Mistake in my favor- GCH Reservation for Dec at ultra low rate!

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Thanks you! I need luck AND pixie dust and Disney magic and all that good stuff! Seeing as Disney likes to throw in pins with the hotel packages and as little surprises for people, maybe if I tell them on the phone that I don't have a job and am struggling to make it to their parks and hotels, they will give me a special "We Hope You Get a Job Soon" pin with happy characters rolling around in money all over it!!!! I bet they have a pin or a sticker for every occasion! But you never know. I could end up getting a CM on the phone who makes a note of it and then when I get there I am suddenly winning a trip to WDW or something. Does anyone notice how it seems to be all or nothing with Disney CMs? Like you can walk through the parks with your birthday buttons on, and every single CM will wish you a happy birthday or give you a little treat, and other times, they all totally ignore you and give you nothing! It just depends who you encounter and what mood they are in at the time!

Hahaha !! That would be so funny if they had a pin like that !!!! I completely agree about the CMs. Most of the time though I interact with ones that absolutely LOVE their jobs. Its just a handful I'd say that I'd seen throughout the years that aren't up to par. I guess you'd see that at any place though.

 

[Sherry E]

Ugh! Arrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh! These Disney people in reservations are knuckleheads. I just got off the phone with a WDTC person. See, when I spoke to Sonya at Central Reservations the other day and explained about how the PIN discount e-mail I got was inexplicably addressed to my friend, who does not live at my address nor does she share my e-mail, they said that I should be able to use it with no problem because my address is still the one on the account and my e-mail address and my phone number, etc. As long as I showed them that I live at this address where they somehow have my friend living too, then it would be okay. But I knew the mistake originated from the database of the WDTC, who listed my friend's name as being the primary guest on my account and therefore placed her at my address. She has never lived her nor does she have any link to my address. I called WDTC and explained their screw-up and asked them to change thier database for future reference. They claim that the "computer" is just selecting names at random and chose my friend's name to send the offer to, even though all of my information is in the files and she should not have anything to do with it! THEN, they told me that Central will not let me use a PIN offer with someone else's name on it, even though they have my address and phone number on file! So the computer is "randomly sending" out PIN offers to people that no one can use! I supposedly cannot use it because the wrong NAME is on it. My friend who my discount e-mail is addressed to cannot use it because she does not live at my address nor have my phone number, nor have my card information! Why send out things to people when they cannot be used? They should just stick with the people who actually MAKE the reservation and PAY for it as the ones on the mailing list!

And worse yet, the dunderheads responsible for this chaos at WDTC cannot change the info in their database, they CLAIM. They say that it "is Marketing" who holds the database. So that means I am permanently going to receive things at my address and email address for my FRIEND! I have already received a few things addressed to her but not with discounts and PINS involved. There is no way out of this hell!

The CM at WDTC said, "Next time you make a reservation, don't give your friend's name. The computer will latch onto it."

I said, "Well, MY name should be the primary name in there. It seems to me that any decent database should be able to be edited if there is a mistake. And you guys ASKED me for the name of my friend who was staying with me. I told you I wasn't sure who was coming but you pressed me for a name."

