Even Miracles Take A Little Time; a PTR 5 years in the making. NEW! Nov. 2 - Single Digits!

[teekathepony]

That is cool about the Disney Magic!


I know, I was pretty excited about it!

I am so excited for you about the Yacht Club ! How many places can I post dancing bananas???




Can't wait to hear your review and to see you pictures of the Yacht Club!!!
AHHHH! I keep kind of forgetting that we got YC and then remembering all over again and getting REALLY excited again!! I can't wait to take pictures of the whole place!

Speaking of pictures- is that yours above or someone elses? It is breathtaking!

AHh it's a Google find. My own... will be coming up soon! Eeeeee!

 

[MrsDrewsky]

Joining in! Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. So exciting to be celebrating at the Yacht Club! I can't wait to see the photos your take around the resort.

I 200% recommend taking a tour. KTTK was worth every penny and made us love WDW even more.

 

[jedijill]

Catching back up! Hopefully spring has sprung in your neck of the woods! How exciting that Disney is visiting your town!

Jill in CO

 

[teekathepony]

Joining in! Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. So exciting to be celebrating at the Yacht Club! I can't wait to see the photos your take around the resort.

I 200% recommend taking a tour. KTTK was worth every penny and made us love WDW even more.

Thank you!
I've heard so much good about the KTTK tour. It's a pretty serious contender!

Catching back up! Hopefully spring has sprung in your neck of the woods! How exciting that Disney is visiting your town!

Jill in CO

Well, we have the weather but melting all that snow is an ongoing process. Still, the warm temperatures and the sunshine are enough to give us hope!
Very excited to see the Disney ship next year!

 

[mlegerto]

Hey Wendy!

New to your PTR....read your 2013 and 2014 trip reports and had to see what you were up to for 2015!!

We are heading down to the world late August/Early September 2015 for our HONEYMOON - wooo! I am so glad that you got into the YC!

I DO love the BCV and have stayed there multiple times, but there is NO better feeling in the world than getting exactly what you wanted out of your trip. We were actually booked in at BCV until a couple of weeks ago when we were able to get into the Poly - I have ALWAYS wanted to stay at the Polynesia, but it was always out of our price range or unavailable. We are DVC members and now that they have opened the DVC portion, we are finally getting our chance - although we did have to pay OOP for 2 nights because of how many points this resort takes.

Anyways, just wanted to share in your excitement as I am feeling on top of the world in getting my hotel of choice too.

 

[teekathepony]

Hey Wendy!

New to your PTR....read your 2013 and 2014 trip reports and had to see what you were up to for 2015!!
!! Wow, you do your homework!

We are heading down to the world late August/Early September 2015 for our HONEYMOON - wooo! I am so glad that you got into the YC!
Oh how exciting!

I DO love the BCV and have stayed there multiple times, but there is NO better feeling in the world than getting exactly what you wanted out of your trip. We were actually booked in at BCV until a couple of weeks ago when we were able to get into the Poly - I have ALWAYS wanted to stay at the Polynesia, but it was always out of our price range or unavailable. We are DVC members and now that they have opened the DVC portion, we are finally getting our chance - although we did have to pay OOP for 2 nights because of how many points this resort takes.
That's so awesome, glad you are getting your chance to stay at the Poly!

Anyways, just wanted to share in your excitement as I am feeling on top of the world in getting my hotel of choice too.

 

[teekathepony]

Howdy folks!

Wow. It's been a while! I am still here, but it's been a very busy month. Again.

First what tied me up was this:

Shopping for and purchasing our new truck took some time! We do love it though. So worth it.

Also, I've been teaching another intermediate camera class, getting ready for a second intermediate class and another beginner camera class, going to weekly "Craft Social" nights, and just plain keeping busy.

Unfortunately last week we were busy for a whole different reason. Some of you may remember my requests for prayers/vibes for my cousin battling liver cancer. He lost his battle early Wednesday morning. We had lots of family home for the funeral and it was very comforting to spend time with them. His suffering was thankfully not prolonged and his parents are doing better than one would expect. If you can spare a thought, prayer, or vibe, please send it to my aunt for continued peace and healing.

Today is a new day and I have a little time before my photography students arrive so I'm updating a bit.

I'm finally under the 200 mark!

^^ This was yesterday so I'm actually at 198 today.

We are getting closer to our ADR day! And since the park hours were released, we've made a rough day to day plan including which park and which restaurant. It's at home, but I will share it with you, hopefully next time.

