First couples vaca!

Login to post comments
30 posts / 0 new
Princess Brandi's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/02/2014
Posts: 14
First couples vaca!

Hey guys,

So the boyfriend and I are going on our very first vacation together in September. Not only is it our first vacation together, but it's also my very first trip to WDW! yay

I'm looking for some great things to do together. We're going to the parks for 4 days so we can spend a whole day at each one. But other than that I have no idea what we should do. confused

Give us some suggestions! Where to eat? What to do? Ways to add a little romance? HELP

XOXO Brandi

__________________

magicalkingdoms.com Ticker Free Disney Tickers

"We can't all be Princesses, someone has to clap when I go by"

designedbydisney's picture
Offline
Joined: 08/24/2013
Posts: 591

Hey Brandi, first trips to the world together as a couple are great. me and my now fin ace shared our first trip to the world last may and ending up getting engaged at disneyland paris 9 months later. so it sure can be romantic.

So my tips and advice is to really slow down, touring with two people is so easy, you don't really need plans as you can just do what you are feeling, I would still make dinning resevations 180 days out. One thing to also keep in mind as some experiences are more fun in a large group an example of this is 50's prime time diner. for restaurants I would pick

Magic kingdom - Be our guest, its quite romantic, can be loud, another place that is near the park is the grand floridian cafe or maybe try the plaza.

Holly wood studios - I would say sci fi dine-in, just because the theming is so good and its a great experience for first time visitors. and fits great to the theme of the park

Animal kingdom - try breakfast at tusker house if you wanna do a character meal or yak and yeti

Epcot- I could recommend every restaurant here my IMO unless you want le cellier, don't book in advance go there and see the pavilions and book something on the day.

as for romance, you will find it everywhere.

Magic Mirror's picture
Offline
Joined: 09/18/2012
Posts: 2994

Welcome ! Going to WDW for the first time and with someone you love is so exciting!! While not every moment has to be planned you did the right thing by researching your trip first. WDW is huge and there are so many options that some pre-planning is required if you want a more seamless vacation clapping clapping clapping

I second Phil's suggestion on Sci Fi Drive In... we enjoy the dark lit atmosphere with campy black and white movies playing on the "outdoor" theater screen... what's more romantic than snuggling up in your "car" and sharing a milkshake? biggrin

If you are going to Disney Springs (downtown disney) make sure you take a free boat ride to Port Orleans Resort. You can get off there and pay for a carriage ride if you like. The carriage ride will take you thru the beautiful themed Port Orleans area including the French Quarters. Then catch a bus from Port Orleans back to a park or take the boat back down to Disney Springs.

We are glad you joined us! Keep us posted on your progress.... banana

EmFord's picture
Offline
Joined: 02/12/2014
Posts: 414

My boyfriend and I are doing our third trip together this year and I have to say that I agree about taking it easy. When its just the two of you, that urgency to plan your whole day is diminished. I would definitely still make ADR's if you want to do any of the big restaurants and Fastpasses since this is your first time, you'll want to make sure you hit those must see attractions. But also keep in mind that it might be fun to just wander World Showcase hand in hand and do things on the fly. What time in September are you going? If its later in the month you definitely should do the Food and Wine Festival at least once. Its our favorite thing to do as a couple.

Also don't feel cheated if you want to go back to the hotel earlier than you anticipate. We really like going back to our hotel, having and drink at the pool bar and just relaxing together.

And MagicMirror, I never considered the carriage ride at Port Orleans but now that might be added to my plans this year. Thanks awesome

__________________

kathys's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/01/2013
Posts: 694

Hi Brandi,
Wow that is awesome and so very special. Now I didn't see that you said where you were staying but I saw something that Magic Mirror wrote about the boat ride to DTD and if you are staying at POR or POFQ I truly 2nd that. And if money allows I would do the carriage ride as well (guess me and Magic Mirror are on the same page). Again I 3rd the choice for eating at Sci-Fi it is truly something different. And Epcot omg I don't know where to even begin to suggest what restaurant...there are so many. I would look at the different menus at ALL EARS and see what strikes your fancy.
At MK I would also suggest dinner at BOG (hopefully you can get the reservations for that) and Liberty Tree Tavern. And for breakfast I would suggest Boma at AKL (don't worry there are stand bys if you and your boyfriend are willing to experiment) And for a very special dinner perhaps Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian or California Grill at the Contemporary. And if you do either one of these make sure you plan your dinner so that you can see the Fireworks from either Narcoossee's or California Grill
I don't know if you are on the dinning plan or not because they (Naroossee's or California Grill) can be expensive if you are paying out of pocket. But again look at the menus.
So let us know what plans you do make...can't wait to hear.

