Free Dining Designing!

[Chicago Mo]

oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh DVC

Which resort??? here is some pixi dust hoping for your ADR openings!!!

How is everyone doing???

 

[lovedonaldduck]

oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh DVC

Which resort??? here is some pixi dust hoping for your ADR openings!!!

How is everyone doing???

I have been completely sold on DVC since I first heard about it. And then, even more so the first time we rented points. There is a small OKW resale contract that my annual bonus might actually cover - very hard to resist.

I'm not sure what my parents' budget is going to be for DVC. I've priced out a bunch of resales for them and it looks like their money will go farthest at SSR. I will definitely keep you posted as they move forward.

We are all doing well. I'm still swamped at work from all of the working remotely last week. My boss is out of the office for the rest of the week, so I'm hoping that will give me a good chance to get caught up. DH got a call last night from a friend of his that works for the company he interviewed with a couple of weeks ago - there is going to be a position opening up on his team and his boss is interested in my husband for the job! He was going to contact the people that had initially interviewed DH to see if they were planning on hiring him and if not he's going to interview him for the position. I think I made that more confusing - but it boils down to DH being considered for 2 positions at this company and knowing that the boss for one of them is very interested in him. Peyton has 11.5 days left in 2nd grade! We got an email from the teacher this morning to please remind the kids that they can still learn up to the last day Charlotte is doing pretty well. We are past the daily battles on getting dressed and doing her hair. Bedtime is not what I want it to be, she still won't go to sleep in her big girl bed without me laying with her. I talked to her about it this morning and we are going to try something different tonight. Fingers crossed. I mentioned on D~'s report this morning, but I think she is officially potty trained! One or two accidents at school last week but none at home in the last 2 weeks! She is doing great. My mom has a doctor's appointment today and physical therapy tomorrow. Dad is supposed to call me with an update after her appointment. I talked to him last night and he seems to be coping ok. He's worried that he's not been doing things right with her - he went to work for a couple of hours and left her at home alone and they went to the grocery store together but it was too much for her so she ended up sitting on a bench while he did the shopping. He's just being too hard on himself, but I hope the doctor can give him some specific guidelines on what he should be doing. He also told me that he wished he'd asked us more questions while she was in the hospital - which was a little difficult since he was in Afghanistan and not able to call very often. I think it all boils down to him regretting not being here when it happpened.

I have been stalking dining reservations but nothing has opened up yet. Anybody have any experience with this during free dining? We've never done a free dining trip before, but on all of our other trips we've had things open up and been able to get into all the restaurants we've wanted. I'm wondering if things open up with free dining or if people are more set with their initial reservations?

I've also been wondering about trying a signature restaurant or Hoop Dee Do Review since our dining will be on Disney this trip. We've done HDDR before but not since we've had Charlotte so I thought it might be fun to let her experience it. I'll have to talk to DH and my parents to get their thoughts.

DH and I had talked about tickets and we decided to go ahead and book 7 day tickets with our package, even though we are planning on only 4 park days. This would allow us to upgrade to seasonal passes for under $30 for our family of 4.

The last couple years we've gotten our Christmas pictures taken while we're at Disney. We've scheduled the mini photo shoots with Disney Fine Art Photography. DH loves it because he hates going to portrait studios and I make him do family pictures once a year, regardless. He thinks this is the least painful option. I've been thinking of sacrificing a park day to get our pictures done while we are there. I'm on the fence about this, since I can't even contemplate which park we'd skip, but since we are planning seasonal passes, I know we'd be able to hit whatever park we miss on a day trip or a weekend trip in the future. I need to give this some more thought.

Off to work for me!

 

[Chicago Mo]

I did not realize you lived IN Florida!

More prayers for your family. I hope your Dad talks to the Doc and he tells him your Dad is doing a WONDERFUL JOB... Big Hugs to you all on this hard time. like everything else IT WILL BE OK!!!


I would LOVE DVC.. I just don't see us going very often. Plus i am a family of 5. which i would need A LOT of space. especially when the kids get older..

