guitarob
Polynesian Obsessed
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2006
- Messages
- 1,125
So, for quite a long time now, since finding the DIS after my last trip in 2006, reading everyone’s wonderful trip reports to get me through the days that I wasn’t in Disney World and re-living the magic through them, I’ve wanted to have my own trip to report on to share my magic and help others relive theirs. Now I do, and I can’t believe my trip is over. Furthermore I have no idea where to start with this because I’m not a writer. I guess I’ll go with a little history and build from there to give this report a little depth (or something like that).
I’ve been a Disneyholic since the age of 3, when my Father first took me for my first trip. The story I’ve been told many times goes a little like this… My Dad was trying desperately, as a single parent, to get a photo of me with Mickey in the Magic Kingdom. Every time he’d get me close enough to move back and take a photo someone would jump in and ruin the shot for him. He happened to notice that Mickey was standing in front of a low wall, which he promptly ran me around to, and sat me down on. Quickly, he ran back in front of Mickey and yelled “Hey Mickey, look behind you!” and Mickey turned and played with me for a full minute or so, giving my Dad the chance to snap many wonderful photos.
A couple of months later, I was at the mall with my Grandmother, and there was a parade that Mickey was leading. Apparently I was awestruck, and frantically asking my Grandmother if she thought Mickey would remember me. As luck, or fate, or sheer coincidence would have it, Mickey walked right up to me out of all the kids standing there and patted me on the head, and kept right on going. I’m told I was ecstatic. “He remembered me!!! Mickey remembered me!!!” was all I said for the rest of the day. Apparently, that stuck with me, because now, through about 18 or so trips to the world and 30 years since that possibly fateful day I’m still in love with Disney World, and can absolutely still feel the magic it brings to so many.
I had always dreamed of honeymooning in Disney, I mean, to me, there is nowhere else. So, when the time came to present the idea to my then fiancée now DW, and she wasn’t 100% thrilled with it, I was heartbroken. She had agreed to do it, since she knew how badly I wanted to, but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it, and I didn’t want to drag her off unwillingly and ruin our honeymoon, even though I knew that the case would surely be the opposite.
DW had only been to Disney World once, at the age of 9, about 20 or so years ago. For three days. Off property at some place with a “free continental breakfast” as she later recalled to me. It wasn’t a dream trip, and her memories of it lean toward it being very hectic, and tiring, and something about a beautiful castle… All theme park, rides, and giant Mice running around, no romance.
I knew in my heart that it could be a wonderful place for a honeymoon, filled with romantic meals, walks on the beach and through the torch lit grounds of the Polynesian, afternoon and late night drinks at the volcano pool, sitting on our balcony (if my request for a 3rd floor room was granted) or on the beach and watching Wishes, seeing Illuminations from the Rose & Crown deck (if only we can get a table out there…), strolls through World Showcase at night and lying in bed staring out over the Seven Seas Lagoon at Cinderella’s Castle.
So, after she realized how badly I wanted this, how much I really believed that she would love it, a little promising her that she would indeed have plenty of romance and a great time, a few well placed photos of the Poly, and a final promise that I was acting with the honeymoon in mind and not just my addiction, she agreed with a little more enthusiasm do it! I was on the phone with the World, credit card in hand, speaking to a cast member who was thrilled to help me book my dream honeymoon in moments.
Hello, I’d like to book my honeymoon for September of next year… Seven days, six nights, Polynesian, club level, lagoon view, deluxe dining, park hoppers, and could I please request a 3rd floor room? I know you can’t guarantee it, but it IS for a honeymoon, and we’d really love to have that balcony, so if you could just please note that, I really won’t ask for anything more… Did I mention this is my honeymoon?
To keep the excitement going for a year and a half we planned the wedding. I bought her all the guide books for the World: Birnbaum’s, The Unofficial, The Complete, Passporter’s… even a little pocket guide, to help build the anticipation and help her find things she wanted to do so the trip included her as well, instead of me just grabbing her arm and running her from place to place.
