Our Grand Gathering Adventure:Surprising the Boys! 9/17 WE LEAVE TOMORROW!!!

[hhockman]

It's so fun to have readers! I will definitely be updating more often now that it is the new year. I can't make reservations yet (until they announce whatever "deal" they are going to have for the fall...free dining...cough...(I hope), but I'll still be planning.

I've made two purchases so far for this trip. I bought the boys Bolt t-shirts a couple months ago (the only one at the Disney Store I could find that had two Ms and a S-plus Will and Cole both liked the movie). I also bought them some Disney (Pixar) tatoos from the dollar section at Target. My boys are totally obsessed with tatoos, so I thought it would be better and easier (and cheaper!) to bring them from home.

Nothing really new to report today. I would include a picture of our new player, but I'm not sure how his parents would feel about it, so I won't, for now. Hope everyone is having a great night!

I'm off to get some much-needed rest...and to TRY to finish Inkheart before we see the movie on Saturday.

ETA: I just changed my boys' little "signature" pictures to Darth. They are so obsessed with Star Wars right now, they would think it was the coolest thing in the world that they have Darth icons. So easy to please at this age!

 

[hhockman]

Okay, so I'm posting quickly tonight because I'll be posting for real tomorrow. In my email tonight I found a real...live...PIN CODE! I've only ever gotten these things once or twice, and always when there was no way in the "world" (sorry, I'm tired, I know that wasn't really funny) I could make reservations.

But guess what? No, really. Guess.

Okay, nevermind. I'll tell you. We are scheduled to get our income tax refund tomorrow. And guess what half that refund is going for...okay you didn't guess the first time, I'm not expecting anything this time either.

I figured I'd have to wait until AT LEAST March and probably April to make reservations because I was WAITING on Free Dining. And here it is February
5th. And I just got a pin code for FREE DINING. I'm so full of adrenaline that I can't sit still. Or sleep. I need to sleep. Desperately.

So provided the information I received is correct and we are, in fact, getting our return tomorrow, I will be making ressies TOMORROW!

(My brother is so jealous!)

Then again I'd be jealous of me too if I wasn't me.

Okay, it's obviously really time for bed. I'll be back tomorrow.

 

[hhockman]

Okay, so I didn't come back the next day. But I DID make reservations! I called first thing in the morning on the way to work and talked to a very nice lady that got me all set up...but didn't give me a reservation number. Then she went to check with the Grand Gathering people to see if we could set that up. And we could. So she transfered me to the Grand Gathering people and I talked to a very nice gentleman...who had to redo my entire reservation because I didn't get a reservation number the first time.

But that turned out okay because the nice gentleman I talked to say that my brother could use my PIN Code. And we could use if for one other room (total of 3). Which was supposed to be my mom. Except that she had to use it by yesterday, and she still hasn't made her reservations. Her loss, I guess.

So I called my brother as soon as I got off the phone. And woke him up. Remember they are the ones with a newborn (who is 3 weeks old today, but wasn't quite 2 weeks old last Friday). He asked me, in what I imagine was the nicest voice he could muster, to call me back later that afternoon.

So I did. And he said he needed to talk to my sister-in-law so they would make reservations the next day. Which they did.

And so, here is where we currently stand:

My family, plus Cole, is staying at POR for 8 nights Sept. 18th-26th. We won't get there until about 1am on the 18th, but we want to be able to get up and go first thing on Saturday, so we're going to drive straight through on Friday. Plus we get extra dining credits.

...Oh....and I forgot to mention. We are getting free REGULAR dining. Not the new cheaper thing with 2 CS and 2 Snacks, but regular dining with 1 TS, 1 CS, and 1 snack each. So I get to make ADRs! I mean I would have made a couple anyway, but now we get a BUNCH!.

Anyway, we're staying at POR and we have Park Hoppers and Water Parks and More. Though I think we're going to do Sea World that first Saturday, but my friend, who lives in Gainesville, has Sea World passes. But they aren't out of school that week like we are. So they would need to meet us on a weekend. Plus the rest of my family isn't going to Sea World, and they will all be driving on Saturday. Do the first thing we are going to do on our Disney vacation is go to Sea World. But that's okay, 'cause we like Sea World too.