So, basically, now, after what the WDTC lady said, and she also asked her supervisor for confirmation, I am not sure Central Reservations will let me use the discount at all, because even though my friend was never at my address and never should have received the offer at my email address, they will see it as her trying to 'transfer' the offer to me, which is not allowed. I am going to have to ask for Sonya, who told me it should be okay the other day. I am sure my friend will be with me and they can look at her ID too, but they would be fools to turn down someone's money because of THEIR mistake!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Ugh! Arrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh! These Disney people in reservations are knuckleheads. I just got off the phone with a WDTC person. See, when I spoke to Sonya at Central Reservations the other day and explained about how the PIN discount e-mail I got was inexplicably addressed to my friend, who does not live at my address nor does she share my e-mail, they said that I should be able to use it with no problem because my address is still the one on the account and my e-mail address and my phone number, etc. As long as I showed them that I live at this address where they somehow have my friend living too, then it would be okay. But I knew the mistake originated from the database of the WDTC, who listed my friend's name as being the primary guest on my account and therefore placed her at my address. She has never lived her nor does she have any link to my address. I called WDTC and explained their screw-up and asked them to change thier database for future reference. They claim that the "computer" is just selecting names at random and chose my friend's name to send the offer to, even though all of my information is in the files and she should not have anything to do with it! THEN, they told me that Central will not let me use a PIN offer with someone else's name on it, even though they have my address and phone number on file! So the computer is "randomly sending" out PIN offers to people that no one can use! I supposedly cannot use it because the wrong NAME is on it. My friend who my discount e-mail is addressed to cannot use it because she does not live at my address nor have my phone number, nor have my card information! Why send out things to people when they cannot be used? They should just stick with the people who actually MAKE the reservation and PAY for it as the ones on the mailing list!

And worse yet, the dunderheads responsible for this chaos at WDTC cannot change the info in their database, they CLAIM. They say that it "is Marketing" who holds the database. So that means I am permanently going to receive things at my address and email address for my FRIEND! I have already received a few things addressed to her but not with discounts and PINS involved. There is no way out of this hell!

The CM at WDTC said, "Next time you make a reservation, don't give your friend's name. The computer will latch onto it."

I said, "Well, MY name should be the primary name in there. It seems to me that any decent database should be able to be edited if there is a mistake. And you guys ASKED me for the name of my friend who was staying with me. I told you I wasn't sure who was coming but you pressed me for a name."

So, basically, now, after what the WDTC lady said, and she also asked her supervisor for confirmation, I am not sure Central Reservations will let me use the discount at all, because even though my friend was never at my address and never should have received the offer at my email address, they will see it as her trying to 'transfer' the offer to me, which is not allowed. I am going to have to ask for Sonya, who told me it should be okay the other day. I am sure my friend will be with me and they can look at her ID too, but they would be fools to turn down someone's money because of THEIR mistake!

GOSHHH. How stressful. I wonder if you can go upward the chain to see if you can fight it further. That'd be so much better. What a sticky situation. You need to relax for a bit, maybe yoga, take a nice bath afterwards and light some candles. Thats terrible Sherry, I hope everything works out. I'm crossing my fingers, toes, etc. for you !!!

 

[Sherry E]

GOSHHH. How stressful. I wonder if you can go upward the chain to see if you can fight it further. That'd be so much better. What a sticky situation. You need to relax for a bit, maybe yoga, take a nice bath afterwards and light some candles. Thats terrible Sherry, I hope everything works out. I'm crossing my fingers, toes, etc. for you !!!

Thanks! That post from me about the nitwits in Central Reservations was a couple of days ago, so I have calmed down since then! Actually, aside from being jobless, I am also stressed because I learned that one of my occasional freelance clients - an elderly attorney with Parkinson's Disease - was found roaming in the streets last night, incoherent and confused and admitted to a Psych Ward. The reason the hospital called me is because he has no family and they found my number in his phone. They thought he was a mental patient and I had to tell them he has Parkinson's. Anyway, that just bummed me out because he is a nice, smart man who is very sick, so the issue with the Disney reservation nitwits just seemed silly in comparison.

But, on the subject of Disney reservations, I still don't know what I will do about a Christmas trip if I don't get a job soon, BUT the good news is that, with or without the PIN# discount, I THINK I will be able to pull off the October Disney trip AND hotel in some way or another! It is my birthday today, and with that comes offers from friends to bestow gifts upon me. So, my wheels were spinning, of course, and one friend offered to help out with the hotel and another one, I think, is going to give me a Disney gift card for the park that I can use on food and what not, so I think we are going to be able to do it! I used to treat everyone to Disney trips and/or the hotel long ago, so I don't mind other people chipping in for me here and there! I will accept it! So, I will deal with a Christmas trip later. One step at a time. But for now, I am grateful that in some way or another, it seems the October trip will happen! Lord KNOWS I need a good dose of the Mouse! Nothing better to cheer you up when you are down than being in the Happiest Place on Earth!