__________________

[url='http://www.mickeypath.com/']

[/url]

Kristen K.'s picture
Offline
Joined: 09/01/2011
Posts: 23803

How wonderful! You guys are going to have so much fun.

I'll echo the slow down sentiment. WDW can be a little overwhelming on your first visit. Make a list of a handful of things (no more than 5) that you want to see each day that you would be sad to miss and other than that don't worry about the rest. No matter what you do you won't see everything (it's just not possible) so pre-plan some highlights and if you misss something it's just a reason to plan another vacation next year! My favorite trip with just my husband and I was one where I was ill, so we just wandered around and ate and shopped.

Schedule one fancy dinner - I highly recommend California Grill later at night for fireworks viewing.

Princess Brandi's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/02/2014
Posts: 14

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! We're definitely going to keep it slow and I'll try not to let my OCD planning get the best of me hahaha silly

We're actually going mid September so I'm not sure if we could make it to the Food and Wine Festival, EmFord.

Phil, congratulations on the engagement! I watched videos of Disney World engagements all night last night. It's definitely a dream but I doubt it will happen this time, maybe on our next trip! muchlove

Another question! Due to us not having loads of money to blow we've been looking at hotels that aren't Disney hotels to save money. What are the pros and cons of staying at Disney and not staying there? Is it really cheaper in the end to not stay there?

__________________

magicalkingdoms.com Ticker Free Disney Tickers

"We can't all be Princesses, someone has to clap when I go by"

kathys's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/01/2013
Posts: 694

Brandi for me I would never go to Disney without staying on property but finances is finances. For me the cons for not staying on property is you will need to arrange transportation to and from the airport. No extra magic hours; if you buy stuff at the parks you can't have them shipped back to your room and no meal plan plus you will have to by your Magic Bands which I think is about 12 each but am not sure. And how will you get to and from the park..if you rent a car I don't know how much it cost to park so that would be something else to look into. And yes it will be cheaper to stay off property (hotel wise). Maybe when you look at the prices of a value resort verses off property.
Am sure others will chime in as well before you make up your mind..whichever way you go it is always magical to be at Disney.

__________________

[url='http://www.mickeypath.com/']

[/url]

Spook's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/27/2012
Posts: 2786

I prefer to stay on site also. Like Kathys said you get transportation to and from the airport ( if you're flying into Orlando), transportation to the parks and extra magic hours. I believe it's $17 a day to park your car if you drive to the parks. I personally don't find the dining plan saves us money but it really depends on how you eat. If you can swing it, I'd recommend staying on property just for the convience alone. I've stayed at 3 of the 5 Value resorts and have loved them all mickey

EmFord's picture
Offline
Joined: 02/12/2014
Posts: 414

I'm one of the people of the opinion that it's not a Disney vacation without staying on property, but there are others on this forum who don't always stay at a Disney resort. I personally don't think values like All Stars or Pop Century are THAT much more expensive than a close by off property resort and as kathys said, the added benefits of airport transportation, magic bands, extra magic hours and not having to rent a car really push them into the more affordable route. We've stayed at All Star Sports, Music and Pop Century and I really don't see anything wrong with any of them but I would recommend Pop just because its a little newer, the food court is better (IMO) and it has its own bus.

Oh and Food and Wine Festival starts September 19th this year Smile

__________________

EmFord's picture
Offline
Joined: 02/12/2014
Posts: 414

oops sorry for the double post waiting

__________________

Kristen K.'s picture
Offline
Joined: 09/01/2011
Posts: 23803

EmFord wrote:
oops sorry for the double post waiting

No worries, i got it mickey

Offline
Joined: 12/28/2011
Posts: 1039

Hi Brandi!

