Planning Our Happily Ever After - A Disneymoon PTR! (NEW 7/13 - TR Link!)

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I love your choice! I'm sure it will be perfect for you. You should set up one of those 30 min sessions with a photopass photographer at the poly, too!

Oohh, that's a great idea! I'll definitely have to look into the photo sessions!

AHHHHHHHHHH I am so excited for you!! Not only the Poly...but 10 NIGHTS! That is going to be amazing!!!

Great choice!

Thanks! We're really excited about it!!! I can't wait to get to the Poly!

The Poly definitely gives you the best of both worlds-- the tropical and Disney!! The perfect combination! You will have a wonderful time-- can't wait to hear your ideas to make it even more special! Are you the type that would plan to surprise Miguel, or would he be in on the plans??

Exactly! I love that we'll still be getting a little of that beach honeymoon, too!

I love to surprise people (especially, Miguel)! I could definitely see myself planning a few surprises for the honeymoon! I guess it will depend on just what the activity is if I tell him or not!

I'm here and so excited for you guys!!!


I couldn't agree more! We got married on January 18!

Yay! Thanks, Denise!

I'd say we definitely picked a good day to get married!

OK, my guess was wrong.....................BUT---------------------


THE POLY !!!

I love the Poly---It's my all-time favorite, and 10 DAYS?!?!?!? I'm pretty excited for you guys.

I'm so excited too, Michelle! After eating dinner there I just knew I had to stay there someday! I hope you can give some Poly advice - I'm pretty confused about how to go about deciding on a Longhouse to request. Which one did you stay in?

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Congrats! I've never even been over to the Poly but it looks awesome. You guys are going to have a great time!

Thanks! We haven't spent much time there, either, but the little time we did spend there we loved! It definitely has a special feel!

I've always wanted to stay at the Poly, but it just hasn't worked out yet. I can't wait to see all your pictures from your stay!

I hope you get to stay there soon! I'm sure I will have an overload of pictures of the resort!

Wow the Polynesian is a great choice! I had a feeling you guys might pick that resort

I've not visited the Poly before but we're having a meal at Kona cafe next trip.. can't wait to see inside! I've heard that the lobby 'smells' amazing because of the water feature?!


Emma x

Thanks, Emma! I can't wait to hear what you think about the Poly - and about Kona! I'll definitely be planning some meals there for our trip!

Oohh, now you've got me excited for the Poly smell! People say the same thing about AKL but I didn't notice it while we were there.

oh yayayayaya!!! poly and 10 nights!! OMG i'm jealous!! how excited are you?!?!?!


if i get a pin i totally want to stay at poly next year!! i loved ohanas also

So excited!!! I was telling Miguel the other day how I wish we could just fast-forward through this year and get to the good stuff!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Page 5????? I already missed 5 pages???? Ok...rant over- going back to read!

So funny about you being torn between GF and Poly. Randy and I had that exact conversation about our 10 year anniversary trip. As we were riding the boat from MK to GF to Poly we discussed it. We plan to do an adult-only weekend trip for Food and Wine for our 10th anniversary (I would love a vow-renewal at GF but they are pricey). We were debating which one we would prefer. Our first thought was GF but then when i saw the beach side of Poly (which I've never seen before) I started thinking Poly might be equally as romantic!!! Nice choice!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Hi Courtney,
I loved your trip report and I am following along on this pre-trip report as well....looking forward to hearing wedding plans as well. Yeah for choosing the Poly!
My honeymoon was at Disney and it was so romantic

 

[MHTeacher]

I hope you can give some Poly advice - I'm pretty confused about how to go about deciding on a Longhouse to request. Which one did you stay in?

We've stayed in Tokelau each time we've been at the Poly and we love the location. It's centrally located between the GCH and the TTC. When traveling to Epcot, it really is easier to walk over to the TTC, because if you catch the monorail at the GCH of the Poly, you have to make the entire resort loop ( GF, Magic Kingdom, Cont, then the TTC). So we like being close to the TTC so we can walk over there.

