11/14/09 - Special Western - 2 CC stops

[MaryAz]

Hey Hypermommy, where are ya???
Gotta get mini her nana fix. She tried on her nana costume sooooo cute!!!

 

[OCD for WD]

Hey Hypermommy, where are ya???
Gotta get mini her nana fix. She tried on her nana costume sooooo cute!!!

Here's a really funky dancing nana!! (and we expect to see nana costume pictures soon )

 

[Hypermommy]

Hey guys!

Sorry I've been MIA. With Halloween coming up and National Digiscrapping Day I've been swamped with designs. And I expect it not to get much better until after Christmas because now I have to make Thanksgiving stuff and Christmas stuff and New Year's stuff. Gotta make sure folks have just the right stuff to celebrate the times of their lives, eh? If you're interested in checking out any of my designs or anything PM me (because I don't want to get in trouble again for posting the link to my blog -- DIS considers it commercial and I totally understand). Or, if you're on DISFriends, drop by my page.

Okay... now let's get caught up with this wonderful group of folks....

That spreadsheet is fantastic!!! Is there a way we can go in and edit our answers as we get closer to the cruise

Wow! What a wonderful spreadsheet!

Awwwww... y'all are making me blush. I'm glad you liked it but I can't really take full credit for it. A lot of the questions were stuff that was on the spreadsheet that someone else put together for my first cruise. I guess it's sort of the whole paying it forward thing.

I can't seem to find a way to go back in and edit it via the form. And actually, I'm taking all the info and entering it in a database anyway (something local on my machine). That's what makes it so easy to slice and dice the numbers in so many different ways... I just run a new query against the data. So if you have changes to make please PM me with them and I'll be happy to update the information.

Speaking of which, we've had 4 new folks get their info in the spreadsheet since the last time I posted the mega list of info (MLOI). Thanks go out to mrp4352, txtwins2000, smyw1stdisneycruise, and HucksterMickey! The next time I post a MLOI yours will be in there. I don't think that'll be until tomorrow though, because today the church is doing this cleanup/feed the hungry type project and we're participating.

Hypermommy, its not that she has to be warned about you. Its just your funny side coming out. With you on the cruise it will be 1 big happy and yes funny DIS family

That's a very sweet thing for you to say. I appreciate it. I thought the reason Disney doesn't do parasailing off the back of the boat is because there's always at least one passenger like me with a loud mouth and an irreverent attitude that would cause the other passengers to step all over themselves trying to get to the back of the boat where they could get even further away from me.

Due to certain blackout dates at work I had to switch my cruise to the Oct 24 Eastern. I am so disappointed to not be joining you but thanks for everything...

I'm sure she won't be seeing this but it's too bad that another one bit the dust. But I guess the only thing we can do to honor Brooke is to motor on and have the best time we can possibly have. Who's with me on that?

Hypermommy,
I see that your KC has admitted in his Pre-Trippie that he now suffers from DCL addiction (like the rest of us). Admitting that you have a problem is the first step...

Maybe you can use this affliction to book another one while on board?!?!?!!

Why are you laughing? That's an absolutely perfectly logical thought process, IMO. Oh, King Charming......

O.K. Now I've done it . I went out and got some things for the FE's , and pulled out the stuff for night . I want to make sure we have enough . I am so ready for this cruise , it's a shame it's a whole year off : Time still ticking

There ya go!!! Now we know it's real!!!!!! When you first start buying your FE stuff, that makes it sooo real. I imagine I'll end up getting most of mine at Oriental Trading like I did last time but I think I'm going to spread it out over the whole year. Now the only question is where am I gonna put it all?

Don't know if this means I'm one step closer or further from really being on this cruise...

I love your logic!!!!! And I love, love, love the fact that you're still gonna be on the best cruise in the world, even though you're taking that other little cruise too!

I had a dream last night that no one would give us navigators or talk to us about things going on, on the ship.

/me raises right hand
I solemnly swear that I will give you my navigator, even if it's the last one on the ship and that I'll speak to you and listen whenever you talk.

Oh, I'm sorry... did you say something?

/me ducking and running!!!

then I spent the last 3 hours "perfecting" a family cruise logo for us so I can add to my signature. I've got to get a life outside of Disney...

