The trip with an ulterior motive (Spet 3-10)- PTR - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Today I am spending a self-imposed day in the house doing nothing but relaxing! It has been a long time coming and I am enjoying it so much I decided to spend time roaming the boards and reading trip reports etc. While doing so I realized that there were a few milestones today….we are currently 70 days away from our vacation (7 is my lucky number), and this post will be my 300th on the board As I type this I am actually sitting on the couch watching one of the Ultimate Disney Behind the Scenes shows from Netflix with DS.
So with the 70 day milestone I decided to make the start of my PTR my 300th post, or in the words of one of my favorite Disney characters, Rafiki “It is time”….so here goes!!!!!!
The cast of Characters:
Me (Stacy): I just turned 30 this year and love Disney (and love planning for Disney just about as much!). I work for the Dept of Defense as a government civilian, and I am also in the AF Reserves…needless to say I stay rather busy
DH (Adam): He turned 30 back in Dec and has been in a state of change the last few months. DH was on active duty in the AF but decided to give our family a bit more stability so he separated and joined the Reserves as well in March. Note here, Adam and I have been married for 8 years in July and because of our military time (I spent 4 years on Active Duty as well) we have actually only lived together for 4.5 years due to deployments and time spent away at various trainings (usually 2-3 months at a time). So now DH is working as a consultant in the civilian world and absolutely loves it! He is not nearly as fanatical about Disney as I am, but I am slowly converting him
DD (Kayla): She is 6 and just finished Kindergarten earlier this month. K is a Disney nut and would spend all day watching Disney channel or talking about all things Disney (I wonder where she gets that from ) She has already made plans for what she wants to do this trip, with Tower of Terror being at the top of the list- last trip she rode is 8 times!!!!! She is also in love with the Princesses and anything to do with being girly (We call her the Diva)
DS (Carter): My little man is 4 years old and will finally be tall enough to ride many of the rides like Splash Mtn. He is a bundle of energy and alternates between wanting to be Iron Man or an Ninja Assassin. Carter loves Cars and can’t wait to see the new one in theaters this week. There is never a dull moment when he is around, and his one liners have my laughing all the time!
The Dates for our trip are Sept 3-10th. Kayla will have already started school, but I don’t feel terrible about her missing 4 days at the very beginning. Adam and I are very serious about their education, but K already reads at nearly a 2nd grade level and does addition and subtraction very consistently…needless to say I am not overly concerned about her missing just a few days. I chose to fly to MCO on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend because with that Mon as a holiday it is one less day of vacation I have to take and 1 less day for K to miss of school. Not to mention I know most other schools being after Labor Day so I figure the crowds will be getting much smaller starting that weekend.
Up next….What’s with the PTR title????
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PREVIOUS TRIPS: 1997- Off-site, 2002-Contemporary, 2009- POFQ, 2011- Beach Club, 2012- Disney Magic, 2013 Disney Fantasy
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A trip with an ulterior motive….there has got to be a story right???? Well you are in luck because there is But before I get to the exact reason there are a few details of the trip that need to be shared first.
For our last trip in Oct 09 we stayed at POFQ. We absolutely loved everything about that hotel. The location was gorgeous and the grounds were very peaceful. Our room was nice and always clean and housekeeping was wonderful. The staff at the resort was always helpful and friendly. We used the military deal for that trip and got the stay for a steal! So when I decided to plan this trip the first thing we did was wait for the next military deal and sure enough it was offered this winter. I have always wanted to stay in a Deluxe (we did stay 1 night at the Contemporary back in 2002 but I don’t really count it because 1 night doesn’t really give you a feel for the amenities etc.
So getting back to the present, I really wanted to stay Deluxe this trip, but I didn’t want to break the bank with it either. The military deal allowed us to book Deluxe for a 40% savings….how could I say no now?!?!? So once we did the math a figured out we could afford it, the next decision was where to stay? My first choice was the Poly, but at the time there were no more military rate rooms left We absolutely love EPCOT so I decided I wanted to be at one of the resorts near there. Now the tough decision….Beach Club or Yacht Club….I posed the question on the boards and so many of you praised everything about Beach Club that that is where we decided to stay When I booked the room I realized the deal was even better than advertised because dining was discounted as well. So in the end I received a Garden View room for 7 nights, Dining Plan for all of us and trip insurance for $400 less than the room would have cost full price for that length!!!!!!!! WHAT A DEAL!
I guess that brings us to where my ulterior motives play in. I have wanted to purchase DVC for some time now. DH is a bit apprehensive for 2 reasons: 1. the cost upfront and 2. He still isn’t as big of a Disney nut as I am. My long-term plan is to take a Disney trip every other year for about 10 days each. By owning DVC, we would be able to do this in very nice accomodations. So my motives for this trip are to turn DH on to staying Deluxe (once you stay there it’s hard to go back right?!?!). Once he realizes he wants to stay Deluxe every trip from now on, DVC starts to make much more sense Not to mention, with BC being a DVC resort I am hoping he can observe some of the added benefits and we can go talk with the DVC folks. Overall, my end goal (other than having an amazing trip) is to come home with a husband much more willing to consider (and maybe even sold on buying) DVC
Up next: My Type-A OCD in overdrive!
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PREVIOUS TRIPS: 1997- Off-site, 2002-Contemporary, 2009- POFQ, 2011- Beach Club, 2012- Disney Magic, 2013 Disney Fantasy
Tons of luck for convincing DH into buying DVC! We bought in several years ago and it was one of the best purchases I've ever made. We can now stay Deluxe or Concierge several times a year!
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Great start. I'm trying to convince DH to buy into DVC as well, good luck.
Ditto! I'm about 95% there on convincing him to sign on the dotted line. I'm thinking our December trip may just push him over the edge. I'll definitely be following this thread for ideas!
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Your plans sound great! with helping your hubby understand the DVC purchase!
It took me two years and lots of spread sheets and research to convince my dh!
But now he is wondering why we waited!
Tons of luck for convincing DH into buying DVC! We bought in several years ago and it was one of the best purchases I've ever made. We can now stay Deluxe or Concierge several times a year!
I am definitely going to be making that point during our trip
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PREVIOUS TRIPS: 1997- Off-site, 2002-Contemporary, 2009- POFQ, 2011- Beach Club, 2012- Disney Magic, 2013 Disney Fantasy
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As I type this I am actually sitting on the couch watching one of the Ultimate Disney Behind the Scenes shows from Netflix with DS. 
) She has already made plans for what she wants to do this trip, with Tower of Terror being at the top of the list- last trip she rode is 8 times!!!!! She is also in love with the Princesses and anything to do with being girly (We call her the Diva)
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Well you are in luck because there is 
We absolutely love EPCOT so I decided I wanted to be at one of the resorts near there. Now the tough decision….Beach Club or Yacht Club….I posed the question on the boards and so many of you praised everything about Beach Club that that is where we decided to stay 
with the ulterior motive! 
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