My brother and SIL and the baby will be arriving on Saturday (the 19th) and leaving on Friday (the 25th). They are also staying at POR with Park Hoppers and Water Parks and More.

Don't know what my parents are doing, but I wish they'd hurry up and make reservations before Disney decides we aren't really a Grand Gathering since we're one paying person short....even though we will be a GG. Even more than a GG. Because SIL's mom is now coming too. And she wanted to use my PIN code last week to make reservations for herself. But I was saving it for my parents. Who didn't use it. My dad still doesn't want to go (but will). I'm pretty sure Granny will go, but Papa may or may not stay home. But we will-one way or another-definitely be over the Grand Gathering requirement. Just maybe not until April now, since my mom missed out on the PIN code and will wait to make her reservations. Some people I just don't understand.



ANYWAY...I ordered Disney crocs for the Will and Christian last week and they should be here any day. But I'm saving them for the trip (I'm not sure if they'll fit before then anyway-I ordered them on the big side). And I've decided we're going to let the boys do the Pirate Cruise. Anyone's kids done that before? I can't make reservations for that until the end of March, but I'll be making them as soon as I can.

We're toying with the idea of the Sunset Safari too (since we can use dining credits). Has anyone been on that? I'd have to talk my brother and either his MIL or my parents into it too if we're going to go. And since they will all have less dining credits than us, I don't know if they'll want to. But we'll see.



So I guess that's all for now. The ressies were the exciting thing, and since that was over a week ago, I'm kind of past the adrenaline stage now (though still SUPER exciting of course!). I'll be back soon with another update.

Have a great Valentine's Day!

 

[hhockman]

Okay, I'm talking to myself again. That's okay. There's nothing terribly important going on right now.

Today I bought 3 Pirates of the Caribbean (I can't ever remember if that has 2 r's, 2 b's, or both) Pix Clix 3.0 MP digital cameras. I couldn't find any reviews to tell me if they are any better than the older version that don't have a picture viewer on the back or a flash (this has both) or a small number of megapixels (this one has more). Supposedly they also play Mix Clips and Max Clips so I figure we can grab a couple of those and these can do double duty as camera and line boredom busters. They were $19.99 each with free shipping, so I don't feel too badly about my purchase. I wavered between whether I was going to get one for Cole, but I didn't want him to feel left out and I didn't want him to always be asking to borrow Will's. Hopefully they will actually use them (and the cameras will actually work).

I also went to Target to get the High School Musical 3...Extended Edition...for the boys SERIOUSLY...Will's been asking for it for months. And being the nice Mommy that I am, I'm going to sit down and watch it with them in just a minute. 'Cause I'm so nice (Monica and Michelle and the others that know me from last year are totally not buying this...)

My mom told me this morning that she'd "discussed the trip with Dad" so we'll see where that leads.

And I guess that's about it. I'll be back later.

ETA: I just changed my banner. It was off by one day (I previously thought we would get there on the 19th) and I just couldn't have that, could I? So guess what? TOMORROW it's going to change to 6 months and some odd number of days. Or maybe it will say 7 months and no days. Either way, that is TOTALLY closer than the over-a-year I had when I started this thing. And that's just cool.

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

Love your trip planning so far. I might need to pick your brain later for planning advice, since I this is my first trip that I am planning by myself!!

 

[hhockman]

Okay, so not doing so great on the updates, am I? And, yes, it is in fact 2 in the morning. I fell asleep in Christian's bed and just woke up. I'll be going back to bed in a minute, but I wanted to do this while I was thinking about it. Ignore any spelling mistakes or other such silliness...(isn't there a YAWN smilie somewhere? I can't find it).

Anyway, so, yesterday I found the free dining code. I went to the website to see whether the Pirate Cruise (which I discovered stops at our hotel, how awesome is that?!) could be scheduled at 180 days or whether we had to wait until 90 days (I couldn't find an answer, anybody know?). And there it was, Free Dining. Free REGULAR dining (lucky for my mom!). So I promptly called my mom. Who was in a meeting. And didn't call back for a long time. And wasn't particularly excited when she did. And she still hasn't made reservations. She hasn't decided exactly when they want to be there. I'm hoping to get her to make some decisions this weekend. 'Cause I'm still a little worried about Disney deciding we're not a Grand Gathering.

