AshleyMWC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2006
- Messages
- 1,181
Hello and welcome to my second ever PTR! A couple of people may remember me from last year, but if not, no worries, the cast has changed a bit anyway. Last year my mom and I headed down to the World for a wonderful week long vacation in October. We had a great time, and made lots of memories that I plan on holding on to for a long time. But alas, this year, my mom is not my traveling companion- my DBF is!!! I love my mom to death, and she and my dad first introduced me to Disney when I was in the 3rd grade, but over the years, DBF and I have literally built a relationship around Disney! My parents made me a Disney addict, and I am proud to say that I have now turned my DBF into just as big of an addict!! We first brought DBF to the World in 2003, when I graduated from college. This was my graduation gift, and luckily for him, he was bit by the Disney bug almost immediately. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that he would fall in LOVE with Disney like I had- I guess we were just meant to be 
. We have gone every year since then
.
So, without further ado present to you the cast of this years journey- Halloween with the Mouse (and Donald too!!!)
I dont have many good pictures of us in my photo bucket account, but here are a couple for you guys. The first one if from last Christmas (note the Disney fleece that Sam is wearing- you're welcome honey!), and the second one is from one of Sams best friends wedding that he was in, in May.
Well, there is me of course- Ashley, age 27.
I am of course a lover of all things Disney- the parks, the movies, the stores- all of it! So, here are some of my favorites:
Disney movies: Mary Poppins, Cinderella, Fantasia, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast- and of course all the Pirate movies. Yeah, I have a lot of favorites- but Mary Poppins is probably my favorite of them all!
Favorite character: definitely DONALD! There is no question about it, I heart that duck. Other characters that make my favorites list include Minnie, Daisy, Dumbo, and of course the Main Cheese himself- but none of them will ever top Donald for me!
Favorite Disney attractions: BTMRR, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Hall of Presidents, Small World, American Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Kilimanjaro Safari, Soarin, Carousel of Progress
Other than my Disney loves, I am interested in baking, photography, wine tasting, and reading. I just started to get into photography in the last year or so, so I am by no means good, but I do try. I have taken so many pictures, that I guess now I need to get into scrapbooking so I have something to do with them all. I work at an investment brokerage firm that entails about a 5 minute commute for me- and that is about the best part of the job I think. I love the people I work with, but I am currently in search of alternative employment, if you know what I mean.
The second and final member of our party is my DBF of 9, yes, count em, 9 years- Sam, age 28 (soon to be 29 September 28th).
We both grew up in the same small town of Chester, VA, went to the same high school, and have many of the same friends. Thats the way a small town goes I guess. We now live about 25 minutes north of said small town, and we really like the area we live in. It is bigger than Chester, but still has a close-knit feel. As I said earlier, he was bit hard by the Disney bug back in 2003, and he hasnt looked back since. He talks almost every week about buying DVC, and Im sure one day we will own some points of our own- once we are married, of course! (Which I hope and pray will be soon!!!) So, here are some of his Disney favorites:
Disney Movies: Cars, all the Pirates Movies, Monsters Inc.
Characters: He is a Goofy man all the way. He also has a liking for Mickey, Pluto, Tigger, and probably some of the lovely princesses, if you catch my drift
Favorite Disney attractions: Tower of Terror- this is his all time favorite, and always our first ride of the trip, BTMRR, Soarin, Everest, Hall of Presidents, Mickeys Philharmagic, Carousel of Progress, Rockin Rollercoaster
For his day job, he is a banker. He manages two branches of a community bank, and it keeps him super busy. He is also a musician on the side, and he plays in a kids band. Yes, they play kids music.
I dont know why he looks so miserable there- he really does love music, I promise!
It is actually pretty cool though- kind of a modern day School House Rock- definitely not your typical Wiggles or Barney music. Kids seem to absolutely love it, as do the parents. It is educational and fun, all at once. The company is finally on the verge of taking off (we hope!!), so maybe one day he can strike it rich. Or at least rich enough to support our Disney habits, full time. Aside from work, Sam is into photography, cooking, wine tasting, and working on the never ending project that is our 40 year old house!
So, that is who we are- nothing really out of the ordinary special, but we like it like that. Now, on to the specifics of our trip. It all began in January when I kept hearing about everyone getting these wonderful 40% off codes in the mail. Ooohhhh, how jealous I was. I checked my mail and email religiously for days, weeks, and nothing. I mean we had already decided that we were going to go to the World this year- I mean we always do- but with a 40% off code, we could do lots of extras too! So finally I read about some people calling and finding out that a code was attached to their name, even though they hadnt gotten a postcard in the mail. Now I was intrigued even more. Being the sissy that I sometimes am, I made Sam call- plus he always seems to have good luck, and he is quite the sweet talker too. Well good golly Miss Molly, I had a code attached to my name!! Sam called me more excited than a kid on Christmas, and we made the decision to book 8 nights at the Polynesian for October 24-Nov 1!! We usually stay 6 nights, so 8 was big time for us. We saved something like $1200 and I proceeded to tell everyone I knew- not everyone was nearly as excited as we were though. My mom and I stayed at the Poly last year and just loved it for its beauty and convenience, but Sam has never stayed there. Here are some pictures from last year, just to keep the report interesting.
