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

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

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

Thanks! I definitely agree that the cruise would make for a perfect ending for our trip. I really like saving the "big things" until the end to soften the blow of having to leave the next day In January we did CRT on our last night, and last March we did Victoria & Alberts on our last night. I think a fireworks cruise would definitely top any restaurant we could go to!

I'm glad to hear you liked Cali Grill - I'll definitely keep that in mind!

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!

No need to apologize! I love all of the feedback!

I will say that 2 out of 3 restaurants you mentioned are in my top 4! I'm really hoping I can fit in two signature restaurants - it would be so hard to pick just one!

Great idea about the balloon at sunset! Still enough light to see everything, but just enough ambiance to add a bit of romance! I like that idea!

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!

I would love to fit all of them in - or at least most of them! I can't believe that with 10 days I'm still finding there may not be enough time for everything! I think Disney does this for a reason!

And great point about the Illuminations cruise - I'd never thought of that! I think the Wishes one would be the one we'd choose if we end up doing one - it just seems so much better for a honeymoon. Plus, I think it's actually cheaper than the Illuminations cruise.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

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.

I think the carriage ride would just be so peaceful and relaxing. It might be nice to do that one night and then take the boat to DTD for dinner and shopping!

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!!!

Wow - it sounds like you had some great meals on your honeymoon! How exciting you got to try so many wonderful restaurants! Although I hate Narcoossee's didn't live up to your expectations. I've read a lot of reviews like that on here. It also seems like Yachtsman gets great reviews all around.

Did you find that 10 days was a good amount of time? I definitely want to give us time to experience all of the extra things and relax but I don't want to reach vacation overload either. I was thinking 10 days would be perfect.

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?

Every time I'm at Disney I tell myself how the next time I am booking a spa appointment! Mostly for the tired muscles from walking so much!

Boma is definitely on our list of places to try - although I'm not sure if we should go for breakfast or dinner?

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

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!

I know - it's hard to believe it has already been six months since we got engaged! Time really does fly!

I'll definitely be looking forward to your TR! You'll have to let me know when you've started it!

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.

I'm so glad to hear you liked the GF spa! I think it would be so nice and relaxing - maybe about halfway through the trip.

What did you think of Jiko? I've read some great reviews here and it sounds really yummy!

I hadn't thought about a Segway tour! That's a great idea! I'm always saying I'm going to see more of WS - that would be a great way to do it. I bet Miguel would love that too! Something a little more manly. Thanks for idea!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I would love to fit all of them in - or at least most of them! I can't believe that with 10 days I'm still finding there may not be enough time for everything! I think Disney does this for a reason!

And great point about the Illuminations cruise - I'd never thought of that! I think the Wishes one would be the one we'd choose if we end up doing one - it just seems so much better for a honeymoon. Plus, I think it's actually cheaper than the Illuminations cruise.

You'll get it in! You just have to sacrifice actual park time. Which is ok...you've done that stuff a LOT. Do the different stuff this time. Our longest trip was 9 days and it was perfect. No rushing, all the ADRs we wanted, and a good break every afternoon.

 

[Joyciemc]

Love the ideas, Courtney! A fireworks cruise would be so so fun!

The only signature restaurants I've eaten at are Brown Derby and California Grill. I LOVE Cali Grill, we've had awesome meals there and really great service too.

Can't wait to hear wedding details!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

You'll get it in! You just have to sacrifice actual park time. Which is ok...you've done that stuff a LOT. Do the different stuff this time. Our longest trip was 9 days and it was perfect. No rushing, all the ADRs we wanted, and a good break every afternoon.

I think the key is definitely less park time - which when you're there for 10 days it probably adds up to the same amount of park time anyway! We aren't all day park people anyway, so it shouldn't be too hard. I think if we do a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours in the evenings that will give us plenty of time for other activities in the middle of the day. Plus lots of pool time - that will be a must in June! I'm glad to hear your 9 day trip was a good amount of time! I've never done more than 7 full days so I don't want to get burnt out!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Love the ideas, Courtney! A fireworks cruise would be so so fun!

