Upgrading from Escape to Wishes?

[luandjustin]

Hi all, this is my first *real* post here. I've been lurking for a bit, and I love this site. Thank you for all your energy and time. It makes this place special.

So my DF (that's Disney fiancée, right?) and I decided this past weekend to switch from an Escape Wedding to a Wishes Wedding. We're really excited about this change of plans (despite the added financial costs). Now we can include all our close friends and family that we had to exclude under the Escape plan. (Haha... "escape plan." )

I sent an email to our coordinator (Karen) asking her if this was okay, but I haven't heard back yet. I'm sure she'll get back to us soon, but I'm wondering if any of you have made this switch. If so, are there any "gotchas" we need to look out for? Any advice you can impart?

We know about the hotel requirements and the minimum expenditures. Our original wedding date was on Friday, September 19th, but since the minimum expenditure for Fridays is $15k, we're requesting that our date be moved to Thursday the 18th with a minimum expenditure of $10k.

(I searched for this topic but didn't come up with anything; my apologies if this is a repeat.) A big in advance!!

 

[Nicola2010]

i think loads of brides have done this!

i originally started off as an escape too but am now mentally planning a wishes (i say mentally as nothing is booked with disney yet)

it certainly wont be an issue for disney as you will be guaranteeing to spend more money

keep us updated with your plans!

 

[lurkyloo]

We switched from Escape to Wishes - it's easy. The only hitch is whether the sites you want are still available.

Welcome!

 

[calismic]

We switched from an Escape to Wishes Wedding and hit a bit of a snag when our planner decided not to call us back. Basically when you switch you also receive a new sales coordinator. I finally ended up calling the main DFTW number and had a Wishes planner within the hour. Once we had our planner switched everything was smooth sailing. Not only did she make sure we kept our hold on the Pavilion she also got us a better time frame for our reception and had all of our room bookings switches to the discounted rate!

Not that there is anything wrong with an Escape Wedding, but I am so glad to have made the switch. Having the flexibility of making your own choices and having a planner available to discuss details with us is just well worth it even for the little extra money. And surprisingly we are not much over budget from the switch! I believe we are estimating that the cost will be ~$3000 more but we did add a new perks and invited a few more guests. =)

 

[luandjustin]

We switched from an Escape to Wishes Wedding and hit a bit of a snag when our planner decided not to call us back. Basically when you switch you also receive a new sales coordinator.

Oh, I didn't realize you get a new sales coordinator. That's good to know... and it might explain why we haven't heard back from our coordinator yet. I'll keep an eye on that. Thank you!

 

[luandjustin]

The only hitch is whether the sites you want are still available.

I noticed you guys got Morocco, which is a pretty rad site. The UK option sounds good, too. I don't see Morocco on the online Wish Book catalog thingy, though. I wonder if it's a seasonal thing... I'll have to ask our coordinator about that.

I've read that Epcot weddings have to be over by 10am. Did you feel rushed? Did it feel too early in the morning? (Personally, I love the idea of getting married in one of the parks. That's one of the huge benefits of switching to a Wishes Wedding, I think.)

Oh, and I'm pretty sure we're going to get Nathan and Jensey to do our photos, too. We love your pics! In fact, your photos were a big part of the reason we decide to spend a little extra on Root Photography.

 

[lurkyloo]

Oh cool! I think you'll like the Roots - they are so sweet and so good at what they do!

The reason Morocco isn't in the Wishbook is that the Wishbook is totally out of date and basically useless. There are SO many more options than they offer in the Wishbook - I didn't even use it after I'd actually contacted Disney to start planning the wedding. If you think of a place you'd like, just ask your new coordinator.

I didn't feel rushed out of the park at all. The ceremony was at 9 and lasted about 30 minutes (which I've heard is long...? ) Then we took pictures with each one of our guests before we headed to the dock. We actually got to the pre-reception really early - it felt like it lasted forever!

Getting up early was no problem cuz I was so excited, and it was TOTALLY worth it for the chance to be married in the parks.

 

[luandjustin]

The reason Morocco isn't in the Wishbook is that the Wishbook is totally out of date and basically useless. There are SO many more options than they offer in the Wishbook - I didn't even use it after I'd actually contacted Disney to start planning the wedding. If you think of a place you'd like, just ask your new coordinator.

Man, that is super useful information. The amount of aide you have been (here and elsewhere on DISboards) is just amazing. You are the patron saint of DFs everywhere!