How to make $3600 on your disney vacation! WE DID!! NEW 9/3*The Epilogue, DONE* p. 54

[kimmar067]

Went to all four parks, ate, slept, made 1600, flew home.

Thanks for reading

....BWAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!

 

[ZZUB]

I really enjoy your writing. Very descriptive. I can see the inside of your room at CBR. Actually, I think I can smell it.

What is with parents letting their pre-teen girls walk around with words on their back sides? I'm a dad of a little girl and I tell you what, I don't want any more attention drawn to that part of her body for at least 42 more years. I want people to notice my daughter's face and her brain, her spirit and personality. Why on earth would any parent want people staring at their kids butts?

When did the cheerleaders start staying in the moderates? When we stayed in All Stars years ago they were always there. Cheering.

 

[momrek06]

HORSEGIRL: Your TRIP REPORTING is awesome I have HORRIBLE writing skills (grammar, mispellings, sentence formation and sense making)...so as you can see I would NEVER post any of my trip reports.... This is ME:

AND your job "IF YOU SHOULD CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT"...

Is to come with my family to WDW next time we go, (bringing of course your journal and pen) and take notes and you can then POST my Trip Report!!!!

As you can see by my signature, we have been to AKL and cruised the WONDER since I joined the DIS Boards...but noooo trip report as I would LITERALLY bore everyone on the DIS Boards right to sleeeeepppp!!!

I wait with anticipation for your NEXT journal entry!!!!

P.S. we arrived HOME to Boston on FEB 11th as you were heading to FL, only to be faced with 18 inches of snow that very next day....ugh....that was a REAL SOLID welcome home!!!

 

[kimberh]

This is an interesting thread. We used frequent flyer miles to fly to Grand Cayman two years ago and they needed the seats on the return flight. I had booked a hotel room in Houston because Delta had not been able to get us all the way home on the day we needed to return being they were free tickets. We were flying home on Continental a partner airline and they needed 3 seats which we had. They paid us $950.00 ,meals, cab vouchers and a hotel in Grand cayman and flew us back First Class. I figured we did pretty well on the trip. We actually arrived home on the same day that we were going to arrive home on. They also paid for the hotel in Houston because I beyond my cancellation time.

 

[Cinerama]

Still loving your report Ms. Horse....keep it coming!

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Well... fling flangidy ding dang! You're good. Very. Good, I say!

I agree about Purell. It rocks. Like that incredible ride they call... Maelstrom!

However, from your description I figure I need to be spraying it by the bucketload everytime we stay in hotel. Yukky-ukky! And... thanks for making me blow chunks, too.

Anyhow.

I am loving your deal here. It's great. Keep goin'. I'm so in.

Sweet dreams to you, Horsegirl.

 

[javamom]

*big grins*

 

[pigget74]

keep it up can't wait to here more.

Also I am sooooo gald that there is somone llike me when it comes to hotel rooms. Have you ever seen the show dirtiest jobs (or something to that) well the host finds the worst jobs that people do ---like septic tank cleaners--well he was doing a show and had the camera guy follow him back to the hotel and the first thing he did was grab a towell pick up the entire phone (unplug) first and put it in the center of the bed along with the remote control. Then he put the pillows in the center as well. Wrapped it all up with bedspread and then flung it across the room. He says that is where it stays--because these things are never cleaned. They are the dirtiest part of the room.

 

[Cinerama]

Horsegirl, you are so sweet to reply to ALL of us fans! And the PM's you sent! Now get back to writing that report woman....your peeps are waiting.

p.s. Actually my name is from a band I love (British guys, super cool, check them out!)....but since I am a movie freak too it could go both ways. LOVE movies and could talk about them all day. But I won't (at least not here on the TR board!).

