How Early is Too Early to Plan??? - TR Link Added - 12/29

[afwdwfan]

Well, as you might have gathered from comments above, we have access to free dining, but not in the room options we booked. The offer is available for family suites at AoA, but not the Little Mermaid rooms. So... we can either cram into a suite (no), move to an All-Star resort (no), leave things the same and not get any benefit from this offer (maybe), move to a moderate and save a few hundred (maybe) or just upgrade to a deluxe (maybe).

From the start we were hoping to possibly upgrade to a deluxe, but I would personally prefer to get a % off room rate discount there. I haven't done all that math yet, so I'll work on that and see what I come up with as to whether free dining makes sense to make that change. At this point, I'm just not excited about any of our options and I'm almost leaning towards just leaving things the same, and hope that a better discount on deluxe resorts comes out later.

Well, thanks for being a sounding board for me. Back to work... and hopefully I'll have some time to at least study some spreadsheets later on.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Well, as you might have gathered from comments above, we have access to free dining, but not in the room options we booked. The offer is available for family suites at AoA, but not the Little Mermaid rooms. So... we can either cram into a suite (no), move to an All-Star resort (no), leave things the same and not get any benefit from this offer (maybe), move to a moderate and save a few hundred (maybe) or just upgrade to a deluxe (maybe).

From the start we were hoping to possibly upgrade to a deluxe, but I would personally prefer to get a % off room rate discount there. I haven't done all that math yet, so I'll work on that and see what I come up with as to whether free dining makes sense to make that change. At this point, I'm just not excited about any of our options and I'm almost leaning towards just leaving things the same, and hope that a better discount on deluxe resorts comes out later.

Well, thanks for being a sounding board for me. Back to work... and hopefully I'll have some time to at least study some spreadsheets later on.

Good luck! I know that we weren't happy with a lot of options and most of the family still isn't booked. I hope that there are some good room discounts that everyone can benefit from!

 

[glennbo123]

Wow, hang in there with all of that work! I thought farm-work was enough! And make sure you buy the right bug, weed, and fungus treatments for your crops. PM me if you want to know whose products to buy.

Hmmm, yeah that offer doesn't sound quite sweet enough to move to a deluxe. As far as the mods, I love POR. I know Kathy loves Coronado Springs, and I liked the rooms there, but as far as a whole resort POR does it for me. I'd be tempted to take the bait on that one.

 

[afwdwfan]

Good luck! I know that we weren't happy with a lot of options and most of the family still isn't booked. I hope that there are some good room discounts that everyone can benefit from!

I'm just hoping that something else comes out later...

Wow, hang in there with all of that work! I thought farm-work was enough! And make sure you buy the right bug, weed, and fungus treatments for your crops. PM me if you want to know whose products to buy.

Right products? You mean there are more options than just Round Up?


And for the record... we do use multiple products/modes of action, unlike those guys who use nothing but a half rate of Round Up causing us to now have Round Up resistant marestail all over the place.

Hmmm, yeah that offer doesn't sound quite sweet enough to move to a deluxe. As far as the mods, I love POR. I know Kathy loves Coronado Springs, and I liked the rooms there, but as far as a whole resort POR does it for me. I'd be tempted to take the bait on that one.

Yeah, I did the math. Equivalent to a 25 - 30% room discount at WL. I'd rather get a 35 - 40% room discount and do QS dining or no dining plan instead.

 

[afwdwfan]

Life Update

As I have mentioned, it has been a very busy couple of weeks working both at the office on the farm. Therefore, aside from a few texts while I've been sitting at work, DW and I haven't had much time to talk about our choices. As it stands right now, we've just left things the same. Neither of us seem excited about upgrading to any of the moderates for little to no savings. We've been excited about checking out AoA (and the pools there), and as I've mentioned, I just really don't feel like the moderates are huge upgrades over a Value anyway.

We're just going to sit tight for now. We're happy with what we booked to begin with (which is why we booked it). I'm just not seeing enough of a savings anywhere that we actually want to stay. We'd looked at making the switch to WL or AKL, but the savings would only translate to around 25 - 30% and I'm hoping we might see one of their 35 - 40% room discounts like we've seen in the past. I realize that Disney is cutting back on some of those discounts, so if it doesn't happen, no big deal.


As for life... well, things are slowing down a bit. Today, we are finally back to fully staffed here in the office. So I might actually get caught up on a TR or 2, I hope. I've been averaging about 4 hours of sleep per night though since I've been working 8+ hours on the farm every day after work, so I could very easily fall asleep sitting at my desk if I don't stay busy today.

