DIS Dads The DIS Dad's Club VIII - The Online Mancave

[BigTex71]

Same to you and all the Dis Dads out there.

Any plans out there for the weekend? I have friends from Washington coming down. We are going out for a nice lunch. Hopefully he will be buying. He is cheap but his wife isn't.

We are at the in-laws' place visiting with FIL before his surgery Monday. It is not too far from home - about 3 hour drive.

Today I will be working on getting my online class done so I can earn my CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) Card - to help with my travel agent side business. Maybe I will get to another chapter or two on my TR, but I can't guarantee anything.

Tonight I will be watching the Rangers-Red Sox game on TV. Tomorrow I will drive home with DS and DD, while DW stays a few extra days to be with her dad for the surgery and a few days after.


Sweet! Ownage!

 

[scott2997]

All you Dad's have these cool plans for the weekend....I'm stuck at work! Ahhh...the hours of a retail business! Only until 4pm thankfully.

Finally watched Tangled last night with my girls. Pleasantly surprised! It was actually kinda fun to watch my 20 month old, who hadn't seen the movie yet, but has listened to the soundtrack in the car. She went nuts when she was able to see images that matched the music she already knew. Quite fun!

I'm hoping we have time to do the Tangled meet and greet while we're at MK in a couple weeks.

 

[AJRitz]

Took the whole family to see Rango last night. It's a bit darker than most animate fare - we were actually worried when it was over that they didn't enjoy it, but both kids assured us that they liked it. There were a couple of parts that scared Squeaker (there's a huge, mean, rattlesnake), but they were talking about the things they liked about it the whole way home. And it definitely had that extra layer of depth to it for adults.

 

[IamTrike]

All you Dad's have these cool plans for the weekend....I'm stuck at work! Ahhh...the hours of a retail business! Only until 4pm thankfully.

Finally watched Tangled last night with my girls. Pleasantly surprised! It was actually kinda fun to watch my 20 month old, who hadn't seen the movie yet, but has listened to the soundtrack in the car. She went nuts when she was able to see images that matched the music she already knew. Quite fun!

I'm hoping we have time to do the Tangled meet and greet while we're at MK in a couple weeks.

It's always fun to watch your kids watch movies and see the things they react to. Tangled is good fun though. Maximus cracks me up.

If your interested in more tangles stuff while you are down there, Rapunzel's tower is in Epcot.

We are at the in-laws' place visiting with FIL before his surgery Monday. It is not too far from home - about 3 hour drive.

Today I will be working on getting my online class done so I can earn my CLIA (Cruise Line International Association) Card - to help with my travel agent side business. Maybe I will get to another chapter or two on my TR, but I can't guarantee anything.

Tonight I will be watching the Rangers-Red Sox game on TV. Tomorrow I will drive home with DS and DD, while DW stays a few extra days to be with her dad for the surgery and a few days after.


Sweet! Ownage!

Keeping your FIL in our prayers here. My FIL's surgery went well, but it took an hour longer than they estimated so people were nervous for a while.

thanks!!! its wasnt too mad. it was just the laundry room which i washed the pooh mat. the little runner leading into the laundry room i just throw out, i got more in the gagrage. ok, so the pooh mat got wet from a broken waste line??? how cool is that!!!

Glad that the damage was relatively easy to repair. Poo on Pooh could be a new home repair show on HGTV. The alternative show Pooh on Poo about eating a higher fiber diet would be less interesting.

I'm at the girls' swim class now, then it's their dance class. Then lunch, then keeping them from destroying the house while my wife takes a nap. This evening, though, DW and I have an actual dinner-and-a-movie date night.

Anybody remember when weekends were restful?

What movie are ya gonna see. I think weekends were restful way back BK (before kids). Thinking back I don't know what my DW and I did back then.

Since we have started going to Disney, vacations aren't exactly restful either.


Thanks to all who posted information about DVC. I didn't post the initial question, but I've been thinking about it for a while so it was interesting to get people's perspective.

 

[chillcoupons]

What are you doing up so early? Me, I can't sleep.

