Poohshoney
<font color=6666CC>Ya-ya sister!<br><font color=gr
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2001
- Messages
- 1,155
because this will be long...
Me 54, DH 49
February 2016. 74 days to go
As I write this, I'm trapped upstairs with huge snowflakes drifting past the window. We're having new tiles laid downstairs and I'm not allowed to walk on whatever the vile smelling grey stuff is. I've had a slice of toast with avocado and reread my first WDW trip report from 2002. Despite the smell, life feels good. I booked our holiday last June and wondered about writing a pre-trip report ever since but the time never seemed right. It does now, so here goes.
We were going to go for my 50th birthday but life got in the way. We decided to buy a house, great excitement. There are worse things to get in the way of a Disney trip and if I was honest, I was a bit scared of going in August anyway. Hurricane season.
Unfortunately, it took us three and a half years to find the right house for us but once we did, it was all worth the wait. We love our house, have the nicest neighbours on the planet, (really), and just two houses separate us from rolling fields, trees and vineyards. It's perfect for us. But buying a house is a wonderously expensive undertaking and I didn't think we'd be going to Disney again for a very very long time. Oh ye of little faith.
This year is a special one for us. DH turns fifty, we celebrate 20 years of married bliss, (smiles smugly at all those who said we'd never last), and 25 years as a couple. That's a lot for one year. DH was adament that he wanted to be away on his birthday. He's like the majority of people and doesn't like the idea of turning 50, (not me, I'd longed to be fifty since I could count, don't know why). So where would we go? His first choice was Norway. Then Scotland. Then a few other places and finally he thought it might be Disney World. He just couldn't/wouldn't decide. The suspense was killing me. Really, I couldn't take it. Once I'd pointed this out, he decided and Disneyworld it was. To say I was excited was putting it more than mildly. Oh boy, was I excited.
Let the planning commence! Now I love planning more than most things on the planet. If researching was in the olympics, I'd be odds-on favourite for the gold every time. But Disney planning is in a league of its own... Pure bliss.
We started with the flights and I fell out with Lufthansa. We couldn't believe our luck when we found out they'd introduced direct flights from Frankfurt to MCO. I picked dates, DH approved them and I started checking the prices. Very irritating. I could fly via Frankfurt from seemingly every point in the world cheaper than I could fly FROM Frankfurt. On the self same flights other people were changing to and we're talking hundreds here. Heck, I could even go to Stuttgart, an hour in the wrong direction, spend two hours on a train to Fankfurt and catch the same flight for a couple of hundred less.
So I thought I'd tell Lufthansa that I thought this wasn't on. I didn't think that my opinion would matter a jot to them but I believe in justified complaints, so I decided I'd tell them. Worst customer service in the world. Honestly. All I wanted was the name of someone I could address a letter or email to and after several people had said they couldn't help me so they'd just transfer me to the right department, I found out that they would not give me a name. And no, I could not speak to a supervisor. Disneylike their customer service ain't. One woman would have loved to have helped me but I can't tell you who she was as she wasn't allowed to tell me her name. Now I praise more than I criticise, so I thought that was pathetic. I was told by a customer service rep that if I wanted to give positive feedback about a member of staff, all I had to do was tell them what time I'd spoken to someone then they would work out who I'd been speaking to. And if you believe they'll do that, I'm a Nigerian prince who would just love you to help me transfer my millions to Europe.
DH said no way would he fly indirect again. I told him Aer Lingus were €821 cheaper than Lufthansa and that was that decided. We're not looking forward to the 7 hour stopover on the way back but we are looking forward to clearing immigration in Dublin on the way out. Oh yeah, and they didn't fly on the day we wanted to, so we extended our hols by two days and booked an airport shuttle service and still saved hundreds. I was happy.
In the middle of all that, I'd made an excellent discovery - we were eligible for the UK offers :-o I showed DH the figures and he was as excited as me, (about time too). I booked us 10 nights at CBR, got us 21-day tickets, (all will be revealed why in a minute), free QSDP, (I could've upgraded to the DDP for a good price but we knew we wouldn't want all that food or tying down to set meal times), a $200 voucher, free memory maker and free mini golf, (which I suck at but adore). And then Aer Lingus obliged me by not flying on Mondays and I got to extend CBR to 12 days. I was on a high for weeks.
