Top 10 Honeymoon Tips for Disney World
Are you honeymooning at Walt Disney World? That’s where we honeymooned, and it was a great time with delicious dining, luxurious hotel stays, late night adult entertainment, and more. This guide covers how to have an incredible “Disneymoon” with tips & tricks from our experience over a decade ago that still hold true today! (Updated July 18, 2023.)
As you probably guessed given that you’re reading our personal blog on the subject, we are diehard Disney fans. We knew exactly what we wanted to do for our honeymoon, and began planning it out shortly after we got engaged (also at Walt Disney World) over 2 years before our wedding. If you’re not as familiar with Walt Disney World, figuring out how to approach your happily ever after trip can be a bit overwhelming…and you might not do quite as much advance planning.
There are a lot of ways that you’ll want to approach your Disneymoon just like a regular trip, following the best practices laid out in our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. That covers the basics, like how long to visit, transportation tips, ticket types, and much more. However, there are also many ways in which your honeymoon will, presumably, be a lot different from the average family trip to Florida…
For one thing, you will presumably be doing Walt Disney World as a couple without children on your honeymoon. This is hardly a revolutionary concept–you might’ve even seen disparaging articles about “Disney Adults” on other websites–and you certainly will not be or feel out of place at Walt Disney World. It’s increasingly popular with couples.
In fact, there are tons of ways to enjoy Walt Disney World without kids–and also without being total weirdos. (We’d like to think we’re only partial weirdos.) Walt Disney World is a huge destination for conventions and conferences, anniversaries, and other more adult types of trips. And that includes honeymoons!
In no particular order, here are our top 10 tips for a Walt Disney World honeymoon…
10. Splurge On Your Hotel
First and foremost, this means staying on property. Granted, you could find a very luxurious resort off-property, but for convenience’s sake, which will be important for the other tips, stay on property.
Read our Walt Disney World Hotel Reviews for a rundown of all options. If that’s overwhelming or you’re not sure where to start, we’d recommend first reading our Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best. The top 10 in particular is incredibly useful, with options for all budgets and priorities.
For Walt Disney World honeymoons, we highly recommend staying at one of the Crescent Lake Resorts: BoardWalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club, or the Swan and Dolphin Resorts.
These resorts are within walking, boat, or Skyliner gondola distance of two theme parks, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and are a walk plus a monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom. These resorts are also within walking distance of one another, and also offer exceptional dining options, including Flying Fish and Yachtsman Steakhouse, and many excellent non-Disney options in the Swan and Dolphin hotels.
Most importantly, they’re within walking distance of Epcot’s World Showcase, which is a great place to spend time on your honeymoon. There’s nothing magical about a rental car on your honeymoon, unless you share a mutual love for traffic and road rage, so avoiding conventional forms of transportation on your honeymoon can really enhance the trip.
If you check the rack rate prices on these resorts, and they seem expensive, fear not. You can frequently find rates at the Swan and Dolphin for around $175/night after all resort fees and taxes. If the BoardWalk Resort or Beach Club Resort are more to your liking, we trying renting Disney Vacation Club points, which can bring the costs of these resorts down to less than $200 per night, and which also enables you to purchase the Disney Dining Plan, which we actually recommend during your honeymoon.
9. Dine Finely
As mentioned above, we are typically somewhat skeptical of the Disney Dining Plan. However, on your honeymoon, you absolutely should purchase it. The last thing you should be worried about on your honeymoon is costs, and one of the benefits of the Dining Plan is the disconnect between meal prices and the price of the Dining Plan. Now, if you’re a really light eater or vegetarian, you might want to give this some thought, but if you love steaks and desserts, just book it.
Many of the most romantic or fun Walt Disney World restaurants are also the most popular. If staying on-site, you’re able to make dining reservations 60 (+10) days in advance of your trip, so be sure to avail yourself of this opportunity! Nothing would be worse than being stuck eating nothing but counter service pizza because you didn’t do the proper planning. I don’t know about you, but where I come from, that isn’t exactly the epitome of enjoyment.
