Honeymoon help

[JustHappyToBeHere]

Hello fellow disers, my fiancé and I are currently planning our honeymoon for next January. We were going to take a 5 day Carribean cruise out of Tampa and we wanted to spend a few days in Florida after our cruise ends. I immediately suggested spending the three days at Walt Disney World. She doesn't think this is in our budget. I'm a frequent Disneyland traveler but really don't have very much knowledge when it comes to planning a Disney world trip. It would be not only our first time in Disney world but Florida all together. Could you give me some basic travel tips on where to stay and what a realistic budget we would need for a few days? Or is there enough to do in Tampa instead? It would kill me to not see Walt Disney world but I would enjoy spending time in Tampa as well.

 

[aristocatz]

Hello fellow disers, my fiancé and I are currently planning our honeymoon for next January. We were going to take a 5 day Carribean cruise out of Tampa and we wanted to spend a few days in Florida after our cruise ends. I immediately suggested spending the three days at Walt Disney World. She doesn't think this is in our budget. I'm a frequent Disneyland traveler but really don't have very much knowledge when it comes to planning a Disney world trip. It would be not only our first time in Disney world but Florida all together. Could you give me some basic travel tips on where to stay and what a realistic budget we would need for a few days? Or is there enough to do in Tampa instead? It would kill me to not see Walt Disney world but I would enjoy spending time in Tampa as well.

Go to Disney World!! You won't regret it! Not sure what to say about a realistic budget, because that term will vary from person to person. For us, a trip with a realistic budget would be a few days in a moderate resort-Port Orleans Riverside is our favorite, but honestly, all of the moderate resorts are beautiful & comfy. It all depends on which theme you like & which park you want to be closest to. All of the resorts offer free bus service to & from the park. If you are looking for even more budget friendly, I would suggest looking into a value resort, such as Pop Century or Art of Animation.

It would be worth it for you to see if there are any deals going on during the time of your trip. You could look into the Dining Plan, but it might not be cost effective for you-check out the Quick Service Plan. You can save a ton of money in WDW by eating primarily quick service meals & if you do your research, you can find lots of quick service restaurants that offer great selections & nice locations.

Also, don't get sucked into buying park hopper tickets. They are not necessary & you can save money just buying the base tickets.

 

[Erzengel]

If you want to economize you can choose the value resorts over the moderate ones especially if you're just using the rooms just to sleep, shower and change.

I agree with aristocatz about doing a dining plan but with the caveat of doing quick service meal for lunch and then a dinner plan. As this is your honeymoon, it'd be nice to have a nice sit down meal at the end of the day. Every park has a sit down place, some more than others like Epcot.

Tickets will probably run you under a $100 a day without the park hopper. Each park can take a day and you probably don't need to park hop especially if you're only there for 3 days.

 

[2010_Bride]

I second Port Orleans Riverside. We didn't honeymoon there, but it is one of the more romantic resorts if you like to walk around outside. We stayed in the mansions and the landscaping is just beautiful. It is a moderate resort so not as cheap as a value, but less expensive than the deluxe. There is a nice lounge to hang out in the evening and a sit down restaurant right at the resort. The value resorts just have cafeterias. Just my opinion, but I wouldn't stay at a value resort for my honeymoon.

 

[Parker Clan]

We love the Caribbean Beach Hotel! it's very affordable and each "house" has its own pool, meaning lots of privacy and quiet time. The only pool that is crowded is the main pool. We enjoy lots of chill time by the pool and the hammocks by the water. It's also close to Epcot which has the best fireworks in my opinion & the Boardwalk - Trattoria Al Forno is a great Italian restaurant. Not sure what to say for budget! We go in Aug and do Universal Studios and Disney a total of 10 days.
If you decide not to do Disney, Universal is a great time too.. Especially if you're a Harry Potter fan!

 

[Willie Bryner]

You should definitely go to Disney World, Try to convince your fiancee that the trip would be worth every single penny that you spend.

 

[TeamSy]

You also don't need to stay onsite. Unlike Disneyland they don't offer any good neighbor hotels, but there are a lot of area hotels that are VERY inexpensive, especially if you plan on spending a lot of time in the parks AND you'll have a car since you'd be driving from Tampa.

 

[emnems34]

First off- Splurge on the Disney Trip! not only is it the trip of a lifetime, but being there as honeymooners you'll get such a cool experience- they will probably make a fuss over you!

-If you go, make sure to stop at guest services your first day and get free happily ever after buttons. This lets CMs know you're celebrating! Also, if you're into Mickey ears- get bride and groom ones!

Now for my two cents on a budget trip:

I agree with a lot of people that Riverside is gorgeous for honeymooning! But if simply getting to Disney World is what's most important to you and you don't mind staying in a value resort, I highly recommend Pop Century. It's usually one of the least expensive resorts, and always has its own bus line (the All Star Resorts often share bus lines during busy times, but going in January you may not have that problem) The good news is the time of year you're going is one of the lower ones price wise! Tickets, like others have said, are about $100 a day. Definitely of Magic Kingdom- if you have to sacrifice one park this trip, make it Hollywood Studios, not because it isn't absolutely wonderful (it is!) but because it's currently going through a lot of renovations and it will be a whole different park in 4 years or so- and by then maybe you can plan an anniversary trip to see the new additions! Also if you go to DLR often it's relatively similar to Cali Adventure, so you wouldn't miss as much as if you skipped out on, say, animal kingdom. You can stay offsite, but be sure to factor in transportation and/or $20 a day to park, which will rack up the cost a little bit. Also remember if you stay offsite you can't use the Disney Dining Plan. It isn't for everyone, but definitely look into it as an option because depending on what and where you guys like to eat, it might save you money!