My Disney Honeymoon, May 16-24, 2007

[Calrissian13]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this report, since it is a Honeymoon and not a wedding, but here goes!

I want to preface this by saying had I discovered the DIS boards sooner, this trip report would have been up and active a looong time ago. However, even though it is fourteen months after the fact, I wanted to share my experience with all of you.

So, I’ll try to keep this short enough that you won’t get uncomfortable, but detailed enough that it can be at least moderately entertaining.

I’m also going to include the link to some of my pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24020&l=ddf45&id=728115649 . It’s not all of them by a long shot, but it is a good collection of my favourites.

My husband Timm and I were married on May 10, 2007, and decided on Disneyworld for our honeymoon. We were originally planning on going the year prior, but other vacation plans got in the way (my brother in law won a trip for 10 to Hawaii, but that’s another story), so we decided a Disney Honeymoon would be perfect.

This would be my first ever trip to Disneyworld, at age 27. I had wanted to go for as long as I could remember, but for whatever reason it just never worked out. So on top of being excited for the wedding, I was also excited to finally be going to Disney.

We were scheduled to leave Wednesday, May 16, and I barely slept at all the night before, I was just too excited. Our connection in Toronto was extremely smooth, and the flight down was uneventful. As the plane was starting to land in Orlando, I got that tingly excited feeling in my belly and I could hardly sit still. Finally we had landed, and were able to leave the plane. Orlando was the first airport I’d been to where there were “trains” to take you to the main terminal. I’d done buses, shuttles, good old walking, but never trains. I loved it! My husband was getting a huge kick out of watching me. He had been to Disneyworld a few times as a kid, so he already knew what to expect once we got there. But he was enjoying seeing me experience it for the first time.

We made our way to the Disney Magical Express counter. We wound through the long (but quick-moving) line to give the hostess our information for our baggage, then made our way to the bus that would take us to our resort, the Port Orleans French Quarter. A short wait later (while the bus was loading), we were on our way. I loved the video they played, I loved the look of the bus, and I loved looking out the windows at the scenery as it passed by.

I can’t really remember how long the ride was, but it really did feel like I blinked and there we were, at our resort. I loved it right away. We had chosen POFQ because it seemed like it would be the perfect place to retire to after a full day of parks and sunshine. And we were right. The atmosphere was so relaxing, and I loved the design of the buildings. Check in was a breeze, and the CM who helped us was just great (I don’t remember her name, I was too busy gawking around like a dazed child). We were given a corner room overlooking the Sassagoula River on the main floor of Building 5. The perfect location as far as I’m concerned. Only about five minutes to the food court/main lobby, a very short walk to the riverboat dock, and very quiet.

After settling into the room, we decided to head to Downtown Disney. We wanted to devote an entire day to Magic Kingdom, and since I knew I would be ready to crash fairly early, we thought DTD would be the perfect place to start off our trip. So we freshened up, I changed into comfortable walking shoes, and away we went. (While I was getting cleaned up, Timm had snuck out to the front desk. When he returned, he presented me with a “Just Married” pin. I had no idea! Me, the ultimate planner and researcher and I hadn’t found out about these pins. In my defense, I was busy with wedding preparations as well, but I like the fact that Timm found out and surprised me with them. We wore them EVERYWHERE. See a picture here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1688344&l=1c8b9&id=728115649 ) We took the riverboat (hardly waited at all), and what a beautiful ride. The sun was just starting to set, so the colours of everything were just beautiful.

