April 2010 ABD Backstage Magic : California Here We Come!!!

[corky441]

So I'm back from the doctor! I survived! Happily between the topical the doc gave me and the waaaay better laser they have, all went better than I thought. Last time they had to peel me off the ceiling after one pop, but this time I just bravely lay there. My eyes streamed some, but overall I don't think I embarrassed myself too much. This from the girl that passed out when she got her ears pierced. Yeah, passed out cold. I know, I know, I'm a delicate flower.

I hadn't considered needing a scale, but now I know everyone else has one. That's the problem with never flying, you don't think of things like scales. hmmm I'll have to think on that one. I wonder if my bathroom scale would work?

Hope everyone is having a good day, stay in the AC, etc...

Glad to hear everything went ok at the Doctor's. Hope you heal quickly

As far as the scale goes - I purchased a small luggage scale at our local AAA office. I was only $7.95 and weighs up to 75 pounds. It is very compact and weighs next to nothing in my luggage.
Here's a quick tip - I took it with me went I went to buy new luggage. I weighed all the different ones the Macy's had and found the lightest weight ones to buy

 

[miss missy]

This is DH opening the envelope with the ABD info ...

His expression is ... are you serious?!?!?!?!

The next one is after the reality of the trip has sunk in ...

His expression is ... can we leave now!!!!!!

We had an amazing time at WDW for DH's birthday. I felt like a vampire during this trip, like Missy, we were rarely seen outside mid-day (except on DH's birthday). We went through two cases of water and a case of Gatorade. It was all well worth it though. There's no place like WDW to celebrate a birthday. I saw a lot of people with birthday pins on. But, when the CMs found out it was actually DH's birthday that day, he was treated extra special everywhere we went. I have to laugh about our dinner at Tutto Italia. I got a sitter for the kids and DH went out on his birthday evening for dinner. I kid you not, we heard the waiters sing "Happy Birthday" ten times while we were there to different patrons. By the time they came around to Bill, it honestly didn't seem so special anymore. I found it hard to believe that many people in that particular (non-busy) restaurant had birthdays that day. Oh well. We did get a yummy cake for free!

I don't know how y'all that live in the Orlando area cope in the summertime?!?!?!?! More power to you!

Jennifer

so awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us!!

 

[miss missy]

So I'm back from the doctor! I survived! Happily between the topical the doc gave me and the waaaay better laser they have, all went better than I thought. Last time they had to peel me off the ceiling after one pop, but this time I just bravely lay there. My eyes streamed some, but overall I don't think I embarrassed myself too much. This from the girl that passed out when she got her ears pierced. Yeah, passed out cold. I know, I know, I'm a delicate flower.

I hadn't considered needing a scale, but now I know everyone else has one. That's the problem with never flying, you don't think of things like scales. hmmm I'll have to think on that one. I wonder if my bathroom scale would work?

I'm so excitied for all the people getting ABD surprises. That's so cool! I wish I could do that for my DH, but he doesn't react well to travel-related surprises. I think it's so strange, but I guess we all have our little things. (not me, obviously) I surprised him with our first Disney cruise a couple of years ago, and I swear it took him three days to finally accept where we were.

Just wondering, but are any of you all going down for Marathon weekend in January? That's the trip I'm planning out now. I "think" I remember Pete saying something about doing a package or something for that weekend. I need to book something though pretty soon. I can't decide if I want to use my points or not. If DU does do a package, it would probably be better than using my points over a weekend. I'm such a points miser! LOL

Also a little public service announcement: One of my aquaintances somehow managed to email everyone in her Facebook email account a conversation she was having with someone else. I now know more about her and her marriage than I'm sure she wanted me to, friends or not, and so does everyone else she's ever met. So just be careful out there! Email can be dangerous!

Hope everyone is having a good day, stay in the AC, etc...

Lauren - Glad it went well love when these things are behind us huh!

OH NO poor girl! That email thing is scary! I feel for her. Guess it could of been worse and could of been about her boss LOL!

 

[MerriePoppins]

Hi Everyone

Lauren...glad to hear you are doing OK.

