DVC Chit Chat Thread

[tidefan]

And this is true for a lot of folks. And, that's fine!

Lots of people in my neck of the woods own cabins Up North, usually on an inland lake. It is lovely up there, and it sounds like they have a wonderful time, year-in and year-out.

And, they are welcome to it. My idea of roughing it is when I do not have the washer/dryer in my bougie vacation condo, and I need at least a few decent restaurants nearby. This is one of the reasons I have a tough time in the Smoky Mountains, which tends to lean quantity rather than quality. However, I will recommend Seasons 101 in Sevierville, and admit to enjoying the fried chicken dinner at the Applewood Farmhouse.

But... how many pancakes did you eat there?

 

[2010dvcfan]

I do. Although I am guilty of wanting something or my son and saying we will come back and buy it right before we leave, and then we end up not going back.

That wouldn't happen to me near as often as it does if they would bring back resort package delivery. I don't want to carry items around all day, by the end of the day I don't want it enough to back track and get it. I figure I'll get it next time.

 

[VGCgroupie]

That wouldn't happen to me near as often as it does if they would bring back resort package delivery. I don't want to carry items around all day, by the end of the day I don't want it enough to back track and get it. I figure I'll get it next time.

This trip I would’ve likely boughten several more things. Especially art at Epcot.

 

[PavlovPluto]

We’re checking out Saturday, our first DVC trip, staying at BLT. We’re flying home….what do you folks do with beer/water/other unopened food? The pool is closed for refurbishment, if it was open I would look for someone drinking Miller Lite and see if they wanted it.

 

[IsDVCForMe?]

We’re checking out Saturday, our first DVC trip, staying at BLT. We’re flying home….what do you folks do with beer/water/other unopened food? The pool is closed for refurbishment, if it was open I would look for someone drinking Miller Lite and see if they wanted it.

I’ve seen people post on FB that they’ve left alcohol somewhere on the resort. It’s not my place to say anything but always felt that could be a problem.

My suggestion would be to post it on there if you have it and see if the person can meet you.

 

[Tatebeck]

I went to DLand once before I met my wife. It was 1992 and I was 11. I remember thinking it was overhyped and that people paid a bunch of money to get in a park with mostly lame rides where they try to constantly sell you overpriced junk…. no thanks….. I’ll stick with Six Flags Over Texas.

And then 12 years later…..I live in Los Angeles and meet a girl in a bar (The Standard) on Sunset Blvd who I later learn loves theme parks (Disneyland pass holder) and I can’t believe that an adult would ever want to go to a child’s theme park.

Fast forward to a few years later and we are married with a child in SW Washington and I am working 6-days a week with an hour commute each way. I discover that it is apparently a birthright for women who grow up in so-cal to go with their children to Disneyland at least once a year. (Especially if they were a former Cast Member!)

So here I am…. an overworked and horribly unexercised man is his late 20s… with his family staying at The Disneyland Hotel (for cheap in 2011) and we are going to Disneyland.

I don’t know if it was the runners high from finally getting exercise after all of those steps, but I went on Peter Pan and got flooded with pixie dust and actually felt like I was flying over London and all of the stress I was carrying just melted away….

I later discovered Trader Sam’s and would go get two Mai Tai’s and bring them up to our room and we would sit in the hall outside the room together and drink them waiting for our kiddo to fall asleep….

That’s when I internalized that Disney is a place where if you go in with the right mindset…. and stay on property for at least a few nights….and have a person in your group who knows what they are doing…. that it can be magical place… expensive…yes…. run by people who want to squeeze every dollar out of you….yes…. but still a place where the family can be happy together and not something where either the kids are happy OR the parents are happy…. you can have both….

That feeling has cost me a LOT of money over the last 15 years that could be worth a lot more if I would have stashed it into an investment portfolio…. but it has also brought us a lot of wonderful memories together and provided us with a lot of joy…..

DVC is part of that because it made it possible to stay on property and stay in the magic as the prices of hotels shot up and we had to start traveling around a school schedule and not whenever plane & hotel prices were cheap…..

We tried staying off property for a few years…. it wasn’t the same…. the magic didn’t start as soon as we woke up and it always broke as soon as we crossed harbor and saw the real world again…. no thanks…. I’d rather spend a small fortune and make sure I can stay at The Grand Californian and The Disneyland Hotel….View attachment 1065056View attachment 1065057

Love this story!

And honestly I think the first trip as a true adult is the most important to get someone hooked. As kids we were always playing, (hopefully) having fun on a day to day basis, and had little to no responsibilities, etc. So a trip to Disney, while fun, may not have been that crazy of a change in feeling or emotion-wise.

But once we become adults, finish school/training, start working and have constant worries and responsibilities, a good trip to Disney can be a drastic change and remind us how it was before it was all about worrying and penny pinching and being responsible. It's a great feeling most of us forgot about somewhere along the way (and it can be quite addictive once you find it again!)

