'The title's a secret' Pre-trip report

[wilma-bride]

Well, I normally hang out on the UK boards but I love reading everyone's trippies and spend a great deal of time on the restaurants board too. I love that there is a dedicated pre-trip reports sub-board here now and so I thought I would get started. Not least because I notice that two of my fellow UK DISers are already streets ahead with their pre-trippies and they both go after us

I am afraid I have a tendency to go on a bit and I have also been known to digress massively but I will try to keep myself in check here. I have kept the title of my trip report a secret for now - I'm stupidly very proud of it but worry that I will give away my plans for the trip. Although now I've posted this I feel like I've bigged up the title like it's some fantastically clever play on words and it's really not so I will forgive you if you're disappointed when I reveal all Anyway, on with the report:

I’ve got me an inkling to go back to Disney

After coming back from our week-long trip to the ‘world’ in February (to celebrate DH’s 40th Birthday), we figured it would be a while before we returned, not least because DH is being made redundant in October. However, soon after we arrived back home to wet and windy England, the girls’ Grandma invited them to spend 3 weeks with her during the summer holidays. They were (and still are) very excited by the prospect – they are very close to their Grandma and used to live with her up until last year (see ‘Fred, Wilma and the girls came too’ pre-trip report for that particular story). Meanwhile, my wonderful and long-suffering in-laws offered to have our little boy to visit with them (they live a stones’ throw from the beach) for a week or so before he starts ‘big school’ in September.

So, there we were, with the prospect of at least one child-free week in August. What to do, what to do. DH suggests that this might be a good time to decorate the house – what?!?! Ten years! Ten years and you still don’t know me at all Still unable to believe he is not on the same wave length as me (not even in the same ocean), I suggest we could go back to WDW – after all, I’ve got DVC burning a hole in my pocket. DH insists it’s not going to happen and produces a list of reasons as long as my arm – no money, he doesn’t want to go for just a week (for some reason, he seems to suffer really badly with jet lag after a short trip), he has to find a job, we have already banked our points this year, yada, yada, yada.

Anyone who knows me knows that it takes a lot more than a few half-hearted excuses to put me off and I set about convincing him that it’s a good idea. I’m having little luck when a fantastic thing happens. Disney announces free dining!!!

Flash-back: The first year that Disney ran the free dining promo, DH and I already had a long-standing pre-booked trip planned to WDW. We were staying off site (it was only our second trip and we had yet to discover the sheer delight of being in the midst of the Disney magic 24/7) and hadn’t really got plans to eat TS meals in the parks anyway so it was no biggy. However, we did end up eating a couple of TS meals in the parks and it really grated that we were paying cash while we were surrounded by people who were enjoying all that lovely food for NOTHING!!! How great must that have been? Fast forward to last year – this time Disney come up with an absolute corker. Free dining is offered to UK residents who book a package for August/September 2007, including length of stay tickets and on-site hotel. Unfortunately, we already have a trip planned with our teenage daughters for October 2006. There is no way we can afford (or justify) to book yet another trip when we are still paying off this one. So, yet again, we missed out. On top of that, Disney then offered free dining for stays during August and September last year too. Luckily, because we were visiting in October, we didn’t experience the same green-eyed monster moments when eating at Disney TS restaurants as we had the year before – everyone was paying one way or another.

Back to the present day. Disney had announced the free dining promo for 2007 and I was not missing out a third time, no way! So, how to persuade DH that we ‘needed’ to take this trip in August.

Up next: The art of persuasion pays off – in spades!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

Ooh Joh I'm in this sounds great already and who are those UK dissers?????

 

[pooksma]

Me too me too!!!

 

[angel659]

Great pre-trip report Joh. Looking forward to read some more.

 

[wilma-bride]

Disclaimer: The author would like you to know that the majority of this post is typed with tongue firmly in cheek

To be honest, I’m not quite sure how taking a 3 night Disney Cruise appeared into the equation. Somehow, though, it did.

But, hey, I’m jumping ahead a bit here. When I left off, Disney had announced free dining. We’re DVC members but, as I mentioned before, thinking we wouldn’t be back to WDW this year, we had already banked our points. We could borrow from next year’s allocation but we really needed to save our points for our big family trip in 2008 (that’s another pre-trip report just waiting to be told – but we’ll save that for another day).

So, the very fact that Disney was offering free dining seemed like an ideal solution. Now, how to persuade DH….

Side story: I have a strong personality, DH not so much. Because of this, people who don’t know us that well tend to assume that I wear the trousers in our family. I am afraid that this is very much not the case. While most important decisions are made as a couple, DH ultimately has the final say on whether we expend money on something or not. I wouldn’t dream of booking a holiday without DH’s say so – however, he’s only got to utter a ‘yes’ and I’m hitting that ‘Book now’ button faster than you can say “Mickey Mouse”. So, over the past couple of years, I have perfected a few techniques in order to bring him round to my way of thinking, otherwise known as the ‘Get your own way eventually method’. I wouldn’t share my secrets with just anyone but I know you won’t tell, right?