As you may have heard free dining was also announced today! It does cover our dates, but unfortunately when my MIL/TA FINALLY got through they told her that FD was all sold out for Yacht Club.

Soooo now we're torn... We really want YC and don't want to move resorts just to get free dining, but we were really hoping for that discount (especially after buying that truck!) The plan as of now is to wait and see if I get a Pin. I've been getting them each season so far, so here's hoping! Cross your fingers for me!

 

[KatMark]

Wendy, again my sympathies to you and all of your family on your loss. I will continue to keep your aunt in my prayers.

Nice new truck.

That's too bad that you couldn't get the FD at Yacht Club. I've read horror stories on FB about people waiting 2 hours to get through and then their dates aren't covered or they had to switch resorts.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you get that pin.

 

[jedijill]

So sorry for your loss.

Love the truck.

Stinks about missing out on FD. I was going to let me SIL know but it doesn't start until the day they leave.

Jill in CO

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Fingers crossed for the pin and thoughts and prayers sent for you and your family

 

[MEK]

Wendy - I do remember you mentioning your cousin, but I really forgot about it. I am SO very sorry to hear that he passed. This must be a terrible time for your entire family. Prayers to your aunt.

On to happier news - I think your new truck is awesome. I think its great you are teaching so many classes.

I have noticed that there's limited availability for a lot of resorts. I just think your MIL should just keep checking. I bet they open up more availability. It's Disney playing their games.

yay for under 200 days!

 

[Nermel9]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Wow, awesome new truck!

That's too bad about the Yacht Club and FD. Everything gets booked SO fast now, it's so obnoxious. You can always keep checking to see if a room opens up, a lot of people cancel, or change resorts, but hopefully you will get a pin so you can stay there either way!

 

[teekathepony]

Wendy, again my sympathies to you and all of your family on your loss. I will continue to keep your aunt in my prayers.
Thank you so much Kathy, it means a lot.

Nice new truck.
Thanks! We sure do like it. Johnny likes when we run out of bread or milk so he can take the truck for a spin.

That's too bad that you couldn't get the FD at Yacht Club. I've read horror stories on FB about people waiting 2 hours to get through and then their dates aren't covered or they had to switch resorts.
In past years it hasn't been an issue, so I wasn't worried, just excited. I've never seen anything like this!

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you get that pin.
Thanks, that would solve a lot of problems!

So sorry for your loss.
Thank you.

Love the truck.
Me too!

Stinks about missing out on FD. I was going to let me SIL know but it doesn't start until the day they leave.
Ahh too bad!

Jill in CO

Fingers crossed for the pin and thoughts and prayers sent for you and your family

Thank you, on both counts.

Wendy - I do remember you mentioning your cousin, but I really forgot about it. I am SO very sorry to hear that he passed. This must be a terrible time for your entire family. Prayers to your aunt.
Thanks Mary Ellen, I really appreciate it.

On to happier news - I think your new truck is awesome. I think its great you are teaching so many classes.
We really love that truck! lol And I'm so glad the classes have caught on like they did, it sure helps to pay for Disney!

I have noticed that there's limited availability for a lot of resorts. I just think your MIL should just keep checking. I bet they open up more availability. It's Disney playing their games.
It's really too bad how restricted it is this year. Very limited. She said she's going to keep checking for us though!

yay for under 200 days!

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you

Wow, awesome new truck!
Ahhh we love it!

That's too bad about the Yacht Club and FD. Everything gets booked SO fast now, it's so obnoxious. You can always keep checking to see if a room opens up, a lot of people cancel, or change resorts, but hopefully you will get a pin so you can stay there either way!
Obnoxious is the perfect word for it. I'm definitely going to keep checking, but yeah, really hoping for a pin!

 

[mlegerto]

Unfortunately last week we were busy for a whole different reason. Some of you may remember my requests for prayers/vibes for my cousin battling liver cancer. He lost his battle early Wednesday morning. We had lots of family home for the funeral and it was very comforting to spend time with them. His suffering was thankfully not prolonged and his parents are doing better than one would expect. If you can spare a thought, prayer, or vibe, please send it to my aunt for continued peace and healing.

I am so sorry for your loss. At least he is no longer in pain. . Thinking of you and your family

 

[deedee2177]

I'm so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.

Congrats on the new truck.