Upon arriving, we wandered up and down the streets, stopping into a few stores (Timm had to get a candy apple at the Candy Cauldron). We were just approaching the Dancing Broomsticks statues when I gasped and pointed (I couldn’t quite speak, I was a little excited): there was an R2D2 mailbox! I am a HUGE Star Wars fan, and knew there were such mailboxes throughout the States. I was also sure I would see one while we were in Disney, but assumed it wouldn’t be until we hit MGM (now Hollywood) Studios. I prepared to run over to the mailbox, only to be stopped by someone wanting to know if we were leaving the park for the day (the exit to the buses was a few feet away) and if we could do a survey for her. I swear this woman came out of the bushes, she wasn’t there seconds before. But I told her that no, I wasn’t leaving, I was just going to take a picture of the R2D2 mailbox. This nice woman offered to take a picture of both me and my husband. Our first encounter with a Disney Cast Member (at least I assume she was Disney, I could be wrong I guess) going above and beyond. Well, to me it was above and beyond, she didn’t have to take the picture. It was very kind of her.

Our picture taken, we headed back towards the streets of DTD, where we perused the Lego Store (I love it there), The Disney Store (or as I call it, the Store that Never Ends), and I took about a million pictures (the Lego dragon in the water, the Lego Transformer outside the Lego Store, Stitch, and the Disney Store itself). Now here my memory gets a little hazy. I know we spent some time in DisneyQuest, but I can’t remember if it was on our first night or a few nights later. Either way, we had a lot of fun when we did go, although we didn’t spend nearly enough time for Timm’s liking. We did “create our own roller coaster”, and I can safely say after going on countless rides over the next seven days, this was the only one that made me feel queasy after. And I screamed. Seriously screamed. I’m sure the people outside our little rotating box were getting the laugh of their life. I don’t care though, I’m not one for going upside down, and Timm included at least three upside down loops. Give me Expedition Everest any day over that!

As predicted, I did get tired after only an hour or so, but luckily, Timm was a little sleepy himself. So we made our way back to the boat dock and headed back to the resort. We ordered pizza to the room upon returning, and I could not get over how good it was. It was a good start to our trip, and I could not wait to see how the rest of the week was going to go.

 

[Calrissian13]

Day two (May 17) we had to be up early, we had reservations at Akershus for the Princess Breakfast. We had tried to get Cinderella’s Royal Table, but we all know how difficult that can be. So it was off to Epcot and the next best thing. Our reservation was for 9am, but as we made our way towards the World Showcase, we got pleasantly sidetracked. Goofy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Chip, and Dale came pouring out of a building just to our right, and I was just beside myself. Chip and Dale are my favourite characters, and Goofy is Timm’s, so here we are, hardly even starting our first full day in Disney, and we are face to face with our favourites! We ran up to them (there were surprisingly few people around) and had our pictures taken with Chip, then remembered, oh crap, we have reservations to get to! The nice CM who had taken our picture lifted the rope across the entrance to the World Showcase to let us through, and we literally skipped to Norway.
Breakfast was wonderful, I loved seeing all the princesses (Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Mulan, and Mary Poppins just for good measure), and all the little girls who were dressed up as princesses were just adorable. I highly recommend trying for the Akershus if you can’t get into CRT.

We had planned on giving Epcot our full attention on day 3, so after breakfast we headed out towards Magic Kingdom (only after stopping to take some more pictures with Goofy, Donald and the gang. Minnie noticed we were on our honeymoon, and proceeded to “pester” Mickey by pointing at my ring and then pointing at him, as if to say, “when will I get one?” Even the CM’s got into it, saying “Poor Minnie, she’s been waiting so patiently for Mickey to propose!”). We took the monorail to the transportation centre, and from there we boarded the riverboat to cross Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. I took a bunch of pictures of the Grand Floridian, and other scenery, and then, above the treetops, I saw it: the top spires of Cinderella’s castle. I couldn’t believe it, I was actually finally here. I know I started doing a little back and forth dance of some sort, I was just so excited. I barely remember disembarking the boat and heading towards the front gates, I was just beside of myself. From the moment I stepped out onto Main St. USA, I was 5 years old again, and in complete awe of everything around me. The smells (popcorn, cotton candy and fudge), the sights (all the buildings were just so adorable!), the sounds (a barbershop quartet, the steam whistle from the train, children laughing and trickles of Disney music coming from every direction). And in the centre of it all, the castle, which up until now I had only seen on tv and the internet. I hardly noticed the crowds of people on every side, I was just so blown away. Then I noticed the people with the cameras. Not the other tourists, the Photopass people, and I pulled Timm with me to the first one who was free. He was really nice, took a few cutesy pictures in front of the castle, then he pulled us aside and told us to hold our hands palm up and look like we were surprised. Turns out Tinkerbell had landed for a quick moment to share a picture with us, how lucky was that.