The first time I stayed at the Poly, I did a LOT of research on longhouses and which rooms had good views, etc. I can't link you over, because he got banned from the DIS, but you can google tikiman's website. He has tons of information about the Poly that will really help you make a decision.

 

[Stitch2007]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the TR! I hope you'll enjoy the PTR as well!

How exciting that you'll be disneymooning soon, too! And yay for AKL! Are you going to do a savannah view? It's so worth it! [/QUOTE]

Already enjoying your PTR. Definately got a savannah view. Also, saved 40% with room discount code. I figured you would choose the Poly. It seemed like you enjoyed your visit there during your trip. I have a friend who loves it there and has stayed there the past 3 trips. She says it's easy with her toddler.

 

[TokyoDina]

I'm here I'm here!

I would have stayed at the Poly too!!!!!

I love your choice!

I'm coming home to GA the 20th of December till the 29th. I am going to try to fly into ATL cause Jacksonville is so freaking far! Maybe I can meet you when I fly in or when I leave or something? Not sure we've got plenty of time to hammer out the details!

So do you guys have plans for lovely lovely ADRs yet????

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Page 5????? I already missed 5 pages???? Ok...rant over- going back to read!



So funny about you being torn between GF and Poly. Randy and I had that exact conversation about our 10 year anniversary trip. As we were riding the boat from MK to GF to Poly we discussed it. We plan to do an adult-only weekend trip for Food and Wine for our 10th anniversary (I would love a vow-renewal at GF but they are pricey). We were debating which one we would prefer. Our first thought was GF but then when i saw the beach side of Poly (which I've never seen before) I started thinking Poly might be equally as romantic!!! Nice choice!

I'm so glad you're finally here! Just kidding! I am very happy you'll be joining in again!

It was a really difficult decision! We really went back and forth about what hotel would be best for us. I still really want to stay at the GF sometime, though!

Oooh, a 10th anniversary F&W trip sounds nice!

Hi Courtney,
I loved your trip report and I am following along on this pre-trip report as well....looking forward to hearing wedding plans as well. Yeah for choosing the Poly!
My honeymoon was at Disney and it was so romantic

Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you're joining in again!

I'm glad I have another Disneymooner on here! I think I mentioned I find it hard to find a lot of threads about disneymoons so I'm going to need lots of advice and tips from those who've done it!

We've stayed in Tokelau each time we've been at the Poly and we love the location. It's centrally located between the GCH and the TTC. When traveling to Epcot, it really is easier to walk over to the TTC, because if you catch the monorail at the GCH of the Poly, you have to make the entire resort loop ( GF, Magic Kingdom, Cont, then the TTC). So we like being close to the TTC so we can walk over there.

The first time I stayed at the Poly, I did a LOT of research on longhouses and which rooms had good views, etc. I can't link you over, because he got banned from the DIS, but you can google tikiman's website. He has tons of information about the Poly that will really help you make a decision.

Thank you so much for all of the advice, Michelle! I really appreciate it! It sounds like Tokelau is a great choice - I like that it is close to everything. I definitely don't want to be far from the GCH so I can head over to Captain Cooks for some Tonga Toast in the mornings! About how long of a walk is it from the TTC? Is it close to the pool?

Sorry for so many questions! I've look at the tikiman site briefly but there's just so much to take in - I will definitely have to dedicate some more time to my "research"!

Already enjoying your PTR. Definately got a savannah view. Also, saved 40% with room discount code. I figured you would choose the Poly. It seemed like you enjoyed your visit there during your trip. I have a friend who loves it there and has stayed there the past 3 trips. She says it's easy with her toddler.

Thank you! Yay for savannah view! And a 40% discount! That's awesome! We definitely enjoyed our time at the Poly, even though it was brief! I'm really looking forward to exploring it more!

I think one of the biggest draws to the Poly is the convenience - I am so looking forward to being on the monorail line! I'm sure that's definitely a benefit with kids!