Speaking of Grand Gathering, I talked to my brother and he wants to do the Safari thing...on his birthday...which is the Sunday after we arrive. I'm excited about that and totally with using dining credits for it. And I'm still jealous that he's going to get that extra $70 or so to spend that day.

I ordered myself some crocs the other day. They are supposed to be here on Monday (the crocs site was having a good sale and I got some chocolate/pink minnie "mary janes" and some Gator flip flops...I almost got the Minnie ones in black and red to match the boys, but let's face it, I'd never wear black and red shoes again...especially here...'cause those are Georgia colors and we just can't have that...not thrilled about the fact that the boys' are black and red...just have to remember that those are MICKEY colors...okay totally off topic!). I've never owned any crocs, but I have been assured that they are, in fact, the most comfortable shoes in the world. Looking forward to seeing for myself.

I pretty much confirmed on Sunday that Cole will be going with us...as his parents are planning a child-less cruise for that week (I think his sister is going to their grandparents). So that's good news! Now I need to order him some crocs...

And I guess that's about it. I'm still looking through the Passporter and trying to decide on ADR's (and we're not sure about Sea World now because we don't want to spend another $400 on tickets...if we can get them cheaper we may still go, but we might just be spending another day at Disney...not a bad thing!). I'm sure as we get closer I'll be on here more.

My brother called yesterday to ask how much longer we have. And I didn't know off hand (which is why I came here in ther first place), but I was SUPER excited to see that my ticker says it's only about 5 1/2 months! WOW! I thought we were more in the 6-month-range and that half a month makes a difference. Now I just need to figure out exactly how many days that is. 2 1/2 months till we can make ADRs...

So now I really need to go to bed. Hopefully soon I'll have some more interesting things to report so I'll get my readers back. Feel free to ask any questions you'd like, those of you that said you have questions. See ya real soon!

Oh...one more thing...I forgot to add the sad fact that I also have to go change my signature again. Will turned 7 last week How DO these kids grow up so fast?!

 

[hhockman]

Okay, I'm back. Talking to myself A-gain, but that's okay, because I like to go back and read it all.

So I finally got to make my parents' reservations tonight. My dad and I were talking this afternoon and he said something about Free Dining being back. I responded that Free Dining has been available for two weeks now and Mom still hasn't decided on anything. He said the decision would be made by tomorrow. She decided tonight. Finally.

So I called the Grand Gathering number and game them my information and made their reservation. My mom had planned to stay at a Value resort, but my dad wasn't having any of that and said that they were staying where my brother and I are staying (I think my mom and I were both surprised that A) my dad is this interested in getting the reservations made, and B) he wants to spend extra money to stay at a Moderate resort-you all remember he wasn't totally keen on the idea of this trip to begin with). So I booked them at Port Orleans Riverside from the 19th-24th. 5 nights, which is the minimum for the free dining. My mom still hasn't decided exactly which dates my grandparents are coming, but it will be less than 5 nights so their dining will have to be out of pocket.

The good news: We are finally OFFICALLY a Grand Gathering. 6 adults, 3 kids and an infant. For now. The bad news: Somehow the information I'd found (or not found, as the case may be) was incorrect and Grand Gathering Experiences can be booked at 180 instead of the 90 days that Disneyworld.com states. So everything is booked already. I was told to call back, that people cancel, so that's what I'm going to do. It's just a little frustrating. I really wish they'd stop changing things back and forth from 180 to 90 days and back again. But we'll live without the experiences if we have to. It's not as if there's not plenty for us to do, right?

In other news, I've all but decided the boys are not going to do the Pirate Cruise. As much fun as I think it would be for them, it adds up to about $100 and we've decided to try to get the money together for Sea World after all. A friend of mine that lives in Gainesville came to visit last week and my boys and her girls got along great (just like the first time they met). They have Sea World passes and have agreed to join us on Saturday, the 19th (when everyone else will be driving) if we manage to go, so that's all the more reason I really want to get there. They didn't know about the Pirate thing before anyway, so they'll never miss it.

