Having doubts about doing Disney

Eleanor Richman

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
So honeymoon is meant for next Feb. The original plan was a week in dw and then a week at an adults only resort in Mexico for r and r. Then due to a flight mess up we decided to not go to Mexico (we aren't beachy people anyway) and do Vegas instead so now nine days in Disney and 6 in Vegas.

But now I'm anxious and having my doubts. We had waited for the free dining plans to be released two days ago only to find that the standard rooms at the delux places aren't available at all even without the plans. Meaning that we have a choice to stay in a less nice place or pay over £6k just for the room for 9 days.

The concept of booking my meals and fast passes months in advance seems bonkers to me....i don't know what I want to eat today let alone in six months.

The whole thing is stressing me out. My fiance desperately wants to go. We've booked flights but can cancel then for £70. I really don't know if I want to do this anymore. It's all sounding less and less romantic. But if we didn't go I don't know where else we should go.
 
I can tell you a little about my honeymoon in Disney - it was almost 15 years ago. We did a week there then rented a car and drove to Key West for the second week. It was so magical. I’m not sure if you have kids yet, but it is a completely different experience going without. We have 2 boys now and while I love going with them, I am looking forward to our anniversary trip this fall without them. It is so much more relaxing and we take more time to just enjoy the atmosphere of the parks. However, I enjoy planning for Disney; I’m not usually a big planner, but for me the lead up to the vacation is almost just as fun. I looked up in this forum other things that people had done for honeymoon experiences - I had custom ear hats made for us, pins, special dinners, a backstage tour. I even made little notecards that had fun facts about certain areas of the parks (I have no idea how I had the time back then). We loved it. And I don’t think you have to stay at a deluxe resort. I prefer them now (with the kids, I like being closer to the parks), but we stayed moderate back them and it was fine. It doesn’t have to be stressful - I only made ADRs months in advance for the restaurants I knew I wanted to go to - like California Grill and a character breakfast. The rest of the time we were flexible; it’s much easier to do so when there’s only 2 adults. But while I had a fantastic time and would do it again in a heartbeat, if it continues to stress you out, it’s not worth it.
 
You may be able to rent DVC points (especially if a confirmed reservation for sale matches your dates.) I do not like the meal plan because it’s a lot of food and we always spend less if we pay out of pocket for food. I’m not sure if the free dining deal is structured in the same way for the UK, but if it is, and you did not get free dining, you no longer need park hoppers. You might be able to find a room only discount which could lower your overall cost significantly. Just a few cost-saving suggestions!

You can make restaurant reservations 180 days in advance, but sometimes you can get reservations the day before. If you don’t feel like researching restaurants and you don’t have your heart set on a particular one, you can probably pick a less popular restaurant and find reservations for it closer to the date.

You can make your fast passes as far in advance as possible, but again if you don’t feel like researching it, there will be fast passes available the day of your visit. The more popular ones will be harder to get, but the less popular ones will be available easily.

I know people who have planned the trip out with less than 30 days, and loved it. I spent over a year planning our last trip and ended up getting burned by it, I had over-planned and my expectations were too high. I always prefer to stay in deluxe hotels too, but I could stay in the All-Star resorts and still have a great time. It’s Disney- and you won’t find many people on these boards who would discourage you from going!

I’ve also been to Vegas a few times, and absolutely loved it. Everything is over the top, there are incredible restaurants, amazing shows, and plenty of things to do besides gambling (although I had a great time gambling too!) Good luck with wedding planning, and good luck with your honeymoon. I’m sure you’ll have a great time no matter what you do!
 
I'm with them! I'd look into renting DVC points or just booking a room with one of the future room-only discounts that is bound to appear. "Free" dining isn't really free when you're paying $200+ more per night for a full-price room. Even if you somehow spent $200 on food per day, you'd still break even.

However, I can empathize with your frustration over the amount of planning a Walt Disney World vacation takes. I made myself CRAZY planning our last trip and definitely resented having to guess what we'd feel like eating and doing so far in advance. The trip ended up being nice, but I'm not sure it was worth the stress leading up to it.

Since you're going to Las Vegas, have you considered doing Disneyland instead of Walt Disney World? Of course, we don't know what it's gonna be like with the Star Wars crowds, but everything else about that resort is less stressful and easier to plan.
 


In all honesty, the meal plans are rarely worth the cost. You’re better off getting discounts on rooms/tickets and paying as you go for the meals. That way you can have the room you want, and you’ll be more free to dine as you choose without worrying about maximizing your meal plan.

