We Went to See Mic-key M-o-u-s-e ... Again! - Sept '12 TR [COMPLETE]

Photobucket seems to be co-operating this afternoon, so I took advantage! :teeth: HYG:

Photos of Bedroom

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Adjoining Bath

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My husband told the CM behind the counter, "You can go ahead and wrap that up - we'll take it."

:cool1:

Nice! I really like the layout of that front panel, with Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Cinderella's slipper. :thumbsup2

SSR looks beautiful. Such a pretty resort. :love: I just wish the units there were bigger. Sometimes traveling with all five kids is a drag. *sigh* But we've done a couple of vacations without someone, and I always miss them, so I guess I'm just never satisfied. :upsidedow
 
:cool1:

Nice! I really like the layout of that front panel, with Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Cinderella's slipper. :thumbsup2

SSR looks beautiful. Such a pretty resort. :love: I just wish the units there were bigger. Sometimes traveling with all five kids is a drag. *sigh* But we've done a couple of vacations without someone, and I always miss them, so I guess I'm just never satisfied. :upsidedow

Thank you! He saved the biggest surprise of all for last, and I was glad. He said he had seen me looking at it online at home and knew how badly I wanted it. :teeth:

SSR is gorgeous! They do have the 2BR units and the GV ... but I believe the GV is mass quantities of $$$ if you're staying as a cash guest ...
 
Full Kitchen

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Livingroom

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Balcony

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View from Balcony

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Directly in front of the balcony was that huge tree, but it served to block the road in front of the building, so that worked for us. The livingroom had a large comfy chair, too ... no photos of that, though.
 

**Drooling** I LOVE your room!!! Maybe one day I'll be able to afford to stay there. Your pictures are GREAT! And once again, your husband is amazing! You're a lucky gal! ;)
 
Well, if you were stuck in the room more than you wanted to be, at least you got to do it in style :thumbsup2 Honestly, it's my dream to stay deluxe some day, but I have a feeling that when we finally do we'll be seriously lacking in park visits because we won't want to leave the hotel. I'd totally spend a whole day in that tub! :rotfl:
 
SSR is gorgeous! They do have the 2BR units and the GV ... but I believe the GV is mass quantities of $$$ if you're staying as a cash guest ...

It's mass quantities of cash even renting points! But the dumb thing about SSR GVs is that they only have one dinky porch. Even the 2 BRs have two. :confused3 I doubt we'll ever indulge in a GV, but we like our porches so if we win the lottery, SSR still isn't on the list. :p

I have a feeling that when we finally do we'll be seriously lacking in park visits because we won't want to leave the hotel.

This is my philosophy about staying onsite at all. I wouldn't want to stay in the non-DVC more than a day or two, and I would want to spend that time enjoying the resort. :thumbsup2 Although not necessarily the unit, per se. ;)
 
What a lovely room! There's so much charm in the decor. So glad that this room swap was made possible. :thumbsup2

Oh my gosh your D&B bag is sooooo awesome!!! I love love love those bags. What a wonderful "final" surprise. ;)
 
I LOVE THAT BAG!!!!

Perfect with the Mickey and Minnie right on the front:thumbsup2 Your husband is so sweet:goodvibes

Wow, your pics are beautiful! Quite tempting if I must say. I do like the fact that you don't need to be transported to DTD, since that's usually the worst place to get to/from no matter where you're staying (even POR on the boat).

Every trip I say I'd like to get to WPE for bfast and still have yet to get there. This past trip I didn't even get there for lunch or dinner:sad: and it's my fav QS. Next trip for sure::yes::
 
**Drooling** I LOVE your room!!! Maybe one day I'll be able to afford to stay there. Your pictures are GREAT! And once again, your husband is amazing! You're a lucky gal! ;)

Thank you! I think I'm very lucky also. ;) He's been just amazing these last couple of weeks, caring for me, the house, the yard, and working. :scared:

Well, if you were stuck in the room more than you wanted to be, at least you got to do it in style :thumbsup2 Honestly, it's my dream to stay deluxe some day, but I have a feeling that when we finally do we'll be seriously lacking in park visits because we won't want to leave the hotel. I'd totally spend a whole day in that tub! :rotfl:

It was always our dream to stay deluxe also - we were leaning towards WL for our 15th. I'd been considering WL, OKW, YC/BC and SSR for our 15th, actually.