Looks great! I'm going to have to steal that graphic about the rum (the pirate flag one) to use for a magnet. It's great. And, um, why must you think you should get a life outside of Disney? Don't forget "The world is cruel. The world is wicked. It's I alone whom you can trust in this whole city..... Why invite their calumny and consternation? Stay in here..." (Quick: name the movie... I know y'all'll get it).

I know, I know, my brain is just a little scrambled. I think I need some caffeine..... Have a great day everyone!!

Did you get a coffee infusion yet? Where'd he drop his bike? So should we expect to see him riding around deck 4 on his bike?

Mom and I made an offer that was accepted for DVC points at SSR!!!!

WOOT!!!!! Triple-WOOT!!!!!!!!!!! That's so cool!!!!! I know KC's right when he says we should buy a fulltime house before a parttime real estate interest but I want DVC so bad I can taste it!!!! That's so cool for you!!!!!

So you gonna save up points and stay at Bay Lake Towers? I heard at $112 a point, a week there with castle view would cost enough points that it would be equivalent to $15,000!!!!!! I love the idea of looking at the castle when I first wake up but for $15K, I'd better be able to sit down on my tushie and they make the castle move to me! Oh, come on... it's not hard... all it takes is faith, trust and a little bit of dust!

So when I got really frustrated this past summer at the way things were going at the hospital (had been at the breaking point for 2-3 years) and knowing that things were not going to change,

I'm close to where you are but it hasn't been 2-3 years.... more like 6 months. Guess I'll have to wait a while before I grab freedom with both hands, d*&n the torpedos and do what'll make me happy, huh?

YUP!!! My DH was saying last night that with the exchange our cruise could end up costing us $1K more. I then said "Yes, but the cost of the cruise has already gone up almost that much since we booked it...." He laughed and said "Thank god you're not in charge of the economy with your creative math skills!!!"

I knew I liked you girl! I don't know why your DH is laughing. Your creative math skills seem to be exactly the same as those that got us into this credit mess. All we have to learn to do is cover it up for a while and then hope it gets bad enough that the government will bail us out

Hey Hypermommy, where are ya???
Gotta get mini her nana fix. She tried on her nana costume sooooo cute!!!

Oh, please tell the girls I'm so sorry I haven't been around. Just been swamped busy. But that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about my little homegirls. Can't wait to see their costumes! Here's a bunch of love for my petite princesses



(DIS wouldn't let me put any more )

 

[nc__monkey]

WOW.... I guess I really needed that. I came home from work today,and got on the DIS. What I read made me laugh so hard I cried . Hypermommy you rock . You gave us all our fix . Now can you make time go a little faster please. I really really really want to go on the cruise now. And by the way I have started to pack.. Is it to early to start????(OCD) I can't wait to meet everyone. ttyl (Kim)

 

[mrp4352]

Don't forget "The world is cruel. The world is wicked. It's I alone whom you can trust in this whole city..... Why invite their calumny and consternation? Stay in here..." (Quick: name the movie... I know y'all'll get it).

Oh!! I know that one - it's Hunchback!!

Thanks for your well-wishes on the DVC. While it won't be BLT for us in February, we're trying to decide if we can convince my brother (who bought into BLT) to book a room for us for the night after the cruise. Wouldn't that be the way to end a great trip???

And I almost forgot!!!

 

[Hypermommy]

WOW.... I guess I really needed that. I came home from work today,and got on the DIS. What I read made me laugh so hard I cried . Hypermommy you rock . You gave us all our fix . Now can you make time go a little faster please. I really really really want to go on the cruise now. And by the way I have started to pack.. Is it to early to start????(OCD) I can't wait to meet everyone. ttyl (Kim)

Thanks

No, of course it's not to early to pack. Actually, I've had some stuff packed away for about six months now. Okay, okay... so it's stuff I never unpacked from the last cruise (April) which I finally got around to unpacking from last month. But hey.. it's stuff that's going with us on this next cruise so that counts, right?

Oh!! I know that one - it's Hunchback!!

Ding, ding, ding! Remind me to give you a few pieces of chocolate out of my bag for the poker game, k?

Thanks for your well-wishes on the DVC. While it won't be BLT for us in February, we're trying to decide if we can convince my brother (who bought into BLT) to book a room for us for the night after the cruise. Wouldn't that be the way to end a great trip??

