November 2018 Honeymoon; Husband will be FIRST TIME VISITOR!

Cordy2424

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 30, 2018
Hi Everyone! I'm brand new to these boards and am so glad my friend recommended it to me! There is so much information out here and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the ideas, stories, abbreviations, lingo, etc that is out here... :earsboy:

My fiance and I are getting married in October 2018 (hooray!!) and have decided to honeymoon at Disney! It has been about 10 years since I have been to the parks and my fiance has never been.
I simply CANNOT wait to see him experience the joy of the first time visiting... Ahh!! :mickeyjum We are actually waiting a week(ish) for our honeymoon and plan to be there Nov 4-11. We finally settled on our dates for the week after the Wine and Dine 5k/10k weekend as that seemed like a really busy weekend. Fingers crossed we still get to experience the tail end of the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT, as that has always been on my bucket list.

The reason for my post is that I have a few questions I'd like to poll some pros about. Specifically:
1. First time, adult male visitor. Should Magic Kingdom be the first park we visit for the full "effect" of the parks, or is there another approach to consider?
2. We are staying at Port Orleans - French Quarter. How much time should we be guesstimating for our transportation - specifically for wanting to make rope drop or dinner reservations at resorts?
3. As two grown adults, will we be "lame" for asking for autographs? We have gone to many conventions throughout our time together that are geared toward horror movies/tv (one of our favorite genres) and have a wall of autographs and pictures we have gotten at these conventions. When my fiance heard that autographs were a thing at Disney, his eyes lit up. We are excited to add photos of ourselves with the characters and maybe have our autograph book from the trip as a part of the wall too. BUT tell me straight - if adults ask for autographs will we get eye rolls?
4. We are splurging on the Deluxe Dining Plan because we want to be able to have the Signature Dining every night since it can include places at Disney Springs. As such, what are your 2-credit can't miss suggestions? So far a friend told me O'Hana for the fireworks is a MUST. We also want to do Cindy's breakfast one morning early before the park opens.

If it helps your suggestions to know a little about us -
We are both in our mid-30s (a lady never reveals!)
First marriages, no children (we are still big kids ourselves honestly!)
We love all things movies and actually have a script we are finishing and hope to make into a real movie once the wedding / honeymoon ends and we can start a Kickstarter.
His favorite characters are Jack Skellington, Donald Duck, Goofy & Mickey.
My favorite characters are Jack & Sally, Ariel, Rapunzel, Minnie & Daisy.
Neither of us are roller coaster fans (Expedition Everest almost killed me, ha!).
He has no favorite rides as he's never been.
My favorite rides are Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Midway Mania & Splash Mountain.
We will be driving to Orlando since it isn't too terribly far, so we would have the ability to drive somewhere should anyone have any off-property suggestions.

Okay...this is a long post. Now I get the abbreviations. I hope some of you are able to read through my novel and help me out!
 
Welcome, and congratulations!

You might be interested in these two episodes of the Disney Wedding Podcast, which cover a ton of honeymoon ideas for Walt Disney World:

How To Plan A Walt Disney World Honeymoon: Part 1

How To Plan A Walt Disney World Honeymoon: Part 2


I would also recommend posting your questions in the general Theme Park Attractions and Strategies forum of the DIS because it gets a lot more traffic than this forum, so you'll have plenty of experts to offer opinions. But I'll see what I can suggest too!


1. First time, adult male visitor. Should Magic Kingdom be the first park we visit for the full "effect" of the parks, or is there another approach to consider?

The fact that your DF [Disney/Dear Fiance] has favorite characters makes me think that Magic Kingdom would be the perfect first park. If he wasn't a Disney fan, I might say Epcot. Under NO circumstances would I say Hollywood Studios! :rotfl:

2. We are staying at Port Orleans - French Quarter. How much time should we be guesstimating for our transportation - specifically for wanting to make rope drop or dinner reservations at resorts?
I believe the rule of thumb is to give yourself an hour to get anywhere on Disney property if you're using Disney transport. But I'd ask the gurus on the Transportation Board.