I would call everyday to see if anything has opened for you... that's what i do.. PLUS i love calling Disney...

 

[lovedonaldduck]

I did not realize you lived IN Florida!

More prayers for your family. I hope your Dad talks to the Doc and he tells him your Dad is doing a WONDERFUL JOB... Big Hugs to you all on this hard time. like everything else IT WILL BE OK!!!


I would LOVE DVC.. I just don't see us going very often. Plus i am a family of 5. which i would need A LOT of space. especially when the kids get older..

I would call everyday to see if anything has opened for you... that's what i do.. PLUS i love calling Disney...

Yep, we are right here in sunny Florida! About 2.5 hours from our house to Mickey's house. I could do the drive in my sleep.

I'm not sure dad got any reassurance from the doctor yesterday, he didn't mention it. He did say that my mom has had many, many strokes prior to the ones a couple of weeks ago. They were all small "reroute" strokes so she probably had no symptoms. So scary. They are thinking the high cholesterol was the cause on the ones she had symptoms from - although high blood pressure, smoking, and drinking contributed. She is going to have to change her diet, quit smoking, and quit drinking per yesterday's visit. She's doing good with the smoking so far. I'm very proud of her. Today is her first physical therapy appointment.

I have the opposite problem with DVC - we're so close I don't think I could find a contract (or afford it) with enough points to cover all the trips we could take. When it's just the 4 of us, a studio is still enough room. When we travel with my parents, a 2 bedroom is ideal. I also rent points each year for our girls weekend at Food and Wine Festival. This was supposed to be our year off from Disney and we've already spent a week over Spring Break and I'm planning something for the Fall

I keep checking the website for our dining - haven't seen anything open up yet but there is still a lot of time.

No update on our November plans. I did decide this morning that I need to price out our December dates, just in case those will work better with my dad's schedule. Question on December - would you come home on 12/23 or 12/24? We most likely won't do a park on that last day so it will just be breakfast at the hotel and then driving home. I'd imagine we'll get home by 3 at the latest.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Sorry can't help on the December question. November was BEAUTIFUL!!!


Glad your Mom is slowly getting better!!!

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Sorry can't help on the December question. November was BEAUTIFUL!!!


Glad your Mom is slowly getting better!!!

OMG! My computer is having a serious issue with the DIS this morning. It took me forever to get a reply to work.

We've done two trips over Thanksgiving and an early December trip. I'm worried about the holiday crowds so close to Christmas and the prices are quite a bit higher too. I'm hoping the November dates will work out.

Thanks! I'm really happy with my mom's progress. I didn't talk to my parents last night, things were a little too hectic, but I'll find out today how physical therapy went.

No new dining has opened up yet. I mentioned HDDR to DH last night and he is on board. I'm thinking of doing Mama Melrose, HDDR, and Trail's End - if I can talk the family into skipping Raglan Road. I think it would be awesome to have 2 dining reservations at the resort (if we end up doing FWC), 2 nights of not dealing with transportation and sticking close to home would give us a little bit more relaxing of a trip. We'll see how it works out.

The terrible 2s are killing me! Last night there was a book fair at Peyton's school. There was also a 5 car pile up on I-95 so I was much later than normal picking up Charlotte. We went straight home and picked Peyton up and headed to the book fair. Charlotte had a complete melt down because she didn't like the stroller that I brought (her brand new stroller purchased for our Spring Break Disney trip that I love, and she loved until last night). She insisted on bringing her blanket and her Sophia the First doll into the book fair. When I suggested that she leave them in the car, she threw them across the parking lot. We made it into the book fair and started browsing books. Charlotte wanted a Frozen book but they didn't have any. Another fit as I suggested Doc and Sophia books, princess books, animal books. Then she decided she needed to go potty, I asked Peyton to show us where the closest one was. When we got there Charlotte threw a fit because she didn't want her sister to show her where the bathroom was. Then she wouldn't go potty. The whole book fair went on like this and I couldn't just grab her and leave - I had come straight from work so I was wearing a dress and Charlotte spent most of the time having fits on the floor, there was no graceful way to scoop her up and get out of there while carrying her blanket, Sophia, and the books we were buying. Finally get out to the car (with the assistance of a teacher to get Charlotte off the floor, how embarassing). In the car Charlotte threw a fit about getting into her car seat, took off her shoes and threw them at Peyton and I, climbed into the front seat, threw her sippy cup into the windshield, and screamed at the top of her lungs for maybe 30 minutes. Her tantrums are so uncontrollable and easily provoked, DH and I are thinking there might be something more than the terrible 2s going on. I'll be asking the doctor about it on Tuesday when we go for her ear re-check.

