Plan Your Whimsical Honeymoon at Disney World

Posted by Christopher Platis

Disney_World_Magic_Kingdom_honeymoon-1.jpgStart your happily-ever-after marriage by honeymooning in the most magical place on Earth. From dinner at Cinderella's castle to the thrills of theme parks and unimaginably beautiful wildlife, a honeymoon trip to Walt Disney World will bring your fairy tale fantasies to life.

With endless grand spectacles and a lifetime's worth of activities to experience, how do you even begin to plan your honeymoon trip to Orlando? Head over to our Disney World destination guide for starters, and take notes of our expert tips below to make the most of your magical visit.

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Courtesy of Disney Weddings & Honeymoons

Disney's Magic Kingdom is a fairytale destination worthy of your romantic honeymoon.

Knowing When to Honeymoon

Off-season versus peak park dates can make or break your Disney honeymoon

Disney World attracts massive crowds year-round. Do your best to dodge peak season to avoid long lines and relish in a more romantic atmosphere. Families and most visitors trek to Disney during holiday weeks and hot summer months when school is out. Work around this calendar to carve out an optimal honeymoon visit.

Aim for late September to early May, outside of major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter. With significantly shorter lines and more affordable hotel and airfare rates, Disney's "off-season" (the resort is always electric) will be your saving grace.

Craft Your Honeymoon Itinerary in Advance

The ideal Disney honeymoon blends leisure time with pre-planned activities

With seemingly infinite attractions, entertainment, and culinary delights, it's easy for Disney to feel overwhelming. While we're generally advocates for slowing down and taking your honeymoon as it comes, the benefits of drawing up an itinerary for Disney are undeniable.

Our advice? Reserve at least one major activity (a specific theme park, special dining experience, or romantic cruise) each day, and surround it with gaps of free time for you to discover the resort at your leisure. This will ground your schedule while still allowing the pleasures of stumbling into something unexpectedly amazing. Disney FOMO is very real, and it's impossible to see and do everything in a single visit. Plan your absolute-musts with the My Disney Experience platform, and then let the endless offerings of the resort sweep up the rest of your days.

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Courtesy of Disney Weddings & Honeymoons

Free transportation and proximity to the parks make Disney Resort Hotels a seamless honeymoon choice.

Splurge on a Disney Resort Hotel

Lavish accommodations with invaluable perks will elevate your Disney honeymoon

Get the most from your Disney honeymoon by staying in one of the more than 25 Disney Resort hotels scattered across Disney World. Along with extraordinary designs (ranging from Disney-themed rooms to rustic cabins and Victorian-era elegance) and unbeatable proximity to the parks, Disney resorts come packed with bonus perks.

For starters, Disney will send unique luggage tags in advance for your checked baggage to arrive straight to your hotel room - no waiting around at the airport. A Magical Express Bus will then whisk you straight to your resort hotel. Throughout your honeymoon, a network of buses, boats, and monorails provides free transportation from your hotel to Disney World's most popular parks and attractions.

You'll also have exclusive access to FastPass reservations 60 days in advance, and will even be able to stay in certain parks longer, during Extra Magic Hours. Best of all, your stay at a Disney Resort comes with included MagicBands. These bands make your entire trip seamless by acting as your hotel room key, FastPass, credit card, and more.

Dine in Spectacular Fashion

Gourmet dining experiences in magical settings are a Disney honeymoon highlight

Walt Disney World boasts extraordinary restaurant experiences. From dining with Mickey and character friends to quick-service restaurants, casual options for great food are aplenty.

Honeymooners will appreciate the resort's more upscale offerings. Treat yourself to dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table or the Beauty and the Beast-themed Be Our Guest restaurant to feel especially on-theme. Dine inside the Animal Kingdom and explore African fare at Jiko, and definitely don't miss the chance to dine on the waterfront while watching Disney's nightly fireworks show. Our favorite spot is at Epcot's Rose and Crown - book early to snag the best seat for the illumination spectacle.

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Courtesy of taylor_of_locksley

Honeymooners receive special priority throughout all of Disney World

Embrace Your "Happily Ever After" Honeymoon Status

Disney loves newlyweds - let everybody know you're honeymooning for extra benefits

Disney prides itself on enthusiastic, above-and-beyond service. Staff members are always looking for opportunities to make guests of the park even happier. Let your hotel know that you're newlyweds on check-in, and you'll immediately be gifted with "Happily Ever After" pins. Wear these as badges of pride throughout your honeymoon. Extra smiles, congratulations, free desserts, custom songs, and more will seriously enhance your Disney experience.

Want to increase the honeymoon magic even further? Disney PhotoPass photographers can capture you and your new beaux together throughout your stay. A Memory maker package even allows you to download and share honeymoon photos instantly.

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Courtesy of Disney Weddings & Honeymoons

An evening cruise behind the Magic Kingdom is one of the most romantic ways to celebrate an evening on your honeymoon.

Think Outside the Theme Parks

The romance of a Disney honeymoon extends outside the scope of its parks

Disney World's four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) offer enough to fill several honeymoon itineraries. The thrills and entertainment that each offers are not to be missed, but honeymoon days at Disney World can extend well beyond the borders of its theme parks.

Book a romantic yacht cruise to enjoy a private dinner with a front-row seat for the fireworks show. Cozy up on a couch-for-two by the fireplace in the towering Wilderness Lodge. Cruise alongside canals up and down the boardwalk by renting an old-time surrey bike. Soar above Disney Springs with a hot air balloon flight. Try tee time at one of Disney's four golf courses, go shopping at the Grand Floridian, or head to the Contemporary Resort for lakeside yoga, watersports, tennis, and more. Add all of this to the fact that you can always lounge lavishly in a poolside cabana, and you'll quickly realize that a Disney honeymoon is much more than theme parks.


In case you missed it:

The Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations in the USA

Breaking Down the Decision of When to Go on Your Honeymoon