Back to the story then – I had to persuade DH that an August trip was just what we needed. It was time to put my plan into action…

We’ll start with my personal favourite. Being a woman I can keep this one up for weeks. Let’s call it:

The 'broken record' technique

The basic theory behind this approach is that eventually I will wear him down. It goes something like this:

Me: ‘Please’
DH: ‘No’
Me: ‘Please’
DH: ‘No’
Me: ‘Pretty please’
DH: ‘No’
Me: ‘Ba-abe (works well with puppy dog eyes), pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase’
DH: ‘Oh, go on then’

Actually, it’s really far more complex than that, but that is a fairly representative sequence of events and accurate iteration of a few days’ worth of conversations.

We also have:

The ‘We’re saving money in the long run' technique

DH has gotten wise to this one, it’s fair to say. Even so, it’s a good one. To guarantee success, there are two basic requirements:

1. A partner who knows little or nothing about the true costs of a holiday to WDW.

2. A partner who has little or no knowledge or understanding of Disney-related acronyms such as DDP, DCL, MYW, ME and other such confusing terminology.

The trick itself is to use as many acronyms as possible, interspersed with an occasional mention of money, for example ‘if we use ME from MCO instead of a TC, we could save $250’ or ‘with a free DDP and a 1 day MYW base, it will only cost just over $500’.

IMPORTANT: In order for this technique and others to be successful, you must never reveal the true cost, the actual price being paid, all things considered. By all means mention individual costs but never all in the same conversation. As an aside, if the cost is, say, $470 I find it sounds better to say ‘just over $400’.

Finally, there is DH’s favourite:

The 'feminine wiles' technique

I don’t think I need to expand too much on this one. Suffice to say it has a 100% success record

Anyway, regardless of which method you use, the outcome is the same. You get to go to Disney and have a fantastic time

I used a combination of all 3 and, as you know, DH agreed otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this pre-trip report

Next: So, what exactly have I agreed to?

 

[pooksma]

Love it!! Its sad though how they catch on to the "save money in the long run". Now that DH knows all of the acronyms I have to pull out the feminine wiles more often.

However, he is now almost MORE of a Disney addict than I am so it evens out. Maybe I could get him to use his male wiles on me...

 

[DisneyJo]

Love your techniques Joh

 

[UKDEB]

Great start. I want more. And I know how it turns out!

 

[wilma-bride]

So, DH has agreed that we can go, let the planning begin. Who am I kidding, the planning began weeks ago

We already knew that we wanted to go for more than 7 days but couldn’t really manage a fortnight, therefore 10 days was a good compromise. I hadn’t booked (or even found) flights (at least not flights that were within our budget) but we were planning to fly out on or around 20th August.

I had requested a quote from Dreams Unlimited for 4 nights at a value resort. Unfortunately, there was no availability at any of the values so we had received a quote for 4 nights at Caribbean Beach Resort, checking in on Sunday 26th August. For the nights prior to the 26th, we originally intended to use DVC points for our first trip ‘home’ to Saratoga Springs. However, as DVC members will know, those weekend stays can really eat into your points. So, in order to try and preserve our points for next year’s family trip, I decided we would stay just 3 or 4 nights at SSR, and then spend the weekend off-site before checking in to CBR on the Sunday.

I mentioned in the last iteration that DCL had entered the equation somewhere along the line. Well, here is how that happened:

Since I first read about it, I have been somewhat intrigued and tempted by the idea of a miniature Disney World aboard a luxury cruise liner. I have always wanted to take a cruise anyway and what better way to experience your first cruise than with an added dose of Disney magic. I was perusing the DIS one day and a little notice about reduced rates for DCL caught my eye. One click is all it took and, within an hour, I had a quote for a 3-night Bahamas cruise on board the Disney Wonder. Remember the ‘We’re saving money in the long run’ technique? Well, it serves more than one purpose – not only is it a fairly convincing tool to persuade my DH that we can afford this trip, it also helps me to justify to myself that those little (or big) extras really will help us save some bucks.

The quote I had received was for the 3-night cruise departing on Thursday 23rd August and returning on Sunday 26th August, thereby covering Friday and Saturday night – the very nights we’d planned to stay off-site.

At the same time as receiving my cruise quote, my DU agent emailed me to say that rooms had opened up at All Star Music for our dates and she could let me have an amended quote. It transpired that switching to ASMu could save us almost $400. That would be $400 towards the cost of the cruise.

It was fate! In theory, just by switching resorts, we’re saving $400. So, in reality, the cruise is only costing us $600. We would probably pay nearly half that amount for accommodation at a decent place off-site for the weekend anyway.

This is honestly how my mind works – come on, admit it – you guys all do that too don’t you?

Hey, I don’t need to justify it – I’m already sold! Better just check with DH though. I start at the beginning, explaining in detail the thought process behind every step in my logical planning. Just as I expected, after just 30 seconds, his eyes glaze over and I can tell he’s already lost interest. ‘Whatever’ he says ‘Just book it and let me know when we’re going’. Woohoo, we’re going on a Disney cruise!!!