You do a lot of planning for your wedding, so do at least a little for your honeymoon…it should easily be exponentially more important than the wedding. 😉 Since dining is an integral part of any Disney vacation, it’s an important part of your honeymoon planning! Besides romantic restaurants, some of the best restaurants for honeymooners include those with fireworks views. There are also fun restaurants like Beaches & Cream in Disney’s Beach Club Resort. See if the two of you can conquer the Kitchen Sink–we did!
The best restaurants in Walt Disney World are all good, fun options. The #1 restaurant on that list, and one of the best restaurants in all of Florida, is Victoria & Albert’s. This is a great place for your honeymoon. With that said, Victoria & Albert’s is also insanely expensive and has literally doubled in price since our honeymoon. You can read me gush about it at length in our full review, but suffice to say, it’s arguably worth a splurge on your honeymoon.
Since we did Victoria & Albert’s, plus a few other restaurants that were objectively poor uses of Disney Dining Plan credits, we actually did a split stay (our first ever!) during our Disneymoon. We’ve since become huge advocates of Split Stays at Walt Disney World, including for honeymoons. This is both a great option for accommodations and eating at Walt Disney World.
As a general matter, we highly recommend a mixture of fun and fine dining on your honeymoon. Not every restaurant needs to be romantic. Not only is doing that exclusively expensive, but those marathon meals are also exhausting. And over a decade later, some of our fondest memories are of the silly and themed meals we did during our honeymoon. For more practical recommendations see this list of our favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World by category.
8. Buy A Custom Souvenir
Walt Disney World sells a lot of generic souvenirs that will end up on eBay or in your garage sale in a couple of years. Instead, we recommend buying something that you’ll keep a lifetime, and will be an omnipresent reminder of your honeymoon. If your budget is large and you’re crazy about Disney, stop in the Art of Disney and buy some framed art. This will probably set you back at least $400.
Alternatively, if you only want to spend $30 or less, get a custom-painted Mickey-Mouse head Christmas ornament. Now, this won’t exactly serve as a constant reminder of your honeymoon unless you defy social custom and leave up your tree year ’round, but it’s cheap, unique, and something you’ll cherish for a lifetime. After Sarah and I got engaged on the beach of Disney’s Polynesian Resort, we purchased one of these hand-personalized ornaments the next day to commemorate the occasion. It’s without question our most prized Christmas ornament!
7. Do A Photoshoot
Although we don’t usually recommend purchasing Disney’s Memory Maker, it can be a good purchase for your honeymoon. Regardless, the PhotoPass photographers can take photos of you with your own camera, so don’t feel uncomfortable asking. We prefer this approach over buying Memory Maker, but that can be worth a splurge on your honeymoon.
For what it’s worth, all of the photos of us in this post are technically “selfies” (although I don’t think that term existed back in the day of our Disneymoon!), taken with either a tripod or a camera perched on a trashcan. While you probably do not want to lug around a tripod all day, your phone on the self-timer propped up on a trash can or sitting on the ground can capture some great memories!
Additionally, there are photographers in some of the Deluxe Resorts that seem to be the upper echelon of PhotoPass photographers. While I would still be reluctant to use one of these pricier photographers without seeing some samples (taken by the actual photographer you’d be using), they seem to be at least a better option than the in-park photographers.
If you’re willing to have photos taken at the resorts, consider hiring Orlando area photographers who do not work for Disney. They’re typically better and often less costly.
6. Drink (Or Snack!) Around World Showcase
Here is why that Crescent Lake Area Resort will be important. In Epcot’s World Showcase, each of the countries have desserts and adult beverages that are unique to that country. While a lot of these purportedly unique beverages are things you could find in your local supermarket, the desserts are generally really good, and there are a few standout drinks worth trying.
Enjoy the slower pace of your honeymoon and spend an afternoon in Epcot soaking up the exquisite details of the World Showcase, and drinking and eating “around the world.” Check out our Drinking Around the World Showcase at Epcot Tips for our drink recommendations and other strategy for this fun activity. If drinking isn’t your thing, or you want some food to soak up the alcohol, we also have Tips for Snacking Around the World Showcase at Epcot that will help.