Just to share a little bit, the way we operate on the family farm, is that my Dad plants the corn and I till the ground ahead of him. So while he will plant from about 8 am until around 9 pm, I get off work at 4:30 and I start tilling ground for him to plant the next day. I can drive about 3 mph faster than he can plant, so I can have enough ground worked ahead of him to plant the next day if I work until about 12:30 or 1:00 am. On average, that's about 150 - 200 acres. I enjoy the work, but I have to admit I'm glad that planting season only lasts a few weeks. Right now, we've only got about 2 - 3 days worth of corn left to plant. If it lasted much longer it would really take a toll on me. The other crop we raise is soybeans, and my uncle and cousins take care of planting all of them. My grandpa is retired, but occasionally helps from time to time if something is needed during the day when my dad and uncle are the only ones around.

There is some rain in the forecast so that could be a bit of a blessing. I could use an evening/weekend to get a little bit of rest, and the ground is very dry right now. A little bit of rain would definitely help the corn that we've planted so far get up and out of the ground.

I took a few pictures from my "office" last night. I was having some problems with the tractor so I decided to take a picture of it while it was parked after dark while I was waiting on someone to bring me new fuel filters. I'm only a small part of the family farm ownership/management, but this tractor is one that I personally own. It isn't much, but it is 300 hp of brute force. I always think about upgrading to a newer, bigger tractor, but at the same time I appreciate the fact that this old thing (a 1981 model, same year I was born ) is simple and easy to work on. The only problem is that it just doesn't look like it fits in when it is parked next to all the green John Deere tractors that we have.

Ok, I hope I didn't bore everyone. I just thought I'd share a little bit about what I do when I'm not thinking about our next Disney trip. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[KatMark]

I hope you get some rest this weekend; I don't know how you do it on so little sleep. I get seven hours and I'm a bear and want to go back to bed for a couple of more hoiurs.

You don't own a John Deere? A good thing my son no longer works for a subsidiary of their company or he might hunt you down.

If our weather is headed your way, you will get a monsoon. The rain this morning as been unbelievable. Let's just say it is going to be a very uncomfortable day in the office.

I think you will find less and less of Disney deals. I've read where the moderates are mostly filled with the free dining offer already (and that was on the first day they released it). A big part of the reason we aren't going next year is that the prices have gotten out of control at Disney and it just isn't "affordable" to us anymore. We could go somewhere else and have a nicer resort at half the money.

 

[jedijill]

There are other tractors than John Deere? Not in my family. Hope you guys get rain for the new crops.

Jill in CO

 

[afwdwfan]

I hope you get some rest this weekend; I don't know how you do it on so little sleep. I get seven hours and I'm a bear and want to go back to bed for a couple of more hoiurs.

All I have to say is... 5 Hour Energy is my friend this week.

I may not drink coffee, but I need something!

You don't own a John Deere? A good thing my son no longer works for a subsidiary of their company or he might hunt you down.

I didn't say I don't own a John Deere. That one just doesn't happen to be one.

If our weather is headed your way, you will get a monsoon. The rain this morning as been unbelievable. Let's just say it is going to be a very uncomfortable day in the office.

It seems like it is moving north and breaking as it moves east. We're getting some light sprinkles right now.

Sorry about the miserable commute.

I think you will find less and less of Disney deals. I've read where the moderates are mostly filled with the free dining offer already (and that was on the first day they released it). A big part of the reason we aren't going next year is that the prices have gotten out of control at Disney and it just isn't "affordable" to us anymore. We could go somewhere else and have a nicer resort at half the money.

I assumed that much. I'm basically not expecting, but hoping at this point. We could have taken advantage of this last one, but I guess what matters is that we're happy with what we have. Otherwise we wouldn't have booked it.

There are other tractors than John Deere? Not in my family. Hope you guys get rain for the new crops.

Jill in CO

All the rest of ours are John Deere. This one is just the black sheep of the family.

My father in law farms too and he and my brother in law have red tractors. DS says his favorite color is green. They are constantly buying him IH shirts and he still tells them he likes green tractors. I'm not the best parent in the world, but I'm doing something right.

 

[eandesmom]

Definitely not boring at all! But yikes, that lack of sleep will catch up with you. Glad the end is sort of in sight and I hope you get the rain you want. You can have ours, we've had a bit more than usual this spring.

I'm honestly floored at the prices these days. If we hadn't bought DVC when we did, our vacations would be very very different for sure. I completely understand you leaving things alone given the options but will hold out hope for a better deluxe discount down the road.

Get some sleep!

And more coffee

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I know nothing about farming, so your post was interesting to read! You are one busy guy though, I hope that you can find some time to rest soon. Lack of sleep is the worst - I don't think I'm ever going to catch up from having the baby, and right now, I'm getting more sleep a night that you are

 

[momabbate]

Oh wow, when you say you been busy you weren't kidding. That is a crazy schedule. Glad it is almost over for you.
I think staying with what you booked is perfect. I for one would love to stay at AoA but for two adults it doesn't make since.

