Hi Dis Family! My wife and I just returned Saturday from our first trip to Walt Disney World and our honeymoon. I have so much I want to share and pics I want you to see but to post it all at once would take a long time which I don't have right now so I will separate my report into each day we were there! Before I move on I do want to thank each and everyone who answered questions and gave tips. It helped wonderfully and I would have been lost without them. 
Let me set the stage Michelle and I were just married the day before in a beautiful wedding. Michelle grew up poor and her family never could afford more then a 1 day trip to the beach. Not only would this be her honeymoon but her first vacation ever. And the first Disney trip for the both of us.
DW (Michelle) ----->
Me(DH) (Brandon)----->
Day 1 April 23, 2006:
At 4:00 am my new wife and I arrive at RDU international airport in Raleigh, NC. This is my first time flying to you can imagine that my nerves were a little wary. Michelle was a little frustrated because we arrived 2 hours before the flight. My logic is to get there early and make sure you make your flight. Besides this was my first time in an airport with the intention to get on a plane so of course I really didn't know what to expect. Our flight took off at 6:00 a.m. I booked a early flight because I wanted to get to WDW ASAP. The sooner the better. I've been through so much planning and surfing on the DIS that the anticipation was eating away at me. We were using Magical Express and had placed our tags onto the luggage. I was a bit worried but put my faith in Disney and hoped for the best.
I've heard so many horror about lost luggage and the last thing I wanted on our honeymoon was to buy new clothes and supplies with our honeymoon money. I checked our bags in and we were on the way to POP century and so excited!
At 6:00 am we boarded out flight which was connecting in Atlanta and then off to Orlando. Atlanta is a big airport and can be very confusing. We flew airtran which has it's main hub in Atlanta. When we got off the plane the our next terminal was only a couple hundred feet down the hall so no big deal.
I will not go into deep details about the flight but I did enjoy it . After the first take off and landing it was quite enjoyable. For a first time flyer I was extremely nervous but still very excited. ( I know thats a weird combo) I found out that I like flying but turbulence will take some getting use to.
But finally at 10:40 am we landed at MCO in Orlando and the excitement grew. I had survived my first place ride and now was on Disney Ground! I have to say the ride from Atlanta to Orlando was a little nerver racking because of all the screaming kids. I think everyone on that plane was heading for WDW and my luck POP! 
But who cared because we were in ORLANDO!
At this point I was pumped but as soon as we located the Magical Express desk is when I started having serious doubts about choosing WDW for our honeymoon. The line was absolutely horrible and out of control. The Disney cast members were yelling and fussing with everyone around them. They wouldn't let my wife stand in line with me and made her go wait in a separate area to the right. This made me angry but I obliged and kept my mouth shut. After waiting about 45 minutes to see a ME rep I finally got clearance to go to the buses. At this point the lines for each resort are separated and you go down your resort line. The lines for this were horrible as well and once again we had to wait about another 45 minutes before being escorted outside and sat on a bus.
This whole experience was horrible and unorganized. Add a million little kids screaming and you get a miserable time! The only other thing I didn't like was that we were put on a regular Mears bus. I had planned for months, studied WDW and was looking forward to the magic starting at ME but instead we got a regular, smelly bus which had no WDW magic. Some may think I'm too picky or ungrateful but it was nothing like I was expecting. Next time I will not use ME but instead pay $80.00 for a town car round trip. I know its free but you get what you pay for. I didn't pay anything and I got NOTHING! After the bus ride we ended up getting to the resort about 1:30 p.m. This is a very colorful resort with a strong Disney feel to it which is exactly what I wanted. So far I loved it. Driving up I could see the large yo-yo and bowling pin which made me feel like a kid. It was kind of refreshing and a relief. Getting off the bus we were carrying only our carry ons which was wonderful not having to carry around all our luggage. We walked into the lobby which was nice but once again the Disney magic was sucked out of the air when I saw the check in line.
