Oh Readers!!! POR Pre-Trip Report ~ We're back...trip report link on page 8!

[michael's mom]

Well, not too much has changed in the world of ADR's! Bummer...AnnaBeth told me to call back this week though because you never know. I'll call on Friday, which was the initial day that I could call to make ADR's due to the upgrade. Friday is 11/21, the day that I was going to take off to make my ressies and then didn't put in for it. Turns out, I needed the day off because my sister is having surgery and the 21st is her pre-op day. My mom watches my son while I am working and will be with her at the hospital so, I have a long weekend coming up...I'll just have to make a phone call to be sure.

Friday night DH and I are going to Foxwoods for a secret surprise party for him. For those of you who aren't New Englanders, Foxwoods is a casino in CT. Only about 1 1/2 hours from home. He thinks that I am just taking him for his 30th birthday that was last month, and for our anniversary that was 2 weeks ago. What he doesn't know is that we have at least 10 of his friends/family members meeting us down there to surprise him and spend the day. Should be a good time!

Okay, well, after completely going off topic, I have to read to see where I left off...oh, I'll be checking with Disney dining on Friday. Any good news I'll be sure to share with the DIS.

Other than that, the only excitement was the email to save even more money on the trip, but it is definitely not a better offer than the buy 4 get 3. I'm psyched about the stroller swap. It looks as though I'll at least have one face to face swap.

The sad news is the swappers lost a stroller. If anyone sees a blue double jogger with Royal Carriage 3 embroidered on it, it belongs to us swappers and we would greatly appreciate it being returned to the All Star Resort.

Okay, well, I wish you all a happy Friday tomorrow. I'll update again when there's news to share.

 

[xoktenox]

Have fun in Foxwoods! Win lots of $$...then you can use it in Disney!

 

[michael's mom]

Have fun in Foxwoods! Win lots of $$...then you can use it in Disney!

Thanks! That'd be awesome if I did...but sadly, I'm lucky if I leave even...

 

[NaplesRI]

I am enjoying it too~~

 

[michael's mom]

Thanks! As soon as I get those darn ADR's I'll be really excited...now to break the news to the inlaws who think we spend too much money...

Really, they are just looking out for us because my husband was out of work for 4 months. Oh well, he was able to collect unemployment while he was looking for a job and now he has one. Our finances are in order and our tax refund (thanks to the influence of my parents )will pay for Disney twofold so I say..."Why Not?"

 

[lilyfrog73]

Great PTR so far. I've been considering doing one myself for the same reason as you. My DH is excited about going but he thinks I'm nuts with all the research I do and doesn't understand why so much needs to be done ahead of time. Keep it coming!!!

 

[michael's mom]

Definitely do one! I think my family thinks I forgot we were going because I rarely talk about it now. The last conversation I had with anyone regarding Disney was last Tuesday and it was telling my aunt I got her into a stroller swap. Besides, it's fun chatting with other people who are as excited as you!

 

[stitcharoo]

haha
i love the way you write, you have a good sense of humor.
=]
love it, i'mma keep reading!!

 

[michael's mom]

Thanks!

 

[michael's mom]

Well, we just got in from our night at Foxwoods. It was nice to get away, even if only for a night. I don't know if I could've handled more than that away from my son. But, it was a good time. DH had no clue that people were meeting us there. I almost blew it last night, but he wasn't paying too close attention and I covered pretty well. Before we left, he said "maybe I should call Eddie (his BF), he'd be in his car in 20 seconds to meet us down there" well, I had to play the hurt wife and say "But this was supposed to be a nice getaway for the two of us, what, am I not good enough company?" He agreed to not call his buddy and we were off.

Got stuck in some pretty nasty trafic down by 495 in MA, but then, smooth sailing. Got to the casino at 8:30, checked into our room, and had a very late dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Then we took a loooooooong walk to the MGM Grand and I have to say, I hope the Vegas one is worth all the hype because I didn't see anything special about the one in CT.

We slept in this morning (well, DH did, I couldn't sleep with all the snoring and all...) but I knew we couldn't go to bfast until 10 because everyone was meeting us at 11. So, we eat a decent bfast, walk around for a few minutes...

