mom2of2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2002
- Messages
- 4,112
Cast
Me-36, planner, plotter and commando wanna be
DH-36, doesn't believe in the word Magical, also known as Grumpy
DS12, computer and video game wiz, also know as Dopey
DS4 almost 5, Jr. video game wiz, happy to celebrate 5th b-day at the "Mouse House"
Pre trip!
This is my first attempt at anything remotely close to a trip report so please bear with me! I also warn you that it will be long!!!
I started dreaming about WDW about 2 years ago, we had been promising DS12 a trip since he was 3 but well, life got in the way. We decided to take a year off from vacations and plan and save for our first trip.
I got a second job in May 2002, not much but enough to start a WDW fund.
By September I had a decent amount of money and decided to start planning the trip. I called, got the video and watched it over and over. I then got on the computer to price it all out. After getting a ball park figure I did a search and found Deb Wills site. It had a link for message boards and I popped in there to see what info they had. Well I struck GOLD! I found the Dis, Passporter, mousesavers and disneydollarless!!!
I filled out a request for a quote from DU as well as Magical Journeys and sat back and waited. My plan was 5 days at ASMo. Well Debbie from MJ came back with a better quote and also told me about the DC. I signed right up! I also ordered the passporter. I then began to check into flights, after about a week of prices being in the hign $180's-low 200's Debbie told me about Southeast out of ABE. I went to the web site and found that the prices were excellent! Down side was that they weren't flying my dates. What to do?? EXTEND our trip! I was paying $99 for ASMo and my airfare was now $532. We were going to be there for 8 days!
I ordered my Cirque tickets, read my passporter from cover to cover and signed up with TGM. I also haunted the DIS and figured out my countdown clock. It was at 185 days at this point.
I sat and waited for the magic codes when they did come out ASMo went to $84 a night! WAHOO! BUT wait! the cheerleaders are going to be there the first 4 days of our trip! And they stay at AS! Do I really want my DS12 who just discovered girls to be around a bunch of cheerleaders? I ran right to the DIS and posted my ? and got feedback to change. Ok Debbie, here we go again...can we upgrade to CBR for my dates? What would the price be $103 a night? SOLD! Now really I did want to stay at CBR from the get go but couldn't justify the extra $$ to DH. So I booked ASMo just happy to be going to WDW. When the codes came out and I found out about the cheerleaders DH was LED to believe that it was entirely HIS idea to switch resorts!
120 days out-ok Chef Mickey's first night! PS 1 down! Next day Donalds few more days H&V. All that is needed is LTT for DS4/5 b-day and that's a 60 day job!
Time to get the tickets, decide to go with paramount. Of course I get Rosa and I order 6 day hoppers w/char bkfst $1050.00 w/ shipping and they are in my hot little hands in 3 days!
60 days out and LTT is done. I then hear about Q&C vouchers and work out a little deal and have 6 of them babies in my hands in a few days as well!
Now my clock has slowed down but hey! it's Christmas and I told the family to just give us Di$ney Dollar$. They come through with $340!!! YIPPEE!
I begin to haunt the $$store. I get rain coats, glow necklaces, mini m&m's (for the pressed penny machine), coloring books and ziplocs of every size! I hit Walmart for a ticket lanyard, fanny packs and a new backpack. I also make the kids dog tags with their names, resort and cell phone # I buy them lanyards to attach them to. Suitcases are down, school has been notified.
About this time I'm heavy into the boards and a Disney Vet! I meet up w/Rileygirl on the BB and she tells me that she just bought an Eddie Bauer stroller in Canada for $20 US! Her last night is my first and she would like to hand it to me! WOW How nice is that??? Would I pass it off to someone checking in when I check out? I counter with why don't I ask on the DIS and see if anyone wants it. The Stroller Swap is born!
10 days to go and I'm on such a high! Summer clothes, washed, folded and zip locked. Mousekeeping envelopes are printed and stuffed and I have confirmed ressies in hand! I get home to hear that our PS for 3/24 for H&V has been cancelled because they discontinue the bkfst on 3/23!!! WHAT???? But...Just....Why...What am I gonna do now???? I call Disney Dining and ask what my options are....1900 Park Fare?? What time? 10:30!!! NO! Crystal Palace? nothing??? Cape May Cafe? 8:10? ok, fine. I wasn't happy! I had planned all our days at the parks and the Beach Club wasn't one of them..I was gonna be at MGM that morning! Besides I live in Jersey and I go to the real Cape May. So I of course jump on the DIS and someone gives me the email addy for complaints and I send them an email. I was humble and polite and simply said that I was dissappointed that my PS was cancelled, it being our first trip and all. I said I knew that we would have a great time anyway and I didn't expect anything in return. At 3 days out I'm not fully packed yet, but I've got shiny pennies and more ziplocs!!! The Stroller Swap is going strong w/ 17 or so pple on it and I'm on the boards CONSTANTLY! Where do I sit for Illuminations again? Where has good coffee? Do I do ToT and RnR? Gotta get that Co-pilot license and we just have to see Tink fly! I've lost it! I can't remember anything!
The night before we leave and I mean less then 12 hours before I get a phone call from Josh @ MGM guest relations. They feel terrible that my H&V PS was cancelled and they want to offer me VIP seating to Monday's Fantasmic!!! Cool!! Thanks Josh! Ok I'm feeling much better, I start checking that all is done in the house, dog is at kennel, mail on hold. Sit down to watch Survivor and find out that the war is starting! My DB and SIL are over there!
I go to sleep around 11pm but don't sleep well, at 3 a.m. the alarm rings. I'm UP! HEY! We're going to Disney World!!!!