I keep telling him I hope he likes it, and looks at me like I have 5 heads. He has loved everywhere we have stayed, so I dont know why I am nervous about him liking the Poly. Just in case you were wondering, we have previously stayed at the GF, BWI, WL, and Sam and his buddies stayed at the AKL last year (he took a guys trip since I took a mother-daughter trip). I am planning on requesting the Tokelau longhouse, on the 2nd or 3rd floor if possible. My mom and I stayed in Tahiti last year, and loved how close it was to the TTC. The only problem I had with it was that because it was so close to the TTC (with the monorail to Epcot and the boat to MK), we rarely ever went into the Great Ceremonial House, and it is just too pretty in there not to go in more. So, Tokelau is next to Tahiti, but still a tiny bit closer to the GCH. Hopefully we will get our request, but if not, no biggie.
So, armed with hotel ressies, we basically just sat around and waited for airfares to be released. We normally fly either Delta or Air Tran, because both have nonstop service to Orlando. There is nothing better than boarding a plane in Richmond and landing in Orlando 2 hours later. We (and me we, I mean I) looked and looked for good deals, and didnt find anything spectacular, but nothing too outrageous either. Well one night I happened to be browsing Air Tran, and I found airfare for $190 roundtrip! Now that might not be good for some of you who are fortunate to fly out of big airports, but for Richmond, that is great! We snapped those babies up in a heartbeat. Actually, it did take me a little while to book them. Does anyone else get nervous buying plane tickets? I mean, they are non-refundable! I looked at them on my screen for at least 15 minutes- quadruple checking the dates and times- before I pushed the purchase button. So, $400 later, we were set in stone, going to Orlando on October 24!
Well, I think that is enough to get this report started. You now have the who, what, when, and where of our trip. Up next ADRs and some of the extras we have planned!
58 Days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
. We have gone every year since then
.So, without further ado present to you the cast of this years journey- Halloween with the Mouse (and Donald too!!!)
I dont have many good pictures of us in my photo bucket account, but here are a couple for you guys. The first one if from last Christmas (note the Disney fleece that Sam is wearing- you're welcome honey!), and the second one is from one of Sams best friends wedding that he was in, in May.
Well, there is me of course- Ashley, age 27.
I am of course a lover of all things Disney- the parks, the movies, the stores- all of it! So, here are some of my favorites:
Disney movies: Mary Poppins, Cinderella, Fantasia, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast- and of course all the Pirate movies. Yeah, I have a lot of favorites- but Mary Poppins is probably my favorite of them all!
Favorite character: definitely DONALD! There is no question about it, I heart that duck. Other characters that make my favorites list include Minnie, Daisy, Dumbo, and of course the Main Cheese himself- but none of them will ever top Donald for me!
Favorite Disney attractions: BTMRR, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Hall of Presidents, Small World, American Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Kilimanjaro Safari, Soarin, Carousel of Progress
Other than my Disney loves, I am interested in baking, photography, wine tasting, and reading. I just started to get into photography in the last year or so, so I am by no means good, but I do try. I have taken so many pictures, that I guess now I need to get into scrapbooking so I have something to do with them all. I work at an investment brokerage firm that entails about a 5 minute commute for me- and that is about the best part of the job I think. I love the people I work with, but I am currently in search of alternative employment, if you know what I mean.
The second and final member of our party is my DBF of 9, yes, count em, 9 years- Sam, age 28 (soon to be 29 September 28th).
We both grew up in the same small town of Chester, VA, went to the same high school, and have many of the same friends. Thats the way a small town goes I guess. We now live about 25 minutes north of said small town, and we really like the area we live in. It is bigger than Chester, but still has a close-knit feel. As I said earlier, he was bit hard by the Disney bug back in 2003, and he hasnt looked back since. He talks almost every week about buying DVC, and Im sure one day we will own some points of our own- once we are married, of course! (Which I hope and pray will be soon!!!) So, here are some of his Disney favorites:
Disney Movies: Cars, all the Pirates Movies, Monsters Inc.
Characters: He is a Goofy man all the way. He also has a liking for Mickey, Pluto, Tigger, and probably some of the lovely princesses, if you catch my drift
Favorite Disney attractions: Tower of Terror- this is his all time favorite, and always our first ride of the trip, BTMRR, Soarin, Everest, Hall of Presidents, Mickeys Philharmagic, Carousel of Progress, Rockin Rollercoaster
For his day job, he is a banker. He manages two branches of a community bank, and it keeps him super busy. He is also a musician on the side, and he plays in a kids band. Yes, they play kids music.
I dont know why he looks so miserable there- he really does love music, I promise!
It is actually pretty cool though- kind of a modern day School House Rock- definitely not your typical Wiggles or Barney music. Kids seem to absolutely love it, as do the parents. It is educational and fun, all at once. The company is finally on the verge of taking off (we hope!!), so maybe one day he can strike it rich. Or at least rich enough to support our Disney habits, full time. Aside from work, Sam is into photography, cooking, wine tasting, and working on the never ending project that is our 40 year old house!
