January 2013

[letthewookiewin]

Wow, really?? That doesn't make sense at all? At a minimum they should just give you a new gc in the same amount to use.

I'd be mad, too!

Well the order was placed on hold until I fixed the problem with the cc. I just had her cancel the order.

 

[Marshay]

Well the order was placed on hold until I fixed the problem with the cc. I just had her cancel the order.

Seems like you got a run-around ... I'm just not understanding why Disney would do that. Seems like a lot of work.

Sorry you had to deal with that.

 

[miss_nik_nik]

Hey guys! Well I have officially made the decision to take another Disney trip and this time I will be taking a first-timer with me!!!!!

We are still not sure of what dates we will be going. We would like to go for a week, sometime between Jan 3-17th. I saw that the Marathon will be on the weekend of the 13th. I am wondering how that will affect things? Also, when will most of the New Years crowd be out. We are hoping to hit a low crowd time.

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

We are looking at staying at either CBR or PO-R

All I know is that I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

 

[SandiKB]

Thank you so much for your welcome. We haven't been married very long, it will only have been 1 1/2 years when we have our VR. Originally we planned to get married and have our wedding at WL, but then I slipped my disc and damaged my sciatic nerve so I couldn't really "walk down the aisle". We decided to wait until I was all fixed up and done with physical therapy for the wedding, and so we just eloped last summer.

I'm sorry that happened to you

 

[SandiKB]

Well what I do with the credit card/banking card that I have on file with the on line Disney store, it's attached to a bank account. There is never much money in the account, unless I add money to it. Then if I want to buy something, if I'm willing to drive the about 40 minute round trip, then I know it's something I really really want. My sil and bil bought me a Mickey cover for my iPhone for Christmas, but it was for a 3G instead of the 4 that I have. I tried to return it to the store, but they only carried the 3G ones in the store. They gave me a card with the amount on it and a thing to get free shipping, and then a gift card for my birthday. I got on the on line store and customized one, and tried to pay with the gift certificates that I had. Well it tried to charge my cc. When I called customer service they said that it was company policy that if you were paying with a Disney gift certificate on line, to charge your cc, and then refund the cc when they shipped your item. Ummm, no your not charging my cc, so you can just cancel that. I'll just keep my plain 'ol black Otterbox. Oh well, I guess that's about $60 that can go into the WDW spending money fund.

That is just crazy! What if you don't have a CC on file with them! Ugh

 

[SandiKB]

Hey guys! Well I have officially made the decision to take another Disney trip and this time I will be taking a first-timer with me!!!!!

We are still not sure of what dates we will be going. We would like to go for a week, sometime between Jan 3-17th. I saw that the Marathon will be on the weekend of the 13th. I am wondering how that will affect things? Also, when will most of the New Years crowd be out. We are hoping to hit a low crowd time.

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

We are looking at staying at either CBR or PO-R

All I know is that I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

 

[SandiKB]

DH told the kids!!! Long story short, my friend is going in June, driving down from OH and she is stopping here halfway, so I was telling DH and right infront of my oldest 2 he says to my 3yo 'Do you want to go to Disney World?' so she points to her princess tent and says 'this one' (poor child, lol) and he goes 'No, the real one! We're going in January' Well you could have picked my jaw up off the floor, I just stood there in disbelief! So now they know, but they said they'd keep it from 7yo DS. Ugh...........

 

[UndercoverMama]

Hey guys! Well I have officially made the decision to take another Disney trip and this time I will be taking a first-timer with me!!!!!

We are still not sure of what dates we will be going. We would like to go for a week, sometime between Jan 3-17th. I saw that the Marathon will be on the weekend of the 13th. I am wondering how that will affect things? Also, when will most of the New Years crowd be out. We are hoping to hit a low crowd time.

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

We are looking at staying at either CBR or PO-R

All I know is that I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

I know the price goes up minimally furing marathon weekend. Other than that my decision to go the week before was, since I am not part of the amrathon, why tempt fate/bigger crowds. I like them nice and low. Oh and this way we will celebrate my bday not just dd's.

