What would you have changed about your Honeymoon?

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

Rooms? Views? Price? Locale? Lay it on me!

Jells2dot0

It wasn't long enough! We had a DW so we took off work for 3 weeks. If we hadn't run out of vacation time, I would have seriously considered changing our return date.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

Jells2dot0 said:

It wasn't long enough! We had a DW so we took off work for 3 weeks. If we hadn't run out of vacation time, I would have seriously considered changing our return date.

I am hoping for 7 or 8 nights. I wasn't sure what was a good amount of time!

Jells2dot0

7-8 nights is the norm, but best length of time will vary based on location. We went to Australia and 7 nights there just isn't enough because of the flight lengths.

kat1114

I would also say ours wasn't long enough. We were gone for 12 days, but because we went to South Africa, we spent about 2.5 days flying. For that kind of travel length, I would definitely stay longer next time.

Maggie0829

Not long enough, but really no vacation ever is for me.  If I could just go on a vacation and never have to return to work I would be happy.

Edited due to random punctuation.

dcbride86

You guys are making so jealous!  Going to South Africa or Australia for a long vacation?  So jealous! 

FI and I are going to Jamaica 1 week after the wedding, and staying at Sandals for 1 week.  Unfortunately, I don't have very much annual leave, so we just can't go for longer than that.  Luckily, my mom used her miles to give us direct flights, so at least our travel times will be short, and we can really just enjoy the beach for a full week

delujm0

We also went to South Africa/Mauritius for 15 nights (two of which were spent on flights).  I would have liked to have added another 5 nights at least.  We saw a lot of great stuff in Cape Town and Mauritius, but there was also a lot of things we wanted to see but didn't make it to.  But unfortunately i had already been to Hong Kong/Tokyo for 2 weeks earlier in the year, so i was completely out of vacation time.

 

We decided to just plan to go back and recreate the trip (adding on what we missed the first time) for a big anniversary in the future...probably 20 or 25 or something like that...long enough that any children are grown and we can leave the country for 3-4 weeks without worry!

tcnoble

You ladies are making me crazy jealous. We are spending 6 nights at Secrets Maroma Beach in 60 days!! But ditto PP - no vacation is ever long enough for me.

Jells2dot0

delujm0 said:

We also went to South Africa/Mauritius for 15 nights (two of which were spent on flights).  I would have liked to have added another 5 nights at least.  We saw a lot of great stuff in Cape Town and Mauritius, but there was also a lot of things we wanted to see but didn't make it to.  But unfortunately i had already been to Hong Kong/Tokyo for 2 weeks earlier in the year, so i was completely out of vacation time.

 

We decided to just plan to go back and recreate the trip (adding on what we missed the first time) for a big anniversary in the future...probably 20 or 25 or something like that...long enough that any children are grown and we can leave the country for 3-4 weeks without worry!

Yep -that is another one where flights kill time. We went to Mauritius and the Seychelles a few years back and it took us two full days to get there (flying from Phoenix.) We were on the ground for 11 nights but the total trip was 15 nights because of taking many red eye flights. I could have easily spent another week there, especially in the Seychelles.

kat1114

delujm0 said:

We also went to South Africa/Mauritius for 15 nights (two of which were spent on flights).  I would have liked to have added another 5 nights at least.  We saw a lot of great stuff in Cape Town and Mauritius, but there was also a lot of things we wanted to see but didn't make it to.  But unfortunately i had already been to Hong Kong/Tokyo for 2 weeks earlier in the year, so i was completely out of vacation time.

 

We decided to just plan to go back and recreate the trip (adding on what we missed the first time) for a big anniversary in the future...probably 20 or 25 or something like that...long enough that any children are grown and we can leave the country for 3-4 weeks without worry!

We absolutely loved Cape Town! We made a pact on our honeymoon that we would aim to go back in 5 years. I would love to add some other countries in there too, including Mauritius.

sames52915

@tcnoble I'm jealous of you right now! We're going to Maroma Beach too, but not until June. I want to go now!!

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

tcnoble said:

You ladies are making me crazy jealous. We are spending 6 nights at Secrets Maroma Beach in 60 days!! But ditto PP - no vacation is ever long enough for me.

ETA: @sames52915, what made you guys decide to go there?

This is where we are leaning towards going but still not 100%. My travel agent said its her favorite place. What made you decide on there?

tcnoble

@sames52915 We booked ours in April 2014 so it's been a long time coming!! I can't wait!

