Rockin' around Cinderella's Castle: Two Holiday PTRs in One!

[AlohaPolynesian]

That is AWESOME! Congrats! You know, even though she wasn't supposed to do that, she provided really good customer service. Maybe you can write to WDW and just say how awesome she was with helping you...no specifics if you don't want to get her in trouble. How nice is that!!

You are so lucky! I was getting those same CP restaurants so I just went with the lunch package for Tutto instead. I am so excited for you!

 

[shellywalker]

OMG! I'm so glad everything worked out for you! That can be soooo frustrating! I'm going to keep calling back for Fantasmic!, but because it's an early show...there is only a 1 hour time frame that they do the package! Hopefully we'll get it...otherwise we'll be waiting in line to see it

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

YAY for you!!! I wish all CM had to act like her!!!

 

[that's nice]

I know these Dining CM must have headaches by the end of the day. They probably hear angry people constantly. It is so nice when you get a helpful and enthusiastic CM.

What A List You Got There!!!!! The Disney Gods were on your side today!!!! Thank goodness you slept in this morning!

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Yay!!! Isn't it great when you get such an awesome CM???? The ones that go above and beyond sure do make up for the ones that seem to act like it's their first day on the job!

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Wow you are quite lucky!! I'm so glad you got all of them!! Congrats!!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Any new updates?

 

[wdwgirl03]

Any new updates?

I'm curious too!

 

[Brave teacher]

I just read your PTR thus far. First, lucky you having two trips so close to each other. I WISH! Second, what an amazing CM! I hope you got her name and put in a good word for her. I wish we all got great CM like that. I look forward to reading more!

 

[shordiebecka]

Sorry guys, I fell off the face of the earth, and will probably continue to do so periodically for the next few months life just keeps getting in my way!!!

I will try to catch up on PTR's, etc, later tonight. school, internship, work school internship work..this is my life now!

Some updates for you all:

Trip #1 (november trip):

Bad news: DBF's step father, T, has a mass in his adrenal gland that needs to be removed and checked for cancer . He is going into surgery next Friday (18th). That being said, with our trip one month away, T and J (dbf mom and stepdad) will no longer be able to join us on our trip. This makes for a sticky situation, as when I called Disney, they told me they could remove them, but I couldn't switch down to a value resort or any resort at all if I wanted to keep free dining (which I do). DBF and I, well we aren't exactly rich and have some tight funds..so for awhile, this trip was up in the air. not to mention, our plane tickets are non refundable for everyone, so T and J have to settle for an airline credit...meaning that they can use the money for a future flight. Oh well, what are you gonna do? Life happens I guess...just trying to stay positive about things at this point.

Good News: After careful consideration, we decided to go ahead and take our trip It is only about 100$ more per person than if T and J were to be with us, and our plane tickets are non refundable. We were both looking forward to this trip, so we are still going & staying at coronado springs. We have to crunch pennies and have a very very tight budget. Here's what we're planning on doing to save a few here and there:

1. Only bring a set amount for souvenirs. We will be back, we don't need to bring the whole park back with us. I'm thinking 50 for me and 50 for him.

2. Order breakfast foods through garden grocer. Anyone ever used them? I'm thinking 2 packages of bagels, cream cheese, peanut butter, bottled water, and maybe some pop tarts. This will free up our snack credit to use in the afternoon, and a CS credit for lunch

3. Use our refillable mugs from last time...hopefully. We were just there in July..anyone know if they changed? I'm bringing a backpack into the parks, so depending how close we are we may just bring them into the park with us and put them in the backpack, depending how close we are to CSR for coffee in the morning.

4. Set aside money for tips ahead of time. We figure we are having 5 meals, 4 covered on the dining plan. Probably about 30-40 per meal, maybe 10$ tip for each one. So, we're setting aside 50-60$ for tips, making our total trip spending about 150-160.

5. Buy reading material before the flight- airports are expensive- saving CVS extra bucks to use for magazines and such

Besides that, we are just trying to do it as no frills as possible. Any ideas/suggestions?

Trip #2: Not much to report on this one..all is set, going as planned. Just need to pay it now! We are excited for this trip, also going to book the GF tea party for one afternoon

Well, thats all I got..the good, bad and the ugly. I don't have time for anything but work and school right now, so I try to frequent as much as possible!

 

[onelilspark]

Sooo, at CSR apparently they charge you a delivery fee on packages. I think I remember reading that this includes Garden Grocer, but I'm not 100% sure. Might want to pop on over to the FAQ thread and ask. Depending on how much you actually eat for breakfast, it might be cheaper to throw some granola bars, nutri-grain bars, or Pop Tarts in your luggage.

With water, remember you can get free ice water at any Counter Service location. Bring a water bottle from home with a large mouth to fill.

The mugs haven't changed, and CSR is now using the generic mug, so you're good! I won't tell

You'll be surprised how little you'll buy. Now that I've gone multiple times in a year, I spend maybe $20-25 on souvenirs. And that's if I buy a shirt or something. My major expenditure as far as "souvenirs" is concerned is snacks that I bring back! Which isn't bad to be honest. And if you want something to hold you over for your next trip, grab a box of cookies, the trail mix, etc. that's Mickey branded. That way when you're back and looking forward to your next trip, it serves two purposes! The only way I can go so much is to cut back on my spending! So I pick and choose only what I really want!

...I was sitting here trying to remember what I bought in August for myself...it was a watch! So you know, not something I really needed (Though I didn't own a watch, and I wear it all the time now, so it's totally justified...)

 

[Brave teacher]

Sorry to hear about DBF's SD. I hope everything ends up okay.

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

So sorry to hear about DB step dad. Hope all turns out well with that.
I think you can definitely get away with not spending much on this trip considering it will only be a matter of weeks until you get to go back again.