The Many Adventures of the Ayers' Family PTR! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I’ve tried to start a PTR before and failed miserably but this time I’m hoping that I can keep on top of it! Life sometimes gets in the way and things like my PTR fall to the wayside. I promise to try my hardest to keep this one going.
Why this trip?
It was around the dinner table that discussions of Disney World started. My Mother in Law came over to the house for dinner and my husband just started talking about the food that they have at Food and Wine Festival in the Fall. Then he started talking about the rides and the parades and even brought up some videos on YouTube to show her. You could really tell that she was interested in what he was showing her.
After dinner, my MiL left and the husband and I started talking about…what if we could take her? He asked me to just put some pricing together to see what we could swing. I’m really good at finding bargains so my planning began.
After a week or so, we sat down and I showed him my spreadsheet…yes my spreadsheet, of all the costs and options that we could do. I even took into account if they offered free dining or other special promotions. I gave him about 10 different options ranging from off property to 2 value rooms to 2 bedroom villas. He was a definite NO on staying off property because he loves the convenience of free parking and the transportation system. We talked about it for awhile and he finally looks at me and says, “This will be my mom’s first and probably only trip, let’s make it special.”
You don’t have to tell me twice! We decided that we could swing the trip (with a few hours of overtime here and there and some saving) and we ended up choosing to stay in a 2 bedroom villa!
When are we going, you ask?
So with the accommodations decided on, we needed to decide on when. We narrowed it down to either Christmas or Halloween. We knew his mom would absolutely love the Christmas decorations so originally our plan was to go the first week in December. So we looked at pricing and it turned out that going in October would be a little easier on the pockets. So we decided we’d go for Halloween, October 19th – 24th are our dates!
Where are we staying?
As mentioned earlier, the husband okay’d the 2 bedroom villa. We knew we either wanted to stay at Boardwalk or AKL, so I put my DVC point skills to the test or found a rental for a 2 bedroom (dedicated) standard villa at AKL – Kidani Village! The room is PIF!
I guess we need park tickets!
The company I work for actually sponsors the “Big Golf Ball” as my daughter calls it. Since they have a partnership with Disney, I get a 12% discount on my tickets, so we are getting a 4 day park hopper pass!
To make things even better, I talked my husband into buying tickets for the MNSSHP! This trip is turning into something truly amazing.
What about the food?
I ran the numbers and asked my fellow Passporters for advice, and it looks like we are paying out of pocket. Since I’m sure we will be enjoying the offerings at food and wine festival on a daily basis, having a dining plan just didn’t seem economical.
So, who’s all going?
Me: I’m Jaime, step mother of 2 teens, wife of a big kid, full time financial analyst, and full time graduate student. Yes, I have a lot on my plate, so Disney trips are much needed after a year worth of school and work. My first trip to Disney was for my 2001 Senior Trip. My favorite park is Epcot and my favorite ride is Living with the Land. Don’t ask me why, but I love this ride!
DH: This guy really just goes to make me happy and I love him for it. He’s been my partner in crime for the past 10 years; we’ve been married for 9 of those years. His first trip to Disney was in 2008 and we actually took our much delayed honeymoon to Disney in 2011. His favorite park is Epcot (mostly because he likes spending his time at the Tequila Bar in Mexico) and his favorite ride is Rockin’ Rollercoaster.
DD: This is my little monk monk, she’s 15 and a complete daddy’s girl. She’s been going to Disney since 2008 and has been spoiled by it. She’s a freshman in high school and a member of DECA. She wants to be a marine biologist with she grows up. Her favorite park is Animal Kingdom and her favorite ride is the Safari.
DS: This guy is 13 and he’s a step momma’s boy. He loves being outside and building things. Just this past weekend he helped me put a Koi pond in my yard. He’s in the 7th grade and trying out for the baseball team this year. He wants to be an architect when he grows up. My husband and I joke and say that we hope he’s not just saying that like George Constanza. Of course we kid. His favorite park is Magic Kingdom and his favorite ride is Test Track.
