First couples vaca!

Hey Brandi, first trips to the world together as a couple are great. me and my now fin ace shared our first trip to the world last may and ending up getting engaged at disneyland paris 9 months later. so it sure can be romantic.

So my tips and advice is to really slow down, touring with two people is so easy, you don't really need plans as you can just do what you are feeling, I would still make dinning resevations 180 days out. One thing to also keep in mind as some experiences are more fun in a large group an example of this is 50's prime time diner. for restaurants I would pick

Magic kingdom - Be our guest, its quite romantic, can be loud, another place that is near the park is the grand floridian cafe or maybe try the plaza.

Holly wood studios - I would say sci fi dine-in, just because the theming is so good and its a great experience for first time visitors. and fits great to the theme of the park

Animal kingdom - try breakfast at tusker house if you wanna do a character meal or yak and yeti

Epcot- I could recommend every restaurant here my IMO unless you want le cellier, don't book in advance go there and see the pavilions and book something on the day.

as for romance, you will find it everywhere.

Welcome ! Going to WDW for the first time and with someone you love is so exciting!! While not every moment has to be planned you did the right thing by researching your trip first. WDW is huge and there are so many options that some pre-planning is required if you want a more seamless vacation

I second Phil's suggestion on Sci Fi Drive In... we enjoy the dark lit atmosphere with campy black and white movies playing on the "outdoor" theater screen... what's more romantic than snuggling up in your "car" and sharing a milkshake?

If you are going to Disney Springs (downtown disney) make sure you take a free boat ride to Port Orleans Resort. You can get off there and pay for a carriage ride if you like. The carriage ride will take you thru the beautiful themed Port Orleans area including the French Quarters. Then catch a bus from Port Orleans back to a park or take the boat back down to Disney Springs.

We are glad you joined us! Keep us posted on your progress....

My boyfriend and I are doing our third trip together this year and I have to say that I agree about taking it easy. When its just the two of you, that urgency to plan your whole day is diminished. I would definitely still make ADR's if you want to do any of the big restaurants and Fastpasses since this is your first time, you'll want to make sure you hit those must see attractions. But also keep in mind that it might be fun to just wander World Showcase hand in hand and do things on the fly. What time in September are you going? If its later in the month you definitely should do the Food and Wine Festival at least once. Its our favorite thing to do as a couple.

Also don't feel cheated if you want to go back to the hotel earlier than you anticipate. We really like going back to our hotel, having and drink at the pool bar and just relaxing together.

And MagicMirror, I never considered the carriage ride at Port Orleans but now that might be added to my plans this year. Thanks

Hi Brandi,
Wow that is awesome and so very special. Now I didn't see that you said where you were staying but I saw something that Magic Mirror wrote about the boat ride to DTD and if you are staying at POR or POFQ I truly 2nd that. And if money allows I would do the carriage ride as well (guess me and Magic Mirror are on the same page). Again I 3rd the choice for eating at Sci-Fi it is truly something different. And Epcot omg I don't know where to even begin to suggest what restaurant...there are so many. I would look at the different menus at ALL EARS and see what strikes your fancy.
At MK I would also suggest dinner at BOG (hopefully you can get the reservations for that) and Liberty Tree Tavern. And for breakfast I would suggest Boma at AKL (don't worry there are stand bys if you and your boyfriend are willing to experiment) And for a very special dinner perhaps Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian or California Grill at the Contemporary. And if you do either one of these make sure you plan your dinner so that you can see the Fireworks from either Narcoossee's or California Grill
I don't know if you are on the dinning plan or not because they (Naroossee's or California Grill) can be expensive if you are paying out of pocket. But again look at the menus.
So let us know what plans you do make...can't wait to hear.

How wonderful! You guys are going to have so much fun.

I'll echo the slow down sentiment. WDW can be a little overwhelming on your first visit. Make a list of a handful of things (no more than 5) that you want to see each day that you would be sad to miss and other than that don't worry about the rest. No matter what you do you won't see everything (it's just not possible) so pre-plan some highlights and if you misss something it's just a reason to plan another vacation next year! My favorite trip with just my husband and I was one where I was ill, so we just wandered around and ate and shopped.

Schedule one fancy dinner - I highly recommend California Grill later at night for fireworks viewing.

Brandi for me I would never go to Disney without staying on property but finances is finances. For me the cons for not staying on property is you will need to arrange transportation to and from the airport. No extra magic hours; if you buy stuff at the parks you can't have them shipped back to your room and no meal plan plus you will have to by your Magic Bands which I think is about 12 each but am not sure. And how will you get to and from the park..if you rent a car I don't know how much it cost to park so that would be something else to look into. And yes it will be cheaper to stay off property (hotel wise). Maybe when you look at the prices of a value resort verses off property.
Am sure others will chime in as well before you make up your mind..whichever way you go it is always magical to be at Disney.

