Natalie & Matt’s Fantasmic Disneymoon – September 2012

[NatsyNoo]

Originally Posted by oh_darling

Woooo she's finally started! Sorry Nat I'm a bit late jumping on the old bandwagon here but I'm in for the long haul now!

You really are a lovely couple and you have had a fairytale story together so far ohhhh I'm a sucker for a happy ending! Love how organised you are too!

I also love the plane do you like plane food!? I'm really excited about the food! I think because it's all in little compartments. I'm a bit sad like that.

Can I ask where you got the Mickey ring from? It is an absolute beaut and I def want to get one when we go.

Looking forward to hearing all about the CRUISE (I'm so jealous! ) and also all your other plans lots of love! xxxxxxxxxxx

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Thanks for your lovely comments Libby
I have to say I think plane food is ok, just ok, better than it used to be but far from DDP cuisine! We usually have McDs or big breakfast before we board and have biscuits and sweeties to snack on so never really that worried.
The Mickey ring was from Mouse Gear in Epcot...he snuck off one day to buy it, think it was about $50, they have a big jewellry section in there. There's a jewellry store in the shops near the front of Hollywood Studios too, there's lots of lovely things around!
The cruise update is on the way! Hoping to do it this afternoon!

[NatsyNoo]

Since I'm a plan-o-holic I haven't been able to book accommodation yet...in the next few weeks hopefully though we will be able to!

Our plans regarding where to stay have changed a lot over the last few months.
We started by doing a split stay between Contemporary, Yacht Club and Animal Kingdom Lodge but it was very expensive doing it that way and also we wouldn't be able to take advantage of the free Disney Dining Plan which we fully intend to do.

We then revised our plans by staying simply at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the full 3 weeks.

However, the more we looked at 2011 prices, the more we thought we'd rather save the money and stay at a moderate resort and upgrade our DDP package from quick service to full dining. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter in 2009 and adored it so it was an easy choice.





Then the Old Key West/Saratoga Springs discount was published, and we would be able to stay at a deluxe for the same price as a moderate resort, so again, an easy choice. This has been our plan since June last year, until in October when we decided to add the cruise to our plans (see two posts down).





However, the more I think about how special I want our honeymoon to be, our once in a lifetime type trip, the more I want it to be different to anything we'll do again.

We generally don't spend a lot on accommodation as we hardly use the room and can't justify it. However, this is our honeymoon and I think it's nice to push the boat out. So over the last few weeks, I've been going back to AKL. It's about £500-600 more than OKW but I think it'll be worth it as it's unlikely we'll ever stay at a deluxe again. We'll have to wait for prices to be released but I think I'm nearly done convincing Matt. We will just book into a standard view room as I can't justify the cost for a Savannah, but you never know, we may just be sprinkled with some pixie dust!



How cute is this guy?!?! That's what AKL is all about!

[NatsyNoo]

Food is very important to us both. We really enjoying tasting, eating and cooking, which is why we were overjoyed to have received the Disney Dining Plan for free on our last two trips.

Not only do we get to experience some incredible food and restaurants, we literally couldn't have afforded to go to WDW in 2007 and 2009 without it being free as we didn't have the spends for food.

On the honeymoon, we are splashing out, but if the dining isn't free, then we will have to stay at Pop Century (budget resort) as we will need to ensure we have enough spends to pay for our dining or pay for DDP out of pocket. We could dine off-site, yes, but we enjoy on-site dining so much we'd still want to do that.

We have toyed with the idea of the deluxe dining plan for the honeymoon, it would cost about £600, but when I did the sums and worked out how much food would be left over (in terms of unused credits) it's just not going to be cost-effective. We will need some extra credits, but we will just pay for the cheaper meal options out of pocket which we are happy with.

I will go into detail about our ADR plans at a later date...don't worry, it's more or less decided, and has been for months!

[NatsyNoo]

I cruised with DCL in 2001 and 2002 and remember having the most fantastic time! We never looked at Disney cruise prices initially, as we thought they'd be miles outside of our budget!

However, I was reading Dibber Michelle's trip report on the Wonder, and it got me thinking... how expensive could a 3 night cruise be? So I checked, and it turns out it was within our budget!



