Love the pictures of the kids with Mrs. Potato Head! The pizza looks delicious and so does the cup cake. I love that Alex said the Oreo had Disney Magic on it. ALL the food at Disney always tastes better due to the Magic!!
Disney food always does taste better... but it was certainly nice to have my teen aged son make this realization.
We had looked into DVC years ago. We don't mind staying at value resorts. We did the numbers crunch and for us DVC didn't work. My dh's job would give him off holidays and weekends. So most of our points would be spent at times that require more points.
Instead, we opted for an premium annual pass. Even when we lived up north, we would time our vacations 10 to 11 months apart. The savings we were able to use with the passes worked out better for us.
Over the years we have stayed at values for as low as $49, moderates for as low as $79. This year, the lowest we paid for a moderate was $103 per night, the lowest for a value was $53 a night, which will be our upcoming Feb stay.
The cheapest we have stayed at a DVC resort was $174 in Aug 2010 for a studio room. Now that same room is over $200 with the AP discount.
We also use our AP to get the Tables In Wonderland card at a discounted rate. I think TiW is available for DVC owners too, right? That saves us 20% off food and alcohol at participating restaurants and lounges.
I really appreciate your take on this. I always feel like I am missing something. To me, it almost seems like you are paying for the discount rather than getting a public offer or one that comes with an AP or through a pin. Does that make sense? I also wonder if for us it comes down to not going but once a year. Still, if I look at just the dues it makes the room 57 a night. That is excellent for deluxe accommodations. However for us we always always get either a room discount or fd. And...if not going with either thus needing to add the cost of the dp in, that is pretty costly. For us it would take the cost of the room+dp up to approx. 260 per night (approx 60 for the room and 200 for dp). Even going with a room discount and then paying for dp (instead of fd)... our room+dp cost would have been 400 this last trip and even though that is about 140 more per night... It would take over 100 nights to reach the cost of buying 160 points.
I digress however... maybe I still am missing something. Thank you though for allowing me to "type through" my thoughts with it.
Oh that's good though... was this your first trip with just the 2 younger ones? Maybe that's why? Or maybe he's just maturing? Who knows, but it's nice to have times that they get along I can't understand that.... my parents probably would have enjoyed it too!
Yeah I don't like soggy bread, I like pizza with a crunch, but not hard and yes sauce is important! Here there is a place that makes it's own mozzarella and it is so good! It's called the pie at Salvatore's, but it's pretty far (like a 30-45 minute drive) so very rare that we eat there.
How was Zoe doing by the way? And what ever happened with your health? Are you good now? I hope so!
It was our first trip as a family of 4.. and I do think that Alex was aware of my concerns with it. As frustrated as we get with our kids (especially our boys who are not very motivated..and I dare say their pictures are in the dictionary under slacker) they are good kids...and hopefully will turn into good men.
As for Zoe's health..well, we are under a week till she goes in. I am trying to prepare myself for those dreaded shared rooms where I feel as though we can't make a peep for fear of disturbing the other occupants. I have had such horrid experiences with room mates in hospitals it has me so nervous. I shouldn't be like this... I like people. I just hate sharing a room when my kid is in the hospital. I am in such a weird emotional state given that I am worrying about my kid... it is the last thing I want to have to worry about someone else's kid..or worse yet..their parent.
Lets give you a run down of my/our lovely room mates.
First - Was after I had Alex. WAY too much back story here...but suffice it to say I actually, literally almost died on the table...then they tried to kill me by giving me a blood transfusion that I reacted to... then my own body tried to give up again when my lungs filled with fluid...so needless to say things were a bit icky anyway. We were not room mates in the sense that we had beds in the same room...but a bathroom to share between us. Well for those of you who have had a baby...bathrooms can be a bit scary after ...and lets just say she wouldn't keep herself contained...and the hospital did nothing to help me so that I wouldn't have to attempt to kinda avoid/clean up after her.
Second - Zoe was a new born. We were placed door side in a room This gave window and heater control to the other parent. They spread out and pushed their belongings in along the curtain so that I could not even get a cot into Zoe's side of the bed. So I slept in a chair. Zoe was struggling to not become over heated since she was in a full body cast. They cranked up the heat to the point I was sweating. They informed us that we would not be allowed to have our older children (alex was 10 at the time) watch tv on our tv (ie. disney or nickelodeon) since they did not allow their children any tv time). Finally, the dad had had enough sharing a room with "the rice picker" and demanded to be moved.
(assuming that is a racial slur against asian peoples..when are people ever going to get that I am not asian
)
Third - After the first one, a new family moved in. Nice enough..maybe but very "colorful" in their language and LOUD. I guess mom was a bit intimidating too since she kinda started yelling at me about the bed I had and how she didn't have one like it... I think I was pretty tired by that point because I didn't really back down and just told her to take it up with the nurse cause it was the bed I was assigned to. Ultimately they also began stealing anything that wasn't nailed down. (including Zoe's special diapers that they would have no need for
)
The next two were nothing but nice. They were during our last stay in June/July. However, I am sure it wasn't fun for them since I know I was very "on guard" and very closed off to them.
WAY more than you wanted... but it is on my mind when I think about her upcoming surgery. Well, that and the obvious worry surrounding her well being...how the surgery will turn out... how long she will be in the hospital... will she have to miss school... etc.
My health..well.. I am fine. I won't go back in for more test for a little while. 6 months was it? I am not sure how long it has been...only a few, right? They said they would send me the stuff to remind me...and there have been no reminders.
Sorry I have been missing over the last two days Ann, but I caught Tom's stomach bug and was down and out for 48 hours! 
Feeling better now I am all caught up - love the pics of Alex and Zoe with the "potatoheads"! 
Can't wait to read more! 
Oh no!!! I hope Tom feels better. And you? Are you feeling ok? I hate stomach bugs!!!
As for DVC...it would be nice, for sure. Especially with my new desire to stay deluxe all the time.
Yes, when I looked at the overall cost of the initial buy-in it occurred to me that it's kinda of around the same price as buying a new car. Maybe a bit more. When I thought about it like that, it didn't seem quite so crazy.
That said, I wouldn't want to have the regular payments right now. We're not in a place where that's best for us. I know we're spending a lot go to Disney right now, but we can stop whenever we want/need to.
rotfl: yeah, right...I can stop whenever I want...
) I know we won't continue going at this rate for much longer. But I'll enjoy it for now.
How nice to come back to your room and find that towel animal. That's what's so amazing about Disney...there's something magical around every corner and when things look down, they can often start looking up pretty quick!
I think you have a good point... you could stop going at any time. (kinda sounds like we all have a problem
I can stop at any time... ) Anyway... but there is truth to it. Funds... intentions... interests...if anything changed you could stop going on these disney trips. If you buy DVC then you do kinda find yourself obligated to go...or at bare minimum rent or give points away to be used.
for getting a gift card!
Finally caught up...I have to agree Alex has grown up this year so much! So much for the little teenager I have in my head! WOW! And of course I think Zoe gets cuter and cuter! 
Sending lots of good vibes and prayers for an uneventful hospital stay this go round. Y'all have been through enough as it is! 
)
I am glad you are enjoying it. I hope that I have some good pictures to share of WL... but I tend to take pictures when there is a lull...and usually I was on my way in or out at WL..
for a job FINALLY.. hopefully he can get in country sooner then later and this way I can plan a wonderful trip to DW for my daughter's bday