Whoa! Now that's a horse of a different color if I ever heard one. Money from relatives may most certainly be used to give you the experience of a lifetime which a BLT Magic View room would certainly be. Cool move!!!! We want pictures!!!!!!

Hmmm... relatives huh? Nah... no one in my family nor hubby's family loves us that much.

And, of course, I can't forget my girls!

 

[sandiegosusie]

Congrats OCD! What is your secret? You are sooo lucky! DH and I both have good jobs and only one DD(6) and it is a struggle to pay all the bills and budget for one vacation a year! LOL! What ever you are doing keep it up! Life is too short and unpredictable to not live each day like it's your last!

I really want to know what everyone is doing to tighten up the belts to afford these vacations. We are booked and we are just looking for ways to pay the darn thing off...any suggestions?

 

[smye1stdisneycruise]

Hey all! As far as saving for our annual vacations I rely on Canada Savings Bonds ($200.00 a pay) which automatically get deducted from my pay. Money not seen is not missed! This is what I rely on for vacations, christmas shopping and anything else I see that I must have but cant really afford For me this adds up to $5200 a year and I always am searching for good deals and am a bargain shopper! Hope this helps! By the way one can always hope for a lottery win!

 

[Desi]

I really want to know what everyone is doing to tighten up the belts to afford these vacations. We are booked and we are just looking for ways to pay the darn thing off...any suggestions?

A little at a time, honey, a little at a time. We have a change jar (for one thing that helps) We put ALL change in there. And in 4 months We've got 120.00 dollars! I know that is a drop in the bucket, but every little bit helps. Every time I get an extra 100.00 I put in towards to cruise immediatly before I spend it. It has to be a minimum of 100.00 to make a pmt. So I do that too.
I make personalized princess & pirate shirts to sell on ebay and all that goes to the cruise. Sometimes you have to use a little imagination, but it all adds up and quick too. Another example: I told my husband I don't want anything for Christmas. We'll put that money towards the cruise too.
Just an aside. We'll safe quite a bit of money on shore excursions. Having a not quite 4 yr old at the time of the cruise will keep us from doing any. So that will be a lot of money saved. I'd rather explore the docks/shopping anyway, than contrived over priced tours.
There's lots of ways to save money now & when on the cruise.

 

[King Charming]

Paying for the cruise in large installments is way too depressing, so I too just chip away at it. I'm self employed and receive checks for both materials and labor. When I run a check through my bank, I routinely siphon off money for a bank credit card payment. I'm not really fond of paying interest, and would rather pay down debt as quickly as possible. My minimun payment to the card is usually 50 bucks, with a high of 200. Because making many payments is so easy, I just charge $500 to the travel agency, then work like hail to pay it off each time. The only drawback to this plan is how often I work and how big the job is (I build wood fences and decks).

The back-up plan is to let Uncle Sam pick up a portion of the tab when tax refund checks come in next spring. I'm definitely in favor of another 'Economic Stimulus' check as these gov't checks saved my butt last time when we were surprised by our cruise.

Another item that added MANY hundreds of dollars last time was formal clothes (we don't get out much). We will NOT be doing it this time. We will probably dress nicely for semi-formal night and have pictures taken, but this will be the only time I won't be wearing a T-shirt & jeans.

 

[mrp4352]

Hey Sandiegosusie!

We just make smaller, regular payments. And (please don't yell all you financial planners, I know it's not earning interest for me, but it's also absolutely, completely and undeniably untouchable money throughout the year), we purposely plan on getting a refund on our taxes each year and that generally pays most of our big trip.

We've also decided to plan our fish extender strategy - we're going to buy things all along over the next year and 2 1/2 weeks, rather than all at once.

Hope this helps!
Michelle

 

[binky1]

Yup, little bites....

We have 2 cruise change jars, birthday/Christmas presents are cash for the cruise and I sell "stuff" that we no longer need. I cleaned out our garage on Friday and found a wooden sled in excellent condition that I will sell thru usedottawa.com. My DDs have outgrown lots of "stuff" that are taking up space (playpens, clothes, etc). that I will be selling too. Every penny goes into the cruise fund. Oh, and every paycheque I automatically transfer $100. into the cruise fund.