Changing sheets on a bed after a middle of the night accident and then stressing out about work, so no sleep for me.

Any plans out there for the weekend?.

Birthday party for my SIL and helping my MIL choose a new screen door and meeting the concrete guy to talk about her front porch. (Saturday) Taking down the Christmas lights (Sunday)

Hey dvczerfs,

How do you like the DVC and would you recommend it to others?

I love being a DVC member we currently have 100 points which is ok but I think I would like it more if we had at least 300. I think 400 points would be ideal. The resorts are all great and having a kitchen and extra room make vacationing more family friendly.

Took the whole family to see Rango last night. It's a bit darker than most animate fare - we were actually worried when it was over that they didn't enjoy it, but both kids assured us that they liked it. There were a couple of parts that scared Squeaker (there's a huge, mean, rattlesnake), but they were talking about the things they liked about it the whole way home. And it definitely had that extra layer of depth to it for adults.

I have been trying to get to this movie for a while but something always comes up. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
It is day 2 of the annual April Give Kids the World Fundraiser!! We are off to a good start but we have just jacked our goal up by $1000. Please try to make some kind of donation this month and share the link with friends, family, and facebook.

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christian-hill/disdadsclub

 

[DEA]

What movie are ya gonna see. I think weekends were restful way back BK (before kids). Thinking back I don't know what my DW and I did back then.

Since we have started going to Disney, vacations aren't exactly restful either.

We're going to see "Race to Nowhere," which is a doc about the US educational system and the pressure on kids to succeed. It should be informative, though not necessarily fun.

 

[AJRitz]

And Disney announced some new summer specials!
Dave already booked his trip, Aaron is probably booking now, & I'm thinking of another surprise trip with I potential meet & greet with Barry

Oh, & (showing great restraint) Nate has been hanging at 1999 for hours now!

Sadly, no booking for me.
I haven't been able to sell it to DW just yet, and with the spectre of a possible government shutdown hanging over my head, I can't really argue with her.

So DW came across a Living Social coupon in her Email inbox (a Groupon type of thing) for 3 days at a DTD hotel, plus 2 days at a Daytona beach hotel, for a really good price. She asked about the DTD hotel, and I mentioned that I'd seen the offer, but three days for Disney didn't really seem like long enough, and I have no interest in 2 days at Daytona Beach. Much to my surprise, she agreed that she'd rather have more time at Disney, and actually engaged in conversation/strategic planning/looking at options for a summer trip to Disney!!

So we don't have anything booked yet, but an August trip just might happen. The Allegient Air find was a big factor - driving three hours to Springfield cuts out airfare costs in half, even including the cost of a full-size rental car for a week.

 

[scott2997]

So DW came across a Living Social coupon in her Email inbox (a Groupon type of thing) for 3 days at a DTD hotel, plus 2 days at a Daytona beach hotel, for a really good price. She asked about the DTD hotel, and I mentioned that I'd seen the offer, but three days for Disney didn't really seem like long enough, and I have no interest in 2 days at Daytona Beach. Much to my surprise, she agreed that she'd rather have more time at Disney, and actually engaged in conversation/strategic planning/looking at options for a summer trip to Disney!!

So we don't have anything booked yet, but an August trip just might happen. The Allegient Air find was a big factor - driving three hours to Springfield cuts out airfare costs in half, even including the cost of a full-size rental car for a week.

Sweet!!! Make sure you give that good woman of yours a big !

Happy Planning!

 

[RAlexander84]

So DW came across a Living Social coupon in her Email inbox (a Groupon type of thing) for 3 days at a DTD hotel, plus 2 days at a Daytona beach hotel, for a really good price. She asked about the DTD hotel, and I mentioned that I'd seen the offer, but three days for Disney didn't really seem like long enough, and I have no interest in 2 days at Daytona Beach. Much to my surprise, she agreed that she'd rather have more time at Disney, and actually engaged in conversation/strategic planning/looking at options for a summer trip to Disney!!