 

[flminivanmama]

flminivanmama-Bet potty training was fun in your house. Did you just buy a potty and big blue tarps for every room , and just leave your dks butt naked for 6 months? Or are they still in luvs?

hahaha they are 5 & 6 - I'd die if they were all still in diapers


My friends call my parenting style "benign neglect" LOL LOL I just waited till they each said "no more diapers" they were all trained within a year of each other - twin B did it at 3 years 3 months, twin A did it at 3 years 9 months and baby C did it at 2 years 11 months hahahha

 

[babytrees]

Babytrees would be me....lol....seriously most people think I have a thing for bonsai trees....it's a nickname from college (they youngest of the crowd and Theresa shortened) so I AM really boring.

Gotta tell you....you are up there with Mel on trip reports!!! With both of you I laugh, I cry and I can see you all there.

Keep up the GREAT work!!(after house work though )

 

[horsegirl]

This scenario has to be like so many couples that sit in the dark while they wait for their kids to go to sleep because they can’t afford or don't chose to stay in a 1 or 2 bedroom, as they chose to go on vacation for 10-14 days, or go several times a year or at least 5-7 days at Diz, not 2 or 3 days like many families do. Now I know that many of you are sold on DVC, and renting points for a bedroom is an option in the future, now that I have read that Diz allows 5 in a one bedroom. Zip it, zip, zip zippo as Dr. Evil says, not a word to start that whole argument. I am right, because I read it and the next time I am at Diz, I might check it out if we don’t stay at the Poly. I mean, Diz knowlingly put all 5 of us at CBR, and while I really do believe it was the last room at Diz as the salesagent said, they have opened the door for me in the future. Wag your finger if you want or pat me on the back for letting you in on this fantatic and utterly great decision by Dizney. Now haven’t you always wondered why the room capacity goes from 4 to 8. That’s an awfully steep jump! Where the bejeebers is 6? Oh wait a minute this doesn’t have anything to do with making money does it? And hay (no, this is not a typo- I am a horsegirl who spells ‘hey’ ,’ hay’) truthfully, I understand money makes the world go around and I am not critical of anyone trying to make a buck, but taking advantage of us poor addicted suckers is another thing.

This is one reason why we might very well go back to POP and stay in the 60’s like last time we went. We would put on the Diz storyhour, tuck the dks into their bedskis, and keep the extra door lock thingie in the closed position before we closed the door so the door would not completely shut, and sit at our umbrella table and sip our well earned cocktails and our European time dinner. This worked unbelievably well last time and the kids might pop out of bed to peek out the window and see us, and we could keep an eye on the door. So, here would be the view last time from our Pop Century 'balcony', if I posted a picture.

Pop worked for us as we had 3 lil babes who loved the goofy jets and the hippy Dippy Pool. I did too, not only because I love Austin Powers, but because I am a 60s girl and am old enough to have worn bellbottoms the first time and because it was just such a happy little place. Luxury? No. Happy? Oodles of noodles of it, and groovydoovy tunes blastin'. I've read scalding reports about Pop, don't believe 'em. So here’s my little plug for anyone who doesn’t or can’t spend money on a moderates or beyond. Go stay at Pop and don’t feel gypped. It’s a blastin’ little place for families who have wee ones or spend most of their time trying to eek out the most of those park passes.

So back to the beginning, the scenario about the couple sitting in the dark waiting for their kids to fall asleep. Sky was asleep with her poptart before the lights went down, and the boys slipped away in what would turn out to be the fastest they would the rest of the trip. We were able to lay and rest our brains and bodies for a few moments and then bring the lights back up within 5-10 minutes.

This is how it always goes.

Me- “DJ, I really want to take our time, not rush. We have plenty of time and I don’t want to be stuck to a schedule, but what do you think we should do tomorrow?
]
DJ- Hon, I thought we agreed that the first day, we’d just stay at the resort and hang out, and let the kids acclimate.

Me- But today is the first day and we did stay at the resort. It's supposed be cold again, and we won’t have the car until Monday. Besides that message said EE is only open til 2 tomorrow. That might be the last time the rest of the week. We have to get on that thing.

DJ-Whatever, but why do we make a plan then, you always change it?

