Commencing Operation Christmas Miracle Trip 2010: PTR

[PoppyGirl]

Part 1:

Who’s Who:

Me: Lenora, 46 y.o., former psychologist, part time office manager, scrapbooking consultant, farm hand and full time mom. I’m the Disney fanatic. It didn’t start out that way though. I had been to WDW once as a college freshman in 1982 (only MK and EPCOT) and had several day trips to DL when I lived in CA during graduate school. I had no real interest in WDW…..until I met my BFF Anita and started hanging around with her. She LOVES (and I mean LOVES) Disney. After hanging around her for a few years I thought maybe it was time to convince DH that we should take our “once-in-a-lifetime” trip with the kids to WDW. That was in 2007. My friend helped me plan the trip and I discovered that I LOVED planning…and fell in love with Disney on that first trip. It was sort of like illicit drugs….just once and I was hooked!

Nickname: PoppyGirl (because…well, it’s a long story but it has to do with poppies and the fact that I’m a girl) (DH comment: “People will think you are a drug addict with all the poppies…maybe you should explain it.) (Ok, my other BFF Elaine says that in God’s garden, I am an Icelandic Poppy—describing some things about my personality—nothing to do with drugs at all! Google flower descriptions if you want to know more.)
Favorite ride: Soarin’

DH: Richard, 56 y.o. former high school ag teacher and full time dairy farmer. Pretends that he only tolerates Disney, but is actually a great big kid and enjoys every minute when we’re there.
Nickname: Udderman (because of the whole dairy farmer career path).
Favorite ride: Thunder Mountain RR or Splash Mountain.

DS: Lucas, 10 y.o. exceptionally smart and funny almost 5th grader. Getting braver every time we visit and now likes the “scary” rides.
Nickname: Dopeydo (because it’s really something else but it drives him nuts when I say it wrong and I have a perverse sense of humor like that).
Favorite ride: Rock-n-Roller Coaster and Mission Space (orange).

DD: Anna, 7 y.o. (going on 13) animal lover and almost 2nd grader.
Nickname: Princess Fickle Pickle (because she constantly changes her mind.)
Favorite ride: Tower of Terror.

LINKS TO PTR POSTS:

Part the second: A Most Excellent Plan: Operation CMT
Part the third: We're All About the Unusual
Part the fourth: Flying and (almost) Being Grounded
Part the fifth: Changing Plans
Parth the sixth: SURPRISES!
A Funny Thing Happened at the Farm Today....
Part the seventh: Now For the Fun Part! Details, Details, Details Days 1 & 2
I'll tell you what I want....what I really really want....
These are a few of my favorite things....
Part the eighth: More Daily Details Day 3
Parth the ninth: Day 4 Daily Details
Part the tenth: Day 5 Daily Details: A Very Christmasy Day at EPCOT
The Last Hoop
Is That Your Final Answer?
The Big Reveal
Let the Countdown Begin!
Presents, Surprises and FUN!
Do-Over....Re-thinking Day 1
Speaking of Things I've Never Done....
Paid In Full!
Hidden Mickey Alert!
Day Six....At Last!
Day Seven....A Magical Day!

 

[PoppyGirl]

Part 2:

A Most Excellent Plan: Operation CMT:

2009 was a very challenging year for us. Things did not go well on the farm (sick animals, high fuel costs, poor crop yields and even poorer milk prices) and DH opted to take a 20% salary cut for about 9 months. (He’s reading this as I write so to be fair, I’ll include his comments) (DH comment: “We’re too poor to go to Disney but my wife wants to go anyway.”) Because DH is an EXCELLENT manager of our finances, we survived last year without going bankrupt. DH is also very frugal. He likes to save money. Save, not spend. (How did we ever end up together?) So, when I began to feel this sense of urgency that we absolutely HAD to go to Disney this year, how would I ever convince him? (Because that is how it works around here….I get something in my head that we need to do and then I work my magic and convince DH that whatever it is will be a good idea. Someone once gave DH this very wise advice: Happy wife = happy life. I believe he has found that to be very true! Actually I used to feel sort of guilty about this until a friend pointed out to me that when I advocate for our family, I’m actually advocating for DH too and he won’t ever regret the times we spend together as a family. Now I see it as a gift to give to everyone.)