I just noticed on the website as I was browsing (does anyone else think it's gotten awful hard to get around on the Disneyworld.com site? I just can't ever find what I'm looking for anymore. Like how many "options" you get with the Water Parks and more-I know it's based on how many days of tickets you have, but I don't know how many you get with each number of days. And which restaurants are included on the Disney Dining Plan. I know there are other websites with this information, but it's supposed to be on Disneyworld.com too and I just can't find it. ), anyway, so I noticed that MNSSHP tickets go on sale May 1st. We have every intention of going, but I've got to figure out where the money for THAT is coming from too. And I've got to figure out if my brother wants to go. If he does, we'll go on the 22nd. If he doesn't we'll go on the 25th when both he and my parents will be gone. I'd rather go on the 22nd, because I know Tuesday will be less crowded than Friday, but we'll see what he says.

So I got my Crocs in and I'm not terribly impressed. I think part of the problem is that it looks like I actually need a size 7, instead of the size 8 that I ordered (the Minnie crocs weren't available in 7). I wear an 8 in most shoes, so I didn't realize I needed a smaller size, but there aren't any Minnie shoes still available in 7 except PINK ones (I don't do pink) and the Gator crocs aren't available in 7 anymore either. Oh well. I'll either get them somewhere else, or deal with the 8s, which aren't that bad. The other day I decided to open the box that contained the boys' Crocs, and that turned out to be a good thing as I discovered I ordered Christian the correct size, but apprently ordered an INFANT 2/3 for Will instead of the kids' size 2 he needs (Christian's are 10/11, so I didn't realize Will's would be just 2). Luckily, 2/3 is just about the size Little Billy will be at the time of the trip, but it meant I had to order Will another pair. I found them on Amazon for $9.99 plus $5 shipping and I had a $10 GC for Amazon, so I got the last size 2 they had and they are already here. Still have to get Cole's though...

Anyway, I think I'm going to go look through the Passporter to see if they have any of the information I need, and then make myself go to bed. We've baseball and tball tomorrow and then Matt and I are going to Outback and 17 again. We were supposed to go last week for our anniversary, but my mom and I were out so late shopping for Easter outfits, we didn't get too.

My ticker will change to 4 months, some number of days on Sunday. Can't wait! Hope you all have a great weekend!

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

We will be at POR just about two weeks before you!

I'm glad that your parents made a decision! That must feel good, even if you can't get a lot of the Grand Gathering stuff. I do hope that someone cancels though!

I haven't been to the Disney site lately. I remember finding the info on the dining plan linked on the reservations page (where you make the choices about which dining plan you want) so maybe that will help!

Looking good for planning though!

 

[hhockman]

Just a quick update since, as usual, it is bed time.

I just came over quickly to check my ticker and GUESS WHAT! It now says: 3 months and 30 days! THREE MONTHS (okay, really almost four)! How's that for less than a year. In just 30 days we can make ADRs. Guess we'd better starting thinking about where we want to go.

I'm about half way through the Passporter now, but really haven't REALLY started planning yet.

Sea World is pretty much out again. We have a long summer of All Star baseball ahead of us and pretty much can't swing the extra $400, but we are going to try to meet my friend and her daughters at a waterpark instead.

I'm thinking we may be skipping MNSSHP too. We'll just have to see.

Oh, just FYI, my mom increased their reservation by one day about a day after they made them. So they are staying the same dates as my brother: the 19th-25th. Still no word about my grandparents.

Nothing much else to report. I'm sure I'll have an ADR update soon. I'm back with my 7th graders, so there's not much looking-over-the-passporter time, but school will be out in two weeks.

Hope I still have some readers yet!

I'll be back SOON!

 

[hhockman]

Hey ya'll. Second to the last day of school and we're watching the last part of The Outsiders. For me that means watching the movie 5 times in 2 days. Which is why I'm here. It's humerous though, because anyone anywhere near my age would know this movie and every star in it, but these kids don't recognize anyone but Tom Cruise and "that guy that was in Ghost". Amazing the difference 20 years makes.

I'm just about done with the Passporter (which honestly didn't say a whole lot that I didn't already know...and said some stuff that has changed since it was published-like it says that ADRs can be made 180 days out, and now it's back to 90....but I still love reading it). I've made a list of a few restaurants that I know we want to go to, a couple of which we've never been to, but I haven't decided everything yet. Does anyone have any suggestions?