With this, we again want to stress the importance of slowing down and enjoying yourself. In the theme parks, there is the temptation to go at breakneck speed to accomplish as much as possible. For some trips, this is fine. Your honeymoon should be about enjoying the company of one another and relaxing. While I couldn’t tell you how many times we rode Space Mountain, Soarin’, Maelstrom (Frozen Ever After didn’t exist back then!) or any other attraction on our honeymoon, I can recite even the most inconsequential details of our afternoon drinking around the world.
We had a great time with one another, and once we had a couple of drinks in us, it became an amazing adventure where we met some very interesting people. I *think* we still may own a donkey in Spain somewhere. Like I said, it was a real adventure! Staying in an Epcot Area Resort is nice for this, as it’s a short stumble (kidding–drink responsibly) back to your resort when you’re done.
5. Get “Happily Ever After” Buttons
Bride and groom mouse-ears are another cute option here that make for fun photos. We opted for the more discreet (and free!) “Just Married” buttons, which are now “Happily Ever After” buttons. We were inundated with “congratulations” as a result, and also received some special treatment from some Cast Members who went above and beyond, which really made our day.
We would strongly caution against getting these buttons with the expectation of receiving special treatment or “free stuff.” That’s setting yourself up for disappointment, especially in today’s social media era when stuff like this has become a TikTok hack for special treatment.
Instead, wear these accessories because you want to share with the world that you just got married! You’ll be amazed at how many random people will strike up conversation with you because of the buttons (so if you’re shy, they might be a bad idea). On our honeymoon, we spoke with a couple celebrating their 40th anniversary, and many other couples who shared stories of their long and happy marriages. Some even gave us recommendations! For us, this was a great experience and it was wonderful seeing other Guests and Cast Members so willing to “make the magic” for us.
4. Slooooow Doooown!
Have I made it clear-enough yet that this trip is not like your typical Disney trip? This is an especially important tip for Disney vets, and one that we didn’t always follow. If you’re tired, don’t get up for Early Entry or rope drop.
Leave the park during the hottest and busiest part of the day to relax by the pool. Go back to your hotel and go to bed–and also get some sleep–during the middle of the day. Rest and relax when the weather and crowds are worst, so you can stay out late, the times when the parks are least busy and most pleasant.
Stop and get ice cream–a lot of ice cream–and eat it in out of the way places like the Tomorrowland Terrace with a view of Cinderella Castle and the water. Spend some time animal–or people–watching. Buy the wonder Hidden Mickeys book and spend some time tracking down the most elusive Mickeys!
3. Relax On The Beach
Due to rabid man-eating bacteria in Walt Disney World’s bodies of water, you can’t exactly swim in the water (unless you want to die a grim death by having your flesh eaten…or something like that). However, that’s not the suggestion. Instead, we suggest that you head out to one of the beaches at the Magic Kingdom resorts after an early dinner one night, relax in a hammock, enjoy the sunset, and watch the Electric Water Pageant and Happily Ever After from the beach before heading to the Magic Kingdom for a peaceful night.
Bonus points if you do this on an night with Extended Evening Hours. With those late hours, you get a quasi-VIP experience at EPCOT or Magic Kingdom and can enjoy attractions with minimal waits since most of the kids are in bed. Standing in line to pilot Dumbo the Flying Elephant may not be fun in the midday heat with hundreds of screaming tots all around (although it may reinforce the notion that you need to “be careful!”), but you’d be surprised how fun it is to fly high late at night when few others are around!
2. Party Like It’s 1995!!!
Luckily, at the Atlantic Dance Hall, which is perpetually stuck in the 1990s, you can do exactly that. On second thought, maybe you ought to avoid that train-wreck at all costs. Instead, head to its neighbor on Disney’s BoardWalk Jellyrolls.
Jellyrolls features awesome dueling pianos, and has a great atmosphere. If you want to visit on a less crowded night, try Tuesday or Wednesday. If you think more people add better energy and a palpable level of excitement (we do), visit Jellyrolls on a Thursday or the weekend. Other great locations for late night entertainment include Kimonos and Crew’s Cup Lounge. All four of the lounges/bars mentioned here are located in the Epcot resort area, giving you yet another reason to stay in one of these hotels!