The only signature restaurants I've eaten at are Brown Derby and California Grill. I LOVE Cali Grill, we've had awesome meals there and really great service too.

Can't wait to hear wedding details!

Thanks! I'd say we've got enough in there to keep us plenty busy!

It seems like Cali Grill gets consistently good reviews. I would love to try one of their famous flatbreads!

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY!!! I'm soooo excited that you chose the Poly!! It's my FAVORITE resort!! We've stayed there the last 2 trips and loved everything about it!! Last year we stayed at Tokelau and this year we stayed at Tuvalu! We liked BOTH longhouses very much!! We always request 3rd floor so we can get a balcony--I've read that some 2nd floor rooms don't have balconies. Let me know if you have any questions and once I start my TR I will share LOTS of Poly pics!!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I'm very excited to hear all about your wedding planning! I spent so much time planning my wedding. I think I just love planning in general. You definitely have to do the GF spa! We are just going to get massages at our resort (CSR) this trip purely for the convienence of being able to stay on resort. I love the idea of the mini wedding cake. My favorite is the firework boat cruise idea b/c my DH would LOVE to do that! Maybe one day...

 

[Mrs T 2009]

10 days was a great amount of time!!! We spent some of our first days going around to all the parks and spending ample time at each and doing the things we wanted to do. Then, we would go back and go on the rides we liked again, or we would just walk around shops we wanted to look at again down main street in MK.
Also, I think taking a day to enjoy DTD and play at DisneyQuest would be great! We took a day to walk around all the shops, play in DisneyQuest, and just enjoy our time there. We also met up with family I have at DTD that day, so it all worked out well!

Just always remember, take deep breaths, plan things you absolutely MUST DO, and meals you MUST DO, and take the rest in stride and do things in your own way on your own time Everything will work out great

Only thing we ran into trouble with was that my DH found out the hard way he had a food allergy to tree nuts Spent a night in ER, and had to switch around some meals, but all in all it was a wonderful Disneymoon. By the time we left I wanted to stay, but also wanted to get home and prop-up my feet and just relax and revel in the great time we had together!

Any other questions I am happy to answer. My DH is a Disney afficionado. He LOVES it! He also completed a college program there.

Have Fun! Can't wait to here more!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

I think the carriage ride would just be so peaceful and relaxing. It might be nice to do that one night and then take the boat to DTD for dinner and shopping!



Wow - it sounds like you had some great meals on your honeymoon! How exciting you got to try so many wonderful restaurants! Although I hate Narcoossee's didn't live up to your expectations. I've read a lot of reviews like that on here. It also seems like Yachtsman gets great reviews all around.

Did you find that 10 days was a good amount of time? I definitely want to give us time to experience all of the extra things and relax but I don't want to reach vacation overload either. I was thinking 10 days would be perfect.



Every time I'm at Disney I tell myself how the next time I am booking a spa appointment! Mostly for the tired muscles from walking so much!

Boma is definitely on our list of places to try - although I'm not sure if we should go for breakfast or dinner?

Go to Boma for dinner! They have WONDERFUL food! Everything is labeled and you can always ask someone what is in everything if you have allergies to food. My DH and I loved it! I love trying new food, and he sticks to the same things, but he tried new things and we enjoyed it!

 

[belle aube]

I was following along with your TR and I found your Disneymoon plans! Congratulations and exciting!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

YAY!!! I'm soooo excited that you chose the Poly!! It's my FAVORITE resort!! We've stayed there the last 2 trips and loved everything about it!! Last year we stayed at Tokelau and this year we stayed at Tuvalu! We liked BOTH longhouses very much!! We always request 3rd floor so we can get a balcony--I've read that some 2nd floor rooms don't have balconies. Let me know if you have any questions and once I start my TR I will share LOTS of Poly pics!!

I thought you might like our resort choice! I think we're really going to love the Poly - everything I read about it makes me so happy we chose it! So you're the third person who's mentioned Tokelau! How about Tuvalu, was there one you preferred over the other? Any pros/cons for each? Great tip about the third floor - I definitely want a balcony to relax on!

I can't wait for you to start your TR and see all of your Poly pics!