3. As two grown adults, will we be "lame" for asking for autographs? ... BUT tell me straight - if adults ask for autographs will we get eye rolls?

Not at all! That's the whole point of Disney—everyone there can feel free to act like a kid, no matter their age. And if you guys pick up "Happily Ever After" pins from Guest Services at the parks or your resort, you will be even more enthusiastically received by CMs [cast members].

4. We are splurging on the Deluxe Dining Plan because we want to be able to have the Signature Dining every night since it can include places at Disney Springs. As such, what are your 2-credit can't miss suggestions? So far a friend told me O'Hana for the fireworks is a MUST. We also want to do Cindy's breakfast one morning early before the park opens.

This is a great question for the Restaurants board!

I've never been seated anywhere at Ohana that I could actually see the fireworks. California Grill is generally acknowledged to be the best place for fireworks because it's all windows AND they have a balcony you can go out on at any time the night of your reservation. Meaning that if you eat early, they will let you come back later in the evening to watch the show from the balcony. CA Grill also has some of the best food on property, so it gets a double recommendation from me. Oh, and it's one of the easiest places to order a fancy cake for, so... TRIPLE recommendation! :teeth:

Yachtsman Steakhouse is usually good, and you could walk out to the marina (high fireworks only) or into Epcot after dinner to see IllumiNations. Artist Point is another good Signature Dining option, and you can take the boat over to the Magic Kingdom to watch fireworks after dinner.
 
Who cares if you get eye rolls? I'm getting autographs on my honeymoon! One sheet for in our photobook and I'm contemplating a pillowcase...

True... It just has been so long since I've been there I was nervous that parents might get annoyed if my fiance and I are taking time with characters while they wait. We are so looking forward to it. You are right - it is our honeymoon and we should go for it! :donald:
 


Welcome, and congratulations!

You might be interested in these two episodes of the Disney Wedding Podcast, which cover a ton of honeymoon ideas for Walt Disney World:

How To Plan A Walt Disney World Honeymoon: Part 1

How To Plan A Walt Disney World Honeymoon: Part 2


I would also recommend posting your questions in the general Theme Park Attractions and Strategies forum of the DIS because it gets a lot more traffic than this forum, so you'll have plenty of experts to offer opinions. But I'll see what I can suggest too!




The fact that your DF [Disney/Dear Fiance] has favorite characters makes me think that Magic Kingdom would be the perfect first park. If he wasn't a Disney fan, I might say Epcot. Under NO circumstances would I say Hollywood Studios! :rotfl:


I believe the rule of thumb is to give yourself an hour to get anywhere on Disney property if you're using Disney transport. But I'd ask the gurus on the Transportation Board.



Not at all! That's the whole point of Disney—everyone there can feel free to act like a kid, no matter their age. And if you guys pick up "Happily Ever After" pins from Guest Services at the parks or your resort, you will be even more enthusiastically received by CMs [cast members].



This is a great question for the Restaurants board!

I've never been seated anywhere at Ohana that I could actually see the fireworks. California Grill is generally acknowledged to be the best place for fireworks because it's all windows AND they have a balcony you can go out on at any time the night of your reservation. Meaning that if you eat early, they will let you come back later in the evening to watch the show from the balcony. CA Grill also has some of the best food on property, so it gets a double recommendation from me. Oh, and it's one of the easiest places to order a fancy cake for, so... TRIPLE recommendation! :teeth:

Yachtsman Steakhouse is usually good, and you could walk out to the marina (high fireworks only) or into Epcot after dinner to see IllumiNations. Artist Point is another good Signature Dining option, and you can take the boat over to the Magic Kingdom to watch fireworks after dinner.