I may not make it back to these parts until Tuesday. Have a great long weekend and remember all those who lost their lives defending this amazing country!

 

[lovedonaldduck]

So, there is news on the trip front. I mentioned to my parents this weekend that we were thinking of staying in a cabin in November and they don't want to. They don't want just one bathroom for the 6 of us. So, I'll be heading over to the Disney website later to cancel our cabin reservation and move of to Pop Century.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. Pool party with friends on Saturday, dinner and swimming at my parents' on Sunday, and a trip to the Alligator Farm yesterday. I am behind on laundry and housework but we did have a great weekend so I'm not going to complain!

Some not so great news this morning, Charlotte has been referred to an ENT. We'll go in the next 2 weeks to see what he thinks about tubes. Not looking forward to that.

 

[disneychic2]

Oh Jennifer, i'm sorry I wasn't on the DIS for two weeks while you were going through all of these problems!! I'm glad your Mom is doing better and that your Dad made it home. What a scary time for you all! I'm sure your Dad regrets not being there, but he's there now and is doing all he can, so I hope he doesn't feel guilty. How could anyone anticipate something like that?

Good that your Mom hasn't been smoking since the stroke. I saw the whole "smoking" discussion over on D~'s report and I agree that people have to quit when THEY are ready, not because everyone wants them to or because it makes good sense to do so. It's just so heartbreaking to watch people shorten their lives, but the dependence on nicotine is such a hard thing to break. I really feel for people who struggle with this!

I hope you'll be able to get rooms at Pop for your preferred dates. I think I would prefer that to the cabins anyway. As far as if you go in December, I would leave on the 23rd. In fact, I wouldn't go that close to Christmas at all. I hope your Dad can do the November dates since that would no doubt be better crowd levels.

Have you heard anything about hubby's job interview(s)? That's pretty awesome that he may have two opportunities to work there! Keep us posted.

Maybe Charlotte's ears are bothering her more than she can say. That behavior at the book fair seems a bit extreme, but then, who knows what goes on in the head of a two year old? Being a parent is the most rewarding job there is, but it is also one of the most frustrating in the world. Just know that this will pass, like everything else. You're doing a fine job with your girls, Jennifer, and don't forget that!

I hope you have a fabulous day and week, my friend. Why not re-schedule that date night you missed out on. I think you could use a little "pampering" right about now.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Sounds like Everyone has a case of the terrible 2's!
Sorry to hear all this!!!

I didn't have terrible 2's i had the 3's which were overly whiny!!!

 

[disneychic2]

Just thinking of you and hoping everything is okay with you. Hope your Mom is doing lots better.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Sorry I have been MIA from my own PTR. There aren't enough hours in the day!

Oh Jennifer, i'm sorry I wasn't on the DIS for two weeks while you were going through all of these problems!! I'm glad your Mom is doing better and that your Dad made it home. What a scary time for you all! I'm sure your Dad regrets not being there, but he's there now and is doing all he can, so I hope he doesn't feel guilty. How could anyone anticipate something like that?

Good that your Mom hasn't been smoking since the stroke. I saw the whole "smoking" discussion over on D~'s report and I agree that people have to quit when THEY are ready, not because everyone wants them to or because it makes good sense to do so. It's just so heartbreaking to watch people shorten their lives, but the dependence on nicotine is such a hard thing to break. I really feel for people who struggle with this!

I hope you'll be able to get rooms at Pop for your preferred dates. I think I would prefer that to the cabins anyway. As far as if you go in December, I would leave on the 23rd. In fact, I wouldn't go that close to Christmas at all. I hope your Dad can do the November dates since that would no doubt be better crowd levels.

