I Can Haz A Dizney Christmas? 12/15: Last Update Before the Trip

[creativeamanda]

We've done X-mas before (beautiful), president's and v-day in one trip and July 4th. I like X-mas the best...but really want to try Halloween!!!

Halloween is awesome! We did last Halloween and it was a great trip. We loved the Halloween Boo to You Parade.

Yayyyyyyyy! You worked it out! It's great that you got to take advantage of free dining AND go for Christmas! What an awesome present, your kids will be so surprised and happy!! And you get to dodge the blazing hot weather! What a great deal, can't wait to hear more!

I know!

This is such a cute idea!! Congrats again on free dining! We will probably see you guys around... not only do we also have tickets for the same night to MVMCP, but we will be at the same resort at the same time. POR 16th - 26th.

Looking forward to hearing more about your planning!

Stephanie

I wanted to tell you this, too--to get a better location at POR, try doing online checkin and say you'll be there to pick up your package earlier than you actually will. Your room gets assigned days in advance, so, you don't have to be so concenred about maybe having to move later. I did this in June, and was upgraded to a water view corner room. It was awesome!

 

[creativeamanda]

SO when I last left all of you, I was excited because I had booked the free dining. I started thinking ("a dangerous thing") and I realized that I would not be the only person who decides to hit Disney up on free dining like this. And all of those people are going to want to go to the MVMCP. Mind you, I'm driving to the library in the rain when I make this realization, so I quickly dial it in to my Bluetooth on the car. (Have I ever mentioned I loved this particular feature in the new Fords--the Microsoft SYNC system?)

The phone rings, and a real nice gentleman takes my order. Now, when we bought MNSSHP tickets last year, for the five of us it was around $256, so you can imagine the sticker shock I got with the MVMCP tickets. But I bought them, anyway.

So, I have my tickets--or at least they are on their way in the mail. Rest assured, you will see them when they come in.

So, now we are locked. As I was so kindly reminded, MVMCP tickets are non-transferrable. And my date? December 18, 2009!

Coming up--my planning corner

 

[Mommytobree]

Love your idea! I am going as well this holiday season and wanted to make the trip from Santa somehow. I may have to steal your idea! I had thought about having a package "arrive" from the mailman from the North Pole, but now I like the idea of setting presents around the tree!

 

[creativeamanda]

Love your idea! I am going as well this holiday season and wanted to make the trip from Santa somehow. I may have to steal your idea! I had thought about having a package "arrive" from the mailman from the North Pole, but now I like the idea of setting presents around the tree!

I'd love to claim the idea as my own, but it was dh's. But you are welcome to take it! It's wonderful.

On a side note, dh's sister used to live in Alaska. She used to send letters from Santa from North Pole, Alaska. The kids absolutely loved it. The one who "knows" about Santa hasn't put 2 and 2 together about those letters, yet.

 

[creativeamanda]

Disers who have known me for a while now know that I am an ubber organizer. I also am a color coder, clean up after myself, OCD type chick. With a capital D.

So it won't surprise anyone how my planning corner in my home office looks. . .

Can you tell I was updating my Trip Report when I shot this picture, lol?

A close up of the corner. Ther drawers are of my many-colored pens, pencils, markers. The striped notebook is the one I take notes in for my Trip reports. Right now, the plastic box on top of the computer's CPU holds paperwork from DVC that I am perusing, Disney Maps, pictures that need to be sorted into Power Sort boxes, and Disney Dining brochures.

My current planning binder, which is already getting plenty of information in it. . .

And yes, you see what you think you do behind the binder on the lanyard. One of these. . .

Finally, the notebook where I jot down information and handwrite everything before I put it into Excel.

And you might notice something about this--it's my dining ideas. And there are a lot of meals written down.

