I need a great sugguestion from all of you!

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mimi's picture
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I need a great sugguestion from all of you!

We'll here goes - My husband and I booked our WDW trip in October for an April vacation/long awaited honeymoon. muchlove I've been on oodles of websites and have found this one the most helpful of all. Here's my dilemma - (little back story first) My husband and I were married on 07/07/07 (yes, the luckiest day of my life!) We never went on a honeymoon and soon after ran into to some major financial issues - since that time we have worked extremely hard and now we are able to afford our Disney honeymoon!! clapping -- I really want to do something extra special (shhh it's a surprise) for my husband's very first trip to WDW - but can't figure out a thing. I've checked out all the gift baskets, etc and that's not really for him. So I'm putting it out to all of you - can you help?

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Hi and welcome Mimi! welcome Congrats on finally being able to make your dream honeymoon a reality! Where are you guys staying and how long are you going for?

I always thought it would be really cool to surprise my husband with this: http://www.giftsofalifetime.com/ They basically setup a scavenger hunt around one of the parks for your spouse and they can lead them to a surprise hidden for them! They'll help you come up with a theme for the scavenger hunt to work around and even a gift at the end and it can be as intricate or simple as you want based on your pricing. I know I read an old trip report about someone using this program...I'll go see if I can find a link for you.

A Wishes Cruise or nice dinner would be fun, too! I'm all about experiences!

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Here's the trip report I was referencing if you are interested. He starts talking about the hunt about seventeen posts down:

http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/forum/lifl-and-dws-tr?page=3

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Hi Mimi and welcome to the boards!

Congratulations on the trip plan and upcoming Disney honeymoon! YAY! And married on 07/07/07?!?! HA! That's great!

Some things you might look into to surprise him, depending on your budget and time your' willing to invest in the activity:

A Segway tour around EPCOT
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/keep-moving-forward/

The Keys to the Kingdom Tour
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/keys-to-the-kingdom/

Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba is an AWESOME show. Pricey but well worth it if you ask me. I surprised my partner with tickets for his birthday in April and he left thinking we did nto pay enough for the performance we saw Smile
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/downtown-disney/entertainment/cirque-du-soleil/

If you are a little more adventurous, there are a number of water sport activities - parasailing, jet skis, etc. - at SAmmy Duvall's over by the Contemporary:
http://sammyduvall.com/

If you want something a little more romantic, there are carraige rides over at the Port Orleans Riverside resort:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/port-orleans-resort-riverside/services-amenities/

I'll see if I can think of a few others. Hope this helps!

Becca1005

First congrats and yay yay yay yay for your Disneymoon!!! There is no better place on earth for a Honeymoon than WDW! biggrin

Some ideas that come to mind:

Dinner at Victoria & Alberts at the Chef's Table

A couples massage at the Deluxe hotel with the atmosphere you like the best

Hiring a VIP tour guide to bring you around your favorite park
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/vip-services/

Or one of the "Backstage Tours" that best matches his interests (Animal Kingdom Backstage Safari, Dolphins in Depth at Epcot, Segway tour at Epcot, Keys to the Kingdom tour at Magic Kingdom, etc., etc.)

In return for these suggestions we do require updates! laugh laugh laugh

mimi's picture
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Thank you thank you thank you! All great sugguestions. We looked into the Victoria and Albert's restaurant, but the food is little too foo-foo for us.. We're pretty plain people. The carriage ride at Port Orleans is already on the schedule! We're staying at the POR in a Royal guest room - I'm soooo excited! I'm working on Disney-izing him everyday mickey This really is a great site, thank you for all the welcomes! You guys are the best! muchlove PS: I'll be happy to update!

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welcome Mimi to our little world. Everyone here is very friendly and as you can see they are a wealth of information. Have fun planning your wonderful honeymoon. mickey

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Welcome and congratulations on planning your honeymoon.

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Welcome!! I would suggest a fireworks Cruise for a great honeymoon treat.

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Welcome!!! stars

And all of these are great suggestions and I wish I'd have thought of them all!!

My first thought was Victoria & Albert's Chefs Table or Queen Victoria Room.

Then I thought - if your guy would like it - The Richard Petty Driving Experience. Go fast, turn left!!!

congrats

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Mase's picture
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Welcome and congrats! I have nothing better to suggest. They got you covered well!