Disney Springs also offers some good nightlife. Our favorite locations here include Raglan Road, the Edison, Boathouse, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, Homecomin’, and Morimoto Asia. Raglan Road is a longtime favorite and a real crowd-pleaser. It has great Irish food, and excellent entertainment.
1. Be Imaginative & Have Fun!
Walt Disney World is one of the few places where it’s okay for 20, 30, 40, 50, and even 90 year olds (but not 51-89 year olds!) to act like they’re 6 years old. Never forget this. Let loose. Nothing is too silly or juvenile at Walt Disney World. If you think it might be fun to race around the Tomorrowland Speedway with the tykes, or fly high in Dumbo, don’t have reservations because those attractions are “for the kids.” You won’t be the first adult to goof around with Goofy.
If you see a silly Pluto hat that you think would be fun to wear for some photos, buy it. Likewise, you’re never too old for customized Mickey Mouse ears. Make crazy monster faces when you meet your favorite characters! Don’t be dismissive of something that you think might otherwise be fun because you’re embarrassed that you’re “too old” for it.
Walt Disney World is the perfect place to let loose, and have fun. Walt Disney built Disneyland for the young and the “young at heart.” The same philosophy was carried over to Walt Disney World. Embrace the young at heart within yourself. Capture those fun and silly moments with photos that’ll crack your future kids up in a decade…and will embarrass them in 15 years!
If you need help booking and planning your dream honeymoon at Walt Disney World and would like the assistance from a professional, click here to get a quote from a recommended, no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They get their commission from Disney, so there is no charge to you for them to book your trip and help you plan!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts…
If you’ve honeymooned at Walt Disney World, what do you recommend to others that made your trip special? Planning on something not on the list that you think others might want to try? Any restaurants, add-ons, events, tours, or anything else that made your Disneymoon even better? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Tom,
Seeing the photos of you and Sarah on your honeymoon took me back to my own. Although my wife and I did not honeymoon at WDW, we did visit for one day. We were heading to Miami and had stopped to visit with relatives in Clermont. As a wedding present, they gave us each $20 and told us they’d take us to dinner that evening at the Crystal Palace. That was June 1972, times were simpler then…and it only cost $3.75 to get into Magic Kingdom, the only theme park at that time. We received our ride tickets labelled A through E, and really enjoyed our time. I remember more about that single day than the entire rest of our honeymoon, and it whetted our appetites to go back, which we did ten years later, then three years after that with our young daughter, ten years after that, and most recently with our daughter, her husband and our three grandchildren. Each time we go back we rekindle the simple memories of that special day in 1972…and those from each ensuing trip.
People who are not Disney fans may not understand the allure, but real fans certainly do. Fifty-two years later I am still married to that “Disney girl”, and we’re planning one more trip this December. It truly is a special place where dreams can come true…if you let them.
Thanks for sharing your story–that’s really lovely, and a nice reminder of what makes this place so special for so many.
Those prices, though…
Now the truth can be revealed.
Somewhere in a secluded, padlocked, forgotten room, a painting covered by a simple white bed sheet, bearing the images of a young Disneymooning couple, is locked away in a wall safe, slowly ageing. The corner of the picture bears the signature of an artist who disappeared over 50 years ago and the date October 1971.
A few words of caution regarding #9 – Fine Dinely:
Victoria & Albert restaurant is not part of the Dining Plan.
If you expect to go to V&A, reevaluate how that will work into your plans if you also decide to enjoy the Dining Plan. I made that mistake in 1999. Thankfully, the Dining Plan was a more generous discount back then than it is today, so my loss wasn’t really a complete loss of money.
That having been said – as someone who has had the luxury of being able to dine at many Michelin-starred establishments, I can say with all honesty that V&A is truly one of the most romantic restaurants in the world. But you kinda’ have to want to enjoy high-end food, which is not everybody’s cup-of-tea.
There’s a lot of romantic Signature restaurants at WDW, many of which we did on our honeymoon: California Grill, Monsieur Paul and Narcoossee’s. Since then I’d say we had romantic meals at Tiffins and STK, though eating at odd hours helped make the meals feel cozy. I’d recommend checking to see if the dining plan fits your ideal plans than the other way around for your honeymoon; the only one-credit restaurant we wanted to try was the Kona Cafe, and mostly because we were staying at the Polynesian.