Boy, was I trying to stall him! I bent down to tie my shoe, said I needed to find chapstick, and then said, lets go get some fresh air in the smoke-free casino before we head off to lose all our money. I will say it was the perfect amount of time to waste because as we headed towards the casino we wanted to get to, there was my sister, her friend JC (he's supposed to be going to WDW with us) and her friend Candace. What was DH's first words to me?

DH: Oh sure, I can't invite Eddie but you invited these guys
Me: Aah, actually... (Insert Eddie jumping on Matt and doing an oh so inappropriate n**ple assault)...
Me (cont): and your brothers will be here and your aunts and your uncle later this afternoon.

Hahaha, he was so surprised.

All in all, we had a great day, however as the title of this post hints, we didn't win any money. I was proud of the fact that I sat at a slot machine for 1 1/2 hours on $9.00. We met up with everyone again (15 people in all) and had a great dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, and then, we headed home.

Leaving Foxwoods is definitely not like leaving Disney. Esp. if you are a non-smoker. I couldn't wait to get out of there...I still have a sore throat and nose from all the smoke, and I was in the smoke-free room for most of the day. There were no tears from me today...I can guarantee you I'll be crying like a naked baby when I leave Disney in April.

So, this is totally off the topic of my trip to Disney, but seeing as though NOTHING HAS CHANGED WITH ADR'S I'd let you hear how I spent my day.

I am actually glad that nothing has changed yet with the ADR's because I would have been upset if they opened a new window and I couldn't get to a phone.

Okay folks, have a great Saturday night and Sunday. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me soon, because rumor has it, a new window is opening up this week. Fingers crossed it includes some late April dates!

 

[xoktenox]

Sounds like you had a great time at Foxwoods, even if you didn't win any money. Thats pretty impressive to sit at a slot machine for and hr and a 1/2 on $9!

I totally know what you mean about the smoking at the casinos. In Sept., me, BF and 2 of our friends went to Mohegan Sun and while the place itself was beautiful, the smoke was insane. Even in the non-smoking areas of the casino you could smell it. I ended up on antibiotics a few days after we got home because it actually made me sick!

Glad to hear you had such a good time

 

[michael's mom]

I am pretty sick today...my lungs are still trying to clean up...I haven't stopped coughing all day...

I hope a good night's sleep will be the trick, I have a big day at work tomorrow. 20 six year olds don't stay home because their teacher doesnt feel well...Ugh.

Anyway, thanks for staying tuned. Did you hear the rumor that on Dec. 1 they are opening up the window for ADR's through May 10? DisneyDine hasnt confirmed it yet, but the rumors are on other sites and coming from TA's too.

I have my fingers crossed!

 

[michael's mom]

Well, while sitting on the Dis early this Thanksgiving morning, I was reading the posts in the ADR thread and noticed the comment that Fantasmic doesn't run every night. Well, of course I had planned DHS for Wednesday because that is the day for the EMH evening hours and we are doing Epcot and DHS in the same day (only a few attractions at EC) so we wanted more time at DHS. Now, just three days before the dining system is rumored to be opening up the April dates, I am scrambling to figure out how to fix our schedule because Fantasmic is a MUST DO for our crowd!


I think I'll have to buck up and pay for TGM to offer some helpful advice!

Any suggestions?


Oh well, just another reason that I am partly glad that I haven't been able to make my ADR's yet.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[Teaching in NV]

Have you looked at airfare yet? Southwest just posted sale prices - we booked and saved over $300 on 4 tickets - it might be too early yet, but keep watching their site for air deals.

 

[wisegal]

I am enjoying your report. I had tears in my eyes as I read about the conversation your son had with Minnie. I am such a sap.

You are not the only one who plans years in advance. I am hope do do a trip to the World when my DD is about nine (she is 2 now). There will be many trips to DL between now & then. The first on beeing next Oct.

Hope you get your ADRs & can not wait to read more

 

[michael's mom]

Have you looked at airfare yet? Southwest just posted sale prices - we booked and saved over $300 on 4 tickets - it might be too early yet, but keep watching their site for air deals.

I have been looking at airfare probably every other day. Southwest is still over $500 for us to fly when we need to. Ugh!

