Planning a Disneymoon is Way More Fun Than Planning a Wedding...My First PTR

[disneylover96]

disneykira... I've been reading ur posts about your disneymoon, my fiancee and i have also decided to go on a disneymoon in 2012. we made our decision after taking my 3 sons and his mother to disney for thanksgiving week 2010. I saw that you were thinking of going to the yak and yeti in AK. I highly recomend this restaurant, we went one night for dinner and it was superb!!! I also saw someone's about tutto italia and they said it was so-so... I have to disagree with them, we live in a town with a very high population of italians (it's called rome, and even has a little italy section!) and grew up eating italian food, so when my son wanted italian in disney i had my doubts, thinking why go to disney to have italian??? BUT, after we ate here we had to thank my son, because it was the BEST italian food i have ever had, again i highly recomend this restaurant. btw, the ddp is the best way to go in disney anymore, because you can eat what you want and not have to worry about the cost, just the tip, its the best way to do disney in my opinion. Just thought i would give you a bit of advice and have a wonderful disneymoon!!

 

[DisneyKira]

disneykira... I've been reading ur posts about your disneymoon, my fiancee and i have also decided to go on a disneymoon in 2012. we made our decision after taking my 3 sons and his mother to disney for thanksgiving week 2010. I saw that you were thinking of going to the yak and yeti in AK. I highly recomend this restaurant, we went one night for dinner and it was superb!!! I also saw someone's about tutto italia and they said it was so-so... I have to disagree with them, we live in a town with a very high population of italians (it's called rome, and even has a little italy section!) and grew up eating italian food, so when my son wanted italian in disney i had my doubts, thinking why go to disney to have italian??? BUT, after we ate here we had to thank my son, because it was the BEST italian food i have ever had, again i highly recomend this restaurant. btw, the ddp is the best way to go in disney anymore, because you can eat what you want and not have to worry about the cost, just the tip, its the best way to do disney in my opinion. Just thought i would give you a bit of advice and have a wonderful disneymoon!!

and thanks for reading! I agree with you on the DDP. I would never go to Disney World without it! I am going to skip tutto italia because we already have two italian ADRs, but I hope to try it on one of my future trips! I will think about yak and yeti. I am torn between Yak & Yeti and Cape May. Thanks for the advice and I hope you have a wonderful disneymoon, too!

 

[annmarieda]

So I finally called and booked the Mama Melrose Fantasmic dining package for the 20th of May . I also booked Coral Reef and Teppan Edo. I might have to cancel Teppan Edo if they aren't added to the DDP (right now, disney says it is only on the deluxe, but I have been told that Teppan Edo is one of the last restaurants to be added to the DDP). I also booked Cape May for the 23rd. It will be our last table service. I have heard pretty good things about this place, but I am still on the fence. I love crab, but I am not a huge fan of clams. Does anyone have anything to say about Cape May? I have a little while to decide, but I figured I might as well book it. I can always change it later.

Teppan Edo is listed in the 2011 dinning plan guide. You should be fine.

 

[DisneyKira]

We are down to less than four months! I am so excited! Here’s an updated version of our schedule.

May 16th: Fly out @ 6am, arrive in Florida @ 5:30 pm. Boatwrights @ 9 pm.
May 17th: MK day! We must arrive on time for park opening @ 9 am. Kona @ 8 pm .
May 18th: Epcot. Future World day. Coral Reef @ 7:20 pm

May 19th: AK. Tusker @ 8:10 am. This will probably be our DTD day, too. The park closes at 6pm, so we will probably go back to our hotel, rest for a bit (maybe take a catnap) and then take the boat to DTD. We will probably have WPE for our QS (assuming it is on the dinning plan still).

May 20th: HS. It is really important that we get there for rope drop. I expect that this is going to be one of the more crowded days on our trip (Fantasmic draws big crowds, star tours opened just days before, and it may be the first day of Star Wars weekend). Mama Melrose dinning package @ 3:15

May 21st: Epcot World Showcase day. Teppan Edo @ 7:40. I hope to spend some time eating around the world before dinner. We may sleep in on this day. If not, we will go to future world in the morning.