We have gone through this for 13 years. I have a slightly obsessive need to move furniture all the time. I call it decorating. He calls it messing up the house. Okay, so I call it messing up the order in his life. At first I used to try to get his buy-in (like I was doing about going to AK in the morning). Then I would plead, or try to be cute. All those things worked initially, but after I moved the big room where we all hang out (I have that term ‘Great room’) at least 3-4 times in one year which included moving all the wires for the speakers, the tv, and all the other media stuff and his grandmother’s grand piano, and the heavy heavy bookcase with a whole lot of our favorite novels, he started getting fed up. See there were also always holes in the walls, so we'd have to move the pictures too. Okay all you obsessive furniture movers, you know who you are, we cannot help it can we? We ruminate, we stare, we can’t stop thinking about it til we move it and heck I move 50-75 pound bales of hay, so I ended up doing most of it myself after a while, but I have to enlist him for the biggies. At one point in our marriage he began refusing, but I figured out how to move everything without digging the wood floors, or breaking my back and he would only have to deal with coming home to things being all chaged around. Now I see this as keeping life exciting and I work at things to make them better, like diz planning which I am also a little obsessive about, so I don't think being fixated on stuff is such a bad thing, but you get ideas, and change things around. But poor DJ, the guy who needs predictability and order, changing a chair or a trip agenda is slightly more difficult. So this is one issue between us that is a work in progress and hasn't ever really gotten in the way of our fun in our trips. But to put it simply, this is our mating ritual........

Getting buyin is critical with this hunky doodle doo, so I navigate through the process and I start by lobbing the ball into his court.

Me-Well, without a car or a hotel room for much of the day, what do you suggest we do? We need to be out of here by 11 and can’t check in until 4 if the room is ready, but I read online at the Disboards, that sometimes when a resort is sold out, you might not get in til even later. (clever argument don’t’ you think?)

DJ- Hmmm

Me-We could take a taxi somewhere, like Seaworld, that might not be too bad if it is drizzling and cold. (they were predicting a cold front on the other side of the rain)

Dj-Hmmmm, that sounds expensive…

Me- Or we could just stay here, get lunch somewhere, and then have the kids watch movies in the room at OKW.

DJ-they’ll be bouncing off the walls (he’s getting it)

Me-We could take them to DQ and use one of our extras on the premie tickets, that won’t cost anything. You know how they all want to play video games? (we are holding out on psp, Nintendo, and games boys at this point, but I know we’ll cave soom as Carson is starting to have the all-my-friends do thingie_ boy that starts young) (I know this won’t fly as DJ doesn’t want them playing video games yet, aren’t I conniving? Tee hee hee)

DJ-Gem, not video games all day.

Me-(lobbing it back into his court) Well, what do you want to do, sweetie? I want you to have fun. You are only here for a week. The kids and I can come back the following week for a day from the beach an go on EE then.

DJ-But who would watch Jack while you guys go on EE?

Me- (Exactly! I think to myself-that is why we have to go now, now , now) Oh, well, maybe I could leave him with some other parent who is also waiting. NOT. I DID NOT SAY THIS. JUST KEEPING YOU ON YOUR TOES! Uh, yeah, I forgot, he’s not big enough (Oh for Pete’s sake. I knew this, I’ve been reading about EE for 6 months at least!)

DJ- Maybe we should go to AK tomorrow.

Me(Leaping Lizards-that was fast work, girl, I think to myself) Or we could see what the weather is like and play it by ear, that way if it actually turns warm and we can get into our room early, we could just stay at the resort like we planned. (Pertending like I am not that invested)

DJ-Sounds like a plan

This was a great negotiation session, especially since we were so very exhausted. This trip is just too rocking. No spats between the adults, and kiddos were nothing but gold all day. I’m feeling like this is gonna be one great trip. Although I am wedged in between the kid, we all get on okay night’s sleep early. It must have been 11:30 by the time I drifted off. I always fall asleep last in the family. And I do know I went to sleep that night with a mantra in my head –We’re going to EE, We’re going to EE, We’re riding the EE! I had lots of images of the Himalayas, as my mom has been to Tibet and has little prayer flags and stuff all over her house. She is a a Yeti seeker too, but in a different way. My dad missed that trip as drinking Yak milk and looing in a hole in their dirt floor hotel room just didn't tempt him that year. So yeah, I was primed for that coolcoolycool cool expedition queue and I do a little rain dance after DJ goes off to lalalandm what a cute placce.

