Nothing to See Here...

[TheColtonsMom]

Is anyone else really feeling Sherry's absence on the boards? I keep looking for her replies to posts..especially on the Christmas ones.

Yep she is definitely one of the most informative (while still being entertaining) people around. Can't wait till she returns

 

[funatdisney]

Well I am off in about 15 minutes to head down to DL to spend the day with Sherry and take her home. Can't wait to meet her and spend the day with her

 

[deejdigsdis]

I could have written that...LOL same thing happened at my house...I cannot believe Rudolph has not been on again and according to my guide wont be for at least the next week to 10 days. I have it on VHS and DVD but something about watching it "live" right.

Wow, it seems like it should have been on again by now. And I know what you mean...there's definitely something about watching it "live." I have it on DVD and DS5 wanted to watch it the other day...in the middle of the afternoon! There is something more special to me about watching it when it comes on TV, at night, with all the family together, and eating Christmas treats by the light of the Christmas tree. It's NOT something you just watch in the afternoon by yourself or have on as background noise while you're in and out of the room. So we haven't watched it yet this season because I keep waiting for it to come back on.

Is anyone else really feeling Sherry's absence on the boards? I keep looking for her replies to posts..especially on the Christmas ones.

Sherry, I know we'll hear from you in a couple more days and hope you are having an amazing time. Looks like you will get some of that cold you wanted!

Yes, her absence is noticeable. Hope she's having a great time.

Well I am off in about 15 minutes to head down to DL to spend the day with Sherry and take her home. Can't wait to meet her and spend the day with her

Liza

Have fun! So nice of you to take her home.

 

[kaoden39]

Sherry I hope your trip has been magical. You are obviously missed.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm BAAAACCCCKKKK!!:
​

I wasn't going to post until tomorrow but I was reading the wonderful posts in my thread, and I must say - I am so touched to be missed on the boards!! Thank you all for keeping my TR alive. I expected to return and see that it had sunk to the depths of page 2 of the TR section.

I have to ask Jasmine (where's_my_prince) what she was wearing at DLR today, because I think I may have seen her. Her CM party was last night and I know she stayed at the PPH, as I did. I passed a girl who I think was Jasmine as she was getting out of the PPH elevator and I was getting in. And then I saw this same person again near the CALIFORNIA letters today. If it wasn't Jasmine, then she has a twin because this person looked like her! I should have just gone up and said, "Are you Jasmine," but I didn't. I was afraid she would say, "No, you fool, my name is Beatrice," or something.

Well, there is much to tell, as you can imagine. But let's say I had a wonderful time full of peppermint ice cream, gingerbread cookies and snow (what little there was of it)...full of photos galore (I took so many photos that 4 different men questioned me as to what was so interesting that I had to get it on camera (as if they had never seen a a woman photographing potted plants and windows before! Sheesh!)...full of magical Disney moments (i.e., catching Bert and Mary Poppins dancing with children to Christmas songs)...full of yummy food (I'm addicted to the spaghetti & garlic bread at Storytellers)...and overall merriment. I've decided that I really like the DTD holiday soundtrack - you can be moseying along and hear Dinah Shore and Bing Crosby...and then suddenly U2 or Sheryl Crow. There is no rhyme or reason to the DTD Christmas music, and I found that somewhat infectious. I found myself kind of bouncing along to the familiar carols as I strolled through DTD.

OH! And I found a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (the Rankin Bass version) display in Build-a-Bear!!!

It was hot. And I mean summer-like hot. I was in pain (my leg) - and I mean the kind of pain that had me limping along. And it was crowded. Long lines everywhere. A couple of CM's mentioned that it hasn't been "slow" or uncrowded at all this December, whereas it is normally not too bad in early December. It was packed on Sunday. It was packed on Monday. It was packed yesterday. And it was pretty darn crowded today. I think the slow times are becoming few and far between.

Anyway, despite the pain and heat, I still had a wonderful time...that is, until I got home today and started checking my e-mail. I saw an e-mail from PayPal from 3 days ago. I had been using my PayPal debit card at DLR for the last few days - having no clue that Paradise Pier had put a hold on a big chunk of money on that debit card when I checked in on Sunday (PayPal sent me one of their "receipts" for the amount used for the hold, and I didn't see it until today). I paid them my gift cards towards the balance due, which should have paid it in full, and somehow they automatically blocked this whopping amount of like $289 to the card! Meanwhile, I had no idea that they did this because no one told me, and I paid everything in full, so I merrily went along using my debit card, thinking I had the available funds.

