Honeymoon/First visit to WDW

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Joined: 04/28/2015
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Honeymoon/First visit to WDW

Greetings all!! I am out of my skin excited about my upcoming trip to WDW. I am a HUGE Disney fan, like so very many of us here, and am thrilled that my first experience at WDW will be with my new husband muchlove

I grew up in Cali, so have visited Disneyland a number of times, but have never been to WDW and am finding myself a little overwhelmed with all of the things to do, see, and eat. lol I want it to be as perfect, romantic and fun as possible!

I would love, love, LOVE any tips, advice, helpful hints, etc etc

We will be visiting Sunday, December 27th through Saturday, January 2nd. We have been looking at Port Orleans, Riverside. Is it worth the extra bit of money for the Royal Suite? I love the extra bit of Disney in there! I know it's two queen size beds... we'll just alternate which bed we sleep in wink lol Or maybe one of you has a better resort suggestion? We want to remain in the $300 a night range.

We are looking at including the memory maker and doing the deluxe meal plan. I know that I would like to do a couple of character meals -any suggestions?- and I saw something about a private dinner at the Floridian that looks magical as well. Really looking forward to hearing from all of you! Hope your Tuesday is Terrific biggrin awesome clapping

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Allie's picture
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Hi and welcome and congrats on both your upcoming trip and your honeymoon! muchlove I haven't heard a ton of feedback on the Royal Guest Rooms, I don't know a ton of people who have stayed in them. Port Orleans is a beautiful resort though and very romantic. My biggest tip is to utilize FastPass+ and to make your dining reservations as soon as your 180 window opens, especially if you are planning on doing the deluxe dining. You want to take advantage of those credits and you are going during a really busy time. If it were me I would do a breakfast with one credit in the morning and then do a two credit meal at night (signature dining or one of the dinner shows). We've only ever used the standard dining plan and we were STUFFED on two meals a day. Happy planning! yay

NikkiMouse's picture
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Welcome!! I do not have any experience with POR, but I do have a lot of experience with the parks. Make a plan is my biggest piece of advice. I went my first time without a plan in place and we just kind of winged it. For me, it is not that type of trip. There is so much to do and see and a plan helps you see what you want to see. People make fun of my spreadsheet, but I know what we are doing and when we are doing it. Since I have started that, I never feel like I am missing out. welcome

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figgy's picture
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CONGRATS muchlove muchlove muchlove First get the Unofficial guide to Disney. Yes it is a bit of reading but it can really help with the planning. Rope drop is so important, by getting into the park first thing you can get sooooo much done in the first hour or 2. As for dining might I suggest CP for a meal with Winnie the Pooh and friends and CM to meet the fab 5. My dh and I had a rather wonderful meal at BOG and it's the only place in MK to have a glass of wine with dinner. The other dining suggestion I have is make an ADR for the Fantasmic dinner package, just stay away from Hollywood and Vile.

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Mousedreaming's picture
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Congratulations! Port Orleans is a great resort. I have stayed in the Royal Rooms twice. It depends on what you are looking for. If it were just me and my hubby, I think I would have been just as happy in a Magnolia Bend room. Lots of gardens and paths to wander. The evening is especially lovely. Don't miss the boat to Downtown Disney. Maybe a carriage ride? Make sure you walk the path along the Sassagoula to Port Orleans French Quarter, a lovely hand in hand stroll.

The parks will be crowded. Making rope drop is a good idea. When the parks get too crazy, check out the ginger bread creations and Christmas decor at the deluxe resorts.

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Belinda's picture
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welcome and congrats! I think you will love Riverside - very lush and romantic! We are heading back there in 15 days for our 30th anniversary. Will let you know if we end up with a Royal room - actually requested Alligator Bayou this time. When I am planning I like to find out what park is open late each night and then do my planning around that. I am not much of a morning person, so we tend to stay late. Yes, I do make a spreadsheet too. So much easier to plan if I can see it all in one spot!

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WoW!! Thank you so much you guys!! yay I'm taking notes awesome Belinda I would love to hear about your trip when you get back!

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JoAnn C's picture
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HI and welcome. I agree with Allie on the deluxe dining plan - 1 credit for breakfast and signature restaurant or dinner show (2 credit) for dinner. You'll also have 2 snack credits per night of stay.

Some of my favorites are:

Character breakfast - Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)
Non-character breakfast - Kona Cafe (Poly)
Dinner show - Hoop Dee Doo Revue (Ft Wilderness)
Signature dinner - Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club)
Character signature dinner - Cinderella's Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)

POR is a beautiful resort. I stayed in the Alligator Bayou section in October.

