Hiya Wright,
Welcome to planDisney! I am so excited to help you with this magical surprise. Of course, I love a good surprise, as long as I’m not on the receiving end.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Villas is one of my favorite Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotels! The décor is breathtaking, and getting to wake up to over 200 exotic animal friends makes you feel like you are in a Disney movie. Your wife is going to love it! What other surprises are up your sleeves? One fun additional surprise to consider is dining at
California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary. For the 50th Anniversary, they have a special three-course menu that is truly spectacular. On top of that, when you have a dinner reservation, you get access to the observation deck to watch
Disney’s Enchantment. It is such a breathtaking location, and as someone who has seen Disney’s Enchantment multiple times, I can say unequivocally that watching from Disney’s Contemporary is my favorite viewing location.
For dining, Walt Disney World Resort Collection Hotel, and
Enchanting Extras reservations, when you make the reservation for two or more people, the system gives you an option to assign the reservations to Guests from your
Family and Friends list. Once you assign a Guest to the reservation, they can see the itinerary items you have assigned them to. To keep the surprise, I would suggest not identifying your wife as your second Guest in My Disney Experience reservations just yet. As long as you don’t assign the second person to your wife, she will never know the reservation exists. Once you are ready to tell her about your incredible surprise, you can just go in and assign her to the reservation, or you can wait until check-in. Your reservation will still be for two people even if it isn't assigned.
I hope this was helpful, Wright! I know your wife will have such an incredible vacation because she is spending it with you. Let me know if there is any way else I can help.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.