The Little Trip that Could....

[Ibelieveinfairies]

I think I can...I think I can....I think I can...
Just like that little train that finally found it's way over the mountain, I will celebrate when our trip finally makes it here. It's been an interesting journey and we haven't even left yet...me thinks that we might have a great time ahead!

Okay, so...here's the back story. I am currently unemployed (not by choice, unfortunately) and am the mom to two amazing DDs (13 and 11) and one amazing DH (age withheld to protect the middle-aging...oh, heck, he's 38 and so am I).

Because I am an optimist at heart, I saw my unemployment as an opportunity to take our yearly WDW vacation whenever we wanted since I wouldn't be tied down to the school schedule as was required by my school teaching contract. And by George, we were going to go when the airlines wouldn't hold us hostage by the fact that it was a school vacation, so I was bound and determined to go when school was in session....So I whipped out the girls' school calendar and started to search for a suitable date. This was in September. I start to notice that my girls are very busy with extra-curricular activities...school plays, orchestra, Mock Trial club, Student Council, Honor Society, Youth Group, violin lessons, piano lessons, softball, etc and then looking at state testing dates, class trips, field trips, dances....and the available dates shrink like a wool sweater in the dryer....I got nervous and put the planning aside to think about later (yep, I'm an optimist AND a procrastinator...)

So, I work up my courage about a month later and decide that the first weeks in January will be the perfect time to go...I did mention this was now October, right? I don't think I mentioned that we are DVC owners, so I would be needing a DVC room in order to be able to go...unemployed = have to rely on not having to pay for the room or tickets (thankful for the APs I bought last spring) or there would be no trip....

Weelll...I call Member Services...and lo, and behold, they inform me there is no availability for a few of our days because of (how the heck did I forget??) the WDW Marathon!! Ummm...okay...I felt like a novice all over again. Sooo...back to the drawing board and calendar...

I finally settled on March 11 - 20 after several phone calls and me pulling out my hair and wondering if all my brain cells had decided since I am not teaching they could go off on vacation.

I proudly made ADRs, mapped out park days, and even, gasp!, made arrangements to stay at a Marriott for three nights at a great rate so we could go to Universal and use some passes we bought 2 years ago and never used...yeah! Never mind that I didn't do my usual OCD thing and type everything out and make my little charts with park hours and ADR #s and such....somehow those brain cells must have known this plan wasn't going to end up being final, anyhow.

Cut to the day before yesterday...My DD 11 comes home beaming...she had received an invite to play with the All-County Orchestra based on her adjudication scores and recommendation of her teacher...yay! Proud mama moment as I take the envelope from her to read all about it.

<Insert tire screechy sound here...you know the one...like you've put on the brakes and left rubber on the road??>

Dates of rehearsals and concert: RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR DISNEY TRIP!!

How did I miss this on the calendar...it wasn't a given that she would be invited, but I had planned around it just in case...and I whip out my school calendar and realize that it was wrong...either they had printed the wrong dates to the the event or they had changed the dates...regardless...I was b-u-m-m-e-d!! How do I tell her that she can't go? How do I tell the rest of the family that we can't go to WDW? How am I going to solve this....????

Fingers tired, laundry to be done...yep...I'm leaving ya a cliffhanger thingamajig...

 

[Ibelieveinfairies]

Now my fingers rested, some laundry done....and I think I am just talking to myself. No matter...it feels good to get the story all down.

Soooo....after finding out about the conflict, I begin to look for another week we can go...resigning myself to the fact that we may now have to go during our February break from school since our APs expire March 28, so April break is out...

I cringe as I pull up Southwest's schedule and notice that yes, indeed, airfare is mighty pricey for that week....all the cheapest fares sold out and some days sold out altogether...I would have to come up with an additional $1500 for us to fly and stay the same length of time...and we just don't have that kind of money right now. I didn't even call Member Services because I really doubt they would even have a broom closet available for that week.

I had a light-bulb moment when I realized that maybe, just maybe, the week before break would work...pulled up the airfare and learned that the airfare would actually leave me with $32 in funds for future travel...my heart started getting a little excited....I counted the days...would it be possible that they would have a room available on so short a notice?? I have never, ever, never, ever, never planned a trip for that close...the doomed trip for this March was the closest I have ever cut it.

