First Time! Honeymooners. Where to stay?

[writersblock]

Hi! We are seriously considering WDW for our honeymoon. We've never been before. We live in the UK. Looking at what we can afford, we have numerous options but I have some questions.

About us: we are in our 30s, no kids. We don't want to stay in a resort swarming with kids because we want some down time at our hotel inbetween the madness of the parks. We definitely will spend time in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and a couple of days over at Universal (huge HP fan). No water parks. Not overly interested in Hollywood Studios. We like good food, some down time, shopping, the idea of the fireworks and unique experiences. For our honeymoon it's between WDW and Italy and it's a close call at the moment! We'd be looking at either going before thanksgiving in Nov (to avoid it) but I really want to see Disney at Xmas (we are limited due to
My partner's job but we could go at the tail end of Dec and catch New Year), go or mid January.

So, choices. We can stay in any of the moderates or values for two weeks OR if we only did 10 days we could throw a deluxe into the mix. We'd initially dismissed all values because there are likely to be more kids but I'm reading that POP and AoA aren't so bad. And they are so cheap compared to the others so we'd have more spending money. Out of the moderates I really like both Port Orleans resorts, possibly Riverside pips it because of the amenities. And there's some romance to be found there (boat rides, horse and cart). Though CS has caught my interest lately too.

Then the Deluxes. We could do Animal Kingdom Lodge without too much trouble (standard view and hope for a Savannah upgrade because of low season) or Old Key West. We love animals so the former appeals (as does the food there) but we are a bit worried it will take forever to get to each park from there. We have heard OKW is really tough to get from without a car. We don't drive.

If we did DVC rentals we could really push the boat out and do either Grand Floridian (which is my personal favourite on paper. Love how it looks), Boardwalk (like how close it is to many restaurants) or Bay Tower (I think BT/Contemp is epic!). Is it worth the hassle though, and the extra couple of thousand it would cost over POR?

Finally, swan and dolphin are affordable and we like the location. But am I right in saying you can't get Disney dining? With the moderates and AK/OKW we can get either free quick dining and upgrade for not a lot or free dining on the two Deluxes. The other Deluxes are beyond our price unless we go with DVC rentals and then add on the entire dining plans.

Phew! Sorry that was long. Any advice? We had briefly considered just seven days in a deluxe but coming from the UK it seems a waste to not do at least 10. Especially if we wanted to tack on Universal.

Thanks in advance!

 

[terri33inne]

I've always said if I ever honeymooned at Disney I would stay in one of the cottages at Boardwalk... I just think they are so charming! They are CL so they are pricier, and you have to walk to the main bldg to get the CL benefits, but they are in a quiet area of BW right near a quiet pool.

 

[Heidi K]

We honeymooned in Disney. We chose a value resort so that we could stay longer, but in retrospect I've always kind of wished that we had chosen a nicer resort. There was nothing wrong with the value, but it didn't have that more luxurious, "honeymoon" feel.

I will say though, that Disney is swarming with children, no matter where you stay! I think you can partially avoid the kids by staying up later, eating at off hours, and staying away from the main pool. Coronado Springs could have fewer kids because of its convention focus.

If you think you'll ever go back when you DO have kids, then definitely take advantage of this kid-free trip! Eat in the nice restaurants and do the experiences that are hard to manage with pre-schoolers.

I believe if you go in mid-November, the Christmas decorations will already be up. Someone else can probably weigh in on that. That would be my choice of time period.

Have fun planning!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

You cannot get a Disney Dining plan at Swan or Dolphin.

If you try DVC rental, Boarwalk Standard Studios require booking 11 months in advance via someone who owns at Boardwalk, and even then you should budget for Pool View, as Standard is hard for even DVC owners to get most seasons, but especially November-December. I do not think renting Grand Floridian via DVC Is realistic, even at 11 months; it is challenging to get most seasons, sometimes even for DVC owners at Grand Floridian. BLT Lake View is realistically possible. November and December are the hardest months of the year to book DVC, period.

You don't say what year you are looking at. That will make a huge difference on what is possible via DVC rental. 2016's ship has already sailed.

I think Port Orleans is a very nice resort for a honeymoon, and if it would be cheaper and leave you more spending money to do things like go to Universal, you can have a lovely honeymoon at POR.

 

[gojoe]

For a moderate Port Orleans French Quarter. Love the charm of the French Quarter. Boat ride to great dining options. Boardwalk, very adult for a delux.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We had our honeymoon at Disney 14 years ago.

We stayed at All Star Sports, because well, we were young and had a much smaller budget. Our honeymoon was super magical and we have great memories. I do remember us saying that we wished we could stay at the GF though and how great that would have been....

But, you know what? We stayed at GF this year, with our three kids, and we just kept thinking about how far we've come in those 14 years. I'm glad we stayed at All Star Sports for our honeymoon!!