I'm sorry about not getting FD at YC. I was one of those people on hold yesterday for 2 hours! Thankfully it worked out for us...we in fact upgraded from a value to a moderate and it ended saving us about $200. My fingers and toes are crossed that you get a pin code!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh Wendy, Thoughts are with you and your family for your loss.

I don't have much experience with Free Dining since it's not really something that benefits me, but WOW, I was watching the chaos and it was selling out quick. Crazy. Thankfully, I'm more interested in room discounts, so thankfully that was released as well. Here's hoping for your PIN!!!

 

[Tracy161]

Oh, Wendy, I'm so very sorry to hear about your family's loss. Please know I'm sending prayers and thoughts to you all.

Awesome truck!

Woohoo on being under 200 days!!!

Ugh, I'm coming up with issues with obtaining free dining myself... hoping something pans out for us both!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed you can get a pin!

 

[teekathepony]

I am so sorry for your loss. At least he is no longer in pain. . Thinking of you and your family

Thank you very much

I'm so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.
Thank you

Congrats on the new truck.
Thanks! We're pretty excited.

I'm sorry about not getting FD at YC. I was one of those people on hold yesterday for 2 hours! Thankfully it worked out for us...we in fact upgraded from a value to a moderate and it ended saving us about $200. My fingers and toes are crossed that you get a pin code!!
I'm very glad to hear it worked out so well for you! And an upgrade to boot!

Oh Wendy, Thoughts are with you and your family for your loss.
Thanks Rob

I don't have much experience with Free Dining since it's not really something that benefits me, but WOW, I was watching the chaos and it was selling out quick. Crazy. Thankfully, I'm more interested in room discounts, so thankfully that was released as well. Here's hoping for your PIN!!!
It was Bedlam watching it go. I can't believe how hard it was for people to get! I'd be more interested in the room discounts too, so if a room rate comes out, I just really, really hope I can get that one! (OR a pin!)

Oh, Wendy, I'm so very sorry to hear about your family's loss. Please know I'm sending prayers and thoughts to you all.
Thank you Tracy, it's much appreciated.

Awesome truck!
Thanks! We sure like it.

Woohoo on being under 200 days!!!
It was an exciting day!!

Ugh, I'm coming up with issues with obtaining free dining myself... hoping something pans out for us both!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed you can get a pin!

Oh no!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you too!

 

[teekathepony]

Hello everyone! I'm sorry... again.

I have a couple of minor confessions to make.

1. I'm finding myself a little too busy to regularly do the Dis. Between outdoor activities, family, friends, craft nights, teaching multiple levels of photography classes, and my paintings (I've started accepting commissions! Eeek!) I'm keeping quite busy, in the best of ways.

My desktop computer really stinks too, so that doesn't help. I keep saying I plan to do more Dising, and I really do mean to, but for now let's just say, I'll do what I can to keep up with all of you. I enjoy hearing about your trips and that's the part I miss when I'm not around.


2. I was a little bit disenchanted with Disney lately. I know, I know, how does that even happen?? It's a long-ish story and I will tell it.

3. I almost cancelled my Disney trip. Say whaaa!? Yep. It got stressful.

Here are the stories leading up to that.

So you all knew that in the beginning we wanted Yacht Club, couldn't get it, booked Beach Club, found availability, switched to YC. We were hoping for free dining, but as per my last update, it was sold out for YC.

We had a pretty big decision to make. Do we pay full price for YC? (Ouch!) Or do we switch to a cheaper resort? Nothing had any free dining left and we were both feeling very disappointed (yes, with Disney.) It might be unfair to feel hurt about not getting a free promotion, but we were counting on it more than anything to allow us to spring for the more expensive resort, not to mention historically we've never had a problem getting the promo. We were very torn about what to do, but we decided to wait it out and see what came up, and if I might possibly get a pin.

I did. I got the pin. 30% off room! Perfect!

But instead of feeling excited, I felt cautious.

With good reason!

Johnny and I talked about what to do in case the pin didn't work out for us and we came to the conclusion that we just could not justify the amount of money to stay at YC with no discounts, and that at that point, we would take any other resort where we could get the pin or free dining.

And in just the same spirit as the rest of this planning has gone for us, the pin had limited rooms available and they were of course, all sold out at the YC. And the BC. And the BW. And literally everywhere except AKL (safari view) and Pop Century. We grabbed the AKL room since even with the safari view, with the pin, it was a little cheaper than YC.

So we debated. What to do?

