Advice for honeymooners/first timers

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Advice for honeymooners/first timers

I'm planning on a Disney honeymoon in May. I've been researching and planning like crazy, but wondered if there was any additional advice from anyone on here about how to make the most of it.

I've only been to Disney World once (in 2002), but I was only 13 and with family, so it was a very different experience than the one I'm planning. My fiance has never been, so any info for Disney newbies would also be great! He was a little nervous when I first brought up Disney as a honeymoon idea that it would be too geared to kids, and this site has been awesome for convincing him otherwise.

J.P.'s picture
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Congratulations Brittney! May is a beautiful time to visit Disney World.

My must do tips would be:
1. TELL DISNEY! Make sure they know you're coming for your honeymoon and wear the buttons they give you where ever you go. I received many extras from cast members when I had my "just married" button on.

2. Book at least one fancy table service meal (and be sure they know it's a honeymoon!). Sometimes you get free dessert or other perks when the servers know it's a special occasion. There are many romantic restaurants at EPCOT's World Showcase.

3. Stay at a romantic resort. POR or POFQ are gorgeous moderate resorts for honeymooners. And, of course, the deluxe resorts are all beautiful!

4. Relax. Remember, you don't have to run around like crazy or stand in long lines. Get fast passes and enjoy strolling through the parks and going on rides with shorter wait times in the meanwhile.

Well, that's all I got! Hope you have a beautiful wedding and a fantastic honeymoon!

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Congratulations! Welcome to the boards Laughing out loud

We honeymooned there in 2009 and had a wonderful time Smile We did a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness camp ground one evening, a wishes boat cruise (pricey but sooooo worth it). As its been said make sure EVERYwhere you go knows its your honeymoon and wear badges (you get them from guest relations at the parks) as you will recieve lots of attention with them on.

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Thanks for the tips! We are actually planning to stay at POR, in the new royalty rooms, which I believe will be open by then. I've seen so much about possible perks that I'm a little scared we won't get any. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, and I know Disney has no obligation to give us anything, but after all the cool things I've seen people get, it'd be hard not to be a little let down. At least the buttons are a guarantee!

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Hello, Congrats and welcome to the boards. My husband and I are going this October for the first time and it is our anniversary. I did pretty much what everyone else is telling you, lol. We have a great dinner ADR for California Grill on our actual anniversary for a time slot that should be perfect for fireworks viewing. We are also doing a carriage ride but it is actually at the POR resort, maybe that is something you can look into. I also agree with getting a "Just Married" button and ALWAYS having it on. Make sure when you make ADR's or reservations for anything that you let them know it is your honeymoon.

There are so many awesome things available to make trip's there amazing. I can't wait to hear how your planning goes.

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Welcome and congratulations! We went to Disney on our honeymoon two years ago (it was both mine and my husband's first real trip back since we were kids) and we both LOVED it. We've actually gone back every year since, haha.

Staying in POR was a great choice - the atmosphere is fantastic and after our anniversary trip there last year, it's become our favorite resort. One of the nice things about POR is you can set up a horse & carriage ride that goes by the water around the resort. You can arrange for that with the Concierge any time during your stay. Port Orleans also has a ferry that can take you to and from Downtown Disney - it's a nice break from the buses. Downtown Disney also has a hot air balloon which will take you up to give you a view of several of the parks/resort areas. It wasn't expensive - I think it was somewhere between $15-20/person. And I agree with the others about scheduling your meal reservations before you arrive, so you can be guaranteed to have at least one nice meal while you are there.

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The thought of being in a hot air balloon totally freaks me out, but for $15-20, I might make myself do it. I'm sure it's a great experience and I could stand to be taken out of my comfort zone every once in a while.