Please let me say Im expecting something magical and unforgettable but once again I was faced with a long line of people checking in and checking out. I was upset because there was like 20 cast members checking people in/out and yet it still took about an hour to finally get to a desk to check in. We finally checked in and we given our king bed room. It was handicapped accessible but we didnt care because we got our king bed which was very comfortable. After getting in our room and settled we were very hungry and went down to the food court for something to tie us over until our 7:00 reservations as Wolf Gang Pucks in DTD.
Upon entering the food court we were bombarded by huge crowds, loud kids which seemed as if they had a mission to scream and cry. I was becoming depressed, sad and really was regretting this trip and wishing I had went somewhere else instead. This was the exact opposite of what I expected and was ready for it to end. The food was so so and but fulfilled the need for the moment. After about an hour in the food court Michelle ( My wife ) and I went back to the room to find our luggage sitting there safely and all there. Finally something good and something that worked right. ME had done its job on the luggage and things seems to start turning around. Michelle and I got dressed and headed for DTD. After a short walk to Wolf Gang Pucks we arrived and requested a table outside next to the lake. We were seated outside and it was so beautiful. The sun was setting and temp was perfect. Everything bad that had happened that day was starting to melt away and Michelle and I were truly enjoying Disney. The food here at Wolfs was probably the best Ive ever had. Michelle felt the same way. We were on the dining plan and was able to order what ever we pleased. I will get into the dining plan later but it was the best investment I have ever made. The chance to choose what ever you want off the menu without having to worry about the price is AWESOME and we loved it. After we left we caught a movie and then headed back to POP. What started as a bad day at Disney turned out in the end to be romantic and perfect. Perhaps things were starting to turn around. We would have to see because the next day I was going to surprise Michelle with a breakfast at POLY because she loves LILO and Stitch and then off to the Magic Kingdom.
Let me set the stage Michelle and I were just married the day before in a beautiful wedding. Michelle grew up poor and her family never could afford more then a 1 day trip to the beach. Not only would this be her honeymoon but her first vacation ever. And the first Disney trip for the both of us.
DW (Michelle) ----->
Me(DH) (Brandon)----->
Day 1 April 23, 2006:
At 4:00 am my new wife and I arrive at RDU international airport in Raleigh, NC. This is my first time flying to you can imagine that my nerves were a little wary. Michelle was a little frustrated because we arrived 2 hours before the flight. My logic is to get there early and make sure you make your flight. Besides this was my first time in an airport with the intention to get on a plane so of course I really didn't know what to expect. Our flight took off at 6:00 a.m. I booked a early flight because I wanted to get to WDW ASAP. The sooner the better. I've been through so much planning and surfing on the DIS that the anticipation was eating away at me. We were using Magical Express and had placed our tags onto the luggage. I was a bit worried but put my faith in Disney and hoped for the best.
I've heard so many horror about lost luggage and the last thing I wanted on our honeymoon was to buy new clothes and supplies with our honeymoon money. I checked our bags in and we were on the way to POP century and so excited! At 6:00 am we boarded out flight which was connecting in Atlanta and then off to Orlando. Atlanta is a big airport and can be very confusing. We flew airtran which has it's main hub in Atlanta. When we got off the plane the our next terminal was only a couple hundred feet down the hall so no big deal.
I will not go into deep details about the flight but I did enjoy it . After the first take off and landing it was quite enjoyable. For a first time flyer I was extremely nervous but still very excited. ( I know thats a weird combo) I found out that I like flying but turbulence will take some getting use to.
But finally at 10:40 am we landed at MCO in Orlando and the excitement grew. I had survived my first place ride and now was on Disney Ground! I have to say the ride from Atlanta to Orlando was a little nerver racking because of all the screaming kids. I think everyone on that plane was heading for WDW and my luck POP! But who cared because we were in ORLANDO! At this point I was pumped but as soon as we located the Magical Express desk is when I started having serious doubts about choosing WDW for our honeymoon. The line was absolutely horrible and out of control. The Disney cast members were yelling and fussing with everyone around them. They wouldn't let my wife stand in line with me and made her go wait in a separate area to the right. This made me angry but I obliged and kept my mouth shut. After waiting about 45 minutes to see a ME rep I finally got clearance to go to the buses. At this point the lines for each resort are separated and you go down your resort line. The lines for this were horrible as well and once again we had to wait about another 45 minutes before being escorted outside and sat on a bus.