Coming doon: The plans are finalised, the trip report title is revealed and some pictures to liven things up a bit (just words can get boring after a while)

 

[oybolshoi]

Great start, Joh!

I love your vacation techniques (doesn't #3 pretty much work for everything?).

And congrats on the Disney Cruise - you will love it! Some day I'd like to take one of the Bahamas cruises just to have a chance to check out the Wonder. We've sailed the Magic a couple of times, but never the Wonder.

I'll be checking in periodically - happy planning!!

 

[carolfoy]

Another great start as always Joh. You're a wily wee minx really aren't you?

 

[DisneyJo]

I'd love to go a cruise Joh, can't wait to hear what you think!

 

[disneyaddicted]

This is really exciting! I can't wait for the rest!

 

[Minniespal]

Looking forward to reading more Joh

 

[nts4wdw]

Great so far!! Love the techniques, although for WDW, no techniques are necessary with my DH. We are just big kids at heart! Sometimes we have to take turns being the grownup. Looking forward to more!

 

[wilma-bride]

Ooh Joh I'm in this sounds great already and who are those UK dissers?????

No idea Jo

Great pre-trip report Joh. Looking forward to read some more.

Thanks Michelle - yours is looking good too

Love it!! Its sad though how they catch on to the "save money in the long run". Now that DH knows all of the acronyms I have to pull out the feminine wiles more often.

However, he is now almost MORE of a Disney addict than I am so it evens out. Maybe I could get him to use his male wiles on me...

I am jealous - I really wish my DH would become a bit more 'easy' - I am running out of methods

Great start. I want more. And I know how it turns out!

Hi Deb - I think anyone from the UK boards who has listened to me rambling on over the last few weeks knows how it turns out

Great start, Joh!

I love your vacation techniques (doesn't #3 pretty much work for everything?).

And congrats on the Disney Cruise - you will love it! Some day I'd like to take one of the Bahamas cruises just to have a chance to check out the Wonder. We've sailed the Magic a couple of times, but never the Wonder.

I'll be checking in periodically - happy planning!!

Hi Brenda - thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your next trip

Another great start as always Joh. You're a wily wee minx really aren't you?

I am a wily wee minx Carol - sometimes you have to be

This is really exciting! I can't wait for the rest!

Looking forward to reading more Joh

Thanks - I am hoping to get the latest update posted tonight, then I will bore you all senseless with my ADRs, itinerary and some strange people who will be featuring along the way

 

[wilma-bride]

Great so far!! Love the techniques, although for WDW, no techniques are necessary with my DH. We are just big kids at heart! Sometimes we have to take turns being the grownup. Looking forward to more!

You are very lucky to have a DH who 'gets it' My DH is a big kid also - just a bit too sensible sometimes for my liking

I am off to find and read your trippy now

 

[fizz13]

In order for this technique and others to be successful, you must never reveal the true cost, the actual price being paid, all things considered. By all means mention individual costs but never all in the same conversation. As an aside, if the cost is, say, $470 I find it sounds better to say ‘just over 4400’.

So true, so true, i used this tactic so many times, actually all your tactics at one time or another, it must be the female way You tell it far better than i ever could though, very impressed so far, looking forward to the big reveal....yes i mean your title! And hoping that our paths will cross at some point on these trips, would be silly not to, big hugs xx

 

[DisneyJo]

We need to see if all of us have any overlapping days, see if we have any of the same park days or anything?

 

[wilma-bride]

So, we now have a 3 night Disney cruise and 4 nights at All Star Music. Unfortunately, we still don’t know how we’re going to get there – well, actually, we’re going to get there by plane (not too many choices, in reality) but it will still be school holidays here in the UK then and don’t those travel companies know it.

Prices for scheduled flights with Virgin Atlantic (VA) are running at about £900 ($1800) for our dates – each We consider that we may have to look at alternatives, such as indirect flights or flights into an alternative airport. Flying into Miami is thrown into the melting pot as an option. Whilst discussing our options with friends, they offer the possibility of using some of their air miles for reduced cost flights and spend a considerable amount of time trawling through the VA site to find suitable options for us – thanks guys. I spend a long time on the phone, bending their ears about the various alternatives and getting nowhere fast. Then a miracle occurs. I am checking my air miles account and there are flights within our budget, for the dates we want and, as luck would have it, we have enough air miles to cover them. Within 10 minutes, they are booked and we are the proud owners of 2 return flights with Virgin Atlantic, direct from Heathrow to Miami. An unexpected bonus to this as that our friends are already booked onto the same inbound flight.

So, now the flights are booked, there is only one thing left to do. I make my very first reservation through DVC Member Services – 3 nights at Saratoga Springs Resort, checking in on Monday 20th August. It will be a long drive from Miami, we know that, but as we only have 10 days, we really don’t want to waste any time getting to Orlando. Anyway, DH will be driving so it’s no hassle for me

So, there you have it – the final plans:

3 nights at SSR (DVC)
3 nights on the Disney Wonder (DCL)
4 nights at ASMu with free dining (DDP)

And so the title of the trip is born:

Fred and Wilma do DVC, DCL and DDP