I'm very excited to hear all about your wedding planning! I spent so much time planning my wedding. I think I just love planning in general. You definitely have to do the GF spa! We are just going to get massages at our resort (CSR) this trip purely for the convienence of being able to stay on resort. I love the idea of the mini wedding cake. My favorite is the firework boat cruise idea b/c my DH would LOVE to do that! Maybe one day...

I'm the same way - I love to plan! Although this is definitely proving to be a huge undertaking! I did a lot of "research" before Miguel and I actually got engaged and now I think I kind of got burnt out on it. I pretty much know who I want my vendors to be, and provided they're available and I don't get any bad vibes from them, I'm ready to book!

How neat that they have massages at CSR! That's going to be so nice. Will this be your first Disney spa experience? You'll have to let me know how you like it!

The fireworks cruise is definitely the front-runner in my mind! If I can get past the price, I think it would be absolutely magical!

10 days was a great amount of time!!! We spent some of our first days going around to all the parks and spending ample time at each and doing the things we wanted to do. Then, we would go back and go on the rides we liked again, or we would just walk around shops we wanted to look at again down main street in MK.
Also, I think taking a day to enjoy DTD and play at DisneyQuest would be great! We took a day to walk around all the shops, play in DisneyQuest, and just enjoy our time there. We also met up with family I have at DTD that day, so it all worked out well!

Just always remember, take deep breaths, plan things you absolutely MUST DO, and meals you MUST DO, and take the rest in stride and do things in your own way on your own time Everything will work out great

Only thing we ran into trouble with was that my DH found out the hard way he had a food allergy to tree nuts Spent a night in ER, and had to switch around some meals, but all in all it was a wonderful Disneymoon. By the time we left I wanted to stay, but also wanted to get home and prop-up my feet and just relax and revel in the great time we had together!

Any other questions I am happy to answer. My DH is a Disney afficionado. He LOVES it! He also completed a college program there.

Have Fun! Can't wait to here more!

Oh I'm so glad 10 days was a good time-frame for you!!! I would love to "stop and smell the roses" so to speak - browse through stores and really pay attention to all of the details that we normally miss trying to accomplish all of our must do's. It sounds like you did that well!

What a scary experience for your DH, though! I'm glad you didn't let it ruin your disneymoon! And how neat that he did the college program! I bet it is a lot of fun to go to Disney with!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Go to Boma for dinner! They have WONDERFUL food! Everything is labeled and you can always ask someone what is in everything if you have allergies to food. My DH and I loved it! I love trying new food, and he sticks to the same things, but he tried new things and we enjoyed it!

We will definitely be trying Boma one way or another! I think Boma and TH might offer similar foods for breakfast. We've done TH breakfast, so dinner might be the way to go! I was so close to seeing if we could do a walk-up when we stayed at AKL but never did.

I was following along with your TR and I found your Disneymoon plans! Congratulations and exciting!

Thanks so much for reading the TR and for joining in here! So glad to have you along!

 

[alliebelle3]

You NEED to do the fireworks cruise! A few years ago my sisters and grandparents chipped in (like you said, they're aren't cheap!) for my parent's anniversary and we did an Illuminations cruise. It was amazing. The boats dock right under the bridge between the UK & France, and the view was great. Our captain even took us out a while before and drove us down towards DHS and around Crescent Lake, too. Totally worth it, and I'd love to do it again! It would be so romantic, just you and Miguel!

 

[arbolita]

I just realized, I don't think I responded to your Special Things list yet.

- I've only been to one signature dining restaurant, but it was amazing. We did Yachtsmen Steakhouse last year, and it was worth the 2 TS credits, and I would have gladly paid OOP for it.

- I like the hot air balloon in theory, but I am way too chicken to actually do it. I don't really have a fear of heights, just of falling

- The PO carriage ride is also on my list this year, especially since that's the resort where we will be staying. I wanted to do it last year, but didn't find the time.

 

[disneybarbie]

Hi!
I think we have a lot of the same ideas for our honeymoons lol

Hope to go to the spa at GF, and lots of signature dining!