As soon as I got home and saw that the PPH had put this hold on my account, which still shows as "pending" (they were supposed to enter in a code in their computer system to tell the computer to release the hold, but they did not), I realized that all of the subsequent transactions will now be overdrawn if they process and post before the $289 hold is removed.

I frantically called the PPH and scolded them for not telling me that the hold was placed on my card - even after I paid with gift cards. The CM on the phone apologized and said that their computer system sometimes will just do that automatically (even though they have NOT done that to me in the past). He also said they will talk to the CM who checked me in so he can handle future check-in situations better. But they can't do anything about the "pending amount" on my card because their system does not show that any amount is due. Well, that's true - no amount is due. It's all paid. But because they did not enter in the code to reverse the hold on my money in time, most likely my pending transactions will now be overdrawn.

So I will be in panic mode until I know what's happening with my account. Stupid PPH. This was all because they were thrown off by my gift cards. Remind me in the future - don't pay for hotel rooms with gift cards!! I can't proceed with a proper TR until that worry is off my mind.

Quick observations:

1. Even though it's still pretty, I still miss the old NOS decorations with the light canopies.

2. I came to the important realization that when people ask on this board, "How many days do I need," it largely depends on individual touring style. I think there is no definite answer for everyone. Some folks will need 4 days. Some folks will need 5 days. Some folks will need a week. You can't tell someone that 3 or 4 days will be enough because people tour DLR differently. I could have NEVER gotten all the photos I got (even if they turn out horribly) if I had taken the time to go on rides - or even if friends had been with me. So if you are an avid photo-taker, and if you like to stroll around and see details as well as do lots of rides, you will need more time than if you just focused on rides.

3. I rather like having a hotel room all to myself!! I like hoarding the Mickey bath products. I like not worrying about waking someone else up if I get up early. I like being able to sleep freely and not worry about whether they are snoring or I am snoring or whatever.

4. It's no fun walking around with a wet butt at DLR.

5. Never try to take a picture of your peppermint ice cream cone with one hand if you are a klutz.

6. Don't trust hotel CM's to tell you what amount they are charging you. In fact, don't even trust they are NOT charging you - even after you have paid IN FULL - because you might still be charged anyway.


Well, I will leave you all in suspense, and to meditate on those thoughts! I will return after I find out what's happening with my money. I pray that I don't have a whole series of unexpected overdraft charges to deal with tomorrow. That would be a lousy way to end an otherwise joy-filled trip to DLR during the holidays. Cross your fingers for me.

And again, thank you, everyone, for the kind words and thoughts. I'm glad to know that my absence was felt!

Oh, Michele - I got your antenna topper (that one was with cash, so it was spared the PayPal mess!).

 

[Belle Ella]

So glad to have you back Sherry! Sorry to hear about the stupid PPH and the hold on your card. Ugh, what a headache and I hope it gets sorted out fast like but I am still so excited that you got your trip!!

 

[kaoden39]

I am thrilled you had fun. I am sorry to hear about the paypal mess. I would be so ticked off. Send me a message on facebook or here about how much I owe you and such. Thank you so much. You have made my holiday.

 

[amamax2]

Welcome back - can't wait to hear all the details and see all the pictures.

Come on PPH, wha'sup with this mess? (as my teens would say - its not really coming off so well when a middle-aged lady says it, is it?)

2. I came to the important realization that when people ask on this board, "How many days do I need," it largely depends on individual touring style. I think there is no definite answer for everyone. Some folks will need 4 days. Some folks will need 5 days. Some folks will need a week. You can't tell someone that 3 or 4 days will be enough because people tour DLR differently. I could have NEVER gotten all the photos I got (even if they turn out horribly) if I had taken the time to go on rides - or even if friends had been with me. So if you are an avid photo-taker, and if you like to stroll around and see details as well as do lots of rides, you will need more time than if you just focused on rides.

