Three Weeks in The World and 20 Happy Thoughts: a DTR (During Trip Report!) - Page 19 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I say GO, Stay at Pop or Swan/Dolphin, either way you're on property and at Disney right? And finally are you crazy? - No more so than the rest of us!
BTW - the Osborne lights are A - MAZ- ING! You have to see it! I want to see if they so something special in memory of Jennings Osborne this year. It is opening while we are there - can't wait! 33 days!
Hi! I just found your TR a few days ago and just am getting caught up. I totally understand why you left early...better to stop when you're just starting to go downhill! I say you should go to WDW...Christmas is the best at Disney with the decorations and the Osborne Lights. I'd lean towards Pop just because I like the themeing more than the Dolphin. But either way you're in Disney
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benefits of the trip:
-i'd be able to use my AP some more!
-i'd be taking my husband to WDW, which i really REALLY want to do.
-my husband is VERY enthusiastic about it. he started reading my passporter mere minutes after suggesting it--and HE suggested it.
-it would likely be cheaper than any other trip we'd take with his two little personal days (we were thinking of combining them with a holiday like easter, but then everything is SO EXPENSIVE everywhere...we were looking at beachy, all inclusive type places...or savannah, ga.)
-i can sort of justify it because i'll likely 'need' to go back for research purposes by that point in the year....and by 'that point' i mean 'two months from now'.
-this is the big one: thinking about it MAKES ME HAPPY.
Those are good Pros . . . especially the last one
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concerns i have:
-that we 'should' be going somewhere else. i just spent 15 days in WDW (working, yes, but still) and i was there three other times in the last year. we SHOULD be going somewhere else. right?
-that it's not the kind of trip my husband actually wants. he THINKS it is the kind of trip he wants, but he doesn't think about things like getting up at 6am to make EMH rope drop, or standing in line for cafeteria style food.
-that it will still cost SOME money (even if it is cheaper than 'any other option') and i'm not working (well, i'm not being paid, anyway) right now.
I don't see any reason why you "should" be going somewhere else if WDW is where you want to go. Of course I'm the wrong person to ask--if I've got an AP and 3 days off I have to talk myself out of booking a room and airfare AND I'm not very good at doing that--so I took 3 impromptu trips last year--all booked within days of departure.
Maybe your husband will surprise you--Brandon certainly surprised me when he told me he wanted to buy into DVC with me!
It will cost some money, but you can usually get a pretty good AP rate for the values during December--I think I only paid about $50 a night. Do you qualify for the teacher discount at the Swan/Dolphin or another discount type there? If you eat mostly CS meals you can save money--or do what we do and have sit down meals, but only order appetizers to share--usually 3 is enough--in some cases like at Tutto their antipasti plate is enough for the two of us for a meal at a whopping $25.
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issues:
-it sometimes takes a REALLY long time for him to have personal days approved. as the trip is only 9 weeks away, that might kill it before it even begins. if his work doesn't approve the days off for, say, two or three weeks, there may not be reasonable airfare (there's only one flight per day on my preferred, direct, cheap airline from my preferred very-close-by airport) or rooms available at the AP rate (or with a teacher discount if we decide to do the dolphin)
Book the rooms as soon as you can--you can always cancel. Do you fly Southwest? If you do you can always cancel the flight, and take a credit to apply to another trip within the year. Otherwise I'd hold off on booking the airfare as other airlines will impose a change fee.
Quote:
questions:
-given ALL of that--what would you do? would you book another WDW trip and take your husband? or would you 'save' those two days and go to a beach somewhere--or a major city (we often do city break trips) during easter?
-IF you say 'i'd go to WDW' (because that may be what all of you say) would you stay at POP, POR/POFQ, or swan/dolphin? why?
side note: my husband is gunning for the swan/dolphin, and i kind of agree with him...but feel that there are also pros and cons for each of the three resorts we are considering.
i guess the last question should be 'do you think i'm insane?' and 'yes' is a totally acceptable answer!
i'm going to wait and see if he even attempted to put in a request for the days off today. if he did that, it means he REALLY wants to go. though if he didn't it doesn't mean that he doesn't really want to go--it could also mean that he was really busy today! will report back when he gets home from work!
I would avoid the AllStars and PO/FQ during the Pop Warner football week. The resorts will be super busy even though the parks are empty.
No you aren't insane, in the last year I've spent 34 days at WDW--that's right more than a month over the course of 6 trips. This coming year will probably be a lot less, unless I win the lottery. Right now I'm looking at October at WDW, December at DL and April in WDW and US/IOA. I might squeeze in a solo trip in June.
Good luck for your DH putting the time in and actually getting it off. One of the things I love about my job is that when I say I'm going on vacation, I get the time off. Plus they don't really seem to have a problem with me taking several weeks of vacation time a year--just as long as it isn't all at one time.
