WWYD? offered free upgrade

[LauraAnn630]

M2DD'S

Yea! Have a great time! Glad your DD is getting better!

Ive been less excited. I think its because Im worried the trip wont be as good as Ive worked it up to be. But it always is!!!

Your excitement will come back!


Have a safe magical trip!

We are right behind ya!!!!!!!

 

[lyzziesmom]

Laura, it sounds like your DD is fine. You'll look back at the pictures and say, "Oh remember that trip, that's when she fell and got that big goose egg right before we left and we were so scared!" I have Easter pictures of my little one all dolled up with a giant scrape on her chin from riding her trike for the first time. It's all part of the memories!

I decided I don't really like my vacation clothes and I think I'm going to go to the Disney Store during my lunch hour today and see if I can find a couple new shirts. I don't like tshirts and that's mostly what I have packed, they are comfy but they fit me weird and I don't like to look dumpy in all those pictures. My mom is driving me nuts with calling every few minutes and asking me questions! "Can we bring shaving cream on the plane? Can we bring toothpaste? Whose shirt is this? (I don't know Mom, I can't SEE THROUGH THE PHONE!) What are you wearing? Will SSR be too big? What is the food court like? What if we don't like it? Should I repack? Should I bring one suitcase or two? What are you bringing?" Oh my gosh Mom!! I guess it is just her way of being excited.

I am trying to decide if I should put DD3 in a pullup for the plane ride. Normally she only wears them at night but I'm worried that she might have to go before the airplane restrooms are available and I don't want to clean up any accidents on the plane. Ew! But I think if I have her go before we board and once in the middle of the flight, she should be fine. I just don't know! I'm getting to the point where I worry about the silliest little details, even though I know it will all be fine. I guess I get it from my mom!

Laura, have a great trip and I hope you find something to keep you busy this afternoon! I'm not sure who else is left here, I guess LauraAnn and I can't remember who else. Two more days for me! I'm going to burst!!

 

[M2DD's]

Well you want to hear something funny.I needed to find something to do so I called OKW to see if they had gotten my medical request fax and dr note and to see if we were assigned a room.They said they recieved it and we already have a room assigned.But guess what she wouldn't tell me where,in what building or any thing.She said it was security reasons.I asked if I request was met and she wouldn't answer. Any body know why she wouldn't let me know.Should I try later to find out.
Laura

 

[mom2jacob]

Oh no! Give that child lots of chicken soup and love, and I hope she feels better by Friday. Are you flying? It's so awful to fly when you're sick. Best wishes for your little one.

Sorry to here about your DD.I have my DD to worry about in the next 24 hrs.
(she has been fine so far) so I understand the added stress.Hopefully the rest of your family doesn't get sick.My older DD got the stomach flu 3 times in the last yr once the day before christmas and I thought the rest of us would get it but we didn't catch it. Good Luck hopefully it will be over by tomorrow.

Thankfully she has gotten over the throwing up part. She still has a little fever but we are keeping her hydrated and given her Tylenol. I know, now I am worry who is going to get sick next. My DH always gets sick easily. Have to keep a watch on him.

We are driving not flying. We leave friday at 12pm. So hopefully she is feeling better by then.

 

[joyerbides]

Laura, it sounds like your DD is fine. You'll look back at the pictures and say, "Oh remember that trip, that's when she fell and got that big goose egg right before we left and we were so scared!" I have Easter pictures of my little one all dolled up with a giant scrape on her chin from riding her trike for the first time. It's all part of the memories!

I decided I don't really like my vacation clothes and I think I'm going to go to the Disney Store during my lunch hour today and see if I can find a couple new shirts. I don't like tshirts and that's mostly what I have packed, they are comfy but they fit me weird and I don't like to look dumpy in all those pictures. My mom is driving me nuts with calling every few minutes and asking me questions! "Can we bring shaving cream on the plane? Can we bring toothpaste? Whose shirt is this? (I don't know Mom, I can't SEE THROUGH THE PHONE!) What are you wearing? Will SSR be too big? What is the food court like? What if we don't like it? Should I repack? Should I bring one suitcase or two? What are you bringing?" Oh my gosh Mom!! I guess it is just her way of being excited.