As I'm typing this, (still looking at the snow), the current offer is a free night, no voucher, dining or mini golf and just the room and tickets would cost us €1030 more. So everyone who says there is no such thing as free dining, I humbly disagree.
And now for the even better bit – yes, it can get better! We're also going to Universal for three nights. Staying at the Royal Pacific Resort. If you thought I was excited before... Me and Harry Potter and DH too, what a threesome. I bought the cheapest annual passes for the room discount and got the room for an average of $194 plus tax per night. The `stay more, save more´, was $264 plus tax and the passes were only slightly dearer than four-day tickets. Told you I liked researching. Mind you, my favourite bit is that I discovered the APH discounts were out by pure chance. They can't have been available for more than 15 minutes. The news wasn't on any of the boards I haunted. Shame DH was still asleep and I couldn't brag about it, the an-ti-ci-pa-tion was unbearable.
But hold on a mo, it gets even better! DH thought – and who am I to argue with him – that spending his birthday at the Yacht Club would be perfect. And I got that on offer, too. Four nights in a garden room. I was gobsmacked. I'd got everything organised. I'd actually got all DH's choices for his birthday trip. And then it finally began to feel real. We were going back to Disney World
And that brings me up to now. In icy February, trying not to breathe through my mouth, counting the days. I booked our ADRs in December, we only wanted a few. I was gobsmacked to get all the Be Our Guest ressies that I wanted. Three(!) lunches and two breakfasts, mainly because of the QSDP, (my need to try all the cupcakes is a mere coincidence). I'd always wanted to do the Cape May buffet so we are and we loved Boma last time, so I've got a breakfast and a dinner there. That most special of days is going to be spent in The Plaza at lunchtime and we're going to splurge the voucher on the California Grill in the evening. Sounds like a good plan to me.
The tilers are back, so I'll love you and leave you. See you again in May!
Me 54, DH 49
February 2016. 74 days to go
As I write this, I'm trapped upstairs with huge snowflakes drifting past the window. We're having new tiles laid downstairs and I'm not allowed to walk on whatever the vile smelling grey stuff is. I've had a slice of toast with avocado and reread my first WDW trip report from 2002. Despite the smell, life feels good. I booked our holiday last June and wondered about writing a pre-trip report ever since but the time never seemed right. It does now, so here goes.
We were going to go for my 50th birthday but life got in the way. We decided to buy a house, great excitement. There are worse things to get in the way of a Disney trip and if I was honest, I was a bit scared of going in August anyway. Hurricane season.
Unfortunately, it took us three and a half years to find the right house for us but once we did, it was all worth the wait. We love our house, have the nicest neighbours on the planet, (really), and just two houses separate us from rolling fields, trees and vineyards. It's perfect for us. But buying a house is a wonderously expensive undertaking and I didn't think we'd be going to Disney again for a very very long time. Oh ye of little faith.
This year is a special one for us. DH turns fifty, we celebrate 20 years of married bliss, (smiles smugly at all those who said we'd never last), and 25 years as a couple. That's a lot for one year. DH was adament that he wanted to be away on his birthday. He's like the majority of people and doesn't like the idea of turning 50, (not me, I'd longed to be fifty since I could count, don't know why). So where would we go? His first choice was Norway. Then Scotland. Then a few other places and finally he thought it might be Disney World. He just couldn't/wouldn't decide. The suspense was killing me. Really, I couldn't take it. Once I'd pointed this out, he decided and Disneyworld it was. To say I was excited was putting it more than mildly. Oh boy, was I excited.
Let the planning commence! Now I love planning more than most things on the planet. If researching was in the olympics, I'd be odds-on favourite for the gold every time. But Disney planning is in a league of its own... Pure bliss.
