Seth Kubersky - WDW (16-26 May 1996) - Grand Floridian / Polynesian Resort

[Trip Reports]

• Time of Year: Spring
• Travel Method: Unknown
• Resort: Grand Floridian Resort, Polynesian Resort
• Accommodations: Standard Room
• Ages Represented in Group: Adult
• WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
• Comments: Seth and Amy Kubersky not only had their honeymoon at WDW, they got married there too! This is a relatively short report, but the fact that it includes a WDW wedding makes it very unique. Seth is very open to answering further questions via email, so read on...and write him a note if you want to know more.

Ok, the email response to my post re: our recent wedding @ WDW has been so overwhelming (a dozen letters in 3 days) that I'm just going to post a long description here. If you want more info, email me directly! (Editor: A link to do so has been added to the end of this report.)

My wife Amy and I got married on May 17 at the Wedding Pavilion near the Grand Floridian. We began planning to wedding the summer before, and really started working hard with our coordinator in January. Our coordinator's name was Michael Kucinski, and the man is a GOD. Considering that we had about 50 guests comming in from out of town, and planned the entire wedding by phone and fax, things could not have gone smoother.

The ceremony was held at noon, and it was beautiful. The pavilion is gorgeous, with a perfect view of the Castle, and Disney floral did a great tasteful job with the flowers. We rented tuxes from Formally Yours in Orlando, and Disney Photographic did the pictures. Both did a great job (F.Y. even comes to your hotel with a tailor to do the fittings). Since we're Jewish, we had the ceremony officiated by Rabbi Robert Lefkowitz of Orlando. He does a lot of Disney weddings, and did a beautiful job. Other nice touches were the organist, did a great job of NOT playing any Wagner, and the 1921 Cadillac that we left the ceremony in. A beautiful machine!

We held a lunch reception in the Napa Room of the California Grill @ the Contemporary. That is where the old "Top of the World" used to be, and the view is gorgeous. We had pictures taken of us on the balcony with all of the MK in the background. The menu was fruit, cheese, and crudite for cocktail hour with open bar, pasta appetizer, salad, and a choice of chicken or salmon. All the food was "California contemporary" and excellent. They also did a perfect job of following the pictures Amy had drawn for the cake, down to working Hidden Mickeys into the icing. The band was a 3 piece jazz ensemble (no singer) that managed to play everything from "When I'm 64" to "Once upon a Dream" to the Horah.

That night we held a dessert reception at the UK Terrace in Epcot (behind the Rose and Crown Pub). We had pastries and coffee while watching Illuminations. We purchased $10 viewing passes for our guests so they wouldn't have to pay to get into the park, and we had a great private viewing location. The only problem was a slight mess-up with Amy and my passess, which meant we got there about one minute before the show started.

That about covers the actual wedding. All of our guests stayed at All Star Sports. Most of them arrived Thursday the 16th and left Sunday the 19th. For the price it isn't bad, but if they can afford the extra $30 a night I would recommend Port Orleans or Dixie Landings. Our coordinator arranged a rehearsal dinner at 1900 Park Fare, and chartered bus transportation for our guests on the day of the wedding. We spent our wedding night in one of the concierge suites at the Grand Floridian (complimentary, of course). We spent the next week and a half in Moorea (Kingdom view) at the Polynesian. Of the half dozen or so WDW hotels I've stayed at, Poly is by far my favorite.

Saturday we toured Epcot with Amy's folks in the morning, and MGM with my family in the afternoon. The Disney CMs were very accomodating; since my grandfather was in a wheelchair, they let our whole group of about 15 skip all the lines. We even got my Mom on Tower of Terror. That night we all met at Pleasure Island (you can get 1/2 price tickets through Disney weddings). The only dissappointment of the whole weekend was that 8Trax refused to play a song we requested (they said that the Time Warp "Moved the energy of the club in a negative direction". Whatever!) So, we all spend the evening getting drunk at the Adventurer's Club, and had a great time.

On Sunday we had a farewell lunch with all our college friends who came (about 10 people) at Marrakesh in Morrocco, Epcot. Great place to take a group! The total cost for the wedding day, not including airfare and hotel rooms, was about $9,000. Not bad for 50 guests, considering everything was first rate.

(Here is a letter I wrote to someone asking advice on honeymooning at WDW)

What you need to do is tell EVERYONE that you are on your honeymoon. When you check into the hotel, every time you make a dinner reservation, whatever. You don't even have to work it into the conversation; just mention that you just got married. We stayed in a consierge suite at the Grand on our wedding night, and they left a beautiful sailing ship made out of chocolate in our room for us. You'll get better treatment at nice restaurants, too.

The best thing you can do to have a romantic trip is NOT go to the parks all day. Go for a few hours in the morning, take a break in the afternoon, go back for a couple hours at closing. Try to avoid Surprise Mornings -- they aren't really worth the hassle. Yes, do all the rides that you want to (Tower of Terror and Alien Encounter are must sees), but make lots of time for swiming, taking walks, bed, etc...

If you're like my wife and I, the most romantic thing you can do is eat. Even if you have to sell your first-born to afford it, EAT AT VICTORIA AND ALBERTS!!! This is the most exquisite restaruant I have ever eaten at, anywhere in the world. Be sure to mention that it's your honeymoon. Other restaurants we really love are San Angel Inn inside Mexico at Epcot, Ohana at Polynesian, California Grill at the Contemporary, and the sushi bar at the Swan. The Luau at the Poly is also a lot of fun, but avoid the Hoopdedoo Revue like the plague. Artists Point at the WL looks good too.

The best thing you can do is remember that WDW is not just about theme parks. Spend a day at Discovery Island and River country (avoid Blizzard Beach unless it's raining, otherwise it's too crowded). Spend a whole night hanging out at the Adventurer's Club or Jazz Company at Pleasure Island. BTW, ask the hotel guest services for a VIP card to avoid standing in line at Planet Hollywood. Take a boat instead of a bus, even though it's slower, just because. Go see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the beach at the Poly, instead of fighting the crowds at the park. Most of all, relax!

(And here is a response to a letter asking what our favorite restaurants in WDW are.)

• Victoria & Albert's : Xpensive but more than worth it. Get the wine pairings, and make sure to mention your anniversary. The best meal I've ever had!
• Kimono's at the Swan: Great sushi, and karaoke. Amy managed to get me on stage singing after only 1 bottle of sake. Amazing...
• Marakesh @ Morrocco: An old favorite of mine. Especially fun with a group. Good food, good entertainment, and good price at lunch.
• Ohana @ the Poly: A really nice surprise. All you can eat Hawaiian BBQ, with excellent spicy shrimp. A good deal, and a lot of fun.
• Artist's Point @ WL looked good, but we didn't get to try it.
• We had our wedding reception at the California Grill @ the Contemp, and the food was wonderful, but we don't know how their regular menu is.
• Coral Reef at the Living Seas used to be a favorite of ours, but this last time was disappointing.
• And while the food is only good, not great, you can't beat San Angel Inn at Mexio for romantic atmosphere.

Ok, that should hold y'all for now. Please, write me with specific questions, and we'll be happy to answer them!

sakube@widomaker.com