I am trying to decide if I should put DD3 in a pullup for the plane ride. Normally she only wears them at night but I'm worried that she might have to go before the airplane restrooms are available and I don't want to clean up any accidents on the plane. Ew! But I think if I have her go before we board and once in the middle of the flight, she should be fine. I just don't know! I'm getting to the point where I worry about the silliest little details, even though I know it will all be fine. I guess I get it from my mom!

Laura, have a great trip and I hope you find something to keep you busy this afternoon! I'm not sure who else is left here, I guess LauraAnn and I can't remember who else. Two more days for me! I'm going to burst!!

I completely understand about the pull up thing. I am thinking about putting DD3 in one before we get on the plane too. She is wearing underwear during the day and pull ups at nite. Sounds like we are going through the same thing here Don't worry, you're not alone in worrying over the silliest details. Heck, we leave in 2 days, and we are not even completely packed yet. Still a ton to do

 

[LauraAnn630]

For those with sick kids/adults or people flying.

I use Airborn or a generic form of it.

My boys have stuffy noses. Im hoping the rest of us dont get it.

So far so good!

 

[joyerbides]

Thankfully she has gotten over the throwing up part. She still has a little fever but we are keeping her hydrated and given her Tylenol. I know, now I am worry who is going to get sick next. My DH always gets sick easily. Have to keep a watch on him.

We are driving not flying. We leave friday at 12pm. So hopefully she is feeling better by then.

I feel for you, my daughter started getting sick last weekend. Sore throat, fever, etc. She is still on antibiotics. She'll be done on Friday when we leave. Naturally. This always happens. They are healthy all year long, and then plan something and guess what???? Go figure

 

[lyzziesmom]

I completely understand about the pull up thing. I am thinking about putting DD3 in one before we get on the plane too. She is wearing underwear during the day and pull ups at nite. Sounds like we are going through the same thing here Don't worry, you're not alone in worrying over the silliest details. Heck, we leave in 2 days, and we are not even completely packed yet. Still a ton to do

That is exactly where we are in potty training too! She still has occasional accidents, and maybe it's laziness on my part but I really don't want to deal with that on the plane, plus it's a later flight so there's a good chance she might fall asleep, and she has not yet learned to wake up to "go" when she is sleeping. In fact, she likes to do her #2 in her sleep. Gotta love the morning surprise. I'm not completely packed yet either, and we leave on Friday. I need to be packed up by tomorrow, because I will be leaving work on Friday and have just enough time to go home & change clothes before my parents pick me up for the ride to the airport. I'm sure I will be up very early on Friday gathering up the last-minute stuff!

Thanks for the tip on the Airborne. Do you have to take it continuously, or is it just a one-dose kind of thing that you take just before you fly? I have I think two doses that I got in the mail as a free sample, if that will be enough then I'll probably bring it along but if you have to take it longer then I won't bother. We haven't had any illness or injury yet (knock on wood!) thank goodness.


Quick question: Have any of you ever boarded a pet during your vacation? We will be boarding our cat at the vet and this is my first time using boarding. Usually my family will watch our pets but they are all coming with us this time! Do I have to bring cat food & litter or does the vet usually supply that included in the boarding cost? I know with dogs they let them out of the cages to play every day, does anyone know if they let cats out? Ours is still a baby and she is VERY active and the poor thing will go nuts if she's stuck in a cage for 10 days.

 

[jakenjess]

Well you want to hear something funny.I needed to find something to do so I called OKW to see if they had gotten my medical request fax and dr note and to see if we were assigned a room.They said they recieved it and we already have a room assigned.But guess what she wouldn't tell me where,in what building or any thing.She said it was security reasons.I asked if I request was met and she wouldn't answer. Any body know why she wouldn't let me know.Should I try later to find out.
Laura

It's standard practice that they won't tell you your room number ahead of time, even when you check in and the room's not ready yet. I'm not sure about letting you know if your request was met. but that may be standard practice also. Maybe because if they tell you now it was met, but something unforeseen happens before you check in and they can't meet it, you won't be disappointed. I'm not sure on that one.

Have a great trip! OKW is a fabulous resort.

