PART FOUR!! *December 2012 Roll Call* Holidays, FLE & MVMCP!! A very, merry thread!

[cybrkitn]

Basically I am not sure if my countdown today is at 34 days, 27 days or 370 days.
DH is having work issues and may be changing positions in December. This would be fine and it is not his decision to make but he would prefer to change. The problem is, someone in the new department has his week of vacation scheduled, so DH would have to switch to a week earlier. So my trip that has been planned for months either stays the same, or I am planning a trip in 20 days or we postpone to next November. There are pros and cons to each option. And I wont know anything for sure until next Monday. So now I am like Terri with the multiple plans.
Plan A----Dec 15-22. Current trip, all planned and paid for.
Plan B----Dec 8-15. Would still get to go this year, but it would not be the trip I planned. No dessert party, Le Cellier or Ohana. I would lose free dining, so we would probably do OOP and do just a couple TS. I have made a few ADRs, not sure what I will keep. This was what we had planned on doing originally until free dining was extended. Kind of excited about the flexibility of this and the ability to eat more snacky foods. Most of the plan would stay the same. Not sure if I can change my MVMCP ticket date. I know I cant get a refund. Would need to decide if I want to pay for them again. Would crunch the numbers again for a different resort, if we are paying less for tips, maybe no party and probably would not do pp+. Airfare is cheaper. Would be there at the same time as many of you, but would not get to meet Jordan, grrrenlyl, molitva and everyone else that is going the next week.
Plan C----Nov 16-23, 2013. It's so far away!!!!! Life is short and who knows what will happen in the next year to prevent me from going. BUT I would be able to plan a trip again. I would definitely stay deluxe. Depending on whether or not my DB gets a full time teaching job after graduation or subs next year, he might be able to go. That would be nice, but not something I could plan on at this point. I would try again for BOG and things would be less crazy than this year with all the new openings. Would miss the big MK tree, but I think most of the other decorations would be up. Need to check that schedule of the holiday events.

So I could be fine with any of the options, just frustrated to have to wait to make any necessary changes. You can chime in whether you would do plan B or C if I end up needing to make that choice.

Yikes! If your DH does change, do you think the management would allow him to keep the vacation, especially since it's already paid in full and was made prior to the change?

 

[cybrkitn]

Good morning everyone! Quite the change here today. It went from 70 degrees yesterday to 30 degrees this morning. Sometimes I really hate living here.

We had the opposite. It's been in the 40's (sometimes 30's b/c of Sandy and the Nor'easter) and we went into the 60's today. Felt so good to be able to turn off the heat again!

 

[ses1230]

I have had a very productive (Disney) day!

Ordered park tickets from Undercover Tourist
Placed grocery delivery order
Ordered photopass plus
Sent in driver's license renewal that I almost forgot about, it expires the day we leave for Disney

I better do some laundry now....

27 days!

 

[cybrkitn]

I always come back to Pop, but every time something else comes up I think about switching. It must be that shiny object syndrome.

Sounds more like the dog from Up when he gets distracted - "Squirrel!" That's what we say to DS when he gets distracted.

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Here are the two shirts I made for our trip.

I was making a second shirt for me that I was really excited about. (Splash Mountain) Unfortunately the transfer did not transfer well and I had to scrap it. DH offered to run to the store for me to buy another plain t-shirt, but I needed more transfer paper as well. I am really bummed because it would have been really cute. I told DH to plan on adding $40 for a t-shirt fund for me because I plan on buying 2 now

 

[WedgieSock]

I was making a second shirt for me that I was really excited about. (Splash Mountain) Unfortunately the transfer did not transfer well and I had to scrap it. DH offered to run to the store for me to buy another plain t-shirt, but I needed more transfer paper as well. I am really bummed because it would have been really cute. I told DH to plan on adding $40 for a t-shirt fund for me because I plan on buying 2 now

great job!

 

[mom2travel]

Here are the two shirts I made for our trip.

I was making a second shirt for me that I was really excited about. (Splash Mountain) Unfortunately the transfer did not transfer well and I had to scrap it. DH offered to run to the store for me to buy another plain t-shirt, but I needed more transfer paper as well. I am really bummed because it would have been really cute. I told DH to plan on adding $40 for a t-shirt fund for me because I plan on buying 2 now

I love the shirts!!

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

We had the opposite. It's been in the 40's (sometimes 30's b/c of Sandy and the Nor'easter) and we went into the 60's today. Felt so good to be able to turn off the heat again!

Nice! It was snowing (nothing accumulated) this afternoon. Just strange that I was running around a t-shirt yesterday and today I am bundled up. The hight this week is 43. Just hoping for no big snow falls so we make it out of here on the 1st! Always nervous about winter travel.

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Yaaaay!

Yay! 20 here! We are staying at WL and can't wait to see it. I think I need to schedule myself an hour just to sit in the lobby at night.

 

[Tltorrez]

Choices, choices ....

Personally, I wouldn't want to change resorts so with the FD offer, I would stay at POP the whole time. I would think that POP would be your best option because of price & being able to have FD.

POP was your original choice, plus, I think this option would be the least chaotic of the lot.

Or if you don't mind moving, maybe AOA for two days. Just to give you something different. I do not think I would go from a Mod or Deluxe down to Value. I'd save that for another trip.

 

[Tltorrez]

Wow, that sounds just like me. I quit working only to be overwhelmed with volunteer work. I'm vaguely familiar with Fly Lady but I would highly recommend a book by Sandra Felton called "Living Organized." (She's a retired math teacher and very logical) It saved me. In particular, she talks about the 3-box method of clutter clean up- start at the door with three boxes- one for give away, one for throw away and one for things that belong somewhere else. Then go clockwise around the room and go through every drawer, cupboard and basket. It works! And her book is full of other tips, too.