Oh, and pre-cruise purchases are staggered too (FEs, pirate stuff, etc.). And since we don't qualify for a Disney Visa in Canada, I have a Travel Points Visa that I will be using to purchase our airfare.

Anybody else have any other suggestions???

 

[MaryAz]

We do the same things as many of you do...change jar, putting any birthday $$ etc in savings etc. We also have $ transferred monthly to savings. Since we are a single income family, I also plan to sell many of the things my DD's have outgrown. And maybe some things of Dh's

Hmmm, I will have to ponder making smaller vs a lump sum payment. Dh does not want to get the Disney credit card but we do have one that gives points that we can use for lots of things.

I agree with KC on the formals-we did not dress up last year-actually ate at Pluto's I think Should have the girl's CHristmas dresses by the next cruise and I am sure DH and I can dig something up. As for excursions, my kids LOVE the beach and being in Az... we do pay a bunch but with 2 trips to CC and meeting up with family in Coz-It will save some.

 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Hey everyone, well as you can see by my ticker I have had to change my plans once again. I was going solo on this trip and my Hubby made a deal to take me to the Poly for a week instead for our Anniversary. As much as I want to take this trip, spending time together at the Poly will be "Magical"
I hope everyone has a fantastic time on the Double Dip.

Angie

 

[binky1]

Ahh, that's too bad - and a fellow Canadian to boot!!

Have a great trip to the Polynesian and Happy Anniversary in advance!!

Cheers,

 

[nc__monkey]

Our family saves , by not going out to eat or to the movies. We stopped buying soda and junk food. We have a rainy day jar we put the money in. At the end of the month we count it out . What ever it totals ,I match it. My son loves to remind me about the money and why we are doing it. There is so much we gave up, but DCL is so worth it.

 

[sandiegosusie]

Great tips everyone! I do most of them, but I am always on the look out for something new...just listed my daughter's crib, and a few other things...I love the thread on homemade FE's. I guess I better get those creative juices flowing...

 

[ArmandXG]

For formal night, I bought a beautiful beaded gown for $35.00 at Belk. It was marked 50% off after the prom season, I had a 20% store coupon, and then got 5% off for using the store credit card! There are bargains out there, you just have to look.
You could also share with family and friends. I'm sure my sis (Di), NC__monkey's other aunt would love to borrow my Mickey sandals I just bought at Crocs.com . Have ya'll checked out the Disney Crocs??
I also like to take the occasional random check, cash it and put it toward things like parking, photo packages, tips, etc. And by random check, I mean bonus checks, Gov't rebate checks, stimulus checks, checks given to me for repayment of purchases for friends. Any spare dollar is a dollar towards Disney.
All your tips are great! This is why I vacation every two years... it takes me that long to save up for a killer trip without worrying about putting a dent in my finances.
And like someone else said a few posts up, it doesn't hurt to hope for a lottery win (just don't go crazy buying tickets!)

 

[Travelbee]

My DH and I are compulsive shoppers so savings for vacations are unheard of. We deduct extra in our taxes and use our tax refund for fun stuff like vacations.

smye1stdisneycruise - My DD is turning 7 on this cruise and hopefully your DD and mine can hook up and play. On our last cruise, we were seated with an older couple with a 18-yr old DD that has severe autism. They were pleasant but we were so hoping we'd be seated with another couple with an only child my DD's age!

 

[mousemom11]

My DH and I are compulsive shoppers so savings for vacations are unheard of. We deduct extra in our taxes and use our tax refund for fun stuff like vacations.

smye1stdisneycruise - My DD is turning 7 on this cruise and hopefully your DD and mine can hook up and play. On our last cruise, we were seated with an older couple with a 18-yr old DD that has severe autism. They were pleasant but we were so hoping we'd be seated with another couple with an only child my DD's age!

Hi Bee. Welcome to the thread. I have a DD who will be 8 on the cruise. It looks like there will be a lot of girls that age from the DISboards on our cruise, based on Hypermommy's current stats from the spreadsheet. Be sure to fill it out, if you haven't already. One of the things that we will use this info for is to link dinner ressies for DIS families who have kids the same age, so that we can dine with our DIS friends.