Jennifer....Way to go on surprising your DH I love it when a plan comes together !!!

Hey, Kathy, who is Wes?

 

[MenashaCorp]

Hi Everyone

Hey, Kathy, who is Wes?

Inquiring Cougars want to know....

 

[kab407]

Hi Everyone

Lauren...glad to hear you are doing OK.

Jennifer....Way to go on surprising your DH I love it when a plan comes together !!!

Hey, Kathy, who is Wes?

Hi Susan & Jason!

So you want to know who Wes is????????


Thankfully, no one I know personally. Lord knows what you would tell him about me!

Wes is one of the bachelors and the Bachelorette (ABC Reality show). Tonya, Nikki and I were having a FB chat while the show was on Monday night.

Wes is a scumbag. I wouldn't touch Wes with a 10-foot pole. He would even come close to meeting my Cougar standards!

Lauren- glad everything went well at the Dr today.

 

[klam_chowder]

Marilee - I missed that it was a surprise for your DH. Your plan sounds great; then y'all can talk about it on the plane ride down

Lauren - wonderful to hear it all went smoothly for you. Speedy healing

You can use your bathroom scale on the way to DLR. On the way back home u can just borrow mine if you want

I'm not running but saw this thread title a bit ago:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2162538

It might give you some answers or at least you could post there and hopefully someone will know. Good luck on your run - how exciting!

That's it for me til after the w/end. We're taking an extended one and checking out Lake Placid. We're finally getting in some camping but it looks like Ursula is in charge of the forecast - here's hoping for

Have a wonderful weekend all!

cheers,

 

[katscradle]

Hi Susan & Jason!

So you want to know who Wes is????????


Thankfully, no one I know personally. Lord knows what you would tell him about me!

Wes is one of the bachelors and the Bachelorette (ABC Reality show). Tonya, Nikki and I were having a FB chat while the show was on Monday night.

Wes is a scumbag. I wouldn't touch Wes with a 10-foot pole. He would even come close to meeting my Cougar standards!

Lauren- glad everything went well at the Dr today.

I am with you on the Wes thing.
He is a scum bag, and I would not get close to him either.
I can't believe he is still there.

Lauren I am glad everything went well at the Dr.'s for you.
I had a birth mark removed off my forehead a few years ago.
I won't get into details here, but I am glad I did it.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

That is just awesome - I hope I get the same reaction from my DH in October.

The trip is going to be his birthday gift too.

I always do little itinerary sheets for him for our WDW trips, since we are going down for his birthday, I'm thinking of giving it to him on the plane down. Telling him I made some changes and want him to have an updated plan... Fingers crossed

Good luck with the surprise!

DH was reading and re-reading the ABD itinerary sheet I included with his card with more excitement each time. I don't get to surprise DH often (Okay, maybe three times in our marriage ... Will, Emily and Cole our kids. ). So, this was a treat for me too!

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Does anyone know when ABD confirms this trip with Dreams Unlimited? I used my debit Visa for the deposit and want to balance my checkbook! It's driving me crazy. I moved the $600 over from savings and it is calling me to be spent.

Since I am a SAHM, DH is the bread-winner of the family. He asked on his birthday how much the trip was going to cost. I told him to enjoy his birthday and we would talk numbers later. When we got home from WDW he was dealt the news of the price. I have never spent that much money without consulting him first. So, I winced expecting a "What! Are you crazy?!?!?!" He pleasantly surprised me. He knows this is a once in a lifetime trip for us. We never do anything for ourselves. He moved our November 2009 Disney cruise to November 2010 so we can pay cash for the trip. I love my "Disney Husband".

Jennifer

 

[miss missy]

Does anyone know when ABD confirms this trip with Dreams Unlimited? I used my debit Visa for the deposit and want to balance my checkbook! It's driving me crazy. I moved the $600 over from savings and it is calling me to be spent.

Since I am a SAHM, DH is the bread-winner of the family. He asked on his birthday how much the trip was going to cost. I told him to enjoy his birthday and we would talk numbers later. When we got home from WDW he was dealt the news of the price. I have never spent that much money without consulting him first. So, I winced expecting a "What! Are you crazy?!?!?!" He pleasantly surprised me. He knows this is a once in a lifetime trip for us. We never do anything for ourselves. He moved our November 2009 Disney cruise to November 2010 so we can pay cash for the trip. I love my "Disney Husband".