I think you are on to something here! Normally I say 3 days is ideal. We were there for a little more than 3 days, but adding in photos, candy canes, Aladdin, fireworks, visiting hotels, etc etc, I missed so much. I keep seeing pictures people are posting and saying, wait, where was that? I didn't see that? Darn, I want a picture of that!

4. It's no fun walking around with a wet butt at DLR.

Were truer words ever spoken? That needs to be put in a sticky. Or tagged by the tag fairy.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Nice to have you back to the thread.

 

[Funball]

yay for you sherry!!!

 

[funatdisney]

Sherry, I had a great time with you today. I would definitely go to DLR with you if the opportunity came up again.

I did end up at the Santa Monica Place and found "Disney" (they don't call it the Disney Store). It was a very small store, but very well done. There was a lot of nice features not found in a traditional Disney store. I bought a few ornaments that were 50% off. Unfortunately, I wouldn't make it a destination. They mostly sell kid's clothes and toys. My girls are way pass that stage.

Sorry to read about the distressing situation with PayPal. You arrive home tired and thinking that you can recover from your trip. Then you have to deal with something as important as your finances. That would ruin my day, too. Keep us posted. It might be good information to know.

Liza

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Welcome back Sherry...pleaase let us know what happens with paypal as I would really like to know before I leave so we can avoid this if possible. Would hate to come home to overdrafts YUCK!

A few days ago i was feeling jealous that I couldn't leave yet and you were already there. Now I have tipped into single digits and am stressing over if I will get everything done before I have to leave YIKES!

Hope you get the paypal situation resolved and I can read at least part of your trip report before I leave.

Will be packing both laptops so hopefully my TR will get some teasers and pics during our trip (if i don't fall into bed exhausted every night)

 

[where's_my_prince]

I'm BAAAACCCCKKKK!!:
​

I wasn't going to post until tomorrow but I was reading the wonderful posts in my thread, and I must say - I am so touched to be missed on the boards!! Thank you all for keeping my TR alive. I expected to return and see that it had sunk to the depths of page 2 of the TR section.

I have to ask Jasmine (where's_my_prince) what she was wearing at DLR today, because I think I may have seen her. Her CM party was last night and I know she stayed at the PPH, as I did. I passed a girl who I think was Jasmine as she was getting out of the PPH elevator and I was getting in. And then I saw this same person again near the CALIFORNIA letters today. If it wasn't Jasmine, then she has a twin because this person looked like her! I should have just gone up and said, "Are you Jasmine," but I didn't. I was afraid she would say, "No, you fool, my name is Beatrice," or something.

:

ok i was wearing a mickey & minnie christmas sweatshirt with uggs and leggings!!!

and i'm pretty sure it was me because i was the CALIFORNIA letters waiting to sign my grandma and aunt into DL!!!! that's so crazy! i wish we could have talked but i had no idea you were staying til then! what day did you leave?

 

[Sherry E]

ok i was wearing a mickey & minnie christmas sweatshirt with uggs and leggings!!!

and i'm pretty sure it was me because i was the CALIFORNIA letters waiting to sign my grandma and aunt into DL!!!! that's so crazy! i wish we could have talked but i had no idea you were staying til then! what day did you leave?

Okay, I just had to pop in for a quick second to reply to Jasmine. I am in the middle of post-trip stuff (work, catching up on household things, etc.) and haven't had time to reply to everyone else in this thread yet (or any other thread)!! But I had to address this!

I checked out of PPH yesterday morning. (And I am now dealing with the after effects of that, as they put a hold on $289 of my PayPal money, without telling me they had done that - because I had already paid them my entire hotel amount - causing me to be overdrawn on purchases I made after that.

Jasmine, you and I literally passed right by each other in the PPH elevator. I knew it was you - you have a nose piercing, right? Your sweatshirt was kind of pinkish-salmon color, sort of, right? (I can't think of another color to call it!!) And you had on a hat/cap, too? I saw the Uggs and the black leggings! The first time I saw you was at the PPH yesterday morning. I went downstairs to get something in the PPH gift shop before 9:00 a.m., I think. Maybe just after 9:00 a.m. You were getting out of the elevator (you were the only one in it) and I was getting in that same elevator. But you were looking off in another direction and not at me. I had to do a double take to be sure it was you, but I had to get back up to my room and pack so I didn't say anything.