The rest of the day was spent going on all the rides I had heard about (Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain) and ones that I had never thought I would ride (Space Mountain, which decided to break down just as we were getting ready to board…I would have left right there but Timm said no way, not after we waited so long…and it really was a fun ride once I let myself relax). Somewhere in between we happened to be passing the front of the castle and noticed a crowd growing. So we stopped, and were treated to the Dreams Come True show with Mickey, Minnie, and a whole lot of characters. The show was cute, but somewhere in the middle (I’m pretty sure the princes and princesses were dancing), I started to cry. Happy tears, but I was really crying. It was just so overwhelming (in a good way) and even now I get teared up just thinking about it. Timm noticed and put his arms around me. It was a great moment. We also stopped to watch the parade in mid afternoon, which I loved. I watch the Very Merry Christmas Parade every year, but this was the first time I was able to see a Disney parade up close and personal. It was amazing. Spectromagic was also set for that evening, so at around 5:30 we pulled up a couple seats upstairs near the train tracks facing Main St USA, and settled in to wait. It may have been a three and a half hour wait, but it was well worth it. We struck up a few conversations with people around us (because we weren’t the only ones who claimed our seats early), and at one point I headed to the candy shop to get some sugary treats for Timm and I, but it was the parade itself that made it all worth it. That, and the fireworks that followed. I’ve seen fireworks before (Canada Day they are a big deal), but nothing could compare with what Disney put on. Remarkable! It was the perfect way to cap off an already more than perfect day…and we still had six days to go!

Day three (May 18) we were back to Epcot. I loved walking around the World Showcase. I loved going on Soarin’. I loved seeing all the topiaries all over the park. It was a good day. Timm and I got “talked” into participating in a sidewalk performance outside France, it was really fun. We stumbled upon Aladdin and Jasmine outside of Morocco, and got some great Photopass pictures. We had a leisurely ride along a Mexican river inside the pyramid of the Mexican pavilion. And Timm bounced like Tigger in front of the Tigger topiary in the UK. We had lunch at the Coral Reef, which I thought was absolutely beautiful inside. We had a seat next to the aquarium, and were given a free dessert with a “Best Wishes” chocolate on top. We also received a congratulatory call from Mickey and Minnie in one of the Epcot stores (I’m still not sure how they knew we’d be there). I thought it was just the cutest thing! I don’t have much else to write about our Epcot day, but it was a really fun day.

 

[Calrissian13]

Day four (May 19) we were heading out to Typhoon Lagoon. Let me just say I love this water park. Now, I am not one of those people who doesn’t realize Disney=Lots of Walking. I knew going into it I would be having sore legs and feet and was alright with that. But I do have particularly wimpy feet. If I don’t have just the right footwear (I thought I did, but apparently, I thought wrong and had to buy some Mickey sneakers the second day), I’m pretty much immobilized for a while. So the day at Typhoon Lagoon was just PERFECT for relaxing and not doing a heck of a lot. We sat on inner tubes and floated around the park, allowing me to just dangle my feet and let them relax, we went on a few water slides (I don’t remember which ones), and we tackled the wave pool. Timm almost lost his glasses, a mother and daughter somehow managed to find them and walked up and down the “shore” of the wave pool until Timm saw them.