May 22nd: MK. Tony’s @ 6:35 pm. We plan on watching wishes and MSEP this night. Depending on the heat, how crowded the park is, and our ridemax schedule (which I can’t make for a little while), we may go back to the hotel to take a nap in the afternoon. We plan on staying until 2am unless it is insanely crowded (I really hope it won’t be!)

May 23rd: AK. I have made an ADR for Cape May that night, but I am really on the fence about it. This is going to be my ADR that I change a million times before the trip. Depending on where we go for dinner, we may go to DTD later that night. AK closes at 7 pm.

May 24th: We fly out at 5:15 pm. This means we need to leave the park at about 1pm or so. We are probably going to spend our last day in HS (the only park that we aren't spending two full days in).

A few of my concerns​

Does anyone think that I could make it to an earlier dinner on our first night? I am afraid that by 9pm, we will be too tired to have a good meal. I booked our ADR that late so that we would be able to go to our hotel, get cleaned up, and have time to leisurely get to our meal (instead of rushing). Any thoughts?

I am concerned about the crowd levels on the 20th. The 20th isn’t listed on Disney’s website as being the first day of Star Wars Weekends (the 21st is), but I have heard that can change. I really want Josh to experience TSM and Star Tours, as well as all of the shows. I would be okay with skipping things like Lights! Motors! Action! and the Indiana Jones show (I usually do), but I know that Josh would really enjoy them. This is our only full day in the park and I want to show him most of it. Obviously we will skip things like the Playhouse Disney show (although I do think that it is a cute show to take my little sister to), the Honey I Shrunk the Audience playground, and that awful Sounds Dangerous show (which I highly doubt will even be open). We will probably skip the American Idol thing and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, too. In the past, my family and I have been able to get everything in one day by skipping one or two “major” shows (usually the car show and the Indiana show) and things that we have seen a million times (like Muppet Vision). I will know exactly how much we need to skip when I make our ridemax schedule (it tells me if I have plugged too many attractions in for one day with the predicted crowd levels and wait times).

My other concern is the heat. I went in September and despite the fact that I was drinking gallons of water with every meal, I got heat exhaustion. I was so sick during our Kona meal that I ended up throwing away half of that beautiful piece of Tuna (I will never forgive myself for that). I heard that the heat and humidity are supposed to be better in May. Is this true? September was miserable. It was in the low to mid-90s all week, with humidity in the 80-99 percent. Josh will handle the heat just fine (the guy grew up in Georgia and usually spends a portion of his summer hunting for rattlesnakes in 98 degree weather ). I, however, will get cranky and scatterbrained. If you have read my mother’s trip report, you might remember that I lost both my KTTWC and my cell phone (on different occasions) on our September trip. Which brings me to my next point:

I am afraid that Josh and I will loose something important on this trip. I am particularly concerned about Josh’s wedding band. I am afraid that it will slip off during a ride or something, never to be seen again. He is one of those guys that has fingers that change size all of the time. I guess there really isn’t a whole lot we can do about this, except try not to loose stuff (oh, and insure our bands).

That’s about it for now. As always, thanks for reading

 

[ronnmel]

Since Boatwright is a restaurant at a moderate resort, I doubt it's as popular as all the other restaurants in the parks and at the deluxes. (of course I could be wrong). So you might be able to just walk-up and be seated fairly quickly. So I would say keep your 9pm ADR, but just show up at whatever time, saying "We just landed a few hours ago and were able to check-in faster than we thought. We are pretty exhausted from a full day of travelling, any chance we could be seated earlier than 9pm?" At least if your plane is delayed for whatever reason, than you won't be late for your ADR.

 

[DisneyKira]

Since Boatwright is a restaurant at a moderate resort, I doubt it's as popular as all the other restaurants in the parks and at the deluxes. (of course I could be wrong). So you might be able to just walk-up and be seated fairly quickly. So I would say keep your 9pm ADR, but just show up at whatever time, saying "We just landed a few hours ago and were able to check-in faster than we thought. We are pretty exhausted from a full day of travelling, any chance we could be seated earlier than 9pm?" At least if your plane is delayed for whatever reason, than you won't be late for your ADR.