We honeymooned at Disney World and are currently planning a 30th wedding anniversary trip for 2023. I hadn’t considered Boardwalk but will now. Thanks for the tips!
Wow! your blog is really very beautiful and the images are catchy.
Disney World has Loved the place, the food, the drinks, and the environment!!”
Hi Tom Bricker, I can’t thank you enough for all of your guides and tips on Honeymoon. They are like a goldmine for me, keep rocking on, you are helping so many.
my wife and I honeymooned at Disneyworld. a few things we did that i have not seen mentioned.
-played some mini-golf
-had a pool day. relaxed and drinks and lunch at the pool
-had a character drawing done of us. we had one done when we got engaged at the castle dinner 2 years earlier.
10 years and going strong!
These are great tips! My fiance’ and I are planning our own “Disneymoon” for next year. We are both huge Disney fans and can’t wait!
Disney World Honeymoon Tips. DO SOME FINE DINING. One of them is The Magic Kingdom area resorts are beautiful, so if you eat at one of them, make sure to stop and get some photos of yourselves! As mentioned above, we are typically somewhat skeptical of the Disney Dining Plan. However, on your honeymoon, you absolutely should purchase it. Well, honeymoon in Bali yuk. Because Bali is one of the islands in Indonesia which has a lot of tourist destinations. If you want to vacation in Bali do not forget to stay at KOASurferHotel.com. Here, we provide a variety of luxurious facilities and certainly comfortable for you with your family.
I have to comment about the “Just Married” buttons! You said they will cause people to strike up a conversation with you, and it is so true! The last time I was in Disney (like 10 years ago, when I was like 11), my dad congratulated a couple in front of us in line because they had the buttons. We got talking to them, asking where they were from, etc. As the conversation continued, we realized that this woman and my dad knew each other. They lived in Wisconsin and we lived in Virginia, but my dad and the wife had been emailing each other through work because my dad worked at a plastics company and she worked at Oscar Meyer who needed the plastic! And in the end, we were both in Florida at the exact same time, standing in the exact same line, and we never would have known if it weren’t for their “Just Married” buttons. So get some. You never know who you’ll start talking to 🙂
these are the best tips on honeymoon i have everseen…
thanksgiving
Extraordinary tips shared by you folks!!! Much appreciated and the way you exhibit all the small and point by point data, i am affection to go really soon there… BTW you all stones… It’s a blessing from heaven to be a piece of your toon hero’s.
Disney World Is Good place for special night however your tips are extremely successful much obliged for offer it
Disney World Is Good place for honeymoon but your tips are very effective thanks for share it
That is virtuoso! Incredible thought to have a special night along these lines, I wager you had an extraordinary time! We had our in Bali and Gili Islands, and absolutely it was distinctive, however exceptionally sentimental too Tom, what is the most ideal approach to book an excursion as you had? You’ve utilized some travel organization or was orchestrating everything by your own? Need to share some tips for our wedding trip — go with Singapore or Emirates aircrafts and contact The Seven Holiday for rest of game plans. We were that for us it was super simple and on a financial plan also Enjoy!
My husband and I just finished our “Disneymoon” – obviously it depends on the time of your wedding but we definitely recommend avoiding their peak times such as Christmas and the summer vacation times. While the parks are still crowded, there’s much fewer people than there usually would be and we were able to get on quite a few rides again and again! We definitely recommend booking restaurants and fast passes months in advance to ensure you get to do everything you want! My husband and I did that and we got on absolutely everything we wanted to and met so many characters! it’s also great to wear the buttons as many of the characters recognize it and take special pictures with you! We also would add a must go to California Grill but to book a later dinner on a night when the magic kingdom is doing fireworks – if you book close to 10pm the California grill has an observation deck that you can watch the fireworks from and it’s super romantic and an amazing view of the magic kingdom – if you tell them you’re celebrating they will add a special surprise to your dessert as well!
Great tips shared by you guys!!! Thanks a lot and the way you present all the tiny and detailed information, i am love to go pretty soon there…BTW you guys rocks…It’s a dream come true to be a part of your cartoon hero’s.