California Residents - DLR Holiday Trip/Hotel Stay/Character Meal! CONTEST OVER!

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Thats SOOO fantastic !!! I'm so glad someone won from here

I think us Disney nuts deserve it the most ! I hope you have a blast when you go

How lucky that you can have a WDW vacation and a DLR vacation ! FANTASTIC !!!

 

[Wendi2000]

I just went into work and faxed in my letter of acceptance... yay!

 

[ACDSNY]

Congrats Wendi2000! Have a great trip, you can never have enough Disney, especially if it's free!

In May 2005 we won a trip to WDW from Alamo so we went in Oct 2005 and then had a family reunion trip to DL in Nov 2005, back-to-back trips are fun.

 

[Pooh'sTwin]

Hi all! Especially Wendi2000, congrats!! Two out of three winners were DISers, how cool is that??

Here's some updated details on my winning:

* Took two weeks for Disney to contact me finally,after faxing FOX my documents.

* The prize package hotel stay is for DLH or PP, depending on availability. You have to submit four dates to them and they decide when and where you will stay. Also, you must pick dates 30+ days from your submission day. So I will be selecting all of February as I also have to use the prize by March 15th.

* Materials from Disney did not include the Character Meal. I contacted FOX and was told to talk to Disney. I called the number on my forms and you're made to leave a message & they say they will get back to you by day's end. It is day two and no call back yet. I will be calling again tomorrow, I know it is probably crazy with the holiday.

So, a lot of hoops to jump through so far but I am more than willing to do it for a free Disney stay. hehe! When I have more info on the Character meal confusion I will update!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Sherry, I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this!!! 2 Dis'ers won! That's HUGE!! And I know I wouldn't have known about this contest if you didn't post it. So a HUGE thank you!

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this!!! 2 Dis'ers won! That's HUGE!! And I know I wouldn't have known about this contest if you didn't post it. So a HUGE thank you!

Oh, that's so sweet of you, Courtney! You're very welcome. I only wish the contest had run for 8 weeks rather than 3! Who knows? Maybe 3 Dis'ers actually won but the third one hasn't been able to post yet!?! But 2 definite DIS winners out of three possible winners is not bad at all! It was my pleasure to let everyone know about it. It would have done me no good to keep the contest info all to myself - karma would get me in the end!! Besides, I like to share, anyway! I enjoy DISboards so much and everyone on here is great, so I wanted to spread the news! 'Tis the season! I actually wonder how many people overall knew about the contest? Like, for example, has anyone seen any mention of the Fox Overtime thing on Mice Age or Mouse Planet? It didn't seem as though it was widely advertised, so it makes me wonder how may other folks knew.

The other thing that is interesting to me, after reading Pooh's Twin's post about the latest details of his win (and thanks for that info, Mike - you KNOW I was extra-curious! ) is that Disney did not include the character meal info, and that was a definite part of the advertised prize. I wonder if they just forgot to mention it or if they were just going to tell you about it once you get to the hotel. I also find it interesting that it was supposed to be a contest to go to DLR during the holidays, but because they started the contest when they did and then took so long to get the info to you and get the red tape ironed out, it became pretty much impossible to go to DLR during the holidays! So the whole point of the contest was defeated!

Oh well, it's still a free DLR trip and a hotel stay, and HOPEFULLY a free character meal, so it is worth waiting for!! Good job, Mike and Wendi!

 

[Wendi2000]

I got my Disney mail yesterday and there was no mention of the character meal in my letter either, but I'm not too worried about that, I'm sure it will be included because it is supposed to be. I just need to figure out who we are taking with us and when we can go so I can send the forms back in. This will have to wait until next week when my Winter quarter starts so I can see about taking a day off from classes when it won't cause me to miss anything major.

 

[Sherry E]

I got my Disney mail yesterday and there was no mention of the character meal in my letter either, but I'm not too worried about that, I'm sure it will be included because it is supposed to be. I just need to figure out who we are taking with us and when we can go so I can send the forms back in. This will have to wait until next week when my Winter quarter starts so I can see about taking a day off from classes when it won't cause me to miss anything major.

Thanks for updating us, Wendi2000! I have been really curious to know how the whole thing is handled. So in your paperwork which you have to fax back to Disney, do you give them the names of whoever is accompanying you so they know in advance? I would guess that when you get to whichever hotel they assign you to, the hotel will give you the character meal vouchers, but if I were you, I wouldn't let that go without mentioning it in your paperwork/fax just because the meal was supposed to be included. It was also supposed to be a holiday trip to DLR (that is how it was advertised on TV), and that clearly is not the case, so they MAY be trying to get away with leaving the meal for 4 people out of the deal. It doesn't hurt to ask them about it just to be sure!

 

[Pooh'sTwin]

Hi All!