 

[Sy-]

Happy Birthday.... Not to spoil your fun but if you can't really afford to stay on property to the point where friends are offering to help pay for your hotel, then maybe you should just stay off site. It can be just as fun, especially if you are not stressing about paying the bill durring your entire trip! You can stay 4 nights at hojo's for what you will pay for 1 night at GCH!

 

[Sherry E]

Happy Birthday.... Not to spoil your fun but if you can't really afford to stay on property to the point where friends are offering to help pay for your hotel, then maybe you should just stay off site. It can be just as fun, especially if you are not stressing about paying the bill durring your entire trip! You can stay 4 nights at hojo's for what you will pay for 1 night at GCH!

Thanks for the happy birthday, Sy! No, since the friends are covering it, I am going with the PPH! I wouldn't try to stay at GCH again until I have a job. I stayed there last December and paid for the whole thing, and I have paid for everyone's hotel stays in the past too on many occasions to different places, so I am not complaining if someone wants to FINALLY chip in for ME! That is okay with me! We only need two nights on this trip anyway. And the tickets are already covered (I have them, so again, I am treating friends). But the reaosn they are doing it is not only because I am jobless currently, but BECAUSE we have known each other for decades and I have exercised my generosity lots of times in the past, AND because it is my birthday! So, I am going to accept the offers and not feel guilty! That bill at the GCH last year was NOT fun, and I covered the whole bill. So this is a thank you of sorts by my group. I deserve it!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Thanks! That post from me about the nitwits in Central Reservations was a couple of days ago, so I have calmed down since then! Actually, aside from being jobless, I am also stressed because I learned that one of my occasional freelance clients - an elderly attorney with Parkinson's Disease - was found roaming in the streets last night, incoherent and confused and admitted to a Psych Ward. The reason the hospital called me is because he has no family and they found my number in his phone. They thought he was a mental patient and I had to tell them he has Parkinson's. Anyway, that just bummed me out because he is a nice, smart man who is very sick, so the issue with the Disney reservation nitwits just seemed silly in comparison.

But, on the subject of Disney reservations, I still don't know what I will do about a Christmas trip if I don't get a job soon, BUT the good news is that, with or without the PIN# discount, I THINK I will be able to pull off the October Disney trip AND hotel in some way or another! It is my birthday today, and with that comes offers from friends to bestow gifts upon me. So, my wheels were spinning, of course, and one friend offered to help out with the hotel and another one, I think, is going to give me a Disney gift card for the park that I can use on food and what not, so I think we are going to be able to do it! I used to treat everyone to Disney trips and/or the hotel long ago, so I don't mind other people chipping in for me here and there! I will accept it! So, I will deal with a Christmas trip later. One step at a time. But for now, I am grateful that in some way or another, it seems the October trip will happen! Lord KNOWS I need a good dose of the Mouse! Nothing better to cheer you up when you are down than being in the Happiest Place on Earth!

Oh how terrible Poor guy. Must have been so scary for him.

I'm glad to hear you can still make a trip ! Happy Birthday to you Sherry ! Today should bring you some goodluck so have a great time today

 

[Sherry E]

Oh how terrible Poor guy. Must have been so scary for him.

I'm glad to hear you can still make a trip ! Happy Birthday to you Sherry ! Today should bring you some goodluck so have a great time today

Thank you for the Happy Birthday! B-days are not as big a deal as they were when I was younger but it never hurts to hear a happy birthday from someone!

And, by the way, yes, whenever your mom gets sick of your talking about Disneyland, you know you can always come here and find any number of us who are more than willing to discuss Disneyland!

I don't know what happened to my client. I have no idea what frame of mind he is in now or if he is even coherent. I am not sure I will even hear from him again. The doctor made it sound like he was just babbling and not making sense. I just saw him last week and he was sort of okay. That Parkinson's Disease is almost as bad as Alzheimer's in the effects it has on people. But he is an elderly man with no family, so I HOPE someone showed up to pick him up!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Thank you for the Happy Birthday! B-days are not as big a deal as they were when I was younger but it never hurts to hear a happy birthday from someone!

