So many flowers, so little time! 3/13 So many choices so little time! Food updates!

[mickeysmyboy]

Hi All......My Name is Mary Ellen and I am a member of the cast for this trip. I just got back from a girl's trip and it was fabulous. I was originally planning to go in May with two or three of my soccer mom friends. I had mentioned a trip to them last year and it was a go until one of them discovered that the original dates of the trip coincided with the states for track. Even with some date adjustments no one seemed too keen on traveling in May with it being so close to high school graduation. Well, my home friends may not want to travel in May, but I still do....Lucky for me there was some enabling going on in Melissa's TR and the next thing I know - GIRL'S TRIP!

Wooo hooo MaryEllen! I'm so excited to get the opportunity to meet you!

Curfews? Giving up seats on the bus? Keeping us in line? Good luck with that last one!! I am going to be the rebellious one
I have many names for Ziggy too!!! Zigster, Ziggles, Zigfried, and sometimes I speak to him in his native German tongue! I forgot you have a cat named Jewel....I had a cat named Jewels

Tracy

Something tells me she's going to have her work cut out for her

Loving the Intros so far and the fur babies! Can't wait to see what you four have planned for next.

Thanks! More coming soon!

I love, love, LOVE that all you girls are going on a trip all about all of YOU!!! All you Spectrum moms going in January are included in that great big show of affection!! Although, I am envious of BOTH your trips, and I really hope we can coordinate a GIANT DIS GAL meet between us all one day ( or week!)!

Loved all of your bios- love all the animals...well, I guess I'm just full of love for all of ya, tonight... Can't wait to hear all the plans...so much fun to go away with a group of women who are DISnuts like us!

So are you staying together? Where? When?????? We all are dying to know!

Oh- Tracy- your nephew is soooo sweet!

ME- OMG! The boys are soooo stinkin' HANDSOME!

A giant Dis meet would be so fun! We could take over the world!

Subbing in! Followed a pretty little ticker to find this PTR. Sounds like a fun trip already.

All caught up...great intros and can't wait to hear more about your plans. Particuarly where you end up booking your resort!

More coming soon!

Me too! I mentioned it to Joe and he grunted and rolled his eyes.



I think he doesn't like the thought of me going to Disney and not him!



Milk it!!!

Keep trying! Remind him how much good it will do all of you for you to get a little time away alone! All Mommy's need a little down time! l

 

[eandesmom]

Thanks! More coming soon!

A giant Dis meet would be so fun! We could take over the world!

or at least the slushie stand!

Update soon everyone!

 

[vamassey1]

I didn't realize y'all had started a ptr. Now I have to go back and get caught up.

I'm all caught up!

I'm loving the intros but I can't wait to hear the details. When and Where? And what meals!

 

[MEK]

or at least the slushie stand!

Update soon everyone!

East Meets West in the South AND takes down the slushie stand!

 

[englishrose47]

Checking in for more, I am jealous !!!

 

[eandesmom]

I didn't realize y'all had started a ptr. Now I have to go back and get caught up.

I'm all caught up!

I'm loving the intros but I can't wait to hear the details. When and Where? And what meals!

Welcome welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

East Meets West in the South AND takes down the slushie stand!

I'm thinking we need Slushie Lushie tees....

Or matching engraved glasses

Checking in for more, I am jealous !!!

Check tomorrow, update is almost ready!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Keep trying! Remind him how much good it will do all of you for you to get a little time away alone! All Mommy's need a little down time! l

SO TRUE. I could use one right about NOW. Age 3 isn't the easiest, is it???!

Looking forward to the update - do we get to find out the resort choice?

 

[eandesmom]

Cynthia here and my turn for the update! I thought I'd start with a discussion on...math. FDM that is. Fuzzy, Disney, Math. The only kind of math I like.

For those of you who followed my PTR, you know I’m rather a big fan of fuzzy Disney Math. It allows for all sorts of possibilities.

Cheaper flights? Add days to your trip, AND save money.

Season rate changes? Move your dates and…add days to your trip, AND save money.

Have a friend who has extra points that might otherwise get “lost”? Book a trip, rent their points, help them avoid a potential loss AND save money as renting is cheaper than rack rate.

Realize Cinco de Mayo falls during your dates? Add days to your trip. Ok wait, that doesn’t save any money.

I’ll be honest. I can manipulate a spreadsheet like nobody’s business and somehow, at the end of the day, get it to give me the results I want. Fuzzy or not. Planning the where and when, for our intrepid traveling gals, I think put all of us to the test. Or at least our math skills.

But before we had to do math, we needed to have a frame of reference right? Analyzing the data is only good if the data itself is good.