I finally got someone at Disney Travel on the phone (a very nice CM named Cheryl!) and she told me that the character meal was added after their initial set up with Fox, so it was inadvertently left off all the paper work. I was told to state in the prize form's comment area whether I wanted a breakfast or dinner meal, and that the meal vouchers would be with everything else when I checked in.
I faxed in my form today with my four selected dates. To answer your question Sherry, the guests names didn't need to be on the form from what I saw, only if you wanted to add additional guests which you would pay for personally. It was a bit confusing so I hope I got it right.
Here's hoping they contact me soon with my dates!

Mike

 

[Sherry E]

Hi All!

I finally got someone at Disney Travel on the phone (a very nice CM named Cheryl!) and she told me that the character meal was added after their initial set up with Fox, so it was inadvertently left off all the paper work. I was told to state in the prize form's comment area whether I wanted a breakfast or dinner meal, and that the meal vouchers would be with everything else when I checked in.
I faxed in my form today with my four selected dates. To answer your question Sherry, the guests names didn't need to be on the form from what I saw, only if you wanted to add additional guests which you would pay for personally. It was a bit confusing so I hope I got it right.
Here's hoping they contact me soon with my dates!

Mike

Oh, that's good to know, Mike! Thanks for the clarification! So the character meal was a last-minute add-on. So the hotel will give you guys your vouchers for the meal. Did you choose dinner or breakfast? And does Disney then choose WHICH character meal you get or do you get to pick any place you want? I wonder which dates and hotel they will pick for you! This is quite the time consuming endeavor! I had no idea, Mike, that you would still be waiting for your final info! There was no way anyone could have made it to DLR during the holidays unless they had started this contest back in October, if not earlier!! They mis-advertised it on Good Day L.A. and Fox Overtime, I think. Winter contest, maybe. DLR holiday trip contest, not so much!

 

[Pooh'sTwin]

I am honestly not sure if they will assign us to a meal or let us pick. We selected breakfast as our plan right now is to do DL on the first day and then DCA the next, so we figured we'd do the character breakfast the DCA morning. I am hoping we get placed in the Disneyland Hotel and we do Goofy's breakfast, or Chip and Dale's. I will be getting all of my confirmations by email, so I will update here as soon as I know anything.

As a side note, my partner and I decided we'd stay in New Year's Eve and then use that cash to go to DL friday and saturday, with a hotel stay at the Hilton. We got a great price on a Disney view room. I can't wait to see all the holiday stuff one more time and the holiday fireworks for the first time! hehe

Hope your planning with the contest prize is going well too Wendi!

Mike

 

[Sherry E]

I am honestly not sure if they will assign us to a meal or let us pick. We selected breakfast as our plan right now is to do DL on the first day and then DCA the next, so we figured we'd do the character breakfast the DCA morning. I am hoping we get placed in the Disneyland Hotel and we do Goofy's breakfast, or Chip and Dale's. I will be getting all of my confirmations by email, so I will update here as soon as I know anything.

As a side note, my partner and I decided we'd stay in New Year's Eve and then use that cash to go to DL friday and saturday, with a hotel stay at the Hilton. We got a great price on a Disney view room. I can't wait to see all the holiday stuff one more time and the holiday fireworks for the first time! hehe

Hope your planning with the contest prize is going well too Wendi!

Mike

You will be at DLR at the same time some other DISboard folks are going, too, I believe! I know what you mean, Mike, about wanting to see the holiday stuff one more time! On the one hand I think, well, between my December 2007 DLR trip and the December 2008 trip, it seemed like time flew by really fast in the grand scheme of things (not counting the October trip I made during that time ) and so it will fly by again and soon it will be December 2009! At the same time, I just LOVE DLR with all the decorations and holiday merriment going on - that is really my favorite time to be there - and I feel like I need just one more day to peek at all the stuff before it's gone for 10 months!! Last weekend's trip wasn't enough! And the DLR hotel rates have been great, what with the AP discounts and the bad economy and all. Plus, I just never know what could come up between now and then that may prevent me from getting back to DLR next holiday season. It is not 100% written in stone, that's for sure. I was trying to scheme on a way to return to DLR this upcoming weekend to meet up with the DIS'ers who will be there on Saturday and Sunday, but I don't think I can for a few different unfortunate reasons. Drat! Drat! Drat! It's not meant to be, I suppose.

But you guys have a great time on Friday and Saturday (hopefully the HIDEOUS New Year's crowds will have dissipated by then and started to head back for home) and enjoy the Hilton. Then, make sure to let us know when Disney tells you what dates they have chosen for you to go and what hotel they are putting you up in. I STILL think it will be the DLH, but even if you stay at PPH, you can't go wrong. It is a cute little hotel, and an easy walk to Goofy's or Storytellers.