I took a deep breath, dialed Member Services (on speaker phone, because my DD13 asked me to because she loved listening to me calling Disney...lol), and agreed to take the survey. A few short seconds later I was on the phone with Flo...and not long after that I learned that there was availability for a 1 BR not only at SSR, but at OKW, AKL, and WL, too....

You would have thought I would have just jumped at it...but I hadn't talked to my DH first. He is not as enthusiastic a WDW fan as the girls and I...he goes, he has fun....he wants to travel elsewhere. If it weren't for the finances, we might have done that this year...but how can you argue with APs??? This, he says, is the way I trap him into going every year and refuses to buy APs again for awhile (even if we had the money to do so....). I knew he wasn't going to be entirely happy with going in February instead of March...he wants HEAT, he wants to sit by the pool and not be chilly, he wants to wear shorts and t-shirts and soak up the sun. We have been in February...it can be cold...and especially watching the news this year, we know that FL has had their share of lower-than-normal temps.

By the time he got home from work and the firehouse (he's the Chief of our Volunteer FD), Member Services had closed, but I presented him with all the homework I had done in the meantime:

Pros to taking the trip in February:
1. DD11 could do the orchestra gig
2. Airfare was cheaper
3. The rental car was cheaper (for the two days we'd be at US and staying off-property)
4. We could now use our Marriott points to reserve a 1 BR at a Residence Inn...the points were too high/not available in March and we were going to have to fork over $400 for those nights...so now our other hotel was "free"
5. We would be using fewer DVC points that week...coming out with 28 points left over rather than 2 that can be banked for that trip elsewhere next year...yeah...we'll go with that.
6. Crowd levels are predicted to be 3s and 4s rather than 8s and 9s

Cons to taking the trip in February:
1. It will be colder and we might not get to swim (which is only a con to the rest of my family...I have gained sooo much weight since being unemployed that you would guess that my new profession was professional eater).
2. We only have 24 days rather than 51 to get ready.
3. If we don't go then, we probably can't go without having the girls miss out on things that are important to them or their education...

After talking with him and convincing him that the Pros most definitely out-weighed the Cons, I had the go-ahead to call yesterday to make it all happen. We decided to go for the WL since we love staying there and it has been a long time since we have....I have to say that I'm looking forward to that over staying at OKW as our original plan had been....I feel like we will be more in the "magic" at WL.

I set about changing all our ADRs...not everything we were able to get, but most things worked out okay. We were not going to do the Dining Plan because we usually are heavy on TS restaurants and that ends up leaving us paying OOP and with tons of CS credits at the end of the trip...I refuse to waste money this go-round and cringe when I think of what I could do with what we have wasted in the past if I only had it back now...
And when I looked at my plan, I realized that it made perfect sense to do the Dining Plan...it actually came out cheaper when I did the whole "look-at -the-menu-and-guess-what-everyone-will-most-likely-order" game and I hadn't budgeted for snacks, even.

I also am kind of glad because I was feeling guilty about not being able to book a fireworks cruise or a fishing expedition or some tour as we usually do...I thought the girls would be asking why we weren't and it hurts my pride to know that we can't afford it now. I am telling myself that I can't torture myself over it because chances are, those are long spoken for and filled up...this is a last-minute trip. I did have a talk with the girls about how they know money is tight and that we all have to just be grateful for being together at our Happy Place and that there is soooo much to enjoy without buying a bunch of crapola. They are great girls...they looked at me like I had 10 heads...here I was worrying about disappointing them and they are so not spoiled about it. I don't give them enough credit sometimes....

So! Here's our crew:

Goofy (38 and AKA DH) a hard-working, ever-busy small business owner/FD Chief who desperately needs a vaca and some family time

Magic Mama (38 and AKA me) an out-of-work teacher who procrastinates, seeks perfection, and is overly optimistic and a three-time rejectee from the Disney Mom's Panel (waaaaahhhh.....)

Mini-me (DD13) a dramatic, energetic, amazing young lady

Mini-he (DD11) a laid-back-like-her-daddy (yet occasionally volatile), smart amazing young lady and the cause of all the changes...

Destination: Disney's Wilderness Lodge February 13-18, Universal Studios February 18-20

I will fill you in on what I have sketched out as far as plans go, if you would like...