WOW!!! Thank you for taking so much time in replying!! So much to think about!! I am taking all of your suggestions down for me to reference when planning our itinerary! I'll look for those other boards and post my individual questions there. Such great advice. I actually finished the podcasts this morning - I'd been listening to those two episodes this week during my drive into work. I know you say no to Hollywood Studios, but I'm still excited to see it. I'm so upset the Great Movie Ride and the Backlot Tour are both gone now - those were two of my favorites. With my fiance's love of movie making, I know he would have loved those too. Heck, I probably would have been stuck with him in the que for the Backlot Tour for an hour and a half just so he could look at all of the props while he let other people pass us by!! :lmao:
 
DH and I are going in September 2018 for our delayed honeymoon! While we have both been before it was always with our kids and never together so we are looking forward to focusing on what we want to do.

We’ve opted for the Deluxe Dining as well and are planning on signature dining at California Grill (for the fireworks), Morimoto (because we love the Food Network), Le Celliere (because we are Canadian) and Jiko (because we love trying new food). We also plan two days at Epcot for the Food and Wine festival.

We are starting with Magic Kingdom. DH isn’t a huge fan but I think that because he has girls and they mostly did princess stuff - not so much his thing. It’s not my top park either (I’m a Star Wars girl, so I love Hollywood Studios) but I think it sets the right tone to the trip and I do love the magic of it all.
 


DH and I are going in September 2018 for our delayed honeymoon! While we have both been before it was always with our kids and never together so we are looking forward to focusing on what we want to do.

We’ve opted for the Deluxe Dining as well and are planning on signature dining at California Grill (for the fireworks), Morimoto (because we love the Food Network), Le Celliere (because we are Canadian) and Jiko (because we love trying new food). We also plan two days at Epcot for the Food and Wine festival.

We are starting with Magic Kingdom. DH isn’t a huge fan but I think that because he has girls and they mostly did princess stuff - not so much his thing. It’s not my top park either (I’m a Star Wars girl, so I love Hollywood Studios) but I think it sets the right tone to the trip and I do love the magic of it all.

We are very excited about using all of those snack credits during the Food & Wine Festival ourselves!! I am excited to hear how your trip goes! Congrats on your honeymoon!! :rainbow:
 
:welcome: We too are getting married this year and also Honeymooning in October/November!

In 2016 my future husband and I took a trip to WDW and it was his first time, We loved Food and Wine, It was so lovely to take life at a slower pace and taste food and drinks from around the World Showcase.

I am a massive fan of Yachtsman Steakhouse and its nice to have an evening where you get dressed up and enjoy some time away from the parks without having to leave the "Disney bubble".

I hope you have a lovely honeymoon and enjoy being newlyweds!
 
Congratulations:cheer2:.. We stayed at POFQ for our honeymoon and every visit since. I usually plan on an hour to get to the parks/ DS but if we have an ADR up that to 75 to 90 minutes. The last few trips to go to another resort we now use taxis. We love Yachtsman Steakhouse.
The boat to DS is a nice change from buses. We had enjoyable TS dinner at Boathouse (2 credits) & Homecomin ( 1 credit)last trip.We don't get any Dining Plans but depending on what is ordered I don't think the Boathouse is a good use of 2 TS credits.
You will be there during Food & Wine which can be a great place to use Snack credits. One piece of advice is not to go on the weekend. The 2nd is take time to enjoy and accept you may not see & do everything.
The website www.portorleans.org is a great source of information if you haven't checked it out yet.
 
Congrats! I think you will be thrilled with your decision to delay the honeymoon at bit. We married 3 weeks ago ( we're honeymooning in September ) and one of the 1st things I said after the wedding was I was so glad we had delayed. We were exhausted after the reception and the idea of waking up even mildly early to drag suitcases and trudged through the airport seemed daunting.