FlyLady essentially uses the same method. I really had the clutter down pretty well after DS was born but before DSis came to live with us. But in a couple years it has gotten pretty bad again. I did make some good but selective progress this weekend in the kitchen and in my closet. And the charity box in the dining room is filling up. So I feel better about it.

 

[Tltorrez]

Part of me wanted to but I wanted enough room to sleep the whole group and with DVC points can really dictate your options

Agreed. I don't have the points problem but we have to have the suites, and I can't afford the regular suites. So that limits us to the DVC resorts. Plus I just love the Boardwalk location. So I booked in January (can't believe it's been that long) and then a few months later added the split stay. Then I did some minor room shifting due to the discounts but it never really occurred to me to change resorts.

I'm seriously considering BC next time instead of BWV. But our next trip will be a short F&W trip so it might not make sense to do BC unless we want to dedicate time to Storm-Along Bay.

 

[Tltorrez]

Are you aware that you need to volunteer for a part in Belle's Enchanted Tales to get a photo with her at the end? Just don't want you to leave disappointed. She is not available to meet anywhere else in the MK.

There was some confusion about this initially. But several blogs have now confirmed that you do not have to participate. You just have to jump up and get into the end of the line when they start the Meet & Greet. They won't announce it or anything so people sometimes think you can't but I've not seen any reports of people being stopped. I have seen reports of them running out of parts but that was early and I would assume they've corrected that, since it resulted in crying little girls.

I'm super excited about this attraction. Not sure I can fit it into Plan A but even DS10 wants to see the wardrobe. And he doesn't much mind the princesses.

EDIT: Ok, reviewing the blogs again there's still conflicting info. Some of them are saying you just have to get at the end of the parade but others are saying you have to get at the end of the parade holding silverware. Perhaps the silverware is what they added after they ran out of parts for some of the kids??? I do agree that it's really problematic that they don't make it clear up front that the two things are linked.

 

[mom2rtk]

There was some confusion about this initially. But several blogs have now confirmed that you do not have to participate. You just have to jump up and get into the end of the line when they start the Meet & Greet. They won't announce it or anything so people sometimes think you can't but I've not seen any reports of people being stopped. I have seen reports of them running out of parts but that was early and I would assume they've corrected that, since it resulted in crying little girls.

I'm super excited about this attraction. Not sure I can fit it into Plan A but even DS10 wants to see the wardrobe. And he doesn't much mind the princesses.

I had heard that, but was still reading some reports of a lot of confusion with this. I think the bottom line is that they really don't have time for everyone to get a photo with Belle, so they aren't being really out front with the information. Which is sort of silly to me. It's going to be interesting to see how this goes when it opens for real, and people KNOW it is open for real. I'm worried they will be under more pressure to keep up the silly pace.

I'm excited about it too and can't wait to see the wardrobe either.

Any idea whether we could hang back and be the last ones out of the wardrobe room and snap a quick photo next to her?

 

[Tltorrez]

Classic Josh post re: Starbucks:

http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorize...main-street-bakery-my-life-is-officially-over

Informative and snarky as only Josh can be.

 

[SAT887]

Here are the two shirts I made for our trip.

I was making a second shirt for me that I was really excited about. (Splash Mountain) Unfortunately the transfer did not transfer well and I had to scrap it. DH offered to run to the store for me to buy another plain t-shirt, but I needed more transfer paper as well. I am really bummed because it would have been really cute. I told DH to plan on adding $40 for a t-shirt fund for me because I plan on buying 2 now

They look great!!

 

[WedgieSock]

Classic Josh post re: Starbucks:

http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorize...main-street-bakery-my-life-is-officially-over

Informative and snarky as only Josh can be.

I read that - loved it!!

 

[SAT887]

Agreed. I don't have the points problem but we have to have the suites, and I can't afford the regular suites. So that limits us to the DVC resorts. Plus I just love the Boardwalk location. So I booked in January (can't believe it's been that long) and then a few months later added the split stay. Then I did some minor room shifting due to the discounts but it never really occurred to me to change resorts.

I'm seriously considering BC next time instead of BWV. But our next trip will be a short F&W trip so it might not make sense to do BC unless we want to dedicate time to Storm-Along Bay.

Yeah we wanted a 3 bedroom grand villa so we could all stay together, OKW 349 and the rest are 550 (I think) and up. It's a big difference. We will do beach Club as a smaller group and considered to try it for F&W however I don't think I would utilize SAB that trip which will hopefully bring us to BWV if they are available at the 7 mon window....

 

[bellebookworm9]

Thanks for writing. I hope they reconsider. Not that it will matter to us. I doubt they'll change anything before our trip and we probably won't be back to WDW for a couple years after that.

That thread just wore me out though. Actually the DIS just wears me out sometimes. So much criticism over little things. So I care that Belle won't be there in her Christmas dress. So shoot me already. Not you...... some of the others on that thread. I'm glad you wrote. I hope others did too.

Ha! I hear you hun TPaA can be very tiresome .... yesterday was another example with all the Main St Bakery threads.

I'm sad that Belle won't be in her Christmas attire - I've never seen it so was looking forward to it.

As sad as it is, this is literally the thing I was most looking forward to. But there's lots of other things that I'm excited about too, so I guess I'll just focus on those!

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

What's everyone up to tonight?

DH is off to pick up a pizza and a new camera. I mentioned about a month ago that our camera kind of stinks and DH has been reading lots online since. I am OK with keeping our camera for now because we should really be saving money for the trip/Christmas gifts, but he is like a kid, once it's in his head, he has to get something. So it looks like we are getting a Cannon Powershot SX260.