PTR: A Magical Time in a Magical Place--Disney at Christmas - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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PTR: A Magical Time in a Magical Place--Disney at Christmas
The trip I still don't believe we're really going to do--
When: December 20-26, 2015 Where: Grand Floridian Royal Palm Club, Deluxe King room Who: Her Dotness and His Drewness, Dot & Drew Why: Another dream coming true--Christmas at Disney in the glorious Grand Floridian.
So, we're lounging about in bed after a leisurely lunch on a very lazy Sunday afternoon. Drew's fiddling around on the iPad doing I'd no idea what because I was caught up in a really good British mystery.
Next thing I know, he's shoving the iPad in my direction saying, "Hey, take a look at this."
Absolutely the last thing I thought he'd be wanting to show me was the official Disney site with a special offer for nearly a full week at the GF for CHRISTMAS???? NO! Impossible!
But, there it was.
Most astounding was that the total cost was less than a similar stay we'd priced for mid-November last year and rejected in favor of a significantly less expensive one at WL.
And now, we've booked the trip I never thought we'd be able to do EVER--Christmas at WDW.
The moral of the story is, "Never stop believing in Disney magic. The impossible happens every day."
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
What spooked both of us was realizing how comparatively little time we have till our 180, slightly more than six weeks. We booked the last two trips so far in advance that it was months, not mere weeks, until our 180. Now, it feels like too short a time to get that all-important (for us) list assembled of where we want to eat.
What really seemed weird was being able to customize Magic Bands almost immediately after doing the booking. Shortly thereafter, I realized it's occasionally a benefit I'm a professional procrastinator. I considered pitching our MB's from last fall's trip since we were certain we wouldn't be returning within two years. Then, as I typically do, I tossed them onto the mess on my desk thinking I'd do that eventually or instead stash them in the Mickey suitcase of stuff that's used only at WDW in case we did something truly nutty like managing to go back next year possibly.
Guess I will dig them out now and stash them with the other "going to Disney" gear. Because, big surprise, we can use them again THIS year!
Just sign me-- STILL Doesn't Believe We're Doing It
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Christmas at Disney is on our list as well but not for quite some time. We are trying to save for Fall 2016 as JB's first Disney trip. Glad you are getting your dream trip.
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Is this a delayed April Fool's joke!? I know how much time you guys take in saving up for a grandiose trip & one coming up so soon since your last seems unimaginable.
If this is the real deal then way to go His Drewness!!!!!!
Is this a delayed April Fool's joke!? I know how much time you guys take in saving up for a grandiose trip & one coming up so soon since your last seems unimaginable.
If this is the real deal then way to go His Drewness!!!!!!
No, this is for real.
Admittedly, we'll have to do some major finance tweaking to manage this one so soon after last year's blowout. Truth be told, we're not certain we'll be able to do it, but we have until PIF day in early November to figure that out.
We're giving it our best shot because this is the first year Drew's been high enough in seniority that he could snag vacation on Christmas week. We should probably be thanking all the 30-year-plus people above him who retired recently. Yanno?
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 05-04-2015 at 05:26 PM..
I know how the budget game goes. I have 5 more paychecks till my PIF date & then 4 pay checks till we fly out. I'm tired of moving money each pay over to Disney but its SO worth it while we are there!
Definitely try not to pass up Xmas week in Disney!!! I've never been & it's on my bucket list so I have to live through you.....no pressure! Lol
Drew told me after we leapt upon this insane idea that he checks the Disney website now and then for special offers just in case something would show up that we could do. Which is usually diddley squat since he has to choose vacation weeks in the fall for the coming year. So, we get PIN codes we have no chance of using, and he finds plummy deals that don't coincide with his scheduled vacation.
Until now...
Since our not-so-great WL stay last fall, we'd been toying around with doing another less expensive stay in a couple years, probably at Yacht Club. But, one thing or another about YC just didn't sit quite right with us. Not on the monorail, something we REALLY missed when staying at WL. And, comparing notes with other PassPorters, we learned that no other club level is as posh as the Royal Palm Club, not even Sugar Loaf, which at least is at the GF. We both love the comfort and ease of being in the Main Building, no trekking through weather to get to the monorail, for instance. Lots more reasons, but those are the major ones.
Anyway, I soon realized what he's found and is showing me is an absolutely perfect special offer for the precise stay we'd resolved to hold out for:
--Grand Floridian, Club Level Deluxe King room, Royal Palm Club
--Six night stay, five park days with PH
--Free dining which we'd upgrade to Deluxe
--Memory Maker
...and we could get this dream trip FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK. The first time in his nearly 18 years with the company that he had gotten vacation that week.
But, you knew there'd be something, right? There's always something.... When he tried to book it on the Disney website, he kept getting an error alert, no confirmation.
I said, "Call Disney. Maybe it's just the stoopid website."
But, even the CM couldn't get the free dining. She advised us to keep trying, explaining that it just might not be available right then but could open up later. (I restrained myself from blurting that her system was evidently working about as well as MDE and the regular site typically do, which was hardly news to us, and that was more likely why neither of us could book this offer.)
We decided we'd go OOP if it came to that eventuality. This was just too fabulous an offer to pass up even without a dining plan. So, we told her to book it with everything else, which she did.
And then, this afternoon, scarcely 24 hours later, Drew told me he was just going to try adding free dining with the Deluxe upgrade to see if we could get it.
And, we did!
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 05-04-2015 at 06:38 PM..
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