So we don't have anything booked yet, but an August trip just might happen. The Allegient Air find was a big factor - driving three hours to Springfield cuts out airfare costs in half, even including the cost of a full-size rental car for a week.

Allegient Air is way less expensive at XNA(Northwest Arkansas) only problem we have found is that it flys into SFB(no magic express) instead of MCO. If you go this route please let me know how it works out for you.

 

[DisDadDoc]

Question for the group,

Has anyone ever bought an annual season pass before? With two trips planned in 12 months, it would save us at least $500 to get a season pass. Plus if we make a detour to Disney during our summer trip to visit my father, we could use the season passes. Am I crazy? Am I starting down a slippery slope?

 

[AJRitz]

So DW came across a Living Social coupon in her Email inbox (a Groupon type of thing) for 3 days at a DTD hotel, plus 2 days at a Daytona beach hotel, for a really good price. She asked about the DTD hotel, and I mentioned that I'd seen the offer, but three days for Disney didn't really seem like long enough, and I have no interest in 2 days at Daytona Beach. Much to my surprise, she agreed that she'd rather have more time at Disney, and actually engaged in conversation/strategic planning/looking at options for a summer trip to Disney!!

So we don't have anything booked yet, but an August trip just might happen. The Allegient Air find was a big factor - driving three hours to Springfield cuts out airfare costs in half, even including the cost of a full-size rental car for a week.

Well . . . PEANUT BUTTER!
After spending some time exploring the options and considering the cost, DW is now definitely opposed to a summer trip to the WDW. Looks like we'll go the MUCH cheaper route of Season Passes to Worlds of Fun for this year, and revisit WDW possibilities for 2012-2013.

 

[BigTex71]

So DW came across a Living Social coupon in her Email inbox (a Groupon type of thing) for 3 days at a DTD hotel, plus 2 days at a Daytona beach hotel, for a really good price. She asked about the DTD hotel, and I mentioned that I'd seen the offer, but three days for Disney didn't really seem like long enough, and I have no interest in 2 days at Daytona Beach. Much to my surprise, she agreed that she'd rather have more time at Disney, and actually engaged in conversation/strategic planning/looking at options for a summer trip to Disney!!

So we don't have anything booked yet, but an August trip just might happen. The Allegient Air find was a big factor - driving three hours to Springfield cuts out airfare costs in half, even including the cost of a full-size rental car for a week.

Be sure to check out the 30% off Deluxe resorts discount for the summer. I am sure your travel agent (hint, hint, wink, wink) can work out a quote for you really quickly.

Congrats on the summer trip possibility!!!

***EDIT*** Oops, I guess I replied too fast before finishing getting caught up on the day. Sorry.

 

[DEA]

Question for the group,

Has anyone ever bought an annual season pass before? With two trips planned in 12 months, it would save us at least $500 to get a season pass. Plus if we make a detour to Disney during our summer trip to visit my father, we could use the season passes. Am I crazy? Am I starting down a slippery slope?

We picked up annual passes for my DW and I at the beginning of our trip last May, on the 20th. This year, we leave from our annual family trip on... the 20th of May. Once you get past about 10-14 days of park admission in one year, the annual passes start making a lot of sense, especially if you're doing park hopping. And, although I know it sounds like spending money in order to save money, we picked up the Tables in Wonderland card and have made... extensive use of it.

So, in addition to using them for our family trip, my DW and I went back for her birthday end of July/beginning of August. While on our family trip, and seduced by the lure of the Bounceback special in our room, we booked an anniversary trip for November. Put this together with the trip this coming May, and we paid ~$500 per adult for 25 days of park admission vs. ~$750 had we done Magic Your Way tickets WITHOUT the park hopper option. Those would have been an additional $200+ over 4 trips.

Now, granted, we might not have booked the vacation trip and its related expense if we hadn't gotten the Annual Passes, but, then again, we were doing something for our anniversary. That may be the slippery slope you're talking about: It becomes easier to justify additional trips while you still have eligibility left on the passes.