Had it been easier to get in and out of, I'd have made more use of the tub, believe me!

It's mass quantities of cash even renting points! But the dumb thing about SSR GVs is that they only have one dinky porch. Even the 2 BRs have two. :confused3 I doubt we'll ever indulge in a GV, but we like our porches so if we win the lottery, SSR still isn't on the list. :p

I had never looked into renting points - I only know the cash prices since I'd been looking at them for 2 years from now.

What a lovely room! There's so much charm in the decor. So glad that this room swap was made possible. :thumbsup2

Oh my gosh your D&B bag is sooooo awesome!!! I love love love those bags. What a wonderful "final" surprise. ;)

Thank you! Yes, I loved my final surprise, and it's actually something I can hold onto for many years to come. Now if I can just figure out how to get that smudge off the front ... :scratchin

I LOVE THAT BAG!!!!

Perfect with the Mickey and Minnie right on the front:thumbsup2 Your husband is so sweet:goodvibes

Wow, your pics are beautiful! Quite tempting if I must say. I do like the fact that you don't need to be transported to DTD, since that's usually the worst place to get to/from no matter where you're staying (even POR on the boat).

Every trip I say I'd like to get to WPE for bfast and still have yet to get there. This past trip I didn't even get there for lunch or dinner:sad: and it's my fav QS. Next trip for sure::yes::

Thank you - I think I'll keep him! :teeth: :laughing:

We were all the way up in the Springs section at SSR - too far to walk to DTD IMHO. But we were close to the eatery, pool, etc., and goodness knows I wasn't going to be walking anywhere anyhow. :p

You *must* get to WPE! I was a little leery at first because it was practically empty when we arrived, but man oh man am I glad I decided to stick it out and stay! ::yes::
 
The day we were moved to SSR, my husband began peppering me with questions. Exactly what was DVC, what would this room cost if we had to pay for it, how does it all work, etc.

I explained to him the bare-bones basics about DVC ownership, the various resorts, cost to stay outright - the little I knew from my research for 2014. I told him if we ever bought in, OKW was a place I would consider buying. He was intrigued enough that we hopped in the car and drove over to OKW. He wanted to see what the layout was like over there and get a feel for the place.

While we were there, we went in and spoke to a very nice woman at the DVC desk. We listened to her presentation. I could tell my husband was on information overload - she talked very fast and I think some RedBull most likely had something to do with it. :scared: He was trying to process everything, but it was just too much too quickly.

Finally, she asked if we wanted to take the tour ... as luck would have it, the DVC tour building is right at SSR! I allowed her to take our information, but did not commit to the tour. I knew my husband would want to discuss things more once he had time to decompress. :upsidedow

Oddly enough, he didn't mention DVC again ... until we were at DTD on our last day. We passed by the DVC booth there and at the last minute, my husband goes, "Let's go on the tour." What? :eek: I reminded him we needed to get back to the room in time to go to MNSSHP, but we could check to see what openings they had available, if any.

We went up and spoke to a nice guy who got us in to a time slot for the tour, and off we raced to get back to SSR in time to take it. :moped: On the ride back to SSR, I asked my husband what was up with the last minute decision to do this. :confused3 He said, "You like SSR, right? Well, so do I. In fact, I love it. I just don't think I can go back to staying in one room again when we come back here."

:scared1: Talk about a shocker! I never thought in a million years this was how we would end our trip ... not after the way this vacation had gone, anyhow. :lmao: But hey, they were offering a nice incentive ($100 Disney gift card), so what did we have to lose besides an hour, right?

We made it just barely in time for the tour. We had a very nice guide (I don't think I'm allowed to mention names) who I told upfront the following information: We're not buying anything today. We're not signing anything today. We're here for information, and that's it. :bitelip: The tour was no pressure whatsoever. Our guide was great and gave us a ton of stuff to take home and look over ... which is what we've been doing for the last two weeks.