We're definitely doing Teppan Edo (which we've never done, but are very excited about), Whispering Canyon Cafe (which we've also never done), T-Rex (though of course that won't count as a dining plan credit, of course), Tusker House for the Character Breakfast (we always used to do it at Restaurantosaurus), and well, I guess that's all I know for sure. We have 8 sets of credits each (which is two more than the rest of my family that is coming a day later and leaving a day earlier).

We're thinking about doing the Hoop-de-do-Revue, which we've never done (unless we can get one of the Grand Gathering experiences we wanted, but which were all booked when I called). Does anyone know if we still have to pay for it with a credit card beforehand if we're using credits?

I'd love some suggestions for some must-do restaurants, especially unusual ones. I read about Trail's End on someone else's PTR, and I'm definitely thinking of adding that somewhere. Otherwise, we've done all the big ones. Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, 50's Prime Time, Hollywood & Vine, Chip & Dale's, Sci-Fi Drive-In. I'm thinking about Le Cellier or San Angel Inn, or Coral Reef. We've done all but Coral Reef (where we almost ate once, but had a really bad experience having to wait until the point where my brother's girlfriend at the time-who was diabetic- was getting sick from low blood sugar-and yes, we told them she was diabetic). So I'm open to suggestions. What do you guys think? Keep in mind that Cole's never been.

One other small thing...Matt has decided he doesn't want to arrive at 1:00 in the morning. So the kids are skipping school that day (we've already talked to Cole's mom) and we're leaving in the morning. That means they won't be sleeping on the way down, but hopefully it won't be too bad. Matt wants to do something when we get there that evening. I'm thinking about DisneyQuest.

Also, we were talking out loud a little too much and I think my kids are starting to suspect. A couple of days ago Will says "I want to ride that mountain roller coaster with Cole". I tried to cover saying "When do you think we're going to Disney World with Cole?" but I'm not sure it worked. Gotta be a little more careful.

Christian's 4 year check up is in two weeks and we'll get an official height. Last time I unofficially checked he was about 42 inches. I REALLY need him to grow 2 inches in the next 3 1/2 months, but I just don't know if that's going to happen. That conversation I had with Will in the previous paragraph? Christian's answer was "I want to ride the mountain rollercoater TOO!" GRRR The kid has GOT to grow (even though he's already tall for his age).

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I still have two more periods of The Outsiders, so I guess I'll go back to reading. Bring on those dining suggestions...only 23 more days until I can make ADRs!

Oh...one more question. On a TR I was reading someone said they were thinking about getting the colored hair at the barbershop OR the "new pirate thing". Anyone know what the "new pirate thing" is? I was thinking about letting the boys do the boy thing at the BBB, but we might just do the barbershop instead. So what's the Pirate thing and which of the three should we do?

I'll be back soon (like probably tonight).

P.S. I'm switching to a blue font to see if it's easier to read.

 

[hhockman]

Nothing much to report today, but I'm here for two signature related reasons.

First to relish the fact that in THREE days we will be in double-digits. Three days.

Second, I am relishing the fact that the second little Darth Vader in my signature says "3". Because tomorrow it will say "4". For one more day I have my "baby". Tomorrow I can't even call him a toddler anymore. Of course, who am I kidding, he hasn't been a toddler in two years. But officially tomorrow he really is a little boy. No more babies for me. I know it's an awful lot of fun to have little boys, but just for today I'm going to be a little sad.

There's been so much baseball here lately that I've barely even thought about restaurants. I know , but I haven't gotten any input so I'm still not sure what we're doing. Just 12 more days until we can make ADRs. I guess I'd better get on it.

Anyway, much to do here. Birthday tomorrow and my grandparents are flying in too, so I have cleaning to do. And of course, baseball practice tonight.

I'll be back...

 

[hhockman]

This is just a quick post because it sounds like my kids are about to break through the ceiling and I need to go check on them but...

I have to do the DOUBLE DIGITS DANCE!!!

Somehow I missed it yesterday, but as of today we are at 98 days?! How's that for a PTR that started with more than 365 days?!

I'll be back later to discuss ADRs...again. Gotta go make sure the roof doesn't collapse.

ETA: You will notice that the second little Darth does, in fact, have a 4 next to it now.