 

[afwdwfan]

Quick update before bed...

We were expecting rain on Friday so we didn't want to work out way too far ahead of the planter Thursday night. We didn't get rain today so by the time I got to the field Dad had caught me with the planter.

We quit a little early again this evening. Really, really hoping for rain tonight. It went north and south of us and completely missed us so far. I don't want to start that trend already.

Right now it looks like it won't be a restful weekend. But, if it doesn't rain we should be able to finish planting corn tomorrow if we have a big day.

 

[KatMark]

Hope you get some rain and some sleep.

 

[MEK]

Life Update



Ok, I hope I didn't bore everyone. I just thought I'd share a little bit about what I do when I'm not thinking about our next Disney trip. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I didn't DIS much this week and wow - Holy Updates from you!

Sorry to hear that you are SO busy at work because you have absent coworkers, but there is satisfaction is working hard and doing a job well. So keep up the good work. Not boring at all!

Boo on the free dining dilemma. Sorry you don't love the mods. Have you stayed POR? I have a special fondness for that resort since it was my first family on-site stay.

Here's hoping you get a great deal on a Deluxe!

 

[amandaw]

Hope you got some rain this weekend and that you were able to get some rest!

 

[momabbate]

Hope you get the rain. We got some rain but could do with out the wind. I know we lost some tomato plants last week due to the wind. Bright side it was only some tomatoes and not a tree.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm making a rare foray into the PTR boards...sorry work has been killing you lately. I hope you guys get the rain you need to make things go smoothly.

As for free dining, I'm with some of the others that I really like the moderates. You're on Disney property--how bad can it be? Are they the same as the deluxe resorts? Of course not. But we really did love POR. And they all beat the snot out of the Days Inn.

 

[afwdwfan]

Definitely not boring at all! But yikes, that lack of sleep will catch up with you. Glad the end is sort of in sight and I hope you get the rain you want. You can have ours, we've had a bit more than usual this spring.

Finally got some yesterday. Over an inch in just a matter of minutes, but the ground was so dry it soaked right in.

I'm honestly floored at the prices these days. If we hadn't bought DVC when we did, our vacations would be very very different for sure. I completely understand you leaving things alone given the options but will hold out hope for a better deluxe discount down the road.

I really would like to own DVC. But when we've got some home remodeling projects on the agenda, it is just hard to justify plopping down 10 - 15K, give or take, for that initial investment. I can see us going that direction one of these days though. Although I'm sure by the time we're ready the cost will double and I'll no longer want to do it.

Get some sleep!

Getting a little closer to a regular schedule...

And more coffee

Thanks, but I'll just stick with my 5 Hour Energy. Way better than coffee or energy drinks because I don't have to taste it.

I know nothing about farming, so your post was interesting to read! You are one busy guy though, I hope that you can find some time to rest soon. Lack of sleep is the worst - I don't think I'm ever going to catch up from having the baby, and right now, I'm getting more sleep a night that you are

Thanks. I'm getting back closer to normal schedule now.

Oh wow, when you say you been busy you weren't kidding. That is a crazy schedule. Glad it is almost over for you.
I think staying with what you booked is perfect. I for one would love to stay at AoA but for two adults it doesn't make since.

I totally get that. It barely makes sense for us. In fact it probably isn't the absolute most practical for us, but we're really kind of excited about checking it out... and we're happy with what we booked unless we just get an offer too good to refuse. So far we're still waiting.

Hope you get some rain and some sleep.

Finally got both!

I didn't DIS much this week and wow - Holy Updates from you!

I wouldn't call them updates so much as random posts so I can think out loud and maybe get some helpful feedback.

Sorry to hear that you are SO busy at work because you have absent coworkers, but there is satisfaction is working hard and doing a job well. So keep up the good work. Not boring at all!

Thanks. It has been good and bad. Things are getting a little bit closer to normal now though.

Boo on the free dining dilemma. Sorry you don't love the mods. Have you stayed POR? I have a special fondness for that resort since it was my first family on-site stay.

Honestly, I love POR and POFQ, for that matter. It looks like a beautiful resort and I really think we'd enjoy it. As it stands right now, we've only stayed at one moderate, being CSR, and our experience left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths. The only way DW will consider a moderate is if we do CBR in a pirate room and frankly, I prefer the theming of AoA over a pirate room for the same or similar money.

And on top of that, CBR isn't exactly at the top of the list of places I want to stay. I'd rather do POR...