I'm here I'm here!

I would have stayed at the Poly too!!!!!

I love your choice!

I'm coming home to GA the 20th of December till the 29th. I am going to try to fly into ATL cause Jacksonville is so freaking far! Maybe I can meet you when I fly in or when I leave or something? Not sure we've got plenty of time to hammer out the details!

So do you guys have plans for lovely lovely ADRs yet????

Yay! I'm so glad you made it over! We'll definitely have to chat closer to when you'll be in town! It can be my very first DIS-meet!

Oh my goodness, my ADR list is a mile long! It's more like a wish list at this point, since we've still got 6 months before ADR's are made. I'll be doing a post about it at some point, for sure!

 

[MHTeacher]

Thank you so much for all of the advice, Michelle! I really appreciate it! It sounds like Tokelau is a great choice - I like that it is close to everything. I definitely don't want to be far from the GCH so I can head over to Captain Cooks for some Tonga Toast in the mornings! About how long of a walk is it from the TTC? Is it close to the pool?

Sorry for so many questions! I've look at the tikiman site briefly but there's just so much to take in - I will definitely have to dedicate some more time to my "research"!

It takes about 5 minutes to walk over to the TTC, and that's at a normal pace--not a leisurely stroll, but not power walking either. It's only a building away from the volcano pool, and there's a quiet pool on one side of Tokelau, that has never been crowded during our times there.

You will definitely have to look at the tiki website. He has a map of the resort, showing you where each longhouse is. Then he has detailed maps of each longhouse, showing you specific room numbers. Each longhouse page has pictures, and the room layout shown and he listed pros and cons of each longhouse. It takes some time to get through his website, but the information is so complete.

Of course, I'll be glad to answer anything I can (if I know the answer)!

 

[luvfigment]

I am joining in! Congrats on the engagement...6 months late. I am going to go over to your TR and catch up on the "back story."

You are going to love the Poly! DH and I Disneymooned there in Oct 2007. It was a great time and we were in Tokelau and were so happy with the choice. I did so much research on what room to stay in and personally was so happy I chose that one. It was not a bad walk to the GCH and there is a quiet pool right outside. It was a short walk to the bus stop and not too bad to the TTC. Plus you can get to the beach easily and lay on the hammocks there. We did that often. Can't wait to read more about your plans!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

It takes about 5 minutes to walk over to the TTC, and that's at a normal pace--not a leisurely stroll, but not power walking either. It's only a building away from the volcano pool, and there's a quiet pool on one side of Tokelau, that has never been crowded during our times there.

You will definitely have to look at the tiki website. He has a map of the resort, showing you where each longhouse is. Then he has detailed maps of each longhouse, showing you specific room numbers. Each longhouse page has pictures, and the room layout shown and he listed pros and cons of each longhouse. It takes some time to get through his website, but the information is so complete.

Of course, I'll be glad to answer anything I can (if I know the answer)!

Five minutes isn't bad at all! That definitely sounds like the way to go as opposed to taking a full loop on the monorail. The more I hear about Tokelau, the more I like! Close to everything and near a quite pool. I'm so glad you told me about this longhouse!

Thank you so much for all of the info, Michelle! I really appreciate it!

I am joining in! Congrats on the engagement...6 months late. I am going to go over to your TR and catch up on the "back story."

You are going to love the Poly! DH and I Disneymooned there in Oct 2007. It was a great time and we were in Tokelau and were so happy with the choice. I did so much research on what room to stay in and personally was so happy I chose that one. It was not a bad walk to the GCH and there is a quiet pool right outside. It was a short walk to the bus stop and not too bad to the TTC. Plus you can get to the beach easily and lay on the hammocks there. We did that often. Can't wait to read more about your plans!

and thank you! So happy to have you joining in! I'm so excited there's another Poly disneymooner on board, and I'm so happy to hear you really enjoyed the resort! It looks like I've got another vote for Tokelau as being the longhouse to request!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