This whole experience was horrible and unorganized. Add a million little kids screaming and you get a miserable time! The only other thing I didn't like was that we were put on a regular Mears bus. I had planned for months, studied WDW and was looking forward to the magic starting at ME but instead we got a regular, smelly bus which had no WDW magic. Some may think I'm too picky or ungrateful but it was nothing like I was expecting. Next time I will not use ME but instead pay $80.00 for a town car round trip. I know its free but you get what you pay for. I didn't pay anything and I got NOTHING! After the bus ride we ended up getting to the resort about 1:30 p.m. This is a very colorful resort with a strong Disney feel to it which is exactly what I wanted. So far I loved it. Driving up I could see the large yo-yo and bowling pin which made me feel like a kid. It was kind of refreshing and a relief. Getting off the bus we were carrying only our carry ons which was wonderful not having to carry around all our luggage. We walked into the lobby which was nice but once again the Disney magic was sucked out of the air when I saw the check in line.
Please let me say Im expecting something magical and unforgettable but once again I was faced with a long line of people checking in and checking out. I was upset because there was like 20 cast members checking people in/out and yet it still took about an hour to finally get to a desk to check in. We finally checked in and we given our king bed room. It was handicapped accessible but we didnt care because we got our king bed which was very comfortable. After getting in our room and settled we were very hungry and went down to the food court for something to tie us over until our 7:00 reservations as Wolf Gang Pucks in DTD.
Upon entering the food court we were bombarded by huge crowds, loud kids which seemed as if they had a mission to scream and cry. I was becoming depressed, sad and really was regretting this trip and wishing I had went somewhere else instead. This was the exact opposite of what I expected and was ready for it to end. The food was so so and but fulfilled the need for the moment. After about an hour in the food court Michelle ( My wife ) and I went back to the room to find our luggage sitting there safely and all there. Finally something good and something that worked right. ME had done its job on the luggage and things seems to start turning around. Michelle and I got dressed and headed for DTD. After a short walk to Wolf Gang Pucks we arrived and requested a table outside next to the lake. We were seated outside and it was so beautiful. The sun was setting and temp was perfect. Everything bad that had happened that day was starting to melt away and Michelle and I were truly enjoying Disney. The food here at Wolfs was probably the best Ive ever had. Michelle felt the same way. We were on the dining plan and was able to order what ever we pleased. I will get into the dining plan later but it was the best investment I have ever made. The chance to choose what ever you want off the menu without having to worry about the price is AWESOME and we loved it. After we left we caught a movie and then headed back to POP. What started as a bad day at Disney turned out in the end to be romantic and perfect. Perhaps things were starting to turn around. We would have to see because the next day I was going to surprise Michelle with a breakfast at POLY because she loves LILO and Stitch and then off to the Magic Kingdom.
To end the day we got a perfect spot in front of the castle for wishes. It was about 20 feet in front of the Walt / Mickey Statue. She knew nothing about WDW but I did from reading on DIS and seeing pics. I heard about wished but didn't know exactly what to expect. As it started it took our breath away. This had to be the best fireworks show I had ever seen and she felt the same way. It was magnificent the way the music coordinated with the fireworks and the classic Disney music just brought tears to my eyes once more for the second time in a day. At this point is when the Disney Magic truly hit me. There was Cinderellas castle right in front of me. The castle that I had seen growing up, the castle that I had only seen in cartoons, the same castle that I had seen in pictures and so many commercials was right there in front of me. WOW. I was really here. Some one pinch me, is this real? This was what Disney Magic felt like and I was loving it. 