Me-36, planner, plotter and commando wanna be
DH-36, doesn't believe in the word Magical, also known as Grumpy
DS12, computer and video game wiz, also know as Dopey
DS4 almost 5, Jr. video game wiz, happy to celebrate 5th b-day at the "Mouse House"
Pre trip!
This is my first attempt at anything remotely close to a trip report so please bear with me! I also warn you that it will be long!!!
I started dreaming about WDW about 2 years ago, we had been promising DS12 a trip since he was 3 but well, life got in the way. We decided to take a year off from vacations and plan and save for our first trip.
I got a second job in May 2002, not much but enough to start a WDW fund.
By September I had a decent amount of money and decided to start planning the trip. I called, got the video and watched it over and over. I then got on the computer to price it all out. After getting a ball park figure I did a search and found Deb Wills site. It had a link for message boards and I popped in there to see what info they had. Well I struck GOLD! I found the Dis, Passporter, mousesavers and disneydollarless!!!
I filled out a request for a quote from DU as well as Magical Journeys and sat back and waited. My plan was 5 days at ASMo. Well Debbie from MJ came back with a better quote and also told me about the DC. I signed right up! I also ordered the passporter. I then began to check into flights, after about a week of prices being in the hign $180's-low 200's Debbie told me about Southeast out of ABE. I went to the web site and found that the prices were excellent! Down side was that they weren't flying my dates. What to do?? EXTEND our trip! I was paying $99 for ASMo and my airfare was now $532. We were going to be there for 8 days!
I ordered my Cirque tickets, read my passporter from cover to cover and signed up with TGM. I also haunted the DIS and figured out my countdown clock. It was at 185 days at this point.
I sat and waited for the magic codes when they did come out ASMo went to $84 a night! WAHOO! BUT wait! the cheerleaders are going to be there the first 4 days of our trip! And they stay at AS! Do I really want my DS12 who just discovered girls to be around a bunch of cheerleaders? I ran right to the DIS and posted my ? and got feedback to change. Ok Debbie, here we go again...can we upgrade to CBR for my dates? What would the price be $103 a night? SOLD! Now really I did want to stay at CBR from the get go but couldn't justify the extra $$ to DH. So I booked ASMo just happy to be going to WDW. When the codes came out and I found out about the cheerleaders DH was LED to believe that it was entirely HIS idea to switch resorts!
120 days out-ok Chef Mickey's first night! PS 1 down! Next day Donalds few more days H&V. All that is needed is LTT for DS4/5 b-day and that's a 60 day job!
Time to get the tickets, decide to go with paramount. Of course I get Rosa and I order 6 day hoppers w/char bkfst $1050.00 w/ shipping and they are in my hot little hands in 3 days!
60 days out and LTT is done. I then hear about Q&C vouchers and work out a little deal and have 6 of them babies in my hands in a few days as well!
Now my clock has slowed down but hey! it's Christmas and I told the family to just give us Di$ney Dollar$. They come through with $340!!! YIPPEE!
I begin to haunt the $$store. I get rain coats, glow necklaces, mini m&m's (for the pressed penny machine), coloring books and ziplocs of every size! I hit Walmart for a ticket lanyard, fanny packs and a new backpack. I also make the kids dog tags with their names, resort and cell phone # I buy them lanyards to attach them to. Suitcases are down, school has been notified.
About this time I'm heavy into the boards and a Disney Vet! I meet up w/Rileygirl on the BB and she tells me that she just bought an Eddie Bauer stroller in Canada for $20 US! Her last night is my first and she would like to hand it to me! WOW How nice is that??? Would I pass it off to someone checking in when I check out? I counter with why don't I ask on the DIS and see if anyone wants it. The Stroller Swap is born!
10 days to go and I'm on such a high! Summer clothes, washed, folded and zip locked. Mousekeeping envelopes are printed and stuffed and I have confirmed ressies in hand! I get home to hear that our PS for 3/24 for H&V has been cancelled because they discontinue the bkfst on 3/23!!! WHAT???? But...Just....Why...What am I gonna do now???? I call Disney Dining and ask what my options are....1900 Park Fare?? What time? 10:30!!! NO! Crystal Palace? nothing??? Cape May Cafe? 8:10? ok, fine. I wasn't happy! I had planned all our days at the parks and the Beach Club wasn't one of them..I was gonna be at MGM that morning! Besides I live in Jersey and I go to the real Cape May. So I of course jump on the DIS and someone gives me the email addy for complaints and I send them an email. I was humble and polite and simply said that I was dissappointed that my PS was cancelled, it being our first trip and all. I said I knew that we would have a great time anyway and I didn't expect anything in return. At 3 days out I'm not fully packed yet, but I've got shiny pennies and more ziplocs!!! The Stroller Swap is going strong w/ 17 or so pple on it and I'm on the boards CONSTANTLY! Where do I sit for Illuminations again? Where has good coffee? Do I do ToT and RnR? Gotta get that Co-pilot license and we just have to see Tink fly! I've lost it! I can't remember anything!
The night before we leave and I mean less then 12 hours before I get a phone call from Josh @ MGM guest relations. They feel terrible that my H&V PS was cancelled and they want to offer me VIP seating to Monday's Fantasmic!!! Cool!! Thanks Josh! Ok I'm feeling much better, I start checking that all is done in the house, dog is at kennel, mail on hold. Sit down to watch Survivor and find out that the war is starting! My DB and SIL are over there!
I go to sleep around 11pm but don't sleep well, at 3 a.m. the alarm rings. I'm UP! HEY! We're going to Disney World!!!!