1. Magic Kingdom is always our 1st park day. It sets the mood and is DH's favorite park. After all, it's where it all started.
2. For MK, I'd say 40-45 minutes, EP - 30 to 40, HS - 40-45 and AK 45-50. This would include an approximate 15-20 minute wait time for the buses.
3. If autographs are your thing then DO IT! It's your honeymoon and it sounds like you have some cool things in mind for the autographs. I also recommend Memory Makers since most autograph sessions also have photographers there. We found it was worth every penny and we got some cool shots.
4. I'd include Yachtman Steakhouse if you are meat eaters. The food was great and IMO, the Beach Club at night is one of the most romantic spots.

Enjoy!
 
Congrats! I think you will be thrilled with your decision to delay the honeymoon at bit. We married 3 weeks ago ( we're honeymooning in September ) and one of the 1st things I said after the wedding was I was so glad we had delayed. We were exhausted after the reception and the idea of waking up even mildly early to drag suitcases and trudged through the airport seemed daunting.

1. Magic Kingdom is always our 1st park day. It sets the mood and is DH's favorite park. After all, it's where it all started.
2. For MK, I'd say 40-45 minutes, EP - 30 to 40, HS - 40-45 and AK 45-50. This would include an approximate 15-20 minute wait time for the buses.
3. If autographs are your thing then DO IT! It's your honeymoon and it sounds like you have some cool things in mind for the autographs. I also recommend Memory Makers since most autograph sessions also have photographers there. We found it was worth every penny and we got some cool shots.
4. I'd include Yachtman Steakhouse if you are meat eaters. The food was great and IMO, the Beach Club at night is one of the most romantic spots.

Enjoy!

I didn't even think about delaying for that reason. GREAT point!! We originally planned it that way because all of my family is out of town and having the wedding on Friday night means we can actually spend the weekend with my family that comes to town vs only seeing them for a few minutes at the reception. It would be so sad to not get to spend quality time with everyone that made the trip to see us. Resting up a bit during the week is an added bonus!

I'm very happy to hear the feedback that autographs won't be silly to do as adults if we don't have any kids with us.

We have been thinking about Yachtsman's Steakhouse as an alternate since we have struggled with some of our ADRs.

Such great tips. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!! :figment:
 
I am just going to echo the comments that if you want autographs then DO IT!! I went to visit a friend who worked at Disney in the college program a couple times and one of my favorite memories from one of my trips was her buying us both these giant canvas mickey bags that we took around to get signed. I still use this bag to this day when I go on trips and it's a great way to carry Disney magic with me on other adventures. In all honesty I think some of the characters enjoy interacting with adults for a change because we know some of their "secrets"

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And also congrats on your upcoming wedding!!
 
I am just going to echo the comments that if you want autographs then DO IT!! I went to visit a friend who worked at Disney in the college program a couple times and one of my favorite memories from one of my trips was her buying us both these giant canvas mickey bags that we took around to get signed. I still use this bag to this day when I go on trips and it's a great way to carry Disney magic with me on other adventures. In all honesty I think some of the characters enjoy interacting with adults for a change because we know some of their "secrets"

292078_10100244136265879_2701483_n.jpg


And also congrats on your upcoming wedding!!


That is AWESOME. What a great idea!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Hi! I joined just to say congratulations! AND if you love Ariel and Rapunzel, may a enthusiastically suggest a character meal at Cinderella's Royal Table?! They come by your table (at least they did both times I have been) and that way you don't have to stand in line to get their autographs. That and the experience is magical! I am getting married in October too and having a mini moon a couple days later at Disney to tie us over for the big one next Spring! I was coming on here to get some tips for myself, but had to chime in. At Hollywood Studios, Minnie has a dinner party character meal (She is my fave) that I am dying to go to.

I love Disney World!!! And the beauty of it is, adult children and children children alike get to enjoy it all the same. Was trying to post a profile pic of me with ears eating Mickey shaped food, but alas, I am technologically a dunce at this time of night. I hope you and your soon to be hubby have the best time!
 