@hicoco we looked at quite a few places and ultimately chose SMB for the beach and adults only atmosphere. We chose it over other adults only properties after reading a LOT of trip advisor reviews, and discussing what was important to us. It also came heavily recommended by friends who have been there.

climbingsingle

We went to Italy. I wouldn't have changed a thing, except the length of the trip. We went for 10 days and I really wish I would have pushed for 15. 

delujm0

climbingwife said:

We went to Italy. I wouldn't have changed a thing, except the length of the trip. We went for 10 days and I really wish I would have pushed for 15. 

i went to italy for 15 nights a few years ago...and could have easily stayed another week, at least.  it looks like a small country, but there is way too much to see to try to hit it all in one short trip!

lyndausvi

Nothing. We went to Sabi Sands (safari)  in SA, Amsterdam, Paris and NYC.  We were gone 2.5 weeks.   We split up our trip to SA but staying in Amsterdam a few days going over and Paris on the way back.  

I had already been to Paris 2 other times.  It was a nice break since I didn't have a need to see everything, since I had already been there before.

amelisha

We're going to Peru as it was next on our list of places we wanted to go. I have too many friends who went on a beach vacation just because it's "what you do", not because they even wanted to.

mlg78

I would have had my husband not get Legionnaires Disease while on our honeymoon...

I probably would have researched the ports on our cruise a bit more.  I went into our first cruise VERY unprepared for what to expect at the cruise ports.

jenna8984

Nothing! We went to Jamaica for 6 nights and everything about it was perfect. I actually wouldn't have stayed longer, DH and I are both very much homebodies so we missed our own bed and our cat. We were definitely ready to come home. 

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

@jenna8984, I adore your signature

sames52915

@hicoco my mom is a travel writer so she has been to resorts all over the world and she had always said SMB was her favorite. We got engaged last June @ Breathless in Punta Cana, & I had spent a night with my mom earlier in the trip @ Zoetry  -both of these are owned by the same company as the Secrets. Every person who worked at these two resorts that we spoke to said that their favorite place to go out of all the resorts is SMB. Between all the first hand reviews, pictures, and every review I've read online (plus having gone to their other resorts) it was kind of a no brainer!  Now we're just counting down the days!

WinstonsGirl

I would have picked a different room on the ship, but we got a free upgrade and it was our first cruise, so what did we know.  Also, not go in July/Aug cos it was stupid hot.  But there was no other time I could go as a teacher, so I dealt.  We did 3 weeks in the Eastern Med through Greece/Turkey/Israel/Egypt so it was hot and muggy.  I don't like humidity

KatWAG

We did 2 weeks in Thailand and I wouldnt have changed anything about the trip.

I would have loved to fly first class but the tickets would have been $12k round trip per person. And there was no way were could pay that.

AuroraRose41

@WinstonsGirl what was it about your room that you didn't like, and what type would you have chosen instead? We are currently considering a cruise for ours but neither of us have ever been on one before, so I would love some input! 

WinstonsGirl

AuroraRose41 said:

@WinstonsGirl what was it about your room that you didn't like, and what type would you have chosen instead? We are currently considering a cruise for ours but neither of us have ever been on one before, so I would love some input! 

We booked the cheapest class of balcony and we were upgraded to the highest class of balcony.  Our room looked over the front of the ship, instead of the sides, which was cool at first.  We also got to watch the crew work there as it was where the ropes/anchors and moorings were operated.  It was awesome till day 2/3 when we docked about 6am and all we heard was the mechanics of metal on metal, machinery working and anchors moving.  Our interior walls agains the bed shook, which also caused more noise from the plastic wall hitting the interior studs.  I'm a deep sleeper and this kept me up.  It happened about 2-3 times on the 12 day trip.  I wasn't something we could have known before hand though

I also get seasick and I think in the future, I'd opt for a room closer to the centre of the ship and on a lower deck.  

Denise40

We live in Texas and the after wedding we are flying to San Francisci to embark on a 10 day cruise to Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Manzinilla and Matzilan. We will be staying in a suite on the very back of the ship! The only thing I regret is that it's 9 months away!

AuroraRose41

@WinstonsGirl thank you! I'm sorry that you had to deal with that though. I was already considering mid ship or aft balcony or mini suite rooms, so that just helped to solidify no forward rooms. Especially since I have also read on other forums that the cruise to Bermuda is bumpy out in the Atlantic, and that's what we are considering doing. 

CMGragain

What would I have changed about my honeymoon?  Two nights in Kansas City?  It would have been nice to have had more money and taken a more luxurious honeymoon.  In the long run, it isn't important.

JoanE2012

I wouldn't change anything....we planned awhile to make sure we'd have no regrets!

allispain

The fact that both DH and I got wicked sunburns halfway through. We were at an AI in Jamaica and did one of those "swimming with dolphins" excursions. We didn't know that we wouldn't be allowed to put on sunscreen once we got there (it hurts the dolphins' eyes). We're both super pasty pale and burn easily, so had we known this in advance, we probably would have booked a different excursion altogether. Instead, we had a blast with the dolphins, but then spent the rest of our trip in the shade. Luckily the burns were only on our shoulders, but still. Ouch.