 

[Mirabell Rose]

Thanks for sharing this. We are in a similar situation. I don’t like giving too much personal information on the internet, so never really discussed it. It’s hard thinking about what will happen when we’re gone.

This is also one of the reasons why we bought into DVC. Had such a great trip in the fall and our daughter just loved it. It’s something that you just can’t explain.

We also feel that we can sell it, if needed.

If you ever want to chat, feel free to reach out. Some people don’t like to discuss these things, so I understand. Would love to hear your story.

We have met many other people in our position on our trips. All very different yet all have an adult child with needs. It has helped remind us we aren’t alone. DVC has given us many happy family memories.

 

[RuntheMouse]

We’re checking out Saturday, our first DVC trip, staying at BLT. We’re flying home….what do you folks do with beer/water/other unopened food? The pool is closed for refurbishment, if it was open I would look for someone drinking Miller Lite and see if they wanted it.

People usually leave things in the laundry room. I wouldn’t leave beer though, might need to toss that.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I went to DLand once before I met my wife. It was 1992 and I was 11. I remember thinking it was overhyped and that people paid a bunch of money to get in a park with mostly lame rides where they try to constantly sell you overpriced junk…. no thanks….. I’ll stick with Six Flags Over Texas.

And then 12 years later…..I live in Los Angeles and meet a girl in a bar (The Standard) on Sunset Blvd who I later learn loves theme parks (Disneyland pass holder) and I can’t believe that an adult would ever want to go to a child’s theme park.

Fast forward to a few years later and we are married with a child in SW Washington and I am working 6-days a week with an hour commute each way. I discover that it is apparently a birthright for women who grow up in so-cal to go with their children to Disneyland at least once a year. (Especially if they were a former Cast Member!)

So here I am…. an overworked and horribly unexercised man is his late 20s… with his family staying at The Disneyland Hotel (for cheap in 2011) and we are going to Disneyland.

I don’t know if it was the runners high from finally getting exercise after all of those steps, but I went on Peter Pan and got flooded with pixie dust and actually felt like I was flying over London and all of the stress I was carrying just melted away….

I later discovered Trader Sam’s and would go get two Mai Tai’s and bring them up to our room and we would sit in the hall outside the room together and drink them waiting for our kiddo to fall asleep….

That’s when I internalized that Disney is a place where if you go in with the right mindset…. and stay on property for at least a few nights….and have a person in your group who knows what they are doing…. that it can be magical place… expensive…yes…. run by people who want to squeeze every dollar out of you….yes…. but still a place where the family can be happy together and not something where either the kids are happy OR the parents are happy…. you can have both….

That feeling has cost me a LOT of money over the last 15 years that could be worth a lot more if I would have stashed it into an investment portfolio…. but it has also brought us a lot of wonderful memories together and provided us with a lot of joy…..

DVC is part of that because it made it possible to stay on property and stay in the magic as the prices of hotels shot up and we had to start traveling around a school schedule and not whenever plane & hotel prices were cheap…..

We tried staying off property for a few years…. it wasn’t the same…. the magic didn’t start as soon as we woke up and it always broke as soon as we crossed harbor and saw the real world again…. no thanks…. I’d rather spend a small fortune and make sure I can stay at The Grand Californian and The Disneyland Hotel….View attachment 1065056View attachment 1065057

I feel in love with a man from southern California who went to Disneyland every year pretty much his whole life. When I met him, I had never been to Disneyland before but had been to WDW 3 times as a kid (and loved it.) Crazy to think how it all turned out. What years were you living in southern California? I was only living there from September 2005 - March 2007. Had an AP from January 2005 - December 2007 and it was so wonderful.

I still get that feeling on Peter Pan. I love when it's one of our first rides of the trip. I just get this sense of calm and happiness as we're flying over London. On the last trip, our travel day was so rough. But once we were on Peter Pan and our son was giggling....it really makes it all worth it.

My stepmom has an aunt and uncle with an adult disabled daughter. A few years ago they all moved into a senior living arrangement and were able to set it up so that the daughter will be able to remain there for her entire life after her mom and dad pass. It gives them all great peace of mind to know she's going to be taken care of and be able to stay in a place that is comfortable and familiar to her. They didn't think this was an option for them because the daughter isn't 55 years old yet, but apparently many senior living places will accept a family member/spouse who is under the age limit if they are disabled.

Interesting! I never even thought something like that would be an option. I'll have to remember that.

Our son is only 12. We're in our 40s. God/Science willing, we will have a long time to work something out. We really are trying to get him to be as independent as possible some day so who knows what his future could look like. There seem to be more and more options as years go on, which is nice.

Thanks for sharing this. We are in a similar situation. I don’t like giving too much personal information on the internet, so never really discussed it. It’s hard thinking about what will happen when we’re gone.

This is also one of the reasons why we bought into DVC. Had such a great trip in the fall and our daughter just loved it. It’s something that you just can’t explain.