Yes, you read that right ... we're considering buying in to DVC! You've seen the pictures. SSR is lovely, the staff is wonderful. Even with everything else going on, we still took a sip of the Kool-Aid! :drinking1 :laughing:

It will probably be several more months before we make a final decision. We're crunching numbers to see if/how we can make this happen. I've been reading like crazy here on the DIS, getting lots of great information from the folks here who have BTDT. Don't want to make a leap into something before we know as much as possible, KWIM?

So there you have it ... our last minute decision that may change the way we vacation at Disney for many years to come! pixiedust:

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Up next ... MNSSHP :crazy2:
 
After the DVC tour, we hurried back to the room to get changed into our T-shirts for MNSSHP. It had been an absolutely gorgeous day, so we were feeling good about holding off and not going Tuesday night. How wrong we were ... :rolleyes2

By the time we got down to the bus stop, it had started clouding over. Dark clouds were beginning to roll in. We hoped it would be just a quick shower - we had our ponchos - and we could get on with our evening.

We rode the bus over to MK and by the time we got there it was starting to sprinkle. :worried: In the time it took us to get our wristbands and get to the Hub, it was pouring. Yay.

While we were waiting for the first parade to start, my husband decided to go get an umbrella. Meanwhile, people were packing the place! I was thinking there would be significantly less people in the park during MNSSHP, but it seemed pretty crowded to me.

My husband finally came back with our umbrella, and we continued to wait out the rain. It rained for so long they cancelled the villain dance. Then they cancelled the first parade. :(

We decided to go exploring and see what other things there were to see, maybe ride a few rides, get some candy, etc. The park is so dimly lit, it was hard to read the map they gave us. At least it had stopped raining. We finally found a candy trail and got into a very long line to wait. People kept cutting me off on the ECV, and a guy and his kids ended up butting in line in front of me. I had words with him - loudly - it wasn't my finest moment. He tried to say he got in line at the same time as me ... ummm, no you didn't, the end of the line is waaaay back there. :rolleyes2 Whatev.

By the time this line finally moves, we get to a section where I would have to get out of line and merge back in - there are stairs. You've got to be kidding me! How am I going to go down a ramp and try to merge back into this hoard of people without ticking somebody off? :confused3

So we left the line and went over to Sleepy Hollow for a quick snack (click for review). We hung out there for a few minutes, during which my sweet, patient husband was trying to convince me to stay for the fireworks. After much thought, we decided to go back over to our original spot near the Hub to find a place to watch the fireworks. Then, honestly, we were planning to leave. I was getting frustrated with the number of people who were rude and inconsiderate (butting in line in front of me, bumping into my head with their arms, walking RIGHT in front of me) that I was just ready to give up and go back to the hotel. I was wet, my foot was swollen, MK was uber-crowded and not so easy to navigate on an ECV at night ... I could go on, but I won't because I'm starting to sound like a whiny-butt. :blush: Let's just say I was ready for this vacation to be ovah! ::yes::

We hurry-scurried back to our original place and took in the fireworks - the parade immediately followed - and we left.

People always say, is MNSSHP worth the money? For us, no. We've done it once, I don't think we would do it again. Never say never, but we honestly weren't overly-impressed. The fireworks were spectacular as promised, but we didn't care for the parade at all. Maybe if it weren't raining ... if I weren't on an ECV and could walk ... if we had gone on a week-night instead of a Friday ... :faint: That's too many what-ifs, and I don't know if we're willing to fork over the money again to find out if we are wrong in our opinion. Seeing guests in their costumes was honestly the best part of this whole thing. :confused3

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Up next ... checking out and heading home ... and a little pixie dust at the airport! ::yes::
 
For your viewing pleasure :teeth:

POFQ - Buildings

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SSR - Our Villa Building

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Beautiful Fountain at POFQ

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River Shots at POFQ

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Fountains at SSR

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Flowers in Front of Rainforest Cafe

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Busy Bee on Flowers in Downtown Disney

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Downtown Disney

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Flowers Outside Building 1 at POFQ

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Flowers Outside Building at SSR

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Berries Outside Building at SSR

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I'm so sorry you had a bad experience at MNSSHP. We were there that same night and the rain was a bummer. It absolutely poured in 2010 when we went, but the rain stopped around 7:30 and then it was perfect.