And, by the way, yes, whenever your mom gets sick of your talking about Disneyland, you know you can always come here and find any number of us who are more than willing to discuss Disneyland!

I don't know what happened to my client. I have no idea what frame of mind he is in now or if he is even coherent. I am not sure I will even hear from him again. The doctor made it sound like he was just babbling and not making sense. I just saw him last week and he was sort of okay. That Parkinson's Disease is almost as bad as Alzheimer's in the effects it has on people. But he is an elderly man with no family, so I HOPE someone showed up to pick him up!

Oh man. Thats terrible I did actually talk to my cousin and we went on ichat and went crazy with disney inspired makeup haha It was a good release !!! I posted it on here if you'd like to take a look :

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1893347

 

[Sherry E]

Oh man. Thats terrible I did actually talk to my cousin and we went on ichat and went crazy with disney inspired makeup haha It was a good release !!! I posted it on here if you'd like to take a look :

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1893347

Tell me if you agree. I think there is something - it is that Disney fever - that takes hold when we are in the parks, and it takes a while to shake it and get back to normal. It is withdrawal, if you will. Think about it - it really is like being in another world when you are there. It is such a feast for the senses being in the Happiest Place on Earth (but not a treat for the wallet!) - and every one of our senses is exposed to things we don't necessarily get in the 'real world' in quite this way. Space mixes with fantasy. Yesterday melds with tomorrow. Toys come to life. Mermaids and pirates are within reach. Scary animals are suddenly lovable and cute. Princesses and princes walk among us. Everyone is nice and friendly in Disneyland. You talk to people from places from which you never thought you would meet anyone. You see all ages, races and cultures laughing and co-existing harmoniously. Gay or straight doesn't matter. Male or female is irrelevant. It has to have some underlying 'psychological effect' on us. (I wanted to write an article called "The Psychology of Disneyland" but have not done so yet.) After we have left the parks, we don't want to let go of that magic and go back to 'reality' just yet, so we are all about Disney, wanting to share pictures, stare at out souvenirs, talk to everyone we know about our trips, look at our friends' pictures, frame our pictures, rearrange our souvenirs, look through brochures, get on the DISboards to discuss and debate Disney in every possible way with other people experiencing the same withdrawal...and most importantly, plan the NEXT trip in a bigger and better way! I really do find the whole phenomenon fascinating, the Disney spell, and the subsequent weaning process we have to endure. I thought I was alone in these 'symptoms' until I got on this board!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Tell me if you agree. I think there is something - it is that Disney fever - that takes hold when we are in the parks, and it takes a while to shake it and get back to normal. It is withdrawal, if you will. Think about it - it really is like being in another world when you are there. It is such a feast for the senses being in the Happiest Place on Earth (but not a treat for the wallet!) - and every one of our senses is exposed to things we don't necessarily get in the 'real world' in quite this way. Space mixes with fantasy. Yesterday melds with tomorrow. Toys come to life. Mermaids and pirates are within reach. Scary animals are suddenly lovable and cute. Princesses and princes walk among us. Everyone is nice and friendly in Disneyland. You talk to people from places from which you never thought you would meet anyone. You see all ages, races and cultures laughing and co-existing harmoniously. Gay or straight doesn't matter. Male or female is irrelevant. It has to have some underlying 'psychological effect' on us. (I wanted to write an article called "The Psychology of Disneyland" but have not done so yet.) After we have left the parks, we don't want to let go of that magic and go back to 'reality' just yet, so we are all about Disney, wanting to share pictures, stare at out souvenirs, talk to everyone we know about our trips, look at our friends' pictures, frame our pictures, rearrange our souvenirs, look through brochures, get on the DISboards to discuss and debate Disney in every possible way with other people experiencing the same withdrawal...and most importantly, plan the NEXT trip in a bigger and better way! I really do find the whole phenomenon fascinating, the Disney spell, and the subsequent weaning process we have to endure. I thought I was alone in these 'symptoms' until I got on this board!