After a good three hours we figured we had spent enough time in the sun and should probably head back to the resort. I crashed as soon as we stepped into the room (the sun always makes me sleepy, but nothing a nap won’t fix), while Timm decided to channel surf. Now, for those of you who are hockey fans, you should appreciate this. Somewhere between Disney cartoons and infomercials, Timm found game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, between Ottawa and Buffalo. Timm is an Ottawa Senators fan, a BIG one, and the fact that we were on our honeymoon during the playoffs while his team was playing was a pretty big win for me. Of course, how was I to know that his team would be in the playoffs the year of our wedding?  But here we are, I’m dozing on the bed next to him, and he’s found hockey, so he’s pretty happy….until the score gets tied up at the end of the third period, and the game goes into overtime. Should be a good thing, he gets to watch more hockey, only the announcer states that the game will go on for those in the Buffalo area, everyone else will get transferred to the Kentucky Derby that is already in progress. Timm lets out an agonized “NOOOOOO” that startles me out of my doze. Before I can get any kind of coherent story out of him, he’s pulled his cell phone out of the drawer (he brought it in case of an emergency), and started texting his hockey-fan friends back home. Three agonizing minutes later (agonizing for him, slightly amusing for me), he got three texts in a row, telling him the Sens had won in overtime, and were going to the Stanley Cup finals. WOOOO HOOOO!!!  I may not be as big a fan as Timm is, but I still support my team.

Now as if hearing our team was going to be playing for the Cup, we got some more good news. Timm was still not quite prepared to give up on the idea of having breakfast at Cinderella’s Castle. So he thought, what can it hurt to call and see if any openings have come up? He picked up the phone and called the wonderful reservation people at the Disney reservations centre, and asked for the impossible, are there any openings ANYWHERE for a breakfast at Cinderella’s castle between now and the 24th? He heard a bit of keyboard clacking, and some breathing, and then, the magic words: yes, there is an opening for tomorrow morning, would you like it? I swear I started to jump up and down on the bed, I could not believe it! We had achieved the impossible, and completely on a whim! Just goes to show you really do need to keep calling, even once you’re on Disney property, you just never know.


Day Five (May 20), combo Magic Kingdom/Epcot day. We had to change our itinerary a bit to accommodate for our last minute booking at CRT, but we only had one other meal reservation and it was later in the week, so it was pretty easy to do. Plus, it was worth it to get to eat inside the castle.

Our reservation was for 9am, but we were allowed into Magic Kingdom when we arrived (about 8:40), and let me tell you, if you haven’t seen the Magic Kingdom almost empty, you need to find a way to. It’s just so surreal. I have a great picture of the Partners statue with the castle in the background…and no people in the frame. Just statue, castle, and sky. It’s just gorgeous. I was so excited (the theme of the entire trip, come to think of it), I don’t know how Timm put up with me.

Upon arriving at the castle, we signed in with the CMs and waited for our name to be called. I thought it was so cool how they have someone call your name, like it’s a royal proclamation. And of course, having our picture taken with Cinderella was wonderful. I had the most fun watching the little girls walk up to her, awe on their faces. It was just so adorable. Finally though, it was our turn (we waited maybe 15 minutes), and we went up the red velvet staircase. The whole breakfast was just so much fun, even if it is geared towards the younger crowd. But I did say I reverted to my five year-old self earlier in the week, so I like to think I’m somewhat included in that group. I got to see the princesses again, and we also got to see the Fairy Godmother. I just love her, she is quite possibly one of the friendliest characters we met all week. All of them were friendly, but she gave the two of us hugs, and insisted that both Timm and I be in a picture with her. It was too cute.

At the end of the breakfast, we were preparing to leave when a CM came up to us and asked, “newlyweds?” We said yes, he placed a box on the table (about the size of a shoebox), said “Congratulations”, and walked away. Timm and I looked at each other, looked at the box, smiled, then proceeded to open it. Inside were two champagne flutes, and a ton of Cinderella confetti. I couldn’t stop smiling. They were just so beautiful! (pictures here http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1688397&l=0b301&id=728115649 and here http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1688398&l=cc643&id=728115649 )

The only problem with getting the flutes (if this could be considered a problem) was that now we had to carry them around, and we had planned on doing some of the rides we missed on our first Magic Kingdom trip. So it was back to the entrance of the park, to rent a locker for the day. The wonderful CM only charged us for the key deposit, and waived the rental fee as a bit of Disney magic. So it was back to the park, the carousel, the tea-cups (which I am not fond of, I don’t do fast dizzying rides, which is why the carousel is more my cup of tea), and a photo with Ariel. All our other photo ops had gone so well, I saw no reason why this wouldn’t be just as much a breeze. Well, we waited an hour for a picture that took less than a minute. I think it was totally worth it, Timm might tell a different story though. However, it was the only time we had a ridiculously long wait for anything.