Have you heard anything about hubby's job interview(s)? That's pretty awesome that he may have two opportunities to work there! Keep us posted.

Maybe Charlotte's ears are bothering her more than she can say. That behavior at the book fair seems a bit extreme, but then, who knows what goes on in the head of a two year old? Being a parent is the most rewarding job there is, but it is also one of the most frustrating in the world. Just know that this will pass, like everything else. You're doing a fine job with your girls, Jennifer, and don't forget that!

I hope you have a fabulous day and week, my friend. Why not re-schedule that date night you missed out on. I think you could use a little "pampering" right about now.

My parents are doing well. I actually had to have them pick Peyton up from school yesterday and take her to the doctor - it ended up just being a symptom (ear pain) of the strep throat she was diagnosed with on Saturday. They picked Charlotte up after naptime and spent the afternoon with the girls. Peyton said mom didn't use her walker at all And mom is still not smoking - so proud of her!

I did miss you when you were gone, glad to have you back now!

I'll fill in on where we are booked below I'm still mulling our December dates, in case dad isn't home in November. I think I'll tie those down next week.

No news on DH's job interview which at this point seems like bad news. I feel bad for him, he is in a very frustrating job situation and he's having such a hard time finding another opportunity that is a good fit for his experience.

Charlotte's tantrums seemed to have calmed down a bit, but I know they were quite extreme on a few occassions. She is very strong willed, so the doctor suggested giving her choices - she still has to do what I want, but she gets some say in it - "would you like to put on your pants or shirt first?". That and ignoring the tantrums seems to help. I've also been trying to help her get more sleep - she is a different little girl if she wakes up on her own in the morning. For that matter, so am I!

DH and I did end up getting away for a date this past weekend. It was great to have some one on one time, especially given our work schedules right now!

Sounds like Everyone has a case of the terrible 2's!
Sorry to hear all this!!!

I didn't have terrible 2's i had the 3's which were overly whiny!!!

I was told, and remember, that 3 is worse than 2! We're assuming that this is actually Charlotte's 3 year old phase since she's past the 2.5 point now. We are going through a very stressful time at work right now and something went wrong yesterday afternoon - I literally stomped my feet and got up from my desk to go to the restroom. When I came back, the problem was resolved so apparently temper tantrums do work!

Just thinking of you and hoping everything is okay with you. Hope your Mom is doing lots better.

Thanks for checking in! Sorry I've been MIA.


I do not like the month of June. DH has one day off in the next 2 weeks - next Saturday. Then Sunday he heads out of town for a week. When he gets back, I most likely will be heading out of town for a couple of days. Not fun!

At her last recheck, Charlotte still had fluid in her ears so we were referred to the ENT. That appointment is on the 12th. As I mentioned above, Peyton has strep throat. Her last day of 2nd grade is Friday!

I can't even explain my work situation right now. Frustrating, overwhelming workload, and unrealistic expectations start to sum it up.

That being said, Disney has not been at the top of my priority list. After mom said no to the cabins, I checked our dates online and Pop was no longer available. I wanted to run ASSports by DH before booking but didn't have a chance to talk to him about it. When I checked again, Pop was available, but only a preferred room, which made it about $200 more than ASSports - not worth it for dedicated busses IMO. The next time I checked, there were no value resorts available at all! I started playing with our dates and found some availability but I just wasn't happy with the change. So, finally yesterday I went ahead and booked a family suite at AoA! I'm excited, I've wanted to stay there since they opened. My mom has too, and having a 2nd bathroom will allow us to all stay together more comfortably than in a cabin. It also works out financially (for us) because we will split the cost right down the middle with my parents - so they will actually be paying for tickets for one of the girls I'm not taking advantage, they won't mind, nor would they let us pay more than them to cover both girls.

I plan on being around more frequently, I can't see it affecting the job one way or the other.

 

[Chicago Mo]

YAY!!! AoA!!!! which rooms?!?!

