Our planning session trip

I’ve already posted some elements from our trip (like transportation and how much we loved the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside). So I thought I’d update with more details about the rest of our trip and the wedding planning that went on.

When we got to our room, we had a fun little towel creation waiting for us. 

Our first night, we went to the Grand Floridian for dinner at the Grand Floridian Café. Mum and I love the Grand Floridian, so it was awesome to start our trip by visiting it. Dinner was awesome.

Brian had a burger with lobster on it and I had amazing chicken with risotto.

I highly recommend it.

The best part was the dessert sampler we shared for dessert. The fruit tart is off by itself because it was the only thing on the sampler that contained nuts.

After dinner, we walked down to the marina just in time to watch the Wishes Fireworks show over at the Magic Kingdom. They play the music that goes along with the show at the marina and Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian, or at the California Grill at the Contemporary. Wishes is my favorite fireworks show at Disney, so it was amazing to see it our first night.

The next morning, Brian and I had our engagement photo session with Randy Chapman at Downtown Disney. Mum and I have visited the area many times over the years, and it was a fun place to do our pictures. Randy has posted some on his blog, and I’ll get to see the rest by the end of the month. =)

He took this one on my iphone

After a stop for ice cream at the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop with mum, the 3 of us then went to Hollywood Studios for the rest of the day. First stop was meeting Phineas and Ferb near Muppet Studios. (They are characters from a current Disney Channel tv show). Brian and I enjoyed it and both characters were really excited to see what we were engaged. =)

I love Brian's expression. =)

After that, we rode the newly renovated Star Tours. I highly recommend it! We rode it twice that day and it was completely different both times. Brian and I also rode the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, my favorite roller coaster at Disney. The wait time was super long though, so I recommend hitting it early or getting a fast pass if you want to ride it. By the time we got to the park, most of the fast passes were gone for the day.

We used the Disney Parks Mobile Magic App to find out how long the lines were for each thing we wanted to do.  I highly recommend downloading this application before your trip. It is currently free and available for iphones, android, and Verizon Vcast phones.

I was excited to see this right when we got to the park

We had dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-in theater which Brian had never been to before. It was fun showing him the silly movie clips and cartoons. We also saw a bit of the end of Fantasmic! on our way to the bus back to Port Orleans. I recommend seeing it if you enjoy fireworks, as it is a neat show. Brian and I booked a Fantasmic! Dining Package for our honeymoon that includes seating for the show.

The next day was the big one, our wedding planning session. It started with a tasting in the kitchens at the Grand Floridian. We got to taste many of the delicious menu items that we’ll be serving at our wedding brunch. I definitely recommend guests come hungry as it will be a treat. I don’t want to give anything away and spoil the surprise, so just know that we’ll have fun and tasty breakfast and lunch options. The food was so tasty that I forgot to even take pictures of it!

In the kitchen with our awesome chef. It was so fun!

Then we went to Franck’s Bridal Studio to pick out everything for the wedding. We picked out everything from flowers to table linens and transportation. It was a very productive day and I am really excited to see how all our ideas come together for the wedding day.

For our last dinner at Disney, we went to the California Grill over at the Contemporary. It has an amazing view of the Magic Kingdom and we had a tasty flat bread appetizer and then some sushi.

They also had Mickey glitter on the table since we let them know we were celebrating. You actually watch the fireworks out on a balcony that faces the castle. So, we started and ended our trip with Wishes! 

It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back for our wedding. Yay!

A Royal Stay at Port Orleans

Another fun hotel in our room block is Port Orleans - Riverside. My mum, Brian, and I stayed there last month when we visited Disney for our planning session. Most of the rooms have been recently renovated and so has the lobby. This is a great option if you want something a bit fancier than All Star Movies with a moderate price tag. 

This is where Disney's Magical Express drops you off. To the right is the lobby.

The resort is lush and set on the Sassagoula river. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing, with lots of landscaping around the buildings. The resort is split into two sections, the rustic Alligator Bayou which has rooms that can comfortably sleep a family of 5, and Magnolia Bend which has a mansion feel. Everyone here was very friendly and the woman at the front desk even went to search out "Engaged" buttons for us. If you need something while staying here, just ask. 

We stayed in one of the Magnolia Bend buildings in a Royal Guest room. It was full of Disney details and made our stay quite magical. I recommend upgrading to one of these rooms if you want feel like a Princess at Port Orleans. We loved the room and they just opened in March, so they are quite clean. These rooms should also be discounted, though they will be more than the standard rooms.

The headboards actually had fireworks animation!

The central pool on Ol’ Man Island includes waterfalls and a water slide. The waterslide was pretty fun, and the pool was large. There are also quiet pools near the buildings, which would be better for lap swimming or a relaxing soak close to your room.  There is a Jacuzzi and a pool bar on Ol’ Man Island. It’s a short walk from most of the buildings, on its own island.

The hotel features both a restaurant (Boatwright’s Dining Hall) and a food court. There are a variety of options at the food court, and you can purchase a refillable mug that you can use for your entire stay there. Boatwright’s takes reservations, so I would recommend making one in advance if you know you want to eat there on your trip. It is only open for dinner. 

You can see the water wheel from the food court dining area.

For more options for shopping and eating, guests can take the boat to Downtown Disney. Brian took the boat and said it was a nice trip with a lot of nice sights. There is free bus transportation to all of the parks (and to the airport with Disney’s Magical Express). It’s also possible to get to most anywhere on property for less than $15 by cab if you are in a hurry. This will be one of the hotels where our buses will pick up guests for the wedding events. 

Guests can indulge in horse-drawn carriage rides around the resort and there are pirate cruises on certain days for children. The Medicine Show Arcade has tons of games and guests can also rent bikes or fishing poles. 

Our rates start at $162.00 including taxes. It is $15 extra per person per night for more than 2 adults in a room. I recommend booking soon if you want to stay here for the wedding, as the rooms will fill up quickly. Just call 407-827-6799 and tell them you are attending our wedding to book with our rate. Let me know if you have any questions.