Besides, it's not really about where you stay but the company you are with.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Since you will be traveling so far, there are two ways to look at your trip. More days would be nice because it spreads out the travel. Less days would be nice since you could afford a nicer hotel. To me, 10 days would be plenty. To others it might not be. With your choices listed, I think I would go for a split stay. Maybe 6 days at Pop and then 6 days at POFQ. Wear yourselves out park hopping the first six days going to Universal and MK and Epcot and AK then take a more laid back approach when you get to POFQ. Enjoy the resort, take the boat to DS every evening for a good meal. The best thing about a split stay to me is it makes it feel like two vacations. New places to explore (horse drawn carriage ride when you get to PO).

Remember though, either way you go, you will have a great time!

 

[Tigger's ally]

We had our honeymoon at Disney 14 years ago.

We stayed at All Star Sports, because well, we were young and had a much smaller budget. Our honeymoon was super magical and we have great memories. I do remember us saying that we wished we could stay at the GF though and how great that would have been....

But, you know what? We stayed at GF this year, with our three kids, and we just kept thinking about how far we've come in those 14 years. I'm glad we stayed at All Star Sports for our honeymoon!!

Besides, it's not really about where you stay but the company you are with.

LOL, we actually stayed at Contemporary on our honeymoon and later with kids we stayed at All star Sports many times because my kids loved it there.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My choices would be POR or AKL. I love the Swan, but if you can get a better deal with a free dining plan at POR or AKL, I would go for it. Plus, the Swan doesn't feel as romantic as POR or AKL IMHO.

POR is lovely and the boat to DS for dining and shopping is a bonus IMHO. AKL is stunning and, quite honestly, with 2 adults without kids/strollers in tow, the transportation really isn't bad. You can always cab or uber everywhere as well for little cost.

If you can do the DVC rental, Boardwalk is fantastic! SO romantic! And the proximity to parks and restaurants is great. For adults-only, I really prefer this location to BLT and even VGF. There is just so much to do in the Boardwalk area.

If you are looking into DVC rentals and are interested in AKL, why not look at a studio at AKV to see if it would save you some money?

Just know, WDW is swarming with kids. There's really no way to avoid this.

 

[mexi]

We also went to Disney for the first time on our honeymoon 20 years ago. We decided to go big and stay at the GF. It was beautiful and the CM's made us feel special everyday.

Yes we could have saved money and stayed somewhere less expensive but we would say, "You only get to do this once so let's do it big".

Whatever you decide I'm sure you will have a great time. Congrats on your wedding and happy planning!

 

[AliceIn]

Hi! We are seriously considering WDW for our honeymoon. We've never been before. We live in the UK. Looking at what we can afford, we have numerous options but I have some questions.

About us: we are in our 30s, no kids. We don't want to stay in a resort swarming with kids because we want some down time at our hotel inbetween the madness of the parks. We definitely will spend time in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and a couple of days over at Universal (huge HP fan). No water parks. Not overly interested in Hollywood Studios. We like good food, some down time, shopping, the idea of the fireworks and unique experiences. For our honeymoon it's between WDW and Italy and it's a close call at the moment! We'd be looking at either going before thanksgiving in Nov (to avoid it) but I really want to see Disney at Xmas (we are limited due to
My partner's job but we could go at the tail end of Dec and catch New Year), go or mid January.

First - it is likely that any resort that you stay in will have many children. You are likely to see fewer kids mid-January, because schools are back in session. There will be many, many children during the Christmas/New Year weeks. The Convention resorts tend to have fewer children. Values and moderates have more children overall. The moderate with the least children is likely Coronado Springs because it's a convention property. The Contemporary had fewer children than the Poly or the GF. The Yacht Club seems to have fewer kids than the Beach.

All that said - there may be hordes of kids at any Disney resort. For me - I like the deluxe resorts for the extra amenities.

 

[frank.sauvestre]

We also went to Disney for the first time on our honeymoon 19 years ago. we made a split stay with 4 nights POFQ and 3 nights WL whici is wonderfull

 

[Marbel]

Grand Floridian, if you can swing it. It is absolutely gorgeous. I would have loved to stay there for my honeymoon. How about a split stay, starting at the GF for a couple of days and then moving to a value?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Congrats! We are also from the UK so welcome! I would go deluxe and consider the Beach Club or Broadwalk. You are near EPCOT for dining then. Or be near Disney Springs at SSR. Moderate I would def give thumbs up for POR it's lovely. Grand Floridian is beautiful for sure. AK lovely but too remote for us. CSR was nice too.

 

[vratiana]

I Love Pop and AOA but neither seem ideal for a honeymoon. The food courts are awesome and easy for families, but there are no sit down restaurants. Don't get me wrong, if that is what your budget allows (as a family we stay at Pop), you could absolutely still have a wonderful honeymoon at any Disney resort. But if you are specifically looking for some romance or quiet, I would try to swing a moderate or deluxe.

 

[katmu]

I would also encourage you to do a split stay, but for the days you want to be at Universal stay at one of the Universal hotels as they are all within walking distance to the parks there. That will get you early entry for HP. You will either need to cab it over, or I believe Mears has a shuttle. I think Portofino Bay would be the most romantic but also the most expensive but I also think Royal Pacific would be really nice for a honeymoon.

I would probably go for one of the moderates at Disney, either POR, POFQ or CSR.