Jennifer

Not sure on the deposit, Kevin will know. I would think ABD hasn't gotten the contract ot them yet, but should be soon.

Move it again to the December 2010 cruise with the podcasters!! It'll give you another month too

 

[DisneyKevin]

Does anyone know when ABD confirms this trip with Dreams Unlimited? I used my debit Visa for the deposit and want to balance my checkbook! It's driving me crazy. I moved the $600 over from savings and it is calling me to be spent.

Hi Jennifer,

Adventures By Disney will not allow us to process the deposits for this trip until they are ready to release actual pricing and the contracts have been ok'd / signed.

This was stated early on, but it bears repeating.....

Once I am given the go ahead to process your deposits, I will do just that as long as the actual price is the same or less than originally stated.

ABD has assured us that the pricing "should not be higher" than what was originally stated and I tend to believe them. There have been many discussions regarding this trip.

On the outside chance that the price is higher....I will email each and every one of the folks signed up for this trip with that information and decisions can be made based on the information at the time. My fingers and toes are double crossed that I dont have to send that email.

Going under the assumption that ABD keeps their part of the bargain, deposits will be made as soon as I have the ok from them.

Once your deposit is made, you will receive an email letting you know that this process has begun.

You will have 14 days from the day the deposit was made to request a full refund should you change your mind. After the 14 day grace period, your deposit becomes non-refundable.

Once I have the information available, we can start discussing airfare, pre- and post- night stays, trip insurance etc.

If you have any further questions....you can ask here or you can email at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com.

Please understand that I am as anxious as everyone else to get this underway. I promise I am not dragging my feet. I have to wait for the ok from ABD to start the process.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Move it again to the December 2010 cruise with the podcasters!! It'll give you another month too

Very tempting. We had allot of fun on the SS Member Cruise last September (DVC Member Cruise). However, there were so many activities planned, we needed a vacation from our vacation when we got home. My favorite activity was learning to draw Mickey Mouse from Don "Duckie" Williams. He was on our seven night cruise the year before too. He is amazing on how quickly he can draw a character. He has a pretty great background story too. After hearing the Podcast on the Podcast Cruise, it sounded a little more "laid back" than the DVC Cruise. However, we have our deposit with DCL. We can't get it back or transfer it to another agent like DU because it was originally booked for a suite (or at least that is how it was explained to me. Kevin, correct me if I was misinformed. Thanks!) So, we keep moving the date further and further out in hopes of getting a 2011 sailing. DH did inquire if we could transfer the deposit to the Disney Dream. The CM told him we have to wait until this fall when the itinerary comes out. We don't want to be on the maiden voyage. I want all the kinks worked out before we embark.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Hi Jennifer,

This was stated early on, but it bears repeating.....

Yes, I'm a PITA sometimes. DH can atest to that. I know you will let us know when everything is worked out with ABD. Thank you for coordinating this amazing trip!

I know DH is really looking forward to the trip too. He has started discussing some pre-Tour plans like renting a convertible and driving up the PCH or relaxing on the beach. Usually, he leaves the planning to me. It has been fun discussing our options.

Jennifer

 

[DisneyTaylors]

Hey everyone! I am the lucky man who is happily married to Jennifer. We used to post under the same DIS account a couple of years ago but I think it really confused people regarding who they were actually talking with.

Well my name is Bill and I use the account DisneyTaylors and I cannot wait to go on this trip. I was so surprised by this wonderful gift and I am still smiling just thinking about it. I am anxious to continue thinking about this trip, making the plans, and getting to know all of you.

And, if 12+ years of marraige has taught me anything, I am not touching the comment below with a ten foot pole.

Yes, I'm a PITA sometimes. DH can atest to that.

