The Accidental Honeymoon - A September 2020 Trip Report - Now With(out) PhotoPass!

[butterscotchcollins]

Things I have never done before this trip report:

• Actually written a trip report
• Gotten married
• Made an ADR

But if ever there was a confluence of serendipitous life events, 2020 seems like a good year for it to happen. So, welcome to the thread! You may have seen me around the DISboards over the past year talking about how we were planning a beautiful wedding in New Orleans this coming November. You may also have seen me posting about training for my first ever Half Marathon, spraining my ankle, running 13.1 miles around my neighborhood anyway after the cancellation of the Star Wars Rival Run weekend, rescheduling that trip for September, and harassing my fiance to book Yacht Club so that for the first time ever I could stay at a Deluxe because we needed some joy in 2020. Well, the wedding got postponed, but the planned September trip stuck, and my sweet fiance and I made the decision to have a Coronalopement and turn our Disney trip into something of a Honeymoon.

Disclaimer, and advanced apologies if this offends anyone: I N-E-V-E-R wanted to have a Disney honeymoon. And I love Disney. To me, a honeymoon should be exotic and romantic and the Jungle Cruise skippers don't exactly scream ROMANCE to me. And above all, a honeymoon should be relaxing, which unless you are a white-water-rapids-level go-with-the-flow kind of person is basically impossible on a Disney vacation (usually, but SPOILER ALERT not this time!). Since we had already planned to take this trip without our families (another first), it seemed like the perfect excuse to celebrate just the two of us and test out our new identities as Mr. & Mrs.

A little more about me: I am a proud native New Yorker from the Bronx and childless millennial who works in marketing for a global conglomerate that sadly isn't Disney. My Princess of choice is Lilo tbh but if I had to pick any character as my spirit animal it would be Forky.

So, here we go - I'll be writing up this trip report as a newly minted Wife! Thanks in advance for following along

Follow along with this handy Table of Contents!
So here we go!
Mistakes Were Made
The Cow We Ate Had A Really Cute Nose
I will never pay for PhotoPass

 

[Bama Mom]

Congrats on the coronalopement! Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

 

[suse66]

Great intro....joining in!

 

[jerseygal]

CONGRATS on your marriage, awesome ! You unfortunately join the ranks with so many weddings that were planned and sadly had to be postponed! Following along!

 

[Ensusieasm]

Best Wishes for many happy years together!
Can’t wait to read about your adventures!

 

[SugarSweetLee]

Hooray! We are having a tiny backyard wedding in 3 weeks and planning a Disney honeymoon for Christmas vacation in December. Will be great to hear how yours went and any tips you have for making it more relaxing and romantic than the typical Disney trip!

 

[jerseygal]

Hooray! We are having a tiny backyard wedding in 3 weeks and planning a Disney honeymoon for Christmas vacation in December. Will be great to hear how yours went and any tips you have for making it more relaxing and romantic than the typical Disney trip!

How exciting for you! Countdown, CONGRATS in advance! Enjoy your honeymoon!

 

[CruellaNY]

Have to come back to read your intro but wanted to say I'm here and looking forward to reading!

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Congrats on the coronalopement! Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

Great intro....joining in!

CONGRATS on your marriage, awesome ! You unfortunately join the ranks with so many weddings that were planned and sadly had to be postponed! Following along!

Best Wishes for many happy years together!
Can’t wait to read about your adventures!

Thanks, guys!!

Hooray! We are having a tiny backyard wedding in 3 weeks and planning a Disney honeymoon for Christmas vacation in December. Will be great to hear how yours went and any tips you have for making it more relaxing and romantic than the typical Disney trip!

Ahh congratulations and best wishes! I will be sure to throw some tips into my TR for you

How exciting for you! Countdown, CONGRATS in advance! Enjoy your honeymoon!

Thank you so much!

Have to come back to read your intro but wanted to say I'm here and looking forward to reading!

Thanks for joining! You and @Jenny Sanders definitely inspired me to write this

 

[butterscotchcollins]

So here we go!