I would also gently suggest that you price out a Value resort vs an off site hotel. The parking, the drive time, so many things make a Disney property so much more of a bargain. We always save up to stay on site; we don't get to go often, but we insist on staying in the Magic. We've used AAA packages, free dining packages, we've also done it without a package. Some times you can do room and tickets separately for less. Sometimes. It just means adding up the elements and deciding. Use menus to get an idea of food costs, remember that lunch is less $ than dinner. Figure out where you want to splurge and where you don't. Honestly, it comes down to choices AND Disney gives you lots of ways to find Magic no matter your budget!!

No matter what, when we get a trip on the calendar, we do those very things: we start pricing the various packages with all the variety of add-ons, etc. we also price out each element on its own. . . We look at meal prices at the restaurants we want to visit, we do the dining plan only if it saves us $$. We decide well before we go where we will cut costs and where we won't. It takes some planning and research. . . But that is also part of the fun of a trip to WDW!

__________________

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
J. R. R. Tolkien

Allie's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/26/2012
Posts: 5477

Hi and welcome Brandi! I would definitely look at staying on site, especially because you can get Free Dining during your stay! If you're overwhelmed, maybe contact a Disney certified travel agent and have them compare what you will save with Free Dining (whether it be at a value or a moderate) and you may be surprised to find you'll save more money that way then staying off site.

Have a great trip! We'll be leaving right before you get there so we'll try and save some magic and pixie dust for you!

Princess Brandi's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/02/2014
Posts: 14

We've decided to go ahead and put a little extra money down and stay on site. We chose to stay at the Port Orleans French Quarter! stars

We also chose the normal Disney dining plan just so we're not stressing about budgeting our meal money the whole time and its already paid for. Was that a good choice? Hahah

EmFord we'll be there September 11th through the 16th so we'll be leaving right before Sad(
We'll definitely be back though so maybe next time awesome

__________________

magicalkingdoms.com Ticker Free Disney Tickers

"We can't all be Princesses, someone has to clap when I go by"

Miss Mikki's picture
Offline
Joined: 10/20/2012
Posts: 766

Hi Brandi, I think you have made the perfect choice for a romantic trip. POFQ is a beautiful, relaxed resort with a lovely boat ride to Downtown Disney. We are staying there in just over 3 weeks time. Very excited!

__________________

no ticker Sad

Allie's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/26/2012
Posts: 5477

I have only heard great things about POFQ and it looks like a very romantic resort. Awesome choice! awesome

Magic Mirror's picture
Offline
Joined: 09/18/2012
Posts: 2994

I agree ~ The French Quarters are romantic and full of charm! I was there one day when the fog
rolled in ....... mysterious cool

and..don't forget to try the Beignets while you are there awesome

PreviewAttachmentSize
porfog.jpg
porfog.jpg35.28 KB
porurn.jpg
porurn.jpg232.07 KB
porcarriage.jpg
porcarriage.jpg93.47 KB
porb.jpg
porb.jpg66.77 KB
porb1.jpg
porb1.jpg63.29 KB
porb2.jpg
porb2.jpg84.57 KB
Princess Brandi's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/02/2014
Posts: 14

Thanks so much for your help! Couldn't have made up my mind without y'all muchlove

__________________

magicalkingdoms.com Ticker Free Disney Tickers

"We can't all be Princesses, someone has to clap when I go by"

amy1989's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/30/2013
Posts: 1404

Can't wait to hear all your plans for this trip!!! we have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and visited French Quarter and it is all so beautiful I'm sure you will love it!!!

AnnielovesDisney's picture
Offline
Joined: 09/12/2013
Posts: 887

Wow your first vacation together as a couple AND your first time at Disney world??!! You are going to have an amazing time! My husband and I are locals and we go to WDW every few weeks. Which is awesome, but because of that we can't afford to pay for the extras all the time(fireworks boat ride, carriage rides, fine dining, etc...) So we've had to get creative to find free ways to add romance to our trips.