So, as you might imagine, taking a vacation is a big deal for a dairy farmer. You can’t just leave the cows to fend for themselves whenever you feel like it. (If you’ve ever nursed a baby, you’ll totally get that.) I first had to convince DH that going to Disney was a good and necessary endeavor, that somehow we could manage to pay for it without going into debt (did I mention how much he hates debt?) AND, since we already had a vacation planned for this summer (which of course includes a couple of days at DL), I had to convince him that we could swing TWO vacations in one year.


So, back in March, I began my diabolical plan to convince DH that we needed to take a trip to Disney at Christmas. I will list the steps of my plan in case anyone else should need to do some "significant other convincing" at some point.


Step 1: Be exceptionally pleasant to DH. Say “yes” to everything he asks me and be extremely affectionate to him.

Step 2: Get in the barn and milk those cows with DH. This makes DH very happy and open to suggestions.

Step 3: Upon each exceptionally nice thing that I do for DH, whisper “Disney…..December…..” in his ear so that he begins to associate only pleasant things with a potential Disney vacation. (This is an a very powerful psychological tool known as “conditioning”.) (Isn’t it nice that I can effectively use my training in real life situations?)

In the midst of executing my brilliant plan….a PIN code arrives by e-mail….a PIN code for, of all times, DECEMBER! 40% off! I call DH from work in a panic. “Can we go ahead and book this to get this great rate? We got a PIN code!! (DH wants to know what a PIN code is…so I tell him it’s a coupon for Disney) We can always cancel if we decide not to go.” DH doesn’t want to commit….but he remembers how nice and pleasant things have been….he hesitates…and finally says “Yes.” (He would like things to continue to be so very nice and pleasant around here. Did I mention how much DH loves a bargain? His other nickname would be “Coupon King”.) Yay! I immediately call my TA, Wendy the Wonderful. And…gasp…..Wendy is on vacation! At Disney! (of course) So her assistant books my room and assures me that Wendy the Wonderful will call me on Monday. (This of course was step 4: find a bargain!)

Wow…I can’t believe that I left off the pre-beginning of my diabolical plan….which actually took place back in June of 2009 when DS and I visited WDW while he was in Orlando for a competition. We had purchased the buy 4 days get 3 free tickets and didn’t use all our days, so I upgraded them to non-expiring and added 3 more days so we actually had 7 more days. And then in August I purchased 2 tickets for DH and DD before the prices went up again…so I had our tickets already. I didn’t know then when we would use them, but how could DH argue with going when we already have tickets to be used???

 

[PoppyGirl]

This is us...from our Wonder Cruise Feb. 2009.

 

[mrsksomeday]

I saw your link on the Dec. 2010 thread so I came over to read.

I discovered that I LOVED planning…and fell in love with Disney on that first trip. It was sort of like illicit drugs….just once and I was hooked!

Same thing happened to me in Feb. 2006. The music, the theming, the CM's, the parks, I call it Disney Crack, I can't get enough .

Upon each exceptionally nice thing that I do for DH, whisper “Disney…..December…..” in his ear so that he begins to associate only pleasant things with a potential Disney vacation. (This is an a very powerful psychological tool known as “conditioning”.) (Isn’t it nice that I can effectively use my training in real life situations?)

This is BRILLIANT!! It is great that you are using your training for the greater good .


Fantastic thinking with the ticket purchasing. You are a great planner! What a beautiful family picture from the Wonder. I can't wait to read all about your planning. You are off to an amazing start.

 

[PoppyGirl]

I saw your link on the Dec. 2010 thread so I came over to read.