I agree They really are symptoms and it really is a Disney spell. There is no other way to explain it. It just takes over your emotions and imagination and lets the two run wild with fantasy and excitement. It makes a full grown adult feel like a child again. I can't help but love the place. Its completely without hate, prejudice, and fear. Its so much better than the real world, I just can't see how people can do without it. Sigh. How wonderful it is

 

[Sy-]

Tell me if you agree. I think there is something - it is that Disney fever - that takes hold when we are in the parks, and it takes a while to shake it and get back to normal. It is withdrawal, if you will. Think about it - it really is like being in another world when you are there. It is such a feast for the senses being in the Happiest Place on Earth (but not a treat for the wallet!) - and every one of our senses is exposed to things we don't necessarily get in the 'real world' in quite this way. Space mixes with fantasy. Yesterday melds with tomorrow. Toys come to life. Mermaids and pirates are within reach. Scary animals are suddenly lovable and cute. Princesses and princes walk among us. Everyone is nice and friendly in Disneyland. You talk to people from places from which you never thought you would meet anyone. You see all ages, races and cultures laughing and co-existing harmoniously. Gay or straight doesn't matter. Male or female is irrelevant. It has to have some underlying 'psychological effect' on us. (I wanted to write an article called "The Psychology of Disneyland" but have not done so yet.) After we have left the parks, we don't want to let go of that magic and go back to 'reality' just yet, so we are all about Disney, wanting to share pictures, stare at out souvenirs, talk to everyone we know about our trips, look at our friends' pictures, frame our pictures, rearrange our souvenirs, look through brochures, get on the DISboards to discuss and debate Disney in every possible way with other people experiencing the same withdrawal...and most importantly, plan the NEXT trip in a bigger and better way! I really do find the whole phenomenon fascinating, the Disney spell, and the subsequent weaning process we have to endure. I thought I was alone in these 'symptoms' until I got on this board!

Absoutley!!! It obviously set you in a different frame of mind. Where else can you and your family get away with wearing matching tie-dyed t-shirts? What street, other than Main St., can you walk down wearing a 2 foot tall flourscent green Mad Hatter Hat without having the police tackle you and have you hauled off to the mental hospital?

 

[Sherry E]

Absoutley!!! It obviously set you in a different frame of mind. Where else can you and your family get away with wearing matching tie-dyed t-shirts? What street, other than Main St., can you walk down wearing a 2 foot tall flourscent green Mad Hatter Hat without having the police tackle you and have you hauled off to the mental hospital?

Well...they might still tackle me and haul me off But I bet that Disney police would be very nice and friendly while doing it! I mean, in the real world, I am not thinking about getting weird headgear. But put me in Disneyland around Christmas and I am feverishly hunting the park to find my special Mickey ear muffs like I am on a treasure hunt, along with the special 'reindeer/mouse ears' that I convince my friends to buy too so we can pose for silly photos! And said friends, who may not be as freakish about Disney as I am, willlingly and gleefully buy Santa Minnie ears and other holiday ears and pose in goofy photos with random characters - some of whom we don't even recognize! - like maniacs! You do become different people at DLR.

I had known about the Disney 'snowball effect' and the Disney fever that envelops us all while there - and it is funny, because now when I am there, I will be looking at everyone else, wondering, "Have they been bitten by the bug too?" - BUT I was really stewing over the after effects of a trip. Why is it so hard to just visit DLR, leave it and then let it go, and not suddenly feel almost 'sad' about not being there? That is when all the stuff I said in my earlier post occurred to me - about the sensory overload and how everyone comes together harmoniously and it really is an alternate, utopian universe there. So it has to somehow seep into our psyches and subsconscious minds when we are there for longer than a day, and then we have that weird withdrawal afterwards - even my friends who are not as nuts about Disney get caught in the web of fantasy there. It is such a drastic contrast from the real world. I wonder if I could live in DL or work there in the parks and still get caught under the spell on a daily basis, or if the magic would wear off for me after a bit. I would hate to ever get to the point where I was not excited like a little child to go there.