- Bill

 

[stenogoddess]

You are a wise DH indeed Bill. Welcome to the "family"


I didn't know if anyone else was a photo junkie like I am, but I wanted to post the link to the DL picture of the day thread. I'm really loving the daily dose. Also there's a great castle shot that I was trying to figure out how the guy did because it looked like the camera was so high. I thought maybe he was standing on something. Turns out he's 6'4". I wonder who I know going on the trip 6'4" or above who might be able to help me out. HHHMMM let's think.....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=32583739#post32583739

And lastly I have DVC addonitis BAD. Someone please disconnect my phone and sit on me. Thanks!

 

[katscradle]

Just thoght I would pop in and say Hi!
I hope everyone had a great holiday.
I am loving long weekends at the cottage.
I got my flowers planted this weekend.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We spotted our first DIS Unplugged t-shirt at WDW this past trip. A gentleman was wearing it exiting the MK on Monday, June 22nd, around 3 AM. DH first spotted it and nudged me. The man was ahead of us walking with his family. So, we didn't bother him.

I've met other DISers at WDW by chance a few trips. I am a friendly person and tend to chat up the people around me when on the Disney transportation. Somehow, planning for our trips always comes up and the DISboards is mentioned as a great resource when planning a WDW trip.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Sorry it's late but ...

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July weekend. It was a beautiful day here in Texas on Saturday. The sun was shining and the pool was very inviting. Bill and I host an annual bbq and swim party every 4th. He jokes with me that I had to get the "fake house" ready for the party. Don't get me wrong, I keep a clean and tidy house. But I have to admit, when we have guests coming over I go the extra mile for a spotless house. Just as he does with the yard. If anyone has seen Everybody Loves Raymond, there's a funny episode on this subject. Bill nudged me when we were watching it.

Sunday was a gloomy day around here. It rained pretty much most of the day. With the chaos in the house the day before, we decided to get out of the house and take the kids to the movies. We went to see Up in 3D. Bill made a very funny joke after paying for the tickets. It was three extra dollars per ticket because it was in Disney 3D. He walked away from the ticket booth and said 3D stands for three extra dollars in Disney's case. Also, when the coming attractions were playing one of the announcements were that you could put your 3D glasses in a bin after exiting for them to be recycled. A man behind me shouted, "I paid three dollars for these glasses. I'm keeping them!" Have any of you seen the movie Up? The beginning is sooooooooo sad. There was a woman sitting next to me with her daughter. I could hear the Mom over there sniffling from crying. I glanced down at Bill and whispered, "This is a kid movie?" It did pick-up and the beginning scenes were crucial to plot of the movie. It was a very cute and moving story. Definitely an adult AND kid movie. However, I didn't see where the 3D enhanced the movie? Bill took DS9 to see Monsters vs Aliens in 3D and said that movie was pretty cool in 3D. I have to take DD6 on a "girls day" to the movies before it is out of the theatres.

Jennifer

 

[klam_chowder]

Happy Hump Day folks!

Lauren - thx a mint for that link the pics! Especially the one from July 6 (post 3519) of the Grand Californian Hotel - it was so exciting to see it again! When I was in DLR in March, I checked out the GC public areas and can't believe we'll be staying there

Kat - great to hear y'all enjoying cottage season! While you planted flowers, I came back to my beautiful hanging baskets being completely decapitated by a groundhog family that decided to move in under our shed while we were gone. I took the baskets down from our front verandah and moved them to the back deck thinking they'd get rain water, and would keep them away from the grasshoppers in the front

I'm now waiting for one of the groundhog family to get into the trap Unfortunately, I've already been waiting 2 days!

Jennifer - sounds like it was a great weekend for you

We took an extended long w/end and had a fab time camping at Lake Placid. It was rained one entire nite but the payoff was intermittent the next day. We inner tubed down part of the Ausable River - DH was ahead of me and cleared the first "rapids" unscathed...I was relaxing until the currents swept me over the most turbulent part and I got sloshed wet The downpour, just as we reached the end, didn't make any difference to me

Just saw Up last nite too. Amazing story telling - so many layers to it. DH thought it was so sad that he didn't even want to go for our standard operating procedure ice cream afterwards.

Okay, y'all tired of reading my post yet?!

cheers,