First up was the when. We knew we wanted May. I think all of us had different reasons for May, as well as one common one. Our reasons included: no trip until 2012, excess points, girls trips rock, an excuse to escape the kids and husbands and do what WE wanted to do, great weather and….Flower and Garden! Some of us have been before, some of us have been (and felt like we missed most of it) and others have never been. Frankly, I’m not sure any of us really needed a “reason” or much arm twisting, we all just really wanted to go with a group of really cool virtual friends. To me, the virtual part is just simple logistics. We all live pretty darn far apart. It doesn’t make the friendships, the connections, that “click” you get, any less real. It does make it pretty darn exciting to make it “live” though.

So….May was the when. The why was a no brainer. Our when is just far enough away from current or recent trips to be doable (sellable) for all and a drool worthy time of year, weather wise. Perfect on every level if you ask me! But when in May? We zeroed in on a weekend. Amazingly, it worked for all of us. Well….almost all of us. There is an intrepid 6th that it just didn’t work with work. Other than that, it was too easy if you ask me. I juggle 4 kids in 4 schools and a job and just figuring out how the heck I can make it to certain gym classes for me at a certain time on a certain day requires more brain power than I really have, forget about adding my kids schedules on top of that. And sure enough, at the end of the day, that weekend didn’t work. Looking before and after our dream weekend posed 2 rather large challenges. Easter rates and….the end of Flower and Garden. We didn’t like either option very much. Not at all. We also didn’t like, in fact refused to even consider, that one or more could back out to make that original date work.

You know how sometimes if you sleep on something, the answer just comes to you? It was right there, we just couldn’t see it at first. See originally we were thinking a long weekend. Works great. Not too many vacation days for the working folks, not too many days of ditching kids and fur babies for the mom’s, win/win right? We were thinking Thurs-Sun. Bottom line was, if we wanted to still catch F&G….all but one of those nights would be at the Easter rates. Which, even though 4 out of the 5 of us are DVC owners and so we were looking at points, not cash, it was pretty darn brutal. Talk about a buzz kill.

So we slept on it. And a funny thing happened. Freed from our original plan, an idea formed. If we just moved our thinking to Sat-Tues it was only 1 night at the brutal rate but still kept that weekend portion to keep employers, husbands and the like on the happy/indulgent side. Which is important when you are ditching them.

Of course then we needed to figure out how we’d actually book this thing. Who would share with whom? Would we transfer points, rent points, pay cash? Point charts were studied, sleeping preferences and the like were considered. It is really amazing we were only at 200+ emails trying to figure all this out! But figure it out we did!

What we figured out is…..
April 30-May 4. Or 5. Or 6. That end date is a little up in the air. 4 nights seems way too short.

We also realized that intrepid 6th might still be able to join us. NO pressure, you know who you are! We figured out where we wanted to stay and the best room plan of attack.

BUT since the DVC 4 don’t all have the same home resort…we can’t book yet. Not quite. Almost. 6 days from now to be exact. I think. As the lone DVC non owner, it’s out of my control. Which is pretty darn freeing for me!

Albeit mildly scary. I'll get over it.

And WHEN we book….we’ll let you all know where!

In the meantime, rest assured that the plotting has continued. What we want to do, including food, drink, and a crazy idea on a way to really really milk the system which may take the intrepid 5 to a potentially insane level of planning and some steroid enhanced Fuzzy Disney Math are all on the table right now.

I mean, our ADR day is only 36 days away, we have work to do!

Not that I'm counting or anything.

I’m too busy having a blast!

And I can't wait for May

 

[MEK]

That is a great update!!!! Love it! I will comment that my involvement all started because I was SUPPOSED to go in May (weekend of the 14th) with my soccer mom friends. Then they all starting dropping, like flys.

I sent them all types of emails with real $ calculations referencing 3 possible trip scenarios - 1 in March with free dining, 1 in May with my DVC points, and 1 in September 2011 with free dining.

Ultimately the September 2011 free dining was a tad cheaper than the DVC option (but not by much and it involved staying at a mod). I was OFFERING the DVC points. It was on me, but I don't think my friends get the value of the DVC points. I know Chuck and Cathy didn't. The only people who really get the value of a free DVC points is the people who GET Disney.

I was a little disappointed when my friends did not respond to me emails, so when I asked them, point blank, "Are you in for May or not?" I got a lot of hemming and hauling and "I don't know and its so close to graduation and there's a track championship that weekend...blah, blah, blah". Free DVC points should never result in that much reluctance. I knew my friends were out, but I'm not an Indian giver so I needed to make absolutely sure. One of my friends is not even interested in going period, but I don't think she has the nerve to day anything. And that's Ok. I'm cool with that.