Same thing happened to me in Feb. 2006. The music, the theming, the CM's, the parks, I call it Disney Crack, I can't get enough .



This is BRILLIANT!! It is great that you are using your training for the greater good .


Fantastic thinking with the ticket purchasing. You are a great planner! What a beautiful family picture from the Wonder. I can't wait to read all about your planning. You are off to an amazing start.

MrsK...I feel all twittery that you are reading my PTR! I started reading yours weeks ago! Thanks for all your nice compliments! And I'm so happy that at least one person is actually reading what I wrote.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Part 3:

Our room is now booked and Wendy the Wonderful calls me back on Monday as promised. We have a bunk bed Savannah View at AKL for 7 nights. I'm not all that thrilled about the bunk beds, but that's what we could get with the PIN (and of course, to make DH happy, we need to use the "coupon." ) As usual, I tell Wendy my TRUE dream is to stay Club Level because I really really really want to do the Sunrise Safari, and as usual, Wendy comes up with a plan! We'll stay CL for the first 4 nights and Pool View for the last 3 nights, keeping the cost down to acceptable levels for DH and getting me my dream! (You see why I call her Wendy the Wonderful?)

DD and I are both animal lovers and I'm obsessed with all things African, so it's been my dream since our first trip to Disney to be able to stay at AKL. BOMA is my favorite restaurant in the world--not just The World (WDW) but the WORLD. I'm so excited!

However...back to the plan....we are still in "potential cancellation" mode at this point. Now, here's a problem that most dissers probably don't have....DH has to find out how many calves will be born during the time we are scheduled to go. We are waiting on the pregnancy reports! The vet has to come out and do pregnancy checks on all the cows and give us estimated due dates, then we have to see how many of those cows are heifers (first time moms with potential complications). If there are too many coming fresh (having their calves) just prior to or during our trip time, we'll have to cancel. *sigh* This part of the plan is totally up to God because I have no control over what's going on with the cows.

We have to wait until MAY for the pregnancy reports (that's nearly two whole months!) What can I do until then? Read the disboards!

Finally, the vet comes. Normally we get the reports 2-3 days after the vet visit. A week goes by. Two weeks go by. Every day I'm asking DH if he got the reports yet (they come by snail mail to the farm). He's as puzzled as I am though not nearly as impatient because he's pretty sure we're going to have to cancel after we get the reports. Finally....the report comes. And....DH leaves it in the truck when he gets home from work. (Is he trying to torture me????) I run out to the truck, grab the reports and rip open the envelope. I get my handy yellow hi-lighter and start hi-liting due dates. DH examines the dates. Nine cows in 4 weeks. Three are heifers. WOOT!!! We can go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, maybe....someone still has to talk to DH's brother (and business partner) and explain why we are taking two vacations in one year and get his agreement to take over the whole farm operation while we are away. Fortunately DH's brother is quite fond of me. We'll tackle that step later on...perhaps after summer vacation.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Here's DH in the milking parlor with a friend from Africa:

And one of our "girls"

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Good stuff so far Poppy. I look forward to reading the rest.

My sister married a farmer, and they have a dairy farm about 2.5 hours away. Oddly enough, she never gets to take a vacation.

We will be in the AKL on the 11th, then move to the Poly on the 14th. I will keep my eye out for you.

 

[mulley16]

Part 2:


So, back in March, I began my diabolical plan to convince DH that we needed to take a trip to Disney at Christmas. I will list the steps of my plan in case anyone else should need to do some "significant other convincing" at some point.


Step 1: Be exceptionally pleasant to DH. Say “yes” to everything he asks me and be extremely affectionate to him.

Step 2: Get in the barn and milk those cows with DH. This makes DH very happy and open to suggestions.

Step 3: Upon each exceptionally nice thing that I do for DH, whisper “Disney…..December…..” in his ear so that he begins to associate only pleasant things with a potential Disney vacation. (This is an a very powerful psychological tool known as “conditioning”.) (Isn’t it nice that I can effectively use my training in real life situations?)