I understand about work.. i am swamped here too.. but need to take some time for the DIS!!!!

 

[lovedonaldduck]

We had to just book a family suite, none of the specific room options were available. Probably for the best, I wouldn't have been able to choose between Lion King and Nemo. We have never watched Cars all the way through, so that would be the one I wouldn't want to get. I'm thinking the month or so leading up to the trip we'll have 3 movie nights with my parents and watch all the movies. That way we'll appreciate the details whereever we end up a little bit more.

I can't wait to eat in that food court again - so good!

I'm also going to have 4 planning nights before our FP+ date, one for each park. It's really hard to get input from everyone and when I make all the decisions on my own, I try too hard to please everyone and anything that anybody complains about on the trip, I tend to take a little personally. So, I figure a themed dinner and plugging everyone's must dos into Touring Plans and we can all plan together. Hopefully I'll be able to get everyone's buy in this way.

They all of a sudden have crazy expectations at work so I figured if I'm going to stay sane, I'm going to have to make time for some things that I want to do

 

[disneychic2]

I'm so glad your Mom's getting better! I was a little worried when you were gone for a bit longer than usual.

That's exciting that you are booking AOA suites. And of course your parents would want to split down the middle! That's what parents do. That's a nice thing for your budget, too. Now as long as your Dad doesn't have to go out of the country, you're all set! I wish I could afford to pay for a vacation for all four of our kids and their families. That would be the ultimate trip for me!!

Your idea to have planning nights is a good one. Also watching all the movies is always a good idea! No matter what theme you get, I know the girls will love staying there! And I've heard such great things about the food court.

Oh, poor Peyton! strep throat is no fun. I hope she's better and was able to go to her last day of school today. And I hope Charlotte's dr visit goes well on the 12th. Our little neighbor boy who got the tubes in his ears is doing so well now. He is even talking better (he's only 19 mos) and he always used to have a raspy breath and no longer has that. I'm never a fan of children just automatically getting the tubes, but sometime, it's just necessary. I hope it all works out for little Charlotte. She's been through so much already.

I am sorry you are so swamped with work! Did your hubby hear anything about the interviews he went on? Sometimes they are so slow to make a decision when hiring people! I hope you'll be able to enjoy your weekend and that it is a great one!

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Mom is fine, work is not. I took the whole day off yesterday, didn't fire up my work laptop at all and didn't even look at email. I may do the same today. The girls and I will be heading over to my parents' house in a bit, just some chores to get done first.

My parents are always very generous with us on our trips - they pick up some meals and last trip even covered our tickets. We really appreciate it, it helps us get to go as often as we do.

I think a 4 night trip is perfect for us to try AoA, if it's not enough space for all of us, at least it won't be too long. We checked out AoA on our Pop trip last year and ate in the food court - definitely looking forward to staying there!

Peyton made it through the last day of school. We had a few hours just the 2 of us after school. I surprised her with a portrait session and a grown up girls lunch, we had a lot of fun. I'm anxious to hear what the ENT will recommend for Charlotte.

DH hasn't heard anything about the interviews yet, so we aren't holding out much hope. We're having a good weekend so far.

No trip news to report.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Finally some trip news to report! We took my parents out to lunch yesterday for Father's Day and my dad has his travel schedule for the rest of the year. He will be home for the November dates that I was considering! Everyone was good with staying at AoA, but my dad is willing to spring for a 2-bedroom villa. I'm going to do a little bit more pricing - just want to see what the military discount could do for us (I know we won't get free dining that way) and also check out 2-bedroom villa options with free dining.

We also talked about our dining reservations - I think everyone is on board with Mama Melrose, Raglan Road, and the Hoop Dee Do Review. I'm going to get some planning nights on the calendar so we'll be ready to book our FP+. Also need to make Cooper's reservation at Best Friends Pet Care.

I'm so happy to be moving forward with our plans!

 

[DMGeurts]

Sorry I've been MIA from your PTR... I am finding it impossible to keep up everywhere... One more week, and things should be back to semi-normal for me.

