Team Focker Watch chat!

[Disneyland_Mama]

Some of us are working....or at least that's what we are supposed to be doing.

Yeah, I was gonna say..... When's quitting time?

 

[sorul82?]

Yeah, I was gonna say..... When's quitting time?

Today, 5:00. If DH is able to make it home before the bus, then I stay and work to earn the extra $. Otherwise I leave at 3.

 

[DisneyJo]

There you are, Jo. Are you hiding from me? I even looked on the UK boards for you!!! OMG, I've turned into a stalker!!!

Getting in some practice for August hey

See, it IS a small world after all! (now sing that all day long!).
I just got back from taking BA to "Jamestown, A likely story" play (complete with "authentic" English accents!) . Then back to school then running to get DD13 to her play practice, then back to take BA to gymnastics, then somehow gotta get the second one home from the play at the same time. They were easier when younger......at least that's how my current memory is!

Tell me about it, I'm turning into more of a taxi driver each year!

Some of us are working....or at least that's what we are supposed to be doing.

Today, 5:00. If DH is able to make it home before the bus, then I stay and work to earn the extra $. Otherwise I leave at 3.

OK that means nothing to me are you 5 hours behind like V or 8 hours behind like T or some where in between BTW it's 9pm here!

 

[TEminnie]

Getting in some practice for August hey

Tell me about it, I'm turning into more of a taxi driver each year!




OK that means nothing to me are you 5 hours behind like V or 8 hours behind like T or some where in between BTW it's 9pm here!

S'late's answering service:
"S'late is temporarily not available at the moment....please listen to the following automated response....
The time is now 4:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time"


Well, actually it is here in VA--sometimes the deeper you go south, the s-l-o-w-e-r time goes by!

I was thinking that London is 6 hours from us.....DH travels a bunch overseas, but then, I keep moving into different time zones and the President keeps changing the daylight savings time thing so that could be off too. Thank goodness for cell phones that keep time!
We are on DISNEY time if that helps!

 

[DisneyJo]

We are on DISNEY time if that helps!

Ohhhh I know Disney time it's 5 hours difference, I also know that because of making ADR's do you know how hard it is to contain yourself waiting until midday to call I suppose that's better than poor Tracy who has to get up in the middle of the night

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Ohhhh I know Disney time it's 5 hours difference, I also know that because of making ADR's do you know how hard it is to contain yourself waiting until midday to call I suppose that's better than poor Tracy who has to get up in the middle of the night

Yup... I have to be up by 4am if I need to make ADR's at 7am!!! Thank goodness that is done, although, I still keep cancelling and adding and changing my ADR's!!!

 

[LisaDKG]

OK, I know I haven't been around participating in the chat and laughs but I guess I took up full time lurking until NOW!! I need the help of you fine peeps in only the way you fuzzy Disney mathematicians and addicted Disers can help.
And sorry in advance if this gets long and boring but I have been working myself into a lather for a few days now over what else? PADV!!! (Potential Amazing Disney Vacation...)
Since my realized and utterly amazing trip last Sept. I have been mourning the fact that my planning was over (for non Disers it bordered on psychotic, for all y'all, that's psychotic in every GOOD sense of the word), my trip was over, the photos were scrap booked and I could think of nothing to create a countdown ticker for. That was maybe until mid-winter, which here in Calgary is bleak, freakin' cold and depressing. Did I mention unfun? and Freakin' COLD? Everyone here tries to get away to somewhere warm. I pledged back in Feb. that that would be the last year I would spend without a tropical vacay to look forward too. Did I also mention I have a twisted obsession with checking Expedia for trip deals that I probably will never take???
SO, I decided that a year from then I would save and take my family of 4 as well as my parents, who can't afford to get away on their own, to an all inclusive dealio in Cancun, or Playa del Carmen or wherever was warm, blue skyed, turquoise watered etc. etc. There are some pretty good deals available from here to there for all inclusives but I knew it would still take about a year to save up for us all (did I also mention that I do not do well with "budget" vacations even though I generally have a "budget" budget to work with? It is the Diva in me, the princess, the feeling of being "entitled"...I dunno? That is probably why I lurve me some Disney! It makes me feel like life is sweeeeet and some magic can be had by anyone.