Some examples are watching Wishes from the Transportation and Ticket Center. You are away from the crowds, you don't have to fight to get out of MK after the fireworks and you get to see all of the fireworks from a really cool vantage point. We haven't watched Wishes from the Beach at the Poly, but that is on our list to do this year, for all the same reasons. When the crowds are overwhelming at MK, we get on the Liberty Boat and try to find a spot where there aren't too many people. It's relatively quite, calm and can be a nice way to spend 17 minutes together.

We LOVE to walk around the world showcase in Epcot at night. This is our favorite way to have dinner. We can walk slowly through the different countries, hand in hand, getting a snack at whatever country we want. It is quite dark in WS at night, and quite romantic. My favorite way to end the night is to get a cocktail from Morrocco or a dessert from France and watch Illuminations together. Almost every spot in Epcot is a good spot for Illuminations. Then when the fireworks are over, we take our time just slowly strolling through the WS, and out of the park. It's very romantic and like a little mini honeymoon every time we do it.

There are many many free ways to make your WDW couple vacation romantic. If you want it to be romantic, it will be. Hope you have a wonderful time!

Princess Brandi's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/02/2014
Posts: 14

So there's good new and there's bad news..

Good news is I finally got the letter saying I've been accepted to dental assisting school. yay

Bad news is it starts literally 1 day after we are scheduled to get back from WDW.

So after a long talk and some tears (I won't say who from (me)) we've decided to hold off on the trip.
Which may not completely be a bad thing, it gives me more time to plan and get reservations, and also to save up a little more money so I get to stay at any resort of my choosing (he only agreed to this because I was crying) laugh yeah

I've already picked dates too! First week of May 2015 muchlove

Now that we're going all out, where should we stay?!

__________________

magicalkingdoms.com Ticker Free Disney Tickers

"We can't all be Princesses, someone has to clap when I go by"

Magic Mirror's picture
Offline
Joined: 09/18/2012
Posts: 2994

congrats on being accepted!! That is terrific news awesome

MrHub's picture
Offline
Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 9504

Congrats Brandi ! Stay at a Monorail resort.

finngirl's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/11/2012
Posts: 1072

If there has to be a reason for postponing a vacation, this is a good one. Congrats! awesome

May is our absolute favourite time to visit WDW - not quite as hot and steamy as September usually, and the Flower and Garden show is on then. Have fun planning your new trip.

__________________

Diana

Time marches on. Eventually you realize it's doing it across your face.

Offline
Joined: 12/28/2011
Posts: 1039

MrHub wrote:
Congrats Brandi ! Stay at a Monorail resort.

Yes!! My ultimate WDW trip would be a week to 10 days, at one of the monorail resorts. We have always wanted to be able to ride to MK morning for breakfast at Main Street Bakery, and then ride to Epcot to dine around the World. We also want to sit on our balcony at the Contemporary and watch a Wishes!!

Next would be AKL. We LOVE the AKL!!! It really says 'home' to us more than any other resort. The animals, the warmth of the staff. . . Jiko, Boma. . Is a great experience!

__________________

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
J. R. R. Tolkien

JMed's picture
Offline
Joined: 02/16/2014
Posts: 3849

congrats

It may be a while away but think of all the planning and research you get to do for the May trip!!!!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

Offline
Joined: 02/25/2012
Posts: 252

stars Congrats on getting accepted into your program!!! That's awesome!! awesome I agree with MrHub on staying at a monorail resort - the convenience is awesome! mickey

Princess Brandi's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/02/2014
Posts: 14

Thanks everyone for the congratulations! biggrin muchlove

Also thanks for the suggestions on where to stay! Now that we have more time I will definitely be doing more research on everything awesome

__________________

magicalkingdoms.com Ticker Free Disney Tickers

"We can't all be Princesses, someone has to clap when I go by"

amy1989's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/30/2013
Posts: 1404

Congratulations!!!!

postponing could turn out to be the best thing as you have more time to find out what you want to do and have the advantage of booking ADR's 180 days out so you have the most choice!!!