Before I knew it, we were 180 Days out and it was time to book the ADR’s:
Let’s see we’ll do The Yachtsman Steakhouse for our first night in the world and then take a boat ride to World Showcase for Illuminations. That will be a perfect first night…
Then we’ll do The Hoop-Dee-Doo Review because you just have to.
There’s a great view and some great sushi at the California Grill, book that please, late so we can see Wishes from the observation deck!!!
Hmm… DW loves old school Hollywood… Brown Derby Fantasmic Package please!
A table on the deck at the Rose & Crown for Illuminations overshadows the fact that the food isn’t wonderful, maybe if we check in early, and flash our honeymoon buttons… let’s book that one too!
Aaaaand… Narcosse’s because DW has become enamored with the Grand Floridian and loves seafood!! This is wonderful!!
Finally, let me have a Chef Mickey’s Character Breakfast, because we have to be photographed with the mouse, and the last day has always been a breakfast at Chef Mickey’s for me since back in the day when it was in the Disney Marketplace and a bus ride away.
The remaining days were a blur filled with wedding planning: Book the church, meet with the priest, go to Pre-Caana, invitations, flowers, ring shopping, centerpiece design, book the hall, make a seating chart, try and wrangle 5 guys together at the same time to get tuxedos fitted, pick the cake, pick the food, book the limo, buy the Mickey and Minnie cake topper and Mickey & Minnie toasting flutes, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner… WEDDING!!!!
Here's a couple photos of the beautiful cake that I don't remember through the blur that was our wedding:
There’s nothing like planning and executing a wedding to make the long days before a trip to Disney fly by (I’m not glossing over the wedding or its importance and how much it meant to me, but this is a trip report, not a wedding report, so I’m trying to stay on point…) and it was a beautiful. The wedding and reception were a HUGE success and went off with only a few minor snafus (every wedding has its problems I’m sure…) I now have a beautiful wife, whom I treasure and adore like no other, and we’re about to start our lives as husband and wife in the happiest place on earth!
But first, we have to make it through the night before.
1:00 AM get to the hotel
1:30 all the tuxes are in the best man’s possession and the wedding dress is safely at her Mother’s
2:00… OMG, we have to be at the airport in 4 hours… we should really try and rest
3:00, I can’t sleep, please 5:30, just get here so we can go!!!!
Day 1 - Full of Pixie Dust
I’ve been a Disneyholic since the age of 3, when my Father first took me for my first trip. The story I’ve been told many times goes a little like this… My Dad was trying desperately, as a single parent, to get a photo of me with Mickey in the Magic Kingdom. Every time he’d get me close enough to move back and take a photo someone would jump in and ruin the shot for him. He happened to notice that Mickey was standing in front of a low wall, which he promptly ran me around to, and sat me down on. Quickly, he ran back in front of Mickey and yelled “Hey Mickey, look behind you!” and Mickey turned and played with me for a full minute or so, giving my Dad the chance to snap many wonderful photos.
A couple of months later, I was at the mall with my Grandmother, and there was a parade that Mickey was leading. Apparently I was awestruck, and frantically asking my Grandmother if she thought Mickey would remember me. As luck, or fate, or sheer coincidence would have it, Mickey walked right up to me out of all the kids standing there and patted me on the head, and kept right on going. I’m told I was ecstatic. “He remembered me!!! Mickey remembered me!!!” was all I said for the rest of the day. Apparently, that stuck with me, because now, through about 18 or so trips to the world and 30 years since that possibly fateful day I’m still in love with Disney World, and can absolutely still feel the magic it brings to so many.
I had always dreamed of honeymooning in Disney, I mean, to me, there is nowhere else. So, when the time came to present the idea to my then fiancée now DW, and she wasn’t 100% thrilled with it, I was heartbroken. She had agreed to do it, since she knew how badly I wanted to, but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it, and I didn’t want to drag her off unwillingly and ruin our honeymoon, even though I knew that the case would surely be the opposite.
DW had only been to Disney World once, at the age of 9, about 20 or so years ago. For three days. Off property at some place with a “free continental breakfast” as she later recalled to me. It wasn’t a dream trip, and her memories of it lean toward it being very hectic, and tiring, and something about a beautiful castle… All theme park, rides, and giant Mice running around, no romance.