In fact, I can officially announce that my friend - who previously felt that PPH was soooooo far away from DL and such a daunting walk to and from the parks - revealed to me on this past DLR trip, "I like this hotel," meaning the PPH! Yay! Success! I mean, if money allowed, we would always stay at GCH just for the shorter walk, but the PPH is beginning to seem less far away, so that is a step in the right direction, so to speak!!!

Happy New Year, Mike!

 

[Pooh'sTwin]

Hi all,

So it seems all the hoop jumping was worth it because Disney emailed me my itinerary for our free trip just a few hours after receiving our form!
We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel on Saturday, Feb.7th and the free breakfast seems to be good anywhere, so we are booked for Sunday brunch at Goofy's Kitchen. In the email they told us we can pick up our package early Saturday morning so we can get right to the parks. I am so excited and pleased with their attentive behavior. They did email me and also tell me they did not need my guests names until check in.

Thanks for paying attention to this long running (or so it seemed) drama all!
Mike

 

[Pooh'sTwin]

P.s. Big thanks to Sherry for keeping this all going thread wise! Hope you can get back to DL with or without the decorations real soon!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Yay, Disneyland Hotel! (I knew it! ) Yay, Goofy's Kitchen - bring your camera for that one, Mike! They have great food and a wide variety of things to choose so it will be good. Hopefully all your friends will be okay with the table-side character visits! I would think that since you are staying at DLH on a Saturday, even though this is a contest win package, you can still take advantage of the Magic Morning. MM's are usually on Saturdays and Sundays for DLR hotel guests, so you can get in an hour earlier than when the park officially opens.

Thanks for keeping us updated, Mike! And the thread was actually starting to fade into the mist a little until Wendi2000 announced her win! Then it picked up again! So now we have to find out what happens with her trip's details!

Well, I guess we could sort of say it's a holiday trip. It's not a Christmas time holiday trip but it is a pre-Valentine's Day trip

 

[Wendi2000]

I guess I should've called and talked to someone, but I was so hung up on trying to figure out who would be coming along on the trip that it also took a while to figure out dates. If I had known I could tell them the names of everyone later I would've put in my date choices earlier. Oh well...

We weren't given a choice of meals, but I got what I would've picked anyway, otherwise I might have called to see if I could change it.

We are going to stay at the Disneyland Hotel March 9th and are having dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. I requested a room with two queens and a daybed, hopefully we'll get that.

 

[Sherry E]

I guess I should've called and talked to someone, but I was so hung up on trying to figure out who would be coming along on the trip that it also took a while to figure out dates. If I had known I could tell them the names of everyone later I would've put in my date choices earlier. Oh well...

We weren't given a choice of meals, but I got what I would've picked anyway, otherwise I might have called to see if I could change it.

We are going to stay at the Disneyland Hotel March 9th and are having dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. I requested a room with two queens and a daybed, hopefully we'll get that.

Sounds great! Thanks for the update on that. I am sure you will get the rom you want. Those rooms with two queens and a daybed are pretty easy to get. So Mike (Pooh'sTwin) is going in February and you are going in March. I wonder when the third winner is going. Actually, I wonder who the third winner was!! It's a good thing that you would have chosen Goofy's Kitchen anyway, since they don't appear to be giving people a choice in character meals. I was under the impression at first that the winners would have a choice in character meals, but since the character meal was a last-minute add-on to the prize package, maybe they hadn't thought it through. Perhaps if you had gotten a room at PPH, they would have given you a meal with Lilo and Stitch, but the fact that it is Goofy's Kitchen is actually better because you can have a character meal there for breakfast, brunch OR dinner. With Lilo and Stitch or Storytellers, you would have only had the option of dining with characters in the morning and that's it. This way, it opens up your mealtime options a bit.

Well, Mike, make sure to post after you go to DLR in February, and Wendi, you make suer to post when you get back in March. And thanks again for keeping us posted!

 

[Wendi2000]

I wanted dinner because it's more expensive than breakfast!!! hahaha I'm so cheap... um, I mean frugal!

We will probably still have breakfast at Storyteller's since it's one of our favorites, but I'd rather pay for that and get the more expensive meal for free!

 

[Sherry E]

I wanted dinner because it's more expensive than breakfast!!! hahaha I'm so cheap... um, I mean frugal!

We will probably still have breakfast at Storyteller's since it's one of our favorites, but I'd rather pay for that and get the more expensive meal for free!

I don't blame you! That's what I was telling Pooh'sTwin - go for the most expensive one since it's on Disney's dime!! And since it appears they aren't giving a choice of where to eat, you will just HAVE to pick the expensive Goofy's dinner!! Make sure to load up those plates at the buffet tables three and four times - even if you guys can't finish it all!!!

 

[Disney Dreams]

How exciting that 2 of the 3 winners are from our little DISBoards Disneyland section. Congrats to you both! Enjoy!