DH told the kids!!! Long story short, my friend is going in June, driving down from OH and she is stopping here halfway, so I was telling DH and right infront of my oldest 2 he says to my 3yo 'Do you want to go to Disney World?' so she points to her princess tent and says 'this one' (poor child, lol) and he goes 'No, the real one! We're going in January' Well you could have picked my jaw up off the floor, I just stood there in disbelief! So now they know, but they said they'd keep it from 7yo DS. Ugh...........

 

[letthewookiewin]

Hey guys! Well I have officially made the decision to take another Disney trip and this time I will be taking a first-timer with me!!!!!

We are still not sure of what dates we will be going. We would like to go for a week, sometime between Jan 3-17th. I saw that the Marathon will be on the weekend of the 13th. I am wondering how that will affect things? Also, when will most of the New Years crowd be out. We are hoping to hit a low crowd time.

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

We are looking at staying at either CBR or PO-R

All I know is that I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

& added. When you have a more specific date or pick the resort, let me know and I will change it. I have never been in January before so I have no clue about the time frame that you are going. We are planning about the same time, depending on when you go. I need to look on Touring Plans pasts crowds calendars to see what it was like for the time that we are going (1/5-11).

That is just crazy! What if you don't have a CC on file with them! Ugh

I was wondering that as well. Oh well, that just more money for me to spend on stuff at WDW. hmmm, now should I put that in the total that is split between myself, the DSs and for family gifts, or should it just be for me all by myself? Besides, I should probably keep my iPhone in my Otterbox. A guy in the last class I took, had his iPhone in the same Otterbox that I have mine in. I'm still not sure how this happened, but some how on the way into class he accidently slammed his iPhone in the door of his car. The iPhone was fine....until he took it out of the Otterbox and then it was slightly bent across the middle where hte door hit it. The phone still worked perfectly. If he hadn't had it in the Otterbox, the glass on front and back would have shattered and it wouldn't have worked at all.

DH told the kids!!! Long story short, my friend is going in June, driving down from OH and she is stopping here halfway, so I was telling DH and right infront of my oldest 2 he says to my 3yo 'Do you want to go to Disney World?' so she points to her princess tent and says 'this one' (poor child, lol) and he goes 'No, the real one! We're going in January' Well you could have picked my jaw up off the floor, I just stood there in disbelief! So now they know, but they said they'd keep it from 7yo DS. Ugh...........

OMG, if my DH did that he would need to not sleep and have a food tester until I got over my anger, or he bought me something with diamonds or a new D&B Disney bag. Luckily, I don't have to worry about my DH doing that. He's as paranoid as I am that something will come up and the trip will have to be canceled. Neither one of us want to deal with that disappointment again.

My goals today include watching the latest Glee, getting a spreadshee made from the Touring Plans website on the crowd calendars from the last couple of years and hopefully it will include EMH information. I need to count the money in the Disney pig and update that spreadsheet. Then I hope to at least start ADR draft 1.
Oh and I got an idea from the November 2012 that I had been on (when our trip was scheduled for that time). They started a FB group for that thread. I am going to start one with this one. It'll be a secret group, so no one can see our posts, but us. In order to be in the group, you'll have to friend either myself and/or Marshay (started and keeping track of a January 2013 on another part of this site) on FB and then we can add you to the group. I am just waiting on Marshay to accept the FB friend request and then I can start the group. If anyone has any idea for a good or goofy name we should use, let me know.

 

[SandiKB]

OMG, if my DH did that he would need to not sleep and have a food tester until I got over my anger, or he bought me something with diamonds or a new D&B Disney bag. Luckily, I don't have to worry about my DH doing that. He's as paranoid as I am that something will come up and the trip will have to be canceled. Neither one of us want to deal with that disappointment again.