But I still think Ollie... to spice racing up... make everyone go right... lol

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mimi's picture
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Hello again to all! What a great enviroment you all have created! - I guess I was being a bit too ambitious - unfortunately, many of the suggestions are a bit out of my price range.... sad - I am sad.... The hubby has been "drooling" over the Richard Petty driving experience and would love to give him a chance to drive - kinda scared about that though (and again over the price budget) Would a drive along be too lame ?......

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Is he a racing fan? I don't think a ride-along would be lame at all. I mean really, how often to you get to climb into a race car and go that fast? Then, if he likes it maybe you can budget for the drive on your next trip! I think that he'll be touched that you thought to do that for him at all.

Plus, have you seen that there is currently a ride-along sale for $59? Offer ends 12/31/12 I'm not sure if you have to book by then or take the actual ride by then to get the special price. Couldn't hurt to give them a call and ask.
http://www.drivepetty.com/experiences/ride-along

stars Welcome to the forums Mimi! stars

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Hi mimi! Nice to meet you, and congratulations on your honeymoon!

One of the hardest things about planning a special surprise in Disney is trying to stay in a budget while still finding something that will appeal to the person you're surprising. You mentioned that he was into the idea of the driving experience, what other things does he like? If he likes sports, maybe you can plan a night of dinner and drinks at the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk to relax and watch a game. Since it's October, they'll most likely have baseball on if that's his thing. Food prices aren't much higher than Applebee's or TGI Friday's (I think drinks were between $6 and $10), and it's a nice little break from the traditional Disney magic.

The same area also has a dance hall and a dueling piano bar. I'm not familiar with the dance hall, but the piano bar, Jellyrolls, has a $12 cover and big, strong drink specials that are $10 each. That's where I'm taking my spouse as a surprise because he loves sing along bars. For two people to get in, one drink each, and tips for the bartenders and piano players, it will total about $50 to $55.

Have fun planning! muchlove

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Kristen K. wrote:
Is he a racing fan? I don't think a ride-along would be lame at all. I mean really, how often to you get to climb into a race car and go that fast? Then, if he likes it maybe you can budget for the drive on your next trip! I think that he'll be touched that you thought to do that for him at all.

Plus, have you seen that there is currently a ride-along sale for $59? Offer ends 12/31/12 I'm not sure if you have to book by then or take the actual ride by then to get the special price. Couldn't hurt to give them a call and ask.
http://www.drivepetty.com/experiences/ride-along

stars Welcome to the forums Mimi! stars

That's an awesome find, Kristen!

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Becca1005

I don't think the ride along would be lame at all! I've looked into it myself, and I almost think the ride along would be a bigger thrill because I think you'll get to go faster! laugh With a professional at the wheel, you can really feel what it's like to "put the hammer down" awesome

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mimi wrote:
Hello again to all! What a great enviroment you all have created! - I guess I was being a bit too ambitious - unfortunately, many of the suggestions are a bit out of my price range.... sad - I am sad.... The hubby has been "drooling" over the Richard Petty driving experience and would love to give him a chance to drive - kinda scared about that though (and again over the price budget) Would a drive along be too lame ?......

Hi! mimi and welcome to our little group. Take my word for it the ride along would NOT be boring nor lame. I have spent many years in professional drag racing, (1/4 mile straight, no turns and get to the finish line first.) and both the wife and I went on the ride along and really loved it. It took two days to get the smile off of her face, and the turns gave me a different perspective on the sport.

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I dont have a specific activity suggestion, but more a general recommendation. There are so many things to do at WDW that it is very difficult to see/do everything during your vacation. I also second everyone's suggestion mentioned above.

If you are like me, my sister and brother - we like the challange to try to do everything we can and schedule things down to the minute. We got it down to where the group gets in line for one ride/attraction and a couple of us gets FastPasses for another one. We go over the maps and plan out the things we will do to the minute. Crazy - but it works.
However, my wife does not consider that a vacation - she likes to be more on the relaxed and do what comes up as you go. She hates it when we go as a family because things are so hectic, it isnt fun for her. The time she and I just went, we first scheduled our dining reservations and then planned park activities around them. She enjoyed herself much better - things were more relaxed and we got to do the things we wanted to do and more. I think just being at WDW is great because it seems to take you away from the day to day stresses of the world - you dont seem to have any worries. I do recommend making dining reservations so you can try to get the times you want - they seem to fill up fast. If your husband has a good experience and gets the "Disney bug" like all us here on this forum, then you will definitely be going back again. I would tailor things around your guys' likes.

