What's better than a honeymoon? TWO Honeymoons! 8/30 57 hours/13 months to go!

[Joyciemc]

When we got engaged, we just happened to be on a beautiful island called St. Lucia at a beautiful resort called Sandals.

So maybe I thought we just happened to be there. Ben knew exactly what he was doing when he suggested the trip...

Our first night there, he gave me this:

Then we had a great vacation! And we booked our honeymoon while we were there... 2 weeks at a Sandals resort in Jamaica. Perfect! But then I remembered: I love Disney World. How could I not have a Disneymoon?
So I brought it up with Ben. He thought a week at Disney was a great idea. And who really needs two weeks in paradise in a row? We eagerly started working out the details of our new plan... which now were to take a week in Jamaica right after the wedding, then a second week at Disney.
That's why I'm marrying him! (But not the only reason, I promise!)

And that is why I am writing a Pre Trip Report on the DisBoards...

I hope you find a reason to read it!

 

[Joyciemc]

Now that you know all that, now seems like as good a time as any to introduce ourselves.

I'm Joyce (29) and I'm a genuine Disney nut. Ever since our first family trip I've been hooked.
I work at an animal shelter and have been there for 5 years. I love my job and my co-workers (human and otherwise) but it is a super stressful position with not such great hours. That being said, I'm doing what I always dreamed of and couldn't be happier.
There's more to me than that, but I can't think of what that might be at the moment. Oh, except for this: I really dislike soup spoons.

In keeping with our introduction, here is a picture of me from our 'Engagementmoon' in St. Lucia:

This picture shows that: I like beer, St.Lucia's climate was good for my hair, I have gained weight in the last 18 months (well, it doesn't show you that, because you can't see me right now. But it does make me want to head downstairs to the elliptical...)

Ben (30) is my fiance. We've been together for a bit longer than 3 years and we will be getting married in April. Ben likes Disney enough to go along with me when I decide it's time for a trip. He's a huge fan of the older cartoons (Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet, anyone?) and has a great time at the parks. We've been to Disneyland together once and Disney World once. This will be our 2nd WDW trip.
Ben is a sales engineer for a company that sells stuff that goes in things that are used to treat contaminated water or air that is given off by different factory type things. He seems to like it, and since he has a better idea of what he does than I do, he's also pretty good at it.

This is Ben in St. Lucia:

This picture shows that: Ben likes Rum and Cokes, he tans well, and we both like to play gin. This picture also documents that Ben used to wear glasses. He got his eyes done last year and now has 'laser vision'. Which means he no longer wears glasses.

That's us. We're both short, we laugh a lot, and we try to have as much fun as possible.

Stay tuned for the trip planning!

 

[Jazzylolo]

You guys look like such a happy and wonderful couple! Congratulations on the upcoming marriage and I can't wait to see what you have planned for BOTH of your honeymoons! I'm a bit jealous...it sounds wonderful!!

 

[dislaney]

I'm in. Can't resist two honeymoon especially when one is at Disney. Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

 

[mousesweetie]

Awesome. I cant wait to read the rest! Happy planning!

 

[disneylovin24]

What a great husband he's going to be, suggesting two honeymoons and one at disney!!! He's a keeper

Can't wait to read more

 

[Joyciemc]

Awww, I have readers!

Thanks for all your kind words and thanks for reading!

I just got home from picking linens for our reception...

still working out the details of our board game centerpieces... the folks at the venue liked the idea but also thought it was a little nutty. And they are concerned about having enough room for place settings. So what if people have their plates in their laps? They get to play games!

I'll try not to post too much wedding stuff, but it's kinda related to our trip cause you can't have a honeymoon without a wedding, right?

 

[Jazzylolo]

Ok how fun is that???? I love the idea. What other games are you using??

 

[Joyciemc]

I'm glad you like the idea! I'm still a little nervous of doing something so completely different for centerpieces, but I think it will be worth it.

We've got a ton of games, a different one for every table... Connect 4, Battleship, Jenga, Operation, Boggle, and some other random ones that we thought were funny. My favorite is "The Cat Lady Game". Basically you try to collect as many cats as possible and avoid landing on squares like 'animal control takes half your cats' it's hilarious and very fitting considering my line of work!

 

[redlight]

I'm in! You are an adorable couple. I'm also jealous of your hair.