We started with the flights and I fell out with Lufthansa. We couldn't believe our luck when we found out they'd introduced direct flights from Frankfurt to MCO. I picked dates, DH approved them and I started checking the prices. Very irritating. I could fly via Frankfurt from seemingly every point in the world cheaper than I could fly FROM Frankfurt. On the self same flights other people were changing to and we're talking hundreds here. Heck, I could even go to Stuttgart, an hour in the wrong direction, spend two hours on a train to Fankfurt and catch the same flight for a couple of hundred less.
So I thought I'd tell Lufthansa that I thought this wasn't on. I didn't think that my opinion would matter a jot to them but I believe in justified complaints, so I decided I'd tell them. Worst customer service in the world. Honestly. All I wanted was the name of someone I could address a letter or email to and after several people had said they couldn't help me so they'd just transfer me to the right department, I found out that they would not give me a name. And no, I could not speak to a supervisor. Disneylike their customer service ain't. One woman would have loved to have helped me but I can't tell you who she was as she wasn't allowed to tell me her name. Now I praise more than I criticise, so I thought that was pathetic. I was told by a customer service rep that if I wanted to give positive feedback about a member of staff, all I had to do was tell them what time I'd spoken to someone then they would work out who I'd been speaking to. And if you believe they'll do that, I'm a Nigerian prince who would just love you to help me transfer my millions to Europe.
DH said no way would he fly indirect again. I told him Aer Lingus were €821 cheaper than Lufthansa and that was that decided. We're not looking forward to the 7 hour stopover on the way back but we are looking forward to clearing immigration in Dublin on the way out. Oh yeah, and they didn't fly on the day we wanted to, so we extended our hols by two days and booked an airport shuttle service and still saved hundreds. I was happy.
In the middle of all that, I'd made an excellent discovery - we were eligible for the UK offers :-o I showed DH the figures and he was as excited as me, (about time too). I booked us 10 nights at CBR, got us 21-day tickets, (all will be revealed why in a minute), free QSDP, (I could've upgraded to the DDP for a good price but we knew we wouldn't want all that food or tying down to set meal times), a $200 voucher, free memory maker and free mini golf, (which I suck at but adore). And then Aer Lingus obliged me by not flying on Mondays and I got to extend CBR to 12 days. I was on a high for weeks.
As I'm typing this, (still looking at the snow), the current offer is a free night, no voucher, dining or mini golf and just the room and tickets would cost us €1030 more. So everyone who says there is no such thing as free dining, I humbly disagree.
And now for the even better bit – yes, it can get better! We're also going to Universal for three nights. Staying at the Royal Pacific Resort. If you thought I was excited before... Me and Harry Potter and DH too, what a threesome. I bought the cheapest annual passes for the room discount and got the room for an average of $194 plus tax per night. The `stay more, save more´, was $264 plus tax and the passes were only slightly dearer than four-day tickets. Told you I liked researching. Mind you, my favourite bit is that I discovered the APH discounts were out by pure chance. They can't have been available for more than 15 minutes. The news wasn't on any of the boards I haunted. Shame DH was still asleep and I couldn't brag about it, the an-ti-ci-pa-tion was unbearable.
But hold on a mo, it gets even better! DH thought – and who am I to argue with him – that spending his birthday at the Yacht Club would be perfect. And I got that on offer, too. Four nights in a garden room. I was gobsmacked. I'd got everything organised. I'd actually got all DH's choices for his birthday trip. And then it finally began to feel real. We were going back to Disney World
And that brings me up to now. In icy February, trying not to breathe through my mouth, counting the days. I booked our ADRs in December, we only wanted a few. I was gobsmacked to get all the Be Our Guest ressies that I wanted. Three(!) lunches and two breakfasts, mainly because of the QSDP, (my need to try all the cupcakes is a mere coincidence). I'd always wanted to do the Cape May buffet so we are and we loved Boma last time, so I've got a breakfast and a dinner there. That most special of days is going to be spent in The Plaza at lunchtime and we're going to splurge the voucher on the California Grill in the evening. Sounds like a good plan to me.
The tilers are back, so I'll love you and leave you. See you again in May!
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