Starting Our Honeymoon in Orlando, Florida
This was our honeymoon in Orlando, Florida and from the very first morning, it already felt different.
You wake up, and for a second, it just feels like any other day… until it hits you.
Oh. We’re leaving today.
But this wasn’t just any trip.
This was our honeymoon.
The Morning Everything Started
I woke up tired… but excited in a way that felt deeper than just “we’re going on vacation.”
I had already been to Orlando for my bachelorette, and I fell in love with it then. So getting to go back — but this time with Sergio — felt like a dream come true.
I wasn’t just going back to a place I loved.
I was bringing him into it.
I wanted to show him everything I experienced, everything I felt, everything that made me fall in love with that city. But at the same time, I was just as excited to experience it all over again and everything new, this time with him by my side.
Our flight wasn’t until 11:30, but we still woke up around 7am. There had been talk about the government shutdown causing chaos at airports, and in the back of my mind, I was a little nervous about TSA lines.
Ironically… there were no lines at all.
We had stayed at my mom’s house the night before because Nate was staying with her for the week. (It just made everything easier, especially since my dad was dropping us off at the airport.) And for once in my life… I wasn’t scrambling.
We were fully packed, ready to go, everything planned out ahead of time.
(Anxiety has its perks, I guess.)
This Didn’t Feel Like a Normal Trip
There was a shift in the way I felt.
We weren’t just traveling.
We were celebrating our marriage, our love… Us.
Everything about this trip felt intentional. Like we were stepping into a moment that we were supposed to slow down and actually live in.
We wanted nothing but blissful joy.
And honestly… that’s what it felt like from the very beginning.
Sergio was calm that morning. A little tired, but I could tell he was ready to go. There wasn’t any stress, no tension. Just quiet excitement.
The Ride to the Airport
My dad dropped us off, and the whole ride there felt like a countdown.
I couldn’t wait to get on that plane.
I kept thinking about everything ahead of us — the parks, the food, the experiences — but also little things like whether our Walmart grocery delivery was going to go smoothly once we got there.
That’s just how my brain works. Excited… but still thinking ten steps ahead.
And, in the back of my mind, What if TSA is crazy?
It wasn’t.
We walked right through.
No line. No chaos. Just smooth and easy.
I was so incredibly relieved that there was ‘nothing to worry about’ when we arrived because that means we could just sit at our gate and wait out the clock.
The Flight and Intrusive Thoughts
I had the window seat. Sergio had the middle.
And as much as I love the idea of flying… takeoff is always a moment for me.
I get nervous every time.
Like… what if the plane just drops out of the sky? What if a bird flies into the engine and we just nosedive into a field? And don’t even get me started on a water landing… I’m drowning immediately. I can’t swim like that.
My brain just spirals.
And without fail, I always say something dramatic like: “If we die right now, I just want you to know…”
Which probably doesn’t help Sergio or the poor person sitting next to us feel any better about the flying deathtrap we paid to be in.
But I genuinely can’t control it. It’s just my anxiety showing up uninvited.
Once we were in the air though, I settled in.
I didn’t do much. Motion sickness tends to creep up on me if I’m not careful, so I kept it simple.
I listened to stand-up comedy I had downloaded on Netflix, laid my head down on the stuffed frog I brought, and kept my eyes closed for most of the flight.
And for those of you wondering… his name is Ribbit, and yes he’s a certified Traveler.
There was no big emotional moment on the flight. Just quiet anticipation.
Landing for our Honeymoon in Orlando, Florida
The moment we landed, I felt relief first.
We made it.
And then immediately after that… excitement.
I just wanted to get to the hotel.
We landed a little past our usual lunchtime, and Sergio was hungry. But we both agreed it made more sense to get to the hotel first and then order food once we were settled.
The second we stepped into the airport, you could feel the difference.
The warmth.
The energy.
The movement.
Everyone was going somewhere, fast, in every direction.
It was the complete opposite of the airport we flew out of, which was calm and quiet.
Orlando felt alive.
First Look at Our Hotel
We took an Uber to our resort, and when we pulled up, my first thought was:
Wow… this place is huge.
We stayed at Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa, in Orlando, Florida and visually, it looked nice. Big, spread out, kind of impressive at first glance.
But the real test for me is always the room.
And the second I walked in, I went straight into inspection mode.
I don’t play about cleanliness.
And unfortunately… I did find mold in the shower. There was a weird mirror with mold behind it and the caulking around the toiletry mount had speckles of black. The shower door looked like it had seen better days….
That immediately knocked the experience down for me.
Outside of that though, it was fine.
Not luxurious. Not amazing. But decent.
It was spacious, and there was a closed-in patio that Sergio really liked, which made it feel a little more cozy.
Settling In
By the time we got in, it was around 4pm.
We ordered Walmart groceries and food at the same time, even though it was way past lunchtime.
We were tired. Plus we couldn’t go anywhere because the resorts wifi was down and we didn’t get our room keys until 8:30-9:00pm.
I unpacked my clothes, started organizing everything, and even prepped my little park bag for Disney the next day.
Expectations vs Reality (Day One)
Before the trip, I was most excited for the parks.
The rides. The food. The experience.
Sergio was definitely there for the rides.
I wasn’t really worried about much, aside from the small things like check-in and groceries.
And honestly?
The only thing that slightly disappointed me was the hotel.
It just didn’t match the picture in my head.
But it didn’t ruin anything either.
The Feeling of It All
If I had to describe day one in one phrase, it would be:
Expectant delight.
Everything felt like it was just beginning for us as a married couple.
Like we were standing at the edge of something really special.
And more than anything… I felt closer to him.
Softer.
More connected.
It wasn’t just about where we were.
It was about who I was there with.
Even though I was the planner, the navigator, the one making things happen… it still felt like I was stepping into this new version of myself.
My soft wifey era.
And maybe the most real moment of all?
Laying in bed together… in complete silence.
No Ms. Rachel.
No Wiggles.
No background noise of everyday life.
Just us.
And in that moment, it hit me.
This is our honeymoon.
This was just the beginning of our honeymoon in Orlando.
Next, I’ll be sharing our first full day at Disney Magic Kingdom and Epcot… the planning, the chaos, and what it actually felt like being there together.
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