Joining in! I'd love to do WDW in December at some point - your diabolical plan sounds perfect for buttering up DH.

Can't wait to hear more of your plans!

 

[PoppyGirl]

Good stuff so far Poppy. I look forward to reading the rest.

My sister married a farmer, and they have a dairy farm about 2.5 hours away. Oddly enough, she never gets to take a vacation.

We will be in the AKL on the 11th, then move to the Poly on the 14th. I will keep my eye out for you.

Thanks so much for reading! I've seen you a lot over on the December trip thread. Please say hello if you run into us at AKL! That would be so fun!

There are a lot of dairy farms in PA.
Actually, I think WE are the exception among dairy farmers. Most dairy farmers don't ever get to leave the farm for vacations. We are fortunate that DH and his brother are in partnership and can "cover" for each other sometimes.

Joining in! I'd love to do WDW in December at some point - your diabolical plan sounds perfect for buttering up DH.

Can't wait to hear more of your plans!

I'm SO excited about being there at Christmas. ANY time at Disney is great!

You may feel free to use and adapt any of my diabolical plans for your own purposes!

 

[skater]

Great stuff so far . This is just one more step in the fun of planning, isn't it?

 

[PoppyGirl]

Great stuff so far . This is just one more step in the fun of planning, isn't it?

Exactly! I'm having fun re-living all the planning I've done so far while I write about it.

 

[PoppyGirl]

I have a list of about 20 things to do today. So I think I'll get a cup of coffee and write part 4!

Part 4

All along I've been searching for good airfares. DH is still holding out that we "might not" be able to go. (Silly, silly man! Even the cows are cooperating with me!) I would so much rather pay more money for fun at Disney than pay for airfare. I'm really cheap when it comes to flying!

So, as usual I'm checking kayak.com at work....and waha! (I don't think that's a real word) $59 one way fares on Airtran! I've been holding out for Southwest but they won't release December fares for another month at least, so now I'm really tempted by AirTran. However, it makes me NUTS to pay for luggage! Now what? Wait another month and lose the $59 fares on AirTran for the chance that Southwest will have good fares? I'm WAAAAYYYYY too impatient for that. So I call DH from work (in a panic again, of course). "There's a great fare on AirTran...we'll probably never find such a good fare again....we should get this...what do you think?" Perhaps on some level he's really accepted that we are going to Disney in December because he only hesitates briefly and agrees. I'm online with AirTran 2 minutes later booking our flights. WHOO HOO!

And, to make things even better, when Southwest did finally release their flights for December, they were $20 more than AirTran, so even with free bags on SW, I come out about even. I feel vindicated!

For those of you who have been following my PTR, you might remember how DH pretends that he only tolerates Disney....and how he keeps holding out that we might not be able to go....saying things like "if" we go to Disney. But, now he has given himself away. He comes home from the office (haha) (he's the only man I know who works daily with 200 beautiful women and his wife never ever feels threatened ) and gives me a letter that came to the farm address....it's an offer for a Disney Visa card with $200 in rewards dollars after the first purchase! "We might as well do this" he says sort of reluctantly. I'm totally on to him now but I'll pretend not to be.

So far the planning of this trip feels completely magical for me....everything is just working out without me having to try too hard to make it work.

But then.....our first big snag. The A/C goes out on our 14 year old mini-van. It's a $1200 repair! We agree that we don't want to put another $1200 into this van and it's probably time to bite the bullet and get a newer vehicle. DH even agrees to test drive some brand new vehicles. In the midst of searching for a new car, the A/C goes out on our 16 year old Honda Civic! Are you kidding me? That will be an $800 repair! (Did I mention that it's the hottest June on record in Maryland? I can't live without A/C all summer!)