Fast passes unfortunately take some planning, if you want to avoid lines for main attractions. However for dining, I’d recommended picking two or three restaurants you “must” experience and make those reservations, rather than meticulously plan every day. There are so many wonderful food options without the need for ADR.

That will make your trip planning less stressful and it’ll be just as enjoyable.


Afterthought Edit: Disneyworld is much better than Disneyland!(IMO) especially for longer stays like you’re planning.
 
It is unfortunate that things like FastPass+ can make a Disney Trip less spontaneous that it perhaps used to be. But look at it this way: those "reserved rides" are bonuses you can choose to take advantage of, not obligations. If you decide in the spur of the moment to do something else, that's okay (you just might wait a bit longer in line...but that's great together time!). There's no time that Disney is not busy, but February is certainly less busy than most other times.

Likewise, you might have to book dining exactly six months out for things like Cinderella's Royale Table or the Chef's Table at Victoria & Albert's, but most of the other places don't require that level of commitment. Sure, look at the menus and make ressies for places that sound appealing just to have a plan, but when you get there you don't have to feel like you're beholden to the choices you made months prior. Disney has no shortage of great restaurants, and keep in mind that many of the other guests are going to be changing their plans too. Disney's cancellation policy is pretty forgiving. On a recent trip we had a reservation for 'Ohana one night but that day we just weren't feeling it and we were able to find an open spot later in the week. We had a much more enjoyable time than we would have if we had felt like we "had" to go the original night.

I understand that a WDW trip can be a "once in a lifetime" experience for many, but if you're stressed out by the idea of having to optimize your trip I would try to let go of the idea that you have to see and do everything. So much of whether the trip is fun and romantic or not comes down to your outlook. Sometimes people try to approach WDW like a checklist, rushing from one "must-see" attraction to the other, and I think in doing so they get stressed out and end up missing all the little smaller moments and details that really make WDW what it is.

I think it's a little concerning that you feel like you have to plan for a second honeymoon location after Disney just for R&R. A Disney vacation shouldn't be something you feel like you have to recover from. Sometimes, people who are coming to Disney from far away feel the pressure to be "park commando" types who try and see and do everything, which is okay for some people, but not for others. Maybe that isn't you. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go to Disney! It just means you shouldn't try to do that sort of trip. Know what kind of vacation you two want, not the one that the Internet tells you is optimal. If you want a more relaxing vacation, stay in a nicer hotel, maybe one with a spa, and plan to order room service and just enjoy having no obligations for a few days. If you want a more active vacation, maybe you can stay at a less fancy hotel and go to the parks more often. I love the parks, but even I plan for "down days" where we just hang out at the resort or go see a movie or something.

Keep in mind that you're on an enthusiast forum that is populated by trip optimizers. If you do a deep dive into all the touring plan and WDW guide sites that are available, it can certainly seem like a slog, almost more of an obligation than a vacation. But the point of a vacation is that it's not a job, it's leisure time. Take the advice of people on enthusiast forums like this one, but don't feel obligated to plan the same type of trips that they might plan. Most guests don't plan their trips to the level that your average DISboarder does, but they still have a wonderful time.

Congratulations, and best of luck on your honeymoon and on your journey together. :)
 


We did our honeymoon in Disney World but mostly because we got married there. We lived in California at the time & the thought of more air travel was not appealing. However, that was 18 years ago & WDW has changed a great deal since then. It’s now FP & ADR’s. We’re also DVC Members & all the pre-planning can be a real pain in the you know what. If I could do it over, I would have gone somewhere more romantic. I know WDW can be romantic ( it is what you make it) but not when compared to say going to Italy or Paris.
 
I agree with the others. Generally, the dining plan is not a good deal. See if there are other discounts available.

I would book your reservations for meals and fastpasses ahead of time. If you change your mind, make changes to the plan. Check out the fastpass sticky for rides to schedule.

You’ll have the best time if you don’t try to do everything. We sleep until we get up - no alarms, have coffee on the balcony, then head to the parks. It is as relaxing as you make it.
 
If your spouse-to-be really wants to do it, then let them plan it ! It will be a surprise for you!
 
Disneyland...especially since you are going to Vegas!!!

Napa Rose Chef's Counter
Steakhouse 55
 
I love Disney. They make you feel so special and things are magical. There is so much to do, besides parks.
 

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