Day 2-2/12/06-Sunday-Rainy, 45-50ish.

So top of the morning, we are finally into day 2! Woo hooo! Are you thinking we all oversleep and get awakened by the maid service at 11 am when it is check out time? Not a bingbandity skipskopitty chance in the world. Our precious kids stopped napping at 18 months, have I told you that already? I am an old mommy, well not as old as that Italian mommy who gave birth at 60, but I am not the same physically as I was a hot chickie chic in my 20s and 30s. My 20s and 30s were my prime! So anyway, as a 40something year old mom- and okay if we gonna be honest here, I'm figuring some of you’ve checked my public profile to see when I was born, so you know, it was 1961, so you do the math…But my darn point is my kids haven’t napped since they were about 18 months each. And they sleep about 10 hours, on a good night. Let’s see this trip it was, hmmmm, I am calculating, about 8 1/2 to 9 hours. So 6:00. Not terrible, it could have been 5:21 like today, but it wasn’t like 11 either, and that meant about 7 or so for me and DJ. Kind of what I am used to WHEN I have slept the night before, but remember DJ and I missed sleeping on 2/10 as we got ready to get outta dodge, so that’s not a whole lot of sleep. We’re tired, but I do love waking up to my dks right with us. My little Jack strokes my face and says, “I wuv u” and I reply :”why?” and he says “Because you are so Fweet” (sweet) AWWWWWW. Carson is deliriously happy in the mornings, and starts telling his sillywilly knock knock jokes that make no sense. And Sky is a little darling too-so thoughtful and snuggly. She is a twirler, not in the marching band kind of way, but the spinning so happy kind of way. She is a sprite. I love these guys more than Diz, that’s how much I love them, and my Dh too, cause he came on this trip not once but twice with the kids so far, which is saying a lot as he is sort of a serious less playful kind of pup and might prefer a different type of vacation- like the kind where you relax alitlle. He sacrifices a lot for his wife and kids. He really does.

So you won’t see any whining or winging about lack of sleep from me, but I might get a lil’ grumpy as the trip wears on, but you can hear about that later. Anyway it is 6 am on Day 2 that is really day one to us, if you know what I mean, you who travel from more than just a short flight or drive away. There is no fast pass to the Diz from where we live right now.

So it is nearly 6 am. We open the curtains and throw up the sash. Oh no, not that story again. We open the curtains and see pouring rain. Okay, AK in the rain it is! TG it rained or I’d be riding the big one at AK next trip. So I am an oddball. How many people who like Disney hope it rains on the first day. TG too that I packed our $1 ponchos from KMART that the budget board told me about. One problem, I packed those in the luggage that we don’t have cause that luggage is still enroute as it didn’t get delivered last night. When it hadn’t come by 9, we called the bellhop and told them to ship it over to OKW in the morning as we didn’t want it in the room for one night.

We packed up, by we, it means me, but we’re a family, so I’ll stick with we. We tell the kids we are going to a park today and Jack, who has been begging to see Mickey is really excited. Our kids refer to the Diz as Mickey Mouse, “Are we going to Mickey Mouse?” “When do we go to Mickey Mouse?” “Are we at Mickey Mouse?” “Can we go on Peter Pan when we get to Mickey Mouse?” Finally we can answer “yes, today after we see our new hotel, yes, yes.” When we got to CBR the night before, they were very disappointed and said this isn't Mickey Mouse. They reminded us of that again. Something like we've been here forever, and we're still not there. Jack even started crying. Poor little slugger, he still didn't quite have the concept of time.