I knew in my heart that it could be a wonderful place for a honeymoon, filled with romantic meals, walks on the beach and through the torch lit grounds of the Polynesian, afternoon and late night drinks at the volcano pool, sitting on our balcony (if my request for a 3rd floor room was granted) or on the beach and watching Wishes, seeing Illuminations from the Rose & Crown deck (if only we can get a table out there…), strolls through World Showcase at night and lying in bed staring out over the Seven Seas Lagoon at Cinderella’s Castle.
So, after she realized how badly I wanted this, how much I really believed that she would love it, a little promising her that she would indeed have plenty of romance and a great time, a few well placed photos of the Poly, and a final promise that I was acting with the honeymoon in mind and not just my addiction, she agreed with a little more enthusiasm do it! I was on the phone with the World, credit card in hand, speaking to a cast member who was thrilled to help me book my dream honeymoon in moments.
Hello, I’d like to book my honeymoon for September of next year… Seven days, six nights, Polynesian, club level, lagoon view, deluxe dining, park hoppers, and could I please request a 3rd floor room? I know you can’t guarantee it, but it IS for a honeymoon, and we’d really love to have that balcony, so if you could just please note that, I really won’t ask for anything more… Did I mention this is my honeymoon?
To keep the excitement going for a year and a half we planned the wedding. I bought her all the guide books for the World: Birnbaum’s, The Unofficial, The Complete, Passporter’s… even a little pocket guide, to help build the anticipation and help her find things she wanted to do so the trip included her as well, instead of me just grabbing her arm and running her from place to place.
Before I knew it, we were 180 Days out and it was time to book the ADR’s:
Let’s see we’ll do The Yachtsman Steakhouse for our first night in the world and then take a boat ride to World Showcase for Illuminations. That will be a perfect first night…
Then we’ll do The Hoop-Dee-Doo Review because you just have to.
There’s a great view and some great sushi at the California Grill, book that please, late so we can see Wishes from the observation deck!!!
Hmm… DW loves old school Hollywood… Brown Derby Fantasmic Package please!
A table on the deck at the Rose & Crown for Illuminations overshadows the fact that the food isn’t wonderful, maybe if we check in early, and flash our honeymoon buttons… let’s book that one too!
Aaaaand… Narcosse’s because DW has become enamored with the Grand Floridian and loves seafood!! This is wonderful!!
Finally, let me have a Chef Mickey’s Character Breakfast, because we have to be photographed with the mouse, and the last day has always been a breakfast at Chef Mickey’s for me since back in the day when it was in the Disney Marketplace and a bus ride away.
The remaining days were a blur filled with wedding planning: Book the church, meet with the priest, go to Pre-Caana, invitations, flowers, ring shopping, centerpiece design, book the hall, make a seating chart, try and wrangle 5 guys together at the same time to get tuxedos fitted, pick the cake, pick the food, book the limo, buy the Mickey and Minnie cake topper and Mickey & Minnie toasting flutes, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner… WEDDING!!!!
Here's a couple photos of the beautiful cake that I don't remember through the blur that was our wedding:
There’s nothing like planning and executing a wedding to make the long days before a trip to Disney fly by (I’m not glossing over the wedding or its importance and how much it meant to me, but this is a trip report, not a wedding report, so I’m trying to stay on point…) and it was a beautiful. The wedding and reception were a HUGE success and went off with only a few minor snafus (every wedding has its problems I’m sure…) I now have a beautiful wife, whom I treasure and adore like no other, and we’re about to start our lives as husband and wife in the happiest place on earth!
But first, we have to make it through the night before.
1:00 AM get to the hotel
1:30 all the tuxes are in the best man’s possession and the wedding dress is safely at her Mother’s
2:00… OMG, we have to be at the airport in 4 hours… we should really try and rest
3:00, I can’t sleep, please 5:30, just get here so we can go!!!!
Day 1 - Full of Pixie Dust
Can't wait for the day 1 update!