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Here's more info about it from the Downtown Disney site:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/downtown-disney/attractions/characters-in-flight/

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Just some info on the ballon : it is a helium filled balloon that is tethered. The maximum height it goes is 400 feet up. Also it's a good idea to call to make sure it is going up because it has wind restriction and does cancel alot. We have been up in it several times and it's a great ride. Scrappy doesn't general like heights but she got over this one real quick.

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Brittney - congratulations and welcome to the boards! That is so awesome that we were able to help you plan your trip and convince your fiance - and we didn't even know it!

Gosh, you've gotten great advice here. I haven't honeymooned in the World, so I'm not sure I could add anything, other than to agree with JP - take it slow. There will always be more to see and do. So just enjoy yourselves.

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Thanks everyone! I'm sure I'll have tons of questions the whole time I'm planning, so expect plenty of posts from me Smile .

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We are actually first-timers (and still newly-weds) and we are going in September. Let me assure you that this place is full of friendly suggestions.

Congrats on convincing the future hub to honeymoon in The World. I tried to convince mine but I failed. So as soon as we got back from our honeymoon (a very nice relaxing trip to Puerto Vallarta) we started planning our trip to Disney! We haven't even gone yet and I am already wondering when we can go back again...I am becoming a monster.

I will offer you any knowledge I gain or suggestions after our trip Smile

L.

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Brittney talk to CarJust

He thought I was crazy when I wanted to go for my 30th
Until he got there and then everything changed. So he would be a great one to talk to about what it really means as an adult.

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My husband was also very, VERY reluctant to go to Disney on our honeymoon, but he would up having a fantastic time, and as I mentioned, we've gone back every year since. Our most recent trip in June was actually at his suggestion!

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LOL it was the other way round for me and my hubs! I had been many times but he hadnt, but whereas i wanted to go somewhere like a sandles resort (couples only) he wanted to go to WDW as he'd never been, well he won Laughing out loud
Laughing out loud Laughing out loud

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Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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Hi Brittney. My husband and I went to Disney for our honeymoon in March 2009. We stayed at Port Orleans (French Quarter) and absolutely loved it. It was much more quaint and quiet than some of the other on property resorts we've stayed at. Definitely make sure you where the "just married" button. We got great seats at some of the shows, got the best seats on some rides (like Soarin) and I even got free sugared almonds at one of the stands in Magic Kingdom when the CM working there noticed my button. You are going to have a wonderful time! Can't wait to hear all about it.

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It looks like our trip could be pushed back to next October for financial reasons sad . On the plus side, October seems to be a great month to visit Disney, so if it happens, it won't be too terrible.

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We're honeymooning there in May as well! We both love love love kids, but we're wondering where we can stay where we have less of a chance of getting woken up super early by some of them... waiting We were thinking the Polynesian?

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Brittney wrote:
It looks like our trip could be pushed back to next October for financial reasons sad . On the plus side, October seems to be a great month to visit Disney, so if it happens, it won't be too terrible.

Not a bad time to go with the International Food and Wine Festival and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party going on.

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Hi Brittney, we're also planning a DW honeymoon either in May or Oct/Nov, so i'll be stalking this thread! Congrats on your nuptials!

AMorrisPiper wrote:
We're honeymooning there in May as well! We both love love love kids, but we're wondering where we can stay where we have less of a chance of getting woken up super early by some of them... waiting We were thinking the Polynesian?

AMorrisPiper, totally agree with you. We're also looking for a less 'kid-friendly' resort but haven't narrowed down to one yet. Think of Contemporary or Boardwalk or Poly as well...

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oreo.cinn wrote:
Hi Brittney, we're also planning a DW honeymoon either in May or Oct/Nov, so i'll be stalking this thread! Congrats on your nuptials!

AMorrisPiper wrote:
We're honeymooning there in May as well! We both love love love kids, but we're wondering where we can stay where we have less of a chance of getting woken up super early by some of them... waiting We were thinking the Polynesian?

AMorrisPiper, totally agree with you. We're also looking for a less 'kid-friendly' resort but haven't narrowed down to one yet. Think of Contemporary or Boardwalk or Poly as well...