So, we test drive some new vehicles. Wow. Niiiiiccce. VERY nice. But neither of us wants to fork out the money for a new car. And then, the magic kicks in again! I find exactly the van I want on e-bay (of all places!) for a buy-it-now price that's in our budget! I drive to VA to test drive it. It's perfect for us! DH agrees and so we get the new (used) van. I love it! But now what to do with the old van? Who's going to buy it with no A/C?

We have 2 older sons (from DH's first marriage). DS #1 just graduated from vet school and DS #2 is a senior in college. DS #2 decided to take a road trip to CA where he is working and taking a class over the summer. He made it about 1 1/2 hours away and his car broke down. So he calls me to come and rescue him. On the way home he's saying that he doesn't know what to do--his friend who is travelling with him has return air tickets from CA in a few days and they have a whole plan for their trip. And it will probably take several days to get his car repaired. "Well," I say, "our old van doesn't have any A/C, but you are welcome to take it if you want." To my complete shock he is so happy and grateful "I love mini-vans!" he says. "They have so much ROOM inside!" (Keep in mind that I have plastered the windows on my van with a Disney family, Mickey mouse and other Disney paraphernalia.) "Are you sure....it's sort of like the Mickey Mouse van? And there's no A/C...." He assures me that it will be great. Perfect! Old van is now being used productively. DS #2 is happy. DH is happy. I am happy.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Congrats on the great airfare prices!! That is wonderful.

So sorry about all the airconditioning trouble. What a pain, it is great that the old van is getting some use and it makes everyone happy!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Ooh, Disney in December is my ultimate favorite time to go!!! Congrats on the pin and awesome deal on the airfare. Don't you love when all your Disney plans fall right in to place...well, minus the car issues. I'm glad it all worked out for you guys. Look forward to hearing more!

 

[PoppyGirl]

Congrats on the great airfare prices!! That is wonderful.

So sorry about all the airconditioning trouble. What a pain, it is great that the old van is getting some use and it makes everyone happy!

Thanks mrsksomeday! Glad you are back on the Dec. trip board! Woot! Maybe I'll get to meet you in person after all.

Ooh, Disney in December is my ultimate favorite time to go!!! Congrats on the pin and awesome deal on the airfare. Don't you love when all your Disney plans fall right in to place...well, minus the car issues. I'm glad it all worked out for you guys. Look forward to hearing more!

I love your disboard name! I think DS would like it too. We've never been in December. I'm really looking forward to all the decorations and special Christmasy events. And the car issues were just a little bump in the road. Thank goodness we have A/C at the house! It's been absolutely miserable here with the heat.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Changing plans….Part 5

It’s a big part of planning ahead…and to be honest, part of the fun! But here’s me…when there’s a new decision to be made, I get all nervous and sort of manic. (This is why I keep calling DH from work in a panic when there’s a new deal! We have to do it NOW….)

There’ve been rumors for months. I’ve watched the disboards and checked the Disney website often, waiting…will there be Free Dining offered for December? Will it be in our trip dates? Is it a better deal for us than our pin code?

The day finally arrives…I check the disboards first thing in the morning (well after breakfast…even I have some needs bigger than Disney! )

In the midst of planning I suddenly had one of those total panicked thoughts: I think our leftover tickets for DS and me are only 6 day tickets and we have 7 days in the parks for this trip. I run downstairs and get them out of the safe….yep. 6 days. Whoops! Now I’m going to need to get a one day ticket for DS and myself. Ok. So I’m thinking that I’ll just buy one day passes for DS and myself.

YES! Free dining has been extended to December! And it’s during our trip dates! I immediately e-mail Wendy the Wonderful and ask for some details and whether we can work around the blackout dates. She asks me if I need to discuss it with DH….”nope…I think he’ll be fine with FD if we can work it out.” (Remember that DH is all about anything FREE. In fact, here are some of DH’s favorite words….free, coupon, discount, sale, bargain….you get the idea.)