I was pretty well content reading these boards as a lurker and thinking about the far off trip I was saving for until...Free Dining was announced! Not that it was a surprise or anything but gosh, it hit me hard! You see, free dining was what got me to WDW LAST year...well that and some of the fuzziest math you've ever seen...but we signed up and I got hooked! We thought that it was probably the only trip there we would have in a while so we went all out (or all out in our opinion at least!). We stayed 5 days at Poly, 5 at AKL, had amazing dining experiences, loved MNSSHP and basically had a perfect time (which I take all the credit for, due to said planning psychosis)

Jeez, this is loooonnnnggg winded! Sorry...got...to...get it out...

Then I had a conversation with my father, who had a rough year btw, about vacations in general. I was feeling him out for the Mexican vacation and then he said "I think ideally, your mother would love to go to Hawaii, but me? I think I would really love Disney"...
Holy smokes! This man's greatest wish was to one day see Disney? (bit of an exaggeration? nah!) and I just happened to have a surprise trip in the works??? and free dining was announced (which is like an all inclusive IMO and I think I would always try to use the DDP from now on if possible) and the Poly happens to be HAWAIIAN THEMED (next best thing to being there)???

I guess I better submit this or fear it getting lost in cyberspace.

TO BE CONTINUED!

 

[LisaDKG]

Soooooo
yesterday I broke down, called reservations and booked the six of us for a 9 day, Free DDP, hopper, water & more EXTRAVAGANZA (subscription to TGM still pending, no ADRS yet but lists have been made and I spent a lot of last night lying in bed thinking "Sure I've read lots of bad reviews but should we just give Coral Reef a chance?"

Soooooo
what's the big whoop de do and why does it call for such a long boring post, you may ask?

BECAUSE! i haven't yet told my husband...

who thinks we shouldn't even be saving our money for a Mexican vacation NEXT year, and should instead be applying that money to our debt (Of course he's right but Fuzziness seems to prevail in my lil' ol brain! Math is hard for girls! (just kidding - I used to be a math teacher!!!).

BUT then I start to rationalize - the price of 6 tickets to an all-inclusive is probably going to be MORE than a Sept. trip with free dining ( I know we could stay in another beautiful, less costly resort but can I tell you how much we LOVED the POLY? and remember my poor mother's lifelong dream???

Hey, For some reason I can't post smilies. There would otherwise be a boatload of em' in this post. They are pretty useful eh?)
I feel like this is a pre-trip report. But it's a scary thing to put one out there hey? I have great admiration for you trippers!

Did I also mention that when I casually broached the subject with DH about going on a trip to WDW in Sept. with Free DDP rather than Mexico he actually said "Hmmmmm" in a thoughtful, interested, contemplative way?
Although in the next conversation when I also commented that we might need to rebuild our back deck his comment was "are you nuts?" I should probably be more choosy about when to bring up such delicate subjects.

For those of you still with me who can't WAIT to offer their advice, support, criticism, here are some other deets:

*My husband is from Guatemala, therefore latino, therefore a Mexican holiday was not a big thing on his must do vacation list in the first place (score one for Disney!)

*My daughter is starting kindergarten this Sept. and while the trip I booked isn't until the 21st til 30th and she will have been in school for 3 whole weeks, I still feel kindof funny taking her out. She is now in preschool so she "gets it" but still...

*my parents might just freak out about a paid for trip so much that they might just say no outright. Like "we couldn't possibly!" "Sept is no time for a vacation" "How can YOU afford it?" "we couldn't possibly!". It would take some convincing to get them to accept it as a gift - difficult, but not impossible, especially since my mom doesn't get that it is fully cancellable. I'd just explain it was a done deal~! We have even talked about a potential trip for NEXT Sept but that just seems so far away!

*I WILL have enough money saved by Sept for everything about the vacation but the airfare. We all have airmiles we could use, if I could convince everyone to use them. For some reason, my family hoards airmiles like they will be worth so much more if you invest them? If I can't convince them, I can pay them off within a few months and don't forget my Expedia obsession!

 

[LisaDKG]

Phew!
Am I glad I got that all out for everyone in cyber space to read or ignore!

If you are still with me, can you please tell me how to make sense of all this? I can't discuss it with regular folks. Hopefully, someone out there "gets me" and can point me in the right direction. I know you are mostly sensible, intelligent, honourable types who also happen to go nuts over trips to Disney and might have once or twice yerselves spit in the eye of common sense when it comes to family vacations?

I appreciate and thank you for your comments and your time, in advance!

I'm done now...