Here's hoping you get a great deal on a Deluxe!

Fingers crossed. Or they can just announce that they're done with discounts and we can just move on and stop thinking about it!

Hope you got some rain this weekend and that you were able to get some rest!

No rain over the weekend, but finally got rained out last night. It was great!

Hope you get the rain. We got some rain but could do with out the wind. I know we lost some tomato plants last week due to the wind. Bright side it was only some tomatoes and not a tree.

Our garden at home has been seriously neglected while I've been doing some larger scale gardening. I still haven't got anything planted except for some sweet corn.

We had some wind whip through with the rain we got last night. My mom lost a tree and a school near us had their bleachers at the football stadium basically folded in half and blown onto their track.

I'm making a rare foray into the PTR boards...sorry work has been killing you lately. I hope you guys get the rain you need to make things go smoothly.

As for free dining, I'm with some of the others that I really like the moderates. You're on Disney property--how bad can it be? Are they the same as the deluxe resorts? Of course not. But we really did love POR. And they all beat the snot out of the Days Inn.

But the Days Inn has a free continental breakfast complete with bagels harder than a hockey puck and all the generic store brand cheerios you care to eat!

You're right though... any place on Disney property is a win. We definitely considered switching and as I mentioned in reply to MEK, there just wasn't any way we were going to agree on one and all of us still be as excited about the choice as we are with AoA. Moving to a moderate would have saved us a little bit of money in comparison to what we have booked, but from our perspective, it just wasn't enough savings to make us want to stay somewhere other than one of our top 3 or 4 resort choices for this trip.

 

[afwdwfan]

1 Month from ADR Time!!!

Well, not exactly. Friday marks that point, but we're definitely getting closer. This means I really need to get our day to day plans firmed up. We've looked at a few things and I think we're going to change a few of the potential ADR's I'd mentioned earlier. Is anyone surprised??? I really thought we might see a discount for a deluxe that we'd want to grab before our ADR time came so I've kind of been playing around with a game plan that will work with some variations on arrival and departure day if we'd be staying at AoA or WL, and I've come up with a plan that is somewhat generic that will fit wherever we choose to stay. Right now I've got a spreadsheet with a few ADRs marked in a few different spots with question marks. DW and I just have to take some time and figure out what we're doing.

We did speak with MiL and FiL on Mother's Day. FiL has stated point blank to SiL that he isn't looking forward to going at all. We asked if they had any requests for meals... you know certain types of food or cuisines, buffet vs. entrée service, etc... FiL basically just laughed and said "you have to get reservations already???" and MiL just said that they're along for the ride and just want to do whatever we want. And here we are trying to make sure FiL has a good time, or at the very least isn't miserable... No pressure or anything.



Ok, in other news: DS has a power wheels tractor that he drives around at home. He's not a bad driver, but tends to start looking around and runs into things.

We had a birthday party for DD a few weeks ago, and he had a wagon behind his tractor pulling DD and his little cousins around. Unfortunately, having passengers behind him turned out to lead to some distracted driving. He managed to drive into the side of my Grandpa's car. Twice.

So what is the next logical step for a 4 year old's driving education???






























You put him in the driver seat of a 300 HP tractor with a 30' cultivator behind it.







To explain, I thought that my tractor was done for the year when we finished planting corn on Saturday, but the last soybean field we had left to plant was plowed last fall. When we tried to work it with the tillage tool that we usually use in front of the bean planter, it wasn't doing a very good job, so we decided to use my tractor and cultivator on it first to smooth it out a little bit more before they worked it and planted it. DS had been asking to drive and I figured that since we were in the middle of an 80 acre field that is half a mile long with nothing in the middle of it and this field was going to be tilled again, this was as good of a time as any. We were only going about 5.5 mph, and he drove for probably about 20 minutes. I helped him turn around at the end of the field, but other than that it was all him. And I only had to go back and re work 1 or 2 skips.


We did finally get some rain Tuesday evening. In fact it cut loose just as I was pulling out of that field. We were probably about 90 - 100 acres short of being finished planting soybeans when the rain came. When it starts to dry up again, we can have that much finished in an afternoon. But right now, we're just glad to have the rain. Everything we'd already planted needed it badly.

 

[shan23877]

I'm back and trying to get caught up!

First I'm sorry that work has been so difficult lately. I know that the life of a farmer is never easy.

I feel for you with the resort choice issue. I wish that you could come to an agreement on a mod because POR is really really great. However, we did a meal at WL and another at FW this past week and I shocked myself by really liking WL! I would stay there in a minute! I hope that a good discount comes available for you there. It looks lovely. (and WCC is there for you!)

Can't wait to hear what the ADR choices are, you know I love Disney Dining!