Congrats from one October bride/November Honeymooner!! All the info you got up above it totally awesome! We are arriving on the 10th of November and Magic Kingdom is ALWAYS the first park I go to!! I need to see the Castle (and cry...EVERY TIME) first, and I finally know I am home!! We pushed our Honeymoon back a couple of weeks so we could celebrate BOTH of our exact birthdays while there! We are doing Chef Mickeys and CRT so far, we arent sure how many other sit-downs we will do as we are focusing on tours that we cant do when we return with (hopefully) babies!! We were just there last October so we are going to relax a bit more, and are going to do the Keys to the Kingdom, Wild Africa Trek and the Christmas Party, and just go with the flow the rest of the time (except for planned Fast passes and reservations).

I didnt see anyone mention it, but you might want to look into doing a Christmas Party if you both like Jack and Sally. I believe at the Christmas party Jack is dressed like Santa (I am a bad bad Disney fan...I have never seen Nightmare before Christmas). Its the only time you can meet them, and the line gets LONG from what I hear!!

Enjoy your Honeymoon, and I wish you guys the best!! Good luck in the home stretch of wedding planning!! Hopefully you arent as stressed as I am!!
 
Hi! I joined just to say congratulations! AND if you love Ariel and Rapunzel, may a enthusiastically suggest a character meal at Cinderella's Royal Table?! They come by your table (at least they did both times I have been) and that way you don't have to stand in line to get their autographs. That and the experience is magical! I am getting married in October too and having a mini moon a couple days later at Disney to tie us over for the big one next Spring! I was coming on here to get some tips for myself, but had to chime in. At Hollywood Studios, Minnie has a dinner party character meal (She is my fave) that I am dying to go to.

I love Disney World!!! And the beauty of it is, adult children and children children alike get to enjoy it all the same. Was trying to post a profile pic of me with ears eating Mickey shaped food, but alas, I am technologically a dunce at this time of night. I hope you and your soon to be hubby have the best time!

We have a breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table one of our mornings and we are (BOTH) beyond excited!! It has been so great to see so many other people so excited about Disney as adults. I'm so glad I found disboards!

And CONGRATS on your upcoming wedding too!!! I feel like there are a few of us on here. May need to make a thread for all the October weddings with Disney honeymoon/mini moons!
 
Congrats from one October bride/November Honeymooner!! All the info you got up above it totally awesome! We are arriving on the 10th of November and Magic Kingdom is ALWAYS the first park I go to!! I need to see the Castle (and cry...EVERY TIME) first, and I finally know I am home!! We pushed our Honeymoon back a couple of weeks so we could celebrate BOTH of our exact birthdays while there! We are doing Chef Mickeys and CRT so far, we arent sure how many other sit-downs we will do as we are focusing on tours that we cant do when we return with (hopefully) babies!! We were just there last October so we are going to relax a bit more, and are going to do the Keys to the Kingdom, Wild Africa Trek and the Christmas Party, and just go with the flow the rest of the time (except for planned Fast passes and reservations).

I didnt see anyone mention it, but you might want to look into doing a Christmas Party if you both like Jack and Sally. I believe at the Christmas party Jack is dressed like Santa (I am a bad bad Disney fan...I have never seen Nightmare before Christmas). Its the only time you can meet them, and the line gets LONG from what I hear!!

Enjoy your Honeymoon, and I wish you guys the best!! Good luck in the home stretch of wedding planning!! Hopefully you arent as stressed as I am!!

CONGRATS!!! Seriously, October wedding thread might be coming...there are a good number of us out there!! :cloud9:

We are doing Keys to the Kingdom on Nov 9th! I didn't even consider doing a Christmas Party because we are one of those households that gets so angry that Christmas decorations already go out on shelves as soon as the summertime / beach stuff comes down. However, now that meeting Jack and Sally might be an option - we might need to seriously consider it. There is a part of me that is worried we are doing too much though... between Food & Wine, all of our ADRs because we wanted a good amount of "fancy" meals due to honeymooning and maybe adding the Christmas Party - would that be too insane scheduling wise?
 

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