I am asking this because I am curious. I think you told us at some point that your husband is a teacher. Is he in a public school system? The reason I ask is because I can't imagine having to get personal days approved or denied. I am a teacher in a public school system and we get three personal days a year that cannot be denied. The only restriction is that they cannot be taken the first or last weeks of school. We also can bank personal days, up to five, which is how I am going to Disney the week after Thanksgiving. I hope it all works out for the two of you. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your adventures!
I am asking this because I am curious. I think you told us at some point that your husband is a teacher. Is he in a public school system? The reason I ask is because I can't imagine having to get personal days approved or denied. I am a teacher in a public school system and we get three personal days a year that cannot be denied. The only restriction is that they cannot be taken the first or last weeks of school. We also can bank personal days, up to five, which is how I am going to Disney the week after Thanksgiving. I hope it all works out for the two of you. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your adventures!
his school kind of sucks with personal days. he gets two a year and he CAN'T bank them--so he can't EVER take off for more than two days at a time. we had a destination wedding last year (that we ended up not being able to attend) and he asked to take days WITHOUT PAY and they wouldn't let him.
and yes, his days can be denied. there's a maximum % of teachers that are allowed to take personal days on any given day. so if that max is met for the dates he wants, he can't have them. most fridays and mondays are taken by the end of september--and it is october 1st. why does this happen? because all of the teachers TAKE their two personal days each year because if they don't, they lose them.
stupid system, eh?
sorry if that was confusing--i'm in a hurry but wanted to answer your question.
EDIT--ilovedisney...thanks for your input. will reply asap. running REALLY late! (picture me like the white rabbit in alice in wonderland...I'M LATE...I'M LATE...ok must stop typing now! )
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Another vote for GO!!! There really is nothing better than WDW at Christmas time. And if I'm not mistaken most of the Pop Warner kids stay at the All-Star resorts. making a decision!!
first, i have to say that i really liked being able to do a DURING trip report. i just read back over it all and while it was definitely shorter than a TR i'd write AFTER a trip, it also 'captured the essence' of the trip a bit better. it also made it seem like a REALLY short trip--even though it was 15 days long!
the trip was great--if hot and exhausting. for sure, the highlight was the time i spent with melissa sue (with no disrespect to my mon--in fact, all three of us would have a great time together in WDW...or anywhere else...i'm sure!) it was wonderful to have a new pair of eyes--and a different touring mindset. were i to list other highlights, you'd find that most of them were melissa sue inspired. fantasmic, kouzzina, and yes...meeting mickey...are all at the top of my highlights list. and all were because of melissa sue. if you ever get the chance to go to WDW with a friend, DO IT!
just try to make sure that friend is as awesome as melissa sue. which may be difficult. she's pretty awesome.
i'm also surprised at how much i got done in a relatively short period of time. i have all of my notes organized into an outline (it 'only' took me one work week...sheesh!) and i feel really good about what i accomplished.
the thing that was very different about this trip was the off-site car rental thing. and i have to say that it definitely had its pros and cons. for the most part i REALLY enjoyed having a car. thus, staying off site wasn't really an issue. it was definitely faster to drive than to take on site transport. but you really DO lose some of the magic leaving the resort property every day (sometimes twice). for a work trip--and a trip of this length--i'd want a car and would gladly stay off site again. but for a shorter vacation trip (say, like the one i'm planning for december) i'd want to be 'in the bubble' the whole time.
i regret a few things, mainly food related! i regret that i didn't branch out and try different CS restaurants like i wanted to. i mean, i definitely ate at more CS places than i ever have (i actually don't think i'd EVER eaten at a CS place outside of epcot before this trip.) i regret not enjoying world showcase more--despite the heat--though that's easy to say sitting in my house in chilly PA! and i regret not making this two medium sized trips instead of one giant one.
but then i may be back sooner rather than later!
if i end up booking something i will post here with a link to a PTR. because planning really is half the fun!
thanks for following my trip, everyone. having you all 'along' with me made the trip even more magical!!!
Wonderful trip report!! I am glad it was productive, but I totally understand hitting the wall at Disney. though it is an awesome place to be, there is a point where you definitely say, okay enough is enough. LOL I think i just got annoyed with having to figure out where we would go for lunch and dinner every day!! LOL I hope your trip in December works out!! And if it does, I can't wait to read the PTR.
Oh and I have been to St. Augustine, it's actually the only other place in Florida I have been. It is simply beautiful, and we had a lot of fun walking around soaking in all the History. My son was a newborn at the time, but we still really enjoyed that trip.
Great wrap up! The heat affected our time in the World Showcase too. For some reason the days we spent at Epcot were the hottest days of our trip.
I am glad you had a great time with Melissa Sue, I have never toured Disney with friends before (only family) and I think it would be so fun to go on a girl's only trip.
I hope you are able to make it back in December, I will be on the look out for your PTR!
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I just found your TR a few days ago and just am getting caught up. I totally understand why you left early...better to stop when you're just starting to go downhill! I say you should go to WDW...Christmas is the best at Disney with the decorations and the Osborne Lights. I'd lean towards Pop just because I like the themeing more than the Dolphin. But either way you're in Disney 
for whatever comes!
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Thanks for sharing your trip with us! 
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