That's a really good idea! Thanks I think Boatwrights isn't an insanely popular restaurant because it is such a pain to get to from other resorts. I think that on a Monday night, our chances of getting seated early are pretty good. If not, then we can always explore the hotel. There is a lot to see around that area

 

[annmarieda]

I agree with ronnmel....just show early and see if they can get you in to Boatwrights.

As for the other stuff... What can you do? Heat and humidity are out of your control. Just pack appropriately. Losing stuff... well, just don't. Most of the married population wears bands of some kind and you don't see many of them randomly flying through the air during the rides. You should be fine..

 

[DisneyKira]

I agree with ronnmel....just show early and see if they can get you in to Boatwrights.

As for the other stuff... What can you do? Heat and humidity are out of your control. Just pack appropriately. Losing stuff... well, just don't. Most of the married population wears bands of some kind and you don't see many of them randomly flying through the air during the rides. You should be fine..

Yeah, you are right on that one. I had Josh wear his band today. It is a little loose but it was cold out today. I think that with the heat and all of the salt we will be eating, his ring should stay put

I wish I could control the weather. That would be awesome! I would make it about 75 degrees and sunny

 

[DisneyKira]

I bought DF a shirt for the honeymoon today! Here is a link to it: http://www.disneystore.com/disney-store-official-site-for-disney-merchandise-exclusive-disney-groom-tee/mp/1276382/1000221/?Nr=pPublished:1&D=groom%20ears&Ntk=All_Shopping&Nu=pProductID&Ntt=groom%20ears&Dr=pPublished:1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Dx=

Isn't it adorable? I got it because I am afraid that the disney groom hats won't fit on DF big ol' head ! Also, he saw it and said he would totally wear it. I was tempted to get my bride's ears (the headband ones) today, but I got these instead. What do you guys think? Should I buy the bride's ears early? I have heard horror stories of couples searching for the ears on their trip, only to find that the WDW stores had sold out. I found new ones on amazon for $20. How much are the ones in the parks?

 

[annmarieda]

I bought DF a shirt for the honeymoon today! Here is a link to it: http://www.disneystore.com/disney-store-official-site-for-disney-merchandise-exclusive-disney-groom-tee/mp/1276382/1000221/?Nr=pPublished:1&D=groom%20ears&Ntk=All_Shopping&Nu=pProductID&Ntt=groom%20ears&Dr=pPublished:1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Dx=

Isn't it adorable? I got it because I am afraid that the disney groom hats won't fit on DF big 'ol head ! Also, he saw it and said he would totally wear it. I was tempted to get my bride's ears (the headband ones) today, but I got these instead. What do you guys think? Should I buy the bride's ears early? I have heard horror stories of couples searching for the ears on their trip, only to find that the WDW stores had sold out. I found new ones on amazon for $20. How much are the ones in the parks?

LOVE the shirt!!

 

[annmarieda]

I mentioned to you how at Christmas you might have fun enjoying some of the "adult" drinks. Here is a link to a post in a thread that is discussing one that I am GOING to be getting.

Yumm!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39569862&postcount=551

 

[JennisSilly]

First off- Congratulations! DH and I did our Disneymoon in June of '09, and I totally agree that it was way more fun to plan then the wedding!

Secondly- the fried wonton's at Yak and Yetti are DELICIOUS! We didn't have an ADR and just walked in one evening and ordered them as a dessert, and it was WELL worth it. It may have been my favorite dessert of the entire trip!

I love the shirt you ordered! I did the same thing, we bought our bride/groom ears on a trip to Disneyland we took in the fall of 2008- just to make sure we had them, though because it was SO hot I never wore them!

Another thing that you probably know about- but it was AWESOME for us- have you signed up for Disney's honeymoon registry? It seriously was probably the coolest thing ever. We got lucky with a lot of our expenses (I own DVC, so we didn't have a hotel expense, and used airline miles for our flights) but it paid for our tickets and DDP, so all we had were extra expenses. Plus you get a GORGEOUS gift card (I kept ours).

I'm enjoying reading about your planning! Enjoy this time, it's a great time to take everything in and enjoy!! (subscribing)

 

[DisneyKira]

I mentioned to you how at Christmas you might have fun enjoying some of the "adult" drinks. Here is a link to a post in a thread that is discussing one that I am GOING to be getting.