 

[crocko]

Yay...I found another PTR of someone who is going to be there when my family will be (Sep 17-26). It's great to be in double digits!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

signing on...seen you on mickeytoontown TR...thought I would join in the fun... will be back to read; later

 

[mickeystoontown]

Told ya I was coming over! I'll come back and catch up in just a bit. The ghosts are calling me right now.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

just caught up! can't wait to find out what your ADR's will be ... what about your pirate tour...maybe you rementioned it and I missed it, what have you decided with that...congrats on being able to get the GG rate ...and Happy belated 4th Bday to your baby boy (or big boy, now- ).
looking forward to following along...when I did my PTR I felt like I was talking to myself or one other person all the time--LOL!!!

 

[hhockman]

First I want to say to all of you! I can't believe I have readers.

Yay...I found another PTR of someone who is going to be there when my family will be (Sep 17-26). It's great to be in double digits!!

Where are you staying? Are you doing anything special? We wanted to do MNSSHP, but I think it's just going to cost too much for 5 people. We're really paying more than we have for a trip before since we're staying Moderate instead of Value, and we don't have the extra for other things.

signing on...seen you on mickeytoontown TR...thought I would join in the fun... will be back to read; later

I read about your son. It was after the surgery before I saw your thread, but I am SO glad he came through with flying colors! Glad you made it back to catch up. (more comments below)

Told ya I was coming over! I'll come back and catch up in just a bit. The ghosts are calling me right now.

Your ghosts CREEP me out. Let me just tell you...I don't even like it when I'm in the "elevator" at Haunted Mansion and they tap me on the shoulder. Gets me EVERY time.

just caught up! can't wait to find out what your ADR's will be ... what about your pirate tour...maybe you rementioned it and I missed it, what have you decided with that...congrats on being able to get the GG rate ...and Happy belated 4th Bday to your baby boy (or big boy, now- ).
looking forward to following along...when I did my PTR I felt like I was talking to myself or one other person all the time--LOL!!!

Thank you for the Happy Birthday. It is bitter-sweet but totally worth it when we have nights like tonight where my boys were playing catch in the front yard. It's nice to have him big enough to do stuff like that now...and big enough to ride most of the rides (though he is going to be MAD about Space Mountain and Expedition Everest!). I'm still thinking about ADRs. I'm planning to work on it tonight...only 6 days until that phone call! As far as the cruise, I'm still thinking they're going to skip it. Mostly because there's other things I want to spend the money on...but I'm not 100% sure yet. Thanks again for following me. I know what it's like to talk to yourself. I promise to read your threads from now on too!

There's not really anything to report right this second, but I wanted to welcome everyone! I'm working on a semi-schedule for ADRs tonight. I'm not going to have much time to work on it this week with baseball this week, and I want to be prepared to call first thing Saturday morning. I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow with ADRs. I'm off to read some of your threads now!

 

[crocko]

Where are you staying? Are you doing anything special? We wanted to do MNSSHP, but I think it's just going to cost too much for 5 people. We're really paying more than we have for a trip before since we're staying Moderate instead of Value, and we don't have the extra for other things.

We're staying at the Kidani Village at AKL. We won't be doing the MNSSHP...kids are yound and daughter gets scared by "bad guys" easily....plus, it is expensive.

Not doing anything particularly special that I can think of....just doing everything we can to give the kids a great trip

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm all caught up now. A lot of planning, changes and birthdays have occurred since you started your report. So, just so I know, tell me again what your latest plans are.

 

[hhockman]

We're staying at the Kidani Village at AKL. We won't be doing the MNSSHP...kids are yound and daughter gets scared by "bad guys" easily....plus, it is expensive.

Not doing anything particularly special that I can think of....just doing everything we can to give the kids a great trip

I LOVE AKL! It's my first choice, but we're staying longer and bringing a tag-a-long this time, so it wasn't in the budget. And you're right MNSSHP is expensive...which is why IT isn't in the budget this time either.

I'm all caught up now. A lot of planning, changes and birthdays have occurred since you started your report. So, just so I know, tell me again what your latest plans are.

I promise I haven't forgotten you. Summer is in full swing, which means almost full time baseball...which somehow means that I am four days away from making ADRs and I STILL haven't figured out where we're going and when. I'm working on it right now actually. I hope to have an update tonight...I'm running out of time. Which is a good thing, right?!
I'll be back tonight.