I then read about the new ships (Dream and Fantasy) and heard that they wouldn't be offering 3 night sailings, so we had another look at prices, and worked out that in comparison to our hotel stays on-site, the prices weren't that crazy, so we had to decide between a 5 night Bahamian cruise on the Dream or a 7 night western Caribbean on the Fantasy, as these were the likely itineraries which would fall into our dates.

Growing very impatient, I finally read on 'the other forum' that Fantasy cruise itineraries were available by telephone for our dates, so on 17 February we booked it! We are sailing on the 15 September 2012 western Caribbean trip. We got it for about $400 less than I was expecting to pay which was an even bigger bonus, and we are staying in one of the cabins with the virtual portholes.



We are looking forward to hearing more details about the ship over the coming months, as her maidan voyage isn't until April 2012, but I expect many elements to be similar to the Dream, so we have been reading reviews, checking photos and studying menus with great interest.



My DCL Passporter guide will be with me in a few weeks!



Here's the itinerary we will be sailing with:

Day 1 – Embarkation Day
Set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida on Saturday and journey south through the translucent blue waters of the Caribbean into the heart of the Bahamas. Once onboard, join in the Adventures Away! Sail-Away Celebration, where you can dance along with Disney Characters and Crew Members. Then, explore the ship and discover the many exciting onboard venues.

Day 2
Sunday finds you arriving in either Key West, Florida or Castaway Cay, Disney's private island paradise, depending on itinerary selected. Key West is a sunny destination boasting golden beaches, balmy weather and fascinating sites of historical significance, such as the island's colonial "Old Town" and Duval Street.

Castaway Cay, a private Bahamian island reserved exclusively for Disney Guests, boasts dining, beach recreation and other invigorating activities—with a dash of Disney magic for the entire family—on an island designed as a carefree "castaway" community.

Day 3
Monday is a sea day, which means it's the perfect time for you to experience the vast array of activities, games, live shows and dining venues the ship has to offer. Families will surely want to partake in the fun at Studio Sea, while kids can connect at Disney's Oceaneer Lab. Adults may opt for a massage at the Vista Spa & Salon, and everybody can come together for a Broadway-caliber show, like The Golden Mickeys, in the evening.

Day 4 and Day 5
Drop anchor in sunny Grand Cayman or Cozumel on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on itinerary. Grand Cayman in the British West Indies reveals a world of luxury shopping at bargain prices in Bodden Town plus long stretches of golden shoreline at Seven Mile Beach. Cozumel boasts archaeological wonders at Xcaret Eco Archeological Park—where ancient Mayan ruins mingle with scenic gardens—and endless sun, sand and surf at stunning Playa Mia Beach.

Day 6
Enjoy one final day at sea on Thursday, where you and your entire family can discover anything you may have missed onboard since your cruise began, such as the fine northern Italian cuisine of Palo, or the vast number of nightclubs and lounges located onboard.

Day 7
Arrive at Disney's private island paradise in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay, on Friday. Reserved for Disney Cruise Line Guests, the island offers golden beaches for sunning and swimming. Various activities for everyone in the family—including snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, biking, spa services and Character Greetings—are sure to make this the highlight of your cruise vacation.

Day 8 – Disembarkation Day
Arrive back in sunny Port Canaveral on Saturday, content in the vacation memories that can only be had aboard a Disney cruise ship, where exquisite dining, unique entertainment and recreation, and legendary service seamlessly come together to create a family getaway unlike any other.

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Can't wait!

[Tom Morrow]

I love knowing all the little details of other folks' trips! I am looking forward to hearing more.

[Sarah84]

Glad you have started your pre tirppie, everything sounds great so far and can't wait to hear more about all your plans and of course the wedding details over on the wedding forum

[dozy]

love your report - more wedding stuff please too - love a good wedding

[*Lauren-J*]

Wow! I cannot wait to read more! Love your engagement pics! Just lovely! Wishing you all the best! Xxx

[DisneyBelle]

Originally Posted by NatsyNoo

However, the more I think about how special I want our honeymoon to be, our once in a lifetime type trip, the more I want it to be different to anything we'll do again.

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I know exactly what you mean

Loving your pre trippie, your plans look wonderful! cant wait to read more

[NatsyNoo]

Thanks everyone, I'm really enjoying writing it! Lots more to come!
Sarah, the wedding report will start soon!