able to take the boat each night to DTD for dinner and shopping.

Personally for us the Epcot resorts provide the best combination of dining and shoping because we love World Showcase so much. It's nice to be to just walk together or take a nice boat ride after dinner and drinks vice getting on a crowded bus.

 

[kaytieeldr]

.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Are the crowds still low during Food and Wine?

Crowds will be up in the World Showcase (WAY up on weekends). Otherwise, no.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well...see...we stayed at the Beach Club on our last trip and of course it was lovely....but this is what I'm thinking:

Since this is going to be our last trip before kids...I was thinking that we should just stay at the Pop....since it's Value and from what I've heard it requires a LOT of walking since it's such a large resort.....I'm thinking since I've never stayed at a value resort (see details in my signature) this would be the right time to try it out---without kids, a stroller, etc.--- Maybe save a more "luxury" deluxe resort stay for when we have kids and need to be closer to the monorail and such.

Does this make sense??? Basically, spend less on the resort, more on nice dinners and downtown Disney shopping, etc. Hmmmm...??

If you want to save money on the resort Pop is very nice and I'm sure you will be happy there. We took our kids their on our first family trip and everyone loved it!

Another suggestion would be POR. BIL & SIL stayed there on their honeymoon and really enjoyed being able to take the boat each night to DTD for dinner and shopping.

Personally for us the Epcot resorts provide the best combination of dining and shoping because we love World Showcase so much. It's nice to be to just walk together or take a nice boat ride after dinner and drinks vice getting on a crowded bus.

POR is larger and requires more walking than Pop Century. Granted, at POR you can use the park buses to get around the resort. Pop is so compact - and, okay, designed in such a way - that there's only a need for one centralized bus stop.


That said, POR is definitely more romantic.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

I found POP to be noisy and busy at all hours - not really what my husband and I wanted in a resort before we had kids (and not really what we want now, truth be told). We stayed there on our first trip and decided to stay at a moderate the next time (our second pre-kids trip). We picked Caribbean Beach Resort and loved the theming, but we also considered the Swan or Dolphin - CBR won out because it was less expensive. My suggestion is to go for a mod or an Epcot resort for this trip if the cost is feasible.

Oh, and we stayed at POR with the kids and the stroller back in May and it wasn't bad IMHO. We were overall satisfied with the bus service and didn't really feel we were missing out by not staying at a monorail resort - my kids are not big on naps. The boat to DTD was nice.

 

[NavyDad]

POR is larger and requires more walking than Pop Century. Granted, at POR you can use the park buses to get around the resort. Pop is so compact - and, okay, designed in such a way - that there's only a need for one centralized bus stop.


That said, POR is definitely more romantic.

I fully agree with all of this. In her reply to me OP seemed OK with walking quite a bit his trip since they wouldn't have kids or strollers.

My kids LOVED Pop. We didn't feel like it was a ton of walking at all. Everything was really close together from our perspective. Honestly we found it to be the perfect place to stay with a young family but I wouldn't consider staying there for a romantic trip as a couple. I was trying to say that nicely and suggest another option to OP without completely shooting down her idea

 

[DisneyParkLover]

We took a "last Disney trip before kids" vacation in 2012. We made it a very inexpensive trip to save money for starting a family. We stayed offsite and ate mostly packed lunches. We had a great trip, but if we were doing it again I would do it up big time. I would stay at a deluxe Epcot resort so I could walk over to dinner and F&W. I would also eat at a couple signature restaurants. We have also done "drinking around the world" and characters in flight in the past - both of these would be fun for an adults only trip. Have fun!

ETA: I do think the value resorts are very nice and that you would have a really nice stay at one. But hindsight is 20/20. If you can afford deluxe I would do it. This trip should be a bit of a splurge. I don't believe that having kids has to change your whole life, but I do know that once you have them, no vacation will be as carefree as it is now.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

If you can really go all out, I would try to book at the new over the water cabanas at GF! I have always wanted to stay at one of those huts in Tahiti or Bora Bora!

ETA: Oops sorry, I didn't see your comments about staying value this time. I'm really good at spending someone else's money!

 

[erinmarie2224]

I'd also recommend the Epcot resorts so you can pop over for the WS restaurants, drinking, F&W and the boardwalk. We did our babymoon at the Dolphin which was a nice break and still a great location.

I think it might be hard to appreciate what you don't know but really enjoy the freedom you have on this trip. Enjoy taking your time, relaxing and being on your own schedule. I love the 2 post-baby trips we've done but it can be difficult at times with a stroller, waiting in bag security check, hauling around a bag full of just-in-case, and being on a toddler's schedule.

 

[autumnpalm]

If you're looking to save a little money, I would choose one of the moderates over the values. IMO they are a lot more romantic! POP is bright, clean and fun but for the extra money I think we would rather be at a moderate with the landscaping, hot tubs, lounges and theming.

For an adults-only trip I would definitely consider some of the tours (Keys to the Kingdom is great!), a late dinner at the Boardwalk, a monorail tour with stops for snacks or drinks at each lounge and lots of evening EMH!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Yacht Club. Wife and I stayed there on our first solo trip this past May and thought it was great - good lounge, good restaurants and being able to walk to Boardwalk or Epcot was wonderful. Since you've stayed at Beach Club then perhaps a monorail resort? We liked Poly but in light of all the recent changes might consider Contemporary - like the Wave and being able to walk to MK is a real plus.