We also feel that we can sell it, if needed.

If you ever want to chat, feel free to reach out. Some people don’t like to discuss these things, so I understand. Would love to hear your story.

I will reach out! It's always nice to chat about this stuff with people who get it.

We have met many other people in our position on our trips. All very different yet all have an adult child with needs. It has helped remind us we aren’t alone. DVC has given us many happy family memories.

Disneyland/WDW trips have been so great. I feel like my son can really be himself without being judged.

 

[kilik64]

We did our dining res yesterday morning, got everything we wanted but Akershus Breakfast. Apparently that is a hard one to get. We haven't done it since The Before Times in like 2018. All the other dining res we went for were easy to get, didn't get the best time for H&V Fantasmic dining package, but at least got it.

Plan to stalk it for a bit, but might end up using mousewatchers to try and get Akershus. Have not used it in years either, it still work well for anyone that has used it recently?

 

[JackosinDIS]

Love this story!

And honestly I think the first trip as a true adult is the most important to get someone hooked. As kids we were always playing, (hopefully) having fun on a day to day basis, and had little to no responsibilities, etc. So a trip to Disney, while fun, may not have been that crazy of a change in feeling or emotion-wise.

But once we become adults, finish school/training, start working and have constant worries and responsibilities, a good trip to Disney can be a drastic change and remind us how it was before it was all about worrying and penny pinching and being responsible. It's a great feeling most of us forgot about somewhere along the way (and it can be quite addictive once you find it again!)

This is so true. I remember the first time going back as an adult… felt like my first proper escape from the responsibilities of adult life and somewhere I can truly switch off. That is still true for every trip I take and I hope it continues to be for the next 30 years!

 

[ClaraOswald]

The weather is warming up in Nebraska and it's starting to feel like Spring. This makes me really start getting excited for our road trip in June! Just under 2 months to go! I wish I had more "planning" to do but it's mostly all planned out. Waiting to see if there are any Disneyland menu changes before our trip. And next week we'll be applying for DAS.

 

[Mirabell Rose]

We’re here finishing up a week long stay. It’s been a very long time, like 10 years or more, since we came this time of year. We were dissuaded by the point charts and the crowds and the heat in the parks.

Wow what a wonderful time to visit now that we’re older and can spend most of our time at the resort instead of the parks. The weather is fabulous for the pools and evening strolls. The foliage is beautiful. And the crowds weren’t that bad this week. Definitely have to start doing this time of year again.

 

[CarolynFH]

what do you folks do with beer/water/other unopened food?

We leave it in our villa, figuring Mousekeeping can take what they want. We don't have alcohol, though; if we did, we'd definitely leave it in the room as opposed to out in the hallway or in the laundry room (we've seen photos of both here on DISboards and elsewhere).

 

[CarolynFH]

This is so true. I remember the first time going back as an adult… felt like my first proper escape from the responsibilities of adult life and somewhere I can truly switch off. That is still true for every trip I take and I hope it continues to be for the next 30 years!

That's how it was on my first trip with DH and our kids - I felt like I was 10 again but at the same time was having so much fun and was so relaxed with my family, no work to take me away from them! And that has been true for over 30 years now. Disney really is my happy place.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I feel in love with a man from southern California who went to Disneyland every year pretty much his whole life. When I met him, I had never been to Disneyland before but had been to WDW 3 times as a kid (and loved it.) Crazy to think how it all turned out. What years were you living in southern California? I was only living there from September 2005 - March 2007. Had an AP from January 2005 - December 2007 and it was so wonderful.

I still get that feeling on Peter Pan. I love when it's one of our first rides of the trip. I just get this sense of calm and happiness as we're flying over London. On the last trip, our travel day was so rough. But once we were on Peter Pan and our son was giggling....it really makes it all worth it.




Interesting! I never even thought something like that would be an option. I'll have to remember that.

Our son is only 12. We're in our 40s. God/Science willing, we will have a long time to work something out. We really are trying to get him to be as independent as possible some day so who knows what his future could look like. There seem to be more and more options as years go on, which is nice.



I will reach out! It's always nice to chat about this stuff with people who get it.



Disneyland/WDW trips have been so great. I feel like my son can really be himself without being judged.

August of 1999 to around 2006….

 

[cruisehopeful]

Guess where I am.

 

[Chili327]

Had an AP from January 2005 - December 2007 and it was so wonderful.

August of 1999 to around 2006….

Interesting.. I lived in SoCal from 98 to 2009, and had a pass from probably 2003/4-ish to 2007.
I worked for KROQ from 2002 to 2007, any of you fans?

 

[AstroBlasters]

Interesting.. I lived in SoCal from 98 to 2009, and had a pass from probably 2003/4-ish to 2007.
I worked for KROQ from 2002 to 2007, any of you fans?

KROQ…. Absolutely!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Guess where I am.View attachment 1065297

Trader Sam’s?