Around mid-afternoon we headed back to the resort for a quick bite, then we headed out to Epcot for the Illuminations show. All I can say is wow, this show was phenomenal. My brother just went to Disney in April for the first time (he’s 34), and he was just as blown away as I was. One thing Disney definitely does well is the theatrical.

 

[Calrissian13]

Day Six (May 21), it was off to Animal Kingdom. All we had been hearing about was Expedition Everest, and how great it was. I will be honest, I was a bit scared. While I enjoy rickety, wooden roller coasters, I’m not much for the thrill rides. Anyone who’s done Top Gun at Canada’s Wonderland will understand why I’m wary (it made me soooo sick). I needn’t have worried, because ohmigod, I LOVED Expedition Everest. It was just soooooooooo fun! We rode the ride twice back to back (we picked up Fastpasses on our way in the first time, and by the time we had gotten through the first ride, our time to return was up), that’s how fun it was.

We continued the day with the Harambe Safari, Kali River Rapids, a few rides in the Dinosaur area (But not Dinosaur, I don’t know how we missed it!), and then, for some reason, I started to get claustrophobic. So far this had been the busiest and most crowded park, and I was having a hard time following the map. There had been a few walking tours I wanted to do, but I just wasn’t into it anymore. So after just a few hours, we headed back to the entrance of the park. We had reservations at Rainforest Café later in the day, but didn’t want to go back to the resort and then come back again, so we took a chance to see if they’d be willing to let us in for lunch rather than dinner. It was busy, so we didn’t hold up much hope. However, after only fifteen minutes, we got a table, and I must say, the décor of the restaurant is better than the food. It tasted good, but it wasn’t worth the price they were charging. I’d heard this about Rainforest Café, but had to try it myself. You live you learn, right?

On our way out of the park for the day, we noticed a small cart selling coffee and pastries. Now, I’m going to be honest, my husband and I are coffee snobs. Timm drinks Starbucks every morning, and while I don’t drink coffee every day, when I do it’s at Second Cup or Starbucks. Needless to say the coffee served almost everywhere throughout Disney was rather lacking. This little card however was a godsend. It had real, roasted coffee, and real tea bags (I need a good cup of tea in the morning or I just can’t function). We didn’t care that it was hot and muggy, we enjoyed every last drip of our first good cup of coffee and tea in a week. We then made our way back to the resort for a nap (my second or third of the week). After a quick freshen up and dinner in the food court, we headed over to Downtown Disney. We found a beautiful cross stitch for Timm’s mother, and a few other souvenirs, and then we had some Haagen Daaz….mmmmm. I loved just walking the streets of DTD, it really is fun just to people and scenery watch.

Day 7 we were finally going to MGM (now Hollywood) Studios. On our way into the park, I made a point of stopping by the poster advertising Star Wars Weekends and having Timm take a picture of me pointing and pouting. We missed the start by just over a week, which was just a horrible fluke. In the past, they had been done mid-May to mid-June, so when we set the wedding and honeymoon dates, we were sure it would time out perfectly. Of course, this was the year they decided to change Star Wars weekends to occur solely in June. *sigh* No one can say I didn’t try. Of course, this means the first ride I was running for was Star Tours, and I thoroughly enjoyed being “shot” at by the AT-AT outside. A word of warning, if you want to stop to take pictures of C3PO inside, the people coming up behind you might not notice you stop…I nearly got plowed over. A minor price to pay.