 

[Joyciemc]

Welcome aboard, Redlight, you are too kind!
Don't be jealous of my hair... it normally looks kind of ratty and weird. That was an exceptionally good hair-week

Not exactly an update, but it is Disney-related....

Ben's parents recently brought over a huge box of young Ben memorabilia. It's got report cards, awards (including his Home Ec award from the 8th grade- he was the first boy to receive the honor and the principal asked him first if he'd rather not receive it at the assembly for fear of embarrassment. There was no way Ben was letting the award go, so history was made. He is very proud of that.)
It also has quite a bit of school work. One such item appears to be an autobiography written when he was 11. Reading it the other night, we laughed hysterically when we got to this page:

The only thing that happened before kindergarten was going to Disney World. So even if he doesn't remember, Ben is obviously a DISer at heart.

I don't have an impressive collection of baby Joyce memorabilia, and I had to wait till the 1st grade to go to WDW. So Ben has me beat on two counts.


I am editing to say that I know the pictures have been way big. I'll make em smaller here on out. But Ben's autobiography deserved to be that big because it is that awesome!

 

[Joyciemc]

Way back when we first decided to include a week at Disney in our honeymoon we were still planning on going right after the week in Jamaica after the wedding. This would mean May. It would also mean we'd be taking a LOT of time off work all at once. Our last trip to Disney was in September 2007 (we were smack dab in the middle of buying our house, too!) and it was AMAZING. Free dining, super low crowds... just perfect. The bottom line: we wanted to go to Disney in September. So it was decided: a week in Jamaica in April, then a week in Florida for September.
The wonderful things about this:
1. Just when all the hoopla of the wedding is over and we're missing all the looking forward to it, we still have another trip to look forward to.
2. The likely-hood of free dining being offered (we love to eat, we love to eat free even more!)
3. We know what to expect crowd-level wise.
4. If we went over Labor Day weekend, less vacation days Ben needed to take.

The exact dates remained a mystery long after this general plan was adopted.

The thing that didn't take long at all was deciding were we were going to stay.

See, I've been to Disney World a LOT. And every adult trip I've taken I've stayed at Pop Century. And it's a way fun place, too. Trust me:

haha, that picture looks familiar! Who knew Ben's signature pose was shuffling cards, drinking Rum and [Diet]Coke? That's us on vacation all summed up, no matter where we are!
Little explanation for those last pics: that night we had eaten at Boma and on the way out of AKL stopped to buy the biggest bottle of Captain Morgan they had (not very big...) because it was getting too pricey to buy individual drinks. Not that that Captain was cheap, mind you... but by then were adjusted to Disney prices and it seemed like a bargain!

ANYWAY (it can be really hard for me to just get to the point already!), we loved our stay at Pop Century. But that's not what we picked for this trip.

 

[Joyciemc]

Good thing I'm not planning on ever writing a mystery novel... any vague thoughts I had about leaving where we were staying a 'cliff-hanger' obviously left out the fact that I have a ticker with that information in my signature. Haha, I'm a dummy.

Ben and I both had the same 'dream resort'. You know the one that you would love to stay in but never would? Never that is, unless you happened to be on your honeymoon! It's a place where we spent more than a little time on that last trip and it had a way different vibe that Pop Century (which we really did love!)...

This is the trip that we fell in love with 'Ohana and Kona Cafe, the beach with a view of the castle (and very comfy lounge chairs that were perfect for catching a little rest when we were so exhausted but had to keep having fun!), and-for me- the best part.... tiki torches! I love em. We bought some for our backyard, and I light them all the time in the summer. We go through a lot of tiki torch oil.

It was the easiest thing in the world to decide that we were staying at the Polynesian.

And that's where the trip planning stayed for a long time. After all, we had a wedding to plan, and another honeymoon to plan. And regular life, too. Honestly, I was feeling guilty that I appeared to be more excited about Disney World than OUR WEDDING. That isn't the case, not by a long shot. But because Disney is something I know how to do, it was easy for me to get involved in it. Wedding planning is overwhelming no matter what (and ours has been going pretty smoothly... knock, knock) and I tend to avoid difficult things. It's a character flaw. But I am aware of it, and that's half of correcting it, right?

But stay tuned, planning has recently been taken up a few notches and we are EXCITED about the rest of 2010!