So the moms and I are tentatively on for September 2011. Well, at least the two moms who I know like Disney and want to visit. But one thing I learned. If there is reluctance and no attempts to negotiate - Move On!

So around the time my moms all dropped like flies, my virtual sisters started planning a trip. How convenient since I was going anyway. I didn't buy an AP last week for nothing!

I will confess I am still a little nervous about the point transfer. I am transfering to Melissa who has graciously agreed to book for Cynthia and I. I plan to transfer points early next week. Once that goes off without a hitch I will breathe a sigh of relief.

My last trip was with a GF and I've got to tell you that it is SUPER FUN to travel to the world with a Disney addict. They get it. Everyone gives and takes a little bit and you go with the flow. You plan, you tweak, you enable, but ultimately you relax and float through the trip. You marvel at the unexpected and roll with the familiar. It's a great experience.

So, thanks for the wonderful update Cynthia. Let the planning begin FULL force!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I didn't realize y'all had started a ptr. Now I have to go back and get caught up.

I'm all caught up!

I'm loving the intros but I can't wait to hear the details. When and Where? And what meals!

Welcome!!!

More details coming up!

East Meets West in the South AND takes down the slushie stand!

I said it once and I'll say it again, the world may never be the same!

Checking in for more, I am jealous !!!

SO TRUE. I could use one right about NOW. Age 3 isn't the easiest, is it???!

Looking forward to the update - do we get to find out the resort choice?

Umm, no, it's not Test boundaries, getting a real sense for the world, trying to experience every little piece of that world and not understanding why some of it isn't allowed, etc, etc! It will get better, I promise! DS7 started to mellow a bit around 3 1/2 or 4! Ryan is the worst of the 3 kids with all of that, I think it maybe because he wants to do what his big brother and sister are doing and not understanding that they're a lot older!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Cynthia here and my turn for the update! I thought I'd start with a discussion on...math. FDM that is. Fuzzy, Disney, Math. The only kind of math I like.

For those of you who followed my PTR, you know I’m rather a big fan of fuzzy Disney Math. It allows for all sorts of possibilities.

Cheaper flights? Add days to your trip, AND save money.

Season rate changes? Move your dates and…add days to your trip, AND save money.

Have a friend who has extra points that might otherwise get “lost”? Book a trip, rent their points, help them avoid a potential loss AND save money as renting is cheaper than rack rate.

Realize Cinco de Mayo falls during your dates? Add days to your trip. Ok wait, that doesn’t save any money.

I’ll be honest. I can manipulate a spreadsheet like nobody’s business and somehow, at the end of the day, get it to give me the results I want. Fuzzy or not. Planning the where and when, for our intrepid traveling gals, I think put all of us to the test. Or at least our math skills.

But before we had to do math, we needed to have a frame of reference right? Analyzing the data is only good if the data itself is good.

First up was the when. We knew we wanted May. I think all of us had different reasons for May, as well as one common one. Our reasons included: no trip until 2012, excess points, girls trips rock, an excuse to escape the kids and husbands and do what WE wanted to do, great weather and….Flower and Garden! Some of us have been before, some of us have been (and felt like we missed most of it) and others have never been. Frankly, I’m not sure any of us really needed a “reason” or much arm twisting, we all just really wanted to go with a group of really cool virtual friends. To me, the virtual part is just simple logistics. We all live pretty darn far apart. It doesn’t make the friendships, the connections, that “click” you get, any less real. It does make it pretty darn exciting to make it “live” though.

So….May was the when. The why was a no brainer. Our when is just far enough away from current or recent trips to be doable (sellable) for all and a drool worthy time of year, weather wise. Perfect on every level if you ask me! But when in May? We zeroed in on a weekend. Amazingly, it worked for all of us. Well….almost all of us. There is an intrepid 6th that it just didn’t work with work. Other than that, it was too easy if you ask me. I juggle 4 kids in 4 schools and a job and just figuring out how the heck I can make it to certain gym classes for me at a certain time on a certain day requires more brain power than I really have, forget about adding my kids schedules on top of that. And sure enough, at the end of the day, that weekend didn’t work. Looking before and after our dream weekend posed 2 rather large challenges. Easter rates and….the end of Flower and Garden. We didn’t like either option very much. Not at all. We also didn’t like, in fact refused to even consider, that one or more could back out to make that original date work.

