Travis and I got engaged on the Grand One Yacht on the Seven Seas Lagoon while watching the Magic Kingdom Fireworks in Walt Disney World. This is our fairy tale Disney engagement story!
In 2014, my boyfriend, Travis, proposed to me while we watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Grand One Yacht in the Seven Seas Lagoon. It was one of the most magical moments of our lives and we wanted to share our story with you!
Before we get to the engagement story, you might be reading this because 1) you’re a hopeless romantic who loves Disney engagement stories or 2) because you’re looking for inspiration on how to propose to your significant other at Disney World!
If #1 applies to you, skip the next part, and jump to “Our Disney Engagement Story!” Enjoy!
If you’re here because of #2, congrats! We’d love to help you come up with a Disney proposal idea! First, let’s go over a few Disney engagement questions.
Will Disney Help Me Propose?
Yes, Disney will help you propose and create a custom Disney engagement! They want to help you create memories and they’re the best at it. If you need help planning the proposal, you should contact Enchanting Extras.
My husband had been in constant communication with the concierge team at the Grand Floridian for months before our Disney proposal. They set up a surprise arrival for us (with a sign, balloons, and a red carpet!), and they even created this whole story about how we won a firework cruise after dinner. There were certificates and buttons, it was very believable!
Once you decide where in Disney World that you want to propose, you should contact the hotel’s concierge team or guest services for that park and ask if they can help you.
Where Can I propose in Disney World?
I think the most romantic and magical places to get engaged at in Disney are:
- On Main Street, while standing in the bubble snow at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
- While watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks.
- During dinner at Cinderella Royal Table (they even have a glass slipper you can use!).
- On the bridge in the Italy Pavillion at Epcot.
- On a horse-drawn carriage ride through Fort Wilderness Campgrounds during Christmas time.
- In the Grand Floridian lobby at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Here are 101 Disney Engagement ideas if you want more inspiration!
How Much Does it Cost to Get Engaged at Disney World?
It depends on what you want to do for the proposal. Travis rented out the Grand 1 Yacht for a few hours, which cost almost $500 per hour. Add in dinner at Citricos, the special bottle of Fairy tale champagne, and the private photographer, and you’re over $1K already. That’s not even including the ring.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make the proposal memorable. I would have been just as thrilled if Travis had proposed after we ate vegan hot dogs from Casey’s Corner and while we enjoyed the Magic Kingdom fireworks at the park.
What really matters is how much you love each other!
Can You Stay in Cinderella Castle?
Travis told me after the fact, all the ways that he thought about proposing to me. He had emailed guest services and asked if he could pay to just walk with me into the Cinderella Castle suite for 10 minutes to propose to me, but they said that we couldn’t do that.
Disney Engagement Accessories
If you’re planning on getting engaged at Disney World, you should think about bringing some of these items with you to celebrate your engagement!
- Disney Engagement Shirts (His and Hers)
- Disney Engagement Ornament (Or you could buy an ornament at the Christmas shop in the Magic Kingdom or at Disney Springs)
- Minnie and Mickey Disney Engagement Figurine
- Custom Disney Engagement Rings
- Disney Engagement Pins (I have this one, it’s so beautiful!)
- Disney Engagement Buttons (You can get these at the Parks and hotels)
Our Disney Engagement Story
Hopefully, that answered some of your Disney engagement questions! Now, we’re going to share our magical Disney engagement story with you!
Planning and Preparing for the Proposal
I should’ve known something was up.
Travis and I were planning our yearly anniversary trip to Disney in April 2014 to go to the Flower & Garden Festival. I always make all the plans, and Travis just goes along with it. This time, he wanted to make the plans.
At this point, we’d been together for 7 years, which was quite a long time compared to most of our friends that were in relationships. I still wasn’t expecting it.
Unbeknownst to me, Travis had been planning for months how he was going to propose to me in Disney World. It’s our favorite place to visit, and we have so many magical memories there.
Travis had already asked my dad’s permission, which he gave a little too easily if you ask me. Travis later told me they went to dinner, Travis asked and my dad said something along the lines of, “Sure, sounds great!”
Oh, dad.
I’m just kidding. My parents both love Travis, so I’m not surprised my dad agreed to hand me over so easily.
The only requirement was that my dad couldn’t tell my mom. If she knew, she would blab to me, or I would have been able to tell she was keeping a secret from me.
The second red flag– Travis asked me if I needed any money to buy a nice dress for a fancy dinner we were going to while in Disney. At that point, our finances were still separate, we weren’t living together, and we each paid our own bills and bought what we wanted. So, for him to ask me if I needed money for a dress was nice, but a little odd.
I said, “no thank you, I’m good.” He didn’t bring it up again, so maybe he thought I was suspicious. Which I was.
My mom went with me to pick out a new dress, and she asked about a million times if I thought something was going to happen on this trip. I said no over and over, but I don’t think she believed me. I don’t even know if I believed me.
Traveling to Disney World
Travis packs up the car, and we’re on our way to Disney World. While we were driving, the charger for my phone fell and got stuck underneath his seat. I wanted him to focus on the road, so I’m reaching down under the seat trying to find it. He’s frantically yelling at me to stop, and I had no idea why. I got upset because he was getting so upset at me, I was just trying to help!
Little did I know, a small blue box that was holding my engagement ring was hidden under his seat, inches away from where my hand was feeling for the charger.