I crunch some numbers quickly. And e-mail WtW (Wendy the Wonderful) that we should go for it. We end up changing our 4 night Club Leve/ 3 night pool view at AKL room only reservation to 2 nights club level room only (to keep our Sunrise Safari and because those days are blackout dates) and 5 nights Savannah View with Free Dining and 2 day base passes (that solves the problem of the extra day tickets for DS and me….and now we’ll have 2 unused tickets for a future trip. That’s always good, right?)
Ok. So all the big decisions are made now. And I’m even happier with being able to see the animals for our whole trip instead of just part of it! That’s what I really wanted all along.

Tonight DH and I double-dated with some friends. They also love Disney (they are going during FD Iin September) so DF and I and spend much of dinner comparing notes on our upcoming trips. DF’s hubby is jealous that I have booked Marakkesh (with the belly dancers) during our trip. DH is gloating a little. In the middle of the conversation, DH asks, “so you’re talking about December?” “Yes.” I answer. “IF we go…..” he says with a smirk. “Oh, haha DH. Very funny. We’re going. There’s no “IF” involved anymore.” He likes to mess with me.

 

[PoppyGirl]

SURPRISES? Part 6

The other day DD and I were talking. I’ve been reading a PTR written by a 10 y.o. girl. She’s helping her mom plan their trip. Our summer vacation is in a couple of weeks. I end up talking to my kids about this girl. For the last week, all DD can talk about is our upcoming trip and “packing up.” She loves to “pack up.” So I casually (not giving anything away) ask DD would she rather help plan a trip or be surprised with a trip to Disney? She ponders very seriously for a few minutes. I think she’s going to say she’d rather help plan….but she surprises ME and says, “I’d rather be surprised.” Are you kidding me? The girl who can’t stand it if I tell her that dinner is a surprise would rather be surprised by a trip???

I don’t know if I can keep this trip a secret that long! So far I’ve been able to cover all my slips by re-directing my Disney comments to our summer trip to DL. But I already almost gave it away….we were talking about AK and DD said something about going to AK this year….oh wait….I reminded her that DL does not have AK…WDW has AK. Her eyes filled with giant crocodile tears. “Mommy, you KNOW that animals are my favorite. I thought AK was in CA! So, we won’t see any animals this summer?” Oh my gosh…talk about ripping out my heart! I just wanted to make it all better and tell her what’s coming up in December….when we’ll STAY with the animals! TOO COOL! But I held it in. Do you think people can explode if they hold in too many exciting secrets????

 

[PoppyGirl]

I just remembered a funny thing that happened when I was still trying to convince DH that a WDW trip was a good idea....this was back in April (and I posted it here earlier: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2455458)


DH came home this afternoon. He walked in the house and called my name in this very strange voice,
DH: "I need you to do something for me."
Me (slightly suspicious): "OK, what?"
DH "Get the peroxide"
Me (clearly worried at this point): "Oh my gosh, what happened? Are you ok?"
long pause.......
DH (sheepishly): "I pulled a board off a building at the farm and it had two nails in it. I put it on the seat of the 4 wheeler and I said to myself 'I have to remember to move that before I sit down' but....(long pause) I forgot."
Me (trying very hard not to laugh): Ok...
DH: "So I need you to look at my butt. And check my underwear for blood."
Me (not succeeding at not laughing): "I'll go get the peroxide."
DH (pointing to 2 little red dots on his behind): "Right here....is it bleeding?"
Me (laughing hysterically): "Nope. No blood. Just two little dots. Does it hurt?"
DH (getting slightly annoyed): "YES. It hurts. Are you sure there's no blood?"
Me: "If I do this, can I buy our airline tickets for WDW today?"
DH (trying not to laugh): "Just put the peroxide on."

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Your PTR is great!! I am planning a suprise trip for my two youngest with my parents in December. We are staying at POR and got a PIN for free dining since our dates were blacked out during the general public code. All the fun details are in my PTR.

I can't wait to read more updates...and congrats on your great airfare!! I think that it makes the trip seem so much more real once the airfare is purchased.

Trish