I can whole-heartedly recommend the Illuminations cruise.. we did one last summer and it was the best part of our trip! The view from the water is breath-taking.. completely wrapped up in the music/fireworks/fountains .. before the fireworks we had about 40 minutes cruising around the lakes, sailed to the Hollywood Studios and back.. (Captain Mike was great!!)
I think it was $320 (including tax, a captain, snacks & sodas) and we paid extra to have some wine & beers onboard (from Yacht Club private dining)

For honeymoon I'm hoping to do the Wishes cruise.. as we'll be staying near MK... I agree, I want it to be just me & DH (!) on the boat.. despite the cost, it'll be so romantic!

Emma x

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Hi,
I would definitely do something at the GF spa...we tossed around the idea of a massage for our Honeymoon, but I hadn't been to Disney in over 7 years and my Dh had never been so I didn't want to spend too much out of the parks...what was I thinking???

Don't forget about the nightly water pararde that goes by the Poly... very romantic to watch it on the beach!

Oh, I hope you do the Hot Air ballon...it looks like it would be so "magical", especially at night!

Thanks for the updates...looking forward to more!

 

[ladybugmom]

I thought you might like our resort choice! I think we're really going to love the Poly - everything I read about it makes me so happy we chose it! So you're the third person who's mentioned Tokelau! How about Tuvalu, was there one you preferred over the other? Any pros/cons for each? Great tip about the third floor - I definitely want a balcony to relax on!

I can't wait for you to start your TR and see all of your Poly pics!

Tokelau--overlooked the quiet pool, close to the GCH, close to the bus stop
Tuvalu--had a deck on the end that overlooked the volcano pool/water/beautiful view of castle/MK/GF/Contemporary, close to GCH, farther walk to bus stop and TTC (Brent's pick over the two--I liked both equally)

Now that I'm FIANLLY done editing all of my Photopass pics, I hope to start my TR very soon!!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

You NEED to do the fireworks cruise! A few years ago my sisters and grandparents chipped in (like you said, they're aren't cheap!) for my parent's anniversary and we did an Illuminations cruise. It was amazing. The boats dock right under the bridge between the UK & France, and the view was great. Our captain even took us out a while before and drove us down towards DHS and around Crescent Lake, too. Totally worth it, and I'd love to do it again! It would be so romantic, just you and Miguel!

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the cruise! I haven't read about too many people actually doing them, so it's nice to know they're worth it! How special you got to venture over to DHS too!

I just realized, I don't think I responded to your Special Things list yet.

- I've only been to one signature dining restaurant, but it was amazing. We did Yachtsmen Steakhouse last year, and it was worth the 2 TS credits, and I would have gladly paid OOP for it.

- I like the hot air balloon in theory, but I am way too chicken to actually do it. I don't really have a fear of heights, just of falling

- The PO carriage ride is also on my list this year, especially since that's the resort where we will be staying. I wanted to do it last year, but didn't find the time.

I've been reading some great things about Yachtsman lately - it sounds like I definitely need to look into that one further.

I hope you get to do the carriage ride! If you do, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing about it!

Hi!
I think we have a lot of the same ideas for our honeymoons lol

Hope to go to the spa at GF, and lots of signature dining!

I can whole-heartedly recommend the Illuminations cruise.. we did one last summer and it was the best part of our trip! The view from the water is breath-taking.. completely wrapped up in the music/fireworks/fountains .. before the fireworks we had about 40 minutes cruising around the lakes, sailed to the Hollywood Studios and back.. (Captain Mike was great!!)
I think it was $320 (including tax, a captain, snacks & sodas) and we paid extra to have some wine & beers onboard (from Yacht Club private dining)

For honeymoon I'm hoping to do the Wishes cruise.. as we'll be staying near MK... I agree, I want it to be just me & DH (!) on the boat.. despite the cost, it'll be so romantic!

Emma x

Yes, I think we're definitely thinking alike! I think we both are wanting the same "feel" for our honeymoons. I'm so glad we're getting to plan together!

Your Illuminations cruise experience sounds amazing! I think it would be so neat to not only see the fireworks, but to sail over to DHS too. About how long were you on the boat for the entire ride?