Intro
Do you dream of having a Disney Wedding? Disney Weddings are so magical, but typically way out of most people’s budget. While I didn’t have a Disney wedding, I did actually get engaged in front of the castle and we were lucky enough to spend part of our honeymoon at Disneyland Paris!
Want to still have that Disney magic somewhere in your wedding planning, but without the huge cost? This week, I will be planning a bachelor/bachelorette party! If you aren’t having a bachelor/bachelorette party, this could also be just an outing for the wedding party, a pre-wedding trip, or a wedding shower.
If you have ever been to EPCOT, you have definitely seen some wedding parties celebrating in World Showcase (often with super cute and clever matching outfits). EPCOT is typically the park that sees the most wedding parties, mostly because of the drinking options in World Showcase. I am also going to include a few non-alcoholic/non-drinking options in this post to include folks who can’t and/or don’t drink (including myself!).
This is a quick, weekend trip where you will only go to two parks, without the park hopper option. To be close to EPCOT, you get a room or two (depending on your party size) at the Beach Club Resort. This is a deluxe resort, so it is a little pricier. However, if you have a larger group, you can fit up to 6 people in a lot of these rooms and split the cost accordingly. You can also walk to EPCOT from this resort which will save time getting there and back!
Breakdown
- Theme: Wedding Celebration
- Length: Weekend
- Age and Group: Single Adults
- Spending: $$
Check-In
You arrive at Disney on a Friday and try to get in early enough to explore a bit that first day. You don’t have park tickets for today, but you spend the afternoon roaming around and enjoying the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and the BoardWalk Inn Resort.
Food
A must is to get a milkshake from Beaches and Cream (and a burger if you need a quick lunch). It’s a quick walk over to the BoardWalk, where you can enjoy shops and other entertainment for the rest of the afternoon.
For dinner, you’ll head to the Contemporary for a meal at California Grill. California Grill has amazing food and the atmosphere is classy, but maybe the best part about dining here is that you can view the Magic Kingdom fireworks! So, try to either plan your timing accordingly or come back before the fireworks with your receipt and you can still get on the balcony to see the show. Be sure to get an Advanced Dining Reservation for this very popular dinner spot!
Day 1: EPCOT
To start off your wedding party weekend, you go to EPCOT for your first park day. It is a quick walk from your resort and will be the perfect start to the festivities! Many wedding parties choose to go to EPCOT to celebrate with their group to indulge in everything that World Showcase has to offer. When you first get in the park, go to Guest Relations to get some celebration buttons for your group. These buttons will show cast members and other guests that you are celebrating something special! You can also check at the front desk of the resort before you head to EPCOT and they may have some available.
Rides
While most of your day will be spent in World Showcase, you will still see and do a few things outside of World Showcase. You can’t go to EPCOT and not see Spaceship Earth, right? You won’t get Disney Genie+ today, so just hop in line for Test Track, Living with the Land, and Soarin’. Outside of those rides, you focus most of your time on World Showcase.
Food (and drinks/snacks)
To start the day, you head to the Beach Club Marketplace for breakfast. Be sure to load up on some Mickey waffles, since you will just be snacking all day until dinner. For dinner, you get a reservation at La Hacienda de San Angel, in the Mexico pavilion. This restaurant has a great view of the nighttime show, so be sure to request that with your reservation or when you get to the restaurant.
Below are your plans for snacking and drinking around World Showcase. You hit almost all the pavilions, so be sure to still go and explore the Canada and China pavilions!
- UK pavilion: Rose and Crown Pub (drinks and snacks)
- France pavilion: Les Vins des Chefs de France (drinks) and La Crêperie de Paris (snacks)
- Morocco pavilion: Oasis Sweets & Sips (drinks and snacks)
- Japan pavilion: Kabuki Café (drinks and snacks)
- America pavilion: Regal Eagle (drinks) and Funnel Cake (snacks)
- Italy pavilion: Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar (drinks) and Gelateria Toscana (snacks)
- Germany pavilion: Sommerfest (drinks) and Karamell Kuche (snacks)
- Norway pavilion: Kringla Bakeri (snacks)
- Mexico pavilion: La Cava Del Tequila (drinks)
And that is all for park day number one! Hopefully, by the end of the night, you aren’t too full of gelato and can still walk back over to the resort using the international gateway (this pathway connects the World Showcase to the Beach and Yacht Club Resorts, the Boardwalk Resort, and the Swan and Dolphin Hotels). This is definitely the biggest plus of staying at one of the EPCOT Resorts after a long day at the park!
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
It is your second and final park day as part of this wedding celebration weekend! As you may already know, I personally don’t believe a trip to Disney is complete unless you spend a day at Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is quintessential Disney and I absolutely have to hit this park on each trip, no matter what. So, for park day two, you head straight to the castle!
Rides
At Magic Kingdom, there is a challenge that some Disney die-hards try to accomplish at least once in their lives. Some days it may be an easy challenge, but on crowded days or holidays, it can be tricky! The challenge is to ride all three “Mountains” at Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Splash Mountain. To make this challenge a little easier, you will purchase Disney Genie+ today. Currently Space Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are the Individual Lightning Lanes you can purchase separately, but for today, you will just purchase Disney Genie+.
After conquering the mountains, you will want to be sure to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Jungle Cruise – which you should be able to manage if the lines aren’t too long or you can get some Lightning Lanes!
Food
For this busy Magic Kingdom day, you start with a quick coffee and breakfast snack at the Main Street Bakery (this is the Magic Kingdom Starbucks, so you can get your usual favorites here).
Lunch will be at Be Our Guest, where you should try to request the West Wing or the main Ballroom if possible. Eating at Be Our Guest is the only way to go into the Beast’s castle and lunch is the most cost-effective way to experience this. The Plaza is on the agenda for dinner and is located right on Main Street, so the atmosphere is classic and charming.
Extras
You’ll end the night with a special and unique way to watch the fireworks, by getting tickets for a Fireworks Dessert Party. There are a few different options for dessert parties at Magic Kingdom, so you are sure to find the one that works best for your group. For this trip, you choose the Treats & Seats option. This special celebration starts with a selection of dessert and drinks, followed by viewing the fireworks from the Tomorrowland Terrace. It is the most magical way to end your wedding celebration weekend!
Check Out
We are at the end of this wedding celebration weekend! You have one last breakfast at the BoardWalk Bakery with your group to close out the weekend, then head back home to finish the prep for the actual wedding! Hopefully you are able to continue to celebrate and really soak in all the love and excitement. The whole wedding planning process can be so overwhelming and it is so important to really savor the good moments and even the stressful ones. I promise you will make it through and at the end you get to live happily ever after! Enjoy this magical time!
Have you had your own Disney wedding celebration? Or even Disney touches on weddings or events held outside of Disney? Let me know in the comments, so we can all share in that excitement!
Overview
- Resort: Beach Club
- Check-in Day: Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, BoardWalk Inn Resort, the Contemporary Resort
- Food: Beaches and Cream, California Grill
- Day 1: EPCOT
- Rides: Test Track, Living with the Land, Soarin’
- Food: Beach Club Marketplace, La Hacienda de San Angel, snacks/drinks around World Showcase
- Day 2: Magic Kingdom
- Rides: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise
- Food: Main Street Bakery, Be Our Guest, The Plaza Restaurant
- Extras: Fireworks Dessert Party: Treats and Seats
- Check Out Day
- Food: Boardwalk Bakery