I suggest a taxi over to OKW. DJ loves this idea as we are both not cheap, but yankee thrifty, even if he is originally from Ohio and me from Jeoysey. What do they call it in those places-furgal? But $10 bucks for a taxi to lug the I-packed-too-much-load is a no brainer. DJ calls bellhope service again (I cannot belive how many times we talked with them in less than 12 hours) and they tell him we need to walk to the bus stop and leave our bags in the room, and the taxi will get us there. I second guess him as it makes no sense that we have to walk to the bus stop to get the taxi. He assures me this is what they said. No biggie, but doesn’t sound right. So we pack up Jack’s throne-pram and leave Aruba for the last time. It is 7:10 am and while we won’t make AK by gate opening it will be pretty early with any luck.

We walk to the bus stop and wait with all the other families. After a while I start the "DJ this doesn’t seem right thing" (I definitely get a sense about things. I am no John Edwards, is that guy for real? but I havve a sense when something isn't right-does everyone?) and then all the sudden I see a taxi zoom by. DJ who is tall and lean, but not the sprinter type, something about his foot placement and arm postion, runs after it. It was so funny to watch him run because he never does. Having three dks is hard at times, especially when they are all asking questions at once. This so often makes me testy because my brain just can't process the rapid fire inpute being shot at me with such intensity and it goes into overload. You know, Danger, danger will robinson, and the smoke starts coming out of your ears before you begin to start to combust? “where is Daddy going? “Is daddy going home? “I wanna go with daddy” “why is daddy running?” “Why can’t we get on this bus?” "Daddy, dadddy, daddy. WHY, Why why why whyyyyyy? "

SO just about the time I think I am going to have to run after DJ, just to pacify the kids, we see the taxi. Listen now, you’ll hear them ”Hurray our daddy is a hero, we love our daddy, he is sooooo awesome! Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!” But wait. The taxi does not seem to be slowing down. So I do the city thing and start to step in the road to hail him. Either DJ missed him or he's trying to lose us. You know how you can tell its not stopping for you way before its there. Okay. I see someone in the passenger seat, I squint, and OMG, and I can't tell if it is DJ. Zoom!!! The taxi goes by and it seems to have someone else in it! Then I see Mr. Hero Daddy, and he ain’t in the passenger seat of that big yellow taxi. He’s strolling back. Walking, I tell you, after he’s left me for 10 minutes at a bus stop with three small children who think every bus that comes by is the ride of a lifetime to take them to Mickey and rides and candygoogoo stuff. Is this funny to you? It was tonight writing it but I was not thinking, oh I can't wait to put this in our trip report now. It's a gas......not.

To make a long story short, cause I know ya’ll wanna here about the rides and all that parksy stuff that causes all of us to plop down 1 or 2 or 3 or 10 k, we eventually get a taxi, but not after waiting for at least another ½ hour. DJ is adamant that he didn’t get this one wrong and swears the bellhop gal told him wrong. I dunno, but I have to live with this man, who did get it wrong with the $2000 vouchers, so I chose to believe him on this one, but I knew in the room it sounded so not right- good thing I am no diva. Not even an 'I told you so left’ my lips.

We'll never know if that was our taxi, but we are pretty sure it was, cuz they told us 15 minutes and one never came. I mean how many people are getting picked up from CBR at 7 am? Doesn't matter. One finally came,but guess it would have been quicker to go to Epscot, switch and then go on to OKW, but we didn't know this would be the case when we decided to go like dandy folks and call a cab. ANyway Our taxi comes and says, “I dunno if everything will fit.” “You should have called for a van”. Now mind you, we only have the I-packed –too-much-carry-on-load, minus I think one bag, and the rest of our stuff is being delivered to OKW, so this should really give you a picture of how much we lugged around the airport. We do get it all stuffed in, and in fairness to us, a stroller does take up a lot of room in the trunk and off we zoom to OKW. I am not anxious that we just lost at least 45 minutes with all this. Once we're sitting in the cab, we didn't care because the travel part of this trip is just about over and as long as we get to AK close to the bewitching hour, I’ll be happy. Now if we can keep Stitch, Snow White and Peter Pan happy- we'll be golden.