Yumm!
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=39569862&postcount=551

OMG! I want that. But the name is really off-putting. Yak Attack? It sounds like a nasty name for what happened to grandma on our September trip (For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, read annmarieda's september trip report).

 

[DisneyKira]

I know I have been making a lot of little updates lately. I just thought I would post a couple of pictures. My mom just bought me a few things for the trip.

This is a disney charm bracelet. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the bracelet has this huge swarovski crystal on it, a butterfly charm, and a little mickey head charm. Isn't it cute? I am afraid the charms will fall off, though. The charms on Disney-made things always seem to fall off.

This is just a cute little t-shirt. I love wearing disney shirts in the parks

 

[DisneyKira]

First off- Congratulations! DH and I did our Disneymoon in June of '09, and I totally agree that it was way more fun to plan then the wedding!

Secondly- the fried wonton's at Yak and Yetti are DELICIOUS! We didn't have an ADR and just walked in one evening and ordered them as a dessert, and it was WELL worth it. It may have been my favorite dessert of the entire trip!

I love the shirt you ordered! I did the same thing, we bought our bride/groom ears on a trip to Disneyland we took in the fall of 2008- just to make sure we had them, though because it was SO hot I never wore them!

Another thing that you probably know about- but it was AWESOME for us- have you signed up for Disney's honeymoon registry? It seriously was probably the coolest thing ever. We got lucky with a lot of our expenses (I own DVC, so we didn't have a hotel expense, and used airline miles for our flights) but it paid for our tickets and DDP, so all we had were extra expenses. Plus you get a GORGEOUS gift card (I kept ours).

I'm enjoying reading about your planning! Enjoy this time, it's a great time to take everything in and enjoy!! (subscribing)

! I haven't signed up for Disney's honeymoon registry. I'll look into that. Thanks for the tip Oh, and sorry it took me so long to get back to you. For some weird reason, your post didn't show up until after I made my last update.

 

[ronnmel]

I love that Groom shirt! I was thinking of buying it too. I just showed it to fiance, and he said he'll wear it if I buy it.

I wanted to buy the bride ears headband, but I can't find it anymore! I really don't like the hat. Did you really find the headband style? Where? If not, I'm thinking of buying the Bride shirt, it looks really cute too.

I was thinking about the Disney registry for our wedding too, but I don't know how to put the word out, since we did not even want peopel to give us gifts in the first place (doing a destination wedding, so people are already paying enough money for our wedding as it is).

 

[DisneyKira]

I love that Groom shirt! I was thinking of buying it too. I just showed it to fiance, and he said he'll wear it if I buy it.

I wanted to buy the bride ears headband, but I can't find it anymore! I really don't like the hat. Did you really find the headband style? Where? If not, I'm thinking of buying the Bride shirt, it looks really cute too.

I was thinking about the Disney registry for our wedding too, but I don't know how to put the word out, since we did not even want peopel to give us gifts in the first place (doing a destination wedding, so people are already paying enough money for our wedding as it is).

I usually see the bride's ears in the parks (even though the Disney store doesn't sell them online anymore) but I have heard horror stories of the stores running out. You can find them on amazon. Also look here: http://www.laughingplacestore.com/Product-3455.asp
http://www.laughingplacestore.com/Product-3455.asp

 

[annmarieda]

hey, I thought I would post this link for you to read. I really think this would be something Josh would enjoy.

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/03/dont-be-shy-whispering-canyon-cafe-offers-fun-family-dining/

Of course, now your father wants nothing to do with this place.

 

[DisneyKira]

hey, I thought I would post this link for you to read. I really think this would be something Josh would enjoy.

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/03/dont-be-shy-whispering-canyon-cafe-offers-fun-family-dining/

Of course, now your father wants nothing to do with this place.

Josh says he would like to go. I think we will probably stick with Cape May, though

 

[ronnmel]

I usually see the bride's ears in the parks (even though the Disney store doesn't sell them online anymore) but I have heard horror stories of the stores running out. You can find them on amazon. Also look here: http://www.laughingplacestore.com/Product-3455.asp
http://www.laughingplacestore.com/Product-3455.asp

Thanks. Unfortunately, the Laughing Place charges 25$ for shipping to Canada, and I find 50$ a bit too expensive for mouse ears.

Can't find them on amazon though.