Departure day was Labor Day. We were at the World this time last year right before Dorian threatened to descend. (I distinctly remember frantically calling the airline on the bus to Epcot trying to change our flight home, failing, and getting a liiiiiittle too "happy" at Food & Wine to combat the anxiety of possibly being stuck.) This time: clear skies, full hearts, can't lose.

It's a short and uneventful flight down to MCO (no complaints) but my level of excitement was somewhere between "toddler trying ice cream for the first time" and "winner of the largest megaball jackpot in history." And this is on the plane before we've even taken off, but if you think that was the peak of my excitement you are mistaken. I was told to calm down several times and I COULD NOT


Trying to play it cool. I assume at some point I'll get around to also getting a wedding band lol.

Honeymoon Tip #1: When you deplane, hold your honey's hand and take a romantic stroll through the terminal. Do not power walk in your rush of adrenaline so far ahead of your new spouse that you catch the sky train to baggage claim and leave them behind not realizing that they were not also power-walking behind you like an overexcited buffalo.

We boarded our magical waiting motorcoach and were off within five minutes - yet another reason to be SO!!!!!!!!! EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Arriving under the Walt Disney World Resort sign made me emotional. We pulled a quick right onto the road to Yacht Club and if diving straight out of the moving bus instead of waiting one more second to arrive was an option, I would've.

"Please calm down." - patient husband


He wishes this had been an option.

BUT I COULDN'T!!!!!! We entered the lobby and oh my goodness gracious that beautiful light floral scent that greeted us stole my heart. Nobody prepared me for it! I had no idea it was a thing! *stalks Magic Candle Company for its equivalent*

We had not received a room ready text so we rolled up past all the sad people with their luggage in the lobby waiting to depart to the newly empty check-in desk, and were quickly sorted out with buttons, room assignment and hotel map.

Honeymoon Tip #2: If you love attention (I certainly do), definitely tell the front desk you are on your honeymoon and ask for the Happily Ever After/I'm Celebrating buttons. I can't say wearing them around got us sprinkled with any extra pixie dust but it was so sweet to be congratulated by excited CMs and guests alike. If you do not love attention, don't wear them.

Walking toward the elevator bank I was hit with another pleasant smell, the mouthwatering scent of warm chocolate chip cookies pumped through the hallway from the Ale & Compass Market. I don't care if it's fake, I was here for it.

Our room had this absolutely gorgeous view from the balcony:

Not pictured but in scope: the mast of the SAB slide, the Wedding Gazebo, the Skyliner at International Gateway, and the Boardwalk! More balcony pics to come (plus one semi-horrifying story for the brave).

At this point we were starving so we decided to see what was available for lunch. Behold! An ADR at The Wave over at the Contemporary! But how to get there? Maybe we embark on an epic multi-transport, multi-resort odyssey?

Stay tuned...

 

[Ensusieasm]

 

[CruellaNY]

Our room had this absolutely gorgeous view from the balcony:

Really nice view!

Did I know you're from the Bronx? I feel like maybe I did lol. DH is from Morris Park but he's been up here since he was 16

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Really nice view!

Did I know you're from the Bronx? I feel like maybe I did lol. DH is from Morris Park but he's been up here since he was 16

I think I've mentioned it around the boards - we currently live in Queens but I will always be a Bronx girl!

 

[DLo]

Just found your report. Love your writing style and sense of humor ! Congratulations! Following along . Looking forward to reading more about your adventures.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Just found your report. Love your writing style and sense of humor ! Congratulations! Following along . Looking forward to reading more about your adventures.

Thanks and thanks for joining!

 

[tundra1]

What a fun intro into your trip report! My husband and I honeymooned at WDW 34+ years ago, and are going back with our extended family for our 35th Anniversary Celebration in November. I love your excitement and can't wait to read more! Congratulations on your all your reasons to celebrate!

 

[Microcell]

Wow congrats to you turning 2020 into a year to remember fondly! Following along!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Congratulations!
Joining in - I love how you are able to transmit your excitement in the trip report, it’s contagious!

 

[kimberwee]

Congratulations! Can't wait to hear more about your trip.

 

[suse66]

Your view is awesome! I adore the Yacht Club....what a perfect place to stay. I too love your energy and enthusiasm.....I feel it all just reading along!