Stay with me as head into the jungle on our first big day,

Thanks to you all, I was not able to thank each of you individually. Bye Babies, you zipdoditty doo dums!

 

[kimmar067]

Grabbin' my cup ' joe and I'm a'gittin' ready to read.....

 

[DebIreland]

Chronic crippling belly ache here from laughing, this stuff is just too damn funny. The words 'great', 'brilliant', 'excellent' just aren't big enough. Such talent!

I like to think I'm a person of deep substance and yet it shames me to admit that within 1.5 seconds of seeing the words "how to make 3600 on your disney vacation" I had your thread open, notebook in hand and the mental dollar to euro exchange rate done and was all set to book a deluxe from the proceeds..... I guess it really IS all about the money for me.

I watch the other kiddies in the gate area. Why are they all sitting down reading a book and just mellowing at their mama's breast? Our 3 look like Mike Myers on Saturday night live ...... He's got the leash that parents use with those little ones who tend to roam. Only problem is mother hooked him to the jungle gym and little mikey has so much energy he pulls it down the block.

You were funny from the outset but honestly the above was TOO much, really too much, nearly finished me off, this much laughter can't be healthy surely?!

Mine have knocked over the ropey things designed to properly queue. You know, the metal posts with the big ropey things that kids love to swing on

Ah yes indeed, and the noise those things make, that loose metal in those posts clanging as they fall to the floor yet again. I know it well.

What an amazing deal getting that 2000. Woohoo!!! I bet you're glad you had 3 kids now right? I mean they did pay out per person yeah? Ok, ok, that was just nasty! Sorry. Still though, 2000 dollars (1630 euro ) - that's the stuff that dreams are made of. Personally I'd have rejoiced in the 500, you have more class than me holding out for the 2000 I can tell ya!

I cannot wait for more..... keep up the internal-organ-bustingly-funny writing....

Deb

 

[momrek06]

HORSEGIRL: Do not worry at all, NEXT time DH has a "party" to attend...we will all go with YOU!!! Then you will feel very comfortable!! Just POST the TIME, DATE, PLACE on the DIS Boards and we will be there for YOU!!!

AND HORSEGIRL: you IMPRESS me with your strength. My DS owns a Hay Bale/Silt Fence business and I cannot even pick up the BALES.

YOU ROCK!!! LOVING THIS ENTIRE THREAD!!!

I sure am gonna miss it when the final chapter is written

Take your time, Horsegirl, take your time!!!

 

[MATTERHORN]

Love the trip report, it's awesome! Did I miss something, how come you are moving boards?


Andrea

 

[SandraVB79]

Yes, you missed something, you'll need to check out some threads here and you'll understand

Horsegirl, your thread at the Community Board got locked What is this with all these locked threads? Where will I be able to read the rest of your trip report? I am still dieing to know whether you'll make it in time to ride EE and how you got those $1600!

(I think she sold one of her kids....)

 

[TLinden16]

Horsegirl's post on the Community Board was closed because trip reports belong right here on the trip report forum.

Horsegirl is more than welcome to continue here trip report here on the trip report board. If this board does not work for her, and she chooses not to continue her trip report, that is her decision.

But as I said, she is more than welcome to continue to write about her trip here.

 

[kimmar067]

....I sure am gonna miss it when the final chapter is written ....

.....guess HorseGirl is just gonna hafta go on ANOTHER WDW vaca so she can write about THAT one.....

 

[krismom]

AAAAGGHHH! please clue me in on this moving board / thread nonsense?! I know I will never find it again unless it is linked in some obvious way for us less than tchno-types. Was someone offended by your hilarious, insightful, honest writing? Good Lord Woman! You Rock! I am off to follow you like a lost sheep-