 

[M2DD's]

We always boards our dog and the vet supplies all the things he will need,Food ,water,cage.I have never boarded a cat before but I'm sure they will provide food and littler. I would bring your own if you cat has a sensitive stomache.My dog does good with the vets food but has the smelliest gas when he gets home. As far as putting your DD in pullups I would if you have them.You can still take her potty on the plane.I was joking with my Dh that I'm going to be DD 3 1/2 in pullups at the park because when were waiting in line or at a show she decides she has to go that minute(and shes not joking).So everytime we walk by a bathroom I make her go or try.
Well it was nice chatting with everyone who recieved the upgrade.I hope everyone has a wonderful time and who know maybe someone will get to sleep in the castle. I can't wait to here about your trip when we get back.I wonder if I will be able to pick anyone out from the boards.

My time has come to say goodbye to all my friends and family,
MIC see you later KEY why because we love you MOUSE
What song is this from? Anyone know?
Laura

 

[lyzziesmom]

Ooooh, I know! I know! It's from the old Mickey Mouse Club! Man I miss that show. Not the Britney/Christina/Justin version either, I used to watch reruns of the old OLD show on the Disney Channel late at night. I sure wish they played that stuff again. There are so many great old shows and Disney movies that my kids will likely never see because they just are no longer aired, and I never think to rent those old movies. I've been saying for years that I'd like to see a Disney Classics channel, how great would that be?

I headed over to the Disney Store this afternoon and didn't have as much luck finding clothes for my trip as I'd hoped, it seems they've switched out most of their adult merchandise to fall stuff - y'know, long sleeves, sweats and jackets. Not good for FL in Sept. I did find a couple of POC tank tops for $4.99 so I hope they fit!

 

[LauraAnn630]

We leave TOMORROW night!!!! Im almost all packed.

Ill be taking tons of pics to share. I cant wait to read everyones trip reports and see the pics too!

I cant believe its here!!

I have a countdown on my pc. A bunch of fireworks will sound off tomorrow night letting us know its time to leave!

 

[lyzziesmom]

That countdown sounds great! I am at my parents' house right now, we came for dinner and I'm waiting until it's time to check in for our flight and print our boarding passes in 5 minutes, then I have to go home and finish packing! My favorite purple suitcases are too small and I just can't cram everything in, so I'm going to have to use the big giant black one that looks like everyone else's.

I can't believe I have to sit through a whole day of WORK tomorrow before we can go. It's going to be the longest day in history!

I will take a ton of pictures too, I always do. Usually about 100 per day!

DD3 has been running around like a maniac this evening. I asked her why she's so crazy, and she just yells, "DisneyWorld! DisneyWorld! DisneyWorld!" I know the feeling.

 

[mom2jacob]

Well tomorrow at this time my family and I will be at Disney at OKW

Seems like we have be waiting forever for this day.

 

[lyzziesmom]

Me too! Tomorrow at this time we will be getting ready to land in Orlando and head to SSR.

My girls have been in bed for an hour and a half and are still talking! I have been spending that whole time packing and repacking - I always seem to have too much stuff. I packed a whole small suitcase full of stuff that's not even clothes - just pullups, ponchos, sunscreen, toys & whatnot - and I stuck the whole thing inside my big huge suitcase so I'll have extra souvenir room for the way home. I can't believe it worked! My back hurts so bad now from lugging everything around my room. I got all this into one suitcase and 2 carryons (I already had the clothes packed in one suitcase) :

 

[lyzziesmom]

Well I'm headed out in a few minutes... am I the last one to go? I feel so lonely! Maybe I will see some of you soon.

Welcome back to those who are getting back before me, I hope you are all having a wonderful time!

 

[LanaJae]

Back home - I have to read through what I missed - some doesn't look good - accidents, yikes - sorry to read this!

SSR was beautiful, we were originally assigned to Grandstand, but they moved us to Paddock so that we could get in our room right away (1 pm). We were on ground level at the end of the long bridge. When people said SSR is big, I didn't quite get the picture - it's HUGE. We got lost twice, and misdirected more than twice.

Daily mousekeeping was fantastic, they brought new laundry soap and all other supplies every day, not enough bath towels though - only 4, but too many washcloths to count - I had a stack of 25 clean ones when we left.

I'm so tired that I can't even think now, just wanted to say that the whole upgrade thing went flawless and same with free DDP, ADRs, etc. The only problem we had was that Magic Express brought us to the wrong terminal today to come home, which wasn't a big deal because you just walk across to the other side.

I packed ponchos every day except yesterday and we were soaked at MGM/DS three times, so don't forget the ponchos.