 

[sgtdisney]

We stayed at the Polynesian on our honeymoon 25 years ago. It was expensive but was worth it and very romantic. Personally, I probably would not chose any of the values for a honeymoon. We stayed in them and had a good time, but they are very busy, and bustling and have no dining option other than a food court which can be loud and busy. The Polynesian has a lot of families around, but all WDW resorts do, even GF, but it is a little spread out and you can find some quiet places, also the new Oasis pool is a saltwater pool and was so nice when we were there last month. Good luck choosing, lots of choices to pick from.

 

[addiln]

If you are looking for something a little more relaxed I would stay away from the value resorts. They tend to be more filled with family and younger children running around. They are great resorts and save you a ton of money compared to other resorts but not sure I would be looking for that for my honeymoon. We stayed at CBR for our honeymoon and it was great. They have smaller pools that are less crowded and resort was very relaxing to me. I would suggest this or POFQ. I think both of these are great moderate resorts to stay at. Also just to throw this out there we did an adults only trip 2 years ago and stayed at Kidani with a savannah view and loved it. It was great waking up in the morning have a coffee watching the animals. The resort was great and the food was just a good.

 

[Jonas_Swe]

Hi! We are seriously considering WDW for our honeymoon. We've never been before. We live in the UK. Looking at what we can afford, we have numerous options but I have some questions.

About us: we are in our 30s, no kids. We don't want to stay in a resort swarming with kids because we want some down time at our hotel inbetween the madness of the parks. We definitely will spend time in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and a couple of days over at Universal (huge HP fan). No water parks. Not overly interested in Hollywood Studios. We like good food, some down time, shopping, the idea of the fireworks and unique experiences. For our honeymoon it's between WDW and Italy and it's a close call at the moment! We'd be looking at either going before thanksgiving in Nov (to avoid it) but I really want to see Disney at Xmas (we are limited due to
My partner's job but we could go at the tail end of Dec and catch New Year), go or mid January.

So, choices. We can stay in any of the moderates or values for two weeks OR if we only did 10 days we could throw a deluxe into the mix. We'd initially dismissed all values because there are likely to be more kids but I'm reading that POP and AoA aren't so bad. And they are so cheap compared to the others so we'd have more spending money. Out of the moderates I really like both Port Orleans resorts, possibly Riverside pips it because of the amenities. And there's some romance to be found there (boat rides, horse and cart). Though CS has caught my interest lately too.

Then the Deluxes. We could do Animal Kingdom Lodge without too much trouble (standard view and hope for a Savannah upgrade because of low season) or Old Key West. We love animals so the former appeals (as does the food there) but we are a bit worried it will take forever to get to each park from there. We have heard OKW is really tough to get from without a car. We don't drive.

If we did DVC rentals we could really push the boat out and do either Grand Floridian (which is my personal favourite on paper. Love how it looks), Boardwalk (like how close it is to many restaurants) or Bay Tower (I think BT/Contemp is epic!). Is it worth the hassle though, and the extra couple of thousand it would cost over POR?

Finally, swan and dolphin are affordable and we like the location. But am I right in saying you can't get Disney dining? With the moderates and AK/OKW we can get either free quick dining and upgrade for not a lot or free dining on the two Deluxes. The other Deluxes are beyond our price unless we go with DVC rentals and then add on the entire dining plans.

Phew! Sorry that was long. Any advice? We had briefly considered just seven days in a deluxe but coming from the UK it seems a waste to not do at least 10. Especially if we wanted to tack on Universal.

Thanks in advance!

I had my honeymoon trip to WDW, and we stayed in The Wilderness Lodge Honeymoon Suite. It was amazing!

With AP discount for that period of time they offered us the suite at a cheaper price than a regular room without discount... Crazy!

Of course that might not always apply, but could be worth looking into.

The Wilderness Lodge is a beautiful resort, and concierge for grown ups is perfect. Up on the top floor, secluded and overlooking the stunning lobby!

The resort as a whole is so charming and inviting, plus the concierge staff really take pride in their own haven up there above it all. Amazing service and friendliness.

 

[Hopefully]

I had my honeymoon trip to WDW, and we stayed in The Wilderness Lodge Honeymoon Suite. It was amazing!

With AP discount for that period of time they offered us the suite at a cheaper price than a regular room without discount... Crazy!

Of course that might not always apply, but could be worth looking into.

The Wilderness Lodge is a beautiful resort, and concierge for grown ups is perfect. Up on the top floor, secluded and overlooking the stunning lobby!

The resort as a whole is so charming and inviting, plus the concierge staff really take pride in their own haven up there above it all. Amazing service and friendliness.

With the current massive construction project at WL the honeymoon suite is unavailable and concierge lounge no longer over looks the lobby
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding OP.
As others have said WDW is teeming with kids, where ever you go. But I would stay away from the values,.
But for a slower time I agree with going in mid January. I would choose POFQ. It is beautifully themed, smaller and a bit quieter. I also think for a young 30's couple the boat to evenings at Disney Springs is a great plus
I too would do a split stay and stay at Universal for your days there first, then move to Disney and stay for the rest of your visit.
Coming from the UK I think a Moderate and a longer stay would be perfect.
Enjoy