That's it, the disappointment, I don't want to do that to them again, God forbid something come up

Oh and I got an idea from the November 2012 that I had been on (when our trip was scheduled for that time). They started a FB group for that thread. I am going to start one with this one. It'll be a secret group, so no one can see our posts, but us. In order to be in the group, you'll have to friend either myself and/or Marshay (started and keeping track of a January 2013 on another part of this site) on FB and then we can add you to the group. I am just waiting on Marshay to accept the FB friend request and then I can start the group. If anyone has any idea for a good or goofy name we should use, let me know.

Awesome! that'll be fun Yet another reason to be on FB

 

[Marshay]

We are still not sure of what dates we will be going. We would like to go for a week, sometime between Jan 3-17th. I saw that the Marathon will be on the weekend of the 13th. I am wondering how that will affect things? Also, when will most of the New Years crowd be out. We are hoping to hit a low crowd time.

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

\

Welcome!

Since I leave tomorrow!!!, I've been following what has happened this January very closely.

The first week of January has still been quite crowded this past year from what I read on DIS for those people who take off over Christmas and New Years and add a few days to their schedule. So 6-10's.

The 2nd week of January was not really busy at all. (TP = 3-5's)

The 3rd week of January is MLK week and picks up again. (TP currently predicts 7's for MLK weekend).

The 4th week of January shouldn't be busy at all -- this is the week I'm going and we are 1-2 mid week and 5-6's on the weekends.

The various marathons and cheerleading camps and Brazilian tour groups all do add to the mix but you just got to zig when they zag.

DH told the kids!!! Long story short, my friend is going in June, driving down from OH and she is stopping here halfway, so I was telling DH and right infront of my oldest 2 he says to my 3yo 'Do you want to go to Disney World?' so she points to her princess tent and says 'this one' (poor child, lol) and he goes 'No, the real one! We're going in January' Well you could have picked my jaw up off the floor, I just stood there in disbelief! So now they know, but they said they'd keep it from 7yo DS. Ugh...........

Ugh, sorry he told the kids but on a positive note, now you can hold him to the trip!! And it just means he is excited about going, too!

I've ready many threads on DIS where one spouse (usually the DH) just doesn't like Disney and it is sad for the other person.

Maybe not a lot of consolation but ...

 

[ImaDVCwannabe]

Awesome! that'll be fun Yet another reason to be on FB [/QUOTE]

I totally agree I think the FB group is an awesome idea. Count me in.

 

[ImaDVCwannabe]

On the subject of spreedsheets I really want to make one but I'm not sure where to start. Does anyone have a format they are willing so share? Or just a list of items they include on theirs?

Thanks in advance

 

[letthewookiewin]

Love this smiley!!!

Since I leave tomorrow!!!, I've been following what has happened this January very closely.

Have a safe and magical trip!!! Take lots of notes (even the mental kind) of tips for us.

I've ready many threads on DIS where one spouse (usually the DH) just doesn't like Disney and it is sad for the other person.

Maybe not a lot of consolation but ...

This is my problem with my DH. He will tolerate WDW and does enjoy himself, but he would rather go some where else. Yesterday he was at a customers home (he's an appliance repair guy) and they gave him brochures and stuff for these travel companies that they use to go on trips at different locations around the world in all the time. I was looking through them last night, going "oooo I wanna go to Russie" or "oooo, I wanna go to Machu Picchu" or "ooo i wanna go to (insert a lot of other locations around the world)". Then my DH was either brave or stupid enough to suggest that after I get my computer programming degree and get a job that I, "forget all this nonsense of going to WDW every year after I start working and travel the world." I was like "umm, heck no. We can do one week at WDW and one week non-WDW". Then he kept going on and on about the great prices of these trip in the brochures. Sure the prices are great, but I don't think any company would let me take 30 days straight off of work b/c I got a great deal on a vacation to Australia/ New Zealand.

[/COLOR][/FONT]


That's it, the disappointment, I don't want to do that to them again, God forbid something come up




Awesome! that'll be fun Yet another reason to be on FB

Which is the main reason for our trip being a secret. Plus it's kind of like Christmas. With Christmas my favorite part is that I know what is under the wrapping of their presents and they don't. We still have to work the kinks out on how we are going to tell them. Which ever way we do pick, they won't know until the trip is 100% paid off.