I prefer to stay on site also. Like Kathys said you get transportation to and from the airport ( if you're flying into Orlando), transportation to the parks and extra magic hours. I believe it's $17 a day to park your car if you drive to the parks. I personally don't find the dining plan saves us money but it really depends on how you eat. If you can swing it, I'd recommend staying on property just for the convience alone. I've stayed at 3 of the 5 Value resorts and have loved them all

I'm one of the people of the opinion that it's not a Disney vacation without staying on property, but there are others on this forum who don't always stay at a Disney resort. I personally don't think values like All Stars or Pop Century are THAT much more expensive than a close by off property resort and as kathys said, the added benefits of airport transportation, magic bands, extra magic hours and not having to rent a car really push them into the more affordable route. We've stayed at All Star Sports, Music and Pop Century and I really don't see anything wrong with any of them but I would recommend Pop just because its a little newer, the food court is better (IMO) and it has its own bus.

Oh and Food and Wine Festival starts September 19th this year

oops sorry for the double post

No worries, i got it

Hi Brandi!

I would also gently suggest that you price out a Value resort vs an off site hotel. The parking, the drive time, so many things make a Disney property so much more of a bargain. We always save up to stay on site; we don't get to go often, but we insist on staying in the Magic. We've used AAA packages, free dining packages, we've also done it without a package. Some times you can do room and tickets separately for less. Sometimes. It just means adding up the elements and deciding. Use menus to get an idea of food costs, remember that lunch is less $ than dinner. Figure out where you want to splurge and where you don't. Honestly, it comes down to choices AND Disney gives you lots of ways to find Magic no matter your budget!!

No matter what, when we get a trip on the calendar, we do those very things: we start pricing the various packages with all the variety of add-ons, etc. we also price out each element on its own. . . We look at meal prices at the restaurants we want to visit, we do the dining plan only if it saves us $$. We decide well before we go where we will cut costs and where we won't. It takes some planning and research. . . But that is also part of the fun of a trip to WDW!

Hi and Brandi! I would definitely look at staying on site, especially because you can get Free Dining during your stay! If you're overwhelmed, maybe contact a Disney certified travel agent and have them compare what you will save with Free Dining (whether it be at a value or a moderate) and you may be surprised to find you'll save more money that way then staying off site.

Have a great trip! We'll be leaving right before you get there so we'll try and save some magic and pixie dust for you!

Hi Brandi, I think you have made the perfect choice for a romantic trip. POFQ is a beautiful, relaxed resort with a lovely boat ride to Downtown Disney. We are staying there in just over 3 weeks time. Very excited!

I have only heard great things about POFQ and it looks like a very romantic resort. Awesome choice!

I agree ~ The French Quarters are romantic and full of charm! I was there one day when the fog
rolled in ....... mysterious

and..don't forget to try the Beignets while you are there

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Can't wait to hear all your plans for this trip!!! we have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and visited French Quarter and it is all so beautiful I'm sure you will love it!!!

Wow your first vacation together as a couple AND your first time at Disney world??!! You are going to have an amazing time! My husband and I are locals and we go to WDW every few weeks. Which is awesome, but because of that we can't afford to pay for the extras all the time(fireworks boat ride, carriage rides, fine dining, etc...) So we've had to get creative to find free ways to add romance to our trips.

Some examples are watching Wishes from the Transportation and Ticket Center. You are away from the crowds, you don't have to fight to get out of MK after the fireworks and you get to see all of the fireworks from a really cool vantage point. We haven't watched Wishes from the Beach at the Poly, but that is on our list to do this year, for all the same reasons. When the crowds are overwhelming at MK, we get on the Liberty Boat and try to find a spot where there aren't too many people. It's relatively quite, calm and can be a nice way to spend 17 minutes together.

We LOVE to walk around the world showcase in Epcot at night. This is our favorite way to have dinner. We can walk slowly through the different countries, hand in hand, getting a snack at whatever country we want. It is quite dark in WS at night, and quite romantic. My favorite way to end the night is to get a cocktail from Morrocco or a dessert from France and watch Illuminations together. Almost every spot in Epcot is a good spot for Illuminations. Then when the fireworks are over, we take our time just slowly strolling through the WS, and out of the park. It's very romantic and like a little mini honeymoon every time we do it.

There are many many free ways to make your WDW couple vacation romantic. If you want it to be romantic, it will be. Hope you have a wonderful time!

on being accepted!! That is terrific news

Congrats Brandi ! Stay at a Monorail resort.

If there has to be a reason for postponing a vacation, this is a good one. Congrats!

May is our absolute favourite time to visit WDW - not quite as hot and steamy as September usually, and the Flower and Garden show is on then. Have fun planning your new trip.

Yes!! My ultimate WDW trip would be a week to 10 days, at one of the monorail resorts. We have always wanted to be able to ride to MK morning for breakfast at Main Street Bakery, and then ride to Epcot to dine around the World. We also want to sit on our balcony at the Contemporary and watch a Wishes!!

Next would be AKL. We LOVE the AKL!!! It really says 'home' to us more than any other resort. The animals, the warmth of the staff. . . Jiko, Boma. . Is a great experience!

It may be a while away but think of all the planning and research you get to do for the May trip!!!!

Congrats on getting accepted into your program!!! That's awesome!! I agree with MrHub on staying at a monorail resort - the convenience is awesome!

Congratulations!!!!

postponing could turn out to be the best thing as you have more time to find out what you want to do and have the advantage of booking ADR's 180 days out so you have the most choice!!!