Oh - one strange thing, we took the bus from AK to CSR to have ribeye for counter service at Pepper Market. The entire CSR seemed to be empty, it was downright surreal, I don't know if we just hit it at an odd day or what. Food was excellent though - only bad meal we had was at Sunshine Seasons (I think that's the name) at Epcot. Never had bad service anywhere for any meal.

Heat and humidity - another thing that you can't understand unless you've been there this time of year! I am LMAO at all the people (not on this thread) who asked about taking pants along. I have never been so hot in my life. Body Glide sucks, Monistat chafing gel is awesome. Coppertone continuous spray is fantastic too - not one speck of burn on any of us.

Only saw one family with YOAMD ears on - in May, I saw many, it must be slowing down.

 

[Ellasgirls]

Back home - I have to read through what I missed - some doesn't look good - accidents, yikes - sorry to read this!

SSR was beautiful, we were originally assigned to Grandstand, but they moved us to Paddock so that we could get in our room right away (1 pm). We were on ground level at the end of the long bridge. When people said SSR is big, I didn't quite get the picture - it's HUGE. We got lost twice, and misdirected more than twice.

Daily mousekeeping was fantastic, they brought new laundry soap and all other supplies every day, not enough bath towels though - only 4, but too many washcloths to count - I had a stack of 25 clean ones when we left.

I'm so tired that I can't even think now, just wanted to say that the whole upgrade thing went flawless and same with free DDP, ADRs, etc. The only problem we had was that Magic Express brought us to the wrong terminal today to come home, which wasn't a big deal because you just walk across to the other side.


I packed ponchos every day except yesterday and we were soaked at MGM/DS three times, so don't forget the ponchos.

Oh - one strange thing, we took the bus from AK to CSR to have ribeye for counter service at Pepper Market. The entire CSR seemed to be empty, it was downright surreal, I don't know if we just hit it at an odd day or what. Food was excellent though - only bad meal we had was at Sunshine Seasons (I think that's the name) at Epcot. Never had bad service anywhere for any meal.

Heat and humidity - another thing that you can't understand unless you've been there this time of year! I am LMAO at all the people (not on this thread) who asked about taking pants along. I have never been so hot in my life. Body Glide sucks, Monistat chafing gel is awesome. Coppertone continuous spray is fantastic too - not one speck of burn on any of us.


Only saw one family with YOAMD ears on - in May, I saw many, it must be slowing down.

We also just got back and I tried to start a new thread for us that got upgraded but it got buried so I thought I would post it in here too!
The 1st night we stayed at POP and took the kids swimming and they had a great time until the storms hit. We got them out, changed clothes and had some dinner in the chaos they called a food court! The next day we were up at 5:30 to catch a taxi to our new home, OKW. Why so early? Because our tickets for the parks/free dining were waiting for us at OKW so we had to get checked in and we wanted to open MK for Little Ones magic hours at 8. My family was not too happy when Stitch called and woke us up that early but they quickly got over it when they realized this is the day we go to "disney". Got checked in and actually into our room (3411) by 6:30 am! Now room 3411 is way in the back of OKW but right by the bus stop. I was not too happy at first but in the end it was perfect! We took our stuff to our 1 bedroom condo and quickly turned out the lights, hopped on the 1st bus that said MK and opened the park. The kids even got to throw confetti. They played ring around the rosie with Minnie and Daisy, went on the carosael (sp?) with Chip and Dale, played a game with Peter Pan and Wendy and rode a bunch more rides...very worth it since we didn't wait longer than 5 minutes for any of the rides that were open...this changes as the days go on! Back to paradise (OKW) for a nap and when we get back to the bus stop to for our dinner ressie at LTT the clouds open and we get SOAKED! Lucky we had our poncho's from Walmart....kind of reminded me of garbage bags with a hood. I HIGHLY recommend paying the $8 for Disney's ponchos. We were a little wet, ok a lot wet, by the time we made it back to LTT (our kids were walking in puddles almost to their knees ). Luckily they were handing out towels for us so we didn't get the characters wet . We spent the rest of the week going to MGM (my 7 year old did TOT and RRC!), Epcot, more MK for the Pirate & Princess Party on our dd's 4th birthday, and AK. The free dining plan was awesome and we saved our receipts and we would have spent over $100 at each character table service and $40-$50 at each counter service along with $8-$10 for 2-4 snacks a day! That is close to $1000 in 7 days! The free food was worth melting in the Florida sun. I will update more when more of my fellow upgradee's arrive back from the sunshine/monsoon state ! Unfortunetly we didn't win any fast passes or a night in Ellas castle but their was so much more magic that we can't complain! We did learn some valuable lessons the hard way but that's why we come back right!