I hate saying it... but the more expensive the resort... the less likely you will find kids. The one exception is probably Animal Kingdom Lodge... but thats due to the fact it has a safari in its backyard. BUT... out of all the times we have stayed there... there have been kids, but I think most were "visiting". Now... we have 2 kids, and the floor we were on... I think there was one other family with kids, and they always headed out when we did, and that wasnt till 10ish. I dont remember ever being woken up by screaming kids at AKL. Just food for thought.

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Time of year lol

we go and stay at POP but we go when there are no kiddies around

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Mase wrote:
I hate saying it... but the more expensive the resort... the less likely you will find kids.

I agree with this, to some extent. The caveat is that most of the the Deluxe Resort rooms sleep 5, and for larger families, or just ones with older kids (like mine) that day bed can be very important. The older kids also don't usually make as much noise though. The only place that anyone in my family has been woken up by kids was at the All Star Movies during Pop Warner. The cheerleaders in the courtyard really made my mom angry. I have never had a problem with noise at the Deluxe Resorts.

Like I've mentioned in other posts, I find the Contemporary crowded and overrun with people in general. I'm a huge fan of the Grand Floridian for adult atmosphere. I barely even noticed kids when I was there in March, and I know that they were around, but because I was traveling without mine they weren't a concern.

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oreo.cinn wrote:
Hi Brittney, we're also planning a DW honeymoon either in May or Oct/Nov, so i'll be stalking this thread! Congrats on your nuptials!

How cool! You'll have to let me know which you end up choosing and any good tips as your planning! I'm sure as time goes on my questions/comments for our trip will keep rolling in.

Congrats to you too! I feel like I see engaged/recently married couples everywhere since we made it official.

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Ok, so I suck and deleted a quote thing somewhere. Only the first two lines should be a quote. My reply is after.

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Brittney wrote:
Ok, so I suck and deleted a quote thing somewhere. Only the first two lines should be a quote. My reply is after.

No worries Brittney, happens to all of us at sometime or another! laugh

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Hello and congrats! I second what everyone else said about making sure restaurants know that it's your honeymoon and getting pins- we got plenty of free, decorated dessert that way!

Also, since it's a honeymoon and you may want photos together, I suggest pre-buying the photopass CD. The value outways the cost of buying individual shots afterward and they take some great shots! We bought it on our engage-cation (lol) last summer and were so happy we had the photos to preserve the memory and also didn't have to ask tons of other people to take a photo for us!

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/

Le Cellier in particular made a cute dessert for us, btw!

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Wow - welcome AND congrats to all the new folks who have found us! And I agree Brittney - if you have to delay til October, you won't be sorry, at least from a Disney standpoint. Handsdown, Oct and Nov are my fave months to visit!

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Lizzy_B wrote:
Wow - welcome AND congrats to all the new folks who have found us! And I agree Brittney - if you have to delay til October, you won't be sorry, at least from a Disney standpoint. Handsdown, Oct and Nov are my fave months to visit!

I've actually become so enamored by all the stuff I've seen about Disney in October that I might be willing to delay it even if we were able to put back the money for a May trip. It would give us more time to save "fun" money, we both LOVE Halloween, and the room rates are better. Not to mention it would give us a lot of time to destress from the wedding, and make our Gatlinburg "honeymoon weekend" a little more special. The only downside is having to wait another 5 months for such an awesome vacation.

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Brittney wrote:
It looks like our trip could be pushed back to next October for financial reasons sad . On the plus side, October seems to be a great month to visit Disney, so if it happens, it won't be too terrible.

We went on our honeymoon to Disney in 2006. October is my favorite time to go to Disney. Especially if you can take advantage of Food and Wine Festival and the Halloween Party. It's awesome. Basically you'll get attention with the Honeymoon buttons..even from other guests. It surprised me how many "regular" people wished us congratulations.

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