I did make the FB group. If anyone wants to join, just PM me the name you use on FB and I'll add you. If you don't want us to have your real name, you can always make a FB page with your DIS username. I'll have to add you to my friend's list, and then you can be added to the group. When you PM me here, I'll PM you back with my name, so that you know the request is from me. We made the group secret so not everyone can see it, whose in it, or what we post. The only people that should be able to see the group at all, are the ones that are in it.

 

[UndercoverMama]

I did make the FB group. If anyone wants to join, just PM me the name you use on FB and I'll add you.

Sounds fun, the Sept 2011 fb group was fun, live updates made it exciting for the people like me that were going at the end of the month.

 

[letthewookiewin]

On the subject of spreedsheets I really want to make one but I'm not sure where to start. Does anyone have a format they are willing so share? Or just a list of items they include on theirs?

Thanks in advance

What do you want to use the spreadsheet for? The one that I have completed so far is a spending money one. Actually, it does several things. I am able to put in the amount that I am adding to it and it keeps a running total of it. Then it takes that total and breaks that down into how much each person get. For mine 10% of the total is going towards gifts for family not coming on the trip. Then I divide the left over 90% into 1/2 and that is what I get (which is 45% of the total). The other 1/2 of the 90% is broken down by 1/2 again and that is what each of our DSs get, so basically they get 1/4 of 90% (or 22.5% of the total). I'm leaving my DH out on purpose per his request of not needing any spending money. Then I have a section for when I'm counting the Disney pig, or Jonseph as the DSs named it. Jonseph is my lazy way of calling both my DSs at the same time. Their names are Joseph and John, so if I need them both instead of calling both names, I just yell "Jon-seph". It has a cell for each bill and coin. Then in the next cell, I put the number of that bill (or coin) I counted in the pig. In the next cell over I have a formula that calculate how much total of that bill (or coin) I have. So if I counted 10 quarter, the last cell will tell me I have $2.50 in quarters. Then it adds it all together, so I know the total in there. Then it subtracts the last total from the new one, and it tells me how much I've increased it since I last counted. I then take that number and put into the first section that keep the running total. Which then gives me an updated amount for each person. I'll try and post a picture of it. It's not totally done yet, though. I still want to tweak it just a little.

The one for our ADR's, I just need to remake it. Is set up into individual days. Those days are them broken down into three big blocks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In those blocks will have the time, restaurant name, and confirmation number. Also, I can put how many TS credits it is worth. Then I have a formula that keeps track of how many I have spent, and how many I have left to use. This help me a ton when I was planning a May 2009 trip (that was canceled) in making all of our ADRs. It made sure that I didn't go over the amount I had. Plus the CM that made the ressie's on the phone, said that it made her job super easy.

 

[ImaDVCwannabe]

What do you want to use the spreadsheet for? The one that I have completed so far is a spending money one. Actually, it does several things. I am able to put in the amount that I am adding to it and it keeps a running total of it. Then it takes that total and breaks that down into how much each person get. For mine 10% of the total is going towards gifts for family not coming on the trip. Then I divide the left over 90% into 1/2 and that is what I get (which is 45% of the total). The other 1/2 of the 90% is broken down by 1/2 again and that is what each of our DSs get, so basically they get 1/4 of 90% (or 22.5% of the total). I'm leaving my DH out on purpose per his request of not needing any spending money. Then I have a section for when I'm counting the Disney pig, or Jonseph as the DSs named it. Jonseph is my lazy way of calling both my DSs at the same time. Their names are Joseph and John, so if I need them both instead of calling both names, I just yell "Jon-seph". It has a cell for each bill and coin. Then in the next cell, I put the number of that bill (or coin) I counted in the pig. In the next cell over I have a formula that calculate how much total of that bill (or coin) I have. So if I counted 10 quarter, the last cell will tell me I have $2.50 in quarters. Then it adds it all together, so I know the total in there. Then it subtracts the last total from the new one, and it tells me how much I've increased it since I last counted. I then take that number and put into the first section that keep the running total. Which then gives me an updated amount for each person. I'll try and post a picture of it. It's not totally done yet, though. I still want to tweak it just a little.