DMiL: This is my dear mother in law. This will be her first trip to Disney and I’m so glad that I could make this happen for her. She’s always done so much for everyone else and we figured it was our turn to give back. When we told her about the trip, she was in complete shock but now we can see that she’s excited. She doesn’t like to talk about going because she’s afraid it will jinx the trip, but we are all paid up and we are going!
Wow and very nice that you would do something so wonderful for your mother-in-law. She must be an awesome lady. My only thought is you are not going on any dinning plan but I would keep that option open as there is talk about Disney offering it free...so keep watching. Am sure you will.
Wow and very nice that you would do something so wonderful for your mother-in-law. She must be an awesome lady. My only thought is you are not going on any dinning plan but I would keep that option open as there is talk about Disney offering it free...so keep watching. Am sure you will.
She's a wonderful person and I'm happy that we could do this for her. Since I rented points for my stay I'm not eligible for the free dining However, we have a full kitchen and it's food and wine festival so I'm still a happy camper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great start!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Great start!!!
My daughter is almost 15, and wants to be a marine biologist as well
Thanks!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by VanillaBean
Sounds like a great start. I can't wait to hear more!
Great start, Jaime! We'll be at WDW during the same time, staying at AKL/Jambo House in a savannah view studio.
Thanks! Oh yay! Maybe we can plan a quick meet!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great start Jaime!
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by iwonathomas
Great Start! Glad you were able to pull this all off and surprise your MIL.
Can't wait to hear more about your plans
We wanted to wait and tell her closer to the trip but we knew she'd panic. When we told her she just kept insisting that she pay for something. We told her NO WAY! This trip is on us!
So currently in our countdown we are still 187 days out from vacation, but we are only 7 days away from ADR DAY! Woot!
Let me give a little background into what this discussion is for: Surgery almost ruined my plans
As of today I've had braces for 817 days...yes, that's a long time! For those of you who've had braces or have braces now, you know it's the worst. Well on top of braces, I'm supposed to have orthognatic surgery. If you've never heard of this type of surgery, let me give you the very short summary of it. Basically an oral surgeon will cut away one or both of your jaws from your skull and reposition it for a better bite. Yes, and I'm just lucky enough to be the person who needs both jaws done.
Anyway, here I am, happily planning for our annual Disney trip and during one of my routine orthodontist visits he says, "Mrs. Ayers, we are going to do some progression models on you to see if you are ready for surgery.". At first I am so excited! I've been waiting a long time to be ready for surgery....but then it hits me...Disney is in October. Why does this bother me? Well after surgery, you have to be on an all liquid diet and you can't eat real food for a couple of months. So it's 6 weeks of all liquid and then move to soft foods for a few weeks and then finally real food. There is NO WAY that I am going to have surgery right before Disney and risk missing out on the food.
So I have a talk with my husband. At this point I'm so confused about what I should do. Will surgery ruin my vacation?!?! And then my husband says, "Honey, you can just put your surgery off until after our Disney trip." WHAT?! Why didn't I think of that!?! I guess in the panic and excitement of everything, I forgot that I had some say in it.
So surgery hasn't ruined my vacation! Sorry this was a short post, but this was a panic point in planning that I thought I should share. LOL
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Signing on. Nice intros. So happy surgery didn't derail your plans but Man sounds like a whopper of a surgery. Just think of all the weight you will lose.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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and Welcome aboard! 
He’s been my partner in crime for the past 10 years; we’ve been married for 9 of those years. His first trip to Disney was in 2008 and we actually took our much delayed honeymoon to Disney in 2011. His favorite park is Epcot (mostly because he likes spending his time at the Tequila Bar in Mexico) and his favorite ride is Rockin’ Rollercoaster.
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Great start!!! 
Since I rented points for my stay I'm not eligible for the free dining 
However, we have a full kitchen and it's food and wine festival so I'm still a happy camper. 
Will surgery ruin my vacation?!?! And then my husband says, "Honey, you can just put your surgery off until after our Disney trip." WHAT?! Why didn't I think of that!?! I guess in the panic and excitement of everything, I forgot that I had some say in it. 
Holly: 
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