 

[Jennifer48]

Congratulations on your engagement and TWO honeymoons!

I'm from MA too

I was totally way more excited for my Disneymoon than I was my wedding. DH admitted the same thing too

 

[Stefy]

Yay you started one

Congrats again and getting engaged in St Lucia of all places. I couldn't think of a more perfect setting Which Sandals Resort did you stay at?

You and Ben are so cute together. Loving the Gin and Rum pose of Ben's

How exciting that you are honeymooning no only in the Caribbean, but also Walt Disney World and at an awesome resort as well I keep trying to get DF to agree to St Lucia and WDW.

I am loving the idea of board games for your centre pieces, a great way to get guests interacting with each other

Have you picked out a dress yet?

 

[MainStMandy]

Congratulations!! We have a lot of brides doing PTR right now (that rocks!!!)

We love the Poly too!! We get to stay there for one night on our upcoming trip!!! Looking forward to reading more!!

 

[hurleysweety]

Just caught up on your PTR and think it sounds like a great vacation. We went for our honeymoon (just one week) in May 2008 and had the time of our lives.

I love your game centerpiece ideas. I've been to a lot of weddings lately and mostly for "that one friend in my english class from college" where I don't know anyone else at the table. Games are a great way to get people talking and to actually enjoy being there, even if they only know their spouse and you!

How awesome to spend your honeymoon at the Polynesian! That just screams Disney, romance, and relaxation. Perfect after planning a wedding.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi there! I noticed the link to your PTR in your siggy over on my TR and had to check it out!

I LOVE the idea of two honeymoons! I will admit that I am also thinking along those lines. Both FI and I both would like a tropical beach honeymoon but I want a Disneymoon, too. Haha.

I'm going back to catch up now! I'm excited to read about your plans!

 

[Joyciemc]

Congratulations on your engagement and TWO honeymoons!

I'm from MA too

I was totally way more excited for my Disneymoon than I was my wedding. DH admitted the same thing too

Hello, neighbor... are you also having freak snow storms tonight?
You've made me feel better about looking forward to September... but don't tell Ben!

Yay you started one

Congrats again and getting engaged in St Lucia of all places. I couldn't think of a more perfect setting Which Sandals Resort did you stay at?

You and Ben are so cute together. Loving the Gin and Rum pose of Ben's

How exciting that you are honeymooning no only in the Caribbean, but also Walt Disney World and at an awesome resort as well I keep trying to get DF to agree to St Lucia and WDW.

I am loving the idea of board games for your centre pieces, a great way to get guests interacting with each other

Have you picked out a dress yet?

We stayed at Sandals Regency in St. Lucia. It was beautiful and so much fun!
If you need any help persuading your DF to go, I'll be happy to help!

Congratulations!! We have a lot of brides doing PTR right now (that rocks!!!)

We love the Poly too!! We get to stay there for one night on our upcoming trip!!! Looking forward to reading more!!

Your wedding is coming up soon! So exciting! I just started reading your PTR... you guys are gonna have a great time!

Just caught up on your PTR and think it sounds like a great vacation. We went for our honeymoon (just one week) in May 2008 and had the time of our lives.

I love your game centerpiece ideas. I've been to a lot of weddings lately and mostly for "that one friend in my english class from college" where I don't know anyone else at the table. Games are a great way to get people talking and to actually enjoy being there, even if they only know their spouse and you!

How awesome to spend your honeymoon at the Polynesian! That just screams Disney, romance, and relaxation. Perfect after planning a wedding.

All the weddings I've been to lately have been friends of Ben that I don't know, that was the inspiration for the games... so people can actually have fun!

Hi there! I noticed the link to your PTR in your siggy over on my TR and had to check it out!

I LOVE the idea of two honeymoons! I will admit that I am also thinking along those lines. Both FI and I both would like a tropical beach honeymoon but I want a Disneymoon, too. Haha.

I'm going back to catch up now! I'm excited to read about your plans!

Thanks for coming over to read! I vote that you take two honeymoons... everyone needs a Disneymoon, and who doesn't love the tropics?

 

[Jennifer48]

Hello, neighbor... are you also having freak snow storms tonight?
You've made me feel better about looking forward to September... but don't tell Ben!

We only got a dusting up here. I wanted to see the snow squalls tho! I'm a meteorologist though so that stuff is fun for me

I'm glad I helped!