MAKING OUR TRIP THE "TRIP OF A LIFETIME"

As I mentioned, I really want our honeymoon to be the “trip of lifetime”. Even though we’ve been to Disney many times, I want to experience things at Disney we’ve never experienced before. I feel like, even with a weeklong trip to the world, I always feel a little rushed trying to make sure we fit it all in and see everything on our list. Since we’ll have 10 days for the honeymoon, I’m hoping we can eliminate the rushed pace and relax and enjoy some new things at Disney! I’ve put together a list of things I think we would really enjoy, things we’ve always wanted to do but never go around to, and things that I think will make our honeymoon that much more special! Let me know what you think!

The GF Spa

I would love to get over to the GF at some time since we do love that hotel so much and I think the spa would be a great excuse! I think a couple’s massage would be well-welcomed after days of park touring!

Signature Dinning
I definitely want to have at least one (hopefully two) evenings of signature dining where we can get dressed up and have a really nice, romantic meal. The only signature dining we’ve done is CRT and Victoria & Alberts, so the possibilities of restaurants to try are endless. I have a “top four” that are front-runners in my mind now, but I’m always open to suggestions. I’ll do a signature dining post later on detailing each of my “top 4”!

Have a custom cake made to share at dinner one night
I’ve read mixed reviews about the custom cakes at Disney, but I think it would be so cute to have one delivered to dinner (at a signature restaurant, of course!) I think I saw on the cake thread a small anniversary/wedding cake that they do that’s big enough for two people, so we would probably do something like that – I doubt we’d need a full size cake for just the two of us!

Hot air balloon at DTD

I know a lot of people think it’s ugly, but I it would be pretty neat to see all of Disney from the sky. Also, it’s probably the only time I would ever think about going up in a hot air balloon (since it’s teethered). This isn’t necessarily the most romantic of the options, but it’s definitely something new and adventurous!

A carriage ride through Port Orleans

Now this I think would be very romantic! We both love PO so much, so I think it would be very fitting to take a carriage ride there. When we stayed at POFQ in March of 2009, we loved strolled the “streets” at dusk – it had such a relaxing, peaceful vibe. I think a sunset ride would be just beautiful!

And my ultimate, trip of a lifetime experience: A fireworks cruise!

I would love, love, love to do this. This would definitely be once in a lifetime for sure since they are so pricey. I know you can split the cost with others and have other guests, but I would want it to be just the two of us so it definitely would not be cheap! Still though, I really think it would be worth it. I think this would be a great way to end the trip – with a “bang” for sure! I’m not sure if I would prefer a Wishes cruise or Illuminations. I think Illuminations would be more intense because you’d be closer to the actual fireworks, but Wishes seems a little more appropriate don’t you think?

UP NEXT: How about some wedding details?!

 

[Princess_K]

I think your ideas sound amazing! I love the idea of a fireworks cruise to end the honeymoon. How romantic! And such a memorable way to end it. As far as signature dining, I highly recommend the California Grill. We ate there in May, and the view is really spectacular. If you time it right, you can have dessert delivered right as the fireworks start! A couples massage could be really great too. I think with 10 days, you'll definitely be able to go at a leisurely pace and really be able to stop and smell the roses. I'm excited to see what all you end up planning.

Definitely excited for the wedding update

 

[Nermel9]

I love your ideas to make your Disneymoon more special! I definitely like the spa idea, that would be really nice and relaxing, and the GF is so beautiful it would be fun to spend time in there!

I also like doing a few signature dining restaurants! I considered doing one on our honeymoon, but since we were on the dining plan and we were only there for 5 nights, using 2 of the credits wasn't even worth it! If I was going to do a signature restaurant I'd probably do California Grille, Narcoossees (no idea if I spelled that right!) or Yachtsman Steakhouse! Are any of those on your top 4 list? And having a custom cake would be soooo cool!