 

[princessLoLo'smom]

Sy-
Thanks for the laugh! I have actually thought that on occasion when a grown adult or even a senior citizen passes me in some "ridiculous get-up!" Of course it is totally anything goes at Disney and that is part of the fun, I think, is that you never know what you'll see next and can get in the "ridiculous" fun if you feel inclined. It is definitely a special place and even visiting the stores, which I know aren't owned by Disney, is fun and a bit of an escape because you recall the memories from your last trip to the parks.

Sherry- I think it is great that your friends are pitching in when you really need it! I can't tell you how frustrated I was when i was in college and it seemed I always paid for everything and reciprocity was a foreign concept. I did have some friends that came from a similar background that were equally generous and always ready to help no matter what, but most people are quite selfish I think ! If you have repeatedly paid for things, then they should feel obliged to repay the debt... so to speak... and you should not feel guilty!

I also feel terrible that you got the run-around on the phone! You should just keep trying until you get someone that is knowledgeable and is willing to either help you or transfer you to someone who will. I hope you can make at least one of the Holidays!
Good luck-
Lynda

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry- I think it is great that your friends are pitching in when you really need it! I can't tell you how frustrated I was when i was in college and it seemed I always paid for everything and reciprocity was a foreign concept. I did have some friends that came from a similar background that were equally generous and always ready to help no matter what, but most people are quite selfish I think ! If you have repeatedly paid for things, then they should feel obliged to repay the debt... so to speak... and you should not feel guilty!

I also feel terrible that you got the run-around on the phone! You should just keep trying until you get someone that is knowledgeable and is willing to either help you or transfer you to someone who will. I hope you can make at least one of the Holidays!
Good luck-
Lynda

Hi, Lynda! Thanks for your good wishes and kind words! Yes, I am not overstating one bit when I say I have repeatedly paid for things because maybe other people didn't have money in the past when I did, and I wanted us all to be together as a group. That was more important to me, to just have all of my friends there together. I didn't mind doing it, but as I get older, I DO notice who is willing to reciprocate now and who is NOT. So, if one friend wants to give me a gift card for my b-day so I can use it on either the hotel or food or knick-knacks, and if another one wants to help with the room, I will happily accept! After the year I have had so far what with being out of work, I think they know that some 'Disney therapy' is probably in order for me!

I don't know what the deal is with the people in reservations at Disneyland. They claim that "the computer just randomly latches onto names" and sends out the offers to the names it picks, but if my friend is not living at my address nor receiving email at my email address, then they are sending out a wasted/useless discount offer if they don't let me use it. It would be a different story if she received one at her address. Then that would be hers to use. They cannot assume she lives at my address because she was my guest on a reservation I once made, and then not let me use the offer. But what irritated me when I spoke to them at WDTC the other day is that I suspect they had simply goofed and entered her name into the wrong field and my name into the wrong field in the database on the past reservation, and that's why the computer thought she lived here, but they A) claim to not be able to change that info in their system, and B) wouldn't admit the mistake after they had prodded me into giving them her name as my guest to begin with!

In any case, I am much more zen about it now. Whatever happens, happens. I think things sort of go the way they are supposed to go, so maybe all this confusion took place for a reason and it will lead me to an even better deal (not as good as the one YOU got, but I think YOU were meant to have that great deal right at that time, and I hope they stick to it when you get to the GCH in Dec.)! I will be at the park, come hell or high water, in October, but the wheels are already spinning in my mind as to how to pull off a December visit!

Sherry

 

[princessLoLo'smom]

They should really be able to correct the error in their databank... I think you just got some lazy jerk on the phone that didn't want to take the time to make the change for you!