 

[stopher1]

Question for the group,

Has anyone ever bought an annual season pass before? With two trips planned in 12 months, it would save us at least $500 to get a season pass. Plus if we make a detour to Disney during our summer trip to visit my father, we could use the season passes. Am I crazy? Am I starting down a slippery slope?

Yes. Many years in a row.

No you aren't crazy.

Yes, it is a slippery slope, because you might not be happy if one year you can't renew it...

...I've loved my DL one for nearly 20 yrs, and my WDW one for 3. Makes life quite nice, at least in my case.

 

[BigTex71]

Question for the group,

Has anyone ever bought an annual season pass before? With two trips planned in 12 months, it would save us at least $500 to get a season pass. Plus if we make a detour to Disney during our summer trip to visit my father, we could use the season passes. Am I crazy? Am I starting down a slippery slope?

We picked up APs last year for the first time. As DEA said, if you plan on a couple visits within the year - it can pay for itself. And when you do the Tables in Wonderland (which we did), that adds even more benefits. Don't forget about the AP room-only rates, too. And the shopping discounts at all the merchandise stores. Be sure to run the numbers to be sure it will be worth it for your family, since everyone's situation is different.

Also, don't forget the YES program for discounted park tickets and a fun and educational class - if APs aren't for you.

 

[BigTex71]

Woo Hoo!

For our upcoming summer trip, we are now looking at changing our stay from the All-Star Movies to the Wilderness Lodge! I have always wanted to stay there... it looks like this may finally be the year.

On a possibly related note: Disney is now offering 30% off Deluxe resorts for the summer.

Back-to-back Ownage!!!

 

[IamTrike]

We're going to see "Race to Nowhere," which is a doc about the US educational system and the pressure on kids to succeed. It should be informative, though not necessarily fun.

Wow, that movie looks really interesting. Certainly doesn't seem like a googly eyed date movie, but it'll definitely start a conversation.

Well . . . PEANUT BUTTER!
After spending some time exploring the options and considering the cost, DW is now definitely opposed to a summer trip to the WDW. Looks like we'll go the MUCH cheaper route of Season Passes to Worlds of Fun for this year, and revisit WDW possibilities for 2012-2013.

Bummer about Disney, but I'm sure you'll have a ton of fun at WOF. Hey at least you have an amusement park close enough to make getting passes worthwhile.

Woo Hoo!

For our upcoming summer trip, we are now looking at changing our stay from the All-Star Movies to the Wilderness Lodge! I have always wanted to stay there... it looks like this may finally be the year.

On a possibly related note: Disney is now offering 30% off Deluxe resorts for the summer.

Back-to-back Ownage!!!

Will you be making an ADR at Wispering Canyon?


I just tried to run for the first time since we got back from vacation. Ugggghhh! It's only been two weeks. So little time so much weight. Curse you tempting piles of bacon.

 

[cj9200]

Changing sheets on a bed after a middle of the night accident and then stressing out about work, so no sleep for me.

Been there done that. You have my sympathy.

Question for the group,

Has anyone ever bought an annual season pass before? With two trips planned in 12 months, it would save us at least $500 to get a season pass. Plus if we make a detour to Disney during our summer trip to visit my father, we could use the season passes. Am I crazy? Am I starting down a slippery slope?

We used to get APs or Florida seasonal APs for many years. Our touring has changed a bit and we no longer go to the parks every day we are there. It works better for us to get a 10 day park hopper with the no expiration option. It will last 2-3 trips. When DD heads to college, I can see getting an AP for me.

It is a slippery slope. Those APs burn in your pocket and you are more likely to take more trips. Not that I think that is a bad thing.

 

[BigTex71]

Will you be making an ADR at Wispering Canyon?

Absolutely!

 

[GoHerd1028]

Well, I wish I was able to have exciting plans this weekend , but...I am on call and got called in early this morning to start the weekend off with a gunshot wound....uuuugh! Can't we all just get along? Now, I am home and cringing every time the phone rings ha.

Ethan finally had his first baseball practice today after the one the other day was snowed out!!!

I guess I will settle in a watch the basketball game later and pray the phone does not ring!!!