Disney honeymoons: A touch of magic

Think Disney is just for kids? Think again. The popular family resort caters to the child in all of us—including newlyweds seeking a little magic on their honeymoon. In fact, Disney even offers packages specifically tailored to newlyweds under their Disney Fairy Tale Honeymoons brand.

“Who hasn’t dreamed of seeing the world on their honeymoon?” Disney asks in a press release about its honeymoon packages. “Having a quiet dinner at a Parisian bistro, a moonlit walk on a secluded white sand beach or sightseeing at an enchanted castle?” All of this and much more is possible through Disney Fairy Tale Honeymoons. Disney even helps couples customize their honeymoon through a dedicated Disney honeymoon website, a toll-free honeymoon advisor hotline, and a complimentary honeymoon registry.

A honeymoon couple arrive at the Magic Kingdom via Cinderella's carriage

“Any special arrangement, from a fun excursion to dinner reservations, can be made in advance,” the company says. “During the honeymoon itself, guests will receive a number of romantic amenities to make their honeymoon a memorable one. Couples can customize their Magic Your Way vacation package to fit their specific honeymoon needs. Packages can include accommodations, theme park tickets, dining or additional recreational activities.”

Disney offers newlyweds several distinct honeymoon experiences, from the Disney Cruise Line to a chain of resorts (located at Hilton Head, South Carolina; Vero Beach, Florida; and Oahu, Hawaii). But undoubtedly, the Florida-based Walt Disney World Resort is the flagship of the Disney empire, offering honeymooners the widest variety of experiences in one place.

The Walt Disney World Resort includes several parks. Here’s a brief description of each from Wikitravel:

Downtown Disney. For more “grown-up” activities, Downtown Disney has shopping, nightclubs, restaurants, and unique entertainment. This is where the most action is after dark. Downtown Disney is divided into three sections. Downtown Disney Marketplace has several shopping and eating establishments and is tailored towards a family setting. Pleasure Island is a more adult oriented section, which is home to great nightlife and the Disney Adventurer’s Club. Finally, Downtown Disney Westside is home to AMC Theatres, House of Blues, and Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba (a special show only seen at Downtown Disney). Typhoon Lagoon water park is nearby.

The Magic Kingdom. Based on the original Disneyland in California (albeit lacking a New Orleans Square and a Critter Country), this is the oldest and most popular park of the complex; in fact, with over 17 million visitors annually, it’s the most-visited single theme park in the world. This is the park people think of first when they think of Walt Disney World, a place where adventure meets fantasy and history meets the future. The Magic Kingdom has the most kid-friendly attractions and most of the classic rides beloved by kids-at-heart.

Epcot. A sort of “permanent World’s Fair,” Epcot is dedicated to both international culture and technological innovation. World Showcase takes you on a trip around the world as you visit themed pavilions filled with the art, architecture, people, and products of eleven different countries. Future World explores human achievements in pavilions dedicated to communication, imagination, conservation, and more. Not far from Epcot is Disney’s Boardwalk, a collection of restaurants, gift shops, and nightlife spots themed as a 1920′s Eastern Seaboard boardwalk.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This park represents the “Hollywood that never was,” with attractions themed around movies and television. You’ll find a variety of live shows and attractions based on Disney, Lucasfilm, and MGM productions. The ESPN Wide World of Sports complex is nearby.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Something of a mix between a zoo and a theme park, Animal Kingdom has both naturalistic live animal exhibits and typical Disney amusement rides. Blizzard Beach, a water park themed as a melting ski resort, is nearby.

Besides the parks and Downtown Disney, the resort also offers numerous hotels, restaurants, horseback riding, golf, spa treatments, and tennis—in other words, more than enough to keep most couples busy for at least a week. However, if you want to mix it up a little, you can always visit other area attractions, such as SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Orlando Resort, Busch Gardens Africa, Daytona 500 Experience, or the Kennedy Space Center.

(Continued after “Dream Honeymoon in Disney World” video)

There are a few downsides to a Disney honeymoon to consider: the expense, the crowds, and (in the summer) the intense heat. All three issues can be somewhat mitigated by traveling during off-peak periods. “Attendance is lowest in October, November (pre-Thanksgiving), December (pre-Christmas), and January,” advises Wikitravel. “These can be very good times to go; crowds are low and prices are too, but keep in mind that you may find a few rides are shut down for maintenance, and the parks have shorter operating hours. In the winter, it’s often too cold to go to the water parks, and you’ll need a jacket at night. The weeks between Easter and Memorial Day are another slow period, as well as the months of August and September; both periods provide a good balance of price, crowds, temperature, and operating hours.”

For more information

Disney Fairy Tale Honeymoons: Explore the possibilities for a Disney honeymoon. sign up for a Disney honeymoon registry, or contact a Disney honeymoon consultant.

Walt Disney World: A comprehensive guide article from Wikitravel, with extensive practical tips.

MouseSavers: A free website with more than 300 pages of up-to-date information on Disney discounts.

Portions of this article were adapted from “Walt Disney World” at Wikitravel under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.