I think no matter what you plan - you guys will have a great time at WDW!!!!!!

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azdisneydvc wrote:
I dont have a specific activity suggestion, but more a general recommendation. There are so many things to do at WDW that it is very difficult to see/do everything during your vacation. I also second everyone's suggestion mentioned above.

If you are like me, my sister and brother - we like the challange to try to do everything we can and schedule things down to the minute. We got it down to where the group gets in line for one ride/attraction and a couple of us gets FastPasses for another one. We go over the maps and plan out the things we will do to the minute. Crazy - but it works.
However, my wife does not consider that a vacation - she likes to be more on the relaxed and do what comes up as you go. She hates it when we go as a family because things are so hectic, it isnt fun for her. The time she and I just went, we first scheduled our dining reservations and then planned park activities around them. She enjoyed herself much better - things were more relaxed and we got to do the things we wanted to do and more. I think just being at WDW is great because it seems to take you away from the day to day stresses of the world - you dont seem to have any worries. I do recommend making dining reservations so you can try to get the times you want - they seem to fill up fast. If your husband has a good experience and gets the "Disney bug" like all us here on this forum, then you will definitely be going back again. I would tailor things around your guys' likes.

I think no matter what you plan - you guys will have a great time at WDW!!!!!!

I must say that I tend to agree with your wife.

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mimi's picture
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Hello to everyone! Great ideas and advice stars . Since we'll be driving from Chi, we could only plan for a 6 day 5 night vacation. We have made our ADRs at Be Our Guest (a MUST for me) and the 50's Prime Time and Whispering Canyon (bkfst) for him (he loves to be in the middle of that kinda stuff) We thought we'd wing it for the rest of the time as far as where to eat. Thanks to vettelover (fab pix!) I think the Richard Petty drive along is what I'm gonna go for -plus who doesn't love a sale!? And the idea of saving up for the drive alone for our next trip is just another reason to talk him in future trips Wink Oh so many things to put on the future trips list....... I'm totally open to more advice since I haven't been to WDW for over 10 years and this is my husband's (who is 53) 1st ever trip. We can use all the help we can get! bighug to all of you. ps: how do I get our countdown on here? silly

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Mase wrote:
Welcome and congrats! I have nothing better to suggest. They got you covered well!

But I still think Ollie... to spice racing up... make everyone go right... lol

rolling rolling rolling

Trouble Maker!!!

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Mase's picture
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Ollie wrote:
Mase wrote:
Welcome and congrats! I have nothing better to suggest. They got you covered well!

But I still think Ollie... to spice racing up... make everyone go right... lol

rolling rolling rolling

Trouble Maker!!!

awesome

What guy wouldnt love to drive fast in a car. I think that would be a blast! You guys are going to have such a great time!

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- My Int3ractiv3 Trip R3port '12 - CLICK HERE!
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mimi wrote:
We have made our ADRs at Be Our Guest (a MUST for me) and the 50's Prime Time and Whispering Canyon (bkfst) for him (he loves to be in the middle of that kinda stuff) We thought we'd wing it for the rest of the time as far as where to eat.

If you were going at a different time of year I might not say anything, however April is prime spring break season. What are your exact dates? Beginning of the month? End? At the beginning of the month it's going to be rough getting a last minute table anywhere, especially during prime meal times. Might be easier to do towards the end. Of course there is always the counter service restaurants, but if you wanted a table and a waitress or a buffet, I suggest more ADRs.

mimi's picture
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We will be at WDW from Apr 14-19. With Easter being early in 2013 (Mar 31) we should miss most of the spring breakers. When I said we'd wing it for the rest of the time - I meant small, no nonsense meals or even off property (doubtful). There are so many choices, it really just became overwhelming. May-be it's just wishful thinking, but we thought with all the snacking available all over - we probably wouldn't need full blown dinners confused Plus, at our age - one big meal and we need a nap! biggrin

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You'll totally be able to do counter service and snacking. Smile I especially love snacking around the world at Epcot!

I just popped your dates into the crowd calendar and the most any park is forecasting is a 6.4 out of 10 crowd level. Even then it's only at one or two parks and not on every day of the trip, most are lower some days/parks even at a 1 or 2.
awesome

mimi's picture
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Woo Hoo! thank you! clapping