So, that is who we are- nothing really out of the ordinary special, but we like it like that. Now, on to the specifics of our trip. It all began in January when I kept hearing about everyone getting these wonderful 40% off codes in the mail. Ooohhhh, how jealous I was. I checked my mail and email religiously for days, weeks, and nothing. I mean we had already decided that we were going to go to the World this year- I mean we always do- but with a 40% off code, we could do lots of extras too! So finally I read about some people calling and finding out that a code was attached to their name, even though they hadnt gotten a postcard in the mail. Now I was intrigued even more. Being the sissy that I sometimes am, I made Sam call- plus he always seems to have good luck, and he is quite the sweet talker too. Well good golly Miss Molly, I had a code attached to my name!! Sam called me more excited than a kid on Christmas, and we made the decision to book 8 nights at the Polynesian for October 24-Nov 1!! We usually stay 6 nights, so 8 was big time for us. We saved something like $1200 and I proceeded to tell everyone I knew- not everyone was nearly as excited as we were though. My mom and I stayed at the Poly last year and just loved it for its beauty and convenience, but Sam has never stayed there. Here are some pictures from last year, just to keep the report interesting.
I keep telling him I hope he likes it, and looks at me like I have 5 heads. He has loved everywhere we have stayed, so I dont know why I am nervous about him liking the Poly. Just in case you were wondering, we have previously stayed at the GF, BWI, WL, and Sam and his buddies stayed at the AKL last year (he took a guys trip since I took a mother-daughter trip). I am planning on requesting the Tokelau longhouse, on the 2nd or 3rd floor if possible. My mom and I stayed in Tahiti last year, and loved how close it was to the TTC. The only problem I had with it was that because it was so close to the TTC (with the monorail to Epcot and the boat to MK), we rarely ever went into the Great Ceremonial House, and it is just too pretty in there not to go in more. So, Tokelau is next to Tahiti, but still a tiny bit closer to the GCH. Hopefully we will get our request, but if not, no biggie.
So, armed with hotel ressies, we basically just sat around and waited for airfares to be released. We normally fly either Delta or Air Tran, because both have nonstop service to Orlando. There is nothing better than boarding a plane in Richmond and landing in Orlando 2 hours later. We (and me we, I mean I) looked and looked for good deals, and didnt find anything spectacular, but nothing too outrageous either. Well one night I happened to be browsing Air Tran, and I found airfare for $190 roundtrip! Now that might not be good for some of you who are fortunate to fly out of big airports, but for Richmond, that is great! We snapped those babies up in a heartbeat. Actually, it did take me a little while to book them. Does anyone else get nervous buying plane tickets? I mean, they are non-refundable! I looked at them on my screen for at least 15 minutes- quadruple checking the dates and times- before I pushed the purchase button. So, $400 later, we were set in stone, going to Orlando on October 24!
Well, I think that is enough to get this report started. You now have the who, what, when, and where of our trip. Up next ADRs and some of the extras we have planned!
58 Days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
, but then I read a recent review of it- so I am praying that it is still available. If anyone know for sure, I would love to know!! I have asked about here on the Dis, but I havent gotten any definitive responses. We shall see on Saturday though- that is the day my 6o day window opens for this. I heard that it fills up fast because it only has 8 or 10 spaces available. Please keep your fingers crossed for me Saturday morning!!! So, that is one of the little extras we have planned this year. Another is the Party for the Senses. Yes, it is expensive, but we really are foodies, and we love it so much! We plan on eating as little as possible that day leading up to the party, so that we can stuff ourselves full of all the great food there! 
Our guide said that was the only time that had happened to someone in his group- yeah, Im sure that made her feel better! 
However, we are willing to take the risk again, now that we are veterans of course! As for the Behind the Seeds Tour, I have never done it, but it sounds interesting to us both. I love the Land Boat Ride, so I think I would like the tour. Plus, its only like $20, maybe even less than that, so what do we have to lose really? I need to read up on this one and see what time it starts and other details. I havent found too many reviews on this either, so if anyone has any experience here, please give me a heads up!
). Hopefully I can leave around 1 and get last minute things together at the house. We plan on leaving the house around 5, to get to the airport around 5:30. We hope to check in fast, and grab some dinner before we leave at 7:39PM!! 
It's great to have another reader!
I couldn't believe that I had blown it after all these months of planning!! I kid you not, I sat there crying in the BP parking lot. After I contained myself I decided that it wasn't the end of the world-- even though I was still really really mad at myself! There MIGHT be another hope for me though. There is another Lunch on Friday the 31st that I am going to try and book. My window for that opens on Monday morning at 7AM. I already have an alarm set for 6:45 that morning- and I am dialing with 2 phones to minimize wait times!!! If I can get it for that day it definitely messes up my current plan, but I will make it work. IF I am able to get it, I will post my new plans for those days effected.