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finngirl's picture
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When it's busy, I'll second the rope drop recommendation. Getting there well before opening will save you a ton of time later in the day. You can get the big rides/attractions done before it gets crazy, then do the secondary things or go back to the resort for a rest, and then return to the park in the late afternoon/evening. Are you going to get park hoppers? That can work really well when it's busy - do rope drop and standby at your first park, go rest for a while, and then use your FP in the second park.

We love POR, but have never stayed in a Royal room. The grounds are beautiful, and the boat to DD is a real perk.

You won't be able to do/see everything - we've done at least 8 trips, and there are still things we haven't tried. But you will have a fabulous time. awesome

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Kris1971's picture
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Congratulations on your upcoming Disneymoon! muchlove

My husband and I spent our honeymoon at WDW and absolutely loved it. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. One tip I have, is make sure you get the Happily Ever After buttons when you check in and wear them throughout your stay. Its so cool how everyone congratulates you and sometimes it can even get you a few perks (like a better seat at a restaurant or show, or a free snack, etc.).

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Welcome and congrats!!! Disney is a wonderful place to honeymoon. Port Orleans is a lovely resort and very romantic. The carriage rides are very nice and the boat to DTD is also fun. We have never stayed in a Royal room yet but they look interesting. Have fun and enjoy the magic of Disney! mickey

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Welcome and congratumalations stars WDW is a great place to honeymoon .
If you can i would recomend getting the Mickey/Minnie bride/groom ear hats.We got them on ours and recieved a lot of congratulations and attention from cast members and the general public.
As for POR we will be staying there for the first time this May and have requested the mansion buildings (and hinted about the Royal rooms crossfingers ).I will be posting a trip report when i get back and will be happy to let you know what we thought of it.

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Mrferret wrote:
Welcome and congratumalations stars WDW is a great place to honeymoon .
If you can i would recomend getting the Mickey/Minnie bride/groom ear hats.We got them on ours and recieved a lot of congratulations and attention from cast members and the general public.
As for POR we will be staying there for the first time this May and have requested the mansion buildings (and hinted about the Royal rooms crossfingers ).I will be posting a trip report when i get back and will be happy to let you know what we thought of it.

That would be great! Thank you so much!

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Now, I'm wondering if we should do the Alligator Bayou or the Mansions.... while lovely, the Bayou rooms seem to have a bit more "Disney" to them... any advice?

We did order these super cute sweatshirts/t-shirts to have while we are there...

doing this as a black t-shirt
http://www.13thave.com/store/13th-avenue-clothing/just-married-2/

doing grey with black lettering/mickey/minnie hooded sweatshirts

http://www.13thave.com/store/13th-avenue-clothing/mickey-minnie-kiss-mr-mrs/?attribute_pa_o-style=pullover-hoodies&attribute_pa_color=gray&attribute_pa_mr-size=adult-large&attribute_pa_mrs-size=adult-large&attribute_pa_graphic-colors=black-4

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Congratulations!! Everyone has already given you fantastic tips awesome I especially loved the Unofficial Guide to Disney World as well. It even breaks down the restaurants in a section and the time it takes to get from the resorts to the parks. It's so exciting that you're going for your honeymoon and first time! Don't forget to tell them that in the reservations and don't forget your buttons! clapping My husband loved wearing his first time at Disney World button, people told him welcome and brought it up often. I think it made his visit a little more special. A couple of our favorite restaurants were Be Our Guest and Victoria & Albert's. I agree that you should take note of the day you'll be able to make reservations, so you can get some of the harder ones. Be Our Guest was amazing, the dining experience was MAGICAL and the food was delicious. Victoria & Albert's was a phenomenal fine dining experience. The food, the service, the atmosphere, everything was AMAZING and very romantic. When I booked the reservations, I booked them online. The website opens sooner than the phone lines for reservations. I waited up until the hour of opening to book all of them. Have a plan before doing so! Big smile Also, one thing I didn't know when I went to the parks was to avoid the parks with Magic Hours. I've heard the tip of only attending the park for the magic hour if you must, but then hop over to another park to avoid the crowd. While I was there, it was true, the wait times were half of what they were in the magic hour park. Are you fans of Cirque du Soleil? La Nouba at Downtown Disney was my first Cirque du Soleil show and it holds a special place with me. It is a great show if you have some time during the evening.

Just curious, are you two Harry Potter fans as well or planning to go to Universal while you're there?

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Be Our Guest tip - If at first you don't succeed try, try again. On my first attempt to get BOG I had no luck. So I tried every single day and then an early lunch popped up. I snagged it! Then I kept trying every day after that and an early dinner popped up! So I took that one too! Times DO open up, so don't give up.

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