ANOTHER Adventure in Autism (4/15) A Taste of What's to Come...

[KathyRN137]

Thanks for dancing with me everybody!! Only you guys know the joy of a brand-new countdown ticker!!

No Way! Our trips might just overlap!

Congrats on your ticker!

We've gone down during "Jersey Week" the past 2 years so the kids will only miss 1/2 week of school....usually it falls right in the middle of Halloween and the start of the Christmas season at WDW, so, no parties! This year "Jersey Week" is the first full week of November, so the first Saturday falls on Halloween!

Kathy

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm so happy for you!!!!!!!
We loved MNSSHP!!

 

[IluvXU]

So where are you staying?

 

[mrsksomeday]

Thanks, Tracy! I didn't catch that. (When Marissa moved my thread back to the active board, it got a new number.)

Haven't bought the plane tickets yet, but we are definitely doing either: 10/30-11/6 or 10/31-11/7. (Hoping to procure tickets for MNSSHP for Halloween Night!


Kathy

We are supposed to leave on the 30th of Oct. I have a suspicious feeling Bill will be having me change the dates a bit, what do you think ?

 

[Halloweenqueen]

MNSSHP is the best! You're going to have SO much fun! Remember to buy those tickets asap. Halloween night always sells out. We went to the MNSSHP Oct 30th and 31st of 07. Both nights were sold out weeks in advance.

The rides were walk-ons and we always got good spots for the parade/fireworks even with the sell-out.

Congrats!!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

So where are you staying?

What are you to do, get me to start a PTR already???

Kathy

 

[askelton]

You will absolutely love Halloween! We did MNSSHP last year for the first time and even though Mitch only went to be nice, he ended up having a great time!

 

[KathyRN137]

YAY!!!!!!! Very happy for you and the gang too. My first thought what costumes are you going to wear?

LOL Mine, too!

Billy told me he wants to be a again like last Halloween. Tricia will only change her mind about a dozen times before she chooses!

Kathy

 

[KathyRN137]

We are supposed to leave on the 30th of Oct. I have a suspicious feeling Bill will be having me change the dates a bit, what do you think ?

Kathy

 

[IluvXU]

What are you to do, get me to start a PTR already???

Kathy

I always want to know that... even before when people are going! I envision where I guess first!

 

[Hedy]

Woohoo. Even though I think I'll be just missing you.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Woohoo. Even though I think I'll be just missing you.

What are your dates?

 

[KathyRN137]

I always want to know that... even before when people are going! I envision where I guess first!

I was J/K!

Truth is, we aren't sure yet. It all has to do with DVC booking policies.

*For the benefit of readers who are unfamiliar w/ DVC:

If we wanted to stay at our "home" resort (SSR), we could book a villa 11 months prior to our trip. But, we already stayed at SSR once and my dream is to stay at each and every DVC resort at least once. For all the other DVC resorts, we cannot book until 7 months prior to our trip.

I have already decided after this past trip that I will not bother with "waitlisting", b/c, frankly, its a pain! So (in a quasi-answer to your question) here is our plan in order of preference:

1) Contemporary's Bay Lake Tower It's #1 b/c Ed has always wanted to stay at the Contemporary! Plus, has 2nd bathroom in the one-bedroom villa.

2) Villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge Another awesome resort that would be new for us. Also has 2nd BR in the one-bedroom villa.

3) Old Key West Yes, we've stayed here before, but the villas are roomier here.

...and we may be bringing along someone new....

4) Saratoga Springs Our home resort is always on standby. (Might be nice to stay there again, now that construction is complete.) Well, except for the Tree Houses! We stayed here last in '05.


I'm giving away too much already....Let me finish this old report first and then I'll start a new report on the PTR Board!

Kathy

 

[Yoda_K]

Kathy

I had to ask Tracy what my password was.

Is this a good sign ? Or are you going to secretly change your dates so we aren't there and that is why you are smiling so much .

I didn't mean to sound stalkerish, we just had a great time meeting you. Tracy and I always look forward to reading your installments. Thanks for posting your story.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Kathy - I just noticed that your report has over 90,000 views!!!!! You are a popular gal!

 

[Hedy]

What are your dates?

Right now, 10/23-29, but that's possibly to change due to a)flight times, b)a 4/3 deal then, or c)my mother coming.

 

[KathyRN137]

Kathy - I just noticed that your report has over 90,000 views!!!!! You are a popular gal!

LOL! It's easy to get 90,000 views in nineteen months!!

....and don't worry, Bill, I'm always on the lookout for a DIS-meet!! goodvibes = good vibes)

“Size matters not, ... Look at me. Judge me by size, do you?” (BTW, I bought this tee shirt for Ed on the November trip....the one with Yoda looking at the 48" to ride sign....He loves it!)

