Red Hot (Hat) Ladies and a Smoking Goddess **Updated 2/3** COMPLETE About This Page:

[duck addict]

Pre-Trip Report
My planning began as I was on the flight back from Mousefest 06. Being retired I could not do anything until the money was available, but dreaming never stops : I knew that I wanted to add the cruise to my Mousefest 07 itinerary, the rest of the details would have to wait.
The first step was to follow-up on some discussions at MF06. I had already become enamored with the Passporter boards , but felt I owed it to my fellow passporters to make a bigger contribution to the community. So I sent an email to Belle* and Jennifer to inform them of my desire to apply to be a Passporter guide. I was accepted and was, initially assigned to DL-Getting there and Back. Being from CA this was a good fit. I also made an order for my Passporter Guide to the Disney Cruise Line. Planning began with reading through it (thrice ) and re-reading my Passporter Guide to Walt Disney World.
February comes around and it is tax time This was my first full year of retirement only income, so I had no idea of how my taxes would come out. After doing my taxes, I found I had enough money coming back for both the cruise and the land portion . Now I had to wait patiently for the money to come. (Being retired I don’t spend it (or put it on my charge account) until I have the money to pay the bill when it arrives . ) The good news by the first of March both checks arrived! Time to book !
Off to the Passporter boards, and trust our authors(Who only allow companies they have personally used to advertise on the websites). So I clicked on MousearsVacations.com (a part of The Cruising Company). I received a response within 12 hours from their agent assigned to me. I emailed back additional information. At the time DCL land/sea packages could not add either extra land days or the dining plan. (They can, now!) He e-mailed me back two packages. The first was a quote for the MF cruise, category 9, with Disney Cruise Transport to and from MCO and Port Canaveral. The second was a land quote for POFQ, Park hopper tickets, dining plan, DME and air from Sacramento to Orlando and return. I emailed back accepting both packages and had the agent telephone me for credit card information. He called, I booked PAID IN FULL, and got a confirming mail within a week of both. A month later I paid the credit card bill, and loved the additional ‘money’ in my Disney rewareds account. I created a new countdown and the rest of planning was on. Included in the mailing was a worksheet for ADR’s to be sent to the agent in time for them to wake up at 7AM EDST on the 180th day to make them for me.
Reading the boards and everyone’s posts made the time fly… but also caused one worry. I always start Animal Kingdom with breakfast with my beloved Donald Duck, and lo and behold, Donald’s Breakfastasaurous was closing and the replacement was not confirmed. A couple of months later, ‘confirmed’ rumors appeared that Tusker House would, after remodeling, host breakfast with my favorite. It is just that the opening date was unsure.
I mailed the agent my requests and got all but one for within 15 minutes of my time requests. The only no was Donald. I told them I would watch the boards for when the new Donald’s breakfast opened up for reservations, and make my own for it.
In August a surprise e-mail arrived from the TA’s. Would I consider changing to a different moderate for a reduced price, or even consider an upgrade to a deluxe for little or no additional $. My response was a resounding yes ! Two days later I received email confirmation that they had moved me from POR to POFQ, and Disney reduced the price of my 4 night package by $267, which was immediately applied to my credit card.
My next contact from my TA was preparation for dining on the cruise. Would I be interested in a table for 8. Me, a travel agent couple my TA knew-who are a really fun couple, and 5 ladies from the Red Hat Society. (For those unfamiliar with the RHS, it is ladies over 50 whose main goal as a group is to do things together and have fun (I.E. paint the town red) together. ) I responded yes (I am in their age group-though male). I never got a response from the TA, but since the e-mail did not bounce, presumed all was set.
In the mean time I got my reservation to eat with Donald and Daisy for Tusker House.
About six weeks before the trip, I go an email from a different TA from the same company saying that that agent took over my account as my TA left the firm due to illness. The great news was that we emailed back in forth constantly, verified my dining (it had NOT been set up but they did set me up with the group of ladies. I was emailed when the documents arrived at the TA and got them two days later. All that remained was to begin my trip.
Report continued in Red Hot(Hat) ladies in the cruise report forum.
http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post1907676