 

[michael's mom]

Okay, so the Mom's panel reported that ADR's would open up yesterday. So, like everyone else on the DIS waiting for their ressies, I got up early and called Disney at 7 am sharp. I began to get very excited (but still cautious) because when I told the CM I wanted to make ressies for our upcoming trip in April she said "OK, when do you want to start?" She tried to put me in for WCC on 4/25 and now I'm breathing slowly because I am thinking "Is this really happening?"

and....
then....

I hear this...

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can't book that yet. For some reason I was thinking March when you said April. I don't have an ETA on when you can book your dining, but call back in a week or so to check in."

BUMMER!!!!

Oh well, I half expected it anyway. So now, I am in the process of finishing my final project for Grad School! Yippee! I have a meeting tomorrow with my supervisor and once that's over I am one more 3 page paper away from holding a Master's degree in Teaching.

Then the real fun begins! Finding airfare, booking ADR's, finding the money to pay for the airfare and the trip. I don't know if I mentioned it previously or not and frankly, I'm way to tired to go back and read my previous posts, but I am traveling to the World during my school vacation this April. It is written in to my contract that I cannot take any days off immediately preceeding or following a school break (even long weekends). So, I have to fly out at the earliest on a Friday night and return on a Sunday. Airfare has been through the roof (well over $500/pp).

My sis calls me this morning to tell me that Airtran has advertised fares for my travel dates and for the 3 of us it will be $1155. This is in actuality not a bad price for these travel dates but my husband and I are not too comfortable taking Airtran. We know they have a tendency to change flight times on people (and I cannot leave any earlier than 5:30 Friday night) and, at least at Logan Airport in Boston, they are low priority and are the first to be delayed/cancelled in the event of even minor weather problems.

We are still waiting to find a decent flight price, still waiting on ADR's! Maybe Santa will wrap them both in a pretty box with a pretty bow.

Hey, I can hope can't I?

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great holiday season. Keep your fingers crossed that I can finally start making more plans for this trip!

 

[michael's mom]

Well, I just looked at the date of my last post and can't believe it's been that long since I've written. Basically, that's because airfare is still way too much (please don't make me drive!), I can't make ressies yet for dining, and let's face it, December is a crazy month...especially this one.

Since my last post I finished Graduate School and should be receiving my M.Ed. in the mail shortly. And, two days ago I had the best Christmas of my life I think. Watching my son open his gifts was so incredible. This was the first year that he really got what was going on. He knew that Santa brought him presents. He announced "Menny Chritma" (trouble with r's and s's) to everyone he saw, gave hugs and said "thank you for my pesen" to the entire family. He is a Thomas the Tank Engine fanatic and basically, his entire holiday was filled with differnet types of Thomas toys. Santa brought him a train table and some tracks and he got tons of new trains to play with, along with Thomas toothpaste and a Thomas toothbrush that sings the theme song to the show.

It was just a terrific day and I guess I'm a little sad that it's over (although I can certainly wait more than a year for the hectic day of traveling from one house to another and trying to make our families {INLAWS} happy).

I did just hear that we can book our ressies 90 days in advance (which is Jan. 15) so I'm getting excited!

 

[michael's mom]

Okay, so today was THE DAY! You know, the day that I could book all of my ADR's. The ones that I've been waiting to make...(stay tuned)

Let me rewind to the past few days and update you all on the necessary changes that we have had to make to our itinerary.

Last Friday, my youngest sister received an email from her friend's mother that her friend's bridal shower was on April 18th. My sister is the Maid of Honor in this wedding. Well, about a month ago my sister emailed the mom and asked her when the shower would be and she told her March, so, she went ahead and booked her flight to leave Boston with our other sister on 4/16. So, when she received the email she was a little upset because now she has to switch her flights. She emailed the mom and told her that she had a family vacation planned but she'd switch her flights if she needed to and the response she got was "Ok, that works for me". This woman will expect things to be perfect for her daughter (as any mother I suppose) and would not tolerate Ali not being there. So, that being said, we needed to make changes because Ali really wants to be there when the 5 year old princess goes to the Kingdom and meets those princesses...so we did some switching around to accommodate and...


I was all set.

I woke up at 6:45 and turned on my computer to have access to my itinerary.