I agree with you about fate... sometimes it seems that you keep hitting walls no matter how you try to get around them and I think that is definitely a message from above that you need to let go... now! I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me in the past, and every time I have been able to look back and realize that if something hadn't stopped me I'd have made a huge mistake or gotten into some type of trouble. If the cosmos conspires against your efforts, just chill out and see what happens next! I also agree that things were meant to be for our trip, because things like that NEVER happen to me! Never a mistake in my favor! I am a spender and my husband is a saver, so we balance eachother out most of the time. He really wants to do everything and buy everything, but is much more capable of controlling himself and the situation than I am. We are a good team, but I know it hurts him that he can't just give us all the things we want when we want them. So I am glad that this worked out and he can feel good about the "deal" we got and how that will ease the pain of actually paying for it!

I hope that something turns up for you on the job front... why not work for Disney??? I forgot where you are... LA??? Is there anything holding you there?

 

[Sherry E]

They should really be able to correct the error in their databank... I think you just got some lazy jerk on the phone that didn't want to take the time to make the change for you!

I agree with you about fate... sometimes it seems that you keep hitting walls no matter how you try to get around them and I think that is definitely a message from above that you need to let go... now! I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me in the past, and every time I have been able to look back and realize that if something hadn't stopped me I'd have made a huge mistake or gotten into some type of trouble. If the cosmos conspires against your efforts, just chill out and see what happens next! I also agree that things were meant to be for our trip, because things like that NEVER happen to me! Never a mistake in my favor! I am a spender and my husband is a saver, so we balance eachother out most of the time. He really wants to do everything and buy everything, but is much more capable of controlling himself and the situation than I am. We are a good team, but I know it hurts him that he can't just give us all the things we want when we want them. So I am glad that this worked out and he can feel good about the "deal" we got and how that will ease the pain of actually paying for it!

I hope that something turns up for you on the job front... why not work for Disney??? I forgot where you are... LA??? Is there anything holding you there?

I think that the WDTC can change anything in their database if they want to, but maybe they have some sort of rule that they cannot alter anything unless the guest is making a new reservation. Not sure. Oh well. It is no big deal. I will just work around their nonsense! I consider myself to be lucky to even be stepping foot in the parks this year for one day, let alone stay a hotel, seeing how things have been going. So whatever way it can work out, that is great. Like you and your good fortune with the great deal that you got for GCH, I have been fortunate enough to have had unexpected and wonderful 'mistakes' made in my favor in the past (not by Disney, sadly, but by other places), and wonderful, unexpected gifts out of the blue, just as I have also had unfortunate, terrible, unexpected things happen and years where nothing is working out for me at all and things seem very bleak. Life is all a balance of good and bad. You can't appreciate the good unless you have the bad from time to time, and, as I like to say, we all get our turn on the the wheel of fortune AND the wheel of misfortune every now and then. No one is immune. Oh, and it sounds like you have a really great, thoughtful husband. He is a keeper! I hope he has as great a time in December at GCH as you and your daughter do!

Oh, as for working for Disney, well, aside from the bad luck I am currently having in finding any job (after applying to about 200 places in the 5 months since I lost my last job!), Disney is particularly hard to get into. I live in L.A., about 30 minutes from where the main Disney offices are in Glendale, Burbank and North Hollywood. I would LOVE to work for them - not only love to, but I actually think it is my destiny to work for them in some capacity - but they mainly hire and promote from within the organization, as one CM was telling me, and it is tough to get your foot in the door unless you perhaps know someone who works at Disney who can champion for you or put in a good word on your behalf. I got my resume to one recruiter through a girl who used to work for Disney, but she is going to look up some of her other contacts there. In the meantime, I keep pursuing work at the other 'big' companies right around me. And I do freelance work at home for a few clients when they need me. The economy is so bad, this is the WORST time to be out of work. It makes me feel like, once I am working again, I will never complain about another job because anyone working right now is so lucky! (Oh, I know I WILL complain about a job in the future - who doesn't? - but at this moment, I feel like I won't! )

A large portion of my friends have moved to other states, so I might have to follow suit soon if I can't find anything workwise! Although I couldn't imagine leaving my home state, where my favorite places - Disneyland and Catalina Island are - so if I were ever to move, I probably would not go too far. I would likely move to a state that borders California so I get back easily to go to those places!