You know how sometimes if you sleep on something, the answer just comes to you? It was right there, we just couldn’t see it at first. See originally we were thinking a long weekend. Works great. Not too many vacation days for the working folks, not too many days of ditching kids and fur babies for the mom’s, win/win right? We were thinking Thurs-Sun. Bottom line was, if we wanted to still catch F&G….all but one of those nights would be at the Easter rates. Which, even though 4 out of the 5 of us are DVC owners and so we were looking at points, not cash, it was pretty darn brutal. Talk about a buzz kill.

So we slept on it. And a funny thing happened. Freed from our original plan, an idea formed. If we just moved our thinking to Sat-Tues it was only 1 night at the brutal rate but still kept that weekend portion to keep employers, husbands and the like on the happy/indulgent side. Which is important when you are ditching them.

Of course then we needed to figure out how we’d actually book this thing. Who would share with whom? Would we transfer points, rent points, pay cash? Point charts were studied, sleeping preferences and the like were considered. It is really amazing we were only at 200+ emails trying to figure all this out! But figure it out we did!

What we figured out is…..
April 30-May 4. Or 5. Or 6. That end date is a little up in the air. 4 nights seems way too short.

We also realized that intrepid 6th might still be able to join us. NO pressure, you know who you are! We figured out where we wanted to stay and the best room plan of attack.

BUT since the DVC 4 don’t all have the same home resort…we can’t book yet. Not quite. Almost. 6 days from now to be exact. I think. As the lone DVC non owner, it’s out of my control. Which is pretty darn freeing for me!

Albeit mildly scary. I'll get over it.

And WHEN we book….we’ll let you all know where!

In the meantime, rest assured that the plotting has continued. What we want to do, including food, drink, and a crazy idea on a way to really really milk the system which may take the intrepid 5 to a potentially insane level of planning and some steroid enhanced Fuzzy Disney Math are all on the table right now.

I mean, our ADR day is only 36 days away, we have work to do!

Not that I'm counting or anything.

I’m too busy having a blast!

And I can't wait for May

Don't you love the fuzzy math?! I almost had DH convinced yesterday that we should add Sunday night to our Oct trip because the flights were a little less and we could book 1 night at a different resort using an AP discount! He may have actually gone for it had it not been for the fact that it is a Sunday and he HAS to watch the Giants play! Geeze!

Fuzzy math always leads to good things!!!

I so glad that things worked out the way they did! I think it's going to be a fabulous trip! Even more fabulous that the original plan! I'm not just saying that because I'm the one who had a the glitch that meant we had to change weekends!

Actually, Cynthia, you're right! 200+ emails isn't too bad for 5 ladies to figure out group trip! I think that's a testament to the "clicking" part! We all kind of seemed to have the same idea of what we wanted! That's impressive for 5 women

So, on with the planning!

That is a great update!!!! Love it! I will comment that my involvement all started because I was SUPPOSED to go in May (weekend of the 14th) with my soccer mom friends. Then they all starting dropping, like flys.

I sent them all types of emails with real $ calculations referencing 3 possible trip scenarios - 1 in March with free dining, 1 in May with my DVC points, and 1 in September 2011 with free dining.

Ultimately the September 2011 free dining was a tad cheaper than the DVC option (but not by much and it involved staying at a mod). I was OFFERING the DVC points. It was on me, but I don't think my friends get the value of the DVC points. I know Chuck and Cathy didn't. The only people who really get the value of a free DVC points is the people who GET Disney.

I was a little disappointed when my friends did not respond to me emails, so when I asked them, point blank, "Are you in for May or not?" I got a lot of hemming and hauling and "I don't know and its so close to graduation and there's a track championship that weekend...blah, blah, blah". Free DVC points should never result in that much reluctance. I knew my friends were out, but I'm not an Indian giver so I needed to make absolutely sure. One of my friends is not even interested in going period, but I don't think she has the nerve to day anything. And that's Ok. I'm cool with that.

So the moms and I are tentatively on for September 2011. Well, at least the two moms who I know like Disney and want to visit. But one thing I learned. If there is reluctance and no attempts to negotiate - Move On!

So around the time my moms all dropped like flies, my virtual sisters started planning a trip. How convenient since I was going anyway. I didn't buy an AP last week for nothing!

I will confess I am still a little nervous about the point transfer. I am transfering to Melissa who has graciously agreed to book for Cynthia and I. I plan to transfer points early next week. Once that goes off without a hitch I will breathe a sigh of relief.

My last trip was with a GF and I've got to tell you that it is SUPER FUN to travel to the world with a Disney addict. They get it. Everyone gives and takes a little bit and you go with the flow. You plan, you tweak, you enable, but ultimately you relax and float through the trip. You marvel at the unexpected and roll with the familiar. It's a great experience.

So, thanks for the wonderful update Cynthia. Let the planning begin FULL force!