Then I got my stuff all packed up and left my room. I left the bags at the Bell desk and made my way to DCA. I was standing in the Esplanade by the CALIFORNIA letters, waiting for DCA to open, and saw you again! But I still wasn't 100% sure it was you. You were checking your phone or Blackberry or something. Then I noticed you met up with two ladies (at least one of them had a stroller), and you went into Disneyland. I was waiting for funatdisney (Liza) and it was easier to stay in DCA at that point, or I probably would have headed into DL to finally say something to you!! I recognized your face and I figured if it was not you then you must have a twin. But I knew you had stayed at PPH (in concierge) the night before when you did the CM party, so it made sense that it was you. I should have said something to you since I saw you twice. I told Liza that I thought I saw you and if I saw you again I would say hello!!

I also thought I saw you on Sunday, 12/12, in Adventureland, wearing a white shirt. but I am probably wrong about that 'Jasmine sighting'!! I knew it had to be you yesterday, though!!

As crazy as it seems to imagine running into people you know or know of in a huge place like DLR, it certainly happens. And I kept seeing the same faces over and over and over again in the parks - not people I know personally, but like maybe a family I saw checking in at the PPH or someone I saw at Storytellers or something. I would see those same people everywhere for the next few days. I saw one woman yesterday (she looked like a less 'cracked out' Heidi Fleiss) about 5 different times during my 4 days - always in different areas, though. Never in the same location!! It's weird how you see the same people over and over in the midst of thousands of people!!

____________________________________________________

Anyway, folks, I am still in the Paradise Pier/PayPal panic mode. The PPH guy I vented to on the phone last night told me that the "hold" should have already been removed by then, and if not before yesterday, it should be gone by 6:00 a.m. today (24 hours after my "check-out"). Well, it's still there, and it is still showing as pending on PayPal. And if those subsequent purchases I made post before that stupid hold clears (they are still pending as well), I will be in a heap of trouble with various overdraft charges and Non-Sufficient funds fees, etc. So I am waiting to get the final word on how big of a mess this is before I tell you all what the outcome is.

But believe me, when it comes to an end - good or bad - you can bet I will be warning people on the DIS about it so they can know what they are dealing with when they stay onsite. I never had to deal with this mess in the past. At most, they put a hold on maybe $50 if I had already paid my hotel bill in total. Now you have to make sure to have extra money on your card just to cover a "hold" amount - even if you have already paid your bill in total. That seems totally wrong to me!

AND, the CM's I had spoken to on the phone prior to arrival at the PPH told me exactly the amount I would owe, down to the penny. I knew exactly what I would owe when I arrived, and I had that covered in gift cards. However, the "hold" amount seems to be about $15 more than what I was told I would owe. So that's another issue. Where did that extra $15 figure in? What is that for?

 

[where's_my_prince]

Okay, I just had to pop in for a quick second to reply to Jasmine. I am in the middle of post-trip stuff (work, catching up on household things, etc.) and haven't had time to reply to everyone else in this thread yet (or any other thread)!! But I had to address this!

I checked out of PPH yesterday morning. (And I am now dealing with the after effects of that, as they put a hold on $289 of my PayPal money, without telling me they had done that - because I had already paid them my entire hotel amount - causing me to be overdrawn on purchases I made after that.

Jasmine, you and I literally passed right by each other in the PPH elevator. I knew it was you - you have a nose piercing, right? Your sweatshirt was kind of pinkish-salmon color, sort of, right? (I can't think of another color to call it!!) And you had on a hat/cap, too? I saw the Uggs and the black leggings! The first time I saw you was at the PPH yesterday morning. I went downstairs to get something in the PPH gift shop before 9:00 a.m., I think. Maybe just after 9:00 a.m. You were getting out of the elevator (you were the only one in it) and I was getting in that same elevator. But you were looking off in another direction and not at me. I had to do a double take to be sure it was you, but I had to get back up to my room and pack so I didn't say anything.