I don't think the hot air balloon at DTD is ugly! I think it would be fun to go up there and see all of Disney, especially if you did it at sunset or something, that would be really pretty!

I would love to do a carriage ride at Port Orleans too, if I change my resort back to POR I think I'm definitely going to do that too! They're not even that expensive!

I love the idea of a fireworks cruise! You're right though, they are very expensive, but you can probably find people that will split the cost with you! When I was planning my Disneymoon, before I discovered the trip report section, I was always hanging out in the Resorts part of the Dis, talking about my Disneymoon and the Beach Club and I had someone PM me and ask me if I wanted to go on a Wishes cruise with them! It was a very nice offer, but I just didn't have any time to do it since we were there for such a short amount of time and our days were already packed!

Sorry for the long comment! I just love all of your ideas and had to say something about all of them! Can't wait to hear about your wedding plans!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Love the ideas!!! I would do all of them. It's your honeymoon. Live it up!!! I would do the WISHES one but that's just me. The last time I saw Illuminations, we watched from the bridge between France and UK and cruise boats were under that bridge. I kept thinking...wow they spent all that money and we have the exact same view!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Oh the carriage ride at PO is absolutely beautiful. It's really affordable as far as Disney goes as well.

I love the idea of a Wishes fireworks cruise, I'd really like to do that someday.

 

[Mrs T 2009]

My DH and I had our Disneymoon September 2009. We had so much fun! We stayed at Coronado Springs and I loved that it was kind of "by itself" and so peaceful and nice.

We planned a few signature dinners :: Yachtsman was one of our favorites. We had a waiter (Oscar) who was so wonderful and personable! We also ate at Flying Fish, California Grill, Narcossee's ( didn't get wonderful service and our food was semi-warm when it arrived) and Le Cellier at Epcot Canada! Also Coral Reef was a favorite and watching the fish in the restaurant.

Whatever you plan will be wonderful and exciting! We had 10 days and went to all the parks over and over and over again, with a day at DTD and playing in Disney Quest!

Enjoy your time together and have fun and relax! Wear your "just married" buttons to get congrats! Everyone says congrats and if the retaurants know, then you are bound to get special treats at meals.

As for the extra plans, DH and I didn't make any plans like those, but they all sound so wondeful!

Excited to hear more about your planning- I love planning trips and seeing the end result is the best too!!!

 

[TokyoDina]

I would do the spa treatment for sure! You guys have a right to pamper yourselves! I would so do the Fireworks tour as well. I always suggest CRT.....but that's cause I love the food there! What about Boma?

 

[Tracy161]

You are completely right: it will go by SO fast!!! We were engaged August 2009 right in front of Cinderella's Castle and I can't even begin to tell you how fast the time has flown since that magical night. Now that the wedding (and Disneymoon!) is practically here, I'm worried it will just go by within a blink of an eye! But... I will look forward to writing up a trip report upon my return!

 

[luvfigment]

I'm in for wedding details!!!

As for the plans for the Disneymoon DH and I did a couples massage at GF on our and loved it! We walked over to the GF in the morning....it is a nice relaxing walk to the Spa. I would vote for that if you are into massages etc.

As for signature dining we really enjoy Jiko and Narcossee's. If you go to Narcossee's make sure you request a seat near the windows and you can get nice cakes from GF bakery. I am not sure if they still do it but when we were there in 2008 they did a "personalized" menu automatically noting that we were celebrating our 1st anniversary. I also planned to be there for the fireworks.

Victoria and Albert's is suppose to be amazing. We were talking to a couple at Jiko and they said it was very good. One day I would like to try to eat there.

My friend did a carriage ride on her Disneymoon and they enjoyed it. They were staying at POR so it was really convienant for them.

The idea of a fireworks cruise is a great idea!!! That would be very romantic and a nice memorable moment for your Disneymoon.

Have you thought about a Segway Tour? Those are so much fun and if you do it early enough you get to go into the World Showcase when no one else is there and they give you more details about the World Showcase.

Can't wait to read about what you decide on.