We continued with the Indiana Jones show, Tower of Terror, Aerosmith’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and just some random touring of the park. I was surprised at how quickly we finished our tour, there must have been some things we missed. I think by this point we were both getting a little tired, although we’d never admit it. We were having too much fun to let a little thing like tiredness keep us down. So we headed back to the resort for a bit of downtime, some food, and it was back for Fantasmic. If anyone knows where I can get my hands on a DVD of this, please let me know, I just loved it. I have a few video clips from my digital camera, but they are shaky and only a few minutes each.

 

[Calrissian13]

Day 8 would be our last full day at Disney. We decided to end it the way we began, back at the Magic Kingdom. We rode our favourite rides again, took a bunch more pictures, ate way too much junk food, and enjoyed a relaxing evening at the Tomorrowland Noodle Station, waiting for the fireworks to start. It really was hard saying goodbye to the Magic Kingdom once the fireworks were over, I know I got choked up and am pretty sure Timm was fighting back a tear or two as well. I took my last glance at the castle, and we headed to the bus stalls to wait for our bus.

Funnily enough, one of our favourite memories is actually from this bus ride. The bus was absolutely packed, and there were a number of tired grumbly people on board. Our bus driver however, was just a gem. He had everyone singing Zip-a-dee-do-dah and other Disney songs the entire ride back to the resort, and before long all the grumbles had turned to smiles and laughs. I can’t remember his name now, but at the time Timm made a point of getting his name and making a phone call to compliment his service. As sad as we were to be leaving, he was able to make us smile again at the magic that is Disney.

The next day was just as bright and sunny as the previous week had been. Did I mention we had perfect weather the entire week? We really lucked in. Check out was quick and painless, we only had a short wait for the bus to take us to the airport, and before long we were airborne and heading back to the “real world”. We had the most amazing trip, and I can’t imagine a better place to have spent our honeymoon. It really is the “happiest place on earth”, and I can’t wait to go back.

 

[Racey]

OH WOW - thanks for the report - I really enjoyed reading it.

Like you at mid-late 20's I went to disney for the first time and the way you explained how you felt at the first sights and sounds (and especially smells - I have a hand cream I buy all the time because it reminds me of that Magic Kingdom smell ha ha) is exactly how i felt. I chocked up when I saw the turrets when waiting for the ferry and once again when I stood in main street. It took every inch of self control not to burst into tears when Wishes happened!!! I will never forget that feeling!!

Once again, I can imagine exactly how you felt leaving for the last time - I was the same ..... however, my b/friend says i'm still mentally in Disney world and I agree It never gets easier - last year we went and I hated leaving Magic Kingdom (we had a ressie at CRT and just went for that in the morning)

 

[Calrissian13]

OH WOW - thanks for the report - I really enjoyed reading it.

Like you at mid-late 20's I went to disney for the first time and the way you explained how you felt at the first sights and sounds (and especially smells - I have a hand cream I buy all the time because it reminds me of that Magic Kingdom smell ha ha) is exactly how i felt. I chocked up when I saw the turrets when waiting for the ferry and once again when I stood in main street. It took every inch of self control not to burst into tears when Wishes happened!!! I will never forget that feeling!!

Once again, I can imagine exactly how you felt leaving for the last time - I was the same ..... however, my b/friend says i'm still mentally in Disney world and I agree It never gets easier - last year we went and I hated leaving Magic Kingdom (we had a ressie at CRT and just went for that in the morning)

Thank you for the kind comments!

It's nice to know I'm not the only one of my age who gets choked up. Even my 34 year old brother admitted to being a bit emotional when he went in April (again, first timer).

And I totally know what you mean about still being mentally in Disneyworld. We're going back in September, but even before our trip was planned, not a day went by without thinking about it and wishing I was there.

 

[kvolk]

loved all the details in your story. gave me some great ideas!

 

[Wish on a Star]

Thanks for the TR- Made me excited for my honeymoon!!!