The treat stops were mobbed at the left side of the park, but Tomorrowland and Storybook Circus had NO lines. It was great. I was bummed about the Villain show bring cancelled, but the map said they would be at the Tomorrowland Terrace if it rained (we never got over there).

The party 2 years ago was definately less crowded than this year (we went on a Tuesday), but I still think it's the best money we've ever spent at WDW. From what I've heard, MNSSHP is miles better than MVMCP.
 
I'm so sorry you had a bad experience at MNSSHP. We were there that same night and the rain was a bummer. It absolutely poured in 2010 when we went, but the rain stopped around 7:30 and then it was perfect.

The treat stops were mobbed at the left side of the park, but Tomorrowland and Storybook Circus had NO lines. It was great. I was bummed about the Villain show bring cancelled, but the map said they would be at the Tomorrowland Terrace if it rained (we never got over there).

The party 2 years ago was definately less crowded than this year (we went on a Tuesday), but I still think it's the best money we've ever spent at WDW. From what I've heard, MNSSHP is miles better than MVMCP.

I have also heard MNSSHP is better than MVMCP. I'm thinking it may have been a combination of the ECV, the rain, and my general want-to-go-home attitude that contributed to our bad time, along with the other things I mentioned. I'd waited and waited to see the Headless Horseman ride, then because of weather he couldn't ... that was a bummer, too. I understand it wasn't safe, and I agree with the decision not to have him ride as safety should be #1 priority - it was just one more thing to stack on top of every other disappointing thing during this trip.

Who knows. We may try it again. If we buy into DVC, we know we'll be there every year (or at least every other), so perhaps someday we'll give it another shot.

Hope your kids had a blast and got lots of candy, though! Would love to have seen them in their costumes! ::yes::
 
Your photos of the resort properties are so beautiful - you have some talent!!

Sorry the MNSSHP wasn't a special experience. I understand how the rain can wash out not only the parade but the overall fun that goes with it. However, the people that were rude and inconsiderate - no excuses for that! (I had a lot more to say but I edited it because it sounded like I was getting out the pitchforks and torches! My mom has an ECV so I've seen this firsthand.)

We were at D-land last night when they were starting the MNSSHP and I saw one of the best costumes on a lady with an ECV - she was Ursula. Her tentacles were floating all around her ECV and it had some seaweed and seashells on the ECV - so very creative!! I agree with you, I like to costume watch. :)

Good luck deciding if DVC is for you. That would be exciting to look forward to returning year after year in a villa!! :upsidedow
 
Yes, you read that right ... we're considering buying in to DVC!

Wowsers! :cool1:

If you guys like SSR, should be easy to get a resale, but I expect you've figured that out by now. :p I doubt hubby will ever consider DVC, since we can trade into it for less than owning would cost. *sigh* We're definitely staying onsite in the future, and maybe he'll fall in love with that and decide the flexibility of owning is worth the extra money. Very, very unlikely, since he's quite happy offsite, but I can dream.


I was thinking there would be significantly less people in the park during MNSSHP, but it seemed pretty crowded to me.

:sad1:

I expect you were getting the people who'd always planned to go, as well as everyone who'd delayed from Tuesday. Although I've also heard that MNSSHP has gotten progressively more crowded over the years. :crazy2:


By the time this line finally moves, we get to a section where I would have to get out of line and merge back in - there are stairs.

:sad2:

Sometimes I think it'd be totally fair if people in wheelchairs DID get a "front of the line" pass. It'd help balance out stupidities like that. :p


I was getting frustrated with the number of people who were rude and inconsiderate (butting in line in front of me, bumping into my head with their arms, walking RIGHT in front of me)

From your earlier description of trying to look at the map in the dark, I expect you were dealing with the usual rudies who just don't care, combined with people who were having problems seeing you! I don't think I see as well in the dark as I used to, and from your description I'm definitely rethinking the whole MNSSHP thing. The park at night is cool, but the park at night with unusually distributed crowds and essentially a different navigation system that I can't study out in the light... not so sure about the coolness of that. :upsidedow

Not that I'll be seriously considering the parties for years, like as not... :rolleyes:

Weren't you the one saying you hadn't got the hang of your new camera yet? I beg to differ! Some absolutely stunner pics there. :) I've seen a gazillion pics of POFQ, and been there myself, and your pics still offered something new. :thumbsup2 Plus I've been trying to track down a clear shot of "the Springs" sign for a good long while now. Must be a challenging shot, going on all the awful ones I've run across. ;) And I don't think I'd ever seen pics of the elevator doors before -- if I did, the door wasn't clear enough to make out the pattern. :cool2:

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Also enjoying your "greenery scenery shots". I love all the "water features" at the resorts. :cloud9:
 
Your photos of the resort properties are so beautiful - you have some talent!!