That's because of this: we upgraded to the Deluxe Plan this morning. I received my first of two checks for extra work this summer and I actually had nothing to do with it. I crunched the numbers with my best Fuzzy Disney Math, and well, given the number of meals we were planning on doing OOP, we decided that upgrading to the Deluxe Plan was the best. So I called this morning. This is not a change from our original Disney in December plans--dh is on a diet and the food at the signature restaurants were 10 times more healthy in the choices than anything dealing with counter service. With free dining, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would pay a good portion oop. When we crunched the numbers, it ended up being only a little less than the Deluxe Plan addition, and with an extra snack and refillable mugs, about the same. So this is the notebook with the dining information. . .

You might ask what our ideas for dining are. . .

I'm looking at these oprions:

CS Locations:
*Earl of Sandwich
*Flame Tree Barbeque
*Riverside Mill
*Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory (Beignets)
*Boulangerie Patisserie

TS Locations:
*Breakfasts:
**Chef Mickey's
**Tusker House
**Princess Storybook Dining
**1900 Park Fare
**Whispering Canyon Cafe
*Lunches:
**LeCellier
**50s Prime Time Cafe (okay, not so healthy, but we can splurge a little)
**Cinderella's Royal Table
*Dinners:
**Liberty Tree Tavern
**Yachtsman Steakhouse
**Hoop dee Doo
**Hollywood Brown Derby
**Tutto Italia (Candlelight Processional Package)
**Ohana

You might ask, "Where's Crystal Palace?" The simple answer is, we've eaten there three times and we want to try some new places. Of course, dh won't let us give up Liberty Tree, but the only locations we have eaten before for those same meals are: LTT, Riverside Mill, LeCellier, Flame Tree BBQ, Princess Storybook, and Boulangerie Patisserie, and of the ones left, we have never eaten at 10 of the locations! That's with being on the regular dining plan in June and the deluxe in 2008! We want a little variety this time.

And as for the places we were going to pay out of pocket? Well, they were: Yachtsman, CRT, Hoop dee Doo. Can you see now how DxDP was better for us?

Coming up. . .The Excel Files Begin and am I keeping the secret?

 

[smiley1]

Great job Amanda! All of those ADRs look fabulous! I'm getting hungry just thinking about them, lol. I'm jealous of your super organization skills, everything looks nice and neat. Anyway, can't wait to hear more, have a good weekend!

 

[creativeamanda]

Great job Amanda! All of those ADRs look fabulous! I'm getting hungry just thinking about them, lol. I'm jealous of your super organization skills, everything looks nice and neat. Anyway, can't wait to hear more, have a good weekend!

The organization is the blessing and curse of my TypeA personality. I I have to have the whole house clean before I can do work. So I only get planning done late at night, because the house has to be cleaned first and I procrastinate half the day!

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

We did the upgrade, too! Math-wise it all worked out for us!!!

 

[raider97]

Congrats on the deluxe dining!

And thanks for the tip for online checkin. I think I will have to try that one. Anything to get us to the room faster since we will be in so late.

Having fun reading!!

Stephanie

 

[creativeamanda]

We did the upgrade, too! Math-wise it all worked out for us!!!

Oh, but don't congratulate me too quickly. . .

Congrats on the deluxe dining!

And thanks for the tip for online checkin. I think I will have to try that one. Anything to get us to the room faster since we will be in so late.

Having fun reading!!

Stephanie

Thanks. . .really, it helped for us.

 

[creativeamanda]

Deluxe Dining. Park Hoppers. Deluxe Dining. Park Hoppers. I couldn't decide. Saturday morning, I figured how much I was going to be paid for Extended School Year, and decided to add Deluxe Dining. Teaching for one week this summer was going to pay for it.

Yet, I still had this nagging feeling in the back of my head. . .what if the parks were obscenely crowded? What if we need to do the Candlelight Processional on a different night? What if we can't get the Fantasmic Dining Package? What if. What if. What if.