It wasn't quite what we had wanted, but it was still an incredible resort with an amazing view. But! We had stayed there before and really wanted to do something different. Even though it was cheaper, it was still a lot of money for something that wasn't what we wished for. Do we go for Pop Century? If it's not what we want, we might as well go cheap! But it's our anniversary and we hoped it would be special, and we've done Pop several times. What about a moderate? What about... cancelling?

At this point, I was feeling quite negatively toward Disney. It's the most shameful admission any good Dis'er could make guys, but it's the truth. Nothing was working out right, and nothing was working out easy.

Know what we did during that time? Booked a trip to Mexico.

Yep, next April we're doing the all-inclusive thing for the very first time. What did that do to our Disney trip? Made us wonder if we could save even more money!

Tomorrow is ADR day. We had our ADRs all planned out and ready to go... for when we were staying at YC! And we did make it a very Epcot-centric list because of that. So with our new changes in resort, we figured we should make some dining changes to reflect that. We got all geared up to tackle our list and with thoughts of Boma swirling in our heads, Johnny got on his iPad and I opened my laptop to take on the challenge. As Johnny scrolled through the Disney site he stopped to see if any more free dining availability had opened up, just in case.

It had.

A whole list of resorts with free dining availability that weren't there before! Unfortunately there were no Epcot area resorts, but there was one resort that was next on my list, with a woods view and nearly another $1000 cheaper than what we were currently paying at AKL!

Wilderness Lodge!

If I can't be in the Epcot area, then the MK area would sure be nice! And hey, it's close to Fort Wilderness, and the fort has ponies.

Before we went through the trouble of re-doing dining for AK area, we called our trusty TA (My MIL) and asked her if she could get us switched. A half hour later and it was done! We were switched, again, this time to the Wilderness Lodge in a woods view room.

So THEN we re-did our dining. Not a whole lot changed.

Here's what I'm hoping for tomorrow morning:

Wednesday, Nov. 11 (arrival day): Via Napoli ~8:00pm
Yes, Via Napoli made it back in! We just couldn't go without it. We have a very early arrival time of 11:00am, so we're pretty sure we'll be just fine to make a reservation this day.

Thursday, Nov. 12: Rose & Crown ~8:00pm
This is not our only IllumiNations day, so I don't mind taking a chance to see if we can watch from the patio. If not, no worries!

Friday, Nov. 13: Tusker House ~10:00am
Something new for us both, excited to try a late breakfast here. It's our only scheduled AK day.

Saturday, Nov. 14: 1st priority: Be Our Guest for breakfast, lunch and dinner, whatever I can get. ***
If I can't get that, then we want 1900 Park Fare for dinner.

Sunday, Nov. 15: T-Rex ~5:00pm
Our first scheduled rest day and Downtown Disney day. (Disney Springs? When do we switch that?)

Monday, Nov. 16: Mama Melrose ~7:00pm
Never done this restaurant before, and this is our only scheduled Hollywood Studios day. We wanted to see the Osborne Lights turn on, then go have some dinner, then head back to watch the lights some more.

Tuesday, Nov. 17: Kona 9:00am + Whispering Canyon ~3:00pm
This works especially well now that we're actually staying at WL! A late morning with breakfast at Kona, a day at MK, a short rest back at the room, then an early dinner at Whispering Canyon so that we can get back to the MVMCP early!

Wednesday, Nov. 18: Nine Dragons ~4:00pm
An early dinner at a new restaurant so that we have lots of time to get to our favourite IllumiNations spot!

Thursday, Nov. 19: *** 1st priority: BOG breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If not, then 1900 park fare for dinner.
Sound familiar? Here's the story: We actually want BOG on the Saturday, but it's quite early in our trip. I've heard so many horror stories about November ADRs that I wanted to give myself a good +10 day head start on BOG, so I'm going to try to get it this day. If I get it, I will try to also get it for the previous Saturday. If I get both, I'll cancel this day and do 1900 PF.

Friday, Nov. 20: Raglan Road ~6:00pm
A new restaurant for Johnny, and my first time there in 8 years. An easy day with no plans.

Saturday, Nov. 21: Nothing, we have an early departure.

So there you have it! That's the new list of plans! Wish me luck tomorrow morning (I haven't had any yet!!)

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I'm sorry disney was being a pain! My DH always reminds me that there are lots of places to visit besides just Disney, which I know, but I understand how a Mexico trip would be awesome, but not Disney....

I'm glad it all worked out. Your ADRs sound great. I'll be excited to hear about whispering canyon. We've never gone but I want to try it someday