I, for one, am glad the soccer mom trip for may didn't really work out!

I can't wait to go to WDW with people who actually "get it!" How much fun is that going to be?!?!?! WDW with 4 other disers?! Is it ok to be too excited to sleep 7 months out?!

Yes, I do have a few other trips between now and then to look forward to but this trip is a whole different ball game!

I *think* and *hope* that everything will go off with out a hitch next week in the points transferring and booking process! Then it's on to ADR's!!!!

 

[praisehisname]

For those of you who followed my PTR, you know I’m rather a big fan of fuzzy Disney Math. It allows for all sorts of possibilities.

I'm a huge fan of FDM! It allowed us to "upgrade" to a deluxe when we got free dining and add an extra day because the extra dining credits would cancel out the cost of the hotel!

What we figured out is…..
April 30-May 4. Or 5. Or 6. That end date is a little up in the air. 4 nights seems way too short.

Sounds wonderful! But you HAVE to be there for the 5th!!! I have no doubt that an extra night will be added!

We also realized that intrepid 6th might still be able to join us. NO pressure, you know who you are!

I think I know who the 6th is, and I really hope it works out for her!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I'm a huge fan of FDM! It allowed us to "upgrade" to a deluxe when we got free dining and add an extra day because the extra dining credits would cancel out the cost of the hotel!




Sounds wonderful! But you HAVE to be there for the 5th!!! I have no doubt that an extra night will be added!




I think I know who the 6th is, and I really hope it works out for her!

I love how fuzzy math worked out so well for you! That is fabulous!!

Ahhh, the 5th! How could we not?! Right?!

Our 6th intrepid travler! Hopefully she can join us! I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

 

[vamassey1]

So far we have the Who, Why and When. I'm looking forward to the Where!

I love it when FDM works out so well.

 

[manntra]

Hello there
DFM is the best!!! After all of the math I took in high school and college this is the most useful!!!

I for one will just be breathing a sigh of relief when the rooms are finally booked next week. This is some new territory for us....transferring, renting. Heck all I ever do is borrow from myself and that is easy peasy!!

Mary Ellen--- I am glad that your friends may go in September but I am oh so happy that we are able to all go together in May I am really looking forward to going with fellow koolaid enthusiasts As an example...next month I have changed dining reservations so many times and I never do that. I have two friends going and want to make sure they enjoy themselves and the choices I made for them I even changed (didn't cancel yet though) my beloved Jiko the other day because they made a lot of changes on the menu.

Speaking of which....I can't wait until we get the rooms booked so we can move onto FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!!!

Tracy

 

[DisMomAmy]

I love it!! I can see the emails... it's funny to what detail you need to go to when discussing the plans for a bunch of not so "strangers". We had the same emails - who needs to sleep with what background noise, early risers, night owls, heavy sleepers, light sleepers...

 

[MEK]

Food, Food, Food is very important!!!!

Has anyone seen those $25 gift certificates on Restaurant.com for $2? They have them for Shulas and Blue Zoo. You can only use one per party, but I am seriously wondering if I should buy a couple. There is an AUTUMN promotion going on now where the gift cards are 80% off. It really sounds too good to be true but I suggest you guys take a look and see what you think.

 

[eandesmom]

Food, Food, Food is very important!!!!

Has anyone seen those $25 gift certificates on Restaurant.com for $2? They have them for Shulas and Blue Zoo. You can only use one per party, but I am seriously wondering if I should buy a couple. There is an AUTUMN promotion going on now where the gift cards are 80% off. It really sounds too good to be true but I suggest you guys take a look and see what you think.

I think it came up in one of our recent bazillion emails. I meant to check to see the restrictions, I have seen them but can't recall the rules around it. Definitely worth looking into.

 

[jenjolt]

LOL I love Disney Fuzzy math.....they should really make that a class I could teach at school!!!

I'm so ready to join the league of DVC owners! We keep meaning to just bite the bullet but with buying the house and moving it just keeps getting put off. Soon though...very soon!!

ADRs....oooh I love making ADRs too much fun!!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Fuzzy Disney Math is the best kind of math! So glad you all were able to figure out your dates, and the fact that it worked so quickly for everyone (except one ) is amazing! I think this trip is meant to be.

I'm excited to hear the WHERE part!

Food, Food, Food is very important!!!!

Has anyone seen those $25 gift certificates on Restaurant.com for $2? They have them for Shulas and Blue Zoo. You can only use one per party, but I am seriously wondering if I should buy a couple. There is an AUTUMN promotion going on now where the gift cards are 80% off. It really sounds too good to be true but I suggest you guys take a look and see what you think.

Shulas. Drool.