We arrived at Disney, checked in and got settled in the room. We headed over to Epcot for a few hours to relax and do some pin trading.
The next day, we got up early and went back to Epcot for the day. We came back to the room around 4 PM, showered and dressed up for the special surprise dinner Travis had planned.
Arriving at the Grand Floridian Resort & We Won a Contest?!
When we arrived at the Grand Floridian Resort, a red carpet was laid out and a big group of people were standing outside waiting for us.
I wondered what was about to happen? We tentatively walked up, not sure if this was for us or not, and they handed us a folder. It stated that we were the winners of the Grand Floridian Resorts 25th-anniversary contest and we won a firework cruise after our dinner!
What?! No way, we never win anything! I looked at Travis and asked him to swear on our relationship that he had no part of this! He said he didn’t know anything.
He was partly telling the truth. Months before, Travis had been in contact with the concierge at the Grand Floridian, and he told Travis that he would have everything ready for us when we got to the hotel so Travis could act surprised as well.
Dinner at Citricos in the Grand Floridian Resort
They walked us up to Citricos, and we were seated for dinner. I could tell Travis was so nervous, but I didn’t know why.
We ordered wine, which they brought, along with bread and butter. Travis couldn’t get the butter to spread because his hands were shaking so much. So, he just folded the slice of bread over a huge pad of butter and went to town.
It was so funny, we still laugh about it when we talk about that day. I’m so glad I took a picture of it.
I had chicken and Travis had fish, I can’t for the life of me remember what we were talking about, but dinner went by in a flash. We ordered dessert, paid, and then we left the restaurant. As soon as we walked out, a girl was waiting there to walk us down to the Grand 1 yacht that I thought we had “won” a firework cruise on.
In reality, Travis had rented out the Grand 1 yacht for us and hired a photographer to be there to capture the moment for us.
The Grand 1 Yacht & Fairy Tale Champagne
We were lucky enough to have perfect weather that night, it was a little chilly and breezy– not hot at all. We boarded the yacht, went to the top deck to greet the captain, and then went back downstairs to get settled.
The captain told us we had 30-45 minutes before the fireworks started at the Magic Kingdom, so we had time to take a few laps around the Seven Seas Lagoon.
We were sitting in the bottom deck, and Mike the photographer, was taking pictures of us. It felt a little odd at first. I didn’t know if we should be posing and looking at him, or just pretend like he wasn’t there. Why was he there anyway?
Hmmm, red flag #3!
Travis magically pulled out a chilled bottle of champagne that was appropriately named, “Fairy Tale.”
Magic Kingdom Wishes Fireworks & a Proposal
We went out to the open back deck because the captain said the fireworks were starting soon. We love the firework show and have seen them countless times at the Magic Kingdom.
We sat and watched for a minute or two– then Travis stood up and pulled me up with him.
I knew at that point that something was about to happen. Something big.
Travis had it perfectly timed out to pop the question right when the heart-shaped fireworks went off. He got down on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring I could ever imagine.
It was the most romantic, beautiful proposal I could’ve ever hoped for. I said yes, and we hugged and kissed with the fireworks going off behind us. They even had the firework song, “when you wish upon a star,” piped into the boat so we could hear it.
Travis still gives me a hard time about not crying when he proposed, but I was just too happy and excited to cry!
It was like the firework show was just for us! Can you see Cinderella’s castle in the distance?
We took a bunch of pictures and headed back to the dock.
Disney Engagement Surprise! My Parents are Here!
We docked and were walking off the boat when I heard my mom’s voice. I knew she was there before I even saw her. I looked back at Travis, he was smiling and told me to go.
I ran off the boat dock and saw my parents walking around the corner. I think my mom’s heart dropped through her butt because she had no idea why I was there. We ran to each other, hugged forever, and I showed her my ring.
I started crying because it was real now. I had always told Travis I wanted my parents to be at our engagement, and he made it happen.
My dad had tricked my mom by telling her they were just going to dinner at Disney, which they do often, so she wasn’t suspicious. After dinner, he told her they were just going to go for a walk around the resort before they headed home.
My mom had no idea she was about to be part of our Disney engagement story.
Disney is special to my parents too because they honeymooned at the Polynesian 35 years ago. If only they had known all those years ago, that their daughter would be getting engaged in the same place they had their honeymoon!
Disney Engagement Pictures at the Grand Floridian Resort
The next day, we went back to the Grand Floridian Resort to take engagement pictures on the hotel grounds.
Travis hired a local Orlando-based photographer, Mike Briggs, to take our proposal and engagement photos. I highly recommend Mike, he did a fantastic job and is very easy to work with! He made us feel very comfortable during the pictures and helped us to pose without looking awkward.
We walked all around the Grand Floridian Resort, around the beach, and over to the Polynesian resort. We took so many beautiful pictures that I’ll treasure forever!
I hope you enjoyed our Disney engagement story and Disney engagement pictures, we loved sharing it with you! ❤️
If you’re thinking about getting engaged at Walt Disney World, I highly recommend it. It’s a magical experience that you’ll both remember forever.
More Disney Posts You’ll Love!
How to Ride Avatar Flight of Passage Before the Park Opens!
7-Night Eastern Caribbean Disney Cruise Honeymoon Review
Disney Cruise Packing List (+ Free Printable List!)