Glad to hear that everyone is OK with AoA... but a 2 bedroom villa sounds nice too. I am sure you will do well with either.

And your dining sounds awesome too... I would LOVE to try HDDR some day... It's on my bucket list, but for some reason, we never end up doing it.

Happy Father's Day to your DH. And I hope you're having a nice weekend.

D~

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Sorry I've been MIA from your PTR... I am finding it impossible to keep up everywhere... One more week, and things should be back to semi-normal for me.

Glad to hear that everyone is OK with AoA... but a 2 bedroom villa sounds nice too. I am sure you will do well with either.

And your dining sounds awesome too... I would LOVE to try HDDR some day... It's on my bucket list, but for some reason, we never end up doing it.

Happy Father's Day to your DH. And I hope you're having a nice weekend.

D~

I'm fine keeping up with you on your PTR for now - I know you are super busy!

I priced out a 2-bedroom villa with free dining today - staying at SSR would be an extra $1400! I think that's way too much, but since it's my parents money, I will let them decide. I still need to call Disney so I can price out some military discount options. Maybe if the girls go to bed at a decent time tonight.

We did HDDR on our second trip - Peyton was 3.5 and we really enjoyed it. We've all wanted to do it again but we've been waiting until we thought Charlotte was ready. She'll turn 3 before this trip, so I think she'll be old enough. Plus, it's pretty pricey, so free dining feels like the perfect time to do it. Also, with one day at each park this trip, it saves trying to schedule a dining reservation on our Epcot day. We enjoy snacks and counter service on our Epcot days, so a sit down meal isn't that appealing, unless we have more than one Epcot day.

 

[Chicago Mo]

I can't wait to hear your Parent's decision!

Ohh Cooper in the hotel? I wanna see pictures of that!!!

 

[disneychic2]

Finally some trip news to report! We took my parents out to lunch yesterday for Father's Day and my dad has his travel schedule for the rest of the year. He will be home for the November dates that I was considering! Everyone was good with staying at AoA, but my dad is willing to spring for a 2-bedroom villa. I'm going to do a little bit more pricing - just want to see what the military discount could do for us (I know we won't get free dining that way) and also check out 2-bedroom villa options with free dining.

We also talked about our dining reservations - I think everyone is on board with Mama Melrose, Raglan Road, and the Hoop Dee Do Review. I'm going to get some planning nights on the calendar so we'll be ready to book our FP+. Also need to make Cooper's reservation at Best Friends Pet Care.

I'm so happy to be moving forward with our plans!

I'm fine keeping up with you on your PTR for now - I know you are super busy!

I priced out a 2-bedroom villa with free dining today - staying at SSR would be an extra $1400! I think that's way too much, but since it's my parents money, I will let them decide. I still need to call Disney so I can price out some military discount options. Maybe if the girls go to bed at a decent time tonight.

We did HDDR on our second trip - Peyton was 3.5 and we really enjoyed it. We've all wanted to do it again but we've been waiting until we thought Charlotte was ready. She'll turn 3 before this trip, so I think she'll be old enough. Plus, it's pretty pricey, so free dining feels like the perfect time to do it. Also, with one day at each park this trip, it saves trying to schedule a dining reservation on our Epcot day. We enjoy snacks and counter service on our Epcot days, so a sit down meal isn't that appealing, unless we have more than one Epcot day.

So happy your Dad will be around for the trip as planned!!! As far as the villa, I think that would be awesome! Have you looked into renting points for the villas instead of going through Disney Travel? Check out Dave's DVC rentals. He has it set up so you can plug in your dates and see what each DVC property needs for points. Each point is $12 or $13 or in that vicinity. Could be a whole lot cheaper option.

Also…hold the phone! You were asking about books to download for trips. I am a member of Travel Zoo and they send me offers all the time. In fact that was how we went on our weekend last week at half price. Anyhow, I just got an offer for books for vacation. Here's the link: http://www.travelzoo.com/entertainm...al:122652&utm_content=1782719&tz_adid=1782719
Joining Travel Zoo is free, so check it out, it may be just what you're looking for! Hope so!

Have a great day!