Then I got my stuff all packed up and left my room. I left the bags at the Bell desk and made my way to DCA. I was standing in the Esplanade by the CALIFORNIA letters, waiting for DCA to open, and saw you again! But I still wasn't 100% sure it was you. You were checking your phone or Blackberry or something. Then I noticed you met up with two ladies (at least one of them had a stroller), and you went into Disneyland. I was waiting for funatdisney (Liza) and it was easier to stay in DCA at that point, or I probably would have headed into DL to finally say something to you!! I recognized your face and I figured if it was not you then you must have a twin. But I knew you had stayed at PPH (in concierge) the night before when you did the CM party, so it made sense that it was you. I should have said something to you since I saw you twice. I told Liza that I thought I saw you and if I saw you again I would say hello!!

I also thought I saw you on Sunday, 12/12, in Adventureland, wearing a white shirt. but I am probably wrong about that 'Jasmine sighting'!! I knew it had to be you yesterday, though!!

As crazy as it seems to imagine running into people you know or know of in a huge place like DLR, it certainly happens. And I kept seeing the same faces over and over and over again in the parks - not people I know personally, but like maybe a family I saw checking in at the PPH or someone I saw at Storytellers or something. I would see those same people everywhere for the next few days. I saw one woman yesterday (she looked like a less 'cracked out' Heidi Fleiss) about 5 different times during my 4 days - always in different areas, though. Never in the same location!! It's weird how you see the same people over and over in the midst of thousands of people!!

____________________________________________________

Anyway, folks, I am still in the Paradise Pier/PayPal panic mode. The PPH guy I vented to on the phone last night told me that the "hold" should have already been removed by then, and if not before yesterday, it should be gone by 6:00 a.m. today (24 hours after my "check-out"). Well, it's still there, and it is still showing as pending on PayPal. And if those subsequent purchases I made post before that stupid hold clears (they are still pending as well), I will be in a heap of trouble with various overdraft charges and Non-Sufficient funds fees, etc. So I am waiting to get the final word on how big of a mess this is before I tell you all what the outcome is.

But believe me, when it comes to an end - good or bad - you can bet I will be warning people on the DIS about it so they can know what they are dealing with when they stay onsite. I never had to deal with this mess in the past. At most, they put a hold on maybe $50 if I had already paid my hotel bill in total. Now you have to make sure to have extra money on your card just to cover a "hold" amount - even if you have already paid your bill in total. That seems totally wrong to me!

AND, the CM's I had spoken to on the phone prior to arrival at the PPH told me exactly the amount I would owe, down to the penny. I knew exactly what I would owe when I arrived, and I had that covered in gift cards. However, the "hold" amount seems to be about $15 more than what I was told I would owe. So that's another issue. Where did that extra $15 figure in? What is that for?

i did have a cap on!!! and i left PPH right before 9:00 a.m.! it was definitely me, because i met up with my grandma and aunt to go to disneyland at the CALIFORNIA sign!

that wasn't me though at adventureland

excuse the disney pun but it really is a small world after all!

 

[mariezp]

Welcome back Sherry! I hope you had as good a time as you hoped for. I see Shawn did show up AND your ride home worked out according to plan. Now I am curious to hear if Jackie was able to show up. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on spending solo time in the park and all the other glorious details! At the rate I am going there is no doubt in my mind that your trip report will be well under way before I even get started on mine! I really need to sit down and work on that!

Bummer about the Paypal fiasco. I will be crossing my fingers that the hold gets lifted BEFORE anything else shows up!

 

[Sherry E]

Well... PayPal/Paradise Pier update...

As of last night, there was still a hold on the money in the PayPal account. I had called PayPal yesterday and explained to them the situation with the PPH putting that hold on the $289 and not releasing it even after I paid up. I got a very helpful, friendly gentleman in the debit card department. He broke down for me exactly how much was in my PayPal account at which times, and said that the hold on the funds was supposed to expire after midnight (which it now has). Because of the timing of what posted when, only one of my transactions - my Tuesday night dinner at Storytellers - was in danger of going over the limit. This meant that PayPal would then go to my back-up source for the rest of the money.

So last night, in the dark, I ran down the street like a madwoman to my bank to deposit what little remaining cash I had left into my account, so that when PayPal went in to collect the balance due there would be something in there and it wouldn't be overdrawn. But if I had not had those few bucks in cash left over, I would be overdrawn and facing fees today.