 

[princessLoLo'smom]

I really do know what you mean about the ebb and flow of "luck" and agree that things have got to turn around and hopefully soon. I had so many years where things seemed as though they couldn't get any worse, and yet the downward spiral would continue. Like you I understand, although dislike, the truth that we cannot appreciate what is good without some strife, chaos, and pain from time to time. It is so crazy to look back and be grateful for the hard times, but it is in those times that our true character, strength and determination are tested and proved. Because you already realize this and have accepted it, you will hopefully not have to struggle for much longer... I think it is the stubborn ones(like me) who must be completely brokenbefore any rebuilding can happen.

There are tons of Californians here in AZ! I never thought I'd leave Florida... I am such a beach person and really only feel at peace when I am in or near the sea. It is the closest to God 've ever felt and being away has put a restlessness in my soul. I do however feel that the sacrifice is worth it, because of my family and our life here. We could never live comfortably on my husband's salary there and I would be so worried for my girls. There are so many "bad areas" in FL and I did extensive traveling within the state! Private school is absolutely necessary for their safety let alone their education... and we can not afford that!

Just stay open to any options that present themselves, because you never know if something may arise that seems like a sacrifice but turns out to be your saving grace!

 

[Sherry E]

I really do know what you mean about the ebb and flow of "luck" and agree that things have got to turn around and hopefully soon. I had so many years where things seemed as though they couldn't get any worse, and yet the downward spiral would continue. Like you I understand, although dislike, the truth that we cannot appreciate what is good without some strife, chaos, and pain from time to time. It is so crazy to look back and be grateful for the hard times, but it is in those times that our true character, strength and determination are tested and proved. Because you already realize this and have accepted it, you will hopefully not have to struggle for much longer... I think it is the stubborn ones(like me) who must be completely brokenbefore any rebuilding can happen.

There are tons of Californians here in AZ! I never thought I'd leave Florida... I am such a beach person and really only feel at peace when I am in or near the sea. It is the closest to God 've ever felt and being away has put a restlessness in my soul. I do however feel that the sacrifice is worth it, because of my family and our life here. We could never live comfortably on my husband's salary there and I would be so worried for my girls. There are so many "bad areas" in FL and I did extensive traveling within the state! Private school is absolutely necessary for their safety let alone their education... and we can not afford that!

Just stay open to any options that present themselves, because you never know if something may arise that seems like a sacrifice but turns out to be your saving grace!

Yep! You are right! You never know where you will find good luck, even when it seems like an inconvenience. Last year, when I lost a different job in August (not the one I lost this past February), someone was referring me to someone else who was supposedly going to look over my finances and advise me on what to do or whatever. I am skipping details but basically, it sounded like it was going to be a waste of time because I knew there was nothing this guy could tell me that I didn't already know about my money situation. So I reluctantly went and met with him just to appease the person who connected us, and I was right that he couldn't shed any light on anything. I walked out of the office thinking it was a lost cause. Two days later, to my utter shock, the man called me and said his organization had a 'gift' for me that turned out to be enough money to pay my rent and utility and food bills for about 2-3 months! And I almost didn't go to meet him!

Another time, I was kicking myself because I had to mail four items and needed four stamps which I didn't have, and it was too late to go to the Post Office and get any, and I had to get the things in the mail the next day. The following day, I was walking home from work, and I looked on the ground in front of me, and what do I see but FOUR STAMPS - exactly what I needed! It was like someone had heard me and just tossed them at my feet! There have been other happy coincidences and fortunate mistakes like that too. Sometimes nothing is going right at all, BUT sometimes we get exactly what we need, when we least expect it but need it most!!!

Oh, and P.S. People are probably escaping California and moving to AZ, NV and OR because it is getting too expensive to live here BUT they don't want to be far away from all that the Golden State has to offer.