Sorry the MNSSHP wasn't a special experience. I understand how the rain can wash out not only the parade but the overall fun that goes with it. However, the people that were rude and inconsiderate - no excuses for that! (I had a lot more to say but I edited it because it sounded like I was getting out the pitchforks and torches! My mom has an ECV so I've seen this firsthand.)

We were at D-land last night when they were starting the MNSSHP and I saw one of the best costumes on a lady with an ECV - she was Ursula. Her tentacles were floating all around her ECV and it had some seaweed and seashells on the ECV - so very creative!! I agree with you, I like to costume watch. :)

Good luck deciding if DVC is for you. That would be exciting to look forward to returning year after year in a villa!! :upsidedow

:laughing: Loving the pitchfork/torch comment! Yeah, that's pretty much how I felt. It's bad enough being at hiney-level all the time, but the people who flat ignore you are the worst. I'm still experiencing it here at home when we grocery shop. I'll be glad when my time on crutches is over.

The Ursula costume sounds so cool! Wish I could have seen it!

DVC is definitely going to be a long-term decision. I'm hoping we can work out a way, but I refuse to finance it, so it probably will take us a while to save the money.

Wowsers! :cool1:

If you guys like SSR, should be easy to get a resale, but I expect you've figured that out by now. :p I doubt hubby will ever consider DVC, since we can trade into it for less than owning would cost. *sigh* We're definitely staying onsite in the future, and maybe he'll fall in love with that and decide the flexibility of owning is worth the extra money. Very, very unlikely, since he's quite happy offsite, but I can dream.

Resale is the way we will go - I won't buy direct from WDW.


:sad1:

I expect you were getting the people who'd always planned to go, as well as everyone who'd delayed from Tuesday. Although I've also heard that MNSSHP has gotten progressively more crowded over the years. :crazy2:


I was thinking the same thing ... and I've also hard it's getting more and more crowded. But oh well - at least we got to experience it once, right? :teeth:

:sad2:

Sometimes I think it'd be totally fair if people in wheelchairs DID get a "front of the line" pass. It'd help balance out stupidities like that. :p

I think it would have helped having a CM direct the people waiting in the lines, particularly the one we got in. How would I ever have left the line and merged back in without a CM's help? There'd have been no way - the masses would have crushed me before they let me in!


From your earlier description of trying to look at the map in the dark, I expect you were dealing with the usual rudies who just don't care, combined with people who were having problems seeing you! I don't think I see as well in the dark as I used to, and from your description I'm definitely rethinking the whole MNSSHP thing. The park at night is cool, but the park at night with unusually distributed crowds and essentially a different navigation system that I can't study out in the light... not so sure about the coolness of that. :upsidedow

Not that I'll be seriously considering the parties for years, like as not... :rolleyes:

Oh I recommend you try it at least once to see what it's like for yourself. As long as you're mobile, you really should have no issues.

Weren't you the one saying you hadn't got the hang of your new camera yet? I beg to differ! Some absolutely stunner pics there. :) I've seen a gazillion pics of POFQ, and been there myself, and your pics still offered something new. :thumbsup2 Plus I've been trying to track down a clear shot of "the Springs" sign for a good long while now. Must be a challenging shot, going on all the awful ones I've run across. ;) And I don't think I'd ever seen pics of the elevator doors before -- if I did, the door wasn't clear enough to make out the pattern. :cool2:

Also enjoying your "greenery scenery shots". I love all the "water features" at the resorts. :cloud9:

Thank you! I enjoy photography a lot. If you could see all the "dud" photos I weeded out before I posted the nice, clear ones you just may have a different opinion! :p Our camera wasn't expensive and it isn't a DSLR, but it's definitely better than the one we took last year.
 















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