I would just like y'all to know that I considered making this a cliff-hanger chapter and torturing you. But my conscience wore me down.
Ok, no, really, I was just too excited to be writing this and I couldn't wait to share it. And so it begins...
So anyone traveling to the World on or about August/September 2008 and who just so happens to be a Disney Visa holder knows what today is.
D-Day.
More specifically, FD-Day.
The Free Dining promotion was opened this morning for Disney Visa Holders with reservations for August/September 2008. In order to be one of the "Chosen Ones", your dates have to fall between 8/23/08 and 9/20/08.
Which, those of you who are either:
a.) highly detail-oriented
b.) memorizing my PTR
or
c.) Me
will note falls ONE DAY SHORT of our check-in.
However, were we willing to move our trip up by ONE day? SURE!
Gentlemen, start your engines.
I am going to preempt the telling of this story by giving you a little explanation of how we were treating the Free Dining promo, should it be offered. See, if you remember, a gazillion (technical term, by the way) chappies back, we (meaning Melissa and I) had decided we were blowing the bank and staying Deeeeluxe. At the Wilderness Lodge. Because the Poly, where we really wanted to stay, didn't just break the bank. It blew it up, into a million, tiny pieces. The difference in price between the two resorts, conveniently, would be about the same amount as the savings if we were to get the promo. So, we agreed that if the promo was offered and we were lucky enough to get it, we'd upgrade to the Poly instead of stuffing the money back into our pockets.
Preemption, over.
And so this morning dawned, with Free Dining promo codes all over the place. Having been inspired by the movie '21' (which was EXCELLENT, by the way), I decided to play the odds, which were stacked highly against the move I was about to make, and NOT call at 7 a.m. EST with the rest of the Disney Visa-having mass of humanity.
I made my first call at 11:30 a.m. (Note: FIRST call. Can you see where this is going?)
I KNOW. It's akin to waiting to call for Cinderella's Royal Table 9:00 a.m. breakfast ressies at 1:00 p.m. 180 days in advance.
But I knew what was going to happen at 7:00 a.m. EST. I knew those Disney reservation phone lines were going to light up faster than my eyes did the first time they fell on Joey McIntire in person. And they would stay lit. For HOURS. So I kept my cards close and decided to wait.
Sure enough, I started to see posts from people who had waited over TWO HOURS to get their ressies. It was driving my trip-planning, anxiety-ridden commando side crazy to wait, but I just had a
feeling.
So, I called at 11:30 a.m. and after pressing the "1" option about 18 times, and holding for a mere 3 minutes, I got on the phone with Carson. Who sounded completely and utterly irritated to be having to help me.
I was not put out. I felt for Carson. In my years with Starwood, I'd been in Carson's shoes. So I put on my sweetest "I know you hate humanity right now, but I could sure use your help" voice and explained to Carson that we'd originally booked to check in on 9/21 at the WL, but would like to move up our trip by one day, to 9/20, so as to take advantage of the Free Dining promo.
Which Carson promptly told me I couldn't do.
She may as well have hit me in the face with a baseball bat.
Me: (in complete shock) Um, I'm sorry?
Ms. Carson Can'tStandMyJob: No. Your complete trip dates have to fall within the promotion period. If I were to do that you'd only get Free Dining for one night.
Me: (hyperventilating) But I know the last Free Dining promo...
Ms. Carson Can'tStandMyJob: (reading my mind) That was 2007 when you could have it for the whole stay as long as you were checking in before the promo ended. It doesn't work that way anymore.
Me: Oh.
Ms. Carson Can'tStandMyJob: (Yes, she actually said this.) Nice try though. Have a good day. CLICK.
Not only had my Disney dreams been deflated, not only did I have to deal with Elfia's (my original booking CM) wicked stepsister, not only was I hung up on, but she didn't even wish me a MAGICAL day. Just a good one.
I couldn't believe it. I was disappointed, but I sighed and just accepted that it wasn't meant for us to be able to stay at the Poly. Oh well, at least we were going to Disney.
Then I checked these boards. And saw posts from literally DOZENS of people who were in the same situation as I was in terms of dates WHO'D GOTTEN THE PACKAGE FOR THEIR WHOLE STAY.
This doesn't even begin to describe what my head did:
I should've known better. (Than to fall in love with you...now love is just a faded memory. - Is that Richard Marx, I hear?)
I called back, armed with my confirmation number, knowledge, determination, and "the secret weapon" (read: sobbing, messy pleading for the discount).
After hitting "1" a jazillion more times (really, do they use all that info???), the following took place:
MY HERO: Good afternoon, thank you for calling Disney Reservations, this is Madison. May I have your name?
(Is there anyone at Disney reservation named just, Mary or Joe? They all seem to have these exotic or trendy names that I'm completely jealous of!)
I gave her my name and explained what had happened. I told her all about Carson and then what I'd seen online. When I was done I gave a big sigh and said, "Can you help me out?"
Silence.
Then...
MyHeroMadison: I simply CANNOT believe she told you that and then hung up on you. YES, if you move your dates up you can have the promo, YES, I can check it for you.
Madison sounded genuinely angry at the way I'd been treated. She kept apologizing and then said these magic words: "We have the promo available for 9/20 for 6 nights in the same room you're currently booked in at the Lodge."
I did a small jig. Just for 2ScottishPrincess.
Me: Well, I was wondering if maybe you'd be willing to check another resort for me. See, we were thinking about upgrading if we could get the promo and...
MyHeroMadison: Absolutely. Honey, I will get you a room anywhere on Disney property with this promo. Where would you like to check?
Me: (in a small voice. Her determination was scaring me.) Um, the Poly.
MyHeroMadison: (tapping and clicking away) Checking now. Have you stayed there before?
Me: No. But it's the resort I've wanted to stay at since I was seven.
MyHeroMadison: Mhmm. Well then, I'm just going to have to put you in this Garden View room at the Poly that I just came across, aren't I?"
I would be lying if I said my eyes didn't well up with tears. I was speechless for a second and then thanked her and told her she'd made the past two completely carpy weeks I'd been having worth it. I think she could hear the tears and the happiness in my voice.
MyHeroMadison: Nicole, I'm so happy to have been able to do this for you. I'm happy I could make one of your dreams come true.
We finished up the call and I must've thanked her a million more times. Just before we hung up, she wished me a magical day.
So, there you have it, yours truly is now the proud holder of a 6 night reservation with Free Dining in a garden view room at the Polynesian Resort.
I can tell you that this hasn't truly sunk in yet, but when it does, I don't know if I'll be able to contain myself.
Hopefully it doesn't hit me when it's just me and the BF because at this point he might murderize me.
I have, however, called Missy and shared the good news with her. She shrieked and then said to someone in the background, "Yes, I'm jumping up and down! Yayyyy!!!"
Suffice it to say, we're super-excited.
So, we're going to have to re-work the itinerary a bit, which just means more updates for all of you.
Lesson learned: Sometimes, when it doesn't seem to make sense, Life knows EXACTLY what it's doing.
Hang in there! 
) Anyway now that the flights are booked and the shopping has commenced the next step is the diet/fitness programme which is going to turn me into a godess before I turn "HHMMFF...
(<---ok, would just like to say that this is one of my most oft-used smilies and I had to go digging for him to find him just now!!.....who messed with the smilies?!!)