 

[Miz Diz]

Lisa, if you are looking for enablers, you are in the right place!

I say go for it! Your parents have never been to Disney? It's a crime! Certainly your DH understands that.

As far as DD is concerned - it is my opinion it is no big deal to miss school. My DS is in kindergarten and we took him out for a week last Sept and doing it again this Sept. My only suggestion is do it the week of Labor Day - she will only miss 4 days and that is when I will be there! Unless that is her first week of school. Maybe it is.

As for the money - you have the money, but remember, even if you didn't- these are memories that are priceless!

With your parents - maybe you could tell one parent. The one you feel will not give you problems and keep it a secret from the other. The one parent can make sure the other is able and ready to go. If they balk - throw in that it is an anniversary present for this year and the next. My sibs and I sent my parents to Hawaii for their 50th anniv, but we told my dad. It was a complete surprise to my mom and we only gave her 2 days notice. They loved it.

With your DH - I bet he won't need much convincing.

I think I'm as excited about your trip as I am my own!

 

[TEminnie]

Soooooo

*My daughter is starting kindergarten this Sept. and while the trip I booked isn't until the 21st til 30th and she will have been in school for 3 whole weeks, I still feel kindof funny taking her out. She is now in preschool so she "gets it" but still...

I took mine out of school in kindergarten and so far, they still seem to know the letter "A"!!
Seriously, enjoy those times---now, I can't seem to schedule a Sept trip as my DD will be in high school........"I have band camp that week....that's homecoming week.......if I miss more than 4 classes, I have to take the midterm..." Whine, whine, whine....

We all have airmiles we could use, if I could convince everyone to use them. For some reason, my family hoards airmiles like they will be worth so much more if you invest them?

Yea, I horde them too---refer them to the flyertalk website and they will learn how to double their miles so they can "afford" to use them for Disney!

I book "virtual" vacations periodically, cause ya never know when DH will say......"Hey, do you think we could get a room at Disney over spring break...?"
"Hmm...I'll get right on it!

 

[DisneyJo]

I know you are mostly sensible, intelligent, honourable types who also happen to go nuts over trips to Disney.

Are you sure you've posted on the right thread? There aren't any sensible intelligent people here Seriously if you think you can afford it I say go your parents and DD will love it and if you can stay in the Poly it's a compromise If money is a problem why not try a moderate they are really nice and you're in the parks all day anyway!

 

[sorul82?]

Are you sure you've posted on the right thread? There aren't any sensible intelligent people here Seriously if you think you can afford it I say go your parents and DD will love it and if you can stay in the Poly it's a compromise If money is a problem why not try a moderate they are really nice and you're in the parks all day anyway!

I'll have you know we've been learned up real smart round here!

 

[Miz Diz]

Are you sure you've posted on the right thread? There aren't any sensible intelligent people here Seriously if you think you can afford it I say go your parents and DD will love it and if you can stay in the Poly it's a compromise If money is a problem why not try a moderate they are really nice and you're in the parks all day anyway!

Jo! Speak for yourself. I am intelligent. Just not sensible!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Jo! Speak for yourself. I am intelligent. Just not sensible!

Yeah, Jo!!

 

[DisneyJo]

OK sorry everyone we're all intelligent, sensible Disney fanatics is that better

 

[sorul82?]

alright Jo, you owe us another Lapu!

 

[TEminnie]

OH NO.........everyone check the photopass site right now. Is it my computer or is it down??? And I have pics expiring today.

 

[Miz Diz]

I told a co-worker that another co-worker is at "the happiest place on earth" and she didn't know what it was - asked me if that was the mall!

I laughed and said I guess it could be a very large shoe store, but no it is Disney! Then told her she must go if she has never been.

 

[TEminnie]

I told a co-worker that another co-worker is at "the happiest place on earth" and she didn't know what it was - asked me if that was the mall!

I don't even understand how people could say that---it's on TV, my shirts, my minivan,

Another horrifying story today...
DD13 "you and dad should go somewhere for your anniversary"
Me: "yeah , I would love to go to Disney on one of my big days (ie birthday, anniversary, Columbus Day, .Saturday....), but I would hate to leave you all."
DD13: That's ok.......I'm all DISNEYED out right now."


What does that mean anyway....DISNEYED OUT? The words don't fit together!


( I later found out her boyfriend's parents are in Vegas this week and he gets to stay with his best friend, so maybe she's trying to get rid of me??)