Kathy

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Yay! I'm so excited to see that another KathyRn trip report might be headed our way!!! Bay Lake Tower, Bay Lake Tower ... woohoo! That would be so cool. We are booked for AKV in August (booked at 7 months), but I just saw that BLT will be open by our trip. DH is firmly committed to AKV, but I'd love to try a night at BLT ... so, if you get a ressie there, I will live vicariously through you!

I'm really enjoying this TR and can't wait to read more.

 

[KathyRN137]

Chapter 33: It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!


The first thing I knew, I was yawning and rubbing my eyes. Even through the heavy drapes I could tell that it was daylight! I hadn’t meant to fall asleep there on the pull-out with Billy, but I had. I must’ve been exhausted. Can’t imagine why!

(If anyone is particularly interested in whether the pull-out sofas at the VWL are comfortable… I can assure you they are! I slept like a rock.)

I remember sitting up and wondering what time it was. So strange to be waking up au natural and not to the jarring buzz of the alarm clock! I eased out of bed so as not to wake Billy, who was snoring softly, and tippy-toed over to the kitchen area. I leaned in toward the microwave and the digital green numbers came into focus. Whoa! 8:30! We never sleep this late on a park morning.

Nevertheless, I remember feeling a strange sense of calm. It was as though the emotional thunderstorm of the previous evening had swept away all tensions the way a real storm blows away all the dark clouds, leaving nothing but clear blue sky.

I put the kettle on for tea and went to the master bath to freshen up. I had to pass through the bedroom; Ed was sleeping away and I felt a quick pang of remorse. I hoped he wouldn’t think that I had intentionally planned to sleep on the couch after our spat. Truly, I’m one of those people who strongly believes in the adage “Never Go to Bed Angry.”

The whistle of the kettle brought me back out to the kitchen in a hurry. Tricia came out of her room all sleepy-eyed and yawning, but with a look of anxiety on her face. “Mom, do you know what time it is?” she exclaimed in a loud “stage” whisper.

“Yes, I do,” I replied calmly. “I think we all needed to sleep in a bit this morning, don’t you?” Strange words coming from an uber-planner like me!

“Yeah, I guess so,” she yawned. “Can I have breakfast before I take my shower?”

I told her to go ahead and knock herself out! I had a telephone date with DVC Member Services coming up at 9:00 sharp, so I went to gather up my papers, credit card, receipts, etc. so that I would be prepared.

“If Dad wakes up, tell him I went to make a phone call and if Billy wakes up, give him some Cheerios,” I whispered. Then I gulped down the rest of my tea, grabbed my papers and cell phone, and went off down the hall toward the Iron Spike Room so I could talk at normal volume and not wake anyone else up.


Not-So-Hidden Mickey in the Hall!

As I waited for Member Services to open, I took a little stroll around the Iron Spike Room, the common area at the WL Villas and the same spot where Ed and I had hung out with Tracy and Bill a couple of nights earlier.

I’m assuming that you know that the Wilderness Lodge is modeled after the grand log lodges of the Pacific Northwest, but, did you know that the Villas have a slightly different, but related “theme”? The Villas’ design is actually influenced more by the lodges built by American railroad workers working on the transcontinental railway.

(Kinda cool, because Walt was so into trains, you know!)



A few random pics in the hall and around the Iron Spike Room:


A model of one of Walt's trains:

I think these are photos of Walt with the model train for the DisneyLand Park

Hmm, this map came out fuzzy:

That's a bit better!

The Theme! The Theme!

At precisely 9am, I was working through the phone links to Member Services. Once again, I am sorry that my notes are lost, because I would love to have been able to give a shout-out to the MS Cast Member who assisted me. I’ll call him “Michael.” (Why? I don’t know; I just like that name!)

I wanted to discuss two concerns with “Michael”: the first concerned our dining plan credit mix-up and the second concerned my displeasure with the entire booking process that I had been subjected to over the past many months just so that I could procure our stay here at the VWL.

It was long.
It would probably bore you.
I can’t recall what was said, anyway!

But the upshot of the whole deal was that I was able to get credit for the TS meals that we had paid for OOP (out of pocket) the previous evening at LTT. They couldn’t refund the $$ directly, b/c we had paid with VISA and all, but what they would do was subtract the amount from our final bill at check out. (Remember, we were paying for one of our nights OOP, not on DVC points.) He also fixed everything on the computer so that I would not have to stop at the desk and get new Key to the World Cards.

So, all in all, I was satisfied, although I made it a point to mention that I had not appreciated having to wait for Member Services to open at 9am. Instead of talking to him at 9:20, I would have, at that very moment, been screaming my head off on R&RC with my kids! He was quite understanding and apologetic and I was pleased that he was able to correct the problems expeditiously.

And so, I managed to extricate myself, somewhat ungracefully, from the extremely deep and cushy armchair and made my way back to our Villa and my family.

I wondered what I would find behind the door this time!!

Kathy

 

[preschoolmom]

Another cliff hanger???

Don't keep us hanging for long!