Trip Chronicles: Honeymoon
Ten years ago, Jeff and I made our way to Orlando, Florida to celebrate the beginning of our journey in marriage. After thinking about a variety of destinations we had landed on Walt Disney World as a great place to honeymoon. After having been there the year before with my mom and sister for runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon weekend, we both had the itch to enjoy this spectacular place together. In honour of this anniversary I wanted to share with all of you some of the stories from that fabulous trip that has truly shaped the rest of our lives.
To begin with we came across an amazing deal a month before our arrival date. We had booked a week long vacation at Coronado Springs, with park hopper tickets for every day of our trip. A deal came up that was stay 4 nights and get 3 free. We called up Walt Disney World resort and asked if we could have that discount applied to our vacation. They said sure. We then asked where we could stay for the same price we had already paid. They said how does the Grand Floridian sound? Couldn’t believe it!
Upon arriving at the Grand Floridian we were checked in the moment we disembarked the Magical Express. We were given a tour of the grounds and then escorted into the Concierge building, an upgrade given to us by Walt Disney World because we were on our honeymoon. This separate building has delicious offerings from morning until the late hours. With a cocktail hour beginning in the afternoon. This is included in your room cost. For us it was simply included. They gave us Happily Ever After pins that we wore proudly on our daily attire to show all Cast Members and fellow guests that we were celebrating our marriage. And they truly celebrated with us. Cast Members would yell out congratulations as we walked down Main St. U.S.A. Royal couples gave us marriage advice. I remember having a frank conversation with Naveen about my cooking not being what my husband had married me for.
We dined at some of the most fantastic restaurants on site. Eating steaks at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot, an early morning breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table and an unforgettable meal at the Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios. One of my favourite meals was at Narcoossee’s, a stones throw away from our room at the Grand Floridian. Our table was beside the window, where we were able to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks light up the sky while the music played over the speakers. It was a truly magical dinner.
Jeff and I made sure we did everything and saw everyone. We rode every ride and met every character. We took pictures all around World Showcase trying on different hats at every country. We created traditions on our honeymoon that we will still do on this vacation. Every trip we find time to ride the Carousel of Progress. It’s an old attraction but it’s charm reminds us of the wonderful honeymoon we shared.
We made sure to take time on our honeymoon to go to the Disney Vacation Club preview centre at Saratoga Springs. We had friends who were members, so we had some idea as to what it was all about but wanted more information. We were upfront with our agent, we had no intentions of purchasing that day, we were there for numbers, details and prices. Our agent was friendly and helpful. He gave us the information we needed to go home and make a sound choice for what we wanted our future vacationing to look like. Two years later we made an appointment with the same agent and purchased our vacation club package.
I can’t believe it’s been ten years since that first trip. So much has changed for us and at the parks since that time. Ten years ago there was no Elsa and Anna. Ten years ago Disney didn’t yet own Star Wars. Ten years ago we were two young people with dreams in our hearts and an amazing future ahead of us. Happy Planning Friends.