The one for our ADR's, I just need to remake it. Is set up into individual days. Those days are them broken down into three big blocks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In those blocks will have the time, restaurant name, and confirmation number. Also, I can put how many TS credits it is worth. Then I have a formula that keeps track of how many I have spent, and how many I have left to use. This help me a ton when I was planning a May 2009 trip (that was canceled) in making all of our ADRs. It made sure that I didn't go over the amount I had. Plus the CM that made the ressie's on the phone, said that it made her job super easy.

WOW those are awesome so organized. See I'm having a hard time because I have had some friends who have visited WDW way more than myself tell me that I shouldn't over plan given the age of my kids. However when my DH and I were there for our honeymoon the organized schedule I made really helped and allowed us to make the most of each park and day. So the over planning organization freak in me really wants to make a spreadsheet that includes park hours, crowd levels, ADR's, spending money, a must see section for each kid at each park. I just don't know if its needed or worth making given the age of my kids. I know I need to make the character meal ADR's but from there should I just go with the flow and let happen what happens? I know too many questions. Its just our first trip with the kids and I don't want to look back and regret doing or not doing something, even if its just in the planning stages

 

[letthewookiewin]

WOW those are awesome so organized. See I'm having a hard time because I have had some friends who have visited WDW way more than myself tell me that I shouldn't over plan given the age of my kids. However when my DH and I were there for our honeymoon the organized schedule I made really helped and allowed us to make the most of each park and day. So the over planning organization freak in me really wants to make a spreadsheet that includes park hours, crowd levels, ADR's, spending money, a must see section for each kid at each park. I just don't know if its needed or worth making given the age of my kids. I know I need to make the character meal ADR's but from there should I just go with the flow and let happen what happens? I know too many questions. Its just our first trip with the kids and I don't want to look back and regret doing or not doing something, even if its just in the planning stages

As long as you're not forcing them to help you with all of your OCD planning, I just wouldn't listen to it. Honestly, with kids that young I would think you need to be more organized. It will help remind you of what you wanted them to see on their first trip. Once you get there, you'll get lost in their faces and reaction, and you might get home and realize "oh poo, we didn't do that" or "I meant to do that, but I totally forgot".

That spreadsheet is so everyone know how much they can spend. As soon as the DSs find out about the trip, I will be able to tell them exactly how much money they can spend over the trip. If you want, I can customize one for your family. You'll have to tell me how much for each person and how you want it divided up. Then once you join the FB group, I can put it on there.

 

[SandiKB]

\

Ugh, sorry he told the kids but on a positive note, now you can hold him to the trip!! And it just means he is excited about going, too!

I've ready many threads on DIS where one spouse (usually the DH) just doesn't like Disney and it is sad for the other person.

Maybe not a lot of consolation but ...

Yeah, I doubt it. He's so not a Disney person Once he gets there he's 'ok', but he'd much rather go somewhere else. I keep telling him, the kids are only little once. Our last mini vacation we took was to DC and that was all him, the kids like it, but it was really for him. He doesnt get involved with the planning or anything, I do as I please and then let him know what we're doing

 

[SandiKB]

On the subject of spreedsheets I really want to make one but I'm not sure where to start. Does anyone have a format they are willing so share? Or just a list of items they include on theirs?

Thanks in advance

I have a few tabs on mine.

The first page is my Trip Budget, that includes package price, gas, food on the road, spending money, tip money for TS meals. Then under that I have my monthly amount to put away for the trip which gets transferred into a separate account.

Second page is general itinerary for each day, ie, what park, where to eat, must do's, that kind of stuff

Third page is more detailed on where we're eating, with reservation numbers and times