Now, I will state here that I am a firm believer in the "everything happens for a reason" doctrine. At 8am this morning, I picked up the phone to call Disney and drop the Deluxe. But then changed my mind. See, I'm thinking we could just eat CS at Animal Kingdom since there are no TS locations that catch my fancy, pay for Flame Tree BBQ out of pocket, and pick one 2 TS location (currently Citricos) to pay out of pocket and one 2 TS location (currently CRT) to leave on the dining plan. At 8 am, I picked up the phone. Got half way through the voice recognition responses, and the phone died.

So, I just decide to sit on it.

At 12:30 pm, I check my email to discover something I was not expecting: I would be paid for the week of teaching, but at a rate $10 less an hour than I made last year for the same job. One week worth of work. 40 Hours. In other words, a loss of $400.

Suddenly, the what ifs, and why nots became clear. No Deluxe for me. I knew I could still pay for it--I could still do it financially, but the means of it would have to change. Add that to the fact that I intend to upgrade my park hoppers to annual passes on the last day, and I think I'm better off with the park hoppers. We were only going to do 2 oop meals anyway. Certainly not a good reason to add $812 to our package cost. I'm sure we can eat at Flame Tree Barbeque and Citricos for less than that. . .

 

[raider97]

Sorry about the deluxe dining, but how exciting about getting APs. I wish dh was a disney lover.

Stephanie

 

[smiley1]

Sorry to hear about the deluxe dining but I think you made the right decision!

 

[creativeamanda]

Sorry about the deluxe dining, but how exciting about getting APs. I wish dh was a disney lover.

Stephanie

Oh, they are only for me. DH says this is his last trip.

Sorry to hear about the deluxe dining but I think you made the right decision!

Thanks!

 

[creativeamanda]

Dh has been out of town this week. So, we have been communicating by phone about the trip. And last night, we decided to just no do Park Hoppers until we get there and gauge how bad the crowds were and just come home on the 23rd. When I called to make the changes today, the middle kid heard me.

So, the cat's out of the bag. They know.

Guess I need to change my title. Any ideas?

 

[raider97]

Dh has been out of town this week. So, we have been communicating by phone about the trip. And last night, we decided to just no do Park Hoppers until we get there and gauge how bad the crowds were and just come home on the 23rd. When I called to make the changes today, the middle kid heard me.

So, the cat's out of the bag. They know.

Guess I need to change my title. Any ideas?

Sorry you won't be able to surprise the kids, but it will be fun for them to help out with the planning.

We are also in the wait and see mode with the park hoppers. I just hate to spend the $$ on it if we aren't going to use them.

Stephanie

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Bummer about the surprise! But, now you can get their input on what they want to do!!!!!

 

[creativeamanda]

Sorry you won't be able to surprise the kids, but it will be fun for them to help out with the planning.

We are also in the wait and see mode with the park hoppers. I just hate to spend the $$ on it if we aren't going to use them.

Stephanie

Yeah--park hoppers are great, but all of that moving around just isn't good for my head. . .

Bummer about the surprise! But, now you can get their input on what they want to do!!!!!

And I can make a calendar and everything! 100 days out isn't to far away!

 

[creativeamanda]

Since the kids know, I've been racking my head all day about a new title. A few minutes ago, it finally hit me. If you have not seen the LOLCat site, you have to go there now. I love it. I visit the site everyday. Call it my foray into the comics for the day. The site is www.icanhascheezburger.com and the captioned cats are given thoughts (almost all of them misspelled and grammatically incorrect). I love the site! And from time to time, I speak in lolcat speak. So, the title hit me like a truck:

I Can Haz A Dizney Christmas?

Here are some examples if you've never seen the site

and this one. . .

So, now that I have a new title, here's some excitment.

Number one, I decided to pizzazz up the Disney Box for this go round. The kids get to help now and I'm so excited that this little puppy can come out to play!

And then, there's the day's Mail Call. . .and I had a letter from . . .

I only know one person--ah--Mouse who lives in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Ya know what this is? Here's another hint. . .

It's my Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tickets! YAY!!!!

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

It's always nice when you get to receive Mouse Mail!!!!