What should have happened - as I have said before, I think - was that PPH shuld have entered in a code to tell their system to reverse/releasemy funds. They did not do this. Instead, they had that hold on the money for 5 full days, which is absolutely unacceptable seeing that I had already paid them the balance due on the room. So it was their mistake. They didn't reverse the hold. They didn't clarify to me that there was a hold and for how much. They didn't ask me if the PayPal card was the card they should keep on file. I may have wanted to give them a different card, but they never checked.

So basically, PPH just messed up and caused me grief in the meantime. There I was, spending away, not realizing there was no money to use in my PayPal account!! They could have put a smaller hold on money - like $50 - just in case I racked up any charges while staying at the PPH. Instead, they just left the $289 hold intact after I paid.

Today the hold is gone and except for that one transaction that went over the limit, I think I am in the clear as far as any other transactions going over the limit.

So the moral of the story is: When you check in at an onsite hotel, if you pay the balance due on your room at the front desk when you arrive, MAKE SURE to find out from the CM if there will still be a hold placed on that amount (or higher) even after you have paid. And if they say no, have them double check. And if they say yes, ask them to enter in the code to reverse the hold.

The only reason they should be putting a hold for anything over $50 on your account is if you have not paid for the room in total yet, and they anticipate that you will pay when you check out. BUT, the CM should ask you at check-in if you want to take care of the bill then or when you leave, so you should be able to say you want to do it right then. I was never asked. My CM just went ahead and processed me as if I was paying at check-OUT, which was never the plan.

Of course, if you have everything paid up prior to arrival, this mess shouldn't happen at all. But I know that many people pay the deposit up front and then pay the balance when they check-in - that's where you might run into trouble if you don't check with the CM every step of the way to see what they are doing.


In other news, I am now getting sick - I caught something at DLR and my throat is raw. So that means several days of misery for me!

And...I finally loaded all of my photos (about 1600, give or take some ultra-blurry ones I deleted) to my PC. Next step is to start loading them to Photobucket, which will be a long, slow process. I may even have to start a THIRD Photobucket account just to handle all the photos because I think my second account might reach the bandwidth limit.

But, once the photos are loaded, I think you will all be pleased. I was pretty pleased with a lot of my pictures - not because I'm such a great photographer or because the shots are all perfect, because I'm not and they're not, but because I think there will be a lot of the "I've never seen that before" feeling. I think I got some cool stuff.

I have so many holiday-related photos (and I never even made it to A Bug's Land, by the way) that I don't know what to post in the Christmas thread and what to post here!!

I will probably start the TR before I have loaded all of the 1600 photos to Photobucket. I will probably load a chunk of them, start the TR, take a break, load more photos, continue the TR, load more photos, continue the TR, and so on!!

So stay tuned for installment #1...coming soon!! (Possibly later today!)

 

[PHXscuba]

Sherry, it's horrid the PPH caused you such stress. If it happened to me, I would be writing a very nicely worded letter to hotel management to train people better. I often do just what you did -- pay a deposit and then the balance at check-in, sometimes not on the same account. I am sure your experience will at least be helpful to others here.

I about spit out my soda when I read what you said about trying to take a picture of your peppermint ice cream one-handed. That's something I would try and do badly.

Looking forward to seeing your pictures as they come. At least it's a way to spread the Disney/Christmas feeling out for another week or so.

PHXscuba

 

[kaoden39]

Oh geez Sherri what a horror story with the PPH. How could they be so stupid. That never should have even been kept on there, the CM really dropped the ball on this one. I think that if I had anything that "bounced" I would make Disney writes letters and pick up any overdrawn charges I had. That is bad business.

I hope you feel better soon. You poor thing. I have been fighting a cold the last few days and I am even wearing a scarf as I sit here on the computer.

I look forward to your trip report.

 

[mariezp]

So glad that the Paypal incident did not turn out any worse. I do agree that if you end up with any charges you should let PP know so they can reimburse you for the charges that were caused because of their employee.

Oh boy! A new report coming VERY soon! I can't wait. I know there are some other reports out there as well that I still need to read from November too. If only there was more time in a day!
Gotta tell you that knowing you were getting started inspired me to get myself in gear (a little) and start uploading my photos. As always the start was slow and not without problems but I think I have the process rolling now and the interruption of the day out of the way so maybe I'll make some progress. So far I've got a little over 500 pics uploaded so there will be a report on the horizon for me too.... one of these days.