I called my mom to finalize the last few "question days" that we had.

Then...

I dialed!

I was on hold for about 30-45 seconds when I heard those magical words!

"Disney dining, how may I help you?" (or at least that's what I think she said! It was too early to be awake and I was so excited that this day finally came).

I said oh, hi, I'd like to make reservations for my upcoming trip in April and then proceeded to book one reservation after the other. Each time getting pretty much exactly what I wanted within 10-15 minutes of my ideal time.

So, my car is rented, my rooms (offsite first night because I am not paying $200 to sleep) are booked, my dining reservations are made...FINALLY! But still no flight plans. I just cannot believe that I may have to pay $400/ticket (including my son) to get down there. The strangest part is that my parents have offered to pay for my son to fly down and back and take him with them. This saves DH and I a difficult day on the 16th and 17th with daycare issues, a lot of money, and I just can't do it. It's not my son's first time on a plane because he was on one 6/07 but this is the first time he'll know he's going on a plane and I just can't bring myself to missing it. I just know how excited he will be and act and I want to be there. There are plenty of firsts that I will probably miss in his life but I've been there for all of them so far and I can't let go. So, I'll spend the money and realize afterwards that it was silly and I should have let him go with my parents but I just can't do it.

Am I crazy???

Anyway, here are my plans:

Saturday, 4/18 Hoop De Doo Revue at 5:00
Sunday, 4/19 Mama Melrose's at 5:45
Monday, 4/20 Crystal Palace breakfast 8:05
Tuesday, 4/21 Chef Mickey's 5:00
Wednesday, 4/22 Cinderella's Gala Feast 6:10
Thursday, 4/23 Maya Grille
Friday, 4/24 no plans
Saturday, 4/25 (My 30th birthday) WHISPERING CANYON CAFE...YIPPEE!!! Have I mentioned that I have tried to get reservations here the last few times I have been to the World and they were booked solid?


It's sort of funny that I panicked about not getting my reservations because my wait time was so minimal and I got everything I wanted. The only "concern" that I have is the time for the Gala Feast because we plan on being at Animal Kingdom that day and the park closes at 6, but, I doubt that we'll stay until closing and even if we decide to stay late at the park, we can just go straight to dinner rather than going back to the resort first. And, all in all, it's really nothing to be concerned about because....

I GOT ALL THE RESERVATIONS I WANTED WHEN I WANTED THEM!!!!!!!

 

[michael's mom]

Okay, so if you've been reading my PTR you know that getting reasonably priced airfare as a teacher traveling on school break is like trying to get tickets to the Red Sox game. Nearly impossible!!!

So, I booked my car rental when I was thinking about going to Disney. I got a really great deal. (Most recently I changed that car rental, saved another $10 and now I dont' need a shuttle to take me to the rental desk so I've had some pretty good luck lately)

Then, I book my hotel reservations, and re-booked them because of a better offer.

Here begins the waiting game for our ADR's.


You all know that situation...we waited,and waited, and waited, and waited some more. But I finally got those reservations just as I planned.

So the final step in this process was to actually get down to Disney. Was I going to have to drive? That would really kill my trip. Last Friday my sister found a round-trip ticket on Continental for $287. I could get my family down for less than $1000 which was my goal. The downside...there was only 37 minutes between flights and only a 30% on-time rate. I decided that I couldn't take the chance that I would be stuck in Newark without accommodations and a 2 year old. I passed up those tickets and that night they were over $400 again.

I sign onto Southwest last night and the cheapest trip down was $400. Today, I find the web specials on Southwest. 2 nonstop flights, almost perfect times, no baggage fees. I booked it. It cost about $100 more than we hoped to pay, but like I said, nonstop flights and no fees, plus times that would allow my little guy to sleep on the plane!

Bottom line, I am finally able to get to Disney!

What I am so happy about is that now I get to do the fun stuff. I am preparing a trip journal for the families up to date with our schedule for the week and ADR times. I am trying to convince my family to wear matchin t's one day but I don't know if they'll go for it. But, I can at least make them for my husband, son and me. And, I am going to figure out how to print the mousekeeping envelopes too! Yippee!!! I get to just think about how much fun I'll be having with my family rather than worry about getting this ADR or that plane ticket.