OKW was paradise. We loved our villa and took the internal bus a lot because I couldn't figure out where we were!
The only major problem we encountered was when they (OKW) printed our tickets they didn't print on them that we had the DDP so every time we ate we had to explain that we really did have the DDP and we weren't tricking them. We still got charged for one of the meals (they fixed it immediately).
Don't you love the heat. I have never showered so much in my life! When we got home last night it was 74 and no humidity and my dd said she was COLD!
We didn't see any YOAMD ears...and only saw 2 people with magic fast passes (I really wanted those!) so they must be slowing down or we just didn't spend enough time in the parks...my dh and kids were sooooo slow to move in the mornings and pooped out early!

 

[clombardi]

We are home (sort of)! We left SSR on 8/31, then drove to my dad's house in Vero Beach. We will be leaving Vero on Labor Day, so I can get home to start teaching on Tuesday! I will post a report later this week. Overall, our vacation was terrific. SSR is a fabulous resort. We were in a Grandstand building right next to the pool and we loved it! The one bedroom villa is very addictive. Hope everyone returns safely!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Hi Everybody!!!

We just got back late last night. Had a great time but the heat really got to me more than a few times. Our 1bdrm villa @ OKW was great. DSIL and I were both placed in Bldg. 16, ground floor, which was really close to the Hospitality House. The only thing a bit disappointing was the bus service which seemed to be hit-or-miss. Maybe it was just the time of day we were trying to get around but I've decided any future stays at this resort will include a rental car.

We had a few weird things happen during our stay. First, DH opened the front door and noticed a sign on it, he leaned over to read what the sign said...yep, you guessed it -- "Wet Paint"! Anyway, it was actually the door frame that had been painted, so DH's shirt and shorts had a white streak down the back. I called the front desk to ask why no one had left a message or knocked on the door to notify us and the lady was really nice and told me she was extremely sorry and asked what the value of the clothing items were. I asked if there was anyway to have the people in laundry services just remove the paint and she said they were afraid it would ruin the material. We were given a credit to our account for an amount slightly higher than the total I gave her. I appreciated her doing this, but was really aggravated as this is the kind of stuff that causes the rates to go up for everyone and could have easily been avoided.

The next thing that happened was our room was unsecured most of the day as when we returned after closing the MK, the door handle to our room had not been latched properly and we were able to push it open without using the key. Luckily, nothing had been taken and it appeared no one had entered the room other than housekeeping. I called again to let the front desk know as it was a bit disconcerning to think what could have happened if someone had realized the door was not closed all the way. A received a call back a few minutes later notifying me they were sending someone over to read the lock to determine if it had been housekeeping or maintenance that entered the room last.

We went to the parks everyday and witnessed very few people wearing Dream ears, lanyards, or Fast Passes. It was very disappointing to never even witness anyone receiving a prize. Apparently by extending the promo it has now turned into a year of a Half Million Dreams.

Parks were crowded, but manageable. We certainly tried to take advantage of FP's whenever possible. The rain/thunder/lightning was also a problem as it would just come down in sheets! We also packed our panchos everyday.

Free DDP was nice, but by the end of our stay we could hardly stand the thought of another big meal. We dined at Le Cellier, San Angel Inn, Hollywood & Vine, Rose and Crown, Concourse Steakhouse, Olivia's, Kona Cafe, and Spoodles. The best: Le Cellier, the worst: San Angel Inn. I had heard so many negative things about San Angel but thought I would find out for myself. Our orders were incorrect, the food was lukewarm, DD's steak was way too rare so we asked them to cook it a bit longer....they didn't bring it back until they were actually serving the rest of us dessert. I would never go there again and would have been extremely upset if we had been paying OOP for any portion of it.

I didn't mean for this post to sound so negative, because we did have a really fun time -- however, it's good to be back home. We've decided to go to Disneyland for our next visit as we haven't been there for several years now and feel it is just different enough to get some of the magic back that was missing a bit from this trip.